"the calling depths" by the evilish and ripping LVCIFYRE

Featuring current and ex-members from blackened hordes of ADORIOR, CORPUS CHRISTII (originally from Portugal) and NECROSADIST (originally from Cyprus), this "english" quatuor, based in London and formed in 2007, is about to unleash its first album "the calling dephts" on Pulverised Rds. We've got here very experienced and tightful musicians who fucking know what crushing brutality & blackened extreme heaviness exactly mean...               Where traditional/old school Death Metal revives with vehemence and evil forces for a few years, one must admit that there's a lack of new leaders, in front of the far more popular Modern Death Metal (it's not a lack of potencial though but maybe just a question of times evolution...). Thus MORBID ANGEL and DEICIDE didn't release anything interesting for ages, VADER and quite a bunch of others do the same stuff for 20 years, BEHEMOTH has to face long painful times, etc...

With their very straightforward approach of evilish and brutal Death Metal, LVCIFYRE could become more thant just a new hope; their style takes elements from early MORBID ANGEL and DECIDE with nice well-digested overtones of ANGEL CORPSE + VITAL REMAINS for the Black metal edge and POSSESSED for some slight but remarkable Thrashing power !!!  and... does it sound as exciting as this described mix of influences ? YES !

This debut album, consisting in 8 songs, is a very delightful torrent of horrific fast tempos with harsh crushing vocals, infectious rythmic section, mercilessly ripping riffs,  twisted technical solos à la Trey Azagthoth, blackened blast-beats... Something highly brutal and malevolent at the same time, just letting some little place to rare but well arranged quieter mid-tempos, still expertly crafted in malicious evilness. 

Highlights are certainly "the calling depths", "holy chaos" and "the great fall", but there's honestly a real and impressive homogeneity in the overall quality of the album which make it definitely essential and I'm sure that if they have the chance to get included in a great touring package (where most bands will have to deliver a battle every night for not having their show stolen by this chaotic horde), "the calling dephts" could mark be the beginning of LVCIFYRE reigning supreme. Check this out !

https://www.facebook.com/#!/Lvcifyre

http://www.reverbnation.com/lvcifyre

http://www.pulverised.net/

album review : "XI IX XI" by HELMUT

This 2nd album by the switz band HELMUT has been one of my greatest surprises from the past weeks, not that it's deeply original, but by its simplicity, heaviness and the personnality of the band, I think this really deserves a particular attention.
When I first heard the name HELMUT, I immediately thought about the great old (average) german tourist standing on a beach, his skin completely redenned by the sun, a big stomach and a beer in hand, wearing sandals but still with socks... Their old President Helmut Kohl was far away from that image (officially at least) but believe me, in the 80's and 90's this was not a pastiche at all !!!! all that to say that it sounds amazing and this is exactly what the guys had in mind when looking for a band's name !!!
HELMUT has a cool and developped sense of humor (just think about title songs like "Divine Kebab", "Chouchenn"  or "the legend of Glen Baden") which combined to their style of music give a pretty relaxed atmosphere here and this is welcome, even if musically we've got here something very serious and extremely heavy... Another funny and interesting idea is the title of the album : this is the date of its release (on HeimatHome records) !!!
They claim as main influences ZZ TOP and VAN HALEN but admit readily more realistic ones like MASTODON, DOWN or DEVIN TOWNSEND, to whom we could also add Q.O.S.T.A. for some quieter and smoother moments... Definitely, we've got here a great blend of Stoner/Metal/HC with nice southern bluesy overtones.
This is very cohesive, in a straight, immediate and intense manner, with groovy guitars and raw screamed vocals, songs like "divine Kebab" and "the Colson blues" perfectly illustrate this solid identity reinforced by a very tight musicianship; the 2nd has a delightful southern bluesy touch with the best solos of the album (there's globally a real performance on that point, never too long but very incisive and accomplished), another very cool song is "doomkopf" (nothing hasardous... ? "kopf" means "head" in german) with this excellent sabbathian riffing.
Switzerland is a small country, reknown for its banks, chocolate, exceptionnal natural sites and relaxed lifestyle, not really for Metal but that doesn't prevent them at all to reveal great bands like JUNE DEVILLE or HELMUT which have in common quality and authenticity for the greatest pleasure of HEAVY music fans...


