Thursday, January 11, 2018

Worstenemy Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?


Hi. Thanks for the interview. On November 17th our new album DECEPTION came out. We are working hard to promote it as best as we can during our live shows. Our manager is busy organizing our future gigs in Italy and abroad.

2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?


DECEPTION is just the result of 5 years trying to put our ideas into words and music; it is pretty different from the other works since we have decided to add some brand new elements such as keyboards, acoustic guitars and clean vocal lines. We wanted to exploit more appealing solutions in order to make the album either polyhedric or eclectic, always in a Death Metal way.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music/

Our lyrics are usually drawn from everyday’s life, the way we live I mean, what we are going through or what we experienced in the past; there are also some personal insights; further topics can be our concept of war, religion and the anti-catholic philosophy. That’s roughly what all our songs deal with.

4. Originally the band was called 'Karnak' what was the cause of the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Worstenemy'?

Damn straight! Our band was born in 1997 as “Karnak” but in 2000 we turned it into “Worstenemy” since we found out there was another band with that name, so I chose the new one, inspired by a song by Deicide called “Worst Enemy” and I just put the two words together.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has payed over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We surely enjoy all our gigs since, every time, there is something new and different happening and  we do our best to entertain the audience and to please our followers: if people watch you playing for one hour, it is just amazing: it works just like “fuel” for the Worstenemy machine ON stage.
We want to pass our power over, always.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

As I told you before, our manager is organizing our gigs’ timetable. Right now, we know for sure that we already have something planned in Italy between January and February. In March we will be heading to Germany. We will add more European dates soon.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?

Generally, we get pretty good feedbacks; we would like to play abroad more often, for our music to be known or to played for people who have never seen us playing live. We are working to improve this.

8.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?


I am not engaged in other projects at the moment and so Arconda. Luigi is also playing in two other bands: Deathcrush and Malignant Defecation. Deathcrush are also promoting their new album “Hell” which came out along with our Deception.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

I cannot really answer your question right now. We will keep doing what we have always done and are still doing: Death Metal with our own ideas and influences.! We still have some goals to achieve but we keep on having fun as it has always been!

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

American Death Metal for sure, such as Morbid Angel or Cannibal Corpse: they have influenced our way of dealing with Death Metal. Recently I have been listening to Mastodon a lot, but that depends on the mood; I can easily skip from Black Sabbath to The Cult,  Alice in Chains or Bolt Thrower. I listen to several bands.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I do Wing Chun (Kung Fu) and I go to the gym; I also enjoy cycling. These are my three main passions apart from music.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

I just want to great all the readers of Hatredmeanswar and I wish to invite you all to listen to our new album and to have a look at our page www.facebook.com/worstenemyband.
See you soon! Death Metal Rules! \m/

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Concrete Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Peter: We are Concrete from Shumen, Bulgaria and we play old school death metal! The band was founded in 2011 and, going through some minor changes in the past, the line-up consists of Kalin Kolev (vocals, guitar), Zhivko Stoyanov (bass), Peter Dimitrov (guitar), and Ivo Ivanov (drums).

 2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings you have released so far?
Kalin: With each record we strive to capture the raw sound of the ‘90s death metal. It's just a bonus with today's technologies that we can present the classic feel of the familiar scene with a nice production.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your newer music?
Kalin: When we first started out, I did dwell a lot on typical gore and straight in-your-face-horror movie stuff, but as we matured as musicians, my lyrics did shift to a bit more obscure, mystical or supernatural type of horror. Nowadays I enjoy presenting a story almost with some philosophy in there.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Concrete'?
Kalin: Back in the day, when we were looking for something to name the band, we wanted to be something unique and that would stick in people's head, but we also wanted to make sure it wouldn't sound stale or commonplace. So me and ex-member Ivan Ivanov figured out that 'concrete' would fit perfectly with the abrasive sound and general musical direction we were going for. It did.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Peter: Some of the best shows we’ve played were in Sofia since the culture there is a bit more ahead than the rest of the country in terms of venues, tech and stage sound quality. Last time in Sofia we played at the annual Chuck Schuldiner Tribute and the place was sold out. Sick! Our stage performance consists of precise riffage combined with tons of headbanging and windmilling.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Kalin: Well, we always give our best to be out there and perform as much as we can. So there's no reason in changing that for the future. Apart from studio time, touring is the second most pleasant part of being in a band. Plus you get to meet new people and see new places.

