If only
the songs on this album had been more memorable I'd line Nerocapra
(Black Goat, right?) up there along with the finest examples of
Italian metal, but alas. Quite few spins in by now, yet once the disc
is over there's little I can vividly remember, despite the
significant quality in the playing department boldly displayed by all
three band members and my reasonable appreciation of (thrash based)
early to mid 90s death metal. Fairy brutal for the most part, made
complete by complex drumming, guttural vocals and guitar work
recalling at times the likes of Immolation and Incantation
- Nerocapra's debut CD is a rather good, but hardly
mind-blowing, example of underground death metal. Investigate further
if you must. Available in digipak format directly from the band or
F.O.A.D. Records. [7]
According
to Metal Archives "This album was never
released, only one hundred promotional copies were sent around the
world." And this is only the beginning of the weirdness living on in TT, a band /
project of Ataman Tolovy (Stillborn,
Genius Ultor). The
music sounds deliberately disjointed, as if to prevent the listener
breaking through into some sort of a private nightmare, blazing
speeds and suffocating dirges follow one another with little concern
of giving a coherent flow to the tunes. Fair play to the band for
having the balls trying out something this different, but in all fairness
the urge of extreme originality becomes mostly a chore in the second
part of the album and drags down the positive impressions left off by
the opening tunes. Part black metal atmospherics, part annoying
industrial drone, part Voivod
on really bad acid trip, do you fancy the combination? Greg of the
ever-reliable Godz Ov War who submitted the disc had warned me this
is not gonna be an easy review - true. Being the cool cat he is he
has uploaded songs from 'Corona...'
on YouTube. Be very
afraid. [6,5]
You've
heard it all before but here it goes anyway: We, at Dead
Void Dreams,
are thankful to all those nice bands and labels submitting us their
promos for review. And we're also honoured by that, it means we're
doing things right and people are paying attention in our doings.
Cheers!
In an
ideal, utopian, world everything sent our way will receive a proper
and prompt review. And this is not an ideal world. We're all trying
our best getting the zine thing up-to-date, yet at times it simply
becomes too much. We're understaffed (get in touch if writing
for a webzine sounds like your cup of blood!) and we all have to deal
with that demanding little thing called "real life" -
inevitably reviews would get delayed / fall between the cracks.
Welcome to Underground Niche Zine 101.
The
following reviews should be considered Void's
version of housecleaning, if you will. This might become a sort of
semi-regular feature, too. Under the given circumstances this is
certainly the best way for us staying true to our main intention -
writing about music and spreading the word of all those bands /
releases, as well as making sure catching up with the new stuff
submitted to us on daily basis.
Indulge
yourself.
- Vladimir Petrov -
THY HASTUR- 'The Ancients' (VittiV Records)
Recorded
in band's home studio in 2005 and released five years later,
'The Ancients' pretty much sums up the relationship most of
the old timers used to have with the once blossoming symphonic black
metal genre. Not a relationship per se but more like having
a crush on this nice girl for one term when in sixth grade. For the style
Thy Hastur have chosen this is fairly heavy and somehow darker
than the norm, yet while there's no major gripes with the material,
there's also nothing worth of extensive praising. Let's face it, this was
dated by the time it was recorded, much less nowadays. Having a wee crush can be sweet. Penetration rules hard. [6,5]
CRIMSON VALLEY - 'Crossing The Sky' (VittiV Records)
A surprisingly good and refreshing trip shall be had by all in this particular Crimson Valley. No-nonsense heavy metal is the name of the game for this Polish band and they do really mean it. Seriously flawless production, highly energetic songs (and the occasional ballad), awesome playing skills, a vocalist who means business - this band can go places, given the right push! They've studied their Iron Maiden with pride and prove it by these dual guitars and freakin' bass lines, add a certain nod to the glory old days of German heavy metal, thus making 'Crossing The Sky' an album well worth owing by metalheads young and old. [8]
MOONLESS
-
'Calling All Demons' (Doomentia Records)
With
Samhain just behind the corner, time couldn't have been more
appropriate for reviewing this album. Moonless
in no small part owe their sound to Glenn and Danzig,
opener "Mark Of The Dead" could easily fool you being a
long lost gem by the Evil Elvis and his crew of misfits - suitably
twisted guitars, blues-on-steroids rhythm and that deep voice that
sounds like you-know-who's. 'Calling
All Demons' is an album that grows on you with each new spin and it's
hard rejecting its infectiously catchy qualities and near hypnotic
effect. Not that you'd want to - this is a groovy monster that you'd
swore you have been familiar with since times immemorial, as there's
hardly mind-blowing originality here, but these are well-crafted slow
pacers that make chain-smoking and alcohol abuse nicer than what they
really are. The bastard in me likes this. [8]
Fuck,
this was released in 2010? My theory is that the disc had crawled in
a dark abyss located somewhere in the room's corners a year or so ago
and just reappeared currently on my editorial desk, demanding review.