FB page
http://www.myspace.com/helmutband
http://heimathomerecords.bigcartel/

New Track Premiere brought to you by Noisecreep : ORANGE GOBLIN

Today Noisecreep premieres "Red Tide Rising," the opening track from ORANGE GOBLIN's forthcoming A Eulogy For The Damned full-length. Set for North American release on February 14, 2012 via Candlelight Records, A Eulogy For The Damned is the band’s seventh studio album (and first for Candlelight). The ten-track offering was recorded at The Animal Farm studio in South London, UK, produced and engineered by Jamie Dodd and mastered by two-time Grammy-nominated Pink Floyd engineer Andy Jackson at Tube Mastering.

 

Commented vocalist Ben Ward of the track: "'Red Tide Rising' was actually the first song we wrote for the new album and the main riff was written by [guitarist] Joe [Hoare] as far back as 2008. We all knew that this would be the lead song on the album as soon as we wrote it; it felt kind of special and it set the tempo and feel for the whole record. It's one that we all had a lot of input on so it's a real band effort and definitely wasn't rushed. The ending must've been changed half a dozen times or so until we were all satisfied! It's a very typical ORANGE GOBLIN song and I'm confident that it's going to be a live favorite for many years to come. We've actually played it at the last few shows and despite no one knowing it, it got a great response. Lyrically, the song is a tribute to my fascination with the works of horror writer H.P Lovecraft. The theme centers around the rising of Cthulhu from the deep and the ultimate destruction of Earth and mankind. It was fun for me to use my imagination and be able to write about the Elder gods and the end of the world. I think it'll make a great Heavy Metal video! The title was something I made up and we considered calling the album 'Red Tide Rising' for a while. It's pretty self-explanatory with the idea of the oceans turning to blood and the beasts taking over for the dawn of a new dark age! We are all very proud of this track and honored to preview it with Noisecreep/AOL. With our annual Christmas show looming on Saturday, now seems like the perfect time to unleash this beast on the world!"

 

Check out  "Red Tide Rising" HERE.

 

As previously announced, ORANGE GOBLIN will hit the road in April 2012 for the A Eulogy For The Damned UK & Ireland Tour. Confirmed dates are below:

 

4/7/2012 Desertfest @ The Underworld - London
4/8/2012 The Fleece - Bristol
4/9/2012 The Old Bell - Derby
4/10/2012 Classic Grand - Glasgow
4/11/2012 Sound Control - Manchester
4/12/2012 The Garage - Swansea
4/13/2012 The White Rabbit - Plymouth
4/14/2012 o2 Academy - Oxford
4/20/2012 The Pint - Dublin
4/21/2012 Spring & Airbrake - Belfast

 

 

http://www.orange-goblin.com

http://www.facebook.com/orangegoblinofficial

http://www.myspace.com/theorangegoblin

http://www.youtube.com/orangegoblinofficial

http://candlelightrecordsusa.com

http://www.candlelightrecords.co.uk

Album artwork and Track listing revealed : CORROSION OF CONFORMITY for late February release

Thanx to EarsplitPR2 for the awesome news !!! 

Candlelight Records confirms February 28, 2012 as the North American release date for the self-titled new album from CORROSION OF CONFORMITY. Recorded at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 in Los Angeles, the album was produced by the band in cooperation with long-time collaborator John Custer.  It was mixed by John Lousteau (Foo Fighters) and features artwork by Seldon Hunt (Melvins, High On Fire).  The album will be available on standard CD, deluxe digipak, and two exclusive vinyl formats. 

Featuring the esteemed Animosity line-up of vocalist/bassist Mike Dean, guitarist Woody Weatherman, and drummer/vocalist Reed Mullin, the album’s release closes a six year recording gap and completes over a year of concentrated writing and recording for the band. Reflecting on the past year and the album’s recording process, Mike Dean notes, ”we tracked the songs at Studio 606 then headed for Europe, toured the US, and returned to Europe. We then did some vocals at home in North Carolina but not where we originally planned; the studio was flattened by a system of spring tornadoes. We made our way back to 606 about seven months later and mixed twelve songs in ten days. The whole time we were out there, we were living in the onion fields of Ventura County and had to drive over the Santa Susana Pass to the San Fernando Valley every day. That was some fuel intensive time to reflect.  As a whole, the album was an inspired and efficient collaboration. John Custer told me he thought we were all working together as one organism; which is an apt description.”

Corrosion Of Conformity features eleven new songs with the deluxe digipak and vinyl formats including two additional songs. Vinyl collectors will want to seek out both formats of the record; the European configuration confirmed as a double 180-gram clear vinyl and the American version featuring a single 180-gram black-and-white splatter vinyl with a limited 7-inch which will include the album’s bonus songs.  Both versions will feature a gatefold sleeve.

