           )   ___                                             
          (__/_____) /)               ,     /)              /) 
            /       (/   __  _____      _  //  _  _     ___//  
           /        / )_/ (_(_) / (__(_(__(/__(/_/_)_  (_)/(_  
          (______)                                       /)    
                                                        (/     
                         )   ___                  
                        (__/_____) /)             
                          /       (/   _   ___ _  
                         /        / )_(_(_(_) /_)_
                        (______)                  

       CHRONICLES OF CHAOS E-Zine, July 14, 1997, Issue #22

Editor-in-Chief: Gino Filicetti <mailto:ginof@interlog.com>
Coordinator: Adrian Bromley <mailto:energizr@interlog.com>
Assistant Editor: Alain M. Gaudrault <mailto:alain@mks.com>
Contributor: Brian Meloon <mailto:bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>
Contributor: Steve Hoeltzel <mailto:hoeltzel@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>
Contributor: Adam Wasylyk <mailto:macabre@interlog.com>
Contributor: Drew Schinzel <mailto:drew@magpage.com>
Contributor: Andrew Lewandowski <mailto:kmvb73c@prodigy.com>
Contributor: Pedro Azevedo <mailto:leic97@tom.fe.up.pt>
Mailing List provided by: The University of Colorado at Boulder

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

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.  If  you'd  be
interested   in   writing   for   CoC,   drop   us    a    line    at
mailto:ginof@interlog.com. Concert reviews  are  especially  welcome,
but please bear in mind that we cannot  accept  every  submission  we
receive."

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may subscribe to Chronicles of Chaos at any  time  by  sending  a
message with "coc subscribe <your_name_here>" in the SUBJECT of  your
message to <mailto:ginof@interlog.com>. Please note that this command
must NOT be sent to the list address <coc-ezine@lists.colorado.edu>.

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.interlog.com/~ginof/coc.html. If you  have  any
comments    or    suggestions,    please    e-mail    Brian    Meloon
<mailto:bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>.

FTP ARCHIVE
~~~~~~~~~~~
All of our back issues and various other Chronicles of Chaos  related
files are stored in the e-zine archive at ftp.etext.org.  Connect  to
this  site  using  your   favorite   FTP   program   and   chdir   to
/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos. For a description of each file  in  the
archive, check out the README file. You  can  also  reach  this  site
through     a     web     browser     by     pointing     it      at:
ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos.

AUTOMATIC FILESERVER
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All back issues and various other CoC related files are available for
automatic retrieval through our e-mail fileserver. All you have to do
is  send  a  message  to  us  at   <mailto:ginof@interlog.com>.   The
'Subject:' field of your message must read: "send file X"  where  'X'
is the name of the requested file. Back  issues  are  named  'coc-n',
where 'n' is the  issue  number.  For  a  description  of  all  files
available through this fileserver, request 'list'.  Remember  to  use
lowercase letters for all file names. If you experience any  problems
or are having difficulty, feel free to e-mail us  the  usual  way  at
<mailto:ginof@interlog.com>.

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

Issue #22 Contents, 7/14/97
---------------------------
* Editorial
* Loud Letters
* Ferocious Features
-- Geezer Butler: The Science of Heaviness
-- Hanzel und Gretyl: Children for Breakfast
* Chaotic Chat Sessions
-- Thy Serpent: Ophidian Oration
-- Theatre of Tragedy: "If Light Be The Brightest Light..."
-- Dominion: Interfacing
* Record Revelations
-- Abhorrent - _Rage_
-- Acrimony - _Tumuli Shroomaroom_
-- Amber Asylum - _The Natural Philosophy of Love_
-- Arcana - _Cantar De Procella_ / _Lizabeth_ EP
-- Various - _Awakenings: Females in Extreme Music_
-- Big Top Karma - _Contagious Bacteria_
-- Various - _A Black Mark Tribute_
-- Crown of Thorns - _Eternal Death_
-- Damnation - _Rebel Souls_
-- Dark Tranquillity - _The Mind's I_
-- Deafness - _Oppressing the Silence_
-- Dimmu Borgir - _Enthrone Darkness Triumphant_
-- Dissecting Table - _Dead Body and Me_
-- Emperor - _Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk_
-- GWAR - _Carnival of Chaos_
-- Hell-Born - _Hell-Born_
-- Hocico - _Odio Bajo del Alma_
-- Ildrost - _High_
-- Incantation - _The Forsaken Mourning of Angelic Anguish_
-- Intestine Baalism - _An Anatomy of the Beast_
-- Lake of Tears - _A Crimson Cosmos_
-- Makina - _Chorizo_
-- Megadeth - _Cryptic Writings_
-- Melechesh - _As Jerusalem Burns... Al'Intisar_
-- Mortal Remains - _No Cash Flow_
-- Satanic Slaughter - _Land of the Unholy Souls_
-- Siebenburgen - _Loreia_
-- ...The Soil Bleeds Black - _The Kingdom and Its Fey_
-- Soma - _Stygian Vistas_
-- Summoning - _Nightshade Forests_
-- Testament - _Demonic_
-- Thy Serpent - _Lords of Twilight_  
-- Various - _The Kanada Compilation_
* New Noise
-- 34-D - _34-D_
-- Ambivalent Fluxation/Amish Mafia
-- Cromm Cruiach - _Cromm Cruiach_
-- Drag Pack - _Drag Pack_
-- Ember - _Chapter II: The Gate..._
-- Hologram - _Into the Hologram_
-- Lucifer - _Lucifer_
-- Manic - _Recollection of What Never Was..._
-- Meth - _Legacy of Vikings_
* Chaotic Concerts
-- An Endless Night of Wicked Misery: Infernal Majesty with Endless
-- Be Afraid, Be Very Very Afraid: Type O Negative with Fear Factory
-- Double-Oh-Orange: Agent Orange with Mess and Swindle
* What We Have Cranked
* The Final Word

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

                          E D I T O R I A L
                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          by: Gino Filicetti

     Well people, we're back, and only one month to go before we  can
officially  celebrate  our  second  anniversary.  From   our   measly
beginnings of 80 subscribers, and a first issue  with  2  stories,  8
reviews, 2 demos, and 1 concert review, to what you  see  before  you
right now, and a  subscriber  list  that  is  1100  e-mail  addresses
strong, I just want to thank everyone in advance.  you'll  hear  more
next month.
     As with our  last  anniversary  issue,  we  hope  to  kill  your
mailboxes with a huge mega-issue, jammed with some extra columns, and
more than our usual amount of stories  and  reviews.  Be  afraid,  be
very, very afraid...
     Well, it's July, people, and you know what that means?  Finally,
the Milwaukee Metalfest is almost here! We  hope  to  meet  each  and
everyone of our readers who will be in attendance. So go to  our  web
page, study our pictures, keep an eye out for the CoC  baseball  cap,
and for the bunch of fucking goofs with the CoC flyers and  shit.  We
will be there in full force with  five  or  six  of  our  nine  staff
members in attendance. Let's  all  hope  this  year  isn't  gonna  be
another disasterously lame show with  ten-minute  sets  and  whatnot.
Only time will tell, but as long as the current line-up stays  pretty
much static, it's looking to be the show of a lifetime. See  you  all
there.
     That's about it for this month, people. Next month, we  hope  to
surprise you with our anniversary issue as  well  as  something  else
which I'll leave to your imagination at this time... hehehe, I  know,
I'm a bastard.

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

CORRECTION
~~~~~~~~~~
We have a little correction from last month. For the  Enthroned  demo
review, we apparently printed an old contact address. The NEW address
where the band can be reached is:

