These reviews were submitted by Jenn Matthews and will also be in the next issue of the Metal Mafia zine. Do yourself a favor, go to their website and get a copy, it's good. ALBUMS Black Sun Records; PO Box 129; SE-401 22; Gotherburg, Sweden; www.dolores.se/blacksun Catalog 2000- Anyone who knows me, knows I love this label. This is a little sampler which has Extol, Ebony Tears, The Crown, Impious, Dog Faced Gods and more. You need to check this out and see what bands they have. They have a mix of everything! Century Media-1453-A 14th Street #324-Santa Monica, CA 90404-www.centurymedia.com Krisiun- Conquerors of Armageddon- If you haven't heard of these guys at all, then you have a problem. The drummer is one of the best ones I have ever heard. His double kick just flies. This is the only release I have from this death metal band from Brazil and if the others are anything like this, I have to get the whole collection. Shadows Fall- Of One Blood- I can do this review in my sleep, since I listen to the CD so much. I love it! It's metal music, with clean vocals mixed in with death vocals and actual singing. Some of the songs are redone from their "Somber Eyes to the Sky" CD which was released in 1997. Read the interview, buy their CD and keep them number one on the charts! Soilwork-The Chainhear Machine- I have heard nothing except good things about this band and now I know why. This is really good. I think they are a bit technical with all the changes to tempo and melody. The vocals remind me of the singer from Arch Enemy. His voice sounds similar. Crook'd Records; PO Box 25; Jamestown, NC 27282; crook-drecords.com Lowbrow- Victims At Play- The vocals here remind me of Chris Barnes. This is some death metal, but the music isn't super fast. I'm not hearing blast beats or anything like that. The music is real heavy, more like a thrash metal, but it fits with the vocals. Sounds good to me. Dies Irae Productions- PO Box 337; Yishun Central Post Office; Singapore 917612; http://www.members.tripod.com/rickvasp/Main.html Stargazer/Invocation- This is a CD split. Both bands sound the same to me. They are black metal type bands. Isn't too bad. I'm not a huge fan, but they are real good. Some of the vocals, I just can't get into. They are real fast and the drummer, even though I don't care for the sound of the snare drum, I do like the way the toms sound. Don't Panik! Publicity; 3701 Alvina; Warren, MI 48091; DontpanikPR@aol.com Corporation 187- Subliminal Fear (Wicked World Records)- Holy shit is this good. This is some metal. I think it is a cross with Machine Head and Pantera. They have their old sound, but if I had to compare them to anyone, they were the two that popped into my head first. The vocals are more Machine Head'ish and the music is more Pantera'ish. I like it. This is the first release from this Swedish band. Great White North/TNT; PO Boc 65095; CSP Place Longueil; Longueil, Quebec, Canada J4K 5J4; http://pages.infinit.net/smcanada Ghoulunatics-Mystrallengine- This is probably one of the best CD's I have gotten in a long time. I wouldn't classify this into "death metal" with the growling vocals or anything. The vocals are more of blackish metal BUT it isn't high pitch screaming or anything like that. It just isn't the growling or anything. The music is good, it has a lot of metal riffs, and there are some grove parts too, which I love. Everything is all put together real good, it all flows. There are some wicked cool samples from some movies in the beginning of the songs, I don't know which movies, but they are cool to listen to. There are also 5 live tracks on this CD too. Hammerheart Records; PO Box 277 6300 AG Valkenburg; Holland; http://www.xs4all.nl/~hhr Slaughter Lord- Thrash 'till Death- (Invictus Productions)- I'm not really sure what this sounds like. I'm thinking, like old old school Metallica. It is some pretty fast thrash. I'm not sure what is up with the vocals. They are different. Sometimes I think this is death with some growls here and there, and the other times, it could be just thrash vocals. Thanatos- Emerging from the Netherworlds- This is death with some thrash metal mixed in. I'm sure of that. It is pretty fast. This is a re-release of their two older albums they did, plus there are some live songs as well. Lifeless Records- Check Interview with Shadows Fall for address **Get the Lifeless Compilation Sampler 2000 with songs from all these bands, plus Scattered Remnants, Diecast, Tree, Skinless, Torn Asunder and more. ** Autumns Bleeding- S/T- This is some death metal vocals. The music is real melodic and doomy. There are some keyboards in this