Dean notes, “We like the idea of pressing this music on vinyl because so much of our inspiration comes from music that precedes the digital era. It’s also cool to have that large format for the artwork and the lyrics and the credits.  It's such a tangible physical product you can hold in your hands. In Europe, the vinyl will include a CD so you can get the files into your digital realm. In the US, a download card is included"

Formed in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1982, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY’s heavy music hybrid is a fan and critic favorite. Decibel Magazine recently called the Grammy-nominated band’s blending of metal, punk, and southern rock, “a crucial stylistic lynchpin…  CORROSION OF CONFORMITY irrevocably reshaped crossover’s sonic possibilities.” AllMusic.com notes, “C.O.C. weren’t following any trends. They just incorporated all the things they liked about thrash, punk and ‘70s metal originators Black Sabbath into their constantly evolving sound. It secured them artistic and commercial credibility.”

With over 1.1 million albums sold in the United States alone, the new album will be the band’s first since 2005’s In The Arms Of God.  

Corrosion Of Conformity Track-Listing:
1. Psychic Vampire
2. River of Stone
3. Leeches
4. El Lamento de Las Cabras
5. Your Tomorrow
6. The Doom
7. The Moneychangers
8. Come Not Here
9. What We Become
10. Rat City
11. Time of Trials
12. Canyon Man (deluxe/vinyl only)
13. The Same Way (deluxe/vinyl only)

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY will close out 2011 with performances alongside Clutch scheduled December 27 through 31. The band kicks off 2012 with a recently announced show with friends Hail!Hornet in North Carolina. Tickets are on sale now for all performances via Ticketmaster and venue box offices.

12/27/2011 House of Blues – Boston, MA
12/28/2011 State Theater – Portland, ME
12/29/2011 Westcott Theater – Syracuse, NY
12/30/2011 Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, NJ
12/31/2011 Trocadero Theater – Philadelphia, PA
01/22/2011 The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC

http://www.coc.com
http://www.facebook.com/corrosionofconformity
http://candlelightrecordsusa.com

For more information contact Liz Ciavarella-Brenner : (earsplitpr2@aol.com).
European media contact Darren Toms : (d.toms@plastichead.com).

in depth Interview with Steve Mills from THE WOUNDED KINGS

For several various reasons, THE WOUNDED KINGS is a rather singular band... First, musically with a majestic, slow, atmospheric and very dark style, taking basically influences in Traditionnal DOOM; but also with surprising choices like releasing a split album with the very different COUGH or by introducing a new (female) singer on their new awesome album "in the chapel of the black hand"; all that for successfull results that ultimately stand out obvious...

For this 3rd full-length (released on I Hate rds), Steve and his new buddies have even gone further in frighteningly heaviness and striking atmospheres, the presence of Sharie adds deepness , just like organ parts create a nice harmony, both these elements give a new sensitivity, even if the overall atmosphere is maybe more mournful than ever before !

The departure of George, the introduction of Sharie on vocals, the new album, lyrics, the upcoming European tour... lots of interesting subjects to talk about with Steve, the head-thinking of the band, so here we go :

Hey Steve, thanx for answering the following questions… So, with a bit of hindsight, what’s your look on the new album « in the chapel of the black hand » ?
It’s definitely my favourite so far. The songwriting, lyrics and especially the recording/production are way better to my ears, this is the direction i wanted the band take and i think you can hear that from the previous release (the vinyl split with Cough) there’s a natural progression to where we are now. It was great not to have to do all the engineering/mixing and production this time around, it left me more time to concentrate on the music, especially the organ, mellotron parts and vocal melodies. When i listen to Chapel it just feels more complete

With his own activities in priority, it was almost predictable that George Birch will leave the band one day but how did it happen exactly, was it a common decision and why at this moment ? Why didn’t you keep the rhythmic section composed of Luke and Nick ?
It was always borrowed time with George. Originally he was just doing me a favour and doing some session singing for the Kings tracks I’d written, but things took on a life of there own and before we knew it we’d recorded Embrace and Shadow, then of course people wanted to see us live so we got Luke and Nick involved and it turned into a completely different beast. It was just after we’d played Roadburn 2010 that George declared he was leaving, he felt he’d achieved everything he wanted from the band and wanted to go out on a high! I wasn’t expecting it when it came for sure especially not just after fuckin’ Roadburn, but heh we’re mates and you got to respect someone’s decision, he thought it was the right time for him to get back to his own stuff. Nick our drummer left to live in Canada with his wife and Luke left to become a Dad.

