Někdy si připadám, že jsem svázaný a bezmocný. Ze všech stran na mě útočí lži a přetvářka. Zarývají se mi postupně do mozku, ocitám se pomalu na hranici šílenství. Potřebuji dávku nějaké extrémní, šílené muziky. Něco, co mi obrazně vystřelí mozek z hlavy, něco, u čeho mi bude krvácet z uší. Možná nás jednou najdou, jak sedí naše mrtvoly vyděšené i po smrti. S telefony v rukou.
Dnešní svět je, stejně jako vždycky byl, náročný a děsivý. Záleží na každém z nás, na naší povaze. Ztratili jsme základní pud sebezáchovy. Nebo ne? Nezbývá nic jiného, než si narvat novou desku FULL OF HELL pod tlakem do hlavy. Nechat si mozek poškodit ostrými riffy, maniakálním vokálem i bicími, u nichž každý úder bolí, jako hřeb zatlučený do vaší lebky. Masakr!
I letos je to extrém, které mnohé vyděsí. Je to tak dobře, tohle je hudba pro silné jedince, pro lidi, kteří se rádi nechávají unášet na krvavých vlnách šíleného tornáda riffů. Skladby mají temnou a děsivou atmosféru. Přikovají vás na zeď, rozsekají na malé kusy. Jakoby mě opravdu někdo zavřel do starého sklepení a pomocí nahrávky "Coagulated Bliss" na mě prováděl stejné pokusy, které se provádějí i na zvířatech. Tohle je hudba z jatek, z piteven, z patologických sálů, z domů plných šílenství. Skladby jsou doslova nasáklé chorobami. Stačí jen přidat hlasitost a vředy samy popraskají. Svět má i svoji temnou stránku, před kterou zavíráme oči. FULL OF HELL vytáhli na povrch spoustu zkažených myšlenek. Okořenili je hromadou svých nápadů, surovým, drsným zvukem a podávají vše na víku od rakve. Chcete si nechat rozdrásat obličej do krve? Tak potom neváhejte ani chvilku. Hraje se zde pro vás i pro všechny fanoušky třeba takových NAILS, TRAPM THEM, PIG DESTROYER, NAPALM DEATH, PRIMITIVE MAN, THOU, ALL PIGS MUST DIE, THE BODY. Až budeš stát jednou v koupelně se žiletkou v ruce, neřezej svoje žíly. Poslechni si raději tuhle desku a uvidíš, že se ti uleví úplně stejně. Pánové nadále posouvají hranice a překračují je svým nezaměnitelným způsobem. Nezbývá nic jiného, než přidat hlasitost a shořet v pekle. Někdy si připadám, že jsem svázaný a bezmocný. Ze všech stran na mě útočí lži a přetvářka. Zarývají se mi postupně do mozku, ocitám se pomalu na hranici šílenství. Potřebuji dávku nějaké extrémní, šílené muziky. Něco, co mi obrazně vystřelí mozek z hlavy, něco, u čeho mi bude krvácet z uší. Masakrující grindcore, powerviolence, noise death metal, který vás rozemele na prach! Lavina černé energie!
Asphyx says:
Sometimes I feel tied down and helpless. Lies and dissimulation assault me from all sides. They're slowly digging into my brain, and I'm on the verge of madness. I need a dose of some extreme, crazy music. Something that will figuratively blow my brains out, something that will make my ears bleed. Maybe one day they'll find us sitting our dead bodies scared even after death. With phones in their hands.
Today's world is, as it always has been, challenging and frightening. It depends on each of us, on our nature. We've lost the basic instinct for self-preservation. Haven't we? We have no choice but to cram the new FULL OF HELL record into our heads under pressure. Let your brain be damaged by the sharp riffs, the maniacal vocals and the drums, where every beat hurts like a nail driven into your skull. Massacre!
Again this year, it's an extreme that will scare many. It's just as well, this is music for strong individuals, for people who like to get carried away on the bloody waves of a crazy tornado of riffs. The tracks have a dark and eerie atmosphere. They'll nail you to the wall, chop you up into little pieces. It's as if someone really locked me in an old basement and used the recording of "Coagulated Bliss" to perform the same experiments on me that are performed on animals. This is music from the slaughterhouse, the autopsy room, the pathology room, the madhouse. The songs are literally soaked in disease. Just turn up the volume and the ulcers will burst. There's a dark side to the world that we turn a blind eye to. FULL OF HELL have brought to the surface a lot of corrupted thoughts. They've spiced them up with a bunch of their own ideas, a raw, gritty sound and served it all up on a coffin lid. Want to get your face bloodied? Then don't hesitate a moment. Playing here for you and for all fans of such as NAILS, TRAPM THEM, PIG DESTROYER, NAPALM DEATH, PRIMITIVE MAN, THOU, ALL PIGS MUST DIE, THE BODY. Once you're standing in the bathroom with a razor in your hand, don't cut your veins. Listen to this record instead and you'll see that you'll feel the same way. The gentlemen continue to push boundaries and cross them in their own unmistakable way. There is nothing to do but turn up the volume and burn in hell. Sometimes I feel tied down and helpless. Lies and hypocrisy assault me from all sides. They're slowly digging into my brain, and I'm on the verge of insanity. I need a dose of some extreme, crazy music. Something that will figuratively blow my brains out, something that will make my ears bleed. Massacring grindcore, powerviolence, noise death metal that will grind you to dust! An avalanche of black energy!