Thank Odin this is of the doom variety and as we all know doom, when
done right, denies the laws of time - and that's what we've here.
Wicked this is, with more than enough Sabbath
influence, mean bluesy rock licks and kicks and gritty vocals. One of
those albums to be played on a lazy Saturday morning, especially if
you've a "go" for the bluesier type of doom and the sweet
leaf. Kinda runs out of steam for me from the middle part of the album
onwards but does it matter - I'm but a zine editor on the web. And I
quit smoking pot over 10 years ago, boo! [7]
A
project band of Graveyard and BetweenThe Frostmembers,
this one. Kinda weird, but not totally unexpected - hey, we're all
seasoned cats here in the Void
(Except Andrew but he hasn't contributed in months, sigh) and have
seen stranger things happen. Listened to stranger music, too, even
though Wolfhead
is
a contender - their suggested range of influences run the gamut from
Bathory,
old Darkthrone
and old Enslaved
to Trouble,
Alice
In Chains
and The
Sabs.
Plus Motorhead,
of course but who's not a Motorheadbanger? Don't answer me, I don't
feel the need to be aware of the possible existence of such dumb
folks anyway. Throw a (rather decent) cover of "Wish You Were
Here" in the mix and you'll know for certain Wolfhead
have
a proverbial Everest to climb over to proclaim victorious. Not the
easiest task, no matter how skilled they are, agreed? There are parts
on this (usually the more experimental / stoner / flat out rocking
ones rather that the metal stuff) that are nearly brilliant and the
production is top notch, but - to continue the Mount Everest theme,
I feel the band is still in Camp III and "it's a long way to the
top if you wanna rock 'n' roll". [7]
The
golden shower, err, years, that's it - years of porno grind may be
over, but the fact does mean little to those suffering the disease.
Cuntscrape
are lowbrow, supershit to the max and proud of that, with little
ditties named "Hellatio", "Analrexic", "Cum
Fart Tart", "I Wanna Do It With A Midget"etc. etc. -
d'ya reckon they'd stood a chance in the charts? The genre has always
been part gruesome parody, part blood-soaked, cum-infested dirty
laundry - and great part fun, if done right. This is nearly up there
with the best of them, kinda like fellow Oz intellectuals Blood
Duster
crossbred with a more moronic Macabre
and Gut
on the brothel's cheapest crack. The filthy stench of that particular
mutant reeks through the speakers, plain lovely, isn't it? [7]
V/A Split My Bitch Up (Prime
Cunts Music)
My mate Kristoffer over at the sorely missed My Last Chapter has gone
great lengths giving this 4-way split a proper review, so check it
out on his site. Cuntscrape[6]are,
well...Cuntscrape: slimey and unhealthy fun (of sorts). 5
tracks here, "Giving Head To Mister Ed" winning the "best
title" award, with "Teddy Got Fingered" a close second
runner. Malaysia's Goresluts[5]follow
suit, "Karma Pussy" and all but this is sooo
"blast-into-the-one-ear-out-of-the-other" styled to warrant
a compliment as far as I'm concerned. Still, significantly better
than Indonesia's Rezume [1]- if this is
death metal then it deserves to be ended soon. Rubbish. Trite, dire,
low IQ rubbish. Japan's own Morbid Vision [5]close things off with 4 demo style death songs I could generally
stomach, only just.