7.The last few albums where released through 'Rebirth the Metal Productions', are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?
Peter: The support from the label is immense. Andreas Rieger (the guy behind it) has connections all over the globe and promotes our music internationally which is amazing!
Kalin: RTM Productions has been treating us super nice ever since we started working together. They are very caring for their bands and keep deadlines short and all the things you would expect from a label. We are happy being on their roster!

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of old school death metal?
Kalin: Great, man! Ever since the last album came out, there have been a lot of good words for it. People are looking for the album and merch, shows are doing great. I'm happy that there are so many people that enjoy what we do as much as ourselves. Cheers!

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Peter: The band has certainly progressed in terms of technicality and precision, and we hope to continue improving our playing. Otherwise, in terms of style we believe that we’re on the correct path and that we shouldn’t try and fix what isn’t broken.
Kalin: I don't see us sitting down trying to write something 'more technical' than the previous effort. Sometimes it works itself out, sometimes not. All we do is writing stuff we would enjoy listening and playing later. I guess that's how the whole thing started and it seems to work well for us.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Peter: Nowadays listening mostly to thrash and death metal, some punk, and some bands from my childhood.
Kalin: The bands that really got me into forming a band are pretty much what I still listen to today. You know stuff like Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Death, Gorefest, Bolt Thrower, Demolition Hammer,  Some S.O.D. Pretty much anything that was produced by Scott Burns or had a Dan Seagrave artwork, haha.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Peter: Besides music, I enjoy weightlifting, watching football, getting high, and playing video games!
Kalin: Well, I work as a graphic artist and I enjoy my job, so I guess that counts. I enjoy BBQ parties and beer breaks and I love me a good movie occassionally.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Kalin: Come to shows, buy CDs, get out there and check out smaller bands too. Thanks to everyone that has been with the band through the years, and to 'TheTrueBringerOfDeathZine' for reaching out to us.
Peter: Keep metal fucking alive!


Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Revenger Interview

1 .For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

Definitely. The band started in 2012 by JP Poulin and Chris Warunki. JP (currently on bass) wanted to put together a band that thrashed and had elements of his favourite bands such as Pantera and Revocation. He started on guitar but with a few member changes, he decided to move back to his first love, the bass. With the current line up (JP Poulin, Sean Parkinson, Julia Geaman and Andrew Bailey) our sound has definitely become more technical but still has a strong thrash pulse. We've released a full length album 'To The Wolves' and are getting ready to release our upcoming EP 'A New Mythology Vol.1' in Feb 2018. We will be touring across Canada in the spring and have some festival shows coming up in the summer.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that has been presented on the recordings that yo have released so far?

Our sound is very bass heavy. We wanted the sound, especially on this new EP to have a lot of low end so that the punch could be heavier. Live we get a lot of compliments on JP's bass tone and I think having that as a foundation on top of thrashy drums and Sean's guitar tone work really well. We definitely wanted to capture that energy on the recording. This new EP definitely sounds heavier and more intricate than the first album.

3.The lyrics on the new ep have a concept to them, can you tell us a little bit more about them?

On this EP, Andrew definitely decided to have more conceptual lyrics. He is a huge comic book fan and although the songs are inspired by comics such as Carnage for 'We Want Blood' and Scarlet Witch for 'Hex', you don't really need to be familiar with them to follow. The broader idea and inspiration of the lyrics and behind the name of the EP 'A New Mythology Vol.1' is the idea that any myth or story can in the future become a sort of dogma. He mostly writes and sings from the perspective of each character, trying to express their motives and ideologies.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Revenger'?

