Morbid Cruelity--Holodomor LP{Iron Bonehead Rec.} posted on 4-30-22

 Iron Bonehead Rec. has  unleashed Chile's own Morbid Cruelty's debut full length on viny format.Holodomor  contains  ten songs of well executed and delievered old school death metal.Matias Ubeda handles the guitars and bass duties for the band  playing a mix of fast paced passages and some heavier mid paced patterns.Matias  does write some well  written and performed  patterns even adding some well played solos and memorable passages througout the songs.Alvaro L. handles the vocal duties for this band and are old school death metal growls.The growls are delievered with powerful growls and some gruff growls both of the vocal styles are done with intensty and power.Morbid Cruelity  plays raw and primitive death metal that is done with skillful writing ability and passion for the old school style and sound.                                                                                                                                                                 Label  Contacts                                                                                                                                    https://ironbonehead.de/                                                                                                                              https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com/                                                                                       https://www.facebook.com/IronBoneheadProductions                                                                                https://twitter.com/BoneheadIron                                                                                                                

Interview with Rise To The Sky Posted on 4-17-22

 

1.Hello Sergio how are you doing this week?Please introduce yourself to the readers?

I'm Sergio, from Santiago, Chile, I play all string instruments and vocals at Rise to the Sky.

2.When did you first become interested in writing and performing music?

I have always had an interest from music.Since I was a kid,I was always experimenting and recording stuff. However, I started to do it seriously when I found out about one-person bands such as Unreqvited, Violet Cold and A Fall of Every Season. When I learned about them,I knew that great music could be done as a solo project.

3.What was the first instrument you learned to play?Were you self taught or did you take lessons when first starting out?

I started with guitar. I learned the basics on my own, took some lessons and then studied classical music formally for a couple of years. I've always had a big interest in music, and I've always been involved in some way, as a listener or performer.

4.What are the instruments that you currently play and are there any that you would like to learn one day?

I play guitar, bass, synths, and vocals. I know how to play the drums but it's the instrument in which I have less experience.

More than learning a specific instrument I want to further my understanding of how instruments work and what their capabilities are, in order to improve my compositions.

5.Sergio you started Rise To The Sky 2019 what gave you the idea to start this band? How did you choose Rise To The Sky as the name of the band?

I started this band because I just needed to express a lot of emotions I had in me, and I found in music the best way to do it. The name Rise to the Sky makes sense to me in many different ways, but the most obvious one is the idea of death. I have an image in my head of death being the rising of the soul to the sky.

6.Who would you say are the bands biggest influenes?And for the readers who have never heard the band how would you best describe the bands musicial style?

There are so many bands that have inspired me, My Dying Bride, Type on Negative, Shape of Despair, Celestial Season, Altars of Grief, Before the Rain, just to name a few. It´s very difficult to categorize this music for me because I just make the music I want to hear, and I don’t worry about the genre too much. Rise to the Sky’s music has been labeled Atmospheric Death/Doom metal, which I think is sufficiently broad to incorporate some of the funeral and melodic doom elements. However, the definition I like the most was made by a reviewer who described it as “grief death doom”.

7.Every Day,A Funeral is the latest full length release how long did it take you to compose the songs for the new release? How long would you say it usually takes to complete one song?

I composed this album in 2021 a while after my father died. The worst part was over but I had a lot of ideas about loss that I wanted to talk about in the music. The time it takes to compose a song is variable, it can take a few weeks for some of them and others I can do in three or four full days. It depends a lot on the mood and the available time I have. I usually like working nonstop on a song and then going back and making little adjustments here and there. Also, the vocals are the last part I do, since I think to get the most expression out of that part, the whole instrumentation needs to be ready.

8.Where do you draw inspiration for the lyrics and what are some subjects written about on the new release?

Inspiration comes from every situation I am living at the moment. I don’t invent anything, but just try to express something that I am thinking about at that moment, so lyrics flow really natural. For example, “Let Me Drown with You” talks about depression and sticking with your loved one through those tough times. “Per Aspera ad Astra” is an album I wrote for my father when he died last year. In the new album “Every Day, A Funeral”, I talk about loss and grief in general, these are some of my thoughts and reflections after going through some of these issues. Almost everyone will suffer the loss of a loved one at some point, I think it´s an important issue to address, and I usually don´t talk about this in any other place than my music.

9.Besides the upcoming Every Day,A Funeral release are the bands previous releases still availible for the readers to purchase?Besides physical releases does the band have any other merchandise currently availible?