Disappointing and useless, overall. Split Your Bands Up would
be the more appropriate title.
The clouds
of war taking shape before your very eyes: excellent guitar
playing - stunning leads and all, brutal vocals, interesting arrangements.
Death metal's most promising demo of the year here at the Void HQ? Probably.
This is made even more impressive by the fact Bruno was responsible
for all the writing and playing throughout the nine tunes that
comprise ' A Disturbing Presence'. As such this is not perfection
- the programmed drums are, after all...well, - programmed drums and
the songs could benefit being a tad bit more memorable, but a strong
start all the same. Now, after Bruno's relocation from Curitiba,
Brazil to good ol' Blighty (London, more precisely) Warclouds
version 2.0 is to be unleashed upon the world, as he has already
recruited new members to the fold. Ask for this demo CD-R and keep an
eye on this band. You wouldn't want to be caught off-guard when
bigger and better things strike out, would you? Rating upped a bit
due to Bruno being so cool sending the actual disc after his initial
download link submission got lost in the disgusting and unexplainable
bowels of our beloved Internet. [7,5]
I
consider myself a Manilla
Road
fan, but I also admit I only have a few of their albums, which are
classics in their own right, in my view at least. So 'Invasion',
a re-release of their 1980 album is a new one for me. As the bio
states the band were a rock ‘n roll band at this point and the
material on here was written in the late 70s. You can hear hints of
what would come for Manilla
Road
as the 80s wore on and they adopted a more metal sound. Thanks to
Shadow Kingdom for pulling this out of obscurity for fans of the band
and fans of late 70s/early 80s rock in general to hear. The fans that
are hoping to hear vintage in their prime Manilla
Road
metal may be a bit disappointed. As for myself I am a fan of 1970s
hard rock and this is a neat little time capsule for me. There are
some cool effects and sounds on here for the time period. You can
definitely feel the band attempting to find their way, it is
beginning of the power that the band would become. There are strong
hints at this on the awesome thirteen minute album closer "The
Empire". It is an epic and ambitious tune that is finely crafted
with a superb main riff and plenty of dynamics, such as duelling
guitar effects, some tasty fills and mystic, moody atmosphere that
keeps you interested the entire length of this marathon song. That
brilliant song alone is worth the price of this album, it is well
ahead of any other tune on here, this song "The Empire" is
fucking fantastic I am telling you. I dig the vintage band and
rehearsal photos too. I would say this is a must have for Manilla
Road fans
and 70s rock aficionados alike.
Yellowtooth
hails out of Indiana, but when you listen to the music I
automatically figured they were from the South as they have that
southern nuance to their sound. This band features Peter Clemens as
some in the scene will surely remember him from bands like Shades
of Grey,
Sea
of Tranquillity,
Invasion
(interviewed in Canadian Assault back in the day) and Skullview,
while the other two members came from Chronic
Disorder.
Yellowtooth
play a rocking type of sludge metal, but maybe not as heavy on the
feedback as many sludge bands like Eyehategod,
Iron
Monkey,
Cavity
and the like. But 'Disgust'
is
rocking, the riffage is really heavy and crushing yet always quite
catchy, seemingly keeping at bay the doom tag. By my ear you can hear
the members death metal roots in the guitar tuning / playing and also
the vocals are pretty deep death metal growling, but kept clear
enough that you make out most of what is sung. This is just some good
rockin’ simplistic sludge with some balls and nice groove riffs,
but not over done or cheesy like that mallcore shit or whatever they
call it these days. This is record is nothing spectacularly
groundbreaking or mind numbingly great by any means, but it is a
solid and even good album, a fine debut, but with a couple demos
under their belt and countless years experience that should be
expected. It is worth a listen.