too. Catchthirteen- Left to Bleed- The music here is a cross with some hard core and metal. The vocals remind me more of hard core yelling. The singer talks a bit too in here. He isn't singing or anything, but he throws these little parts in here and there. Sounds good to me! Catheter- A Fragment of Always- I hate to use the world black metal here, but the vocals are a mix of black metal and death metal. There is some chick who sings in the background too, and that has a real good mix. The music real heavy. Pushbutton Warfare- A Pain You Never Thought Could Exist- This CD not only has Pushbutton, but it also has Bloodbath and Distance on it. 23 Tracks in all. The vocals remind me of an old school punk band. Only because he isn't singing, he is more yelling. The music is metal. 6 Thirty 7- Seed- This is my favorite release from Lifeless. These guys rule. Hard core mixed some metal. Some of those groove parts, that I love are in this. The music is more hard core, and the vocals, are metal. The vocals don't stay the same, they are always changing, from growls to yelling, to talking to screaming. Mazur Public Relations- 344 Dutch Neck Road; PO Box 360; East Windsor, NJ 08520 Demons and Wizards-S/T-Steamhammer Records: For those of you who may not know, Demons and Wizards is a supergroup of sorts in the power metal genre. We have 2 main songwriters: the singer of Blind Guardian and the guitarist of Iced Earth plus a guest lead guitarist and drummer. That being said leaves us with a surprisingly solid album that easily blows away most of the metal competition out there. The music is not a far cry from Iced Earth with the fast picked guitar riffs and enough double bass drum beats to keep me convinced that it just doesn't get much more metal than this. Hansi Kursch of Blind Guardian delivers some of the most powerful vocals in this genre, and I personally think he sounds like a more polished Blackie Lawless (of W.A.S.P.). His vocals are usually done with multiple harmonies which took me a little while to get into but now I am a definite fan. One listen to "Winter of Souls" and I would hope most would agree. And for those of you who may think this is just another half-assed side project, think again. This is a great album from beginning to end and as long as you are a fan of metal, you should be able to see something of interest if not all of it. (Scott McCooe-McCode@aol.com) Hell Child- Bare Skin (Howling Bull America)- Here is some death metal vocals. I detect a pinch of some Arch Enemy type riffs in here. The music has a thrash/metal sound with some fast parts mixed in. The drummer flies with his double bass. I don't care for when there is a backup singer. That doesn't sound too good. Under the Sun (Magna Carta)- What the hell is this? This starts off real slow and stays slow. I'm not sure what this is. They are all pretty talented musicians, I'm impressed. There are acoustic guitars, keyboards and it is real slow. I can't even describe a sound. It's not metal and I wouldn't even call it pop. This one has me stumped. Venom- Resurrection (Steamhammer)- I'm not a Venom fan so I don't have anything by them to compare this to. If you are a Venom fan, I'm sure you will dig this. United- Distorted Vision (Howling Bull America)- This has a metal sound to it. The vocals don't seem to vary too much, they seem to sound the same through out the CD except for little parts here and there. There are some real fast parts, but for the majority of it, it has a real thrashy sound to it. Yellow Machinegun- Spot Remover (Howling Bull America)- I got a 7" with these ladies and SOD too. Yes, that is right, this is a female band and they are from Japan. This is a heavy thrash band. I don't care for the vocals too much. It just sounds like a lot of yelling. Metal Blade; 2828 Cochran Street; Suite 302; Simi Valley, CA 93065-2793; www.metalblade.com In Extremo- Verehrt und Angespien- Who knows what the hell they are singing about, this is all in a different language. The music is like some kind of doomy shit and there might be keyboard, but I can't tell because I can't read the inlay. Very Weird. Lobotomy- Born in Hell- Death metal. Yah!!! This is fast. I don't know who I could compare this to, it doesn't sound like anyone I can think of. The first song, has this very weird off timing beat they do. Sounds good to me. Raven-Raw Tracks- This is a compendium of demo/ live/ bootleg material and yes, I took that right off the CD. I have never heard of this band and I'm glad I haven't before. Two words for you, which should sum it all up: POWER METAL. Tourniquet- Microscopic View of a Telescopic Realm- I don't like