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          /^^      /^^      /^^^^  /^^  /^^  /^^ /^^^   /^^    /^^ /^^
  

        CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-zine, November 8, 1995, Issue #4

Co-Editor: Gino Filicetti <ginof@io.org> <_DeaTH_ on #metal>
Co-Editor: Adrian Bromley <bw823@torfree.net>
Assitant Editor: Alain M. Gaudrault <amgaudra@ccnga.uwaterloo.ca>
Web Page Manager: Brian Meloon <bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>
Mailing List provided by: The University of Colorado at Boulder

--> Interested in being reviewed? Send us your demo and a bio to:
 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
                         CHRONICLES OF CHAOS
                           57 Lexfield Ave
                            Downsview Ont.
                           M3M-1M6, Canada
             Fax: (416) 693-5240   Voice: (416) 693-9517
                         e-mail: ginof@io.org
 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

DESCRIPTION
~~~~~~~~~~~
Chronicles of Chaos is a monthly magazine electronically  distributed
worldwide via the Internet. Chronicles of Chaos focuses on all  forms
of brutal music; from thrash to death to black metal, we have it all.
Each issue will feature interviews with your favorite  bands, written
from the  perspective of a true  fan.  Each  issue  will also include
record reviews and previews, concert  reviews and tour dates, as well
as various  happenings  in  the metal  scene  worldwide.  We here  at
Chronicles  of  Chaos  also believe  in reader  participation,  so we
encourage  you to submit any  material you may have to Gino Filicetti
<ginof@io.org>.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may subscribe to Chronicles of Chaos at any  time  by  sending  a
message with "SUBSCRIBE coc-ezine <your-name-here>" in  the  BODY  of
your message to  the  list  handler  at  listproc@lists.colorado.edu.
Please note that this command must NOT be sent to  the  list  address
<coc-ezine@lists.colorado.edu>, but to the mail server which  handles
this mailing list.

WORLD WIDE WEB SITE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are currently  in  the  process  of  constructing  a  website  for
Chronicles of Chaos. You can  check  it  out  by  pointing  your  web
browser  to  http://www.io.org/~ginof/coc.html.  If  you   have   any
comments    or    suggestions,    please    e-mail    Brian    Meloon
<bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Issue #4 Contents, 11/8/95
--------------------------
* Editorial
* Feature Stories
-- Edge of Sanity: On the Edge of Complete Conquest
-- Bathory: Questions and Queries with Quorthon
-- Cathedral's Completed Catharsis
-- Exit 13: Entering In A New Age
-- Mindrot's Mangled Mentality
** Special Feature: Canadian Carnage
   -- Monster Voodoo Machine: Rebuilding The Machine
   -- Mundane: Manic Musical Mayhem 
* Chaotic Chat Sessions
-- At The Gates' Almighty Acclamations
-- Release: Letting It All Out
* Independant Interrogations
-- Quo Vadis
* Record Revelations
-- Six Feet Under - _Haunted_
-- At The Gates - _Slaughter of the Soul_
-- Exit 13 - _...Just A Few More Hits_
-- Unanimated - _Ancient God of Evil_
-- Soul Grind - _LaDiT A.D. 1999: BIHttPotB_
-- Dead Orchestra - _Sounds Like Time Tastes_
-- Mindrot - _Dawning_ 
-- Dissection - _Storm Of The Light's Bane_
-- g/z/r - _Plastic Planet_
-- Life Of Agony - _Ugly_
-- Voivod - _Negatron_
* New Noise
-- Filthboy - _Whatever You Wanna Call It_ (Home Video)
-- Lethargy - _Humor Me, You Funny Little Man_
-- Destroyer - _Destroyer_
-- Maelstrom - _Eye of the Storm_
* Chaotic Concerts
-- Let the Madness Begin ... Once Again
* What We Have Cranked
* The Final Word

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                          E D I T O R I A L 
                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                         by:  Adrian Bromley

     All I have to say is "Right fuckin on!!!!" When the G-man and  I
started up this mag in August (or the actual idea in late  June/early
July), I never thought that it would be this much fun. Sure,  it  has
been a burden for both of us; Gino with  his  day  and  night  school
courses and part time job, and me with my  warehouse  job  duties  as
well as other publication responsibilities. However, in the  end,  as
you can see with the actual copy of CoC on your screen, it has been a
growth process for us.
     After only 4 issues, we have jumped from about 80  to  over  400
subscribers. That is about 100 subscribers per issue all  around  the
world. We are reaching fans of this music genre in places as far away
as New Zealand, Croatia and Singapore and other places that one would
not associate with metal - but believe us here at CoC  when  we  say,
"Metal exists everywhere."
     A big round of applause for all of you who believed in  what  we
do and for actually digging the material up to this point.  Hell,  it
can only get better for us - CoC #4 is proof of that.
     We hope that all of you read up on some of the great  pieces  we
have written for this issue with such bands like Cathedral,  Edge  Of
Sanity, Toronto greats Mundane and Monster Voodoo Machine,  Bay  Area
metallers Release, and a true god of the  metal  genre,  Quorthon  of
Bathory. As well, a great job by Brian Meloon in doing his first  CoC
interview with At The Gates.
     Can't say much more than a straightforward "thank  You"  to  the
labels that have backed us as well as the new labels we are beginning
to deal with. Keep it coming, and  CoC  will  keep  pushing  it  out,
stronger every time. Our main focus has always been to  be  a  e-zine
that brings the music stories to the fans, as fans. We love the music
as do our readers, and we want to be a mag that can be  on  the  same
level, not some magazine that does it for prestige or fame.  Sure  we
want to expand and grow, but as we all know it takes time,  and  time
is on our side.
     Thanks again and enjoy issue #4 as much as we did making it.

NOTES: from Gino: Just a couple of messages I want to pass on....

I received some mail from Steve  Miller  which  I  think  may  be  of
interest to many.  I  must  apologize,  but  I  lost  Steve's  e-mail
address, so give him a call or send him some of your  stuff.  Thanks,
see ya!

> I do a three-hour radio show on KCPR here at Poly. If anyone
> knows of people who have demo tapes that are *good* please give
> them my address to send the stuff to. This is no BS, I am not
> just trying to get free tapes. Verification of my program
> can be done by calling (805) 756-2965

Contact: NO SPEED LIMIT, c/o Steve Miller
         PO Box 14356, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

Local Toronto  act  Darkheave  are  currently  searching  for  a  new
vocalist. If you are, or  know  of,  a  aggressive  vocalist  in  the
Greater Toronto area, and are looking to join an  otherwise  complete
band please call or write us.

Contact: DARKHEAVE, 131 Beecroft Rd. #801
         North York, Ont, Canada, M2N-6G9
         Matt: (416) 733-3379 or Jon: (416) 485-3803
         Email: galbladder@clo.com

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   O N   T H E   E D G E   O F   C O M P L E T E   C O N Q U E S T
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                   An interview with Edge of Sanity
                          by: Gino Filicetti

"I am obsessed by music. I need to get it all out of  me  or  else  I
would smash the walls." -- Dan Swano, keyboardist/vocalist.

     Probably one of the most influential and innovative death  metal
bands around, Edge of Sanity still has what it takes  to  compete  in
today's music scene.
     Starting out way back in 1988, Edge of Sanity were  one  of  the
first few death metal bands to take on the more  melodic,  harmonious
and beautiful approach to this artform. Throughout their four  studio
albums, _Nothing But  Death  Remains_,  _Unorthodox_,  _The  Spectral
Sorrows_, and _Purgatory Afterglow_, Edge of Sanity have  managed  to
introduce so many new elements into this genre, that  it  seems  they
have sprouted their own new sub-genre.
    "I think what we did was to bring death metal into another league
because I come from a background that's different.  A  lot  of  death
metal musicians started out listening to Iron Maiden and  stuff  like
that, and then they went on to Metallica,  Anthrax  and  Slayer,  and
evolved to death metal. But I was listening  to  Genesis,  Yes,  Pink
Floyd, and stuff like that. Then all of a sudden, it was  around  the
time Slayer released _South of Heaven_, that was the first time  that
I felt that this music may not be as fucking terrible as  I  thought.
Since I'm a drummer originally, I was always fascinated with Lombardo
and how fast he could play. So I actually started to  jam  with  this
local band that played this kind of Slayer music. And I realized that
it was fun to play fast on the drums and I wanted to get  better  and
better."
     The  band's  last  release,  _Purgatory  Afterglow_,  was   well
received by press and fans alike, to say the least.  It  brought  the
band countless stories and unending praise of their work. So what did
Swano think of all these different reviewers saying  the  same  thing
about his work? "It stinks. That's why I want to do a different thing
with the next record. It would be so easy for me to do  seven  songs,
and the other guys do three or four  songs.  I  make  some  beautiful
stuff, they make some hard stuff. We find a good  title  and  a  good
cover and we record it and it's a pattern. I want to  get  away  from
that and do something that we haven't done before."
     The band is set to record their next album, entitled  _Crimson_,
in and around Christmas time, with just a bit of a twist to it: "When
it comes to this band we are very impulsive with our  creations,  so,
we do more in two weeks than most other bands do in one  year.  Since
we finished the mastering of  _Purgatory  Afterglow_,  we  have  done
absolutely nothing. In the beginning of November,  we  are  going  to
lock ourselves up in my studio for five days and we are just going to
sit there and create what is going to  be  the  longest  death  metal
track ever written. It will be 45 minutes or  so.  The  whole  record
will be one track because that's what we  feel  like  doing.  It's  a
great challenge. We want to do something really different and to come
into the record from a different point. So we will  write  this  epic
track in five days and then we will hold out for  a  month,  and  the
guys will come back and we will record it  around  Christmas  or  New
Year's Eve."
     Although to many  this  idea  of  a  one-track  epic  may  sound
curiously interesting, how does Dan feel the  majority  of  his  fans
will accept the change? "Well first  of  all,  people  will  be  very
surprised when they buy the record and see it's only one track  long.
But you know, I don't give a fuck what people think, really. If  they
are into Edge of Sanity the way I want people to be, they  will  love
it. And if they don't like it, I don't see why  they  listen  to  our
music in the first place. Because Edge  of  Sanity  is  really  about
stuff like 'Twilight'. To me, that is our main style. But  you  can't
make a record with ten 'Twilight' tracks, because it would be  pretty
boring. So that's why we've always had fast  tracks  and  stuff.  But
this time, we can make one record that sounds the way we should  have
always sounded."
     Although Edge of Sanity has always been innovative, they do seem
to have a definite style all their own  which  is  prevalent  in  all
their albums. Will this trend carry over onto their new  project,  or
will there be significant changes? "We will actually have  a  session
singer on the next record", reveals Swano, "but he  wonn't  have  the
same density in my voice. He will sing the parts that I would've sung
in '91, and I will sing like I do now, and there  will  be  this  guy
from a local band who's record I produced. When I first heard  him  I
just fell in love with his voice. I don't know how he does it, he  is
programmable. He can do any Death style vocal you want. If  you  want
some kind of Tardy style he can do it, if you want shock  he  can  do
it, if you want Black Metal screeches that'll rip your ears  out,  he
can do it. It's no problem. This guy has the  technique.  He  can  go
from singing Sinatra to this, and  go  back  again,  no  problem.  It
doesn't hurt his throat. So just like  some  people  bring  in  James
Murphy for a few leads <laughs>, we will bring this guy in for a  few
vocals."
