Savage--Malignant Reveries CD&LP{Hammerheart Rec.}

 

Savage is a solo band coming out of the Netherlands old school death metal scene,Malignant Reveries is  the debut full length with  thirteen tracks of  filthy raw old school death metal that sounds like it could have come out in the 90's.The guitars are a mix of mid paced patterns that are performed with skillful writing.Their are some faster more aggressive guitar passages that are equally as good.The drums are handled with intensity and heaviness.Their are a mix of fast and frenzied drums that are well executed.And some more controlled mid paced drums for a nice mix of the two.The vocals are old school gruff death metal growls.Savage has crafted a great release of filthy aggressive old school death metal that should be heard by all who love this style.                                                                                Savage                                                                                                                                                        https://savagedeathmetal.bandcamp.com/merch                                                                                    https://www.facebook.com/SavageDeathMetal666                                                                                    https://www.instagram.com/savagedeathmetal666/                                                                                    Hammerheart Rec.                                                                                                                                          https://www.hammerheart.com/                                                                                                                    https://hammerheart.bandcamp.com/album/malignant-reveries                                                                    https://www.facebook.com/hammerheartrecords                                                                                          https://www.instagram.com/hammerheartrecords666/                                                                                                                                              

Critical Fear--Dark Fate CD&LP{Hammerheart Rec.}

 

Critical Fear is a four man band coming out of  Brazil's  thrash metal scene.Dark Fate is the third full length with nine tracks of well played thrash metal.The guitars are performed with some extremely well written and performed patterns.The guitarist adds some well delievered solo's and passages throughout the release.The drums are played with some fast paced drums that are equally as good.The drummer does perform some memorable drum patterns that showcase his ability to perform the drums.The vocals are raw screams and hollering vocals.Dark Fate is a good thrash metal release that has some complex musicial passages the music is delievered with skill and intensity.                                                   Critical Fear                                                                                                                                                  https://criticalfear.bandcamp.com/merch                                                                                                    https://www.instagram.com/critical.fear/                                                                                                    Hammerheart Rec.                                                                                                                                          https://www.hammerheart.com/                                                                                                                   https://hammerheart.bandcamp.com/album/dark-fate                                                                                   https://www.facebook.com/hammerheartrecords                                                                                          https://www.instagram.com/hammerheartrecords666/

Toxemia--Belial's Path CD&digital{Fallen-Angels Prod.}

 

Toxemia is a band that has been active is the undergeound metal scene since the early 2000's and this is a review of their third full length.Belial's Path is a old school death metal that is performed with skillful writing and aggression.The guitars are well done with a mix of mid paced guitars and some faster more aggressive passages.The guitarist can play both styles with intensity andmemorable patterns.The drums are delievered with some heavy and pounding mid paced drums that are powerful in their delievery.The drummer does speed to a faster pace through some of the songs for a nice balance.The vocals are raw old school death metal growls and some raw gruff screams are used in a few songs.This is my first encounter with this band but i must say if you like death metal that is rooted in the old school style with some memorable music then be sure to check this  release out today.                                                          Toxemia                                                                                                                                                          https://toxemia.bandcamp.com/music                                                                                                            https://www.facebook.com/Toxemiaph/                                                                                                        https://www.youtube.com/@ToxemiaPH                                                                                                      Fallen-Angels Prod.                                                                                                                                        https://fap-kr.bandcamp.com/album/belials-path                                                                                          https://www.facebook.com/FallenAngelsProduction       

        

Fray Botod--Quaresma{digital}{Independent}

 

Fray Botod is a  duo coming out of the Philippines that mixes old school black metal and grindcore together to create a very good release.Quaresma is the 2022 EP. that is self released and contains five songs of raw and primitive Metal.The guitars are played with some extremly fast paced patterns that are well delievered.The guitarist does do a good job of  writing some mid paced passages that are equally as good even adding in some well performed solo's throughout a few of the songs.The vocals are raw,old school gruff growls and some raw screams are also used throughout the songs.Fray Botod  delievers a good demo of primitive and raw old school black metal with some death metal added into a few of the songs.                                                                                                                                                          Fray Botod                                                                                                                                                    https://fraybotod.bandcamp.com/album/quaresma                                                                                      https://www.facebook.com/fraybotod/

Invultation--Inferno Descends CD&CS{Sentient Ruins Laboratories)

 