Seems like everything is
moving in the right direction for this Algerian band. Band founder
Lelahel (and sole member by the time of recording these debut 6
songs) got his 'Al Intihar' released on compact disc by the
Polish Goressimo Records and found bassist and drummer to complete
the line up, which can only be good news and a promise for what's yet
to come from the Lelahell camp. For what it is (being a
self-recorded demo), 'Al Intihar' serves its purpose to give
the listeners an initial impression of the band's style. While not
utterly captivating this is still quite adept death metal that ranges
all the way from blazingly fast attacks to mournfully slow pace,
constantly keeping an eye to quality and inventive guitar work,
helped by the subtle yet noticeable traditional music influences
scattered across the tunes. Freak not, this is still the metal of
death, just a tiny bit "different" than most, yet the
guiding hand of bands such as Immolation and Nile is
ever present and easily noticeable. Not too shabby influences, eh?
Vocally, this is just as ambitious and daring, nice. Mayhem's
"Freezing Moon" closes things off, great choice really but
hardly one for the vaults. I'd like to see how this band develops but
as of now I don't feel this to be an essential listen. [6,5]
Just look at that
cover, if that doesn't instill you with confidence from the outset
then you're a lost fucking cause. Visigoth are a relatively
new band hailing from the heavy metal wasteland of Utah, and coming
at a period when it appears the latest traditional metal revival
trend is slowly winding down, are an absolute breath of fresh air to
these ears. Fair enough, as far as finding originality goes,
especially in the traditional metal scene these days is about as
fruitful as pissing up a rope but when it's performed as well as
this, who the fuck needs originality? 'Final Spell'
is the band's second release after their decent enough demo
'Vengeance' from 2010,
and where it was set firmly in barefaced doom laden Omen
territory, 'Final Spell' has
all the characteristics and glint of a band who have finally 'found'
their sound, where much bigger and better things inevitably await.
So
they have abandoned the epic, pounding US style for more traditional
style of flat out heavy metal with a strong aroma of Euro power
metal, much like countrymen Twisted
Tower Dire, in fact so
much so 'Final Spell' is
what their last album could have sounded like without the scourge of
Johnny Aune. At times the similarities are uncanny and especially on
“Call of the Road” which bears a striking semblance to 'Make
it Dark', sound a bit more than
coincidental, still I guess there are worse bands you could sound
like. Jake's vocals are what really bring these tracks to life
though, and imagine my surprise when I discovered this was the same
voice behind the Agalloch
worship act Gallowbraid.
The tenacity and conviction with which he tears through the vocal
melodies present on 'Final Spell'
is astounding.
“Creature
of Desire”, an anthem to metal's favorite two wheeled warrior
machine has all the echoes of early Hammerfall
and Priest
with its sublime vocal harmonies, rolling riffs and spiraling guitar
leads making the only place you want to be is hitting the highway
with wind in your hair and metal coursing through your veins. The
title track raises the bar even higher with it's criss crossing
Maiden-esque
shred and high tempo drumming, and when Jake nails that final scream
you can't help but feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up,
even Halford himself would be proud. I cannot stress enough how
strong the vocals are here, the polished production really does them
justice. I'd liken them to Rain Irving from While
Heaven Wept if I had to
chose anyone. “Seven Golden Ships” has a imposing crunch to the
riffing in it, the guitars noticeably heavier but no less effective
[And how cool is to have that old Running Wild vibe in a
song with such fitting name? - ED]
Closer “Call of the Road” is more of a straight forward
infectious 'rocker' for want of a better word, lively rhythms,
blazing guitar leads and stratosphere piercing vocals, which as
previously stated sound suspiciously like a couple of tracks from
Twisted Tower Dire's
last effort.
I've
said it before and I'll say it again, no matter what genre of metal
you tend to favour, there is nothing greater than pure unadulterated
adrenaline pumping heavy metal performed the way the masters intended
it, and this is exactly the way they envisioned it. Jake delivers his
vocal lines like a man possessed and the performances on the guitars
are nothing short of spectacular. Simply put if leather clad,
fist-clenching and testosterone fueled metal borne from the smell of
burnt tarmac and rubber is your thing then go buy this, if it isn't
then go fucking buy it anyway and be converted. Bring on a full
length, I'm getting withdrawal symptoms already, this shit is like
musical crack.