     One thing that can not be  doubted  is  Dan  Swano's  incredible
involvement in all stages of music. Not only does  he  have  his  own
studio where he has  produced  countless  brutal  releases,  he  also
maintains a plethora of side projects. What  does  all  this  musical
involvement do for him? "It keeps me alive. I am obsessed by music. I
need to get it all out of me or else I'd smash the walls. That's  why
I have so many side projects. My  music  taste  ranges  from  country
music, for example, all the way to Edge of Sanity-type stuff. When  I
come home from a hard day of work, I don't want to think about music,
I just want to listen to something that's easy to take in.  Sometimes
I feel like getting into complex stuff. I listen to Dream Theater and
stuff like that. But when I have the  time,  I  listen  to  Marillion
because they are my absolute favorite band of all time. Listening  to
Marillion," continues Swano, "is not like listening  to  music.  It's
different for me than other people, because I can turn off everything
and just sit down on the couch and listen to five  Marillion  records
and then go to bed <laughs>. They give me so  much  more  than  other
records, I hear so much more, I have visions, it's like  my  fuel  to
exist. I've found a band that I can really communicate with  and  I'm
really proud of that."
     Dan Swano's "day job" is  music.  He  owns  his  own  commercial
studio which supports him,  his  fiance,  and  their  three-year  old
child. For many, being submerged in their favorite pastime all  hours
of the day is a dream come true. How does he  feel  being  completely
surrounded by his passion around the clock? "It's  strange  for  me,"
replies Swano, "because when I rise in the morning, I get up to  make
my breakfast and I put on the radio and hear music. Then I have a few
silent seconds as I go to work. Then it's music again.  Then  I  come
home for lunch break and on with the radio. Then  back  to  work  for
more music. Then I come home and it's radio  again.  When  I  do  the
dishes it's music on the TV. And even when  I'm  typing  letters  and
stuff, I have this really small radio by  the  typewriter.  The  only
time I don't listen to music is when I sleep, and then I dream music.
It's all around the clock."
     When asked what kind of touring the band did for their  previous
record, I was shocked to hear, "Absolutely nothing. The last  gig  we
did, we played a headline show at the Dome Theatre in London for  MTV
Europe. That was pretty intense.  For  our  song,  'In  The  Enigma',
there's this part with clean vocals, and everyone in the  place  were
voicing over me, and I almost cried. You know, that's something  that
happens at your idol's concerts, and it doesn't happen to you, but it
did. The whole crowd  was  like  a  massive  choir,  it  was  great."
Continues Swano on the prospect of touring, "The problem is  that  my
voice isn't really good enough for a whole set,  and  definitely  not
good enough for a tour. It's a physical fact, you can't change it, my
throat fucks up. It happens to all the singers I guess.  Some  people
have a technique to their  singing,  I  sing  out  of  sheer  fucking
aggression and then my throat gets fucked up. Just like the pain  you
would feel if you scream at someone for 15  minutes,  it's  the  same
pain that I feel when I sing a song.
     So does this mean the band is completely against touring? "No. I
think touring would be cool if I could get my ideas across,  but  the
other guys are not into it. If we find a session singer that could do
a tour and I could  still  be  on  stage  doing  keyboards,  samples,
guitars and backing vocals, I would like it. That way we  could  play
songs like 'Twilight' live that would be impossible with me on vocals
because I can not have a huge rack of equipment in the front  of  the
stage. I would like to be in the shadows somewhere, and  come  across
sometimes to do a guitar lead and then go back and be  in  my  little
place. That's if we can find a guy that can do this enormously brutal
voice and enjoy being a frontman."
     In closing, I asked  the  question  that  is  my  favorite  when
talking to European bands. Do you have any desire to  come  to  North
America? "Definitely, I'd die to go to America.  The  thing  is  that
it's costly just to go there. America is like  another  world  to  us
here in Europe, it's like being big on Mars or Neptune. The thing  is
that if we  find  any  solution  to  the  economical  problems,  we'd
probably go there. Black Mark is big, but it's not huge when it comes
to touring the US. It's a different world. Here you can  go  on  tour
and travel a certain amount of kilometers and go through  almost  all
of Europe, but if you travel  the  same  in  America  you  won't  get
through Texas! <laughs>"

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

                            B A T H O R Y
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                 Questions and Queries with Quorthon
                          by: Adrian Bromley

"When we started,  there  were  no  forerunners.  We  had  to  invent
everything ourselves." -- Quorthon, guitarist/vocalist

     In the midst of mixing and  putting  the  finishing  touches  on
Bathory's future collection of material, titled  _Blood  On  Ice_  (a
project of old material six years in  the  making),  one  of  metal's
"true pioneers," lead singer/guitarist Quorthon, is actually  pleased
to get away from the studio for a while to chat  with  Chronicles  of
Chaos.
     About _Blood On Ice_ (to be  released  in  January)  he  begins,
"Some of the stuff has been recorded since 1988. It is funny how  the
circumstances were very primitive when we recorded some of the  first
albums. The stuff here was recorded in the same circumstances  so  we
have to catch up a bit with a new bass line or  drum  roll  here  and
there. Also some songs needed new vocals. This is  a  souvenir  album
for all of the Bathory fans. It isn't a new album, it has been around
for sometime and all our fans know it as legend," he explains.
     Twelve years since their entrance into the  world  of  metal  in
1983, Bathory has shapeshifted itself many times  over,  and  in  the
process gained and lost many  fans.  From  the  beginning  and  first
effort, _Bathory_ in 1984 onto _Hammerheart_ (1987) or present albums
like  _Requiem_  (1994)  or  1991's  _Twilight  Of  The  Gods_,   the
rollercoaster ride of the  band's  music  has  been  cataloged  quite
openly. Quorthon sees the changes brought on  by  the  band  and  its
music as an important element to the survival of the band. 
     "People have no clue to what we are to sound like  on  the  next
album," he says, "because we changed every second album. Now we  have
touched upon black metal, death metal, viking epic shit  -  whatever.
There are really no stages that we didn't go through."
     Noting the  lack  of  originality  in  some  of  today's  music,
Quorthon tells us, "There are no patterns that you have to follow  to
be successful. As long as bands are original and they have  the  urge
to experiment, it is good. We did that in the 80's and we took a  lot
of shit because people didn't understand it but we also  attracted  a
lot of other fans. As long as there are young crossover bands  it  is
great. Fresh blood and fresh sound. You can't always go the New  Wave
Of British Metal way forever."
     With the band's latest effort  and  eigth  album,  _Octagon_,  a
follow-up to last year's _Requiem_ and _The Jubileum Volumes_  (1993)
a few years back, the band returns with a very much  straightforward,
raw sound that refuses to be seen as anything  polished  or  perfect.
There is a reasoning; "What we are doing now is stripping  ourselves,
going into the studio and scream for half an hour and have fun  doing
it. We went into the studio to have fun, sweat and excercise. We went
in there to blast off. It is fun now that we  don't  have  to  fit  a
certain formula with our music. These two last albums have  been  far
away from what Bathory was in the beginning."
     Along with the few releases of this decade, Quorthon  also  took
time out from fronting Bathory to release his first  solo  recording,
_Album_. Was the record some form of cleansing process for  him,  and
if so, does he plan to make another solo project?  "We  had  finished
with the last Bathory album and I had some material,  and  wanted  to
try making a solo record." He  played,  sang,  wrote,  recorded,  and
produced the album by himself. "It was something  I  wanted  to  do."
About future solo stuff he says, "I have twenty songs already written
for the next solo album, but with _Octagon_ being  released  and  the
importance of the _Blood On Ice_ session, I put off  the  other  solo
project for awhile. After the _Blood On Ice_ session people  may  see
the next Bathory album or next solo album. It is all up  in  the  air
right now."
     How does Quorthon feel about the band  still  being  seen  as  a
major influential factor for a lot of new and older bands?  Will  the
band still aim to keep up with a sound and style that  will  continue
to entice many young metalheads to just go crazy?  "If  I  would  sit
down and look at Bathory albums being influential on other  bands,  I
wouldn't look at new Bathory albums because they are too  young.  The
albums they would refer to would be the older ones. I mean who  gives
a shit what we sound like now? We sell just as good as we have always
sold. We don't tour, make videos or do a lot of  interviews,  and  we
are still around. I think that is a great sign of survival."
     And about being seen as a musical pioneer? "If somebody had told
me in 1983 or 1984 that we would be around in 1995, I would have told
them to fuck off. It takes a certain kind of stamina to be around for
twelve years, especially with no tours and being a very  narrow  band
that changes once in awhile. If we had come out right now and had not
wanted to make videos or tour, we would have not survived."  Quorthon
adds, "When we recorded the first songs on a compilation in 1984  and
the first album, we were so proud. This was it. We had  a  record  in
record stores. Jerk off, jerk off."
     In regards to the band's longevity in this  industry  and  their
survival he says, "The only great old bands that are around right now
are Slayer and Bathory. Also Metallica - but they are in a league  of
their own both musically and commercially. I don't see a lot of bands
put into that kind of legend status and inspiration. Everything takes
time to last and to be perfected. Our first albums were  shit.  Shit.
And if you were to put them up against albums that are being released
nowadays, they are pretty bad." He laughs and says, "You have to have
a sense of humor when listening to old material, and put it into  its
own place."
     Quorthon is first to admit the bad reviews and  press  the  band
has been receiving ever since the band progressed  into  the  1990's.
Musically ancient in many people's opinions,  Quorthon  is  confident
that press is press and bad reviews mean nothing to what will  become
of the band or what they will do. Like it has and  will  continue  to
do, Bathory stands the test of time regardless of what shit is thrown
at them. "Throughout the 80's, we were ridiculed as being seen  as  a
Venom clone, and it wasn't until we were deep  down  in  that  viking
shit that no one could ever say that we  weren't  original,"  reveals
Quorthon. "We had a great problem washing away the  Venom-type  thing
that we were experiencing. The only thing that was around  in  Europe
when we began was Venom, and it was  a  touchy  thing  to  always  be
reminded of." He tries to put it in simple terms: "If you go  to  the
moon, you will always remember that the first guys on the  moon  were
Americans. Or if you open a hamburger store, you are trying  to  copy
McDonald's. We were always trying to be Bathory, and  never  intended
to try to copy any band."
     His take on bad reviews? "We have very  bad  reviews  in  Europe
with the two last albums and people are confused with what Bathory is
doing. People write to me saying that our sound is bad and 'why don't
you sound check?' And I respond to  them  saying  that  if  they  are
talking about bad sound, they should listen to the first two or three
albums. If the first albums by  Bathory,  Slayer,  Venom,  or  Celtic
Frost were released today, no one would care. Time goes  on  and  you
have to change. I don't know  if  it  is  a  good  sign  with  people
complaining that these two new albums are too brutal. Maybe it  is  a
good sign showing that other people's musical horizons are  bordering
up a little."
     "The best review that a band like Bathory or Slayer  could  have
is a shit review. If I was 14 or 15 today, I would never go  off  and
buy an album like Metallica's last one. I would buy the  record  that
they would say, 'Don't buy this record. It  will  brainwash  you  and
make you kill someone.' Those are the albums I would  want  to  buy,"
says Quorthon, chuckling. I interject, 'And the albums  Bathory  want
to make, right?' The laughter continues and he finishes, "Yes, that's
about right." 
     Long live Bathory.

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    C A T H E D R A L ' S   C O M P L E T E D   C A T H A R S I S
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Somewhere between the 80's metal  period  and  the  early  90's,
metal music evolved, making heroes out of some bands and victims  out
of others. Cathedral's frontman Lee Dorrian is well aware of  it:  "I
think the 90's has killed a lot of individuality. Metal seems  to  be
one dimensional and shallow. I like a lot of the new  bands,  but  it
seems to me that it has got too much of a narrow-minded  attitude  of
late. There is not a lot of room for expression or attitude. It seems
like bands just form  for  the  sake  of  the  one  desire  of  being
instantly famous," he explains, "adopting the sound  of  the  moment,
opposed from doing something from their desire to it. I think it is a
shame because I can see the real root  of  heavy  metal  coming  back
again over the next couple of years. I think the 80's killed a lot of
the freedom of spirit. Right now, we must try to  take  the  positive
things out of the death metal scene and other dimensions in our music
but also to go back to the original emphasis of what metal was and is
about, which to me is about riffs," Dorrian says. "My main concern is
to write killer riffs."