JP and Chris went back and forth for a while when they formed the band. They definitely wanted something that was to the point but maybe wasn't really a word. It was something that was said and it stuck. It sounds thrashy and angry but I think it's a name that can take on new meaning as the band evolves.


5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

One of the last shows we played was really rad. We played a tiny opening slot for a Suffocation and Black Dahlia Murder show. It was one of the biggest audiences we played to and shows where you gotta set up, play and get off as quick as possible can be hectic but that one went really smoothly. Some shows in really small cities in BC or Alberta have been really sweet. I think in Revelstoke, some of the people there had never even been to a metal show, I remember they applauded after our sound check and were really stoked to participate. On stage, I think all of us playing instruments are very locked in to what we're doing, which is great because that gives Andrew as much room as he wants to run around. He definitely has a lot of energy and I think it was the Revelstoke show too where he caught his foot on something and bailed pretty hard. I remember laughing and trying to stay focused enough to keep playing.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new ep is released?

Absolutely! We have a few cluster of shows in Feb right when we release the EP in our home town of Vancouver and also on Vancouver Island. Check out our Facebook page for updates on those. Also we are currently planning a cross Canada tour in April all the way to Quebec. We have some plans for Western Canadian Festival shows in the summer and then beyond that we'll have to keep you guys updated.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

At the moment we are doing everything ourselves. There's a great sense of freedom in that although it is a lot of work. Distribution help, especially in Europe will definitely be welcome off course and that is something we will look into for sure this coming year.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme metal?

Over all the response has been great. We released a song from the new EP on youtube for 'We Want Blood' and people really seem to like the bass tone and the fast drums. Even when we play in Canada there are people visting from around the world that say you guys have to come to Croatia or Mexico because we would do really well there. We obviously would love to go to all of those places and the support feels great.

9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

We wouldn't be true Vancouver musicians unless we were in multiple projects off course. Sean Parkinson plays in West Of Hell and has actually pulled off a whole tour doing double duty. They are also working on releasing new music and some videos as well. I am in an experimental Neo Classical Instrumental band called Alchemy Chamber. We just recorded our full length album and I'm really excited about it. Andrew has also just released an album (Ghost Pimp 2000) with his awesome doom band Olde Worlde Nudists and JP likes to fill in on bass for Pantera Tribute shows locally. I don't know how we even coordinate it all.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Our eyes are definitely set on playing as much as we possibly can for this whole year. We would like to get on more festival dates, tour places we have never been before and get some distribution world wide. We have more music to record and I'm most excited about continuing to develop our sound and tone on stage and meeting a lot of cool people.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

For me, I have recently become a little nostalgic and gone back and listened to some of the bands that got me into drumming like Megadeth and Anata so that has been cool but currently listening to the new Cytotoxin album and if I'm gonna be honest, also really old and creepy Medieval plain chants which sounds weird but so am I. I also listen to a lot of pop or anything that has a cool beat like Daft Punk or Sia. Andrew listens to a lot of Doom metal and has introduced us to some cool bands but I think still has a thing for 90's alternative stuff like Sound Garden and Deftones, Sean obviously likes guitar driven bands, no matter what the genre. Death metal, black metal, thrash, acoustic and classical guitar virtuosos, classic heavy metal and rock, Michael Jackson, just about anything. JP's favourite band I think has always been Pantera but also Meshuggah, Cryptopsy, Gojira, lots of classic bands. I think we are all influenced by all of that but predominantly with the thrash and death bands that we grew up with.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

I used to like to write poetry and draw but lately I have been spending most of my time practicing and generally just educating myself more and more on musical history, theory and even business. Sean is a Football hooligan, I mean soccer fan, he's part of a club, they like to drink sometimes. Andrew is also into sports and JP is a dad so he likes to spend time with his son and wife.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Ya, we are really excited to release our new EP. We will have a new music video up mid January for a song off our EP called 'Hex'. We also just set up pre-orders on our bandcamp so if you want to get on that we have a deal for the next 2 weeks where you can get our previous full length album for just $2 if you pre-order the new EP.