You’ve been looking for a new vocalist, making no distinction if it would be a male or a female, but didn’t you have some little fears, by choosing a female, to be assimilated with the likes of Jex Thoth and Blood Ceremony, while you’re really different from this kind of new movement ?
To be honest I didn’t think about it, I just wanted the best singer for the job, male or female they just needed to be distinctive and send out the chills! Obviously now that we have Sharie the comparisons are coming in, but I’m sure Jex and Blood Ceremony would agree that as bands none of us sound the same as each other at all!

Did the fact of now being 5 change drastically anything in your vision of THE WOUNDED KINGS future? Could it be possible to see one or several new members help in the composition in the future?
There is always room for ideas from any of the other guys in the band, whilst the overall vision and concepts will always remain with me, we are a band, not a collection of session musicians put together to aid me, each member is a superb musician and if the band is to remain fresh, exciting and alive the energy has to flow through all of us to keep that level of creativity present.

The cover artwork of the album is rather simple and uncluttered but it retranscribes pretty well the extremely dark, occult and magical atmospheres of the album… how do you consider the nature and identity that your album covers must present ?
Album artwork is always the hardest thing for me! I like paintings, I’d like to think our covers convey a similar vibe to the old oil paintings you see in the Macato apartment in Rosemary’s Baby, the portrait in the film ‘And now the screaming starts!’ and the cover of Dream Death’s Journey into mystery. Sinister, alive and full of hidden meaning. Shadow, the new Embrace and Chapel covers had a very small amount of guidance from me, the rest was down to the artist to conjure what they could from the lyrics and snippets of music. It’s great to have original artwork which can be found nowhere else only with that particular album!

In the booklet of “the shadow over Atlantis” you thank a couple of museums for inspiration, is there any particular museum in the world that you feel you absolutely need to visit sooner or later ?
The Museum of Death in Bangkok looks totally weird and macabre right up my street!

Lyrically wise where do your influences mostly stem from, historical facts and/or science fiction? Any evolution between both albums concerning the lyrics ?
The lyrics usually stem from a bit of both, I take historical facts or myths and then give it a fantastical slant in a Clark Ashton Smith way. I think the only evolution with the lyrics from album to album is that I’m getting a bit better at it each time haha! Seriously though each album is a completely separate entity and lyrically comes to life based around what I’m reading or watching at the time.

You’ve a tour coming in March, I can’t complain at all myself as there’s 3 dates in France with one of them very close from where I live, but I’m a bit surprised not to see you playing more dates (7 in all), is it something self-organized ? Except UK of course, does the fans response come mostly from these countries soon visited (France, Germany and Belgium) ? Anyway, it’s a fucking cool perspective to see you in Rennes with Barabbas, have you heard them yet ?
Yes, I know a few promoters and just thought it’d be nice to do a euro tour, but take our time with it, I figure we will do it in 2 or 3 parts, France, Germany and Belgium being the first one In March and the rest of Europe part 2 in November and Part 3 April 2013. I Checked out Barabbas the other day, and it’s going to be a very heavy show indeed!

The UK doom scene is pretty active for a few years but it seems that the attention is variously focused on different bands, depending on their sub-styles… I’ve the strange impression that you should really deserve much more attention (just like The Human Condition and Gallow God for example, even if they’re more new in the scene)… do you think that traditional doom should deserve more support in general ?
To be honest I’ve not given it much thought until now! I think doom in general, regardless of sub-genre could always do with a bit more support! It’s three albums in for TWK and I feel we are just now beginning to break through! We’ve been lucky to have the support from high street magazines, Roadburn and web sites like Doommantia, The Obelisk and many others. TWK as a concept has been going since 2004 and while some other bands have risen quicker on the tidal wave of hipster occult popularity, TWK doesn’t pander to that and thus it takes time, a band and it’s fans need that time to grow with each other and it helps build that strong foundation to be able to go the distance, just my opinion!

I’ve seen that you’re going to play at The Heavy Days in Doomtown festival next spring in Denmark, this is a fest with a very pronounced DIY identity, do you feel close to this one ?
Yes absolutely, this is going to be a killer festival, the DIY ethic is strong in the Kings! lets face it you couldn’t get anymore DIY than the first 2 albums, recorded! at home in my basement by me on a shitty off the shelf multi-track! I reckon these guys have got it right and what an amazing line-up!!

What about your deal with I HATE rds, did the contract end with this new album ? Do they have a decent distribution in North America ?
Each album we do with I Hate is always a one album deal. They’ve just sorted out North American distro with Century Media as it happens!