     Killer riffs, a heavy dose of metal, and an  amazing  production
accompanies  Cathedral's  latest  effort,  _The  Carnival   Bizarre_.
Combining the elements of other previous  Cathedral  offerings  (_The
Forest Of Equilibrium_ and 1993's _The Ethereal Mirror_),  this  time
around, Dorrian and long time guitarist  Garry  Jennings  -  and  new
members Leo Smee (bass) and Brian Dixon  (drums)  -  scale  down  the
intentions of the band, getting back to a more standard  metal  sound
while in the process making an album that can be easily discovered as
a true metal effort. No compromise, no  sell  out.  "The  process  of
making this album wasn't that difficult  to  put  together,"  Dorrian
says. "Three quarters of the album was  already  written  since  last
December, and the rest of it came together  very  spontaneously.  The
lyrics were written like that as well, and they seemed  to  go  along
well with the riffs." 
     He comments, "I think this album is more focused than  the  last
one. With the previous one were weren't sure what was  happening.  It
was our debut for Columbia and we had a lot of pressure to record it.
This album was easy. We got all mellow,  chilled  out,  and  got  our
heads down and recorded it. We recorded it in two weeks and mixed  it
in two nights - the atmosphere was great. It  came  out  pretty  good
seeing that it was the debut appearance of our new drummer  and  bass
player. This album may be more accessible than our last album, but  I
don't think we have compromised any heaviness. I think it  is  a  lot
heavier than the last one." But do bands that become more  accessible
tend to become commercial, losing an  essence  of  their  music?  His
reply, "If a band gets better at writing songs, why avoid that?" 
      Besides the actual music of the album, the one thing that  does
make a statement is the artwork on the  sleeve  (a  huge  collage  of
images of good and evil - it takes  up  one  whole  side  of  the  CD
sleeve!) Asking Dorrian about the sleeve artwork (done by artist Dave
Patchett) and his actual concept of what it was about he  said,  "The
basic initial idea was mine for the  cover  sleeve  and  I  sat  down
talking with the artist (Patchett) at his  house  for  two  days.  We
talked, spoke about songs on the album and drank beers. What he  then
did is put down his own interpretations and added a few  of  his  own
[ideas] in the process." He goes on  to  say  proudly,  "The  artwork
inside are visions and things that I  had  seen.  This  album  is  an
important album for us because we haven't recorded one in a while. We
wanted him to do something special and detailed. Essentially, we said
to Dave that we wanted it [the cover] to  be  a  masterpiece  and  he
didn't let us down. The actual art concept is based  around  the  two
figures of Jesus and Mary, and  how  religion  and  Christianity  has
affected people over the last 2000 years - and what it  has  done  to
people. It is a vision." He interprets the piece as "an  image  where
on one side you have the melancholy of the moon and then you have the
violence of the sun. The idea that the world is falling apart and how
people have lost all touch of themselves to Christianity. The way the
moral  viewpoints  of  Christianity  make  people  ashamed  of  their
sexuality, of themselves - afraid to be themselves."
     And the meaning of the album title, _The Carnival Bizarre_?  "No
specific meaning. The actual song was on the original  demo  and  the
lyrics written for the chorus just seemed to fit when we got the  art
work. It kind of pieced itself together - I still don't know  how  it
worked. We went with it because it fit the mood of the album and  the
lyrics."
     With such a strong belief in the importance of this album,  does
Dorrian see this album as an important accomplishment for  the  band?
"Right now with the line-up, we are all into the same cause  and  the
same music. It is definitely a band now. I think with the next album,
the new guys are going to contribute more than anyone has done before
because we have the right ideas. We are pleased with this  more  than
anything we have done. It has captured the vibe we have  always  been
lookng for, that 'back to basics, raw heavy  sound.'  The  songs  are
more focused. We are all pleased with it individually." He adds,  "We
aren't doing anything original or new. We are  just  celebrating  the
music we love, and we are pleased with what  we  have  achieved  with
_The Carnival Bizarre_."
     Has  being  away  for  two  years  from  the  music  scene  been
beneficial for the band? "It was very beneficial for  us  because  it
gave us time to focus on what we wanted to be and what we  wanted  to
do with our music. There were negative sides of  course  with  people
wondering if we still existed, but overall, on a personal  level,  it
was definitely worth the wait."

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

                            E X I T   1 3
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                        Entering In A New Age
                         by: Adrian Bromley
                         
     Bill  Yurkiewicz  has  a  very  hectic  lifestyle.  Between  his
extensive work as co-owner of Relapse  Records,  and  his  continuous
work with numerous side-projects, it is a wonder that he  finds  time
to do anything with his band Exit-13. But he does,  and  he  does  it
well.
     Hailed  as  one  of  the  most  metal/death/grind/extreme  music
experimental projects out there, Exit-13 refuses to  be  lumped  into
any genre specific category. It isn't in their mind sets.  Yurkiewicz
explains.
     "Some people have come to expect that Exit-13 is weird and  they
don't know what they are going to get," he says  about  their  music.
"And then others will get into one phase of the band and then want us
to stay that way forever." He notes confidently, "maybe this is  some
sort of elitist geek at a record label thing to say but we are  doing
what we like. If you like it you are a true Exit-13 fan. If you think
we suck and think we are doing something that isn't as good  as  what
we have done before then you missed the boat."  He  adds,  "There  is
never one thing that is going to do it for me. I like so  many  types
of music. To describe it, I would say  I  couldn't  just  eat  veggie
burgers everyday. I  like  Indian  food,  Chinese  food,  etc  ...  I
couldn't say I would eat Indian food for the rest of my life."
     And how does he find time to juggle between record label  duties
and band/tour time? Laughing, he says, "I have no  personal  life  at
all. We have so many recordings going at once, all in the  works.  We
are doing three EP sessions with three drummers  and  then  the  full
album by January, tentatively entitled _Didactic Grind_. It has been,
and still is crazy for us. And on top of that, I have  to  deal  with
stuff at the record label level." With some frustration in his voice,
he says, "Whenever I work with the band, it is when  I  am  not  busy
with the label. Exit-13 has lost a lot of its impetus  because  I  am
here all of the time."
     With numerous projects on the go,  not  to  mention  the  band's
latest release _...Just A Few More Hits_, a  kind  of  collection  of
material from 1994's _Ethos Musick_ recording  sessions,  many  would
fear that Yurkiewicz would be on a crash course to  burn  out.  "I'll
just keep wanting to do more and more," he says passionately. "I keep
having more and more ideas for stuff. If we decide we want  to  do  a
new record and I have no idea, then it is time to call it  quits.  As
long as I have ideas for this band, I can't see myself  being  burned
out." 
     To simplify things, here is a (hopefully accurate) list  of  the
projects Bill and Exit-13 are involved in:

- _Didactic Grind_ (January): with  guitarist  Steve  O'Donnell,  new
  bassist Terry Sherry, and session drummer Dave Witte
- _Smoking Songs_: with Brutal Truth's rhythym section  Danny  Lilker
  (bass) and Rich Hoak (drums), and Pain Teens vocalist Bliss  Blood.
  It has a cover version of classic numbers from the 30's  and  40's,
  including Ella Fitzgerald's "When I Get High, I Get  Low"  and  Bea
  Foote's "Weed"
- 7" Ep, _Whacked  Metal_  (on  Grinding  Death  Records):  recording
  several  tracks  with  Deceased's  King  Fowley  covering   Venom's
  "Bursting Out" and Riot's "Hard Loving Man" - not to mention a  few
  original tracks
- a 10" Napalm Death tribute album 
- a Beatles compilation
- will perform theme from "The Benny Hill Show" on  T.V.  theme  song
  compilation on Slap A Ham label
- a 7" split with Hemdale on Visceral Productions
- a song/track on upcoming Bovine Records crust/grind compilation
                              
     It is obvious he has a lot of work put into the band - he  knows
what he likes to play and to be a part of.  Does  that  same  thought
process carry over into the record label side of his work? "I want to
be successful by putting out the music we  (Relapse)  like.  I  don't
want to sign bands to make money, to sell out or rip  people  off.  I
just want to make an honest living,  which  is  putting  out  extreme
music, whether it be grindcore  or  noise.  When  we  (him  and  Matt
Jacobson) jumped into it, we were so naive, and never knew  what  was
going to come of it. As it progressed and  reponsibility  reared  its
head, we were like 'Oh my God. What are we  doing?'  We  started  off
with no real education. We just did it and learned  along  the  way."
About the rapid start the label got by joining  both  Jacobson's  and
his own 7" labels, he cites this being the turning  point:  "After  a
month or so we opened up the offices for Germany-based Nuclear  Blast
Records in the U.S., so because they were bigger and established,  it
gave us a lot of credibility from the start."
     "I think we have a good edge doing the mail  order  catalog.  We
see what stuff people are interested in. We get inside  knowledge  on
how things are progressing and what poeople  are  getting  into,  and
then we apply that to our  label.  I  think  Relapse  has  positioned
itself to have its hands in several cookie jars and not just one.  It
is what I like in a band as well. I like all kinds of music  and  why
would I just want to release one kind of music? It would be boring."
     And the good thing about his dual work with the  label  and  the
band? "It enables us to do 100% of the music we want  to  do  without
sucking anyone's ass at a record label."
     Having been a true believer in  making  music  that  can  really
retain no boundaries, what is Yurkiewicz's view on the metal scene of
the 90's? "I think it went through its commercial phase, and  now  it
is going back into the underground where it belongs. I see a  lot  of
labels who put out death metal to cash in biting the dust, and I love
to see that because if you are fake from the beginning, then you  are
getting what you deserve." He snickers.
     Can't say he doesn't have the right to snicker. Both  his  label
and Exit-13 have been able to go with the trends as well as focus  on
originality - and in the long run remain true  to  their  goals  they
have set out to achieve. See, determination can bring success.

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       M I N D R O T ' S   M A N G L E D   M E N T A L I T Y 
       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          by: Adrian Bromley
                          
"We want people to know that there is more to the  metal  genre  than
blood, guts, and Beavis and Butthead" -- Matt Fisher, bassist

     "Our music is a display of extreme emotions.  We  capture  every
feeling that you can ever imagine and that anyone can relate  to.  We
touch base with reality on multiple levels.  We  are  trying  to  get
across a point of view that anyone can relate to," says bassist  Matt
Fisher, describing Mindrot's  atmospheric  sonic  assault,  found  on
their Relapse Records debut, _Dawning_, the much anticipated and long
awaited followup to their recent _Forlorn_ EP (their first release on
Relapse). "We are  approaching  it  poetically  and  atmospherically,
trying to let people get in touch with their emotions as  a  form  of
therapy. We don't want to be a fantasy band. We want  to  use  poetic
music as an artful expression."
     Since their inception in 1989  and  the  release  of  a  few  7"
records, the band - rounded out by singer Adrian  Leroux,  guitarists
Dan Kaufman and John Flood, and drummer Evan Kilbourne - met critical
acclaim with their industry-only _Faded  Dream_  (1992)  promo  demo,
putting them in the spotlight and building up hype  that  would  grow
even more with the release of what was to be _Dawning_. But  as  many
will tell you, things don't happen at the drop of a hat all the time,
especially in the music industry. Mindrot knows  that  very  well  by
now. "_Dawning_ is basically two years overdue," exclaims Fisher over
the phone from Huntington Beach, California. "It should have been out
two years ago. We were negotiating with  labels  and  the  album  got
pushed back." 
     And why did the band opt to work with Relapse, with  many  other
labels expressing interest  in  the  band?  "They  have  always  been
interested in us and we have been updated on what we are doing.  They
were interested in 1992 when they heard our _Faded Dream_  promo.  It
gave us hype from many  other  labels.  At  that  time,  Relapse  was
getting established and we were being given offers by Century  Media,
Mechanic, and others. We overlooked Relapse because we needed  more."
