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čtvrtek 21. března 2024

Recenze/review - HIDEOUS DIVINITY - Unextinct (2024)


HIDEOUS DIVINITY - Unextinct
CD 2024, Century Media Records

for english please scroll down

Sedíš ve svém pokoji a drásáš si obličej do krve. Připadá ti, že se celý svět točí stále rychleji dokola. Čím dál tím víc informací, čím dál tím víc nenávisti. Už dávno nemáš strach z Boha, ani z temných stínů. Děsí tě vlastní já. Připadáš si, jakoby ti někdo zatloukl do mozku obrovský trychtýř. Temná hmota z vesmíru tě zcela ovládá. Jsi blázen ty, nebo ti za zdí? Otázek je mnoho a odpovědi nepřicházejí. Falešných proroků je už příliš. Řežeš se nožem do rukou a pouštíš si jenom hudbu, která tě dokáže rozsekat. Potřebuješ víc bolesti, rychlosti, víc riffů a úderů bicích.

Italští HIDEOUS DIVINITY ještě nikdy nebyli tak majestátní, vznešení. Mocné nástupy, strach z kosmu, surový brutální death metal, pochybnosti o vlastní existenci. Tohle vše zde naleznete a ještě mnoho navíc. Když jsem se s novinkou seznamoval, seděl jsem opravdu sám ve svém pokoji. Postupně jsem přidával hlasitost a skladby se mi postupně dostávaly do mozku. Když mi propláchli lebku kyselinou, cítil jsem se očištěný. Nové album chce více času, je v určitých momentech nepřístupné. Musíte mít fantazii a trpělivost. Touhu objevovat. Potom pochopíte. 


U podobných nahrávek více než kde jinde platí, že je vždy lepší si vše v klidu poslechnout a potom si udělat vlastní názor. Slova nejsou dostatečným výrazovým prostředkem. Přesto se pokusím vám nové album připodobnit. Za prvé, promo materiály hovoří o lehké podobnosti a inspiraci třeba takovými NILE, CATTLE DECAPITATION, SUFFOCATION, ULCERATE, HATE ETERNAL a BEHEMOTH. S tím lze souhlasit, ale také je rovnou nutno dodat, že HIDEOUS DIVINITY jsou natolik originálním tělesem, že jsou jakákoliv přirovnání spíše zbytečná. Pánové mají svůj vlastní rukopis, dokáží vytvořit celkově velmi pochmurnou a temnou atmosféru. Umí být techničtí a progresivní, v určitých momentech i neuchopitelní, ale stále si zachovávají potřebný drive a sílu. "Unextinct" má samozřejmě skvělý současný a čitelný zvuk, zajímavý obal, ale hlavně vás chytí, zasekne do vás dráp a nepustí vás. Alespoň mě se to stalo. Chvilku to trvalo, musel jsem rozkrýt jednotlivé vrstvy, což samozřejmě chtělo určitou dávku trpělivosti a empatie. Je to soundtrack ke ztroskotání lodi, která není z našeho světa. Na její palubě jsou nemrtví i bytosti z jiných dimenzí. Disonance, spoustu do krve a vzteku zabalených motivů. Tahle deska je velmi pestrá a nenudím se ani chvilku. Je vystavěna na pevných základech, ke kterým jsou potom přidávány různé odbočky, záseky. Jako bych se díval na rozbouřené moře, na jeho sílu a energii. Sedím ve svém pokoji a drásám si obličej do krve. Připadá mi, že se celý svět točí stále rychleji dokola. Čím dál tím víc informací, čím dál tím víc nenávisti. Už dávno nemám strach z Boha, ani z temných stínů. Děsí mě vlastní já. Topím se v hlubinách vlastních myšlenek. Umírám, abych nakonec vždy povstal z popela. Technický, brutální death metal, který vás roztrhá na kusy! Absolutní a zničující záležitost, hudba jdoucí k podstatě vlastní existence!

Asphyx says:

You're sitting in your room, scratching your face bloody. It feels like the whole world is spinning around faster and faster. More and more information, more and more hate. You're no longer afraid of God or the dark shadows. You're scared of yourself. You feel like someone's hammered a giant funnel into your brain. The dark matter from outer space is completely controlling you. Are you crazy, or are those behind the wall crazy? The questions are many and the answers are not coming. There are already too many false prophets. You cut yourself with a knife in your hand and play only music that can cut you. You need more pain, more speed, more riffs and drum beats.

Italy's HIDEOUS DIVINITY have never been more majestic, more sublime. Powerful build-ups, fear of the cosmos, raw brutal death metal, self-doubt. You will find all this here and much more. I was really sitting alone in my room when I was introduced to this new album. Gradually I turned up the volume and the songs gradually made their way into my brain. When they flushed my skull with acid, I felt cleansed. The new album takes more time, it's inaccessible at certain points. You have to have imagination and patience. The desire to explore. Then you'll understand.


With recordings like this, more than anywhere else, it is always better to listen to everything in peace and then make up your own mind. Words are not a sufficient means of expression. Nevertheless, I will try to give you a taste of the new album. First of all, the promo materials talk about a slight similarity and inspiration from such bands as NILE, CATTLE DECAPITATION, SUFFOCATION, ULCERATE, HATE ETERNAL and BEHEMOTH. One can agree with that, but it should also be added that HIDEOUS DIVINITY is such an original ensemble that any comparisons are rather unnecessary. The gentlemen have their own signature, they can create a very gloomy and dark atmosphere overall. They can be technical and progressive, even ungraspable at certain moments, but still retain the necessary drive and power. "Unextinct" of course has a great contemporary and legible sound, an interesting cover, but most importantly it grabs you, sticks its claw in you and doesn't let go. At least it happened to me. It took a while, I had to peel back the layers, which of course took a certain amount of patience and empathy. It is the soundtrack to a shipwreck that is not of our world. There are undead and beings from other dimensions on board. Dissonance, lots of blood and rage wrapped in themes. This record is very colourful and I'm not bored for a moment. It's built on a solid foundation, to which are then added various digressions, interludes. It's like looking at a stormy sea, its power and energy. I sit in my room and scratch my face until it bleeds. It seems to me that the whole world is going round and round faster. More and more information, more and more hate. I'm not afraid of God anymore, or the dark shadows. I'm scared of myself. I'm drowning in the depths of my own thoughts. I'm dying to rise from the ashes. Technical, brutal death metal that will tear you apart! An absolute and devastating affair, music that goes to the essence of one's own existence!