Can’t remember where I’ve read that and if the other band was mentioned, but there’s plans for a new split album if I’m not wrong ? On a personnal point of view and for the band, what do you expect from 2012 ?
Yes we are going into Foel Studios in October for a couple of days to do our side of a split we’ve been promising to do for the last 18 months with UK Doom band Pombagira, really looking forward to it! 2012 is going to be the year of the shows!

Thanx a lot Steve, please give details about your merchandising...Many thanks for the interview Steph, you can visit our big cartel store to buy our stuff (not much left though!) www.thewoundedkings/bigcartel.com cheers to everyone for your continued support for TWK and see you at a show in 2012 . Doom on!

TWK on Facebook

http://www.ihate.se/

The Doomed battle shall now begin : (interview with ) VERDUN

A bit of history, for all those who need to refresh their memory about WW1 : VERDUN (located in the east of France) was the siege of one of the most cruel and inhuman war battle that ever happened, it lasted nearly 10 months and over 300 000 soldiers died on just this front...
VERDUN, the band, formed in 2010 in the (southern and sunny) area of Montpellier; these five guys don't express their feelings with bayonets but their extremely heavy and bleak approach of DOOM make it sound like an impressive and menacing (war)machine that hits your organs viciously and mercilessly... 

The vocals are here generally pretty angered with raw and darkened HC overtones while the rythmic section is very massive, making perfectly the link with the guitars type of riffing which remain pretty classic (doom) in the spirit, that's why -"despite" this special type of vocals- I would NOT use the term of SLUDGE !!! Without being notably complex and too refined, the 3 songs from their fortcoming ep "the cosmic escape of Admiral Masuka" give also place to quieter moments, just like soldiers relieving wounds between two shots, the menace is never too far, only slightly less painful, but still providing a welcome little light in this raw battle... 

The fact that they're french adds to my enthusiasm, that's true, we can be proud of several new (french) bands that appeared this year and this obviously includes VERDUN...  I'm not either telling you that VERDUN is the best newcomer of the planet,  but believe me this is a very very promising first recording, so give it an attentive listen and support them !  
Here's a little interview with Florian (bass) to help you discover a bit more the band :

Although one can find extremely heavy, bleak and sometimes apocalytpic yet epic elements in your music, which does not make it inappropriate in any way, why the name of Verdun?

I  always liked proper names, especially city names to represent a band. One day, the choice of VERDUN came to me like a revelation. Mud, trenches, bombings, corpses, etc. The apocalyptic atmosphere. I think it fits well with our music. It is also one of the most inhuman and stupid battle of our history : 300,000 soldiers killed for the conquest of just a few hundred meters is a good example of human stupidity.

Where we could eventually have expected lyrics about war and more especially the battle of Verdun, the title of the ep is "the escape of cosmic Admiral Masuka" and a title is called "JAXA" , does it reflect a particular interest about Japan's Aerospace Exploration? Did you prepare yourselves to answer questions about Vincent Masuka in Dexter?!

It would have been easy to dive headlong into military stories and stuff like that, but we did not really want to do a  concept-band around this theme. And anyway it will never be better than Bolt Thrower on the subject. David (vocals) is indeed very much into astro-physics and quantum physics in its philosophical aspect. The three pieces from the EP form a story somewhere between science fiction and metaphysical reflection: a Japanese admiral, who is the last survivor of a global nuclear disaster, he tries to understand the reasons of its survival and decides to get the answers directly with God by traveling in space.
For the reference to Dexter, I'm not sure he is aware about this guy!

I am a bit surprised by some influences you mention which I can not hear precisely in your sound like Hawkwind or Pagan Altar, I would more add  ELECTRIC WIZARD and YOB to  ST VITUS  for whom I agree as reference, then vocally wise there are also in my opinion some influences from HC/noise/industrial stuff or post-something, what do you think of this?
Obviously bands like SAINT VITUS, PENTAGRAM, ELECTRIC WIZARD are major influences, but we also cite less obvious stuff like Hawkwind (for the space-rock edge), The 13th Floor Elevators (for repetitive and psyche aspects that we try to develop more and more) or Joy Division ... What is interesting is that everyone in VERDUN has very different personnal backgrounds, we are all involved in a lot of other projects ranging from Noise to  Crust, not forgetting Post HC and all these experiences feed the music of VERDUN .

The ep comes out on CD through HEAD rds,  will it be a limited edition? is it going to be available only by mailorder ? and  there's also THROATRUINER who release 66 copies of a tape version ... when is it due to be released exactly ...?
The CD version just came out on Head Records, first press was limited to 500 copies, if ever sell everything there could be another press. The Tape version is strictly limited to 66 copies and should be available in January via Throatruiner.