But according to Fisher, things changed. "In 1995, Relapse  was  more
established and they made us an  offer  that  seemed  right,  and  we
started to negotiate." In the end, Fisher accounts, both parties  got
what they wanted.
     So two years down the road,  with  music  just  sitting  in  the
studio as the band negotiated with labels, and _Dawning_  not  seeing
much light, does Fisher think that the band or  its  music  lost  any
kind of edge that they had originally conceived as being  the  staple
sound of Mindrot? "If we released this  album  two  years  ago,  this
would have been our second album. The new album would be more updated
to the sound that we are now. We are all ready to go and  record  our
second album now. There might have been a few songs that didn't  make
this album that'll be on that one." He continues, "Some stuff on this
album was written from 1991 to 1993. We have newer material  that  we
want to go out on a record, but we'll wait to get the sales and  hype
of this album out of the way before we go into the studio."
     About the progression of the  newer  material,  Fisher  reveals,
"The next album has a variety of sounds of  music  -  spacey  melodic
goth stuff to angry and pissed off songs. The pissed  off  songs  are
getting more uptempo, harsher, and aggressive. Our spacey  songs  are
getting more progressive. A lot of  the  new  material  is  the  same
except it is a little more extreme in both directions." 
     Like most metal bands nowadays, does Fisher believe that Mindrot
will stick with that atmospheric, spacey material, or that  the  band
will find themselves experimenting more as the years go on? "We don't
avoid anything. We are much into experimentation,  but  we  are  also
into music that is expressive and emotional - music with an emotional
feel to it, music where we can express all types of emotions and  not
just anger and depression," says Fisher. "We have always been a  band
to experiment, which I think sets [us] aside  from  other  bands.  We
don't try to play one genre or stereotype of music. We want  to  play
emotional and heavy, and at the same time express  ourselves  through
our music."
     Within the coming months, Mindrot will  be  doing  a  few  shows
along the West coast and then hopefully in March or April  head  over
to Europe to do some touring. Excited about touring Europe  he  says,
"Our music is more accessible in Europe, so the label wants us to  do
our first tour over there. They are more appreciative  of  our  sound
and style." 
     Yes you read correctly, Mindrot has never  really  done  a  tour
besides a few shows here  and  there.  The  reasoning?  "We've  never
toured the U.S. because we never had a product to back up  the  tour.
We have always kind of waited around to have a record out to tour and
support a product. It is kind of tough touring in support of a couple
of EPs."
     Hopefully Mindrot will be in your neck of the woods sometime  in
1996 so that you can get a heaping dosage of emotionally packed metal
music that proves to be extremely heavy and  groundbreaking.  I  know
I'm waiting.

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             M O N S T E R   V O O D O O   M A C H I N E 
             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                       Rebuilding the 'Machine'
                          by: Adrian Bromley
                                           
"The whole heavy seriousness, lethargic  element  of  Monster  Voodoo
Machine is gone. There is no more of the 'Suffersystem,'  dark  angry
side. I've done it before. If I could change  the  name  and  not  be
Monster Voodoo Machine anymore and release it under  a  new  name,  I
would" -- Adam Sewell, vocalist/mastermind

     And then there were three.
     Toronto's Monster Voodoo Machine (MVM) has gone from a sextet to
a trio in less than a month. Out is  bassist  Terry  Landry,  drummer
Dean  Bentley  and  sampler/keyboardist  Stacey  Hoskins.   Remaining
members/mercenaries are guitarists Jason Cuddy and Darren Quinn,  and
outspoken mastermind and lead singer of MVM, Adam  Sewell.  But  like
many times before, Toronto's Monster Voodoo Machine has been morphed,
split, rejuvenated, kicked, hailed as  heroes,  and  still  the  band
manages  to  display  a  steady,  powerful  determination   to   seek
originality rather than success. Survival is key.
     About the  departure  and  restructuring  of  the  band,  Sewell
responds, "If you look from the beginning of Monster  Voodoo  Machine
up to now, the amount of people that have come through the  doors  is
quite a few. I think if anybody looks at MVM and bandmembers changing
as something drastic, then they have  been  incredibly  clued-out  to
what is going on. I said this years ago that the people in  the  band
at that time were the right  people  for  the  job,  but  things  are
changing [with the direction of the band] and it has  nothing  to  do
with people leaving. It is just the way it is. It's no big deal." 
     The changes that Sewell speaks about are going to find a home in
the band's forthcoming LP, the follow-up to their  1994  Juno  Award-
winning (Canadian equivalent  of  a  Grammy)  album,  _Suffersystem_.
Sewell  begins,  with  a  smile  and  obvious   sarcastic,   humorous
overtones, "I want to make the ultimate heavy metal record. I want to
make the fastest, heaviest, most crushing, most grinding, most brutal
black metal record ever made. I wanna have an excuse to  walk  around
with white face make-up and black eye-liner."  He  laughs  and  says,
"What?! You don't believe me?"
     "It is hard to explain," says Sewell putting on a  more  serious
expression. "To understand  what  I  am  doing  now  is  sort  of  to
understand that I have never been happy with anything  that  we  have
done before. Right now, I am making the record I have  always  wanted
to make. The people who I am working  with  in  the  studio  now  are
giving me the freedom to explore things I  have  wanted  to  explore,
things that I have never had options to do before." He adds,  "By  no
means is this a heavy metal record; don't expect  _Sufferstytem  Part
Two_." And an explanation of one  of  the  main  reasons  behind  his
obvious unhappiness or acceptability of the metal edge that his  band
carried on _Suffersystem_? "I have really been unhappy with the metal
sound of our band for a long time.  To  make  another  _Suffersystem_
record would be selling out. That is not what I feel comfortable with
right now or feel like doing." Aware of what he will  face  with  the
new material, he says, "Sure reviews will say  that  we  are  selling
out." He corrects the supposed statements that'll be made  and  says,
"Making another metal record would be selling out. That would take no
talent - it takes  nothing  to  throw  chugging  chords  and  samples
together. We've done it already, why do it again?"
     The album should be out in April or May and will have a tour  to
follow in support of the release. Sewell, as well as Cuddy and Quinn,
are in the process of putting together demos -  a  pre-production  of
the album. "When we decide to record the album it will go  by  fast,"
Sewell said.
     In regards to touring he had this to say. "We won't  be  touring
with metal bands anymore. We'd like to tour with bands like Pop  Will
Eat Itself, Fishbone or The Jesus And Mary Chain."  And  filling  the
gap of losing three members on tour and in the studio? "We'll just do
it ourselves, and then when we need to tour we'll get people and take
care of it."
     So with a pure adrenalin rush to revamp or mold the sound of the
band, is Sewell and the rest of the band trying to get away from what
they had accomplished with _Suffersystem_? "I  don't  know  if  I  am
getting away from everything, it just seems  like  the  less  logical
progression for us, and the thing for _Suffersystem_ was that it  was
a step backwards. This is what I want to do, and for me it is natural
and simple to do. Whether people like it or not, I  don't  care."  He
adds, "I think the first people that may or may not  complain  [about
the new record] are the people that never bought our records  before.
So I don't care."
      So what can we expect from the new as yet  untitled  album?  "I
think the main thing is to understand that the samples are there, the
guitars are there - though there are less guitars. I think that  with
the new songs, we have been able to utilize the same elements  as  we
have had before, but in a way that no one else is doing it. I think I
have finally found a way to manipulate sounds in a way  that  no  one
else is doing and  feeling  comfortable  doing  it.  We  are  not  an
industrial band. I think we know now how to mix samples  and  guitars
without coming across  as  Ministry  or  Nine  Inch  Nails."  Reveals
Sewell, "I never wanted to sound like those bands at all, and  I  let
MVM fall into that bracket because it was easy to get a response from
people when you do that and I was never happy. Now I know what  I  am
doing in the studio and sort of found answers I was looking for."
     What about having to deal with expectations? The band has won  a
Juno for Best Heavy Metal Album,  toured  successfully  with  Marilyn
Manson, Fear Factory, Fight, Carcass, and Life  Of  Agony,  and  have
been known to put on a killer show (ask Gino! See CoC #3). Are  there
pressures mounting with the new album? "If I started thinking of  the
pressure of what other people are expecting from me, I'd kill  myself
right now 'cause all of these things I am putting pressures on myself
to step forward. Making _Suffersystem_ and having to tour with  those
songs for so long was to me just a step backwards, a let down."
     Continuing on, Sewell says, "Night after night, the songs didn't
have the dynamics I wanted, or covered the  musical  scope  or  range
that I wanted. To me, I am going to try to push  myself  to  cross  a
couple of new thresholds and  break  down  some  new  boundaries.  My
biggest goal is that I never want to see another  review  that  names
NIN, Ministry or White Zombie. There  has  never  been  a  reason  to
mention those names before and I want to make sure that  nobody  does
it in the future."


               M A N I C   M U S I C A L   M A Y H E M 
               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                      An Interview with Mundane
                          by: Gino Filicetti

     If there was ever a band who's name was utterly  misleading,  it
has got to be Mundane. Formed in Toronto in the early 1990's  by  the
two Rebelo brothers, Alex (guitars) and Vitor (vocals,  percussions),
Mundane quickly grew out of obscurity to become one of,  if  not  THE
most interesting and intense live bands in the local  Toronto  scene.
After only one release, 1993's _Seed_ put  out  by  local  label  Raw
Energy, and three videos, one could say that  Mundane  have  garnered
themselves a very respectable following. But as any real  fan  knows,
Mundane are not about albums, or any type of recorded sound. The true
beauty of this band only rears its head in a live  setting.  If  NASA
could capture and harness the energy and adrenaline  that  goes  into
only one Mundane show, they would be able to send 20 shuttles to Mars
and back.
     It has now been two years since the release of the band's  debut
album, so the obvious question is, 'What will the new material  sound
like?' Vitor jokingly replies, "It is called _Suffersystem  II_."  He
laughs, referring to local Toronto  act  and  good  friends,  Monster
Voodoo Machine. "It kind of takes off where  Monster  Voodoo  Machine
left off." Then, on a more serious note, "No, the album was  supposed
to come out and now it is not anymore. The album is not going  to  go
through Raw Energy. Right now, what we are doing is shopping around a
four-song demo and trying to get some interest.  It  will  eventually
come out. Raw Energy was a stepping stone to get one  album  out.  It
was like, 'Yeah let's put an album out and see what happens.' It  got
our album out nationally, we had a tour, a few videos, and  that  was
it." He continues, "_Seed_ was what you  could  do  for  $2000.  I've
always told people how the album was only half finished before we had
to put it out. If we had had more time, the album  would  sound  much
different now. I look at _Seed_ as an old demo rather than an album."
He continues about the new album and  the  circumstances  surrounding
its release, "If it doesn't come out, then  we  may  release  an  EP,
because we have all  of  these  songs  already  written  and  we  are
starting to work on others. The reason being we may continue to write
and add three or four songs to our material and that is way too  much
material to have lying around." One important  thing  Vitor  mentions
about the new album is its emphasis on drum rhythms, at times  up  to
four or five tracks of drumming alone. "It is going to make  the  new
Sepultura record sound weak (laughs)."
     One major change the band has undergone in the past year is  the
loss of their drummer Drew Gauley.  The  experience  has  opened  the
band's eyes to how difficult it is to find  a  decent  drummer  in  a
short space of time. The result was that Vitor took on  the  duty  of
drums; "In the studio, there was a lot of  pressure  because  of  the
drum tracks, as well as the sound of the songs. We played songs  over
and over. After the drums, I did the percussion stuff  and  then  the
vocals. Needless to say, I was in the studio a lot." He adds, "I  get
sick if I go into the studio now. I'm just not comfortable  with  the
studio." About recording the album, "We recorded with Rob Sanzo again
with a lot more time put into this album. It sounds really  good.  So
far, we have spent two weeks making the album. Vocals are  done,  but
we still need the same amount of time to finish it up."