about HIDEOUS DIVINITY  on DEADLY STORM ZINE: 







tracklist:
1. Dust Settles on Humanity
2. The Numinous One
3. Against the Sovereignty of Mankind
4. Atto Quarto: The Horror Paradox
5. Quasi-Sentient
6. Hair, Dirt, Mud
7. More Than Many, Never One
8. Der Verlorene Sohn
9. Mysterium Tremendum
10. Leben Ohne Feuer

Line-Up:
Enrico Di Lorenzo - Vocals
Stefano Franceschini - Bass
Enrico Schettino - Guitars
Davide Itri - Session Drums

Online Presence:

středa 20. března 2024

Recenze/review - BRODEQUIN - Harbinger of Woe (2024)


BRODEQUIN - Harbinger of Woe
CD 2024, Season of Mist Underground Activists

for english please scroll down

Historie mučení nás dodnes překvapuje svojí brutalitou. Věříš si v jiného boha? Potom tě zavřeme do studené kobky. Bez jídla, beze světla. Pak tě vytáhneme ven a budeme tě natahovat k prasknutí, lámat v kole, budeme ti drtit kosti různými nástroji. Odtrháme ti maso od kostí. Budeš se modlit, abys zemřel. Středověké způsoby výslechu musely být hrozné. Nejhorší je, že spousta z nich se v některých částech světa používá dodnes. Pověšen na háky se znovu houpeš do rytmu šílených melodií. Novým objevem je elektrický proud, který ti pustí do již tak zuboženého těla. 

Brutální death metal v provedení BRODEQUIN byl vždy totálním masakrem. Krutou a syrovou realitou, které je schopen jenom lidský druh. Letos přicházejí pánové po dlouhých 20 letech s novým dlouhohrajícím albem. Je až fascinující, s jakým nadšením a odhodláním nám američtí maniaci opět vystřelí mozek z hlavy. Pohodlně se usaďte do elektrického křesla, přidejte volume doprava a poslouchejte pozorně. Tohle je muzika, která se vám dostane do morku kostí. 


Fanoušek dostane přesně to, co si žádá. Pořádnou porci klasického, tradičního brutálního death metalu, opatřeného ochrannou známkou BRODEQUIN. Na téhle smečce se mi vždy hrozně líbil fakt, že dokáže do svých skladeb propašovat temnou atmosféru. Není to tak jenom zničující nářez, ale kolem se vznáší hnilobné nálady. Pach rozkládajícího se masa, mokvajících ran, které vám způsobili vaši mučitelé. Již na první poslech se zdá, že je vše perfektní. Živočišný a divoký zvuk (Josh Welshman - mastering and mixing) dodává desce na ještě větší uvěřitelnosti. Mozek se vám začne vařit ve vlastní šťávě. Neexistuje nic jiného, než jenom vaše morbidní představy a tahle nekompromisní, přesto zajímavá a pestrá hudba. Šílené rytmy, vokál nasáklý chorobami, melodie ostré jako čerstvě nabroušený skalpel. Američané jsou ve skvělé formě, to je bez debat. Vybrousili si kdysi dávno svůj styl k dokonalosti, přesto, když se budete soustředit, najdete lehký vývoj v rámci vlastních nápadů. Dívám se na obal od Jose de Brita a říkám si, jak je perfektně vybraný a jak sedne krásně k songům samotným. Najednou to vypadá, že středověk nikdy neskončil. Je stále i díky albům, jako je "Harbinger of Woe", otištěn v našich myslích. Jako bych se procházel starodávnou morbidní galerii smrti. Na jednotlivých obrazech jsou motivy plné krutostí, lidské zvrácenosti a bolest z nich doslova prýští. Stejné to je i s novou deskou. Alespoň tak ji vnímám já. BRODEQUIN jsou zpět a působí jako politi mrtvou vodou. Lidská historie je plná násilí. Vždycky budu raději, když ji potkám v extrémní muzice, než v realitě. Novinku si opravdu jako starý fanoušek užívám. Nelze jinak, než doporučit. Tortura těla, tortura mysli! Absolutně devastující návrat brutálně death metalové legendy! U tohoto alba budete viset pověšeni za háky! Totální masakr s temnou atmosférou!


Asphyx says:

The history of torture still surprises us today with its brutality. Do you believe in another god? Then we'll put you in a cold dungeon. No food, no light. Then we take you out and stretch you to the breaking point, break you in a wheel, crush your bones with various instruments. We'll tear your flesh from your bones. You will pray to die. Medieval interrogation methods must have been horrible. The worst part is that many of them are still used in some parts of the world today. You're hung from hooks and you're swinging to the rhythm of crazy tunes again. The new discovery is an electric current that's released into your already ravaged body. 

BRODEQUIN's brutal death metal has always been a total massacre. A cruel and raw reality that only the human species is capable of. This year the gentlemen come after 20 long years with a new full-length album. It's fascinating how enthusiastic and determined the American maniacs are to blow our brains out again. Sit back in your electric chair, turn the volume to the right and listen carefully. This is music that will get to your bones.