Ohio's Invultation returns with another assault of relentless and bestial death metal power.Inferno Descends is the fourth full length and contains eleven tracks of crazed,heavy death metal that is powerful in the delievery.The guitars are a mix of razor sharp fast passages that are well executed.Their are some crazed yet well executed guitar patterns and solo's added throughout the releasThe drums are insanely fast and chaotic blast beats.The vocals are a mix of bestial death metal growls and some raw,gruff screams and gruff growls are also used.Invultation is a great band that creates and delieveres bestial death metal at it's best highly recomended.                                                                                      Invultation                                                                                                                                                https://invultation.bandcamp.com/album/inferno-descends                                                                      https://invultation.bandcamp.com/merch                                                                                                      https://www.instagram.com/invultation666                                                                                                  Sentient Ruins Laboratories                                                                                                                          https://sentientruin.com/                                                                                                                                https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/inferno-descends                                                                        https://www.facebook.com/SentientRuin                                                                                                      https://www.instagram.com/sentientruin/                                                                                                      

             

                                                          

Silent Deep Ocean--Essence Of Existence 11:The Blood Of Ghosts{digital}{Independent}

 

Silent Deep Ocean  is a funeral doom metal band that comes out of Texas and this is a review of their latest full length.Essence Of Existence 11:The Blood Of Ghosts  is six tracks of well composed and performed funeral doom death metal.The music is blend of crushing heavy guitars and drums that are performed with powerful chords,The band also incorporates some well played atmospheric passages that are beautifully written and performed.The vocals are powerful death metal growls and some spoken word vocals are also used in a few of the songs.If you are a fan of funeral death doom with some well composed atmospheric passages then be sure to check this band  out today.                                               Silent Deep Ocean                                                                                                                                         https://silentdeepocean5.bandcamp.com/album/essence-of-existence-ii-the-blood-of-ghosts                     https://www.facebook.com/people/Silent-Deep-Ocean/61560038587720/                                                  https://www.instagram.com/silentdeepocean_/                                                                                            

 

Embalmed Putridity--W.I.L.D.{digital}{Independent}

 

Embalmed Putridity  is a five person death metal band that comes out of France and this is a review of their debut full length.W.I.L.D  contains  nine tracks of well performed death metal with some very impressive musicanship.The guitars are played with some fast paced parts but the guitarist also use some well delievered mid paced passages.The guitarist knows how to write and create some well done solo's and guitar passages that are well delievered.The drums are just as impressive with some very welll crafted drum patterns.The drums do speed up but never full on blast beats instead create a nice mix of faster tempoed drums.Like the guitars the drums range from a faster pace to a more controlled mid paced range.The vocals are old school death metal growls and some gruff screams are used in a few of the songs.Embalmed Putridity performs a solid death metal style with some impressive musical passages so if you are into death metal that doesn't  follow any trends then be sure to check out this release today.                                                                                                                                                Embalmed Putridity                                                                                                                                        https://embalmedputridity.bandcamp.com/album/w-i-l-d                                                                            https://www.facebook.com/people/Embalmed-Putridity/61579674046584/                                               https://www.instagram.com/embalmed_putridity/                                                                                        https://www.youtube.com/@EmbalmedPutridity

Antisma--Osmoda{digital}{Independent}

 

Antisma is a four man death metal band coming out of Texas death metal scene and this is a review of their newest EP.Osmoda contains  six tracks  of old school brutal death metal that is performed with skillful writing.The guitars are performed with some intense passages that are a mix of fast and brutal.The guitarist does slow to a heavier mid paced with some well performed solo's added into a few of the songs.The drums are a mix of insanely fast blast beats and some heavier mid paced drums are also used in a few songs.Antisma is a new band to me but if you are a fan of true 90's style death metal that is heavy and fast then be sure to check this release out today.                                                          Antisma                                                                                                                                                      https://antisma.bandcamp.com/album/osmodai                                                                                          https://www.facebook.com/people/Antisma/100063638433595/                                                                  https://www.instagram.com/antisma_band/                                                                                                     

                                                     

Interview with Rigor Sardonicous

 

1.Hello please introduce yourselves to the readers?

Hi. I’m Joe from the legendary Rigor Sardonicous. Who and what the hell is that, you ask? Read on to find out and click the 4 links below to listen.

2.When did you first discover Metal music? Who were the first bands and artists that you listened to?

The song God Of Thunder by KISS is what we credit as our primary mover into this territory. It was slow, dark, and heavy and we heard it before Black Sabbath. As time went on we learned the heavier and darker the music the more we liked it. At that time there was a lot of oldies, disco, and light rock as some of it came to be known. But then the 80’s came in and bands got better.

3.When did you first discover doom and funeral doom music and what is it about this genre that drew you in? Who are your all-time favorite doom metal bands?