Black
metal. You know black metal, right? Yup, I know you do - saw it last
night on Facebook. Funny Vikernes memes. The newly adopted black and
white kitten - Abbath, you know, is sooo lovely. And the pandas video
link...genius, pure genius!
You know
jack.
The
return of Behexen, after four years of silence, couldn't have
been more appropriate, time and music-wise, or welcomed. 'Nightside
Emanations' is the kind of rude stab in the face this so-called
"scene" of today sorely deserves. The Finnish lunatics have
proven once more that you must recognize your roots in order to be
able to move forward, all while praising the rebellious Luciferian
flame the genre has been build upon. It's all in here for you to
explore - ten songs filled with oppressive abysmal atmosphere and a
longing for that indescribable "other world" we're all
secretly hoping breaking in. Yes, the album is THIS good and each and every
new listen makes it better. Leave behind your prejudices about the
relevance of "2012 black metal" and the jagged "heard
it all before" feel and submit yourself. The spirit of
classic-era Bathory, Mayhem, Dissection and
Root lives on in Behexen and that's all you need to know
before purchasing this album.
Aah,
the joys of the good ole split type thing. A quick check on any web
metal forum will reveal at least one thread named "Fave split?"
or "Most iconic split of all times?" or, God forbid! -
"Pictures of your Unholy Grave / Agathocles /
NunSlaughter split collection". Yes, the underground
fiends mostly love these joint affairs - and rightly so, as it's
usually a great opportunity hearing two bands who share the same
ground / passion, all for the price of one. The journos, those
good-for-nothing clueless bastards (that doesn't apply to those fine
people writing for this here webzine, ha!), say the recession won't
be over any time soon, so the split thingy shouldn't be bothered much
for its future. Great.
Spun
In Darkness was previously
unknown to me but I did recognize the name of their drummer, Jeff
Nardone, as he used to bash the skins back in the day for the Nevada
underground cult, Goatlord.
That assures a heavy and tight bottom end and off we are for a
promising start already. The band isn't here to trying to challenge
the sound barrier and for the most part this stays within the tried
territories of early 90s doomier, mid-tempo death metal, providing
just enough catchy riffs and grooves, not to forget the "gurgling
glass" vocals. Granted, this isn't as "horror"
sounding as the band seems to have being aiming for, but this is
still creepy in its own right, and a pleasure to those ageing ears -
I'd buy them a beer if our paths are about to cross before Nibiru
pays the wee little visit in couple of months time. Yeah, right -
publishing a zine on the web gets you free trips to Las Vegas, get
off your lazy asses and start your own! "Temple To The Living
God" is my pick of the bunch, followed closely by "Part Of
You Becomes Part Of Me", while the cover version of Doom
Snake Cult's "Carnival
Freak Show" is the weakest link - way too "campy" for
me, thanks. [7,5]
Dale's review of 'Blood
Of The Pentagram' has really nailed the dark sound of Gravewurm
and I'm glad to report there's no disappointments on their part of
the split. Yet again those five new songs (plus a short keyboard
intro) reek of the band's trademarked combination of sinister black
metal and low-tuned death, making Gravewurm the obvious choice
for those who like it sick, simplistic and slower. You can
comfortably bang your head to these tunes, enjoying the subterranean,
raspy vocals, the well audible bass lines and the
Hellhammer-influenced, doomy fuzz guitar work, all while
absorbing the atmosphere of haunted dungeons this band is capable
putting forth through their music. Old-timers will be digging this
and I can foresee many of them giving the horns while listening,
nostalgically recalling the days of the finest black death. Ooops,
Riddick's artwork had taken over my mind a bit here, but that's OK.