The fan gets exactly what he asks for. A good portion of classic, traditional brutal death metal, bearing the BRODEQUIN trademark. What I've always loved about this pack is the fact that they can smuggle a dark atmosphere into their songs. It's not so much just a devastating onslaught, but there's a rotten mood floating around. The smell of decomposing flesh, of festering wounds inflicted by your tormentors. On first listen, everything seems perfect. The animalistic and savage sound (Josh Welshman - mastering and mixing) adds to the believability of the record. Your brain starts to boil in its own juice. There is nothing but your morbid imaginings and this uncompromising, yet interesting and colorful music. Crazy rhythms, disease-soaked vocals, melodies as sharp as a freshly sharpened scalpel. The Americans are in great shape, no question about it. They honed their style to perfection once upon a time, yet if you concentrate, you will find a slight evolution within your own ideas. I look at Jose de Brito's cover and think how perfectly chosen it is and how it fits beautifully with the songs themselves. Suddenly it seems like the Middle Ages never ended. It's still imprinted in our minds, even with albums like "Harbinger of Woe". It's like walking through an ancient morbid gallery of death. In each painting, the motifs are full of cruelty, human depravity, and the pain literally oozes out of them. It's the same with the new album. At least that's how I perceive it. BRODEQUIN are back and they seem to be pouring dead water. Human history is full of violence. I will always prefer to see it in extreme music than in reality. I really enjoy the new stuff as an old fan. Can't recommend it highly enough. Torture of the body, torture of the mind! Absolutely devastating return of a brutal death metal legend! You will be hanging by the hooks with this album! Total carnage with a dark atmosphere!


Tracklist
1. Diabolical Edict (3:29)
2. Fall Of The Leaf (2:33)
3. Theresiana (3:03)
4. Of Pillars and Trees (4:03)
5. Tenaillement (2:53)
6. Maleficium (3:09)
7. VII Nails (2:17)
8. Vredens Dag (3:20)
9. Suffocation in Ash (3:05)
10. Harbinger of Woe (4:04)

Line up:
Jamie Bailey: Bass/Vocals
Mike Bailey: Guitar
Brennan Shackelford: Drums
Joaquin Chavez: (Live) Guitar

Recording
Drums recorded at Brennan's Drum Room in Dallas, Texas.

Guitar, bass and vocals recorded at Navarre 24 in Harriman, Tennessee

Producer and sound engineer
Mike Bailey

Mastering studio and engineer
Josh Welshman

Mixing studio and engineer
Josh Welshman

Artwork
Original artwork done by Jose de Brito.
Additional elements by Jamie Bailey.

Recenze/review - BODYFARM - Malicious Ecstasy (2024)


BODYFARM - Malicious Ecstasy
CD 2024, Edged Circle Productions

for english please scroll down

Bojuješ ve svých snech s vlastními démony. Navštěvují tě vojáci bez tváře, kteří tě neustále dokola zabíjejí. Probudíš se do tmy a přemýšlíš, kolik generací se bude tahle bolest ještě přenášet. Pochoduješ na smrt, i když si natolik mladý, že si válku nemohl zažít. Na hřbitově plném bílých křížů slyšíš šepot nemrtvých. Chlad a temnota zákopové války se ti navždy otiskly do vzpomínek, které si nikdy nezažil. Posloucháš stále dokola nové album holandských BODYFARM a démoni jsou zde s tebou, dole pod pódiem.

Není žádným tajemstvím, že jsem dlouholetým fanouškem kapely. Sleduji jejich cestu od počátků a hrozně se mi líbí, jakým směrem se vydali. Každou další nahrávkou je jejich hudba masivnější, šílenější, surovější. Zároveň se  nezapomíná ani na melodie, které vám způsobí zástavu srdce. Čtyři nové skladby a pět živých záznamů z koncertu v Krakově ze 14. 3. 2023. Fanoušci opravdové a reálné smrti dostanou pořádnou porci nočních můr. 


Novinka je divokou jízdou přímo do pekla. Je postavená na pevných staroškolských základech ve stylu ASPHYX, DISMEMBER, ENTOMBED, HYPOCRISY, UNLEASHED, NECROPHOBIC. Pánové opět přicházejí s velmi povedeným zvukem (materiál byl nahrán ve Studiu Moskou a Studiu Hilhorst. Mix a mastering Mendel Bij De Leij v Mendelaudio) i parádním obalem (Daemorph). Někdy mívám trošku problém se záznamy ze živých vystoupení, ale tentokrát to neplatí. Naopak, doslova ucítíte šílenou atmosféru koncertu v Polsku. Muselo to být opravdu masakrující. Oni se s tím BODYFARM totiž vůbec nepářou, jsou silní ve svých nápadech. Připomínají dobře seřízený tank, který je připraven zabíjet hudbou. Nutno rovnou napsat, že se jim to daří na výbornou. Vše je opravdové, ryzí, zahrané od srdce. Album mi připomíná srážku s náklaďákem plným kostí. Čerstvá exhumace hromadného hrobu proběhla teprve  nedávno. Nedivím se, že se mi po podobných zážitcích dostanou do snů děsivé noční můry. Pánové mají svůj jasný a zřetelný rukopis, ksicht, chcete-li. Poznáte je podle pár prvních tónů. Není nutné chodit kolem kaluže plné krve, nová deska se opět velmi povedla. Je v ní obsaženo vše potřebné pro krásný morbidní zážitek. Je tvrdá, temná a obsahuje spoustu nakumulovaného vzteku. Přesně takhle to mám nejraději. Budete pochodovat na smrt a budete mít hlavu vztyčenou. Jsem moc rád, že se ještě nahrávají alba, jako je "Malicious Ecstasy". Dodávají mi velkou sílu a pomáhají mi přežít v dnešním divném světě. Nezbývá nic jiného, než zavelet k útoku. Masakrující death metalová temnota, která vám poláme všechny kosti v těle! Válečné noční můry!