this. You can't hear the bass on this. The vocals remind me of one of those 80's bands I never listened to because I didn't care for the vocals. Vader- Litany- It's VADER, why do you need to read the review, GO AND GET THIS! (Damn straight! -Mike) Vermin- Millennium Ride- Metal? These guys are from Sweden, but at least they are singing in English. This sounds like some thrash metal. Thumbs down. MIA Records; 316 Chruch Street; 2nd Floor; NY, NY 10013; www.mia-records.com Darkest Hour- The Mark of the Judas- Ooooohhhhh, I like this! This is metal music and the vocals are a mix between some clean vocals and death vocals. The drums are real good, he is pretty fast. The bio says this is a mix between Swedish death metal and American Hard Core. I think that is a good comparison! Disassociate- Imperfect World- This is death metal and it is pretty good. The music is more like a real fast thrash I think. The guy doing vocals changes his voice, so it isn't the same sound through the whole CD, which is good. I like it. Red Giant- Ulta-Magnetic Glowing Sound- This is super weird. There are a lot of sounds to it. I'm getting a bit of Black Sabbath, some of the vocals remind me of Today's the Day. It isn't metal, I don't think. It is real weird. It isn't heavy at all. Mighty Music-Michael Andersen-Vallhojs Alle 76 B TV- DK2610 Rodovre; www.mightymusic.dk Guidance of Sin- 6106- Here is a cross between some death metal and thrash vocals. I'm leaning more towards the death. The music is a thrashy sound. It isn't super fast, but it is real heavy. This is a keeper. Sacrificial- Erect: Eloquent: Extinct- Woo Hoo, now I like this! This is a mix between hard core and metal. They remind me of Madball (who is one of my favorite bands). He music is real heavy with some catchy little beats they do. The vocals are more along the hard core type. Pretty cool guitar riffs too. Thalarion- Four Elements Mysterium- This is real slow and melodic. There are two singers, one is female and the other is a man. She has a good singing voice. This has keyboards too. It's too slow and depressing for me. Moribund Records- c/o Odin; PO Box 77314; Seattle, WA 98177-0314; http://www.grave.com/~megamoribund Windham Hell- Reflective Depths Jmbibe- I remember trading demo's with this band when I was in FOF. They have been around forever. The snare drum is so crisp and load of this, it sounds good. They are real technical, always doing different things and it all mixes well together. This is death metal too. The Music Cartel/Rise Above Records Cathedral-In Memorium- I actually stumbled upon this (once) rarity about a year ago when a friend of mine scoffed it up and left me searching. But now, thanks to The Music Cartel, this once rare gem is now easy to find and includes some live tracks as well. What we have here is 4 early era (pre-Forest of Equilibrium) Cathedral tracks that are equally as slow and amazing as the debut. It even includes an earlier version of Ebony Tears. Crushingly slow and heavy riffs with drum beats at a snails pace which in turn deliver some doom that was quite groundbreaking and ahead of its time. As a bonus, there are 5 live tracks which also take place right before the recording of the Earache debut. The bottom line is: if you consider yourself a fan of Cathedral when they were good (I personally stop at Soul Sacrifice) or a fan of doom metal in general, then you must own this. (Scott McCooe- McCode@aol.com) Napalm Records America; 830 Pacific Ave; Suite 382; Bremerton, WA 98337; napalm@silverlink.net Dismal Euphony- Lady Ablaze- I don't like it. The music isn't bad. It is a metal band. I'm not sure what the guy singing is doing. It sounds like he could be using effects to change his voice. Out of no where comes these other vocals, it sounds like it could be Minnie Mouse whining at the top of her lungs. These guys are now on Nuclear Blast. Forlorn- Ad Caelestis Res- The vocals on this are real low. It is hard to hear what he is doing. The vocals are black metal, but there are parts where he is actually singing. Their bio says this is "Viking Metal." So if you know what that means, and like it, then pick this up! (I know exactly what that means, and that's why I'm gonna dodge this at any cost... -Mike) Obtained Enslavement- The Shepherd and the Hounds of Hell- This is some black metal. But I can hear a death and metal influence. The guy from Gorgoth, Pest signs on this, but I'm not sure if he is the singer for the whole thing, or just some parts. I can't get into this for some reason. Setherial- Hell Eternal- This starts off with one of the black metal screams. Gotta love it. Black metal CD. It's