Enthroned, c/o John Oster
2224 Halsey Cr., Davis, CA, 95616, USA
mailto:tenebre1@juno.com

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

                 M""MMMMMMMM                         dP
                 M  MMMMMMMM                         88
                 M  MMMMMMMM .d8888b. dP    dP .d888b88
                 M  MMMMMMMM 88'  `88 88    88 88'  `88
                 M  MMMMMMMM 88.  .88 88.  .88 88.  .88
                 M         M `88888P' `88888P' `88888P8
                 MMMMMMMMMMM

     M""MMMMMMMM            dP     dP
     M  MMMMMMMM            88     88
     M  MMMMMMMM .d8888b. d8888P d8888P .d8888b. 88d888b. .d8888b.
     M  MMMMMMMM 88ooood8   88     88   88ooood8 88'  `88 Y8ooooo.
     M  MMMMMMMM 88.  ...   88     88   88.  ... 88             88
     M         M `88888P'   dP     dP   `88888P' dP       `88888P'
     MMMMMMMMMMM

This is the column where we print those lovely  letters  our  readers
decide so graciously to write us. Whether they be positive, negative,
ignorant or just plain spelled  wrong,  you  can  rest  assured  that
they'll be here in their original form. If you'd like to see your own
letter here,  e-mail  it  to  <mailto:ginof@interlog.com>  and  enter
'Attention Loud Letters' in the subject field. Hopefully all  letters
received will be featured in upcoming issues of Chronicles of Chaos.


Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 21:35:45 +0200
From: John Ryden <john@orion.boden.se>
Subject: Hammerfall and EOS

Hi, I write to you cause I don't know where to ask... I tried to find
an email address for questions in the CoC letter but didn't find any.
I hope you don't get angry...

Anyway, I have 2 questions

-Is it true that Edge of sanity is desolved? And, if so,  what  other
bands do Swano play/write in?

-Do you know if there is a way to  get  the  Hammerfall  CD  here  in
Sweden? I have been to record stores, but  they  say  that  it  is  a
"house of kick" band, and they don't sell in sweden.


Date: Sat, 14 Jun 1997
From: NKBA TOBME AZTAC KROMOS <KABAL@UWYO.EDU>
Subject: "Attention Loud Letters"

If your fucking magazine was printed, I would wipe my ass with it. In
your last issue, you gave Brutality's "In Mourning" a 6 out of 10!  I
thought this was one of the strongest releases  this  year,  but  you
hammered it with remarks such as "feels underdeveloped and  sometimes
even stale, with riffs that repeat five or six times  when  the  song
naturally needs a change." "Intensity of the song is  often  lost  in
repetition and bland song structure  that  creates  an  anti-climax."
"barks out lyrics so cliche, they couldn't even bring a tear to Tammy
Faye's eyes.", but these comments describe perfectly all  the  cheezy
black metal krap you fuckers glorify, dedicate 95% of your space  to,
and try to shove down our throats.  What  the  hell  kind  of  Kommie
Konspriracy is this? Or are you just following the latest  trend  and
trying to kiss the asses of the bands that are popular right now, and
not necessarily talented? There are a lot  of  talented  death  metal
bands who konsistantly put out excellent releases, pushing the limits
of songwriting skills and technical prowess. But you always diss them
and kall them cheezy. Well look at your fucking  black  metal  heros!
Their silly image of  looking  "tough"  by  wearing  face  paint  and
carrying battle axes doesn't impress me, it just  makes  me  want  to
puke! I think the whole image thing is just  something  they  use  to
detract attention away from their music so fools like you  won't  see
that there is no thought or skill put into it at all. I ought to hunt
you down and slap you, you fucking jerky bastards!

Other than that, good job.  Hope to see you at the Metalfest!
Over & Out.


Date: Mon, 23 Jun 1997
From: LOIC MAHE <106266.560@compuserve.com>
Subject: Can you help me?

Thanx for a very helpful magazine. I have so far trusted your reviews
and I haven't been disappointed.

Unfortunately, I am not too sure about some of your interviews. Don't
get me wrong, I don't mean the questions asked are  stupid,  but  are
the answers given always worth publishing? I'm refering, for example,
to the Within Temptation interview.  I  love  their  music,  but  the
interview was downright embarrassing!

Right, enough of this. I am in fact writing to obtain some  practical
information. I am going to New York next month and I was wondering if
any of your wonderful staff could give  me  the  address  of  a  good
record shop there (I am also interested in second hand CD's) where  I
can find a better choice of metal music  than  at  Tower  Records  or
Virgin Megastore.

Cheers!

Loic Mahe
Antibes, France


Date: Fri, 27 Jun 1997
From: thorn <nordlys@cnct.com>
Subject: CoC is GAY 

     When I read a rampantly homosexual publication such  as  SOD  or
the Pit I cringe but think to myself, "Well, these people don't  know
any better, so why even bother critisizing them." But when a piece of
filthy, gay, and cumsucking scum that Chronicles of  Chaos  is  spews
forth another issue of their magazine  claiming  to  be  TRUE(tm)  to
black metal I get upset. 
     Just yesterday I had the doubtful honor  of  speaking  with  the
editor of the zine himself, Gino Filicetti. When I voiced my sensible
concern with the zine he retorted that his  publication  has  covered
black metal thoroughly. He even gave me a list of "black metal bands"
which were inteviewed in the zine. Well, besides Summoning  (which  I
like) he mentioned At The Gates (who aren't black metal at all),  and
Cradle of Faggots. It is a known fact that both Dan  Swano  and  Dani
(whom the band members affectionately call Danielle) are gay. Oh, and
let's not forget Peter Tantgren, a poser whose attempt of ripping off
black metal made him a laughing stock of black metal fans  worldwide.
Yet, all of the above-mentioned faggots are highly  esteemed  by  the
staff of CoC whose sexual preferences are, no doubt, in concord  with
their gay tastes. 
     If CoC will ever be published it better come printed on  a  roll
of scented pink toilet paper or I'm not buying it.

         nordlys@cnct.com           gorelord on IRC

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     |    __)/ __ \_  __ \/  _ \_/ ___\|  |/  _ \|  |  \/  ___/
     |     \\  ___/|  | \(  <_> )  \___|  (  <_> )  |  /\___ \
     \___  / \___  >__|   \____/ \___  >__|\____/|____//____  >
         \/      \/                  \/                     \/
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      \_   _____/___ _____ _/  |_ __ _________   ____   ______
       |    __)/ __ \\__  \\   __\  |  \_  __ \_/ __ \ /  ___/
       |     \\  ___/ / __ \|  | |  |  /|  | \/\  ___/ \___ \
       \___  / \___  >____  /__| |____/ |__|    \___  >____  >
           \/      \/     \/                        \/     \/

The meat of the matter lies here. Read on for the juiciest morsels on
bands ranging from the reknowned to the obscure. No fat, no  gristle,
just blood-soaked slabs served hot and ready. Dig in, readers.