Recenze/review - FULL OF HELL - Garden of Burning Apparitions (2021):
Když mě před mnoha a mnoha lety zavřeli do jedné staré kobky, netušil jsem, že potkám tolik démonů. Myslel jsem si, že můj život skončil, že pomalu shniju, že budu umírat. Bez světla, bez svědomí. Jenže stačilo několik dní a pochopil jsem, že existuje ještě jeden svět. Ten odvrácený, temný a šílený. Jako hudba francouzských PROFANATION. Ti letos přicházejí s mrtvolně znějícím EP "Skull Crushing Violence". Jedná se o hrubý, surový death metal s příměsí třaskavého grindu.
Mám jediný úkol. Každý den mi přivážejí staré, práchnivějící mrtvoly. Drtím je kladivem na prach. Musím uznat, že když jsem poslouchal tuhle nahrávku, šla mi práce velmi dobře od ruky. Nikde nic nepřebývá, nikde nic nechybí. Pánové útočí napřímo a trefují se přesně. Na solar plexus.
Jedná se o zkušené muzikanty, kteří působili také ve smečkách jako DESTRÖYER 666, VENEFIXION, REGARDE LES HOMMES TOMBER a kteří moc dobře ví, co a jak chtějí hrát. Novou desku opatřili velmi chladným a syrovým zvukem. Budete spáleni obrovským tlakem. Při poslechu jsem si připadal, jako bych spadl do obrovské laviny z kamení, ledu, plesnivých kostí. Rozdrcen a polámán, se znovu a znovu rodím. Je to zkrátka a dobře přesně ten druh masakru, který mi dělá tak dobře. Pokaždé, když mě štve současný svět (což se stává čím dál tím častěji), zavírám za sebou rezavé dveře do podzemí a poslouchám "Skull Crushing Violence". Tahle deska má v sobě totiž vše potřebné pro záhrobní záležitosti, kterými si musí projít každý opravdový fanoušek reálné smrti v hudbě. Pokud do rovnice o několika neznámých dosadíte kanadský válečný smrtící kov, přidáte britský a švédský chřestivý grind death metal, vše zamícháte, proklejete, vyjde vám výsledek, který se sám nabízí. Ano, PROFANATION jsou nekompromisní. Rozsekají vás na kusy, znovu slepí, pověsí na háky. Můžete si vybrat svůj oblíbený druh mučení. Je to jen na vás, zda jejich muziku přijmete. Za sebe mohu jen zvednout všechny uříznuté palce nahoru a užívat si mrtvolně podmanivou atmosféru. Skladby mají drive, sílu, schopnost mě přikovat na zeď. Když mě před mnoha a mnoha lety zavřeli do jedné staré kobky, netušil jsem, že potkám tolik démonů. Myslel jsem si, že můj život skončil, že pomalu shniju, že budu umírat. Bez světla, bez svědomí. Mám jediný úkol. Každý den mi přivážejí staré, práchnivějící mrtvoly. Drtím je kladivem na prach. Špínou, děsem, strachem a zkaženou krví nasáklý death grind core mršina! Lavina z kostí!
Asphyx says:
When I was locked up in an old dungeon many, many years ago, I had no idea I would meet so many demons. I thought my life was over, that I was slowly rotting, that I was going to die. No light, no conscience. But it only took a few days for me to realize there was another world. The other world, dark and crazy. Like the music of French PROFANATION. This year they come with their dead sounding EP "Skull Crushing Violence". It's raw, raw death metal with an admixture of shattering grind.
I have one mission. Every day they bring me old, stinking corpses. I pulverize them with a sledgehammer. I have to admit, when I listened to this record, the work went very well. There's nothing missing, nothing missing anywhere. The men strike straight and hit with precision. On the solar plexus.
These are experienced musicians who have also been in bands like DESTRÖYER 666, VENEFIXION, REGARDE LES HOMMES TOMBER and who know very well what and how they want to play. The new album has a very cold and raw sound. You will be burnt by the huge pressure. Listening to it I felt like I fell into a huge avalanche of rocks, ice, moldy bones. Crushed and broken, I was born again and again. It is, in short, exactly the kind of carnage that makes me feel so good. Every time the contemporary world pisses me off (which is happening more and more often), I close the rusty door to the underground behind me and listen to "Skull Crushing Violence". Because this record has everything you need for the underworld stuff that any true fan of real death in music has to go through. If you plug Canadian war death metal into an equation of a few unknowns, add British and Swedish crunching grind death metal, you mix it all up, damn it, They'll cut you to pieces, glue you back together, hang you from hooks. You can choose your favorite kind of torture. It's up to you whether you accept their music. For my part, I can only give a thumbs up and enjoy the deadly captivating atmosphere. The songs have drive, power, the ability to drive me up the wall. When I was locked in an old dungeon many, many years ago, I had no idea I would meet so many demons. I thought my life was over, that I was slowly rotting, that I was going to die. No light, no conscience. I have only one task. Every day they bring me old, stinking corpses. I crush them to dust with a hammer. Filth, terror, fear and blood-soaked death grind core carcass! An avalanche of bones!