good, the vocals could be a little louder. This has some guy singing who use to sing for Dark Funeral. This also features members from In Battle, who ever that is. Siebenburgen- Delictum- More black metal. This actually sounds good. Well, the bio says they are Gothic/Vampyric Metal. They have keyboards, I think , but they sound good with it. There is a female vocalist too. She has a good voice. She mixes in with the guy doing the black/death vocals. The Sins of thy Beloved- Perpetual Desolation- This is another death/black metal type thing. And this has female vocals too. This chick, probably has the best voice out of everyone I have heard so far. They are using some violins in this and it sounds great with it. They copy Metallica's The Thing That Should Not Be. Tristania- Beyond Veil- What the hell is this? I don't like this. Gothic metal. There are female vocals and it sounds like something I would hear in church. (easily my favorite review -Mike) Vintersorg- Odemarkens Son- I don't like this. I don't like the vocals. I don't know if he is singing or talking or what. This is suppose to be the only Folk Heavy Metal Band in Sweden. I don't even think this is in English. Necropolis Records-PO Box 14815; Fremont, CA 94539-4815; www.necropolisrec.coom Deadbodieseverywhere- This is different. It is death metal. They have some guy just screaming lyrics out too. This is pretty fast. Actually, some of the drum beats, the guy is doing I like. Impaled- The Dead Shall Dead Remain- This is a very disgusting album cover. Almost makes me want to vomit. I would like to think this is death metal. The vocals are a little hard to hear. There are some black metal vocals. I like the way the vocals styles mix together. I'm not hearing much bass, but everything else seems pretty good to me. Mayhem-Grand Declaration of War- Everyone in their mother has heard of this band, so I'm not going to go into detail about this (do I ever though?!) Black metal. They have some cheesy thing in the beginning of this guy talking through out the song. I think it is pretty gay. The drummer is fast as hell though. That is a plus. Monumentum-Musaeum Hermeticum- According to the inlay, it states this is not a new recording. This is a recording of their stuff from the late 80's. I don't like the sound of the guitars, it sounds to me like a loud buzzing noise. If that is what it is suppose to sound like, then they are doing the job. It's melodic and slow. I don't like it. Nocturnus- Ethereal Tomb- Here is some death metal. I don't care for the singer too much. I'm not a big fan of the vocals. They don't vary much, so it gets boring. This isn't anything fast. I'm not fan of the keyboards either. Summon-Baptized by Fire- This is real good. I like this. It is some black metal. And I am very picky when it comes to black metal I like. The drummer is flying. The sound is real good too. ThornSpawn- Blood of the Holy, Taint they Steel- This is some more black metal. I like Summon better, but this is still good. Everything is real fast and there are a lot of those black metal screams that make your ears bleed. Triumphator- Wings of Antichrist- More black metal. I like this guys vocals the least. It sounds like he is using different effects on this vocals and I don't like that. Just sounds like the same riffs and beats over and over again. Usurper- Visions from the Gods- This is some demo's from 1994, rare, live and unreleased stuff. I never heard these guys, so this is all new to me. The production isn't good, probably since it is from 1994. The vocals are low. There are a lot of blast beats. I'm not a fan. NUCLEAR BLAST-PO BOX43618-PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106-WWW.NUCLEARBLAST-USA.COM Grave Digger-Excalibur- The music on this defiantly sounds like a power metal band. Then the vocals kick in. Now, this sounds like a cross from metal and power metal vocals. They don't sound too bad, they aren't really high vocals at all. This is something that will grow on me after a few listens. Gorgoroth- Incipit Satan- This isn't bad. I like this better than the old singers band now, Obtained Enslavement, he should have stayed with these guys! LOL! Anyway, this is some black metal. Sounds really good, everything is clear. I guess one of the guys from Enslaved, Ivan, made a guest appearance on this, not that that makes a difference to me, because I don't like them anyway. But this is a good album. Kataklysm- The Prophecy (Stigmata of the Immaculate)- I have heard a lot about this band, but this is the first time I heard them. I heard they were death metal, then went to hard core. Well this album is back to