Releases are available now at: Risetothesky.bandcamp.com or at the label’s website www.meusemusicrecords.eu

I always include some stickers or postcards in CDs I ship. I’m planning to have some T-shirts available soon in my Bandcamp.

10.I believe you are the sole member of the band Sergio would you like to find some new musicians to work with and make a full line-up or do you prefer working alone?

For the composition part I prefer to work alone, just because I have my own method and I invest a lot of time and effort into very specific areas of the songs. However, in my new album “Every Day, A Funeral” I have incorporated a drummer. Emidio Alexandre Ramos, he is a fantastic musician with a lot of experience in other bands. I think listeners will appreciate a big difference in the drums with this album.

11.If you ever had the opportunity to work with any musicians who are some that you would like the opportunity to work with?

I would love to work with the musicians from Celestial Season, and especially now that they are back to their doom metal era. I really like the people I am working with now, Emidio Alexandre Ramos on the drums, this guy is pure talent and Filippos Koliopanos on production, he has been with me since the beginning and we have a very solid working relashionship.

12.Rise To The Sky comes out of Chile's atmospheric death doom metal what are your thoughts of the scene in Chile over the years?

Chile has a lot of well-known doom metal bands such as Poema Arcanus and Mar de Grises, they are awesome bands and I have nothing but respect for them. Times have changed, making music is more accessible nowadays and Chile has not been behind this trend. I think there a lot of new bands out there, many of which started during the pandemic, since people went back to arts during lockdown.

13.Who are your all-time favorite bands coming out of Chile?And are their any new bands you could recomend to the readers?

I really like a one-person Chilean band called “Lascar”, it’s very raw atmospheric black metal yet melodic and incredibly expressive. I really recommend listening to that band. “Sol Sistere” is also a black metal band that has been making great music, they released a new album not so long ago, I definitely recommend checking them out too.

14.When you need to take a break from working on new music or band business what do you like to do in your free time?

I enjoy watching movies and series a lot, especially weird and mysterious stuff. Also, I do sports regularly, like jogging or just going to the gym, during those times the mind works in a strange way and many good ideas can come around.

15.Besides working in Rise To The Sky do you currently work with any other bands or solo projects? If yes please tell the readers a little about them?

Yeah, I have a side project called Winds of Tragedy, it's atmospheric black metal incorporating some of the melodies and vocals I like. The debut album of this project is coming up in June this year under the Spanish label Belfry records.

16.Thank you Sergio for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final comments for the readers?

Thank you for letting me share my thoughts on all these topics. And to readers and listeners please feel free to reach out to me in social media, I am always available to answer your questions or talk about music for a a while.                                                                                                                                        Band  Contacts                                                                                                                                               https://risetothesky.bandcamp.com/                                                                                                              https://www.facebook.com/RisetotheSkyBand/                                                                                           

Carnal Savagery--Scent Of Death cd{Moribund Rec.} Posted on 4-17-22

 

Sweden's masters of old school death metal  return with their  third full length once again released through the mighty Moribund Rec.Scent Of Death is a masterpiece of old school death metal containing eleven songs of catchy and memorable death metal.The guitars  are performed  with some memorable patterns that range from mid paced to a more aggressive fast pace rangege.The guitarist does write some memorable passages even adding in some well performed  solo's throughout the songs.The drumming is done in the same vein with some heavy mid paced drum passages and some faster more intense patterns.Both of the drum  styles are done with intensity and well executed drum structures.The vocals  are old school death metal growls that fit  Carnal Savagerys  style perfectly.If you  are looking for a band that can perform catchy and brutal old school death metal  then do not miss out on  Scent Of Death.                                                                                                                                                             Band  Contacts                                                                                                                                              https://www.facebook.com/CarnalSavagery/                                                                                              https://www.instagram.com/carnalsavagery/                                                                                               https://twitter.com/CarnalSavagery                                                                                                              Label  Contacts                                                                                                                                              http://www.moribundcult.com/                                                                                                                    https://www.facebook.com/MoribundRecordsOfficial                                                                                https://www.instagram.com/moribund.official/                                                                                           https://twitter.com/MoribundRecords

Texas Murder Crew--Wrapped In Their Blood cd{Comatose Music} posted on 4-12-22

 