Flesh is weak. Gravewurm are not. [7,5]
This
is Father Befouled's third release and I am extremely happy
that I was able to hear and get a hold of this great band. 'Revulsion
Of Seraphic Grace' is nothing short of outstanding death metal
that will leave all death metal maniacs drooling and begging for
more. As evident by the 7 songs of bone crushing death metal, the
band definitely sticks to the early 90s US death metal sound similar
to Incantation, Immolation etc. but these metal
warriors are not just posers ripping off their idols. They are
extremely well trained musicians who know how to write and play their
music. So while there are similarities to the mentioned bands and
other mid 90s death metal bands Father Befouled also have a
lot of creative ideas mixed within the heavy guitar and bass riffs.
The drummer mixes it up a bit going from mid-paced beats before
plunging into fast, uncontrolled assaults of rage, the vocalist is
probably one of the best I have heard in some time with some of the
deep death growls that are both sinister and demented in execution.
If you are sick of all the god-awful metalcore bands or technical
style bands and want a band that is pure death metal heaviness then
give Father Befouled a listen and be prepared to be blown away.
I’ve always felt a
certain unashamed bias towards Seattle’s newest occult folk export
in the shape of King Dude ever since the day I discovered I
share a name with that fascinatingly haunting voice behind the
project, TJ Cowgill. Being a huge fan of neo-folk music myself this
was also a bonus as much of King Dude’s sound is shaped by
the pioneers of that scene such as Death in June, Current
93 and the ilk, or well it was anyway, as after listening to
'Burning Daylight' it’s hard not to notice the remarkable
progression musically our man in black has made since 'My Beloved
Ghost'. They’ve basically broadened the spectrum from a no
frills acoustic neo-folk act into something altogether more inspired
and distinct with 'Burning Daylight'. Infact the neo-folk
influence has been hugely toned down in favour of something much more
dark and apocalyptic, with a veneer of dark and sarcastic humour to
it all. Gone are the catchy acoustic folk ditties such as “Spiders
in her Hair” and “Big Blue Eyes” in favour of gloomy, occult
and whiskey soaked gothic Americana with significantly more in common
with Johnny Cash, Swans and Nick Cave than it does Death in
June or Sol Invictus.
Drawing his
influences from ‘The Great Disappointment’, a period in the
nineteenth century when a bunch of lunatics awaited the return of
Jesus, and surprisingly ended up distinctly disappointed when the
asshole didn’t honour his appointment, the album is expectedly
involved with Christianity. “Holy Land” begins proceedings with a
heavily martial drumbeat and is awash with the same obscure
dissonance you’d hear from Swans, indeed I can even a slight
Michael Gira influence in Cowgill’s vocals as he delivers his earth
shaking baritone through a dense film of reverb. He’s always loved
his reverb, and 'Burning Daylight' is again, drowned in it. It
adds huge waves of atmosphere to the esoteric subject matter 'Burning
Daylight' is based upon. The huge Swans influence again
rears its head again in “I’m Cold” and also the magnificently
morbid “Jesus in the Courtyard” which is essentially what Johnny
Cash would have sounded like if he decided to take on a booming
Gira-influenced form of no-wave. To say this track is stunning is
somewhat of an understatement, it projects visions of an altogether
disturbing, underground black and white 50’s America all through a
thick veil of cigarette smoke. “He got the devil around his finger,
Jesus around his neck, none wants him in this world or the fucking
next” he bellows with a genuine sonority.
The likes of
“Barbara Anne” and “Lorraine” lighten the mood a bit with
their more romantic theme, for there’s only so many doom laden
dirges the mind can take in one sitting, and although “Lorraine”
for me is arguably filler material. “Barbara Anne” is another
fantastic tune delivered with devastating simplicity with its one-two
boot heel kick and whiskey soaked croak. Variation is key for albums
such as these and it’s one attribute Cowgill nails right square
between the eyes. No two songs are sound the same and in this genre
of music that’s a fucking miracle. “Vision in Black” harks back
to 'Love' and with its exceedingly infectious drumbeat
resonating beneath a simple yet catchy guitar line with those heavily
reverbed vocals just amounts to another song which you’ll find hard
to get out of your head, and again the same could be said for the
black humour of “I Know You’re Mine”. Hell there’s even room
for a few shoegaze influences to seep through in “My mother was the
Moon” in the delicate, glistening spangle of its guitar work and
bliss laden vocals which unless the Dude suddenly lost his
ballsack, I guess done by an external unnamed female party.