You've played a lot in your area and even a little further ... Indepedant scenes are pretty active  in the Midi-Pyrénées, more HC oriented a few years ago but it then opened to Stoner and then Sludge and DOOM now ... it's been a while you swim in there with other bands before, did it help to make you a name more quickly with this new project?

VERDUN is a very young band but all of us have been involved in the Metal / Hardcore / Noise scenes for several years and it surely makes things easier to find dates; and  I think that now the release of "The Cosmic Escape of Admiral Masuka" will definitely open some new doors and allow us to play far beyond the south of France.

I guess that now one of the objectives is to mount a little to see what happens further in the North, and on the opposite in the southern parts of Europe with the close Spain and Portugal? The beginning of 2012 promises to be exciting with the release of the EP and also a gig in January with Kylesa, are any other projects already planed ?

Our next date will be on January 16th, as support for KYLESA, CIRCLES THE SQUARE and KEN MODE in Montpellier. Then a small tour is planned in Brittany and in the North of France for February. We also expect to make a little tour with dates in England, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy later in 2012.

What's your opinion on the French DOOM scene which begins to grow slowly?  Finally, here's the opportunity for you to talk a bit about your association that organizes gigs in Montpellier ...

The french DOOM scene seems still in its infancy, but everyday I discover new bands, of varying quality; that gives hopes for the future of  the style on the french territory. In order to make things moving a bit, we have seted up an association, "les escargots électriques" ( "The Electric Snails"), which allows us to program all year long quality bands, it concerns french bands mainly and in all case heavy musics ! To celebrate the end of our first season, we're preparing a festival for next June 8th and 9th in Montpellier with  As We Draw Birds In Raw, Drawers, The Idiot Rodeo Engine, Calvaiire, Selenite, and many others more.

http://www.head-records.com/
https://www.facebook.com/throatruiner
VERDUN on FB
http://www.myspace.com/verduntheband
http://verdun.bandcamp.com/

"Grave of Crytpic Sorrows" new video by STONE MAGNUM

After the godly "Locksmith of misery" which has been pretty much shared on the web, here's a new video from the awesome STONE MAGNUM; this one is called "Grave of Cryptic Sorrows" and is on Youtube for just a few hours !!!
Listen to this song from their amazing first album to be soon released, this is top notch Epic Trad' DOOM...

for those who missed it, find an interview which I did in Sept 2011 with Dean Tavernier (guit/voc) : HERE

like them on FB, buy a cool T-shirt, save money for one of the best albums of 2012...
Support STONE MAGNUM !!!

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Stone-Magnum/182549458436679
http://www.reverbnation.com/stonemagnum

"ghouls of the endless night" by BASTARD PRIEST

After a pretty promising debut, with "under the hammer of destruction", released last year by Blood Harvest, here's "ghouls of the endless night", the sophomore album from the infernal swedish duo BASTARD PRIEST, this time released through the almighty PULVERISED Rds from Singapore... A very dedicated and professional label that knows for sure what Brutal Death Metal is all about and has done, like just a few others, a lot during the last 10 years to keep the movement alive and well !!!                                                                                                       The main improvement to underline here concerns the production which is much better, very personnal and massive while being faithful to the sound of the golden early years from 1986 to 1990, I mean this is fucking raw, crude and filthy...

You've certainly yet guessed it, BASTARD PRIEST is a band that perpetuates (brillantly) the legacy of the raw and brutal sound of NIHILIST (did not write ENTOMBED, cause as I pointed it out, this has nothing to do with the formated Sunlight studios sound !) AUTOPSY and  GRAVE, not to forget some flashy hints of old SEPULTURA or SLAUGHTER LORD and some old swedish HC overtones too ; at this time the genres were not so pre-etablished, death metal was just appearing and most of these bands were taking influences as much in Judas Priest or Venom than in Discharge or Anti Cimex !

Don't expect here anything new, that's absolutely not their purpose, but BASTARD PRIEST are not a pale copy at all, just like the godly american ACEPHALIX, they perfectly succeed to establish a caracter of their own, not trying to put out  a new "left hand path" or "into the grave", neither using improperly too much D-beat parts... Sure most tempos are based on chainsaw guitars and pounding drums with wild and sick vocals, but there's a part of morbidity and filthness mixed together that bring a slightly dark and haunting approach and some slower parts are fantastically gloomy reminding inevitably the best moments of AUTOPSY  (just listen to the monumental "poison") !!!

While waiting for another swedish massacre on the same label with the fresly signed BOMBS OF HADES, I strongly recommend this killer album to all fans of early Swedish death metal and Autopsy-like addicts, no regrets guaranteed...