           T H E   S C I E N C E   O F   H E A V I N E S S
           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
              Chronicles of Chaos talks to Geezer Butler
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Few albums this year will surpass the sophomore Geezer (formerly
known as G//Z/R) record called _Black  Science_,  in  my  mind.  This
record has it all:  intensity,  groove,  substance,  and  above  all,
creativity. The songs leap out at you  with  multiple  personalities,
scratching and carving at your psyche with its  pulsating  grind  and
heaviness. This is a truly heavy record.
     Geezer, the hard driving new band from legendary  Black  Sabbath
bassist Geezer Butler, had little to show last time  out  with  their
TVT debut, _Plastic Planet_, other than a solid, well-crafted record.
The record was pure heaviness, an attack which was lead  by  Butler's
sci-fi song writing  exploration  and  Fear  Factory  singer/screamer
Burton C. Bell delivering a blistering vocal assault. Guitarist Pedro
Howse and drummer Deen Castronovo rounded out the band.
     Album number two and things have changed.  Out  is  Bell,  who's
commitments with Fear Factory had really not allowed G/Z//R  to  tour
much of their debut record and kind of led Butler to search  out  and
find a new frontman for his band. Who would sing for the newly  named
Geezer? Who would it be?  His  name  is  Clark  Brown,  a  relatively
unknown singer from  Massachusetts.  His  mission?  Keep  all  things
heavy. Mission accomplished.
     "_Plastic Planet_ was put together so fast,"  starts  Butler  on
the topic of  new  record  _Black  Science_  vs.  debut  LP  _Plastic
Planet_. "I just grabbed people and put them in the band to  get  the
record out. I borrowed Burton from Fear Factory. And  then  I  became
frustrated because we couldn't really tour with it. I decided that as
we were going into making this record, I wanted a  permanent  lineup,
to get a new singer and take him out on tour and to play with us.  To
be able to play whenever we wanted to. Touring was the main objective
for us this record. It looks like we will be able to get out and play
this year and that makes me happy."
     And what does Butler think about his new frontman  Clark  Brown?
"I think he is great. Having Clark Brown in the band has given Geezer
an identity now. A lot of people got confused with the record because
Fear Factory's LP (_Demanufacture_) was out at the  same  time,  too.
People were just getting confused because Burton was singing on  both
records. While _PP_ was a good album, it  never  fully  had  its  own
identity. This one definitely does. Clark  is  great  and  much  like
Burton, he can sing both aggressively and melodically." He  adds,  "I
like this record because of the variety. I  felt  that  _PP_  had  no
variety and was pretty much the same record throughout."
     The thing that helps separate both LPs (in sound and style)  was
Butler bringing in Brown to add his own personal touch to the  music.
"When we wrote this record we didn't have Clark in the band  yet.  He
joined after we had written it. He didn't  change  anything  when  he
came to sing for us. He added to it. His vocals  really  helped  make
this record. Doing the next album is going to be  great  because  all
four of us will be there from scratch."
     Butler mentions that the band has  already  started  work  on  a
third Geezer record, something  the  band  is  eagerly  anticipating,
seeing that this will be the second time out  with  its  present  day
lineup. Butler notes, "I have my own studio at home so we can  record
and work on stuff when I want to. I do a lot of experimenting in  the
studio and all that experimentation seems to be  carrying  over  into
the new record. Weird vocals and stuff. I'm pretty  sure  come  album
number three, you will hear what kind of weird things I am trying  to
bring into the band."
     Another thing that helped shape and separate both Geezer records
from the pack of other heavy bands is the lyrical content  and  ideas
explored by Butler. His songwriting, as was  in  his  days  in  Black
Sabbath, is still very creative and unique. What does Geezer think is
the reason why his sci-fi story-telling goes hand in hand  with  this
heavy music? "I write  all  the  lyrics  for  my  songs.  I  am  just
interested in all this stuff. I was into all this stuff back  in  the
Black Sabbath days too.  Look  at  songs  like  "Iron  Man"  or  "The
Wizard". This horror and sci-fi stuff just interests me and what I do
is take those ideas and put my own angle on them." He adds,  "I  have
never had to change my style of writing to adapt  to  a  sound  or  a
style we play. I am writing the same way I did when I wrote stuff for
Sabbath."
     "I am creative more than ever when it comes to songwriting now,"
Butler goes on to explain. "I am constantly writing  new  stuff  now.
Whenever I am home I am writing. It's good to see that I  still  have
good ideas floating around in my head." So does Geezer think he still
has a lot more to express and do as a musician? "Oh, yeah... I  think
I still have my 'ultimate' album in me. I'm never 100% satisfied with
what I do, anyway. If you are 100% satisfied, then  you  should  just
get out of the business and do something else."
     And seeing that Butler has toured all over the  world,  recorded
numerous records and dealt with the music industry hoopla for  years,
has he grown tired of it all? He answers, "I'm  tired  of  the  'big'
people. All these labels have everything set to a  formula.  That  is
why I am glad to be on a label like TVT. They  never  interfere  with
the music. The people at Warner, when we were  putting  together  the
last few Sabbath records, there would be an A&R guy coming  in  every
day telling us what to change. Bands can't write or create music like
that. It's uncomfortable. Bands need to be given space  and  time  to
work on their material. I have that now with Geezer."

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

             C H I L D R E N   F O R   B R E A K F E S T 
             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                   CoC interviews Hanzel Und Gretyl
                         by: Adrian Bromley