Asphyx says:

You fight your own demons in your dreams. You're visited by faceless soldiers who kill you over and over again. You wake up in the dark, wondering how many more generations this pain will carry on. You march to your death, even though you are young enough not to have experienced war. In a cemetery full of white crosses, you hear the whispers of the undead. The cold and darkness of trench warfare is forever imprinted on memories you never experienced. You listen over and over to the new album by the Dutch BODYFARM and the demons are there with you, down below the stage.

It's no secret that I'm a long-time fan of the band. I've followed their journey since the beginning and I love the direction they've taken. With every release, their music gets more massive, more insane, more raw. At the same time, they don't forget the melodies that will make your heart stop. Four new songs and five live recordings from the concert in Krakow on March 14, 2023. Fans of real and real death will get a good portion of nightmares.


The novelty is a wild ride straight to hell. It's built on solid old school foundations in the style of ASPHYX, DISMEMBER, ENTOMBED, HYPOCRISY, UNLEASHED, NECROPHOBIC. The gentlemen once again come with a very good sound (the material was recorded in Studio Moskou and Studio Hilhorst. Mixing and mastering by Mendel Bij De Leij in Mendelaudio) and a great cover (Daemorph). Sometimes I have a bit of a problem with recordings from live performances, but this time it doesn't apply. On the contrary, you can literally feel the crazy atmosphere of a concert in Poland. It must have been really massacring. They don't fight BODYFARM at all, they are strong in their ideas. They resemble a well-tuned tank that is ready to kill with music. It must be written right away that they do it perfectly. Everything is real, pure, played from the heart. The album reminds me of a collision with a truck full of bones. A fresh exhumation of the mass grave was only recently carried out. I'm not surprised that I get terrifying nightmares after experiences like this. The gentlemen have a clear and distinct signature, a face, if you will. You'll know them by the first few notes. No need to walk around a pool of blood, the new record is once again very good. It contains everything needed for a beautiful morbid experience. It's hard, dark and contains a lot of pent-up rage. It's exactly how I like it best. You'll march to your death and hold your head high. I'm so glad that albums like "Malicious Ecstasy" are still being recorded . They give me great strength and help me survive in today's weird world. There's nothing left to do but to attack. Massacring death metal darkness that will break every bone in your body! War nightmares!



about BODYFARM on DEADLY STORM ZINE:





TRACKLIST
1. Retaliate
2. Pervitin
3. Onward Doomsday
4. Gates of Malignancy
5. Dreadlord (live)
6. Unbroken (live)
7. The Swamp (live)
8. Charlatan Messiah (live)
9. The Dark Age (live)

LINE-UP
Ralph de Boer - Vocals / Bas
Bram Hilhorst - Guitars
Alex Seegers - Guitars
David Schermann - Drums

pondělí 18. března 2024

Recenze/review - NECROPHOBIC - In the Twilight Grey (2024)


NECROPHOBIC - In the Twilight Grey
CD 2024, Century Media Records

for english please scroll down

Plačící duchové lesa. Vyjící andělé. Vlci na lovu. Běžíš tmou a větve tě šlehají do tváře. Zmrzlé nohy se boří do sněhu. Nevíš, jestli si oběť nebo lovec. Jsi si jistý jedinou věcí. Bílou děsivou smrtí, několika okamžiky v temnotě. Krev všude kolem. Naříkající les, přecházíš pomalu na druhou stranu, do země nekonečných stínů. Mraky jsou nízko a vzduch je těžký a nestravitelný. Padáš do hlubin. Vznešené pocity z létání, i tělo, polámané, zničené. Mysl roztrhaná na kusy. Takové byly moje první dojmy z nové desky "In the Twilight Grey".

Vlastně jsem nikdy nedokázal novinku poslouchat v klidu. Pokaždé do mě zasekla svůj dráp a nepustila mě, dokud jsem ji nevypnul. Ne, neseděl jsem doma u přehrávače, ale pokaždé jsem běžel tmou. Někde daleko, na severu, v mrazu a sněhu. Cíl byl vždy stejný. Zemřel jsem, abych se znovu pokaždé narodil. Silný a nabitý zvláštní energií, kterou má tahle kapela již od svých počátků. 


Spousta fanoušků nedá dopustit na klasické nahrávky z devadesátých let, které si již dávno získaly doslova legendární status. Jsem stejného názoru. Sleduji ale celou cestu téhle originální smečky a vždy se k jejich albům velice rád vracím. Nová deska se mezi ostatními rozhodně neztratí. NECROPHOBIC se sice již asi nikdy nevymaní ze svého stínu, ale na rovinu, on to po nich ani nikdo nechce. Jsou pro mě pevným záchytným bodem ve vesmíru. Za ty dlouhé roky, co nám přinášejí další a další ozvěny ze záhrobí, si vybrousili svůj originální styl k dokonalosti. Chlad a tma, ledový vítr v korunách stoletých stromů. To je pro mě definice celé tvorby, nový počin nevyjímaje. Fredrik Folkare opatřil album majestátním a velmi dobře čitelným i živelným zvukem. Mrazí mě v kostech! Obal, na němž je možná démon, kterého zmiňuji i v úvodu dnešního článku, nahání strach, je tajemný a zlověstný. Autorem je Jens Rydén. Také velmi povedená práce. Byli jste někdy sami v lese uprostřed noci? Nebo brzy ráno, když padne k zemi chlad a vy se probudíte do zdánlivého klidu. Je to samozřejmě omyl, přízraky nikdy nespí. Pokud budete poslouchat "In the Twilight Grey" stále dokola jako já, určitě vás přijdou navštívit. Ucítíte jejich přítomnost a krve by se ve vás nedořezal. Líbí se mi poctivost, samozřejmost, spousta nápadů, které doslova tryskají na všechny strany. To vše zamotané ve starých pavučinách, držící pevně pohromadě. Jako skála, jako láva, prýštící pomocí riffů, melodií ven, z nitra země. Letos jsou Švédi opět jako přírodní živel. Neuchopitelní, mocní, tajemní. Nelze jinak, než doporučit všem, kteří je mají rádi. Dostanete k dokonalosti vytesaný amulet ze starých kostí. Vzduchem se budou vznášet pradávné legendy a vy se budete usmívat. Plačící duchové lesa. Vyjící andělé. Vlci na lovu. Běžíš tmou a větve tě šlehají do tváře. Zmrzlé nohy se boří do sněhu. Nevíš, jestli si oběť nebo lovec. Jsi si jistý jedinou věcí. Bílou děsivou smrtí, několika okamžiky v temnotě. Krev všude kolem. Démonický, syrový a chladný vichr ze severu! Black death metalová mlha plná děsivých stínů a zkažené krve!