The highlight of the
album though must lie within the gloriously melancholic and over the
top adieu to all of life’s ills in “Lord, I’m Coming Home”, a
death laden serenade into the afterlife delivered with superb
conviction in his deep, gravelly husk and almost Andrew
Eldritch-esque howl on top of a blanket of angelic synths and bluesy
acoustic guitar. At face value its depressing as fuck, but in reality
its effect is one of those tracks where it’s drink in and sorrows
out,glasses
up and curtains down, a more than fitting end for a journey which
began swathed in the darkness of Satan and eventually emerges into
the light. When I say I could imagine this track coming off a Nick
Cave album I’m speaking the truth, it has all the swagger and guile
one would expect from our friend down under, and if that’s not a
compliment then I guess nothing is. Steeped in dry humor and a
sinister smirk, shrouded in stale cigarette smoke and swirling
bourbon all delivered with a portentous drone, 'Burning
Daylight' is a breath of fresh air into
the neo-folk genre, but to be fair it’s far above and beyond most
of what’s labeled as neo-folk these days. Plus, what the fuck is
not awesome about an artist with a name like King
Dude anyway? [9]
You might go on and
check out the reviewI did for Mongrel's Cross debut album, 'The Sins
Of Aquarius', to see how impressed I was by the music of this
Australian band. And when you're this impressive and 101 per cent
metal, you get interviewed by Dead Void Dreams.
In this case, this
is an interview done by our contributor Patrick, who's busy with his
own Winter Torment zine as well. Huge thanks for the good work, pal!
Grab a beer -
ready, set, GO!!!
Patrick: Metal hails! How are
things in Australia? Please introduce yourself to the readers?
Grand Mongrel:
Hails mate, Grand Mongrel reporting. Things are great here, I've just
moved in to a place in the hills where I found a 3 m snake skin so
this may be the last interview I do.
Patrick: At
what age did you first discover metal? Who were some of the first
bands you listened to? Who are some of your "current" favourite bands?
Grand Mongrel: When I was 12 years old
the first drummer from Blood Duster moved up to Queensland,
two doors down from my house. I lived right on the beach back then
and one day I was walking down for a surf and heard this maniac
bashing the fuck out of his kit. He and I became mates and he
introduced me to Entombed, Morbid Angel, Impaled
Nazarene, Pungent Stench amongst many others. I
immediately became possessed and devoured everything he gave me. I
was reading Steven King novels and watching "Rosemary's Baby"
and shit so when I found a musical equivalent it was a significant
turning point.
Patrick: When
did you and the other members of Mongrel's Cross first meet?
What gave you all the idea to form the band? How did you come up with
the name of the band?
Grand Mongrel: I have know Goet
Euryn since we were teenagers. He and I met Necros Craigos in
Brisbane and we asked him to play drums for us as we were without a
drummer. A mate of ours, Richard, helped me come up with the name. I
wanted it to be Mongrel's... so over a beer we tried out a
bunch of things and then Rich threw in the Cross and I said
that's it.
Patrick: What
is the current line up of the band?
Grand Mongrel:
Myself, Grand Mongrel - guitars and vocals, Goet Euryn guitars and
Necros Craigos on drums. We have two session members for live combat
being Baaruhl on guitar and now m.k.h. on bass.
('Whoresanna' EP)
Patrick: The
band recently released its debut full-length CD 'The Sins Of
Aquarius' through the US label Hells Headbangers Records. How did
you guys come in contact with the label? Are you happy with their
work so far?
Grand Mongrel: I sent Chase a few tracks
from the 'Whoresanna' 7" and he wrote back saying he'd
like us on board. We are really happy with HHB so far. They have been
really easy to work with and have the right amount of professionalism
too.
Patrick: How
has the response been from the press and the fans for the new release
so far? Does the band have any upcoming shows / tours in support of
the album? If yes, where are some places the band will be playing?