Netušil jsem, že když otevřu dveře do sklepa, že poznám, jak vypadá opravdové peklo. Ne, žádné plameny, ani vařící se kotle s hříšníky. Spravedlnost neexistuje. Jenom bolest a utrpení. Zavřeni v klecích, trpěli dlouhé roky. Znásilnění těla i duše. Musel jsem jít ven a vyzvracet se. Čeho všeho je ještě schopen člověk? Vrátil jsem se a tentokrát jsem vzal spravedlnost do svých rukou. Pustil jsem mu přímo do ksichtu novou desku FLUIDS z Arizony.
Kapela se toulá po pitevnách od roku 2018. Postupně si získala v katakombách respekt. Když jsem četl ve zprávách příběh z úvodu dnešního článku, ihned jsem si musel jejich novou desku "Reduced Capabilities" pustit. Vyčistila mi hlavu kyselinou, srovnala moje myšlenky. A potom se přenesla i do mých snů. Tohle je opravdová goregrindová a brutal death metalová noční můra!
Tahle hudba je ze své podstaty hnusná a ošklivá. Jakoby kapela vzala ty nejšílenější lidské myšlenky a exhumovala je. Vytaženy na povrchu se potom otiskly do jednotlivých skladeb. Je to samozřejmě extrém, který některé jedince vyděsí k smrti. Jenže přátelé, už jste někdy viděli večerní zprávy? V nich někdy bývají ještě horší věci. FLUIDS na to jdou opravdově, jejich příběhy připomínají staré poctivé hororové filmy. Poslouchat novou desku je jako se koupat ve vaně plné krve. Líbí se mi způsob, jakým kapela skládá, jak přistupuje ke své morbidní práci. Vše je neskutečně syrové, drsné, maniakální. Špína, kterou můžete nalézt jen na jatkách. Také cítíte tu bolest, otištěnou do stěn? Jsou to ozvěny, všechno zlé se jednou vrátí. Atmosféra, ano, to je to, oč tu běží. Když to vezmu kolem a kolem, tak jsem si sedl, zapnul play a od té doby se k této desce rád a často vracím. Má v sobě něco děsivého, něco tajemného, co mě stále láká. Jako rozhovory se sériovými vrahy, jestli mi rozumíte. Ve skladbách je obsaženo něco zvráceného, co se velmi těžko vysvětluje. Lepší je poslouchat, přidávat hlasitost a potom si uděláte názor sami. "Reduced Capabilities" je albem pro všechny opravdové řezníky, pro fanoušky temných zákoutí. Pochválit musím i formální stránku. Obal i zvuk jsou stylové, uvěřitelné. Pokaždé, když potkám nebo čtu o něčem zlém, začne se mi vařit krev v žilách. Kroutím nevěřícně hlavou nad rozhodnutím soudů a mírnými tresty. Jakoby oběti nikoho nezajímaly. Vždycky si představuji, že bych toho hajzla zavřel do klece a pouštěl mu stále dokola nějakou surovou muziku. Dokud by mu nepraskly uši a nezačala z nich téct krev. Tohle album je k tomu doslova předurčeno. Netušil jsem, že když otevřu dveře do sklepa, že poznám, jak vypadá opravdové peklo. Jenže ono opravdu existuje. Je v každém z nás. Surový, drsný, mokvající goregrind smíchaný s brutálním death metalem a zvráceností! Čerstvě proříznutý vřed!
Asphyx says:
I had no idea that when I opened the basement door I would know what real hell looked like. No, no flames, no boiling cauldrons of sinners. There is no justice. Only pain and suffering. Locked in cages, they suffered for years. Rape of body and soul. I had to go out and throw up. What else is man capable of? I came back and this time I took justice into my own hands. I dropped the new FLUIDS record from Arizona right in his face.
The band has been roaming the autopsy rooms since 2018, gradually gaining respect in the catacombs. When I read the news story at the top of today's article, I immediately had to put their new record "Reduced Capabilities" on. It cleared my head of acid, straightened my thoughts. And then it spilled over into my dreams. This is a real goregrind and brutal death metal nightmare!
This music is inherently nasty and ugly. It's like the band took the craziest human thoughts and exhumed them. They're brought to the surface and then imprinted on the individual songs. It is, of course, an extreme that scares the hell out of some individuals. But friends, have you ever seen the evening news? They sometimes have even worse things on them. FLUIDS get real about it, their stories are reminiscent of honest old horror movies. Listening to the new album is like taking a bath in a tub of blood. I like the way the band composes, the way they approach their morbid work. Everything is incredibly raw, gritty, manic. The kind of filth you can only find in a slaughterhouse. Do you feel the pain imprinted on the walls too? They're echoes, everything bad comes back one day. Atmosphere, yes, that's what it's all about. Taking it round and round, I sat down, put it on play and I've been coming back to this record happily and often ever since. It has something eerie, something mysterious about it that still draws me in. Like interviews with serial killers, if you know what I mean. There is something perverse in the songs that is very hard to explain. Better to listen, turn up the volume and then make up your own mind. "Reduced Capabilities" is an album for all true butchers, for fans of dark corners. I must also praise the formal side. The cover and the sound are stylish, believable. Every time I meet or read about something bad, it makes my blood boil. I shake my head in disbelief at the courts' decisions and light sentences. It's like nobody cares about the victims. I always imagine putting the bastard in a cage and playing some crude music over and over again. Until his ears burst and started bleeding. This album is literally destined to do that. I didn't know when I opened the basement door that I'd know what hell was really like. But it does exist. It's in all of us. Raw, gritty, pissing goregrind mixed with brutal death metal and depravity! A freshly cut ulcer!