https://revengermusic. bandcamp.com/album/the-new- mythology-vol-1

https://youtu.be/xWSqnAoL62U

https://www.facebook.com/ revengermusic/

Saturday, January 6, 2018

Morbid Zombie/Self Titled/Atomic Zombie Records/2017 EP Review


  Morbid  Zombie  are  a solo  project  from  Lawrence,  Kansas  that  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  death and  groove  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their self  titled  ep  which  was  released  by  Atomic  Zombie  Records.

  Powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  start  off  the  ep  along  with  old school  style  guitar  leads  and  after  awhile  the  music  goes  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  some  elements  of  groove  metal  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  which  are  also  very  easy  to  understand  as  well  as  the  music  being  rooted  in  the  90's.

  All  of  the  songs  stick  to  mostly  stick  to  either  slow  or  mid  paced  direction  with  no  fast  playing  or  blast  beats  ever  being  utilized  and  the  music  always  remains  very  heavy  and  sounds  like  it  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released in  the  mid  90's.

  Morbid  Zombie  plays  a  style  of  death/groove  metal  that  is  mostly  a tribute  to  Six  Feet  Under,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  on  a  zombie  horror  story.

  In  my  opinion  Morbid  Zombie  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  mixture  of  death  and  groove  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED   TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Road  Kill"  and  "Dead  Eyes".  8  out  of  10.    

Sunday, December 31, 2017

Legion Of Wolves Interview

1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

Hail and thank you for the interview! So Legion was formed in the dark Winter of 2009 by myself and Jason (drums) as we had a history of playing in other bands and wanted to create a band much like the bands we liked to see and listen to. Arek and Kris joined soon after. The aim was to create a death metal band that drew a lot of influences from the old school sounds but also with a modern twist, so to speak.



2. How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

Simply put, old and pure gold. There is a definite progression in our sound from the early recordings ("Mark Of The Legion" 2011 and "Legio Luporum" 2013) to the present one "Bringers Of The Dark Sleep". The musical sound is very important to us as we always aim for clarity and sheer heaviness. Nothing more and nothing less. There is so much good production and sound engineering out there that it is only fitting to use it to enhance the recording and afterward listening experience.



3. The band has been around since 2009 but so far has only released 2 demo's and a full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the gaps in between releases?

Not really, I mean we just write tracks and this takes time. Everything good and valuable takes time- just like a good wine or whiskey, right? We never rush the creative process as this tends to spoil the process. Instead we allow nature to take its course and when the tracks are ready they are ready. It was important for us to go the route of demo and then album as far too often these days it seems everyone is releasing an EP and no one releases demos any more. Having been a member of the Irish scene for many years and the underground days since 1992 I always tape traded and bought demos- it was a natural thing to do whereas now no one treads the boards any longer and the first release is an EP It takes time to develop your sound and creative process, to gel as a band, as personalities and this is often done in the demo(ing) phase of a bands career so when the album does finally arrive hey presto everyone is comfortable with what they do and how they do it. That is not to suggest that the developing process ends with the album merely that at the beginning it is so important to spend time on the foundations of the band if it is to last and stay the course.



4. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

The lyrical subjects concern dark mythologies, various theogonies, history and themes borrowed from movies that we like. The writings of Hesiod, Homer, Pseduo Apollodorus, Pindar, Cicero, Ovid, Seutonius, Robert E. Howard,  all influence me personally in a big way when I am writing - as the subjects of mythology and theogony, in general, hold a big interest for me and as such is like a massive treasure chest from where I can delve into whenever I need some inspiration when forming an idea. Movies, as I said at the beginning, also play a big part when it comes to ideas for writing lyrics.



5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Legion Of Wolves?