Asphyx says:

Weeping spirits of the forest. Howling angels. Wolves on the prowl. You run through the darkness and the branches whip you in the face. Frozen feet sinking into the snow. You don't know if you're the victim or the hunter. You're sure of one thing. A white, terrifying death, a few moments in the dark. Blood all around. The wailing forest, you cross slowly to the other side, into the land of endless shadows. The clouds are low and the air is heavy and indigestible. You fall into the depths. The sublime sensation of flying, and the body, broken, destroyed. The mind torn to pieces. These were my first impressions of the new album "In the Twilight Grey".

Actually, I've never been able to listen to a new album in peace. Every time it stuck its claw into me and wouldn't let go until I turned it off. No, I wasn't sitting at home with the player, but I was running in the dark every time. Somewhere far away, up north, in the cold and snow. The destination was always the same. I died to be born again every time. Strong and charged with the special energy that this band has had since its beginnings.


A lot of fans can't get enough of the classic recordings from the nineties, which have long since gained a legendary status. I am of the same opinion. But I've been following the whole journey of this original pack and I always love to come back to their albums. The new album will definitely not get lost among the others. NECROPHOBIC will probably never come out of their shadow, but frankly, nobody wants them to. They are a solid clue in the universe for me. Over the many years they have brought us more and more echoes from beyond the grave, they have honed their original style to perfection. The cold and dark, the icy wind in the tops of the centuries-old trees. This is for me the definition of the whole work, not excluding the new one. Fredrik Folkare has equipped the album with a majestic and very well read and elemental sound. It chills my bones! The cover art, which may feature the demon I mention in the introduction of today's article, is haunting, mysterious and ominous. The author is Jens Rydén. Also a very hilarious work. Have you ever been alone in the woods in the middle of the night? Or early in the morning, when the cold falls to the ground and you wake up to apparent peace. It's a mistake of course, ghosts never sleep. If you listen to "In the Twilight Grey" over and over like I do, they'll definitely come visit you. You'll feel their presence, and you won't get any blood in you. I like the honesty, the obviousness, the many ideas that literally gush out in all directions. All tangled in old cobwebs, held tightly together. Like a rock, like lava, gushing out through riffs, melodies, from the heart of the earth. This year the Swedes are again like a natural element. Elusive, powerful, mysterious. I can't help but recommend them to everyone who likes them. You get an amulet carved to perfection from old bones. Ancient legends will float through the air and make you smile. Weeping spirits of the forest. Howling angels. Wolves on the prowl. You run through the darkness and the branches whip you in the face. Frozen feet sinking into the snow. You don't know if you're the victim or the hunter. You're sure of one thing. A white, terrifying death, a few moments in the dark. Blood all around. A demonic, raw and cold wind from the north! Black death metal fog full of horrible shadows and corrupted blood!



about NECROPHOBIC on DEADLY STORM ZINE:







Tracklist:
1. Grace of the Past
2. Clavis Inferni
3. As Stars Collide
4. Stormcrow
5. Shadows of the Brightest Night
6. Blackened the Horizon
7. Mirrors of a Thousand Lakes
8. Cast in Stone
9. Nordanvind
10. In the Twilight Grey
11. The Torture Never Stops
12. 10. Ascension (Episode Four)

band:
Anders Strokirk - Vocals
Sebastian Ramstedt - Lead guitar
Johan Bergebäck - Rhythm guitar
Tobias Cristiansson - Bass
Joakim Sterner - Drums



Recenze/review - VORUS - Desolate Eternities (2024)


VORUS - Desolate Eternities
CD 2024, Loud Rage Music

for english please scroll down

Ve starých márnicích se občas dějí věci, které obyčejným smrtelníkům nevysvětlíte. Když totiž budete s mrtvými trávit dlouhé noci, brzy pochopíte. Existuje ještě jeden svět, temnější a více zlý, než je ten náš. Ano, jde to. Vše je v něm ohlodané na kost, syrové a hnisavé. Stačí otevřít rakev někoho prokletého, pustit si novou desku rumunských VORUS a pochopíte. Najednou vám přeběhne mráz po zádech, zatočí se hlava a ztuhne krev v žilách. Kdysi dávno pohřbený bude vypadat, jako by byl uložen do země teprve včera.

Sedne si v dřevěné rakvi a usměje se. Moc dobře totiž ví, že se hraje i pro něj. I pro všechny démony a fanoušky, kteří rádi tráví svůj čas v temných katakombách. VORUS jsme se na našich stránkách již věnovali. Nové album "Desolate Eternities" je třetím dlouhohrajícím zásekem v řadě a také syrovou odpovědí na ozvěny ze záhrobí. 