     Few bands over the last little while have been  able  to  create
music for the sheer sense of experimentation and creativity. Everyone
seems to be following a pattern or trend. Not so for  New  York-based
'space-rock' weirdos Hanzel Und Gretyl. While not even rock-oriented,
as the band's style of music includes techno, industrial, loops,  and
heavy riffs into their  music,  the  whole  sound/idea  of  the  band
garners  a  very  futuristic  spacey  flow  to  it,  capped  off   by
hard-driven musical numbers and odd imagery/lyrics. Over  the  course
of two years, the band has produced some excellent material on  their
two Energy Record releases, 1995's _Ausgeflippt_ and their latest odd
and eccentric conception entitled _Transmissions from Uranus_.
     Main vocalist and songwriter/space traveler  Vas  Kallas  speaks
about the making of _Transmissions from Uranus_ and about  life  that
exists in outer space. "I found time to go  to  outer  space  and  do
research for this record," jests Vas Kallas  over  the  phone.  "I'll
tell you what, I read a lot of books about the future and that  gives
me a lot of ideas to write about. This stuff intrigues me and that is
why I write about it and this is why  we  chose  to  deal  with  this
subject. But this isn't science fiction, this is reality."
     About some  of  the  books  that  inspired  _Transmissions  from
Uranus_, she adds, "While we were making the first  record,  we  were
totally into watching over and over again _2001: A Space Odyssey_. We
got inspired by that film and that may explain why  the  first  album
was so mellow. This time around, this album was  inspired  by  books.
Books like _The Pleiadian Agenda_ by Barbara Handclow and  all  these
other books. _Earth_ by Barbara Mansiniac  and  another  book  called
_You Are Becoming a Galactic Human_  which  was  cool,  another  book
called _Human Evolution_. This is real  crazy  stuff.  This  is  real
stuff and not science fiction. This  is  like  channeled  information
from past and future lives, mixed with some scientific knowledge. All
this stuff makes sense to me. That is me and my world. People think I
am absolutely nuts about it, and I can't talk to  many  people  about
it, but when I find people that are into it too, we tend to talk  for
hours about it. Like I said, my music and I are  in  our  own  little
world." She  continues,  "The  stuff  that  I  write  about  is  real
information that  scientists  say  is  wrong,  but  it's  more  about
spiritual, ritualistic, futuristic ideals. That's the subject matter.
As for the music, this is where we are at  right  now.  I  guess  the
music is different for us now, as we have gotten our act together and
become more solid as songwriters. The first  record  was  just  Lupie
(programming/guitars) and I, and we did what we felt. But we  learned
from touring and studio work and those experiences  helped  make  our
music better."
     The band's latest LP is chock full of  great  numbers  (i.e  "9d
Galactic Center", "Robot Logik", and "Pleiadian Agenda") and  totally
warped in its own right. The music is a monstrous heapage of samples,
riffs, and mayhem all rolled into one solid package. How does  Kallas
and the rest of HUG assemble the ideas for songs? Is it difficult  to
bring all those sounds and ideas into one idea? "I dunno... I  dunno.
It just happens. For example, we are in  the  studio  and  find  some
samples and loops that sound cool and put it together. Both Lupie and
I will hear something and go along with it. We add lyrics  and  music
to those sounds and BOOM! you got  a  song.  It  just  happens.  It's
magic. You can't really explain how creating music happens. Our music
has no formula when we write it."
     One thing that Kallas and Lupie (the rest of the band is rounded
out by bassist Gingerbread and drummer Seven) have going for them  is
their strong belief in creative control and  DIY  methods  of  making
music and being in a band. Forget the music  industry,  i.e.  labels,
press, etc... - they call the shots. Kallas explains, "I'll tell  you
right now, the industry does not play any role in my  life.  I  don't
have people telling me what songs to write  or  what  to  put  on  my
record. I just don't have that and I am  happy  about  that  and  not
being on a major label. Even if people told us what to do, both Lupie
and I are the kind of people that would  say,  'Fuck  off!'  I  don't
care. We like to do what we want to do and if someone starts  telling
me what to do I will step out of the business. I don't give  a  shit.
We have been lucky so far because we are on an independent label  and
we have been able to do what we want so far."
     But is there an agenda for success for HUG? Does HUG think  they
could be a big thing in this music industry?  Kallas  starts,  "If  I
answer this question, I will sound  like  a  pompous  asshole  but...
Yeah! I think so. If we had the backing of a U2-type  band...  forget
it. I mean, the ideas we have would be hysterical and a lot more  fun
than that U2 concert. I mean, duh!? I think we have the  capabilities
to do so. I would love to be this huge trippy band.  If  we  had  the
finances we would be like Hawkwind, The Orb, and Pink Floyd, and just
go out all the way. Wooh!"
     Describing the record, Kallas  says,  "Intellectually,  I  would
tell people that this is a transmission from another planet and  from
the universe. These are the messages that were brought to me to relay
to the public in song form. Sonically, it's like a sci-fi  trip.  But
this is nothing compared to what we are going to do next record. That
will be out of control."
     And what does Kallas do in her spare time? "Spare time? I  don't
really have any spare time. This is  my  full-time  job.  Twenty-four
hours a day I dedicate to this and lucky I can do so. I read or screw
around with my guitar. I watch a lot of TV and science fiction  stuff
trying to get ideas. I am really into sci-fi stuff. I'm like  one  of
those Hale-Bopp people." <laughs>

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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.


                   O P H I D I A N   O R A T I O N 
                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                      CoC interviews Thy Serpent
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     The Finnish  quartet  known  as  Thy  Serpent  brought  about  a
considerable amount of  interest  with  their  1996  Spinefarm  debut
release, _Forests of Witchery_. That 6-song release  helped  showcase
the bands rotating style of musical diversity:  dark  melodic  metal,
mixed with haunting keyboards, rough vocals, and a true and  sinister
ambiance circulating throughout. The new album, _Lords  of  Twilight_
(featuring old demo material and new and remixed stuff),  touches  on
the same style of playing, though the band - Azhemin on synth/vocals,
drummer Agathon, guitarist Sami, and bassist  Luopio  -  have  worked
hard with this release to bring about more of a chaotic  feel  within
the material. The music is still heavy, though  now  more  intriguing
and the emotional/ambient deliverance is top notch.
     By  e-mail,  guitarist  Sami  answered  a  few  questions   that
Chronicles of Chaos fired his way. Here is how it went:

CoC: Where do you feel this record (the newer material) differs  from
     the material found on _Forests of Witchery_? How  has  the  band
     grown musically? Also: This record seems to  have  a  laid-back,
     atmospheric  sound  at  times  as  opposed  to  the  groove  and
     deliverance of _Forests of Witchery_. Do you think that's true?

Sami: Yes, I think that's true. Thy Serpent has grown musically  100%
      since the early demo days,  changing  as  I  found  some  great
      individuals to play with me. We all have played our instruments
      for more or less about 10 years now. So  we  have  to  do  some
      quality music, there's no other way!
 
CoC: Do you think that playing music, especially  in  this  genre  of
     music, needs to offer something new and different each time out?

S: No, I don't think so. If the music is good, you don't have  to  do
   something new with every release. I mean you don't have to  change
   your style...just do some killer tracks and that's it!

CoC: What influences around you (musically) went into the creation of
     the material played on _Lords of Twilight_? Do you feel the need
     to copy or borrow from other band and/or genre styles?

S: _Lords of Twilight_ is some kind of middle release for  those  who
   want to hear something from us before we strike  with  our  second
   full-length album. There was a lot of people who  wanted  to  hear
   some old material from Thy Serpent. And  seeing  that  both  demos
   we've released  had  really  bad  sound  quality,  we  decided  to
   re-record some of those tracks for this release. What influence do
   I have? Everything that I see and hear. 

CoC: How do you think the imagery and lyrical ideas of the band  help
     the music? Do they work well off each  other  in  your  opinion?
     Also: Atmosphere and emotions are drawn from all the  songs  you
     create - what's more important to you for the  song:  atmosphere
     or emotions?

S: Both atmosphere and emotions, as well  as  aggressive  music,  are
   important for us. We also aim to  have  good  lyrics  to  fit  our
   music, and that's why Antti L.  from  Babylon  Whores  is  helping
   write material for us. His lyrics are much better than ours.

CoC: How has the band been received in Europe? Is there a strong  fan
     base for the band there? What do you think  about  the  European
     (or Finnish) metal scene?

S: I think Thy Serpent is quite well known  in  Europe.  At  least  I
   think we are. I get tons of mail from  all  over  the  world.  The
   Finnish metal scene is growing all the time. Check out bands  like
   Twilight Opera, Bethel, Gloomy Grim,  I  Flow  in  Depths,  Shadow
   World, With the Winds... and many more great ones!

CoC: When did you become involved with music? At what age? What  drew
     you to play this type of music?

S: I started to listen to this type of music fifteen years ago when I
   was nine. I was listening to bands like Twisted Sister,  W.A.S.P.,
   Accept, Judas Priest. They were very  heavy,  and  then  a  little
   later came Sodom, Possessed, Kreator, Mercyful Fate/King  Diamond,
   and Bathory. I have never liked bands like Kiss,  Destruction,  or
   Venom. As for what drew  me  into  playing  this  type  of  music?
   Nothing drew me into this kind of music,  it  was  very  slow  and
   natural happening. This is my nature, and I can't change it.