Vždycky ses rád díval. Na spící dívky v cizích domech. Nevěděly o tobě. Měl si je ve své moci. Začalo to už kdysi dávno. Tvoje matka nepatřila k nejhodnějším. Trápila tě a nenechala nikdy vyspat. Zvykl sis. Začal si žít v noci. Stával si ve stínu a sledovat spokojené životy ostatních. Kdyby jen věděli. Vždycky sis vzal něco na památku. Do své sbírky. A zůstávala po tobě pokaždé dlouhá krvavá stopa.
Francouzští maniaci BENIGHTED jsou zpět, aby nás opět vzali na děsivý výlet do temných zákoutí lidské mysli. Pánové znovu přinášejí pořádnou porci na kost ohlodaných melodií, šílených zážitků a hudby, která každému fanouškovi extrémní muziky pronikne hluboko do mozku. Už nikdy nebudete takoví jako dřív. Během poslechu nové desky začnete hnít zaživa!
Jak asi víte, tak francouzským brutal death grind core šílencům se věnujeme u nás na stránkách dlouhodobě. Vždy se mi líbilo, jakým způsobem postupně posouvají hranice agresivity v hudbě. Viděl jsem je i několikrát na živém vystoupení a fascinovala mě neskutečná změna, jakou pánové pokaždé procházeli. Mezi lidmi vstřícní, pohodoví a milí kluci, na pódiu divoká zvířata. BENIGHTED mají dar ve vás probudit ty nejhorší démony. Vytáhnout na povrch děsivá svědectví a morbidní představy, kterých je schopen člověk. Letos se opět pohybují mezi totálně zničujícími nářezy, u kterých si budete chtít vystřelit mozek z hlavy a chladnými, temnými a krvavými pasážemi, které vás ale budou děsit úplně stejně. Jestliže jsou některé kapely přirovnávány k hororům, ve kterých stříká krev všude kolem, francouzští patologové lidských myslí na to jdou přeci jenom trošku jinak. Dostávají se pod povrch, do podvědomí. Za pomocí ostrých riffů, masakrujících bicích i jako vždy skvělého a charakteristického vokálu Juliena Truchana. Při poslechu "Ekbom" budete mít opravdu syndrom neklidných nohou. Je prostým faktem, že se mi nové album opět dostalo nejen do hlavy, když jsem vzhůru, ale i do snů. Budil jsem se uprostřed noci, jakoby někdo stál v mém pokoji a sledoval mě. Užíval jsem si surový zvuk, jednotlivé výpady, panické ataky, všechnu špínu, která zase vyplavala na povrch. Dost často jsem si také vzpomněl na jeden černobílý dokument, ve kterém patologové otevřeli mozek pacienta. Měl uvnitř parazity, hladové červy, kteří se kroutily v podivných rytmech. Nebožák ještě žil. Tak přesně takhle se cítím, když poslouchám tuhle desku. BENIGHTED mají svůj nezaměnitelný styl, který nadále zdokonalují. Výborná nahrávka! Brutální, grindová noční můra, při které vyplavou na povrch ty nejzvrácenější myšlenky! Znepokojivý, neklidný pád do propasti lidské mysli!
Asphyx says:
You always liked to watch. Sleeping girls in other people's houses. They didn't know about you. You had them in your power. It started a long time ago. Your mother wasn't one of the nicest. She tormented you and never let you sleep. You got used to it. You started living at night. You used to stand in the shadows and watch other people's happy lives. If they only knew. You always took something to remember them by. For your collection. And you always left a long trail of blood.
French maniacs BENIGHTED are back to take us once again on a terrifying trip into the dark corners of the human mind. Once again the gentlemen bring a hefty helping of bone-chilling melodies, insane experiences and music that will penetrate deep into the brain of any extreme music fan. You'll never be the same again. You'll start rotting alive while listening to the new album!
As you probably know, we have been covering French brutal death grind core madmen for a long time. I've always liked the way they gradually push the boundaries of aggression in music. I've seen them live a few times as well, and I was fascinated by the incredible change the gentlemen went through each time. Friendly, easy-going and nice guys amongst the people, wild animals on stage. BENIGHTED have the gift to bring out the worst demons in you. To bring to the surface the horrifying testimonies and morbid imaginings that man is capable of. This year, they again move between totally devastating blasts that will make you want to blow your brains out and cold, dark and bloody passages that will scare you just the same. If some bands are likened to horror movies with blood spraying everywhere, French human pathologists go about it a little differently. They get below the surface, into the subconscious. With the help of sharp riffs, butchering drums and Julien Truchan's great and characteristic vocals as always. Listening to "Ekbom" will really give you restless leg syndrome. It's a simple fact that the new album has once again gotten not only into my head when I'm awake, but also into my dreams. I would wake up in the middle of the night, as if someone was standing in my room watching me. I enjoyed the raw sound, the individual lunges, the panic attacks, all the dirt that surfaced again. Quite often I also remembered a black and white documentary in which pathologists opened the brain of a patient. He had parasites inside, hungry worms that wriggled in strange rhythms. The poor guy was still alive. That's exactly how I feel when I listen to this record. BENIGHTED have an unmistakable style that they continue to refine. A great record! A brutal, grinding nightmare that brings out the sickest thoughts! A disturbing, unsettling descent into the abyss of the human mind!