 

Mrtvolný zvuk, děsivý obal, patina devadesátých let. Tohle všechno dohromady dodává jasným a zřetelným motivům ještě věší sílu. Ano, Rumuni jsou starosvětští, poctiví a ryzí ve své hrobnické práci. Chvílemi mám pocit, že při poslechu není rok 2024, ale tak 1992 a sedím před starou hi-fi věží, ve které se přetáčí stále dokola kazeta. Není to ale jenom retro feeling, který dělá z nové desky velmi chutný pokrm. Jsou to hlavně nápady, které si pamatuji i po mnoha společných setkáních. Za mého mládí se říkalo, že dobrý kov smrti se pozná podle toho, že ucítíte fyzickou přítomnost dámy s kosou. VORUS tohle všechno umí na výbornou. Jasně, že je to hudba, která tu již byla mnohokrát, jenže pánové a dáma ji podávají velmi elegantně a zkušeně. Pokud máte rádi smečky jako MASSACRE, PESTILENCE, MORGOTH, budete určitě spokojeni. Cítím v kostech, že dnes bude dlouhá noc. Z hrobů vylézají nemrtví a v márnici to doslova vře. Už dávno mě nebaví tenhle svět, raději tančím s těmi nejkrásnějšími zombie. Dívám se do tmy, přidávám postupně hlasitost a těším se, až začne další song. Když potom prořízne mlhu nad hřbitovem ostrý riff a zazní drtivé údery bicích, jsem ztracený. Až navěky, amen! Zažil jsem nespočet pohřbů, viděl jsem zástupy pozůstalých, ale podobnou hudbu si budu rvát stále do hlavy. "Desolate Eternities" je k dokonalosti vybroušené, stylové album, které doporučuji podávat ve tmě. Jako přílohu si klidně dejte syrové, mokvající maso. Uvidíte, že potom bude morbidní zážitek dokonalý. Ve starých márnicích se občas dějí věci, které obyčejným smrtelníkům nevysvětlíte. Když totiž budete s mrtvými trávit dlouhé noci, brzy pochopíte. Existuje ještě jeden svět, temnější a více zlý, než je ten náš. Vše je v něm ohlodané na kost, syrové a hnisavé. Prašivý, shnilý, morbidní death metal ze staré školy, který rozdrtí na prach všechny kosti ve vašem těle! 


Asphyx says:

Sometimes things happen in old morgues that you can't explain to mere mortals. Because if you spend long nights with the dead, you'll soon understand. There is another world, darker and more evil than ours. Yes, it's possible. Everything in it is gnawed to the bone, raw and festering. Just open the coffin of someone cursed, listen to the new Romanian VORUS record and you'll understand. Suddenly a chill runs down your spine, your head spins and your blood runs cold. The once long-buried will look like it was put in the ground only yesterday.

He sits down in the wooden coffin and smiles. For he knows very well that he is being played for. And for all the demons and fans who like to spend their time in the dark catacombs. We've already covered VORUS on our website. The new album "Desolate Eternities" is the third long player in the series and also a raw response to the echoes from beyond the grave.


The dead sound, the creepy cover art, the 90s patina. All this together gives the clear and distinct themes even more power. Yes, the Romanians are old world, honest and pure in their grave digging. At times, listening to them, I feel like it's not 2024, but 1992 or so, sitting in front of an old hi-fi tower with a cassette playing over and over. But it's not just the retro feel that makes the new record a very tasty treat. It's mainly the ideas that I remember even after many meetings together. In my youth, it was said that you could tell good death metal by feeling the physical presence of a lady with a scythe. VORUS does all of this very well. Sure, it's music that's been here many times before, but the gentlemen and the lady deliver it very elegantly and expertly. If you like bands like MASSACRE, PESTILENCE, MORGOTH, you will be satisfied. I feel in my bones that tonight is going to be a long night. The undead are coming out of their graves and the morgue is literally boiling. I'm tired of this world, I prefer to dance with the most beautiful zombies. I stare into the darkness, gradually turning up the volume, waiting for the next song to start. Then when the sharp riff cuts through the fog over the graveyard and the crushing percussion hits, I'm lost. Forever and ever, amen! I've been to countless funerals, I've seen multitudes of mourners, but music like this will always be in my head. "Desolate Eternities" is a polished to perfection, stylish album that I recommend serving in the dark. Feel free to have raw, mooing meat as a side dish. You'll find that the morbid experience will be perfect afterwards. Sometimes things happen in old morgues that you can't explain to mere mortals. Because if you spend long nights with the dead, you'll soon understand. There is another world, darker and more evil than ours. Everything in it is gnawed to the bone, raw and festering. Dusty, rotten, morbid, old school death metal that will crush every bone in your body to dust!


Recenze/review - VORUS - Traversing the Non​-​Existence (2021):

Tracklist:
01. Desolate In Eternity 
02. The Phantom Fear 
03. Moribund's Hollow Gaze 
04. Deathly Cycle Of Existence 
05. Blood-Sucking Leech 
06. Dormant Malignancy 
07. Obscure Delusional Chasms 
08. Escape From Beyond 
09. Aether Of The Abyss 
10. Dragged Into Oblivion

band:
URIEL - Vocals / Lead Guitar
CORINA - Bass Guitar
FILIP - Rhythm Guitar
DORU - Drums / Percussion

neděle 17. března 2024

Recenze/review - DAEMONIAC - Visions of the Nightside (2024)


DAEMONIAC - Visions of the Nightside
CD 2024, Xtreem Music

for english please scroll down

Prokletí i po smrti. Uloženi v popraskaných rakvích. Tuhle hrobku s nápisem DAEMONIAC museli navštívit zlé přízraky. Letos došlo k třetí, dlouhohrající exhumaci starých prašivých kostí. Ty byly rozdrceny na prach, smíchány s naprostou tmou a zkaženou krví. Při poslechu nového alba "Visions of the Nightside" budete opět hnít v zemi. Pohřbeni zaživa, se vám začnou rozkládat tkáně. A červi začnou tančit v rytmech nové desky.