     Then the time came when the band had to head out to  Foundations
Forum in Los Angeles to play (a killer set!),  and  they  were  still
without a  drummer  and  couldn't  wait  any  longer.  Their  current
drummer, Scott (from local band Self), a long time  friend,  was  the
obvious choice. The band, however, knows what it's  like  to  have  a
member stolen from their ranks. "We were going to  Foundations  in  a
couple of weeks and auditioned all of these drummers and found it not
working out. We knew of Scott and had to make a move."
     Mundane, like so many other bands  out  there,  want  to  exhume
themselves from the burial of obscurity. The path  to  this  goal  is
obviously getting hooked up with the right label. "I  don't  think  I
would be comfortable or secure on a major label. Our material is  not
really that accessible. A major label goes out to get you fans before
you have fans - or before your album comes out. I'd rather  be  on  a
label that puts an album out, and then we go  out  and  get  our  own
fans." He continues, "For us to even become some sort of a  big  name
band, we need a good label behind us because we can only do  so  much
as a band. And then I hope things get a lot easier. It doesn't matter
how good you are, people always have this pre-conceived  notion  that
if you aren't signed, then you aren't worth checking out."
     With a bigger, bolder sound always comes the task of pulling the
material off in a live setting, something which Mundane  have  proved
beyond the shadow of a doubt they excel at. "We can pull it off,  but
the problem is that we play really fast. We are working on  it."  How
does the band feel playing live rather than canning their tunes in  a
studio? "Live is very different for us. We want to  sound  great  but
pull everything off. It is a different experience for us."
     Keep your eyes peeled for this band my friends. If you know good
music, then you will most  certainly  will  dig  Toronto's  very  own
Mundane.

Contact: MUNDANE (Vitor & Alex), 156 Argyle St.
         Toronto, Ont, Canada M6J-1P1
         Phone: (416) 532-3212

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        / ___/ /  ___ ____  / /_(_)___  / ___/ /  ___ _/ /_
       / /__/ _ \/ _ `/ _ \/ __/ / __/ / /__/ _ \/ _ `/ __/
       \___/_//_/\_,_/\___/\__/_/\__/  \___/_//_/\_,_/\__/
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                  / __/__ ___ ___ (_)__  ___  ___
                 _\ \/ -_|_-<(_-</ / _ \/ _ \(_-<
                /___/\__/___/___/_/\___/_//_/___/


This is the column where CoC sits down to have a  face  to  face,  no
holds barred conversation with  your  favorite  bands,  and  get  the
inside scoop into what's happening in their lives.


                 AT THE GATES' ALMIGHTY ACCLAIMATIONS
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           by: Brian Meloon

CoC: Let's start at the beginning; tell me about the  early  days  of
     the band, how you formed and so forth.

TL: Well, we started around 1990 in Gothenburg, Sweden, by  releasing
    our first mini-album on a small Swedish  independant  label.  And
    that kind of got us hooked up with  Peaceville;  after  that,  we
    released three albums with Peaceville, and that's  where  we  are
    today.

CoC: How'd you come up with the name 'At the Gates'. is there a story
     behind that? 

TL: No, it's just more like we played  around  with  some  words  and
    stuff like that, and it came around. I think it's a  pretty  good
    name, because people remember it. It sounds a bit more weird than
    most other death metal bands. And it's still got that death metal
    feel to it as well.

CoC: You've got five albums, including the first one. How many videos
     have you done?

TL: So far, we've done four videos, actually. We did one for "Kingdom
    Gone" from _The Red In the Sky Is Ours_, and then we had one  for
    "The  Burning  Darkness"  off  _With  Fear  I  Kiss  The  Burning
    Darkness_, and then we did the title track from _Terminal  Spirit
    Disease_, and now we just completed work  on  "Blinded  By  Fear"
    from _Slaughter of the Soul_. That's already  been  played  three
    times on the European Headbanger's Ball.

CoC: Is MTV Europe a good or bad thing?

TL: It's both good and bad. I mean, for us  it's  always  been  good,
    because we have a good relationship with them. But I  still  feel
    like they have no competition because it's only one  channel,  so
    they can pretty much rule. They pretty much control  which  bands
    are going to be big and stuff like that, and that's what's sad.

CoC: About your split with Peaceville, was that because you guys just
     grew out of the label? 

TL: Yeah, we did all three albums we were under contract to  do,  and
    when we came up to signing with them again, we didn't feel really
    comfortable, because Music For Nations had bought out  Peaceville
    in Europe. And that got us in a really weird situation,  so  we'd
    rather go with a label that really showed  interest  in  us,  and
    Earache really got 100% behind us.

CoC: So, tell me about your influences, both your past influences and
     what you're currently listening to.

TL: When we started out, we were experimenting a lot, and  trying  to
    be a little different on the first EP, _Gardens of Grief_, and on
    _TRitSIO_. I think we tried in a way to be the  King  Crimson  of
    death metal or something like that. We always listened  to  death
    metal all the way... all the old stuff: Insanity, Possessed, Dark
    Angel, stuff like that, stuff like Slayer and Judas  Preist  have
    always been an influence. Slayer and Judas  Priest  are  the  two
    favorite bands that we all have in common. Currently,  we  listen
    to a lot of different stuff. Some albums that  I've  gotten  into
    within the last month are the new Mindrot album which is  fucking
    awesome, and Neurosis, and stuff like  Assuck;  the  more  crusty
    things. And even some of the new death metal bands,  like  Seance
    totally bash it out, and I like the new Suffocation, and  there's
    also very different stuff that I get into.

CoC: Can you tell me about your lyrics, what inspires them?

TL: Well, on the new album, I've written all the lyrics for the first
    time. I've written every word, and they're very personal  to  me.
    It's something I really stand for. It's how I view my last couple
    years in life, and the world around me,  stuff  like  that.  It's
    pretty much critical towards society, government  control,  media
    control, that sort of thing.

CoC: Can you tell me what kind of transitions you made musically from
     _TSD_ to the new album? I noticed some experimentation going on.

TL: Well, the real change is that it's  even  more  straight  to  the
    point and more aggressive, and faster, but we  incorporated  some
    new ideas, some new song structures and stuff like that,  to  try
    and develop it. But the important thing for us is to  write  good
    songs. We concentrated really hard on that with this one.

CoC: Tell me about your vocal style, what inspired you to  sing  like
     that as it's not the usual death metal style?

TL: When I started out, who really got me started  singing  was  Jeff
    Picara (sic) from Possessed. That  was  my  ultimate  inspiration
    when I started. It's always been a  source  of  inspiration:  all
    singers that have a really desparate, aggressive voice  I  really
    like ... you know, like Pentagram. I like how they  go  over  the
    top, but you can still hear that they are controlled, that's what
    I try to do.

CoC: Can you tell me what your feelings are  about  the  death  metal
     scene in general? Is it dying? 

TL: Well, I've gotten a lot of questions about this over here in  the
    US. I've heard about this thing going about the decline of metal,
    the death of metal. Coming from Europe, that's horrible,  because
    in Europe, it's still a very huge scene and a  very  good  market
    for metal. I think it's just some big media people want  to  kill
    it off. I mean, there's still a good underground here in the  US;
    I see a lot of good bands and shit like that.
    
CoC: Yeah, there's still a  good  underground,  it's  just  that  the
     mainstream media doesn't take hold of it.

TL: Well, that's just it:  fuck  the  mainstream.  That's  what  it's
    always been about. I mean, that's why you can't kill death metal,
    because it's always been about the underground. If it was just  a
    fad, the big media would pick up on death metal for  awhile,  and
    then drop it,  and  we'd  say  fuck  it  we'll  go  back  to  the
    underground. They can have their Poison, their Skid Row.

CoC: Does the band have "day jobs?"

TL: No, we're committed to  the  band  now.  Since  we've  signed  to
    Earache, we have no spare time at all. We've been  rehearsing  so
    hard, and when I go back to Sweden again, I think I'll have  done
    like 200 interviews for this album. And the warm up shows now for
    the tour, and stuff like that, we rehearse so hard for those,  we
    rearrange the sets all the time. I don't really  think  about  my
    future after At The Gates, because that really scares me. This is
    what we want to do ... forever.

CoC: Are you familiar with the Internet? 

TL: A bit ... I don't have a  computer  myself,  but  at  a  friend's
    house, I've checked  it  out  a  few  times.  You're  doing  this
    interview for the Internet right? 

CoC: Yes, we're an e-mail zine.

TL: That's cool. I really like that it's starting  up,  because  it's
    time for us derelicts to infest that stuff  as  well.  I'm  doing
    three or four e-mail zines here right now actually.  It's  pretty
    cool, I've never done one before, but it's inspiring, really.

CoC: So, any final words for your fans across the world? 

TL: Well, thanks a lot for your support everybody. I mean,  we  would
    have never been here without you. This is the biggest step for us
    ever, to be on Earache, and we never would have been able  to  do
    that without the support of the  underground.  Never  forget  the
    underground. 


                            R E L E A S E 
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          Letting It All Out
                          by: Adrian Bromley

On the phone from San Francisco is singer/guitarist Aaron Zimpel, one
quarter of Bay Area's metal/rock quartet Release. Relaxed and  taking
time off to write new material for their follow-up to  their  Century
Media debut, _End Of The Light_ (out hopefully mid-96),  as  well  as
preparing for a tour, Zimpel (AZ) is eager to  do  this  whole  press
thing.

(Release is rounded out by: Gary Wendt (guitar), Nathan Harlow (bass)
and drummer Steve Kilgore.)
                                                                  
CoC: Seeing that the band released an album last May, a quick signing
     and release with Century Media, does 1996 (the future) look like
     an easy process for the band? 

AZ: Some things will be, other things will  be  harder.  Getting  the
    tour together and touring will be difficult, but it is  something
    we are really looking forward to doing. Plus we  are  going  into
    the studio knowing what we want to do with the new album/material
    we are working with. It will be a growing  but  exciting  process
    putting the album together. It should be a smooth year 'cause  we
    are moving at a smooth pace. It looks good.

CoC: The band radiates a very multi-influenced sound  throughout  the
     record. And upon reading the bio, it also allows me to  come  to
     the conclusion that the band has a very diverse intake with what
     the bandmembers listen to and what they bring to  the  sound  of
     Release. Is it hard to stick with one sound?

AZ: It flows very naturally for all of us. Everyone  has  a  bullshit
    detector. If something immediately doesn't sound right to someone
    we all speak up and it doesn't pass. It  surprises  me  how  much
    flows from us. Lots of bands have trouble writing. We have enough
    material for the new album, so by the time of  the  recording  we
    should have twice as much stuff.
          
CoC: How do you want the band to be perceived?

AZ: Just something slightly original. Something honest. Obviously  in
    quotation marks, we are a "metal band." I think we are dark  with
    soul in it, kind of moody as well. We are not trying to  be  this
    way (moody/expressive), it is just the way we are. [The music] is
    all real personal stuff too. I think the music  as  well  as  the
    words convey a kind of personal feeling.

CoC: Did the band ever think that they would  be  at  this  point  in
     their musical careers? Ever? 
                          
AZ: It was a sort of a goal to strive  for.  We  weren't  necessarily
    looking for a giant record deal,  and  when  this  label  signing
    [with Century Media] fell upon us, it was a great feeling. It has
    been fun and it has also been a lot of work for us because we  do
    everything ourselves - management, booking, etc ... It is  pretty
    gratifying to see a CD on the shelf, advertising  for  the  band,
    and doing press. It has been an interesting experience.
                                                               
CoC: Will the band ever change their music  style  to  meet  fame  or
     become more successful? 