Měl to vždycky v sobě. Takovou tu skrytou nenávist, která vypluje na povrch, když se člověk dostane do extrémní situace. Líbilo se mu, když mohl zabodnout nůž někomu do vnitřností a otočit jím. Viděl pak vnitřnosti, které vylézaly ven a také strach a bolest v očích oběti. Pomalu unikající život, pocit moci. Stal se z něj dobrý voják. Dostal několik vyznamenání. Jenže boje už dávno utichly. A tak se toulal nočními ulicemi a byl znovu na lovu. Už zase se cítil silný, mocný.
O podobném maniakovi psali nedávno v novinách. Na jeho příběh jsem si vzpomněl, když jsem začal poslouchat debutové album francouzských CRYPTIC PROCESS. Kapely, jejíchž podstatou je podobná, hudební brutalita. Vítejte na starých jatkách, na kterých dostanete poctivou porci mokvajícího masa.
Je to masakr, který je ve tradičním stylu. Taková brutální klasika, dalo by se také napsat. Inspirovaná smečkami jako GORATORY, NECROPHAGIST, CRYPTOPSY, DYING FETUS. Pokud to máte rádi takto krvavě a nekompromisně, tak jste zde správně. Brutální pasáže se střídají s těmi grindovými a výsledkem je mlýn s ostrými čepelemi, který vás rozseká na malé kousky. Pokud si potřebujete vyčistit hlavu od zbytečných informací, pokud vás naštval šéf v práci, pokud jste frustrovaní a naštvaní, doporučuji vám poslouchat "Human Snack" hodně nahlas. Jen si dejte pozor, aby vám nepukla lebka tlakem. Je asi všem jasné, že pánové nepřinášejí nic nového, ani převratného, ale to vůbec nevadí. Raději se nechme spolu s kapelou zavřít do staré, dávno opuštěné pitevny. Oběť je připravena. Podejte mi někdo skalpel a pusťte mi tuhle desku. Jinak se mi budou klepat ruce a pacient by mohl přežít. Pánové jsou rychlí a divocí, umí mě přikovat svojí hudbou na zeď. Tahle hudba byla vždy o ošklivých, zlých věcech a Francouzi moc dobře ví, jak ji hrát. Nemám žádných námitek ani proti zvuku, ani proti obalu. Po formální stránce je vše v nejlepším pořádku. Skladbami se potom vznáší ještě takový ten divný pocit, který mívají lovené oběti. Vše je velmi surové, zničující, bolestivé, jako reálná, krutá smrt. Líbí se mi, jakým způsobem tihle gentlemani ke své hudbě přistupují. Jsou opravdoví, reální, syroví a mohu jim jejich morbidní práci věřit. Za mě nelze jinak, než doporučit všem, kteří mají tento styl rádi. Měl to vždycky v sobě. Takovou tu skrytou nenávist, která vypluje na povrch, když se člověk dostane do extrémní situace. Brutální death grindcore metal, který vám vyrve všechny vnitřnosti z těla! Budete zničeni a rozdrceni!
Asphyx says:
He always had it in him. That hidden hatred that comes out when you're in an extreme situation. He liked it when he could stick a knife in someone's gut and twist it. He could see the guts coming out and the fear and pain in the victim's eyes. Life slowly slipping away, the feeling of power. He became a good soldier. He received several decorations. But the fighting had long since died down. And so he wandered the night streets and was on the hunt again. He felt strong again, powerful again.
There was a maniac like this in the papers recently. I was reminded of his story when I started listening to the debut album of French CRYPTIC PROCESS. A band whose essence is similar, musical brutality. Welcome to the old abattoir, where you'll get a fair portion of dripping meat.
It's a massacre that is in the traditional style. Such a brutal classic, one could also write. Inspired by packs like GORATORY, NECROPHAGIST, CRYPTOPSY, DYING FETUS. If you like it this bloody and uncompromising, you've come to the right place. Brutal passages alternate with grind ones and the result is a razor sharp grinder that will cut you into small pieces. If you need to clear your head of unnecessary information, if you're pissed off with your boss at work, if you're frustrated and angry, I recommend listening to "Human Snack" very loudly. Just be careful not to crack your skull with the pressure. It's probably clear to everyone that the gentlemen aren't bringing anything new or groundbreaking, but that's okay. Better to be locked up with the band in an old, long-abandoned autopsy room. The sacrifice is ready. Somebody hand me a scalpel and play me this record. Otherwise my hands will be shaking and the patient might survive. The gentlemen are fast and furious, they can pin me to the wall with their music. This music has always been about ugly, bad things and the French know how to play it very well. I have no objection to either the sound or the cover. Formally, everything is in the best order. Then there's that strange feeling that hunted victims have. Everything is very raw, devastating, painful, like a real, cruel death. I like the way these gentlemen approach their music. They are real, real, raw and I can trust their morbid work. For me, I can't help but recommend them to anyone who likes this style. It's always had it in it. That kind of hidden hatred that comes out when you get into an extreme situation. Brutal death grindcore metal that will rip your guts out! You will be destroyed and crushed!
Přepínáš programy na televizi, listuješ stránkami na internetu. Všude jenom sex a násilí. Někdy máš pocit, že ti pukne hlava, že se zblázníš. Protože nežiješ v krásném světě z reklamy, protože vstáváš brzy a piješ levné pivo. Špinavé ulice tvého města, otrocká práce, lidé povalující se na zemi. Chudoba, špína a krutá, ošklivá smrt v kontrastu s lesklými stránkami módních časopisů.