Texas Murder Crew  is a brutal death metal band that was started in 2018.So far the band has released one demo and a EP and a split  release but in  May the band will release their debut full length.Wrapped In Their  Blood  is ten songs  of intense and rage fuelled brutal death metal.The musicians play a nice mix of  extremely fast paced death metal but do  slow to a more heavier mid paced style throughout a few tracks.Each member of the band knows how to  write and create well played and memorable death metal.The vocals are a mix of death metal growls and some deeper guttural vocals are used throughout the songs.Texas  Murder Crew  will be unleashing their debut full length through Comatose Music towards the end of May and is recomended to  all those who love brutal and sick death metal.                   Band  Contacts                                                                                                                                              https://www.facebook.com/people/Texas-Murder-Crew/100037192281419/                                             https://www.instagram.com/txmurdercrew/                                                                                                 Label  Contacts                                                                                                                                             https://www.comatosemusic.com/                                                                                                                https://comatosemusic.bandcamp.com/                                                                                                       https://www.facebook.com/Comatosemusiclabel                                                                                         

Interview with Skumstrike posted on 4-11-22

 

1.Hello please introduce yourselves to the readers?

LA here. Hail and thrill webzine enjoyers. Skumstrike consists of LA on strings, and ZS on vocals, with JK assisting with live bass assaults. We're all denizens of Montreal's underground metal and punk underground, though we're all blow-ins to this town. LA hails from Ireland, ZS is Singaporean, and JK hails from Newfoundland.

2.When did you first discover Metal music and who were the first bands and artists that caught your attention?Who are some of the current bands that have caught your attention that you really like?

All of us got into metal through the usual well-trod routes, teenagers looking for that thrill beyond the usual rock and punk songs that were on TV or the radio. For LA, it was finding a dusty black tape in my brother's old cassette collection that just had the words 'Slayer' penned across it. It had 'Reign in Blood' on one side, and 'South of Heaven' on the other. It was game over for me after that - especially when I got access to file sharing. In our own hometowns, we slowly started to jam with bands, working our way up to proficiency. As transplants to Montreal, we initially made contact through mutual friends and hitting shows at places like Katacombes, Brasserie Beaubien, and Fattal. Skumstrike formed around a love for bands like Venom, Inepsy, Slayer, Sabbat, and Motorhead. For current bands, we're into a wide mix of genres and bands. Active bands we're into include Hellripper, Fastkill, Nekrofilth, Hallas, Craft, and shitloads more.

3.When did the two of you first meet and was it long before you started Skumstrike? I believe the band is just the two of you would you like to find new musicians to make a full line up or do you prefer working as a duo?

As we mentioned above, we have a bassist nowadays who we work closely with. But yes, the band was originally just LA and ZS, and 'Deadly Intrusions' was recorded purely by LA and ZS. Originally we had our first jam in late 2016 after a mutual friend introduced us. Luckily, we both liked speed metal, football (actual football not American eggball) and drinking beer. Honestly, we took our time refining and improving our sound, which explains the long wait for a first album. You can hear how extremely basic our demo material is, so I think that was the right move. Our continued attendance to great shows, both metal and punk at festivals like Varning and Wings of Metal in Montreal, helped us plot a course.

4.Deadly Intrusions is the debut which was released through SelfMadeGod Rec. when did you first come in contact with this label?

After we recorded it, like most bands, we started pitching it to a list of labels we liked. I had known of SMG for years, since I attended OEF 2010, where I think I picked up a Cathether and a Stormcrow album which Karol had released. I knew it as a very solid, good quality label that was well-established in Europe. Karol really digged it right away and we were happy to start working together.

5.Do you both work on writing the music or does one member usually write everything? How long did it take to write the music for the debut full length?

The process usually consists of LA bringing in a bunch of riffs, and ZS, who is a good guitarist, providing suggestions and directions, and we ended up with something that we're both satisfied with. We like to keep things varied. Our one rule is every song has to have a working title that references a band that the riffs sounds like, and ideally includes some sexual or scatalogical innuendo. We can write pretty swiftly. We're busy working guys outside the band but get into a good productive pattern when we can.

6.Where do you draw influence for the lyrics and what are some subjects written about on the debut release?Which usually comes first the music or the lyrics?

Definitely the music first. The lyrics for this record are quite collaborative, but ZS takes the lead. Generally, this record is built around the idea of continuing mental degradation, or the steady, fear-inducing loss of mental capacity. We'll sprinkle in references to any morbid scenario that appeals to us, from cult leaders to environmental collapse. It's open season really, anything that fires our imaginations.