Our region of Long Island can be credited as the styles first true forays as Winter, Sorrow, even Type O Negative are from here. Nearby there was Symphony Of Grief and Incantation. We were not into grooves, though I moshed often at shows and had some scars to show for it, but the mood that came from such dreary, slow, and heavy parts is what called to us. Obituary, Autopsy, Black Sabbath, Confessor, Cathedrals debut album were among the primary initial influences. Tyranny is great and Skepticism is one of the best bands around and I am grateful that nobody has tried to emulate their sound and style.

4.Rigor Sardonicous was started back in 1988 what gave you the idea to start this band? Are you satisfied with how things have gone over the years?

Glenn started the band then and it went on hiatus in 1990 when he joined a death metal band called Abhorrence. I later joined that band and it faltered. In 1992 he decided to put Rigor Sardonicous back together and I joined and we eventually codified our style. We released our demo in 1994 and then 2 albums throughout the decade that we promoted on our own  since we didn’t have money nor a label. We knew we were in a niche genre that was the underground of the underground and we are proud of the fact that we do sound like ourselves and not a clone of other bands.

5.Who would you say are the bands biggest influences and have they remained the same over the years? For the readers who have never heard Rigor Sardonicous how would you best describe the music?

When we started people compared us to Disembowelment but we had not known them nor of Thergothon at the time. We do not sound like Slayer but they have always been one of our favorite bands, though they later sounded like a run-on sentence. Mercyful Fate, Autopsy, Bathory have remained at the core of our favorite bands.

We are known as Funeral Death/Doom but people like to gripe over labels and it has changed during our career based on what others insist on labeling it. Our sound is raw and dense with existential dread. It is mood music and not something you can dance to or find grooves. We think of it as slowed down death metal primarily since our sound is not clean. If one is not comfortable with themselves being still and deeply emotional while feeling rage then we might not be for them. The only way to know is to listen to a song or two and decide and people should do so.

6.Diatriba Deorum is the newest full length how long did it take to write the music for this release? Do you both work on the music together? How long would you say it usually takes to write one song?

Diatriba Deorum, released by Meuse Music Records from Belgium, Remorseless Records from USA, and Lecons des Tenebres Productions from Columbia, is our 8th album and it came together rather quickly. It was completed in 6 months. It was not planned but events occurred that left some strong energies that needed to be focused and thus writing new Rigor Sardonicous music was the easiest thing for me onto grasp onto at that time.

We used to work together a lot at the start of the band but over time we focused on our own simply because life happens.

Usually songs come together somewhat quickly, the opening track Caelum Ardere Vidistis of our previous album Praeparet Bellum was completed in less than 15 minutes. If a song takes too long to build then it might not be worth following through with.

7.Where does the band draw inspiration for the lyrics and what are some subjects written about on the new release?

Life in general provides all the miserable inspiration for what we write about. This latest album Diatriba Deorum subject matter is anti-god. It is not Satanic, Luciferian, nor occultic. It expresses rage felt at human life and since man is said made in gods image then god was the subject of vile contempt and human futility.

8.Has the band ever made a music video for any of your songs? If you had the opportunity to make a video for one song off the new release which song would you like to see made into a music video?

Yes we have 3 videos for the latest album, With God’s Love, Commandment, and Death Cult as well as a few others from prior releases. Check them out on our channel https://www.youtube.com/@demortua.

9.I know the band is a duo but do you ever hire session musicians to do live concerts or do you prefer to work in the studio only?

Initially it was the drummers idea to get Rigor Sardonicous back together but he quickly backed off. We got the Boss DR-660 drum machine to do demos for the songs but since we were stuck without a drummer we determined to move forward with the machine and it soon became integral to our sound.

10.If the band has performed live how was the concert? Are there any shows planned for this year or next?

At first we did do some shows but that was never the overall plan. Glenn hated doing them so after some time I did have a session bassist who used to be with Evoken and we played a few shows. Glenn and I decided to make a live album, Viviscere Exitium, which can be freely downloaded at http://www.smilingdeath.com/RigorSardonicous/media.php and was also released on cassette by Witch Sermon Productions. I used to do sound for free at that place so I asked them to let us play on an off time so we could make the record and we had a fun crowd.

11.When not working on new music what do you like to do in your free time?

I love to hike and get lost in nature though we are true hermits at the same time.

12.Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have anything that you would like to add?

Thank you for this time to talk to whoever is reading this interview and to you, Patrick, for keeping this zine alive! Please check us out at the links that follow so you can determine for yourselves how much we suck. Take care.

https://rigorsardonicous1.bandcamp.com/

https://ampwall.com/a/rigorsardonicous                                                                                                        https://www.facebook.com/RigorSardonicous.Official