CoC: Do you feel that what you create and  do  with  Thy  Serpent  is
     exactly what you want to be doing with the band  (musically)  or
     do you feel that the band has yet to find their own style/sound?

S: Yes, I want to do just this kind of music with Thy  Serpent.  This
   "mid-tempo melodic and atmospheric dark metal"  is  Thy  Serpent's
   style! If I want to do some other type of music,  I  will  form  a
   side-project band. In fact, I've ideas got ideas for two projects.
   I've just got to find some time for them - let's see what  happens
   shall we?

CoC: How often does the band write and record music? Is  it  an  easy
     process? How do the ideas and songs start?

S: Since the last recording we did in June of '96, we have  had  only
   four rehearsals. And we didn't  even  rehearse  much.  We've  just
   worked on the second full-length.  About  writing:  when  I  write
   music, it's quite an easy process, and I think it's quite easy for
   other Thy Serpent members, too. Thy  Serpent  rehearse  usually  a
   little bit before we head into the studio, too. And you  ask,  how
   do the ideas and songs start? Hard to say, they're  just  born  in
   our visions.

CoC: Does the band play live? If so, what can fans expect from a live
     performance by Thy Serpent?

S: No, we don't play live shows. People have  asked  us  to  play  in
   France and Germany, even go out on a European  tour  and  we  have
   said, 'No.' Maybe that'll change come album number two. Who knows?
   As for our live show, fans can expect a good live show, I guess? I
   haven't thought much about the live show from us yet, so  I  don't
   know how to respond to that question.
 
CoC: How do you feel about mainstream/commercial music?

S: I don't have an opinion about that  at  all.  It's  nice  if  they
   (bands) can earn some money with music. I know that I  would  like
   to earn some bucks with Thy Serpent.

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" I F   L I G H T   B E   T H E   B R I G H T E S T   L I G H T . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                  CoC interviews Theatre of Tragedy
                          by: Pedro Azevedo

... wherefore then doth it shadows cast?" You  might  remember  these
words from Theatre of Tragedy's second, and latest, full-length opus,
_Velvet Darkness They Fear_ [CoC #17]. It all started when  the  year
of 1995 saw the debut of a seven-piece band that  set  new  rules  in
melodic metal with their first self-titled album.  Nowadays,  melodic
metal bands using female vocalists are relatively easy to  find,  and
quality is usually very high; however, Theatre  of  Tragedy,  through
their very unique mix of  Raymond  Rohonyi's  death  grunts  and  the
angelic female vocals of Liv Kristine Espenaes  (still  my  favourite
femme singer), and the extensive use of classical influences in their
music, managed to have a style of their very own, and one that  truly
impressed me when I first listened to their debut.  Since  then,  the
band's sound hasn't changed much, essentially an attempt  to  perfect
their sound was made in _Velvet Darkness They Fear_, which stands  as
their  latest  album.  They  are  already  working  on  their   third
full-length release, which is expected to be called _Aegis_.  Besides
the two vocalists, ToT was founded by  guitarists  Tommy  Lindal  and
Paal Bjaastad, who meanwhile has left the band, having been  replaced
by Geir Flikkeid. Lorentz Aspen (piano  and  synths),  Eirik  Saltroe
(bass), and Hein Frode Hansen (drums) complete  the  band.  I'd  just
like to quote guitarist Tommy Lindal, whom I have interviewed,  about
his  current  health  conditions,  after  having  had  severe  health
trouble: "Compared to right after it happened, it's been  going  very
well. I'm still under treatment, and by the end of the year,  I  will
be playing again." I'd like to wish him the  best  of  luck  for  the
future and a very quick and full recovery.

CoC: In your opinion, in which ways is _Velvet Darkness They Fear_  a
     better album than your excellent eponymous debut?

Tommy Lindal: My opinion is that the sound on _VDTF_ is better, and I
              like the result of how the songs turned out at the end.
              I like the songs better.

CoC: What were the reasons for swapping guitarist Paal Bjaastad  (who
     I believe was one of the band's founders and  still  wrote  some
     music for _Velvet Darkness They Fear_) for Geir Flikkeid?

TL: Well, you're right about Paal. It was Raymond, me, and  Paal  who
    started the band, and after the debut, _Theatre of Tragedy_, Paal
    was not into our stuff anymore. That led to replacing  Paal  with
    Geir. By that time Paal had already made some things for the  new
    songs which we chose to keep in the songs. Geir  had  no  problem
    with the ready made stuff, so he played it. Paal  did  not  write
    for Geir! 

CoC: Would you say that this change brought some improvement  to  the
     band?

TL: Yes, it did. With more experience with the  clean  parts,  and  a
    different style (more like the rest of us, including Liv) he made
    some very good parts.

CoC: Do you have any (musical) conflicts within ToT due  to  being  a
     eight-piece band, or do you all share a common musical goal?

TL: There are some disagreements, but we are all grownups (I  think),
    so we solve them quickly. We all come with different parts, which
    we put together and make a song. That way we are  all  satisfied,
    and I guess that's what makes our music special.
 
CoC: How well have both albums been selling?

TL: The first one, _Theatre of Tragedy_, has sold about  26000,  _Der
    Tanz Der Schatten_ (limited single),  2000  (sold  out),  _Velvet
    Darkness They Fear_, 46000, and _A Rose for the  Dead_  (EP)  has
    just been released so we don't know.

CoC: What about touring? Do you think your live sound is satisfactory?

TL: I'm pretty satisfied with the sound on stage. I don't know  about
    the sound out there, you tell me?

CoC: I heard you've been finishing your  concerts  with  "A  Distance
     There Is", with Liv and the piano only. That must be an  awesome
     finisher for a concert. Would you say this is the  "theme  song"
     for Theatre of Tragedy? Is it most band members'  favourite  ToT
     song?

TL: I think "A Distance There Is" is a great ending song, but  not  a
    favorite song for me or the rest of the band.  Both  me  and  Liv
    like a song that hasn't  been  released  called  "Lament  of  the
    Perishing Rose" (old song). From the released stuff, I  must  say
    "On Whom the  Moon  Doth  Shine"  is  my  favourite.  [very  good
    choice... personally, I just can't pick my favourite ToT song  --
    Pedro]

CoC: Speaking of Liv Kristine and her superb voice, how did you  find
     this treasure who adds so much to your band's sound?

TL: Actually she was Raymond's girlfriend,  before  she  (now  living
    with Alex in Germany) took Alex Krull (vocalist of Atrocity).  We
    came with the idea of trying her out and see what  she  could  do
    with the music, and we liked it very much.

CoC: Is she happy in the band? Do you expect her to stay in ToT for a
     long time?

TL: Yes, I do. ToT wouldn't be the same without her. ToT is her life,
    just like mine.

CoC: What are the chances of Raymond keep his  death  grunts  in  the
     future?

TL: I have told Raymond to keep his grunts, it's like a trademark for
    us. He says he will never stop doing it. [cheers -- Pedro]

CoC: Why did you choose Pete Coleman to produce  your  latest  album,
     instead of Dan Swano, who produced your debut?