Every band needs a suitable moniker that means what it says and says what it means so the name concerns who we are and what we do. The name came from an idea that I had about an almighty Legion from the distant past who are devoted to their father Lykaon, the original Wolfgod and the music of death that by all accounts he seemed to enjoy. Wolves being ancient servants of nature and masters of their particular domain appealed to what I had in mind when envisioning the concept of the band. Roman History and Greek myth were the undoubted inspiration behind the name as I am deeply interested in these subjects. So when I put history together with nature and myth the name Legion of Wolves came to me quite quickly. We are a band of brothers, who are deeply devoted to death metal and have a passion for playing it, much the same as a Legion has a passion for conquering, so to speak.



6. What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We have played so many but some that stick in my mind are Gothenburg Deathfest 2013 we got to play not only in that wonderful city but meet some really cool folk and see some awesome bands- personal highlight was the cover of Autopsy - Twisted Mass of Burned Decay by the opening band. Then we have played in Poland- that was another good memory - it was a festival at our vocalists home town. We played hard and partied harder :-), as one does when in Poland. Our album launch party in Dublin was really, really cool event in October just past. We got to share the stage with some really good bands and hang out with some old friends also. Our stage show is some special actually - Kris(vocals) assumes the role of Centurion and wears Roman armour - with our banners draping our amps and Kris' skulls hanging from his custom microphone stand it makes for quiet the experience. Live shows are just as important to any band as the recorded output and product- as such effort should be made to make every live show something special for the fans and folks who come to view it - Our live shows try to give the viewer something a little extra in the overall experience.



7. Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

We have a show at the end of January and also some other shows are being considered for late Spring early Autumn. Some tours are being discussed but right now I don't want to say anything more until what is being discussed is set in stone, but if things did work out then it would be a kick ass experience for us and for you (if you manage to catch us live) Metal Scrap Records have been quiet supportive of us and our plans for more live shows in Europe so fingers crossed we get to play a show in a city near you.



8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of Death Metal?

Overall the feedback has been very positive from the fans. Generally speaking across the board everyone has been very supportive and this has been shown in sales of merch, music and attendance at our shows.



9. Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

I play bass in a melodic black metal band called Aeternum Vale and thats about that. The rest are solely devoted to the Legion.



10. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We are going to keep it as it is - We don't see any reason to deviate from the style or genre of music that we are a part of right now. The Legion was formed from a love of metal, we love death metal and with our heritage firmly rooted in old school death metal then why would we want to change? I know that we are painting ourselves into a certain corner but we are very happy to do that, with what we play and be a death metal band. I think we will progress, progression is a natural aspect of any art, but this progression will always be exclusively within the genre and the style of music that we play.



11. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Straight up - Bolt Thrower, Pestilence,Master,Bloodbath, Cancer,Asphyx,Motorhead, Demolition Hammer,Dark Angel, Incantation, Vomitory, Carcass,Grave, Old Cannibal Corpse, old Massarce, Old Death, Entombed, Unleashed, Dismember, old Deicide, early Slayer. These days/currently I am listening to Vomitory - Blood Rapture, Bloodbath - Nightmares Made Flesh, Insision - Terminal Reckoning, Grave - As Rapture Comes, Marduk - Panzerdivision Marduk, Immortal - Battles in the North, Exhorder - The Law and Judas Priest - Defenders of the Faith (because you can never have enough Judas Priest :-))



12. What are some of your non musical interests?

We all have our own individual non musical interests but my own would be reading (history, philosophy, mythology, art, poetry), watching movies and documentaries, travelling, writing, drinking fine red ales whilst holding conversation beside roaring open fires and imbibing some good Polish and Russian vodka in fine company.



13. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thanks for the interview and taking time out to read it. Always support your passions and follow your gods wherever they may lead you. Please check us out on Facebook for up to date information/news concerning our movements, merch sales, live shows and releases. Get in touch with us or Metalscrap to book us to come to your town or city. Always support and honour your passions and follow your gods wherever they may lead you.