                                              

http://www.pulverised.net/

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pulverisedrecords

https://www.facebook.com/#!/bastardpriestsweden

                                              

listen to "here" by RITUALS OF THE OAK, from "come taste the doom" out January 27th !!!

in depth Interview with Sabine (September 2011)

http://ritualsoftheoak.blogspot.com/

http://www.northern-silence.de/eye.htm

N.T.R. announce a split ep w/ RISE & SHINE + el CAMINO - covering VENOM !!!

The swedish label NIGHT TRIPPER records announce their next release with the “7 inch of Hell” : a split ep with swedish doomsters el CAMINO and RISE & SHINE, covering Venom as you never heard them before with heavy flowerinfested covers of “In league with Satan” & “7 gates of Hell”!

A little reminder about the previous releases of this great young label :

SOUL MANIFEST – White Season foldoutLP / CD
el CAMINO – The Satanik Magiik LP + poster / CD
OBRERO – Mortui Vivos Docent LP + poster / CD
BURNING SAVIOURS – Förbannelsen 7”

This is not released on this label but I take the opportunity to mention here the great new album of Josabeth's band RISE AND SHINE "empty hand", out on Plug Or Die....

el CAMINO (on FB) +  http://www.elcaminodoom.se/
RISE and SHINE (on FB)  + http://www.myspace.com/flowerpowermetal
NIGHT TRIPPER records     
 
now just for fun and pleasure, before listening to these certainly surprising versions, here are the originals !!!
 

                                         

(Join now the) CULT OF OCCULT

" Concealed from the view of the moribund mass of humanity, hidden in the darkness of the gates of Hell, waiting to spread the evil sound of the extermination of life is the most powerful and misanthropic force. Fed by hatred, loudness and alcohol, the four headed monster of Apocalypse will destroy everything on its way with its unwavering wall of sound. Like the scream of Satan himself the fury of the troopers of doom is deafening, intoxicating and damned addicting.

Feel the ethylic vapor impregnating the audience, be conquered by the slow devastating groove, chant the name of Lucifer, dance with us on heavy riffing and worship the soundtrack of the end of days.

CULT OF OCCULT plays for black masses, sacrifices, satanic rituals, dark ceremonies and unholy meetings. Contact us..."

I think  I don't need to add anything concerning the band's identity and sound but you have to know that THRONE rds will soon release the 5 songs debut ep from this delightfully blackened  french quartet (based in Lyon)... 3 songs can be already enjoyed on their FB page or on Soundcloud : "Cult of Occult", "Blurry and Muzzy" and "Walking In The Desert"; while both other songs are named "I Hate You" and "Perfect Love"... Experience what is maybe the crudest blackened sludge/doom ever coming from France !

https://www.facebook.com/#!/cultofoccult

http://soundcloud.com/cultofoccult

http://www.thronerecords.net/

how to make it immensely Heavy, Slow and Oppressive by the amazing UNDERSMILE

If it's already time to start thinking about 2011 "underground metal awards" , I think it's also time to think with delight about some awaited little jewels that 2012's soon gonna reveal... and one of them  is "Narwhal" from UNDERSMILE, a female fronted sludge band that will crush your soul with no fuckin' mercy !!!

Coming from Oxford (UK) and formed in 2009, they are-Tom McKibbin on Drums, Olly Corona-Brown on Bass, Hel Sterne on Vocals and Lead Guitars,Taz Corona-Brown on Vocals and Guitar.

Yes, two girls on vocals and guitars, and despite their grungey look + extreme kindness, you'd better prepare yourself for some extremely dark and oppressive stuff that more than a bunch of guys couldn't even express, a kind of oustanding cross between THE MELVINS, SWANS, EYE HATE GOD and WINTER !

UNDERSMILE have actually released a debut ep in 2010 and a split ep with their post-core mates from CARETAKER (worth to listen to) just a few weeks ago; the debut "a sea of dead snakes" was honestly yet showing an obvious originality but maybe too shortly and easily summarized to the mere presence and place of both Hel and Taz, "undertaker" (the maliciously named split "ep") now presents 2 songs which show a real evolution towards something slower, thicker and definitely more oppressive too.

This is slightly more developped in terms of moods : more intense  and dissonant, colder and gloomier too, while the fantastic vocals duo is more harmonious and reveal more melancholic tones. The extreme heaviness, coldness and slowness make me inevitably think about WINTER, like if UNDERSMILE would be for Sludge what WINTER is for Doom/Death... a band that magnifies the dark and painful through a crushing and beautiful aesthetic heaviness; I love bands like this who have a sincere faith and talent to combine pre-existing elements in a different manner.