TL: Well, we think that Pee Wee is much better than  Dan  Swano.  And
    Massacre (our label) wanted a "professional" to  do  the  mixing.
    Pete is more experienced, so we chose him.
 
CoC: Would you say Coleman's work was better than Swano's?

TL: Yes, when we compare the  results  on  the  sound  we  were  very
    surprised about Pete's work. He also  had  more  experience  with
    studio-stuff, so yes, he knows what he's doing. 
 
CoC: What was the purpose of the remixes in the _A Rose for the Dead_ 
     EP?

TL: It all is written in the cover of the CD. We wanted to  see  what
    another musician could do with our  songs,  and  we  enjoyed  it.
    Therefore we chose to include them on the "thanks to our fans" EP.

CoC: What's your personal opinion about those remixes?

TL: The "And When He Falleth" remix is a bit messy, if you know  what
    I mean (too much happening at the same time),  but  I  personally
    love the way he made the "Black as the Devil Painteth" one.

CoC: What do you think your musical direction will be for  your  next
     full-length album?

TL: I don't really know. As you know, I won't be playing on the  next
    album, because I'm still under treatment for my bleeding  in  the
    little brain (I will return next year), and I don't want to  play
    things I haven't made myself. I have heard some of the new  stuff
    and it ain't bad at all. It is ToT-stuff, I guess.

CoC: And what would you personally like that direction to be?

TL: I would prefer a mix between the first and _Velvet Darkness  They
    Fear_, very heavy and melodic. [cheers again -- Pedro]
 
CoC: What bands would you currently recommend?

TL:  Since  it  is  me,  I  would  recommend:  DISSECTION,  IMMORTAL,
    SATYRICON, MAYHEM, ENSLAVED, EMPEROR, P.J HARVEY, IN FLAMES,  and
    MY DYING BRIDE.
 
CoC: Very well, this is the end of the interview... is there anything
     else you'd like to tell our readers?

TL: I would like to thank everyone who has supported us, and I really
    hope you will enjoy our future music as well. Visit our  homepage
    at http://www.darkwood.com/tragedy or mail me at tlindal@online.no

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                        I N T E R F A C I N G
                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                       CoC interviews Dominion
                          by: Pedro Azevedo

Dominion's 1996 debut, _Interface_, for  Peaceville  granted  them  a
solid base for their upcoming second  album;  it  was  undoubtedly  a
strong debut, and one which has clearly grown on me since  my  review
[CoC #18]  -  something  that  rarely  happens.  Composed  of  female
vocalist Michelle Richfield, who gives the  band  an  unusual  touch,
Mass Firth (vocals and guitar), Arno Cagna (also vocals and  guitar),
Danny North (bass) and Bill  Law  (drums),  Dominion  have  a  rather
unusual sound,  through  the  combination  of  a  frequently  melodic
approach to thrash with Michelle's voice. Now,  as  Dominion  prepare
their next album, I had the chance to interview Mass Firth.

CoC: Would you  like  to  describe  your  debut  album,  _Interface_,
     yourself?

Mass Firth: _Interface_ was recorded at Academy Studios in  Dewsbury,
            West Yorkshire, England, during April  of  1996.  We  had
            Mags to engineer the recording  whom  we've  always  used
            since way back in  1992  when  our  old  band  Blasphemer
            recorded the first demo. More recently, though, Mags  has
            been doing loads of albums like My Dying Bride, Cradle of
            Filth, Anathema, etc., etc... It's a very popular studio,
            more so for us because we live so close to  Academy.  The
            CD consists of 11 tracks in total running at about 50 
            minutes.

CoC: Are you happy with it, or would you say there's  still  lots  of
     room for improvement (or both)?

MF: We were really happy with it when we did it, but since we've  had
    a year or so to stand back  and  look  at  it,  it's  not  really
    representative of the new material we're doing at the  moment.  I
    think that for the amount of time we had to do it  in,  with  the
    budget, etc., it came out real good. It was definitely  the  best
    we could do at the time musically, and we wouldn't  go  back  and
    change anything 'cos it was a valuable  learning  point  for  the
    band. There is always room for improvement with everything, and I
    think we've rapidly progressed in songwriting since  _Interface_.
    It's like there was too much of an influence from Iron Maiden  on
    the CD back then, but that was where our heads were when we did 
    it.

CoC: Why did you choose to call the album  _Interface_?  Any  special
     meaning?

MF: We used _Interface_ as a title because we wanted something  short
    and to the point. There are all these albums coming out with long
    epic titles nowadays and we didn't want anything like that so  we
    looked for something short. Interface is basically a level  where
    you combine parts of old and new and sit in the  middle,  if  you
    get my drift? Ha... it's sort of what we wanted with  the  music,
    y'know, taking (or should I  say  ripping  off?  <laughs>)  older
    influences and newer ones.

CoC: What inspired you to write the lyrics for "Weaving Fear"?

MF: "Weaving Fear" was just a tale of  battling  with  your  feelings
    towards your fears and doubts while trying to get on with shit in
    life while some people continue to try and keep you down. As  for
    inspiration, I don't know, we  just  get  concepts  together  and
    write around them when it comes to lyrics.

CoC: When you invited Aaron (My Dying Bride)  to  do  the  vocals  on
     "Alive?", did you have the song done,  and  then  thought  Aaron
     would fit nicely, or did you first invite him and wrote the song
     later?

MF: When we wrote "Alive?", we got it done, we put all  the  phrasing
    of the lyrics around it, then just decided it would  be  good  to
    get Aaron to do some singing on it. He  lives  near  us  and  the
    studio so we phoned him and asked if he would do  it.  He  did  a
    great job, it sounds cool with it being a slower song, too, which
    suited it. Also with the fact that he did it, there was a  chance
    other people may pick up our CD just for the fact he's  on  it...
    <laughs> A cunning plan which probably didn't work in our favour.

CoC: What's your opinion on the other  Peaceville  bands?  Which  one
     would you recommend to our readers as being the best?

MF: I think Peaceville have got some really good bands at the  moment
    and they're all very different  in  my  eyes,  rather  than  just
    classing Peaceville as a sort of  gothic  doom  label  which  the
    press would have us believe. [well, not me personally,  but  then
    again, I'm not really "the press" either... -- Pedro] As for  the
    best band, I can't say 'cos they all do different styles of heavy
    music. You can't compare My Dying Bride to Anathema 'cos it's two
    totally different styles. MDB do the Dead Can Dance  turned  into
    metal stuff and Anathema  do  the  more  Pink  Floyd  atmospheric
    stuff. Plus recently Hammy has picked up stoner Sabbath-type band
    Acrimony [see  this  issue],  ex-Carcass  band  Black  Star,  and
    ex-Trouble vocalist Eric Wagners' new band, Lid, so it's  a  wide
    variety of metal/rock on the roster now. My personal favourite CD
    would have to be  _Eternity_  by  Anathema.  I  think  that  it's
    fucking great and a big step forward for them.

CoC: How much help did you get from the more  experienced  Peaceville
     bands in this debut of yours?

MF: With the album we had no help from any band.  We  keep  in  touch
    with most of the folk in other bands for gigs  and  stuff,  maybe
    just a bit of advice now again, and keep friendships we've struck
    up. Everyone gets along with each other fine, from what I gather.
    Anathema gave us a bit more exposure simply  'cos  Michelle,  our
    vocalist, did some vocals on their _Eternity_ CD.