death metal. Everything is really clear on this CD, from the double bass kicks to the snare, to the guitars. The vocals aren't brutal death metal vocals, they change range a lot, so it isn't boring to listen to. I like it. Lockup- Pleasures Pave Sewers- I was so excited to get this CD, I went home every day for my lunch break (which is a half hour one way away) to see if it came in the mail. But it ended up getting to me weeks later, because it went to the wrong house! Just my luck. Anyone who knows anything about me, knows Nicholas, the drummer, is one of my idols. So I was dying to hear this, and I am not disappointed at all. This is great!!! I wouldn't call it black metal, but I wouldn't call it death metal. I think it is in between. The guitar riffs are insane, I'm not even going to mention the drums because I could go on for a page about them. You just have to get this! Power from the North- Sweden Rocks the World- This is a cover album. It has some bands like In Flames, Entombed, The Crown, Hammerfall, Meshuggah, covering songs from Agony, Europe, Bathory, Candlemass and more. I suggest picking it up. Raise Hell- Not Dead Yet- I'm not sure what to say this sounds like. It is metal not death metal or anything, just metal. This is a hard one. It is good. I just can't figure out who these guys would sound like. The vocals, I can't place. I'm going to say, they sound like they would be a mix between power metal and heavy metal. He isn't screaming or anything, (which is good), and his vocals aren't high, they are low. But they aren't death metal or anything. So they are somewhere in between?! Sinner- The End of Sanctuary- Is that Madonna on the cover with the burning cross? Oh no, sorry, it's just Mat Sinner. Just got an 80's flash back. This is some power metal, but it is tolerable. They vocals aren't super high. UDO-Holy- This has the former singer of Accept. Accept was before my time, so I never got into them. This is some heavy metal for you. It isn't bad. It would take a few times for me to get into them, but it is pretty good. Pavement Records-PO Box 50550; Phoenix, AZ 85076; www.pavementmusic.com Defleshed- Fast Forward- I think I got this from Pavement. If not, sorry about that!! This is so great!!! The drummer is so fast, it is hard to follow what he is doing, he is all over the kit! The vocals are kinda like a mix of death and black metal. He isn't doing any of those screams or anything high pitched, but I'm not hearing any super low growls either. I would pick this up if I was you! Malevolent Creation-Manifestation- This is the promo copy, the real copy has 20 songs on it plus some live stuff. I have been a fan of these guys since the beginning and I like everything they put out. Now, from just glancing at the song titles and hearing this, it looks like compilation of all their stuff. (I guess next time, I should read the flier that comes with it!) There are a couple songs on there from In Cold Blood, Eternal, Joe Black, one from the Ten Commandments. In my opinion, these guys are the fore fathers of death and if you are into these guys at all, you should pick this up. I'm going to! Transport League- Satanic Panic-This singer here reminds me of the singer for ProPain. I don't know why, they don't sound the same, but when I hear this, he is the first guy to pop into my head. The music is like a Machine Head/Pantera type. It is good. Pretty heavy. Red Stream; PO Box 342; Camp Hill, PA 17001-0342; www.redstream.org; RedStream@aol.com Himinbjorg-In the Raven's Shadow- The drummer in this is amazing! He is flying, but it is hard to hear. You have to listen for it. They are like a black metal band with some actual singing. They aren't super fast, but the vocals and the music fits in well together. Judas Iscariot- Heaven in Flames- Here is some more black metal. The signers vocals are pretty eerie. They aren't real fast either, the drummer is doing blast beats. But the music isn't hyper fast. Sounds good to me. Violation- Moonlight's Child- Production is real good on this, it is real crisp. You can hear everything. You can even tell the difference between the drum cymbals he is using. This is black metal, but again, it isn't real fast. The drummer just keeps the double bass going through almost the whole thing. The vocals change between high and lows. So the vocals are mixed up a bit, so you don't get bored hearing the same tone through out. Excellent!! Get this! The Music Cartel- 106 West 32nd Street; 3rd Floor; NY, NY 10001; http://www.music-cartel.com Sally- The vocals get kind of annoying, they sound like someone whining. The music is like a hard rock. I don't care