Tralineate Interview

1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?

Yeah, this whole thing has been in the works for a while now actually. Half of the songs on this album were reworked from a previous solo project and have been milling around in my head for years. They just didn't get the proper fit and finish the last time around and I liked the material too much to just leave it behind. I had also been continually writing songs during this time and between the new stuff and the old stuff thought that I had a pretty solid lineup of songs for an album. Now, the other thing is that my work schedule is so different than everybody else's that I knew I'd have to do it on my own again. But I wanted it to be better than the first attempt way back when so I spent a lot of hours learning how to properly record, edit, mix, etc., so that I'd have something I could be proud of. My original goal was really just to have a finished cd so I could listen to it in my car when I was out and around but I wanted it to be more than just a demo tape sounding hobby kind of thing. Anyway, so I came up with a name and started a Facebook page and released a few songs just to share with people I knew and started getting pretty good response. Mostly just from friends of mine but then there started being other people showing interest as well so I got more serious about it. Nothing too crazy, but if I was going to do it, I figured I might as well do it all the way so I decided to release it publicly. I researched a bunch of distribution sites and found one I liked and released it digitally through them at the end of this past September. And now, three months later, I'm pretty happy with how things are going.

2. So far you have released one album with this project, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Back to basics. Just heavy, straight forward death metal that makes you want to get up and move.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?

I try to to do a little bit of everything but sometimes it's really personal stuff. The song I wrote about my Dad's death, Monday, May 12th, is simply about what was going through my mind on that day. I write a lot about depression, suicide, fear, things like that. The title track, Ike Antz Leap, is about my rampant insomnia. The song Flight 232 Heavy is a true story about an airplane disaster back in 1989 and the lyrics are a timeline of the actual events. I've got a couple of other songs that aren't on the album that are really off the beaten path for this type of music. I wrote an instrumental about my old car where I recorded samples of the engine and exhaust sounds while doing burnouts and blasting down the highway at midnight speeds and used those samples in the song. It turned out pretty cool. And I've got one I just wrote recently about the Rubik's Cube, it's surprisingly awesome. Haha. It's actually pretty difficult for me to be serious but I trying to keep the serious stuff for album material and the goofy stuff for myself and social media. And of course I still hit on the normal death metal stuff like religion and apocalyptic type scenarios. I've got some pretty good ideas for the next one.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Tralineate'?

Man, choosing a band name these days is kinda ridiculous. I wanted a name that was fitting of myself and of the music but didn't want something that was overly predictable. I searched I don't know how many internet pages, dictionaries, etc. The main problem was that every time I though I had come up with a cool name, somebody else was already using it. Anyway, so I came across the word tralineate on a site that was all words that aren't as commonly used anymore. Tralineate was last listed I think in a dictionary from 1828. It means 'to deviate, to stray, or to wander'. That is me exactly. I don't do anything the normal way. Haha.

5. With this album you record everything by yourself, how would you compare it to working with a full band?

I've recorded albums with previous bands and to me, that was a way easier. With a full band, you show up, set up your rig, and play. Maybe you have to do multiple takes, maybe you help with some editing, things like that. But generally speaking, you don't really have to worry about anything but playing your part right because you're paying somebody else to worry about all that other stuff for you. When you're doing everything by yourself, there's a lot of things that have to be considered, you've got to be really aware of every little nuance of the song because you're the only one taking notes. If you miss something, you miss it, there's not five other sets of ears as a backup. For me, it was a lot more work but at the same time, I enjoyed it more because there was no sitting around waiting for it to my turn to do whatever.There was always something that I could be doing. The best part about recording on your own is you only have to work around your own schedule, that's huge in my world.

6. You have also been in bands since the early 90's, what is it that motivates you to keep going after all these years?

I still have ideas of things that I want to hear and as long as that continues to happen, I'll still be writing and trying put out music. Whether it's just for myself or not, I have to get that stuff out of my head or it makes me crazy. I've taken some hiatuses through the years due to various life events but I always feel that push to write and play. Cliche as it may be, metal is life.