CoC: One thing that must be said about _Interface_ is that you manage
     to have a sound of your very own, namely the vocals. Why did you
     choose to use such a wide range of vocals?

MF: It's basically our preference to use a few  different  styles  of
    vocals. There are certain parts that  complement  the  old  death
    grunt and ones which require a more melodic approach. Having  the
    best of both worlds is  a  definite  advantage  'cos  you're  not
    restricted to one style. I know a lot of people who think  female
    vocals are cliche now, but  we  use  them  differently  to  other
    bands, I think. Others seem to use more opera-trained singers  on
    doom music, or use women who sound like 10-year old  choir  girls
    over a nice little medieval acoustic guitar part, which is -very-
    cliche to me. Michelle sings as a melodic  solid  vocalist,  it's
    totally irrelevant to me that she's  female,  we  just  wanted  a
    proper vocalist in the band, being male or female never mattered.

CoC: Did Michelle have some professional singing  experiences  before
     Dominion?

MF: This is the first album making band Michelle  has  been  involved
    with. She's done a lot of singing with pub/club acts in the past,
    but not done albums. Also it was in a  very  different  style  of
    music than Dominion, too.

CoC: How well have you been doing live?

MF: We've not done many gigs at all for _Interface_, maybe  seven  or
    eight, all in England and Scotland. We had some chances to get to
    Portugal and Germany but they all fell through. [that really  was
    a shame. -- Pedro] However the gigs we've done  in  England  have
    been good, the  best  being  support  to  Cradle  of  Filth  last
    December. As soon as we get the next album out we should get  out
    into Europe before long, which we really want to do.

CoC: Is the band going through line-up changes for the next album?

MF: The line-up in the band is exactly the same as before, no changes
    at all.

CoC: Speaking of the next album, is anything scheduled  yet?  Do  you
     have any ideas of what will change?

MF: We're due to start recording again on June 2nd,  1997,  again  at
    Academy. We've got nine completed songs ready with a couple  more
    to be written yet. Musically, it's much heavier and rocking  than
    before. A lot darker mood, and no oddball  fucking  about  parts.
    The new stuff is less  technical  but  much  better  strong  song
    structures. You'll have to wait and see!

CoC: End of interview now... time for a final message...

MF: Another thing which will be released soon is the  _Peaceville  X_
    compilation  which  features  all  the  Peaceville  bands   doing
    non-metal cover versions. We have done "Shout" by Tears for Fears
    and "Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones.  Anathema  have  done
    two Pink Floyd covers, Paradise Lost doing The  Smiths,  and  The
    Blood Divine [doing] "Crazy Horses" by  The  Osmonds...  <laughs>
    Should be good, that one! I don't know when  it'll  be  released,
    though. Thanks, Pedro, for the interview. Your  support  is  much
    appreciated! Keep in touch!

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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!


Abhorrent - _Rage_  (Independent, 1996)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (6 out of 10)

This young Brazilian band released their self-financed debut, _Rage_,
in late 1996, showing their thrash/power metal sound  to  the  world.
The result? Not bad. In fact, some of the tracks on this  35-  minute
long album, such as "Eternal Doubt" and "The Witch", are rather good.
The main problem about Abhorrent is  that  they  suffer  from  severe
deja-vu. I mean, most of us, if not all of us, have listened to stuff
very similar to this several years ago. Still, with a good  drum/bass
sound and a constantly fast  style,  the  album's  not  bad  at  all.
Abhorrent are good at what they do, but it's  nothing  really  great,
and certainly nothing new either.


Acrimony - _Tumuli Shroomaroom_  (Peaceville, 1997)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (7 out of 10)

Peaceville's  latest  signing,  Acrimony,  are  described  as   being
influenced by the 70s and Black Sabbath, and they sound a bit similar
to Kyuss - groove's the main word here. While this is far from  being
my favourite dish, I was curious to check this album out, as this  is
not the usual band I'd expect to find playing  for  Peaceville,  who,
however, have been updating their roster a lot lately. The result  is
that I was half-surprised to have enjoyed several parts of  it,  even
though it sometimes gets a tad boring. It's a long  album,  about  65
minutes, with some very short and some very long tracks, the last few
using a more "epic" (i.e. long) approach that doesn't  seem  to  work
too well, at least not for me. _Tumuli Shroomaroom_ is  the  Welshes'
second album, a follow  up  to  1994's  _Hymns  to  the  Stone_.  The
production is very good, as these stoners boost a  strong  and  meaty
sound, even though the playing is sometimes a  bit  "free".  All  put
together, this album is enjoyable if you're feeling good; if you  are
and happen to be a big fan of groovy stuff, then  this  is  an  album
surely worth checking out. If you'll only listen  to  doomy  or  dark
stuff, even when you're feeling good (more like myself),  this  won't
be your favourite album of the year, even  though  it's  most  likely
still worth a good listen.


Amber Asylum - _The Natural Philosophy of Love_
by: Adrian Bromley  (7 out of 10)  (June Records, June 1997)

The majority of  the  material  found  here  on  _TNPoL_  is  a  very
tranquil,   atmospheric   setting,   where    leader    Kris    Force
(guitar/violin/voice) helps guide us through the heartfelt  halls  of
our inner self and wallow in  her  intense  emotions.  The  music  is
beautiful, sculpted around mesmerizing usage of violins, cellos,  and
angelic vocals, sounds that beckon at us to come forth and experience
sincere and passionate musicianship. While far from any harsh  dosage
of music, _TNPoL_ caters more to soundscape and soundtrack philosophy
than harrowing guitar riffs and screams of anger. This music is meant
to help one become at ease with him or herself. This music works  for
the most part,  helping  keep  us  sedated  and  loving  every  sound
presented to us, but as the album continues it begins to lose  a  bit
of its character. The end result?  A  record  that  starts  off  very
promising, mixing beauty and passion, and ending with just drawn  out
numbers that  provide  little  sparks  of  interest.  An  interesting
release nonetheless.


Arcana - _Cantar De Procella_ / _Lizabeth_ EP
by: Adrian Bromley  (9 out of 10)  (Cold Meat Industry, June 1997)

Just prior to the release of this album, the  duo  team  of  Sweden's
ambient outfit, Arcana (Peter and Ida), released  a  limited  edition
three-song EP called _Lizabeth_. While the EP  showcased  the  band's
ever-growing expression of emotions and beauty, the bad  thing  about
the latest 3-song EP was that it was a mere 15  minutes.  Surely  not
enough  time  to  be  transfixed  with  the  vibrant  and   beautiful
amalgamations of noise and choir-like harmonies. But as I  listen  to
the full-length LP, _CDP_, one can only be in awe of  the  triumphant
beauty  the  band  has  provided  us  with  this  time   out.   Truly
breathtaking. Much like the versatile offering  of  the  band's  last
project, _Dark Age of Reason_, _CDP_ digs  deep  into  the  soul  and
explores all the beautiful and dark angles that  life  has  to  offer
with masterful precision as seen  on  the  songs  "Gathering  of  the
Storm", "The Dreams Made of  Sand",  and  "Cantar  De  Procella  (The
Opening of the Wound)". You've  got  to  hear  this  to  believe  how
powerful the music this band creates is. It's not the heaviness  that
gets you, it's the passion that'll bowl you over.