Z obrazovek vytéká zkažená krev a další zástupy pochodují na smrt. Existuje jenom jedno řešení. Říci všem jedno velké FUCK YOU! a pustit si nové EP holandských grinderů HEADLESS DAWN. Našim čtenářům jsme kapelu již představovali. Máme i parádní rozhovor (články jsou odkazovány dole pod recenzí). Opět se jedná o jízdu přímo do pekla. O vysokooktanový nářez, u kterého vám pukne lebka tlakem.
Přesunuli jsme veřejné popravy do vysílání, díváme se na gladiátory v klecích. Víc násilí, víc akce, další dávka dopaminu. Holanďané jdou opět k jádru věci, jsou nekompromisní a abych pravdu řekl, tak s jejich texty naplno souhlasím. Líbí se mi i zvuk, který je neučesaný, hnilobný, surový, jako ulice na periferii vašeho města. Máte rádi kapely jako REPULSION, TERRORIZER, CARNIVORE, S.O.D., NAUSEA, IMPETIGO, MACHETAZO, CARCASS? Potom jděte do toho. Budete po zásluze odměněni totálním šílenstvím, které může nabídnout pouze tenhle styl. Beru do rukou kladivo a mlátím do televize, vyhazuji počítač z okna, otevírám si radši pivo a večer zajdu do malého klubu. Zařvu si z plných plic spolu s kapelou, budu pařit, dokud si nepolámu všechny kosti v těle. HEADLESS DAWN vás roztrhají na kusy a vy za to budete ještě rádi. Je to klasický, tradiční masakr, přesně jako to mám rád. Nikde nic nepřebývá, nikde nic nechybí a jde se rovnou k věci. Přiznám se bez mučení, že jsem se k "Freakshow Ballet" rád a často vracel. Nechtělo se mi nic psát, raději jsem jen tak poslouchal a to prosím pěkně, pořádně nahlas. Je to temná, divoká nahrávka, je v ní velký kus naštvanosti, živočišnosti. Možná jsem starý pes a moje názory jsou dávno překonané, ale tohle je muzika, kterou budu vždy rád a s chutí podporovat. Koluje totiž i v mých žilách. Díváme se kolem sebe podobnýma očima. Nelze jinak, než chválit a opatřit EP známkou kvality. Přepínáš programy na televizi, listuješ stránkami na internetu. Všude jenom sex a násilí. Někdy máš pocit, že ti pukne hlava, že se zblázníš. Protože nežiješ v krásném světě z reklamy, protože vstáváš brzy a piješ levné pivo. Zničující, divoký grind death metal, který vám ukáže hnusnou, špinavou a krutou realitu dnešního podivného světa! Fuck you!
Asphyx says:
You're flipping channels on the TV, scrolling through pages on the Internet. It's all sex and violence. Sometimes you feel like your head's gonna explode, you're gonna go crazy. Because you don't live in the beautiful world of the commercials, because you wake up early and drink cheap beer. The dirty streets of your city, the slave labor, the people lying on the ground. Poverty, squalor and a cruel, ugly death in contrast to the glossy pages of fashion magazines.
Corrupted blood oozing from the screens, and more crowds marching to their deaths. There is only one solution. Say one big FUCK YOU! and listen to the new EP from Dutch grinders HEADLESS DAWN. We've already introduced the band to our readers. We also have an awesome interview (articles are linked below the review). Again, it is a ride straight to hell. A high-octane blast that will make your skull burst with pressure.
We've moved the public executions to broadcast, we're looking at gladiators in cages. More violence, more action, another dose of dopamine. The Dutch are going to the heart of the matter again, they're uncompromising and to be honest, I agree with their lyrics completely. I also like the sound, which is unkempt, rotten, raw, like the streets on the outskirts of your city. Do you like bands like REPULSION, TERRORIZER, CARNIVORE, S.O.D., NAUSEA, IMPETIGO, MACHETAZO, CARCASS? Then go for it. You will be deservedly rewarded with the total insanity that only this style can offer. I'm picking up a hammer and hitting the TV, throwing my computer out the window, opening a beer instead, and going to a small club in the evening. I'll scream at the top of my lungs with the band, party till I break every bone in my body. HEADLESS DAWN will tear you apart and you will be glad you did. It's classic, traditional carnage, just the way I like it. Nothing is missing, nothing is missing and it gets straight to the point. I will admit without torture that I like to come back to "Freakshow Ballet" often. I didn't want to write anything, I preferred to just listen, and please do it nicely, out loud. It's a dark, wild record, there's a lot of angry, animalistic stuff in it. Maybe I'm an old dog and my views are long outdated, but this is music I will always love and support with gusto. It runs through my veins. We look around us with similar eyes. I can't help but praise and stamp the EP with the quality mark. You flip through the channels on TV, you scroll through the pages on the Internet. It's all sex and violence everywhere. Sometimes you feel like your head's gonna explode, you're gonna go crazy. Because you don't live in the beautiful world of advertising, because you wake up early and drink cheap beer. Devastating, savage grind death metal that shows you the ugly, dirty and cruel reality of today's strange world! Fuck you!