                            
AZ: We won't do it. We have already gotten marked or pegged as  being
    kind of  rip-off  artists.  We  don't  necessarily  jump  on  any
    bandwagon. We all like various types of music, and as long as  we
    keep listening to that musical variety,  we  will  have  our  own
    sound and style. Maybe one day the scene will catch  up  with  us
    rather than us having to catch up to the scene.

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 ::::::|:|:|  :|  :::, :|   :|   `::/ `::| \::|  :|  :| `::/ :|:| >::>
                                     ,.:/

Here is where CoC gets the inside story on up-and-coming bands. Check
out this column for a variety of fresh, brutal groups.  Should you be
an aspiring band on your way to super-stardom,  send us your demo and
bio; our address is included in the zine's header.


                          Q U O   V A D I S 
                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                        by: Alain M. Gaudrault

In our last issue, Chronicles of Chaos reviewed a self-titled demo by
a Montreal-based  death  metal  outfit,  Quo  Vadis.  This  group  of
talented musicians is yet another example of  a  band  struggling  to
survive in today's fickle metal underground. The following  interview
with  Bart  Frydrychowicz,  Quo  Vadis'  guitarist/vocalist,   offers
insight into these metal hopefuls.

CoC: When did Quo Vadis first form?

QV: The band first came to being in 1992 as  a  result  of  a  school
    battle of the bands.

CoC: How did the current lineup come to be?

QV: Originally, the lineup included five members, and the band played
    mostly thrash covers. Due to  musical  differences,  two  of  the
    original members left the band (singer and bassist). As such, Quo
    Vadis remained unchanged for two years  pushing  towards  heavier
    overtones (and going through 17 bassists  in  the  process).  The
    arrival of our fourth permanent member, Remy  Beauchamp,  in  the
    summer of this year has had an almost catalytic effect, instantly
    resulting in the completion of our debut release.

CoC: What kind of musical training have the members of the band?

QV: All of us have some musical background, however Arie is the  only
    one with official musical training. He has been  studying  violin
    for 15 years, completing the McGill Conservatory of  Music.  Remy
    took piano for four years,  and  I  have  some  classical  guitar
    background as well.

CoC: How is songwriting approached?

QV: Musically, we come up with riffs and ideas, then  we  meet  as  a
    band, developing them into songs. One  of  the  reasons  for  our
    unique sound, in my opinion, is the fact that neither Arie or  me
    has the desire or patience to learn each other's riffs, resulting
    in both of us writing stuff that will sound good with  the  other
    guitar. In this way, we almost never play two identical lines but
    complimentary lines. I really like that. Also,  we  take  a  long
    time to complete each song, making sure none of the riffs we play
    ever get boring; if they do, it means  that  there  is  something
    wrong. Lyrically, we let one person take care  of  a  song  at  a
    time. This also reflects our pluralistic approach to the band ...
    everyone has a say. Everyone writes lyrics.

CoC: Is Quo Vadis just a release of creative  energy,  or  are  there
     plans of pursuing careers in music?

QV: It is both. We are under no pressure to succeed which gives us, I
    think, a different perspective on  things,  resulting  in  better
    material and more mature songs. That is not to say we  are  under
    no pressure. It is very difficult to juggle full-time  university
    studies and a very serious project like Quo Vadis. We are all  in
    sciences, which I  think  adds  another  angle  to  our  creative
    energies, since we are very often stressed  and  frustrated  with
    the workload. This aggression comes out especially during shows.

CoC: How has the _Quo Vadis_ demo fared thus far?

QV: We are very pleased with the response to our tape. We ran out  of
    tapes within the first three weeks, forcing us to order  500.  We
    just got the shipment last week. Our  goal  is  to  sell  over  a
    thousand copies before August 23rd (I wagered 2 pitchers that  we
    will). So far we're approximately a third of the way there.

CoC: Is your material well-accepted by Montreal audiences?

QV: Yes it is, in spite of the fact that the Montreal scene is geared
    mostly towards grind. The interesting thing is that most  of  the
    tapes  we  sell  is  through  word  of  mouth,  not  through  the
    traditional sites of distribution of  the  underground.  That  is
    probably due to the fact, as I said,  that  the  local  scene  is
    oriented towards Cannibal Corpse/Suffocation type of stuff.  I've
    been told more than once that we do not fit into the mold of  the
    Montreal scene. I am glad we don't.

CoC: How would you currently rate the Montreal metal scene?

QV: Very vibrant. There is a great attitude  of  bands  helping  each
    other out. No back stabbing. People are busting  their  balls  to
    make things happen and working very hard  to  keep  things  alive
    despite  the  general  lack  of  respect  from  club  owners  and
    promoters. There is no money in it and I think  that  people  are
    doing this out of their love for music. I think this is also  why
    the Montreal scene, in contrast to other parts of Canada, refuses
    to die. However, attendance at shows is small  for  local  bands.
    The whole scene in terms of an  audience  consists  of  the  same
    group of 500 people who support the locals and come to the shows.
    It is different for big-name bands of course.

CoC: Is it difficult for Quo Vadis to successfully play such  complex
     compositions in a live setting?

QV: We have no problems with  the  material  on  the  tape.  Our  new
    material is pushing  the  limits  of  our  technical  skills.  We
    incorporate violin and female vocals into  our  live  shows,  and
    especially on the new material,  this  requires  some  innovative
    approaches on how shows must be organized.

CoC: Has there been any label interest in the band so far?

QV: So far,  we've  been  contacted  by  one  small  label,  and  are
    currently trying to work something out  with  them.  We  have  no
    plans of contacting any labels on our own yet until we  establish
    ourselves in the underground first. They pay much more  attention
    to bands who have a strong backing.

A copy of their much recommended demo can be obtained  by  contacting
Bart at:

Contact: VomiT Productions, 2155 Prud'Homme #5
         Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H4A-3H3, Voice: (514) 369-1686
         Email: b_frydr@vega.concordia.ca, b_frydr@alcor.concordia.ca

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                |      <|  -__|  __|  _  |   _|  _  |
                |___|__||_____|____|_____|__| |_____|
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  |   __ \.-----.--.--.-----.|  |.---.-.|  |_|__|.-----.-----.-----.
  |      <|  -__|  |  |  -__||  ||  _  ||   _|  ||  _  |     |__ --|
  |___|__||_____|\___/|_____||__||___._||____|__||_____|__|__|_____|

This is where we rant, rave, and rip apart albums. Check  this  column
every month for the scoop on the latest in heavy hand-outs.

Scoring:  10 out of 10 -- If there was ever a perfect CD, this is it!
           8 out of 10 -- A great piece of metallic mayhem
           6 out of 10 -- Not too bad of an album
           4 out of 10 -- You are treading in dangerous waters
           2 out of 10 -- If you like this, you are fucked!
           0 out of 10 -- My shit can put out better music than this!


Six Feet Under - _Haunted_  (Roadrunner/Attic, Oct 1995)
by: Gino Filicetti  (7 out of 10)

After long last, I finally got my hands on this CD which I  had  been
frothing at the mouth for since the word spread on the  side  project
of Obituary's  guitar  genius,  Allen  West,  and  Cannibal  Corpse's
mastermind  Chris  Barnes.  Fittingly  named,  Six  Feet  Under  have
produced an album of unreal wizardry and genius that many  people  in
today's scene quickly peg as being mediocre. Before hearing  anything
from this band, I caught wind of many rumors spreading  around  about
the foursome. For the most part, they were described as "Obituary  on
drugs." However, as soon as I got a hold  of  one  of  their  tracks,
"Lycanthropy", I was very impressed  to  say  the  least,  sure  it's
simple, but since when does technicality equal excellence?  Certainly
not in my book. The first thing I noticed on this release was Barnes'
vocal approach. I was never a big fan of  Cannibal  Corpse,  and  I'm
still not, the main reason being that I despised Chris Barnes' voice.
But on this outing, Barnes seems to have lightened up his voice a bit
(that's still not saying much), and made it more accessible. I'm sure
that many of you hardcore Cannibal Corpse fans will not  be  pleased,
but I think that THIS is what Barnes should  have  sounded  like  all
along. The other big name in this band  is  of  course  the  immortal
Allen West of Obituary. The music on this  outing  is  similar  in  a
multitude  of  ways  to  Obituary,  but  it  does  possess  something
undeniably different and original about it. The speed, for one thing,
is a big change. Six Feet Under have  mastered  the  world  of  slow,
chugging death metal that will rip your body apart  from  the  inside
out. I did notice one riff from "Beneath A Black  Sky"  which  sounds
exactly like the riff  Obituary  used  practically  throughout  their
entire _The End Complete_ album; I was disappointed to say the  least
but I was expecting similarities to pop up. My favorite track  is  by
far  "Lycanthropy."  The  lyrics  here  seem  to   be   the   typical
gore-infested travesties that have come to signify the writing  style
of Chris Barnes, however a few tracks like, "Tommorow's  Victim"  and
"Human Target" break away from the  blood  'n  guts,  guts  'n  blood
mentality of Barnes. All in all, a solid album even if most people in
today's metal world think it's boring and repetitive.  I'll  probably
be one of the few who actually think it's a great achievement for two
influencial death metallers.


At the Gates - _Slaughter of the Soul_  (Earache, Nov 1995)
by: Brian Meloon  (7 out of 10)

It should suffice to say the following: if you liked _Terminal Spirit
Disease_, you'll like this, and if  you  didn't,  it  probably  won't
change your mind. There are a few new things this time  around,  such
as playing with feedback, more guitar solos, and some keyboards,  but
mostly, this outing sticks to the style of _TSD_. The main change  is
that this is more to the straight death metal/rock  side  than  their
previous releases, with less melodic stuff and "wetter" guitar tones.
Tomas's vocals are still very "rabid" this  time  around.  He  sounds
like he's foaming at the mouth in a couple of places. There  are  two
instrumentals here, both a different style than "The  Scar"  or  "And
the World Returns"; one is  a  more  typical-sounding  slow  acoustic
number (mostly clean arpeggios), and  the  other  features  keyboards
heavily, and brings in distorted guitars near the end. Both are nice,
but I prefer their older, more unique style. The production is pretty
good, but I don't really go for the  guitar  tone;  it's  too  "death
rock" for me. There are eleven tracks here, with the longest clocking
in at 3:52, and the shortest 2:12, but most right around 3:00, making
it a little difficult to get into the songs, since they're over right
away. But, while this is a little behind  _TSD_,  it's  still  pretty
good. 


Exit 13 - _... Just A Few More Hits_  (Relapse, Oct 1995)
by: Gino Filicetti  (7 out of 10)

I have been waiting to hear Exit 13's material for so long,  I  found
it somewhat unreal that I was actually putting this CD in my  player.
As my finger approached the play  button,  I  felt  the  anticipation
build inside of me of actually listening to a WHOLE Exit  13  CD!.  I
was first exposed to Exit 13 with a few of  their  sample  tracks  on
Relapse's UHF/VHF compilation, and I had heard  from  more  than  one
reliable source that Exit 13 were absolutely fucking  amazing,  so  I
put on the CD and was blown away with the  intro  sample  of  someone
getting into their car and peeling  away  at  MAXIMUM  VOLUME.  After
that, I knew this was going to be killer.  The  CD  starts  out  with
"Legalize Hemp Now (Radio Edit)" (sure! as if any radio station would
have the balls to play it!). The music is extremely  catchy,  with  a
low-tuned bass sound and high- pitched guitar chords which  make  the
music  weirdly  appealing.  The  vocals  throughout  this  album  are
constantly changing, something for which I have undying respect.  The
next song, "A Man And His Lawnmower" is a Dead Kennedy's cover.  Bill
is back to his extremely vicious  and  ultimately  cool  screams  and
screeches. After this is one of my favorite  tracks  on  this  album,
"Oral Fixation", which  is  about  the  unforgettable  experience  of
ultimately satisfying women. The vocals this time are of a mid-range,
growl/talk type with the rhythm section  grinding  the  way  they  do
best. Next is my  other  favorite  track,  "Constant  Persistence  of
Annoyance". An expertly written tale of  dealing  with  someone  that
absolutely bugs the shit out of you. The next  two  tracks  are  very
experimental ambient/noise deals, with the  last  track  "Snakes  and
Alligators" eating up a whole 21:49 minutes of the CD!! Definitely  a
great album which makes me infinitely more curious  and  anxious  for
this band's next release.