7.Besides the Deadly Intrusions full length are the bands previous EP's still availible for the readers to purchase?Besides physical releases does the band have any other merchandise currently availible if yes what is availible and where can the readers purchase it?

We have a fancy new run of merch which is available via our bandcamp. For older releases, you may find some copies of our older EPs in obscure distros, or possibly with our current cassette label, Caligari Records, but that's about it. You can purchase digital versions of all of our releases via our bandcamp.

8. Skumstrike comes out of Canada's Metal scene what are your thoughts of Canada's Metal scene over the years?

It's generally a pretty interesting one, and very varied. That's only natural considering the huge size of the country and the range of scenes across different cities. You have old warriors like Exciter and Razor still going, plus plenty of more extreme acts. Newish/young Canadian metal acts we really dig these days include Traveler, Metalian, Grenadier, Spectral Wound, Antidiluvian, and lots more - they span a huge range of sounds. On the punk side of things there are lots of strong bands - check out Puffer from Montreal for example. It'll stay strong because you can't keep people who are lunatics about music down, and there are so many music freaks here dying to play now that COVID isn't quite so bad.

9.Who are your all-time favorite Canadian bands and are their any new bands you could recommend to the readers? 

See above! For me and JK, we're total Rush maniacs and we're still getting over Neil's departure. We all have been big Inepsy fans for a long time. That's one band we will always put on when it's drinking time.

10.What does Underground Metal mean to you?

It's a very special thing, because it's both communal and a huge factor in my friends and life experiences I've had, but also an intensely personal thing that I draw insane amounts of enjoyment from. On a more base level, it's about the magic of a great riff, alcohol, having a laugh, and banging the head that does not bang.

11.Besides working in Skumstrike do either of you currently work with other bands or solo projects? If yes please tell the readers a little about them?

 LA plays in Profane Order, a separate death-black metal project with our bassist JK, that will have a new album coming out shortly. ZS has played for years with Singapore thrash band Xanadoo who are still semi-active, and more recently has started to play drums with local death metal / hardcore bands Serpent Corpse. JK also plays drums in Spectral Wound and has a number of other projects that are both active and inactive.

12.When you need to take a break from working on new music or band business what do you like to do in your free time?

I indulge in PC building and gaming, fishing, cycling, horror movies, and read a lot of news, history and non-fiction. JK is a busy man with his several bands, but is a horror movie nut, beer and wine guru, and a bit of a DIY genius. ZS is a Newcastle FC fan, Asian food lunatic, and a FIFA wizard that can take all challengers.

13.Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final comments for the readers?

We really appreciate the support and interest that's been shown since 'Deadly Intrusions' came out! And also, be sure to support your local small, independent venues - your local metal and punk scene will be fucked without them.                                                                                                                                     Band  Contacts                                                                                                                                              https://skumstrike.bandcamp.com/music                                                                                                     https://www.facebook.com/SKUMSTRIKE/                                                                                               Label  Contacts                                                                                                                                             https://selfmadegod.com/                                                                                                                              https://selfmadegod.bandcamp.com/                                                                                                           https://www.facebook.com/Selfmadegod                                                                                                     https://twitter.com/selfmadegodrec

Skumstrike--Deadly Intrusions cd{SelfMadeGod Rec.} Posted on 4-7-22

 Skumstrike are a Canadian duo who plays a great  mix of old school black metal and speed metal.Deadly Intrusions  is the bands debut full length featuring eleven tracks of aggressive and chaotic thrash metal that is played with a skillful writing ability.LA handles the guitars for the band which are played with razorsharp patterns and chords that are extreme in every sense of the word.LA does add  some well written and performed solo's and passages throughout the songs.ZS handles the vocals which are a mix of  raw thrashy and insane screams and some deeper gruff growls and screams.ZS  handles the drums  which are done with extremely powerful and chaotic  drum  passages that are delievered with intense and powerful drum structures.. Deadly  Intrusions  is a masterpiece  of aggressive and chaotic  blackend speed metal.                                                                                                              Band  Contacts                                                                                                                                             https://www.facebook.com/SKUMSTRIKE/                                                                                              https://skumstrike.bandcamp.com/music                                                                                                      Label  Contacts                                                                                                                                              https://selfmadegod.com/                                                                                                                               https://www.facebook.com/Selfmadegod/                                                                                                    https://selfmadegod.bandcamp.com/