Ave MALEDICTION! I guess we can't start our conversation any other way than by welcoming you back. I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to hearing new music from you. I belong to the generation of old fans. So thanks a lot! But I have to start by asking... Damn, what took you so long?
Hey mate, thank you, I’m glad there were people out there who were actually waiting for this to happen!
Doing more Malediction has been on the agenda for us for quite a few years. I think we originally agreed on it probably seven or eight years ago, this was when Shaun was still living and working in the US, we were going to do some new long-distance recordings, the plan then was to do a new 7“ with two songs on it or something.
Anyway, both Mark McGowan and I had since then tried to come up with some new Malediction material without much success. I had loads of new riffs but couldn’t quite get them to work together for a new song. Some of these riffs were what ended up becoming “Black Narcissus.” Anyway, during the pandemic, mid-2021 I tried an experiment and challenged myself to write something completely new in one week from scratch and this worked and got me out of the terrible writers block I’d been suffering from. “The Omerta Masquerade” was the song and this then helped me to finish “Black Narcissus” as well although that took a couple of attempts before I was entirely happy with it. I then quite quickly wrote some other new stuff as well as completing new arrangements for the old songs that are also on the new EP.
It took us a long time, and finishing the EP also took me a long time for a variety of reasons that I won’t go into here, but it was finished and now it’s out. I’m happy. I’m also happy be able to tell you that I am writing new material faster than I ever have done and we are on track to be able to record our debut album in 2024.
I popped the news into the player, got comfortable, and after half an hour was bouncing around the room like I was seventeen again. The family was looking at me, the kids were tapping their foreheads. But I can't help it. The new EP is short, but it's really good. Death metal, grind, but also unmistakable atmosphere and your signature. Well, beautiful! Can you tell us how the new EP was made? Did you change your approach after all these years?
A conscious decision was made with the new material to keep this direct and to the point and not go off into the 6-7 minute realm we explored in some of the later stuff we did in the 1990s. I think “Black Narcissus” was at the time the shortest song I’d ever written. We didn’t want to outstay our welcome and made the songs work in shorter timescales. “The Omerta Masquerade” is a bit longer, but mainly due to the outro riff.
Secondly, the EP was made with the awareness that this was the relaunch of the band and that we couldn’t rely on anyone remembering us or knowing who we are, which is why we re-recorded “Infestation” and the other old songs. We wanted people to have new versions of those songs, but we didn’t want them to be on a debut album, hence they’re on the EP. The second side of the EP is also a kind of celebration of thirty years of the “System Fear” 7”.
The cover art is tinted green and I think it's really hilarious. Daniel Bechthold from Germany painted it. Why him? How did you guys get together? I confess I don't know his work that well, could you tell us more about this very talented artist?
Me and Shaun were throwing links at each other, trying to work out who we could ask to do the cover art and Daniel was in the mix. We both really liked the piece he did for Leipa for their “Reue” release. Shaun messaged Daniel, found out he was a cool guy and interested in collaborating with us and we took it from there.
I really like what he came up with and it’s grown on me even more.
Raw, dark and cold sound is the basis. This year he was really good. You recorded with Dan Mullins, who is also the drummer of MY DYING BRIDE. That's a completely different kind of music! I really have to bow down to the ground because the new EP literally kills. It reminds me of old productions from somewhere in the late 90's. How did you achieve this sound, how did the recording process work?
We recorded the drums first in early August 2022 at Vibrations Studios here in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. Dan engineered the drum recording and him and Jon our drummer cooked up the drum sound between them. Everything else was recorded in my home studio between August 2022 and March 2023. Most of it was recorded in August and September 2022. I had a bit of a wobble with my health in the middle of it, which meant I didn’t finish until early March 2023. The only things that were really left to do were the guitar solos, but I was really struggling with my confidence over doing them so ended up writing and recording them all in a week, which wasn’t ideal, but it got the thing finished.
Dan Mullins did the final mix and mastering and was sending us rough mixes throughout the process. He sent a rough mix of “Black Narcissus” that absolutely blew me away. I find it hard to be objective about my own stuff and couldn’t really tell from listening to it whether it was any good or not. But when I heard this mix of “Black Narcissus” it totally blew me away. I was like “this is the sound that the EP needs.” Dan did some re-amping of the guitars to add a bit of an HM-2ness to them. I’m very proud to say that the bass sound is pretty much all my own work. I learned so much doing this EP. Experience that you can’t buy. We’ll be doing the album in the same way, and we’ll be working with Dan again on that too. The brief for the EP was “modern, but with old-school sensibilities.”
Once we had everything recorded, I went over to Dan’s a couple of times, and we mixed and edited together to get it across the finish line. It was a great and extremely collaborative process.
Yes, Dan drums for MDB bit he also drums in his band BLASPHEMER who are a lot more straight down the line death metal. Their new EP “Marked for Death” on Macho Records is killer!
Also, times have changed a lot. Today's technology is different. Artificial intelligence, the cloud, you know. How do you as musicians deal with these changes? It must be very different from 30 years ago. Do you follow new trends?
Yes. I’ve had to. It’s been necessary to record in the way that we have done. The only way this new recording was ever going to see the light of day was if it utterly smoked all of our old releases and to do that, I needed to become producer and engineer so that I could be really deeply involved in all stages of the recording and mixing process.