Mám tuhle smečku ve svém zorném poli již od jejich úplných začátků. Napsal jsem jim několik recenzí (odkazy naleznete dole pod článkem). Vždy se jednalo o krutou, morbidní a divokou jízdu, která směřovala vždy do hlubokého podzemí. Italští maniaci jsou zpět, aby vám svojí hudbou vyrvali všechny střeva z těla. Tohle je smrtící kov ze starých časů, u kterého praskají kosti tlakem. 


Někde v Miláně, v oblasti Lombardie, musejí být dávno opuštěné katakomby, do kterých se tahle smečka na nějaký čas zavřela, aby tam načerpala atmosféru ze tmy, chladu a dávno zapomenutých hrobek. Inspirováni zásadními deskami kapel jako NIHILIST, CREMATORY, NECROPHOBIC, CARNAGE, GRAVE, ENTOMBED, DISMEMBER, přicházejí s nahrávkou, která se vám ihned zadře pod kůži. Pokud jste celý svůj hudební život trávili v absolutní tmě a upřednostňujete ryzost, opravdovost a špínu čerstvě otevřených hrobů, před umělostí dnešního podivného světa, jste tu správně. Doporučuji poslouchat, až se všude kolem setmí a na hřbitově bude zdánlivý klid. Vezměte se s sebou lopatu a samozřejmě kladivo, na drcení lebek. Když totiž prořízne mlhu nad hroby první riff, nebude už úniku. Album má skvělý zvuk (Carlo Meroni - mastering, Tomas Skogsberg - recording, mixing), který dokáží ocenit všechny zombie, démoni i prokletí, kteří všichni vylezou z hrobů. Tahle deska má v sobě totiž pověstnou patinu starých časů, spoustu energie a tlaku, která musely být posbírány na onom světě. "Visions of the Nightside" je perfektním stylovým zásekem, který nenechá nikoho na pochybách. Tomuhle hřbitovu vládnou DAEMONIAC, o tom není žádných pochyb. Mám rád, když město pod námi zahalí černé mraky, líbí se mi, když mě hudba zcela pohltí. Italům se to opět povedlo. Rozsekali mě na malé kousky, spálili na popel, abych z něj znovu povstal a poslouchal nové album stále dál. Neznám nic lepšího, než návštěvu starých katakomb. Nejlépe uprostřed noci a ve společnosti této nahrávky. Je totiž opět vynikající! Jsem prokletý i po smrti. Uložen v popraskané rakvi. Znesvěcující, temný a zničující death metal ze staré švédské školy, který vám navěky vypálí cejch do vaší duše! Stará kobka vydala další svědectví!


Asphyx says:

A curse even after death. Buried in cracked coffins. This tomb with the DAEMONIAC inscription must have been visited by evil spirits. This year saw the third, long-running exhumation of the old scabby bones. They were ground to dust, mixed with utter darkness and tainted blood. Listening to the new album "Visions of the Nightside" will make you rot in the ground again. Buried alive, your tissues will begin to decompose. And the worms will dance to the rhythms of the new album.

I've had this pack in my sights since the very beginning. I've written several reviews of them (links at the bottom of the article). It has always been a cruel, morbid and wild ride, always heading deep underground. The Italian maniacs are back to rip your guts out with their music. This is the deadly metal of the old days, where bones crack under the pressure.


Somewhere in Milan, in the region of Lombardy, there must be long-abandoned catacombs where this pack has shut themselves in for a while to take in the atmosphere of darkness, cold and long-forgotten tombs. Inspired by seminal albums from bands like NIHILIST, CREMATORY, NECROPHOBIC, CARNAGE, GRAVE, ENTOMBED, DISMEMBER, they come up with a record that immediately gets under your skin. If you've spent your entire musical life in absolute darkness and prefer the purity, authenticity and grime of freshly opened graves to the artificiality of today's strange world, you've come to the right place. I recommend listening when it's dark all around and the cemetery is seemingly quiet. Bring a shovel and, of course, a hammer, for crushing skulls. Because when the first riff cuts through the fog over the graves, there'll be no escape. The album has a great sound (Carlo Meroni - mastering, Tomas Skogsberg - recording, mixing) that can be appreciated by all the zombies, demons and curses that all come out of their graves. This record does have the proverbial patina of the old days, a lot of energy and pressure that must have been picked up in the hereafter. "Visions of the Nightside" is a perfect stylistic hit that will leave no one in doubt. DAEMONIAC rule this graveyard, there is no doubt about it. I like it when the city below is shrouded in black clouds, I like it when the music completely engulfs me. The Italians have done it again. They chopped me into little pieces, burned me to ashes, only to rise again and listen to the new album over and over again. I know nothing better than visiting the old catacombs. Preferably in the middle of the night and in the company of this record. Because it's excellent again! I'm cursed even in death. In a cracked coffin. Devastating, dark and devastating death metal from the old school of Sweden that will burn a mark in your soul forever! The old dungeon has given another testimony!



about DAEMONIAC on DEADLY STORM ZINE:




Tracklist:
01. The Deamon Beast 
02. Into Damnation 
03. War In Heaven 
04. False Prophecies 
05. Fall From Grace 
06. The God's Fault 
07. Lord Of Immolation 
08. Visions Of The Nighside

band:
Max -Bass, Vocals, Guitars
Matt - Drums




Buy CD here:

Recenze/review - SKELETAL REMAINS - Fragments of the Ageless (2024)


SKELETAL REMAINS - Fragments of the Ageless
CD 2024, Century Media Records

for english please scroll down

Do některých lidí byste to v životě neřekli. Byl to takový hodný pán, který se vždy usmíval. Nevýrazný a obyčejný. Měl jen jednu takovou zvláštnost. Rád si vyřezával z lidských kostí. Začínal s tím jako mladý. Často navštěvoval staré hřbitovy a vykrádal hroby. Jenže mu to nestačilo. Potřeboval čerstvé maso, potřeboval vidět smrt v jejich očích. Cítil se být umělcem. Když jsem vstoupil do jeho sklepa, vzpomněl jsem si na SKELETAL REMAINS. Na kapelu, o které píšu od jejich úplných začátků. 