Any chance the band will get to tour outside of Australia?
Grand
Mongrel: The response has been great and it seems maniacs
worldwide have been banging it hard. We have done a few shows over
the last few months which have served as a platform to exhibit the
new album. We have recently talked about taking Mongrel's
overseas and it's certainly on the cards in the near future.
Patrick: Who
are some bands you have played / toured with in the past? If you
could set-up a "dream" show / tour who are some bands you
would love to play with?
Grand Mongrel: We have banged
alongside heaps of Aussie legends. Innsmouth, Destruktor,
Astriaal, Cauldron Black Ram and Assaulter are
some to mention. We supported Mayhem and Goatwhore when
they were here also. A dream show for me would be a killer festival
in Europe with Abigor announcing a one off headline spot.
Patrick: The
band comes out of the legendary Australian metal underground, so I
was interested what is your opinion of Australia's metal scene? There
seems to be a lot of variety of metal genres - thrash, death, black,
doom etc. - do most of the bands get along or is there a lot of
competition among them?
Grand Mongrel: There is a lot
of variety here. The black thrash tag gets thrown around a lot but
there are many unique bands doing doom, death and heavy metal stuff.
If there's any competition it's healthy and only breeds more
creativity and killer bands.
Patrick: Who
are some of your all-time favorite Australian metal bands? Are there
any new metal bands you think the readers should check out soon? What
about good Australian labels / distros that people should check out?
Grand Mongrel: Armoured Angel, Bestial
Warlust, Destroyer 666, Grenade, Gospel Of The
Horns, Sadistik Execution are legends, Anatomy.
Sacriphyx aren't new but they have been active as of late and
doing some very killer shit. Check out Abysmal Soundswhich is a
good label ran by a top bloke and amazing poo auteur. Another label /
distro worth checking is the Coffin's Slave which is operated by the
main man from Trench Hell.
Patrick: In
your opinion, what is the best and worst thing about the underground
today? And what does the term "underground metal" mean to
you?
Grand Mongrel: The best and worst things, a hard
question and one I don't think I really have an opinion on. I can say
that underground metal is something I think is truly unique in a very
plastic world.
Patrick: When
you are not working on band music or band business, what do you enjoy
doing in your free time? Any hobbies?
Grand Mongrel:
Playing guitar is definitely a hobby for me and I try to fit it in to
many hours of my week. Other hobbies include RPG abuse and I surf and
skate when I can too. [Fuck, no Aussie rules stories here?
Laaame..ha-ha - ED]
Aussie rules!
Patrick:
Coming back to the band for a moment, you play the guitars in the
band, when did you become interested in playing the guitars? Are you
self-taught or did you take lessons when you were younger? Who are
some of your influences/favourite guitarists?
Grand Mongrel:
I played guitar at school very briefly and got the basics down so I'm
primarily self-taught. Favourite guitarists....Hetfield, Demonaz,
P.K., Quorthon (RIP)., Iommi, Infernus, [Nocturno] Culto, Trey, The
Count....fuck there are too many to name.
...Aussie rules!
Patrick: You
also handle the vocals for the band, when did you start singing? Do
you do anything special to keep your throat / voice healthy? Again
-who are some of your favourite vocalists?
Grand Mongrel:
I started screaming my head off when we started Mongrel's. I
certainly do nothing to look after my throat. It gets abused with
liquor and smoke which is no good for vocal chords. Not recommended.
My all time favourite vocalist is Grishnackh, nobody sounds like he
did on the first Burzum recordings and I don't think anyone
ever will again.
Patrick:
Mongrel's Cross music is pretty intense and fast so I was
wondering when the band plays live, do you find it difficult to sing
and play guitars?
Grand Mongrel: I do, so I don't play
and sing live I just bang and scream my head off. I find I can't give
the vocals as much as they need if I'm concentrating on balancing
guitar duties and vocals.
Patrick: Well
man, thank you for taking the time to fill out this interview, do you
have any final comments for the readers?
Grand Mongrel:
No worries mate. Bang the album fuckers!!!