A proud moment for me was after handing over all the tracks I’d recorded and engineered to Dan, I asked him whether what I’d done was of sufficient quality for him to say that the work was “exceptional”. But everyone knocked their contribution out of the park on this, Jon kills on drums, Shaun has never sounded better. I’ve never played as well as I have on this recording. The only people we were in competition with was ourselves and I personally think that we exceeded all of our aims for this recording and that absolutely never happens.
Of course, it’s a double-edged sword because the album has to be even better!
I'm an old dog too, and like everyone I like to remember my youth. I'm sure our readers will be interested to know how did you actually put the band together back in the day? If I'm not mistaken, you were originally called NEUROSIS. Will you reminisce for us please? When and how did MALEDICTION was formed?
That’s correct. The band started in 1989 and I wrote “Infestation” that year. We were just messing about initially with the first lineup.
Myself, Shaun, and Mark Fox knew each other at Teesside Polytechnic, in the Northeast of England and had talked about starting a band, I don’t think we thought it’d still be a thing thirty-four years later though!
Then during 1990 things got more serious, Alastair joined on drums and Darren on second guitar, and we took it from there. We recorded the “Infestation” demo in August 1990 and the “System Fear” 7” later in 1990 and things just progressed from that point on.
It’s cool to have a legacy from back in the early 1990s, but this new version of MALEDICTION has been really about not repeating the past. The legacy is extremely helpful and has given us a bit of a leg-up since we reformed, but for me it’s very much eyes forward, what can we do next, how can we improve.
I remember in my younger days waiting for long hours in line outside the store to buy a new record. My friends and I didn't have money, so we would copy tapes and then argue for endless hours about which band was better. It was a great time, of course. How did you get started in music? Who was your role model? When did you first pick up an instrument? What about your first gig? And the first live performance? Tell me, exaggerate...
I have quite diverse influences, some of the guitar bands of the mid 80s inspired me to try to learn to play. I then progressed by getting into prog rock, a lot of the 1980s new prog/prog revival bands before I got into metal. Thrash bands really appealed to me in a way that traditional metal bands had not up to that point. I liked the “street” attitude, just their wearing every-day clothes and I loved the fact that their songs were about the real world, not dragons and wizards.
I started playing the guitar in 1986, so it wasn’t long between my starting and forming this band, three years or something.
The first gig I played was the first Malediction gig. We weren’t very good, but you have to start somewhere.
You're from Middlesbrough. What's your background in underground music? Do you have any clubs? Or do you have to go to London? I'd be interested in the current state of your scene. What about gigs? Fans? How many people do you get when you play somewhere?
The band was based in Middlesbrough because we were at Teesside Polytechnic (now a university). There wasn’t much of a scene, it was mainly hardcore punk bands. We had the perennial problem of being to punk for the metallers and too metal for the punks. But we got one, we played with punk and crust bands, it was fine. I only ever went to a couple of gigs in London, not somewhere I went.
We just headline Dead of Winter Festival in Glasgow, Scotland. This was our first gig back since reforming. The festival featured eleven underground death metal bands from the UK, we felt extremely fortunate to be asked to play this festival, let alone headline it. The festival sold out and we played to a three hundred capacity crowd.
We have another show coming up in March with BLASPHEMER who are great guys and then in May we’re playing Incineration Festival in London, which is a huge opportunity for us. We’ve not been short on offers to do gigs, in the quality of the gigs is very high, it’s not like in the old days of playing a random pub to a handful of people, these are bigger shows for us. It’s been very gratifying to be organically invited to play prestigious shows in the UK capital.
A very important question for us fans! How and where do you want MALEDICTION to go in the future? We want a first full-length album! No seriously, what are you planning in the near future?
Debut full length will be recorded in 2024 for sure. I have the album sketched out, I have four new songs that I’ve written for it and they’re the best stuff I’ve ever written. We’re going to revisit 2-3 old songs and I’m hopeful that Mark and Rik will also have at least one new song each on it. We’re aiming for 9-10 tracks, 40 minutes max. We’re in a good position, we have more material than we need, so we’ll record a bunch of stuff and choose the best. There might be a new EP in there too that could follow the album closely.
What does music mean to you? Why did you start playing death metal and grindcore in particular? How does music influence your life and world view? What has music given and taken away from you?
I listen to a lot of music from a lot of different genres, but DM is special to me, and it’s been a real pleasure in the last few years to re-immerse myself in the scene and get to know some of the current bands. I think I’ll always be a metal musician; I love other genres, but my skillset was really mostly in metal and its various subgenres.
I got a lot of my worldview from artists that I have listened to, music has been helpful to me in developing an ideological and political framework for my life. Some of my earliest exposure to ethical issues was via the music I was listening to.
On the negative side, music is demanding work and often for little or no reward. We spend hundreds and even thousands of hours honing our craft and spend thousands of pounds on gear to what is often a disinterested world. The tortured artist may be a cliché, but it’s a quite accurate cliché for the most part.
It was a great honor to interview you. I wish you all the best for the new EP to sell out worldwide and for you to have a gig packed to bursting. May you do well in your private life. You know what? I'm gonna go play "The Soil Throne" again! Massacre!
It was my pleasure to answer your questions, sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you. Thank you so much for your kind words about “The Soil Throne” EP, it is very much appreciated!
If anyone wants to get in touch with us, they can visit www.malediction.co.uk which has links to our Bandcamp and all our socials.
Recenze/review - MALEDICTION - The Soil Throne (2023):