Unanimated - _Ancient God of Evil_  (No Fashion, Summer 1995)
by: Brian Meloon  (5 out of 10)

This was billed as  "Dissection-like,"  and  I  can  see  where  that
comparison  could  be  made,  but  this  is  not  as  good  as   _The
Somberlain_. Basically, I'd describe this release as a cross  between
melodic black metal (Dissection, Sacramentum) and bluesy rock'n'roll.
It's a mixture that really doesn't go together  well,  sort  of  like
toothpaste and orange juice. Reminiscent of At the  Gates'  _Terminal
Spirit  Disease_,  but  with  more  extreme   varieties   of   bluesy
rock'n'roll, and black metal. The worst part are  the  guitar  solos,
which are very standard bluesy rock (is that a wah-wah I hear?),  and
really clash with the melodic, tonal  background  music.  That  said,
this isn't really bad if you remove the guitar solos. The rock  stuff
is banal, but doesn't  ruin  the  disc  by  itself.  The  production,
playing, and packaging are good, so if you  don't  mind  (or  if  you
actually like) hard rock and lighter black metal, give this a shot. 


Soulgrind - _LaDiT A.D. 1999: BIHttPotB_  (M.M.I. Records, Apr 1995)
by: Gino Filicetti  (8 out of 10)

First off let me take a minute to  expand  this  album's  title.  The
full, complete, un-acronymed name of this release is _Lust and  Death
in  Tuonela  A.D.  1999:  Black  Industrial  Holocaust  through   the
Pandemonium of the Bizarre_. Strange? You don't know the half of  it.
Hailing from the frozen expanses of black metal's premiere  homeland,
Finland, comes Soulgrind, "the avantgarde hymn of  reborn  chaos  and
depression" (according to  their  adjective-excessive  bio).  The  CD
starts off with a number called "Introitus, Nostradamus  1999"  which
begins as a classical/gospel sounding, happy happy, joy joy type song
with birds tweeting in the background alongside children playing, and
all of a sudden, when you didn't think life could get any better than
this,  comes  The  Armaggeddon.  The  second  track,   my   favorite,
establishes the mood and style of the rest of the CD. With a constant
switch from light to heavy doom, "Black Orchid" proves to be original
in the face of the current trend in stagnation that is plaguing black
metal today. The vocals are some of the best I've  heard  in  a  long
while. Utilizing both the higher and lower range of aural agony,  the
vocalist gets his point across exceptionally well. The  entire  album
is as unpredictable as chaos  theory  with  its  plethora  of  random
sounds, samples and noises, to its surprising tempo changes, and  the
good dose of haunting female vox thrown in for  good  measure.  Other
notable tracks include "Elaman Keirre (Spin of Life)" which  is  sung
completely in Finnish, and "The Pandemonium of the Bizarre" which  is
an unconceivable ambient/classical mix of epic  proportions.  If  you
are a fan of black metal that leans towards death and doom,  this  CD
is DEFINITELY for you.

Contact: M.M.I. RECORDS, c/o Markus Woeste
         Heerstrasse 77, 58553 Halver, Germany
         Tel/Fax: +49(0)2353-137159


Dead Orchestra - _Sounds Like Time Tastes_  (Choke Hit Records, 1995)
by Gino Filicetti  (6 out of 10)

This CD was nothing more than a leftover from Foundations  Forum.  It
was one of many in my HUGE pile of music that Adrian  picked  up  for
me, and when I first reviewed stuff, it didn't grab my attention,  so
I just skipped over it. Then one fateful night, I was looking at  it,
and decided, what the fuck, I'll give it a whirl. And whirl it I did.
What I heard absolutely impressed  me  to  no  end,  and  I  couldn't
believe that I was just going to let  this  CD  fade  into  obscurity
under the heaps of dust that now cover a lot of my CD collection. The
first thing that is noticed when listening to Dead Orchestra  is  the
sound of their vocalist's throat. I could have sworn on my grave that
I was listening to  Oderus  Urungus  from  GWAR.  But  the  music  is
definitely nothing close to a rip-off of  GWAR.  The  music  on  this
release is very much influenced by a lot of old  school  thrash,  but
has a  certain  essential  groove  element  that  keeps  it  free  of
stagnation. The lyrics on this album are amazingly very  serious  and
to the point, which  proves  shocking  to  someone  with  the  mental
picture of GWAR in their mind. My favorite track  by  far  is  "Satan
Loves   Me",   a   well-   written,   sarcastic   song   about    the
misinterpretations  many  people  have  about  non-religious  people.
Altogether, a great album which surprisingly enough was  recorded  at
Morrisound Studios (Obituary, Suffocation). Definitely  something  to
pick up if borderline 90's thrash is your taste.

Contact: CHOKE HIT RECORDS, PO Box 11548
         Wichita, KS, USA 67202


Mindrot - _Dawning_ (Relapse/Nuclear Blast, Oct 1995)
by: Adrian Bromley  (8 out of 10)

Bassist Matt Fisher said that with _Dawning_ (their debut album), the
band was trying to show that "there  is  more  to  metal  music  than
blood, guts and Beavis And Butthead." True are his words. With  their
emotionally packed album _Dawning_, Mindrot draws the listener into a
state of mind that is stunned, neutralized, and forced to  deal  with
pressures provided by  pain,  love,  hatred,  and  fear.  This  is  a
powerful onslaught of emotionally charged material that delivers pure
riveting doses of musical mayhem. From the  opening  title  track  to
"Across Vast Oceans", _Dawning_ is solid music. The band  manages  to
develop a rapport with the listener, allowing them to judge  how  the
music is to be taken in, but given only limited ways of doing so.  As
if they have you cornered with only two possible ways out,  that  too
is the way songs like "Burden", "Forlorn", and "Anguish"  are  to  be
dealt with. Will you see these musical offerings  in  their  eyes  or
your own? It's up  to  you.  Loud,  abrasive,  and  cruel  at  times,
_Dawning_ is atmospheric  poetry,  music  for  the  thinker  and  the
believer. _Dawning_ is purity that displays itself  as  an  uncertain
lump of emotions to be sorted out.


Dissection - _Storm Of The Light's Bane_
by: Adrian Bromley  (6 out of 10)  (Nuclear Blast/Relapse, Oct 1995)

Kind of like a cross between Carcass  and  early  Dickinson-era  Iron
Maiden (with death metal vocals), Dissection's  sophomore  effort  (a
follow-up to 1992's _The Somberlain_) is worthy of the attention that
it is attaining in Europe. Stronger than their  previous  effort,  in
regards to  strong  production  and  more  experience  shown  through
songwriting, Dissection's album develops an atmospheric  campaign  as
it carries on. The listener is drawn into a world of music and images
with the lyrics and the music both downright brutal  ("Retribution  -
Storm of the Light's Bane") and well-done pieces of musicianship i.e.
"No Dreams Breathe in Breathless Sleep" or "Unshallowed". This  album
displays a lot of what seems to be circulating  in  the  metal  genre
market nowadays, and as that may be seen as a bad  thing,  Dissection
manages to add just a bit of their  own  sound  within  a  very  much
standard-like direction and sound. Other tracks to note are the great
opener "At The Fathomless  Depths"  and  the  speed-like  assault  of
"Thorns Of Crimson Death". Standard  European  metal?  Sure,  but  at
least it paints a somewhat different picture that we can all look  at
for some time before we go onto the next one.


g/z/r - _Plastic Planet_  (TVT, Oct 1995)
by: Alain M. Gaudrault  (7 out of 10)

Being a huge Black Sabbath fan, I just  couldn't  resist  picking  up
this Geezer Butler side project. This is easily the heaviest  release
ever produced by any member of his former group. He's hooked up  with
Deen Castronovo on drums (who also appears on Ozzy Osbourne's latest,
_Ozzmosis_), Pedro Howse on guitars, and Burton C.  Bell  on  vocals.
Fans of Fear Factory will recognize Bell's name, and  are  encouraged
to  give  this  album  a  listen.  While  the  songs  have  a  modern
metal/industrial feel, Sabbath  stylings  appear  throughout.  Bell's
vocals are more melodic than  they  are  on  any  of  Fear  Factory's
releases, and give the songs an almost gothic  touch.  Unfortunately,
the melodies don't sound distinct enough from one song to another  to
make them stand out, which is my main beef with this album.  Geezer's
bass is fortunately prominent and adds greatly to the overall  sound,
which is surprisingly fresh and interesting, seeing as  Butler's  not
done much else than Black Sabbath for the last 25 years. In fact,  he
is credited for both music (with Howse) and lyrics. _Plastic  Planet_
is a valiant effort from a pioneer in heavy metal,  but  readers  are
cautioned to give it a listen before buying, as it won't  necessarily
appeal to ALL Sabbath/Ozzy fans, or Fear Factory fans.


Life Of Agony - _Ugly_ (Roadrunner, Oct 1995)
by: Adrian Bromley  (4 out of 10)
   
There are  those  sophomore  albums  by  bands  that  fall  into  the
"triumphant" category,  and  there  are  those  that  fall  into  the
"disappointment" category. But what about those that  walk  the  fine
line between those two options? Are they poor showings of improvement
and growth? Average sources of material not meeting the  expectations
of true fans? Well with _Ugly_, Brooklyn's four-piece known  as  Life
Of Agony have found themselves walking that ever so popular line  and
are in for quite a trip  this  year.  Losing  quite  a  bit  of  that
hardcore/metallic element that made their 1992 debut _River Runs Red_
so brilliant, this time around, though still  with  hard  grooves  in
place, LOA run wild with soft choruses, melody, and  translucent  yet
mesmerizing guitar bits and pieces  that  mold  _Ugly_  into  a  very
(gulp...) alternative album. Sure, this album  lacks  the  steam  and
energy displayed with their debut, but with that notion aside,  there
are still good cuts, ie: "Lost At 22", "Unstable", and the groove  of
"Fears". True, this album may make LOA lose fans, but the one winning
quality is the extremely addictive tones displayed by the grooves  of
guitarist Joey Z. Hey, something has got to keep this  album  afloat,
right? 


Voivod - _Negatron_  (Hypnotic, Oct 1995)
by: Adrian Bromley  (8 out of 10)

Not a really huge fan of Voivod in the past - actually never really a
fan except for that cool Pink Floyd cover - but I  can  honestly  say
"Now  I  Am!!!"  Hitting  you  like  a  ton  of  bricks  with   first
number/single,   "Insects",   Voivod's   latest   effort   _Negatron_
(featuring new singer, Toronto native Eric Forrest)  seems  to  stray
some distance from this Montreal-based three-piece's previous musical
styles. GOOD! With a vicious, lion-like roar, _Negatron_ shreds  with
the heavies and seems reluctant  to  let  go  throughout  the  album.
Taking on a  strong  resemblance  to  Max  Cavalera's/Alex  Newport's
side-project Nailbomb at times (mixed with classic Voivod-isms),  the
music generated on this  ten-song  offering  doesn't  lose  momentum,
taking on bigger, stronger shapes and forms as the album continues to
play on. Title track, "Project X", "Meteor", and "Cosmic  Conspiracy"
are guilty of fueling the fire bestowed by this revamped Voivod.  New
singer, new direction and new sound, Voivod finally finds  refuge  on
my CD shelf. Sometimes change is  good,  sometimes  it  is  bad.  For
Voivod it was needed. 