for the production too much. The amps for the guitars seemed muffled or something. The bio says this is a mix between stoner rock and doom. No wonder why I don't like it. X Rated Records; 3215 NW 10th Terrace, Suite 206; Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309; www.xratedrec.com Agony Lords- Nihilist Passion- The production is very low. Hard to hear. When the double bass is going, the vocals seem to drop down a notch. The music is a mix between metal and hard rock. The vocals are doing much for me. Just sounds like he is talking and trying to sing here and there. Nightsky Bequest- Of Sea, Wind and Farewell- This has a long intro to it and I'm not a fan of long intros. This CD is very slow. Very slow. There is a chick singer. She has a good voice. The music is just long and slow. They are very talented musicians, but I can't get into this. ZINES Autoeroticasphyxum- Issue 4; 3 Maple Street; Garden City, NY 11530-1812; kharis@hotmail.com- This is a nice little issue. The cover is color and the rest is black and white. Printed on white paper and has a lot of pages. Interviews this issue with Razorback Records, Metal Mafia, Gore Worm Comics, Black Ocean Drowning, Eibon and a lot more. About 6 pages of reviews. Worth picking up. Death By Metal- Issue 666; Brad Moore; 910 W. Sycamore #8; Carbondale, IL 62901; This is 64 pages of pure metal. Interviews with Internal Bleeding, Dim Mak, Acheron, Engorged and more. This has everything, from Black metal to death metal to hard core. It is printed on newsprint. The layout looks good too. Discordia- Issue 3; Pete; 16894 St. Andrews Road; Caledon East, Ontario, Canada L0N 1E0; Discordia_zine@hotmail.com- I like this zine. The only I don't care for is the cover, and I don't think I liked the last issue's cover either. Oh well. The zine itself is great. It has improved a lot since the last issue and that one was already good. Printed on white paper. Interviews with Sludge!, Skinless, Testament, Ember and more. Reviews, letters, columns and more. Lamentations of the Flame Princess- Volume 5; Jim Raggi; 710 Peachtree Street #418; Atlanta, GA 30308; jer@elavidge.com- This is printed on newsprint. It has 11 pages of reviews. The layout is done real well. Interviews with Opeth, Moonspell, Virgin Steele and more. The only thing I don't like about this zine, is the print is really small. Makes me have to wear my glasses when reading this! Other than that, it is a 10 in my book. Lifeless Magazine- Issue 1-See Shadows Fall interview for address- What doesn't this kid do?! A couple bands, a label and zine. Christ! Anyhoo, this is printed on newsprint, not that many pages, only about 14. Interviews with The Gathering, Deaden, Nile and Sentenced. The reviews have a lot of picture of the CD covers, so that is cool. Matt has another issue coming out in the fall so keep a look out for it. Metal Curse- Issue 12; PO Box 302; Elkhart, IN 46515-0302; Damn, this kid impresses me more and more with every issue. There isn't a flaw anywhere here. The cover is color, the pages are more like a glossy thicker kind of paper. There is even a CD comp to come with this with bands from Cursed Productions. It says 666 reviews, and I'm going to have to take his word, I'm not counting them all! Interviews with Impetigo, Morbid Angel, SOD, Vore and more. If you don't have this you are missing out. NeoBarbaric- Issue 11; PO Box 144; Ashville, PA 16613; chcoitus@hotmail.com- The cover is real chessey, looks like a drawing of one of the guys from GWAR, but just done poorly. This is pretty small, but straight and to the point. Ads, interviews and reviews printed on white paper. Promethean Crusade- Sumer/Fall 1999 and Winter 1999/2000- Mark Morton; 119 King Street; Pottstown, PA 19464; cokeman@bellatlantic.net- I have two issues here and Mark's zines are always good. They are printed on newsprint. The summer issue has interviews with Puya, Hypocrisy, Cradle of Filth, Lacuna Coil (YAH!!