7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have you received any interest?

It all depends. I'm not actively seeking a label but I have received some interest and decided that my current situation is fine for now. That doesn't mean I never would necessarily, but right now, I'm content with how things are going.

8. On a worldwide level, how has feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?

I think pretty good, I've heard lots of positive things but I also know that it hasn't gotten too far out there yet. I'm still working on getting it in front of more people but yeah, from what I've heard, people seem to dig it.

9. Where do you see yourself heading into musically during the future?

Well, I've already started writing material for a second Tralineate album and I've got a few different ideas coming together. I'm hoping to expand on my own sound and progress into maybe some new sounds that I haven't tried yet. I'll still play death metal, but I might make it weirder. Haha. I've still got a lot of craziness to explore.

10. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

That's a very long list. Haha. I grew up listening to Chicago, Kansas, The Beach Boys and stuff like that on family trips across the country. My family was big on music, everybody played an instrument or sang in a choir or something. Once I was old enough to develop my own tastes, I gravitated towards more aggressive stuff. I liked punk a lot when I was a teenager, skate rock and things like that. Once I was introduced to metal though, that was it, that music resonated with me, it was a whole new world. I like to check out different things now and again but it's not very often that I find something that speaks to me the way metal does. These days I've got a few things that are on permanent rotation in my car, House of Thumbs' Rubicon album is just incredible, I listen to that one a lot. Fleshgod Apocalypse, Lamb of God, both of them have tons of great stuff that I never get bored with. I've got some odd ones that I listen to a lot too though like 6:33 and Igorrr. So perfect in their weirdness. And of course, I still love the classics, Pantera, Megadeth, Danzig, Meshuggah, Strapping Young Lad, stuff like that never gets old. I'm sure I could list 20 more easily.

11. What are some of your non musical interests?

Ha. There's a lot of those as well. I have a thousand interests and the ability to focus on none of them. Haha. I love fishing and woodworking the most. Those are two of the most calming, centering activities you can find. They both really help me slow down and reboot. I also really enjoy Rubik's Cubes and those sorts of puzzles. Gotta keep this old brain sharp. Haha. I did a video on the Tralineate Facebook page of me solving a Rubik's Cube, didn't set any records or anything but still did pretty good. I think it was like 1 minute 34 seconds or something. My personal best is 1 minute 26 seconds. R/C cars are a blast too. I have one of those Traxxas E-Revos, that thing is nuts, man, super fast. This past 4th of July, I strapped a giant smoke bomb to it and jumped it over my fishing truck. I've got video of it, It was pretty awesome.

12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Yeah, first off, thank you for taking the time to talk to me, I really appreciate the opportunity. And for whoever reads this, if you get a chance, I hope you'll check out the album. And come say hi on the Tralineate Facebook page. Stay metal and have a great day out there!

https://www.facebook.com/tralineate/ 

Thursday, December 28, 2017

Concrete/Domain Of Untold Horrors/Rebirth The Metal Productions/2017 CD Review


  Concrete  are  a  band  from  Bulgaria  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Domain  Of  Untold  Horrors"  which  was  released  by  Rebirth  The  Metal  Productions.

  A  horror  movie  style  atmosphere  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  before  going  into a   heavier  direction  which  also  introduces  death  metal  growls  onto  the  recording  along  with  all  of t he  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  as  well  as  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are utilized  they  remain  very  true  to  an  old  school  style.  most  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  more  than 20  years  ago  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  and  they  close  the  album  with  an  instrumental.

 Concrete  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore,  death,  zombies,  afterlife  and  metaphysical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Concrete  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sixth  Sense  Catatonia"  "Stillness  Of  The  Styx"  "Cold  Burnt  Remains"  and  "Breeding  The  Unborn".  8  out  of  10.