I'm impatiently waiting to hear more from UNDERSMILE with “Narwhal” which was recorded this autumn at Studio 101 in Kidlington by Jimmy Hetherington and is currently in the hand of Billy Anderson (Eyehategod, Sleep, Neurosis, The Melvins) for mastering !!! The professionnal conditions will hopefully allow them to blew everything away and explode on the european sludge front ! You have been warned, due to be released on the 9th April by Future Noise (home of UFOMAMMUT, GRIFTER, CHARGER...) "Narwhal" will be one of the highlights of 2012 !!!

https://www.facebook.com/#!/Undersmile

http://undersmile.bandcamp.com/
http://www.future-noise.co.uk/

infos + 2 tx on streaming : Split lp w/ LOS DISIDENTES DEL SUCIO MOTEL and FLASHFALCON

French terrors Los Disidentes Del Sucio Motel and Flashfalcon have recently teamed up for a Limited LP split release (500 copies) entitled "East Side Story". Now they unveil the artwork which was conceived by Bartosch Salmanski and one song for each band is available right NOW on Deadlight Entertainment bandcamp.

 

This masterpiece of french stoner/rock n'roll brotherhood was mixed by Kris Arnaud  at Warmaudio Studio, mastered by Glen Robinson (AC/DC, Ramones) and will be out on March 9th. "East side story" will contain six songs. Each band performs 3 brand new tracks (including one dealing with the other band) and a cover of the other !

Here comes the tracklisting

A Side /FLASHFALCON
1/ Ridin' with the Mavericks
2/ Low Life
3/ Sir Dany Jack (LDDSM cover)
4/ Numb
 
B Side / LOS DISIDENTES DEL SUCIO MOTEL
1/ The Ones
2/ Lucha Libre
3/ Eternal Lonesome Boy (FLASHFALCON cover)
4/ Persia
"East Side Story" includes a special guest appearance by famous french wrestling speaker Christophe Agius (CATCH ATTACK) on the song "Lucha Libre".

Pre-orders (including full digital copy) are up right now on the label e-shop.

For fans of... Los Disidentes del Sucio Motel, Flashfalcon, stoner with oil & machete, rock with balls....

                                                L.D.D.S.M. live October 2011

                                                        FLASHFALCON

 

new website for EARTHEN GRAVE + 4 songs on streaming from their killer debut album !!!

Thrashy Chicago DOOM metal band featuring virtuoso violinist Rachel Barton Pine and Trouble's Ron Holzner, plus members of Spillage, Stonehenge, Trifog and The Living Fields, announce the creation of a beautiful new website and the completion of their first self titled album due to be released in January.

The album will contain 10 songs, including two covers from PENTAGRAM and WITCHFINDER GENERAL, for a total running time of 62 minutes...

To taste and enjoy the quality and originality of this very professional band, you really should go NOW on this new website or on their Reverbnation page as they are  kindly streaming 4 songs of this killer debut !!!

Tracklist

Earthen Grave 7:54
Life Carries On 5:17
Burning a Sinner (Witchfinder General) 3:13
Blood Drunk 6:24
Dismal Times 6:49
Tilted World 5:41
Beneath a Shovel Load 5:45
Fall In 7:09
Relentless (Pentagram) 3:58
Death on the High Seas 10:31

 http;//earthengrave.com
http://www.reverbnation.com/earthengrave
https://www.facebook.com/#%21/earthengrave

au revoir THE MOSS, now welcome to FELLWOODS !!!

As explained in the interview we did together about two weeks ago, THE MOSS (Portland) has changed its name for FELLWOODS, you can now contact them and follow their actuality here :

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Fellwoods/289206384456824

Here's the mail I've received yesterday from Adam (voc/guit) :



Hi all,

The Moss from Portland, Oregon is changing its name. We have run into too much crossover with other bands using the Moss name, most notably the sludge doom Moss from UK. It’s been an arduous process, but we have chosen Fellwoods as the new name.
We will phase out ‘The Moss’ slowly, with plenty of notice to all concerned parties. Thanks everyone for your support, and we look forward to the future with a new moniker. Look for news about CD and Vinyl releases of our Wulfram album, as well as a whole new batch of songs awaiting recording.
Thanks,
Fellwoods (formerly, The Moss)



just for the pleasure, here's again two songs from the already cultish "wulfram" that will remain the one and only release from THE MOSS :

and for those who missed it, here's certainly the last interview ever answered by THE MOSS :

http://templeofperdition.blogspot.com/2011/11/in-depth-interview-with-portlands-retro.html