-JENN) and more. The Winter issue has interviews with Mullmuzzler, Virgin Steele, Control Denied, Cannibal Corpse and more. He has color covers, front and back and black and white inside. Layout is real good, all the scans are really clear. Thumbs up for both issues. Static Zine- Issues 21, 22, 23, 24- 115 E. River Road; Kawkawlin, MI 48631; Staticzine_1987@yahoo.com- He is so on time when coming out with his issues, it is great. All are printed on white paper, some are bigger, having 40 pages and others have only 20. They have scene reports from all over the world. Issue 21 has interviews with Disarray, Inbreed and more. Issue 22 has interviews with Overdose, Criminal, Destructor, Nocturnal Rites and a couple more. #23 has Myself Am Hell, Drogheda, Disfigured, Burial and a few more and #24 has Unburied, Requism, Aceldama. All have reviews too. Canadian Assault- Issue 4; Dale Roy; Apartment 1; 6318 Bingham Street; Philadelphia PA 19111; metaldale@hotmail.com; Eternal Darkness Creations; Issue 13; PO Box 268; Corapolis, PA 15108- This is a split issue. Half of it is CA and the other half is EDC. Pretty cool idea. It is on new print with glossy cover. In CA, there are interviews with Shanes World (they are a porn company), Kaamos, Pagan Records, Damnation Records and more. There are lots of reviews and the lay out is great. EDC has interviews with Order from Chaos, Incubus, Nunslaughter and more. The only thing, his reviews are really small, I can barely read them. Other than that, A in my book. Treats from the Underground- Issue 5- Burt Wolfe; PO Box 1236; Pottstown, PA 19464; BeoWolfCO@aol.com- This use to be called Satan's Candy Basket, but he has since changed the name. This is printed on newsprint and has about 50 pages. Interviews in this issue with GWAR, SkinLab, Core, Biohazard (WOO HOO!!- JENN), Amen and a lot more. This is one of the best zines as far as layout is concerned out there. He does a great job with it. Pages upon pages upon pages of reviews. Over 500 reviews!! Burt has a label and has been in the underground for many many years, so get in touch with him if you haven't been already. DEMO CD'S Anwyl-Bloody Mary (Non Compos Mentis Records; 95 West 8th Street; Deer Park, NY 11729; noncomposmentis6@aol.com) - This is the first release for Non Compos. This is a black metal band from KS. Who ever thought there was heavy music out there?! This is some black metal for you. They are really fast. Their drummer is flying on the double bass and in his fills. They have a good sound. Corrosive-Rotting Within- Matt Allen; PO Box 861; Shady Spring, WV 25918- This is a death metal band. The production sound so clear. The hi hat is pretty piercing, sound great. These guys have some good beats, a couple off time measures. The vocals are super low or anything, but they are low enough to be considered death metal. I dig 'em. Crone-Psyclone- Ryan Gold; 2259 Winterberry; Lexington, KY 40504; CroneHQ@aol.com- I got this disc a long time ago, and I still listen to it all the time. It rules! This is some metal. The vocals remind me of Max from Sepultura. The music is just heavy, groovy and fast. They have a really good production sound to them too. Makes them sound that much more heavier. You need to pick this up. Draganoid- http://www.geocities.com/Sunsetstrip/Stadium/6402; draganoid@usa.net or contact Paul from the Half Creeper- PO Box 227; Shamokin, PA 17872- This is pretty cool. They do an awesome cover as the first song of some song from back in the day. I don't know the title or who sings it, but you would know it if you heard it. They have a slight Ramones sound to them. I really think the singer sounds like a rough version of Joey Ramone. Fury-Stigmatised-Darren McLennan; 749 Lower North East Road; Paradise, SA 5075; Australia; http://fury.musicpage.com- Wooooo, do I like this. Another good production CD. This is metal. The vocals are real raw, I can't place who they sound like though. Kinda like Panteraish/Machine Headish vocals, but he doesn't sound like either one of them. Just that style. They have some good guitar solos in there. They are very tight. One of the better bands I have heard in a long time. Megaded-A Tribute to Megadeth- Dwell Records- This was also sent to me from Darren from Fury. This is good. Skull Crusher, Fairlight, Fury, Pessimist, Daemos are all bands on this tribute. I'm not a Megadeth fan, so I can't tell you if the covers are done good or half ass. But it sound okay to me! Hate Furnance- Entity of Nothingness- hatefurnace@prodigy.net - Here is some brutal death metal. The vocals remind me of Cannibal Corpse. They aren't super fast through all the songs. They have different styles going on. Of course they have some blast beats and such, but it isn't through out the whole CD, which is good. Doesn't get boring. Hostility- Process of Depletion- PO Box 1092; Novato, CA 94948; http://go.to/hostility- This is hard for me to place. I can't think of anyone these guys sound like. Hmm…The music is fast. I don't think I would call this death metal. The vocals are low, but more like a Max from Sepultura style, but a little deeper than his. They have a lot of good beats in here too. The drummer has some fast feet. Incide- Downside- Adam Richardson; PO Box 509; Manchester, MD 21102; snakeman55@hotmail.com- Well the beginning of this sounds