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Your best source of information on the newest of the  new,   and  the
lowest of the underground, New Noise is  the place to  read about all
the coolest  shit you never  thought existed! And if you have a band,
don't  forget to  send us your  demo  with a  bio if you  want  to be
reviewed; our address is included in the zine's header.


Filthboy - _Whatever You Wanna Call It_  (Home Video - 3 videos)
by: Gino Filicetti

When I first heard from Buzzy (guitarist) that Filthboy  was  putting
together a home video compilation of their three,  count  'em,  THREE
videos, I didn't know what to expect.  At  first,  I  was  MORE  than
surprised that this band actually had a video, never  mind  THREE  of
them. It doesn't surprise me much anymore, because if  there  is  any
indie band capable of pulling off such a feat, it  is  Filthboy.  The
beginning of the tape starts out with  the  boys  talking  about  how
Filthboy was formed, and how their videos came about, all  the  while
being completely hammered out of their minds. The first  video  shown
is for "Turncoat Angel", which was filmed  with  support  from  their
previous label, Putrid  Mind  Records.  This  video  shows  the  band
jamming in their rehearsal space, as well as frolicking  through  the
local graveyard. The second video for "Standing Still"  was  done  by
Kevin and Buzzy themselves, and features Kevin posing as a mad axeman
raving on and on to himself. The final video, and the first one  ever
made, is for "My Deadly Wish". In my opinion, this  video  takes  the
cake. The Filthboys strongly disagree, but I still insist it  is.  It
has live footage from their first ever gig, and has the video  strobe
effects going which I think give it a good professional feel. At this
point, the home video ends with "Ever the  Villain"  playing  through
the credits. One disappointment is that the  blooper  reel  the  guys
compiled did not come through in the  final  cut  after  the  credits
where it should be. However, this video makes for more than  a  solid
effort on behalf of the band, and a good chance for people to  get  a
visual glimpse into their sick and twisted minds.

Contact: FILTHBOY, c/o Buzzy Beck, 1616 McFarland Rd.
         Dormont, PA, 15216, USA
         Voice: (412) 343-4198, Email: hate@telerama.lm.com


Lethargy - _Humor Me, You Funny Little Man_  (5 track demo)
by: Brian Meloon

This is the best thing I've heard in the last six months, and it goes
right at the top of my list of the best recordings (so far) of  1995.
It sounds a lot like Embryonic Death's _Stream Of Solidarity..._ demo
(1993), which I've described as a quirky version  of  Atheist,  maybe
like Atheist mixed with Demilich  and  some  Primus-like  quirkiness.
Actually, this is goofy on two fronts: at  times,  the  melodies  are
"silly" (hence the Primus reference), and at others, the music is  so
complex and technical that it's silly (like Sieges Even,  Watchtower,
Atheist). The vocalist really sounds a lot like Chuck Schuldiner  (on
_Symbolic_ especially), which fits the music  very  nicely.  Speaking
again of the music, there's really a lot going  on  here:  riffs  all
over the place, lots of varying tempos and time sigs, dense drumming,
yet the playing is really tight, and even the blast beats sound good.
The guitarwork is also impressive as the harmonized parts really  add
a lot to the overall sound. The production is really  good  too.  The
only (very minor) problem I see is with the packaging. I'm not really
totally sure this is going to be released, but be sure  to  write  to
them, and be patient (and include an  SASE  or  IRC!)  since  they're
lazy. So lazy, in fact, that they actually didn't  have  any  J-cards
printed up for this demo.

Contact:  Lethargy, P.O. Box 13693, 
          Rochester, NY, 14613-0693


Destroyer - _Destroyer_  (4 track demo)
by: Alain M. Gaudrault

One word describes this recording: poor. Poor recording, poor vocals,
poor musicianship, Texas-based Destroyer has it all. Basically, these
guys just aren't ready for prime time. The  vocalist  can't  carry  a
melody, and while the lyrics attempt to  be  somewhat  profound,  the
accompanying music is far too  simple  and  reminiscent  of  bad  80s
metal. Tempo changes are just too forced, not fluid  enough  to  make
the song seem like a cohesive structure.  While  the  guitar  playing
leaves much to be desired, I'm told that their 16-year old axeman was
out all night before walking into the studio to put down the songs on
tape. I don't buy it, even after listening to the live  cut  appended
at the end to display his true skill. Not much  else  to  say  except
"keep trying, guys."

Contact: psy_tcs@hal.lamar.edu, pbkl81a@prodigy.com
         kblc35a@prodigy.com
         

Maelstrom - _Eye of the Storm_  (8 track demo)
by: Alain M. Gaudrault

Who'd have thought that anybody would have the balls  to  release  an
instrumental demo? Maelstrom have done just that, producing  a  quite
impressive product, a "concept demo album" as the band puts  it.  The
idea was to do something that had not previously been  done,  and  to
possibly involve listeners by encouraging them  to  write  their  own
lyrics, or even to jam along with  one's  favourite  instrument.  How
successful are they in their endeavour? Methinks they've listened  to
one too many Judas Priest albums. If you've got Rob Halford's  pipes,
by all means, get your hands on a copy of _Eye of the Storm_ and wail
away. While the Tipton/Downing influence is great, most of the  solos
are  very  neo-classical,  a  la  Ygnwie  Malmsteen;  and  yes,  this
combination  of  styles  does  work.  The  songs  are  actually  very
enjoyable, and the riffs even occasionally memorable, which is saying
a lot for an instrumental album. Unfortunately, I just don't consider
Maelstrom on par in terms of  musicianship  with  their  two  primary
musical influences. The drums and bass are  particularly  unexciting,
leaving guitars as the single source of appeal. Nonetheless, a  solid
effort,  indicative  of  their  determination   to   be   heard   and
appreciated, and possible good things to come. Their next release  is
said to  be  heavier  and  will  feature  a  full  lineup,  including
vocalist. For fans of hard-driving  heavy  metal,  this  is  worth  a
listen, although its appeal may be limited these days.

Contact: Maelstrom c/o RawSound Records, 10200 USA Today Way
         Miramar, Florida 33025
         e-mail: rawsndrec@aol.com

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   L E T   T H E   M A D N E S S   B E G I N   O N C E   A G A I N
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     Ozzy Osbourne at The Warehouse in Toronto, October 10, 1995
                        by: Alain M. Gaudrault

     Ozzy  Osbourne,  former  frontman  for  the  once-mighty   Black
Sabbath, is showing the world in his own inimitable way that,  as  he
puts it, "retirement sucks." Ozzy's previous tour was touted as being
his last, the "No More Tours" tour, in support of  his  then  current
release _No More Tears_. Restless and bored, the madman of  rock  and
roll  put  together  a  promotional  tour  in  anticipation  of   his
forthcoming release, _Ozzmosis_. Only appearing in small  venues  and
clubs, and playing his most popular material,  this  is  a  mini-tour
strictly for the fans.
     As he has done in the past with groups such as Motley Crue,  and
most notably Metallica, Ozzy has brought along an opening  act  which
he  feels  has  great   potential   for   major   success.   American
death/industrial crossover act Fear Factory were the lucky recipients
of this prized slot. Their 45-minute set showcased songs off both  of
their full-length albums although  more  emphasis  on  their  latest,
_Demanufacture_, was to be expected. While  energetic  and  raw,  the
performance seemed not quite as focused as it has been in  the  past.
This is perhaps due to the utter lack of audience feedback  to  their
material, other than the occasional "we want Ozzy" bellows. Ozzy fans
have been known to be rather intolerant  of  opening  acts,  and  the
crowd at the Warehouse  was  no  different.  Few  cheers  and  little
applause were all the thanks Fear Factory received before leaving the
stage.
     Of  course,  the  crowd  was  eagerly  anticipating  those  four
trademark words ushering in another evening of musical  mayhem:  "Let
the madness begin." Ozzy, ever the comedian, started the show with  a
video montage of himself spliced into various bits of film, including
"Forrest Gump" and music clip footage  of  Elvis,  The  Beatles,  and
Madonna,  among  others.  This  served  only  to  build  the  crowd's
anticipation which exploded as Ozzy hit the stage,  sporting  both  a
hot new guitar player, and a legendary  bassist,  the  ever-enigmatic
Geezer Butler, also of Black Sabbath  fame.  The  set  list  included
Ozzy's greatest hits such as  "Crazy  Train,"  "Flying  High  Again,"
"Bark at the Moon," and his most recent hit, "Mama I'm Coming  Home."
Featured also were such Black Sabbath classics as "Iron Man,"  "Sweet
Leaf," and "War Pigs." In fact, a full third of the show consisted of
Sabbath tunes, not surprising since half of the band is comprised  of
ex-Black Sabbath members! 
     While Ozzy may not have the  greatest  singing  voice,  he  sure
knows how to pen a memorable hook, and goad his audience into a manic
frenzy. And the latter he did at the Warehouse. The energy level  was
high from beginning to end, letting up momentarily for  ballads  such
as "Goodbye to Romance" and "Mama  I'm  Coming  Home."  Ozzy  himself
seemed to be having a damn good  time,  and  looked  in  much  better
physical condition than he did in the mid-1980s.  The  man  is  lean,
mean, and ready to assault fans with yet another slab of goodies with
the upcoming _Ozzmosis_. Should he come through your area in  support
of the album, I highly recommend checking it out, even  if  only  for
that warm, fuzzy feeling we all get when listening to those  immortal
songs from his previous band.

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            W H A T   W E   H A V E   C R A N K E D ! ! !
            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gino's Top 5

1. Monster Magnet - _Superjudge_
2. Mundane - _Seed_
3. Six Feet Under - _Haunted_
4. Monster Magnet - _Dopes to Infinity_
5. Samael - _1987 - 1992_ (Double CD compilation of _Worship Him_
                           and _Blood Ritual_)

Adrian's Top 5

1. Cathedral - _The Carnival Bizarre_
2. Monster Voodoo Machine - _Burn_ (EP)
3. Mindrot - _Dawning_
4. Sepultura - _Chaos A.D._
5. Filthboy - _Filthboy_ (demo)

Brian's Top 5

1. Lethargy - _Humor Me, You Funny Little Man_ (demo)
2. Nocturnus - _Nocturnus_ (7")
3. Sacramentum - _Finis Malorum_
4. Dissection - _The Somberlain_
5. Alchemist - _Lunasphere_

Alain's Top 5

1. King Diamond - _The Spider's Lullabye_
2. Alice Cooper - _Dada_
3. Ozzy Osbourne - _Ozzmosis_
4. g/z/r - _Plastic Planet_
5. Mundane - _Seed_

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                     T H E   F I N A L   W O R D
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So here you go everyone, Chronicles of Chaos #4,  done  and  gone.  I
must apologize for its lateness, but  this  past  week  has  been  so
hectic and full of work, school, work, and more school. Did I mention
work? I never thought  this  issue  was  going  to  be  so  huge!  It
surprised the fuck out of me, and it just took that much more time to
complete. But I'm sure all of you  don't  mind.  I  guess  it's  much
better to have a late Chronicles of Chaos, than a short  little  shit
Chronicles of Chaos. As you all should know by now, CoC's  subscriber
list is over 400 people strong worldwide, and should be over  420  by
the time you get this! All I can say is, "See?  I  knew  we'd  be  up
another hundred since the last issue." Let's just hope that we'll  be
past the 500 mark for CoC #5! We are already in the process of lining
shit up for the next issue, and it looks  very  promising,  so  enjoy
this one, boys and girls.  Take  your  time,  read  through  it,  and
hopefully you'll be done by the time CoC #5 is released! :)
     -- Gino Filicetti

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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #4