Líbí se mi vývoj, kterým prošli. Od klasického, primitivního smrtícího kovu k větší brutalitě a temnotě. Tahle smečka hraje postaru a jejich desky připomínají návštěvu zaprášeného archívu. Kapela cituje ze starých spisů a dělá to velmi zkušeně a elegantně. Pokud to takhle máte rádi, nová deska je pro vás doslova povinností. 


Nové album je takovou poctou, odkazem toho nejlepšího, co nahrály kapely jako MORBID ANGEL, DEICIDE, PESTILENCE. Temnota a chlad čerstvě otevřených hrobů se zde potkávají se surovostí a brutalitou. Skladby jsou, jak už je u Američanů dobrým zvykem, jsou velmi dobře napsány a skvěle se poslouchají. SKELETAL REMAINS už dávno nejsou jen obyčejnou retro kapelou. Naopak, stavějí na pevných základních a tradičních postupech své vlastní konstrukce. Pro mě je potom hlavní to, že skladby drtí a žhnou, jsou kusem masa, který vám kapela opakovaně hází přímo do obličeje. Novinka musela vznikat hluboko v podzemí, mezi nemrtvými a démony. Jednotlivé motivy hoří jasným černým plamenem. Tlak a energie, které se povedly kapele do songů dostat, jsou doslova zničující. Viděl jsem tuhle smečku několikrát naživo a už teď se těším, až uslyším i nové skladby. Naživo mě tahle parta hrobníků baví stejně nejvíce. Líbí se mi masivní zvuk (Dan Swanö - producer, mastering, mixing) i motiv z obalu (Dan Seagrave) bych si dovedl představit nosit i na triku. Až zase jednou půjdete do sklepa, ve kterém se stalo něco zlého, vezměte si "Fragments of the Ageless" určitě s sebou. Jen si dejte pozor, abyste nebyli pohřbeni zaživa. Maniaci z Kalifornie nahráli hudbu, která vás rozseká na malé kousky. Je v ni obsaženo vše potřebné k poctivé pařbě na starých hřbitovech. Do některých lidí byste to v životě neřekli. Byl to takový hodný pán, který se vždy usmíval. Nevýrazný a obyčejný. Měl jen jednu takovou zvláštnost. Rád si vyřezával z lidských kostí. Hnilobně mokvající, totálně devastující death metal! Mrtvolné ozvěny z dávno opuštěných hrobů! Temnota a brutalita!


Asphyx says:

Some people you would never say that to in your life. He was such a nice man, always smiling. Bland and plain. He had just one peculiarity. He liked to carve out of human bones. He started out young. He often visited old cemeteries and robbed graves. But it wasn't enough for him. He needed fresh flesh, he needed to see death in their eyes. He felt like an artist. When I entered his basement, I remembered SKELETAL REMAINS. The band I've been writing about since the very beginning.

I like the evolution they've gone through. From classic, primitive death metal to more brutality and darkness. This bunch plays old school and their records are like visiting a dusty archive. The band quotes from old writings and does it with great skill and elegance. If you like it this way, the new record is literally a must for you.


The new album is such a tribute, a legacy of the best of bands like MORBID ANGEL, DEICIDE, PESTILENCE. The darkness and coldness of freshly opened graves meets the brutality and brutality. The songs are, as is already a good habit with Americans, very well written and great to listen to. SKELETAL REMAINS are not just an ordinary retro band anymore. On the contrary, they build on solid fundamentals and traditional practices of their own construction. For me, then, the main thing is that the songs crush and burn, a piece of meat that the band repeatedly throws right in your face. The novelty must have originated deep underground, amongst the undead and demons. Individual motifs burn with a bright black flame. The pressure and energy that the band managed to get into the songs is literally devastating. I've seen this pack live a few times and I'm already looking forward to hearing the new songs. Live, I enjoy this group of gravediggers the most anyway. I like the massive sound (Dan Swanö - producer, mastering, mixing) and the motif from the cover (Dan Seagrave) I could imagine wearing on a t-shirt. Next time you go to a basement where something bad happened, take "Fragments of the Ageless" with you for sure. Just make sure you don't get buried alive. The maniacs from California have recorded music that will shred you to pieces. It's got everything you need for a good party in the old cemeteries. Some people you'd never say that to. He was such a nice man, always smiling. Bland and plain. He had just one peculiarity. He liked to carve out of human bones. Rotting, swelling, totally devastating death metal! Dead echoes from long-abandoned graves! Darkness and brutality!




about SKELETAL REMAINS od DEADLY STORM ZINE:









Tracklist:
01. Relentless Appetite 
02. Cybernetic Harvest 
03. To Conquer The Devout 
04. Forever In Sufferance 
05. Verminous Embodiment 
06. Ceremony Of Impiety 
07. Void Of Despair 
08. Unmerciful 
09. ...Evocation (The Rebirth) 
10. Messiah Of Rage (Hate Eternal Cover)

Line-Up:
Chris Monroy (guitars/vocals)
Mike De La O (guitars)
Pierce Williams (drums)
Brian Rush (bass)

sobota 16. března 2024

Interview - MALEDICTION - Totally devastating, raw death grind that will blow your brains out!


Interview with death grindcore band from United Kingdom - MALEDICTION.

Answered Rich Mumford (guitars), thank you! 

Recenze/review - MALEDICTION - The Soil Throne (2023):

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):



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