like NIN. The second sounds reminds me of Alice In Chains distorted or something. I don't know. This is different. Very techo sounding. Kruzt- No Accounting for Taste- www.kruzt.com- I'm not sure what this sounds like. The vocals are real low, kinda hard to hear them. I don't think I would call these guys metal. I know I wouldn't call these guys metal. Different sounding, that is all I can say. Meth- Transformer Series: Complete- Scratch Bladder Productions- Bill the Cowboy- 3538 Paseo Salamoner, La Mesa, CA 91941; keirka777@hotmail.com - This is a bit of everything. There are samples, black metal, death metal, everything. He always makes his CD's interesting. Never a boring or dull moment. They really remind me of Mr. Bungle, how they have different sounds all the time. Nebular Mystic- Taakeriket- Molleveien 37; N-2010 Strommen; Norway- This is black metal from Norway. They are fast. The production isn't that great, but it still sounds alright. This is a 3 song CD. Skitzo- Got Sick- http://members.aol.com/Skitzo70/- I was suppose to review this a long time ago, for the last issue and I misplaced it and never did it. Sorry Lance!! These guys take the prize for CD covers. I thought the last one was bad, but that is nothing to this. I'm not even going to say what it is. This is some good fucking metal. They are lot's of fun to listen to. They kinda remind me almost of GWAR because of their song titles and some of their samples. Reign of Terror-World of Hurt- Mark Fogg; 3825 Foxglove Ct.; VA Beach, VA 23456; inkpig@hotmail.com- These guys just recorded a new CD which should be coming out soon so be on the look out. This is some death metal for you. The production is a bit low, so it is a little hard to hear. This doesn't sound bad at all though. They have some cool little Primus bass thing they do in the second song. Spinecast-Disease of Worthlessness- PO Box 471; Harvest AL 35749; Spinecast@aol.com- Here is death metal. There are some high screams the singer does, like Lividity. They are real fast. Have a really good sound to them. The double bass drum is pretty clear, so you can hear what he is doing. He has real fast hands, does a lot of killer fills. Global Apathy- www.globalapathy.com or www.globalapathy.com/mp3.htm- I wanted to review all the songs on the site for the mp3's, but they took forever to download. So I only have the one. You can hear it for yourself if you are interested. These guys sound really good. I can't think of someone to compare them too. They have a real good sound, real crisp from what I heard. I wouldn't call these guys death metal, but they are real heavy. I suggest you download the mp3's and give it a listen to yourself. DEMO TAPES Abysmal Fal- Borne Agatnst-Ken; PO Box 67; East Rochester, NY 14445-0067; crstklprdc@aol.com- Here is some black metal. Not bad. The sound is a lot better than most of the demo's I get. The drummer is real fast. I like it. De Madeliefjes- Langharig Wekschuw Tuig; Mombie SOB; Zwartkopstr. 24; 5702 RK Helmond, Holland- This is some grind/noise. I can't really make the vocals out. Can't hear them too well. I don't know how else to describe grind/noise. There is a chick in this band too. I think she does some singing. If you like it, you'll like this. Vomit Snack- 13186 Equal Opportunity Destroyer- 13186 Gruber Road; Chearspring, MD 21722; vomitsnack@aol.com- This is a pretty cool band. How can then not be, with a name like Vomit Snack?! I'm sad I missed them in New Jersey last year. This is a three song tape, which took songs off their new full length. I can't describe them. They have their own little unique sound. Pure Hatred Records- Jeremy Bequette; PO Box 23215; Hellesville, IL 62223 Pain In The Ass (PITA)- Brown Side of the Moon- I can't really make this out too well. The production isn't that great. The sound is really muffled. The singer is crazy, he is making all these different sounds. Defecation- Akoustic Shit- This kinda reminds me of Weird Al. That is what the singer reminds me off. The song titles are pretty funny. It is all acoustic, hence the title of the album. It is tolerable. Skyward Conflict-Voyage to the Mind/Euphoric 117 - Creation Beyond Infinity- This is a split cassette. I have no idea what this is. This is weird. The sound is really bad. It is hard to make anything out. Satan's God- Crux De La Violence- At first, I thought something was wrong with my tape player. I was getting all these weird sounds. But then I heard a song, so it was the tape. I think this is some death black metal. I can't decide which one it is more. The vocals sound like they could have something distorting them. I'm not sure.