Various - _Awakenings: Females in Extreme Music_  (Dwell, May 1997)
by: Zena Tsarfin  (7 out of 10)

Despite the overwhelming female presence in the Pagan religions  that
so many black and death metal bands claim to  be  influenced  by,  it
seems that the only portrayal of women that spills over into much  of
their music is of subordinance or sexism. Recognition and respect for
a female musician has also been hard to come by, so I was  fascinated
when I heard of Dwell's plans to put out _Awakenings..._.  While  the
original concept was to compile extreme  metal  bands  that  included
females  in  their  line-ups,  the  eleven-track  collection  is   as
impressive for the diverse underground groups involved  --  the  fact
that there are women in the bands is just icing on the  devil's  food
cake. Combining favorites such as the gothic  Opera  IX  and  Gehenna
with legends Demonic Christ and the dirge-like Noothgrush, Awakenings
offers a sample of some of the most divergent acts in extreme  metal.
Also  included  are  songs  by  Thorr's   Hammer,   November   Grief,
Deathwitch, Ebonsight,  Witches,  Acrostichon,  and  Damad.  If  this
compilation does not change the  attitude  of  stubborn  sexists,  at
least it will give them a run for their money.


Big Top Karma - _Contagious Bacteria_  (Independent, May 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley  (4 out of 10)

One guy, fusing  together  industrial  beats,  keyboards,  and  metal
riffs? Sound familiar? Hasn't this been done before? Anyway... BTK is
a one-man show led by sole creator Mr. Gib  from  Vancouver.  Heavily
doused in industrial/metal cliche sounds and  ideas,  BTK  steamrolls
through   six   angst-ridden   numbers   about   love,   truth,   and
understanding. Again, hasn't this been done before? I hear a  lot  of
Ministry and NIN (go figure!) in this project -  too  much  maybe?  I
must admit, the numbers are catchy and  well-written,  but  there  is
just something about rehashed  music  styles  that  doesn't  turn  my
crank. Sorry Mr. Gib. 

Contact: Big Top Kharma, c/o Gibtoons, 709 East 6th Avenue
         North Vancouver, B.C. Canada V7L 1R5
         mailto:gib@mindlink.bc.ca


Various - _A Black Mark Tribute_  (Black Mark, June 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley  (9 out of 10)

From the opening chords of Swedish outfit Soulquake System doing  the
Prodigy techno-filled number "Firestarter" a la metal, I was  hooked.
No question about it. While some may wince at the  songs  covered  by
the Black Mark band roster - Quorthon doing  The  Sex  Pistols'  "God
Save the Queen", Edge of Sanity doing a The Police  song,  "Invisible
Sun", or Morgana Lefay doing a somewhat  techno-style  cover  of  the
classic Kiss number, "Parasite" -  this  is  actually  quite  a  cool
listen from start to finish. Granted  some  covers  don't  really  go
anywhere (i.e. Tad Morose doing Savatage's "Power of  the  Night"  or
Bathory's lackluster cover of Motorhead  powerhouse  number  "Ace  of
Spades"), but the remainder of the  album  is  chock-full  of  unique
presentations of the choice songs that each band decided to cover.  I
think this is a superb way for  Black  Mark  to  showcase  all  their
bands, even if the material isn't their own.  Great  idea  and  great
songs... and by the way, I'm still singing "Firestarter."


Crown of Thorns - _Eternal Death_  (Black Sun Records, 1997) 
by: Drew Schinzel  (7 out of 10)

As far as Swedish death metal goes, Crown of Thorns is  probably  the
most  brutal  band  out  there.  With  ten  songs  of   energy-packed
conviction, _Eternal Death_ contains plenty of your  typically  sweet
melodies, yet also pummels the ears with the kind of blast beats  and
all-out  musical  abrasiveness  you  don't  usually   find   from   a
Gothenburg-based outfit such as CoT. Genre pigeonholing aside,  Crown
of Thorns have found a medium between the more brutal European  bands
such as Altar and Sinister, and more  melodic  acts  like  Ablaze  My
Sorrow, usually leaning towards the former with heavy  doses  of  the
latter. "In Bitterness and Sorrow", the third track off the album, is
perhaps the best example of this. Commencing with a lone intro guitar
riff and quickly moving into a manic blast beat layered over  a  new,
more melodic riff, and accompanied by a  rapid  vocal  delivery,  the
song develops very nicely into a beautiful example of how good  Crown
of Thorns -could- be. When it comes down to final judgment,  however,
CoT haven't really mixed the brutality and melody  well  enough,  and
many of the songs come off  as  feeling  unstructured  and  extremely
loose. Add to this  a  hazy,  unsatisfying  production  which  places
unnecessary priority on the only average vocals and drums, and you've
got an album with much potential, but in the end whose whole  is  not
equal to the sum of its parts.


Damnation - _Rebel Souls_  (Last Epitaph Creations, 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (10 out of 10)

Absolutely   killer.   Immense,   intense,    driving    death-grind,
monumentally powerful and skillfully articulated, its  primal  energy
hammered into an arsenal of distinct and threatening sonic forms, but
never dissipated into overdone technicality or squandered  in  boring
descents into sloth. Damnation exudes the monolithic power of  titans
like Incantation and the weird compositional talent  of  greats  like
Morbid Angel - yet their sonic  identity  is  very  much  their  own.
Clones they  are  not.  Songs  flow  like  rivers  of  molten  stone,
individual sections alternating between crushing  slow  to  mid-paced
parts and vertigo-inducing whirlwinds of blasting,  sharp  percussion
backed by jagged,  HEAVY  riffing.  Some  riffs  are  propulsive  and
guttural; others are patterned around notes that ring out like  eerie
chimes over stop-start blasting beats. During  the  faster  sections,
excellent drum technique pierces the  wall  of  sound,  sometimes  by
rapidly alternating between precision blast beats and  neck-snapping,
staccato snare drum strikes which keep up the  momentum  and  elevate
the rage. Elsewhere, short blast bursts are connected  by  -ripping-,
militant fills. Earthquake, rockfall, cyclone -  everything  coheres;
the songs are not mere piles of parts thrown together,  but  cohesive
totalities packed with moments that send shivers down  the  spine.  I
will not even try to capture in words  the  immensity  of  the  title
track... Production is excellent. Great,  grim  vocals  preside  over
all: no mere gurgling, but a big-chested roar, phrased in a slow  and
creepy complement to the high-speed instrumental assault.  For  those
who have heard the band's first CD, _Reborn_, this one is a  big-time
improvement on pretty much every level. _Rebel Souls_. Hell, yeah.


Dark Tranquillity - _The Mind's I_  (Osmose, May 1997)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (10 out of 10)

Brilliant from the very start of the first track. And  I  don't  just
mean _The Mind's I_: I mean all of Dark  Tranquillity's  three  full-
length albums, starting with _Skydancer_  and  continuing  with  _The
Gallery_. Brilliant is just the right word for all three of them, and
after the first two stayed for a -very- long time in my CD player  (I
still pick both of  them  up  very  frequently,  they're  two  of  my
favourite  albums  ever),  _The  Mind's  I_  is   by   no   means   a
disappointment.  In  fact,  after  _The  Gallery_,  I  wasn't  really
expecting that Dark Tranquillity would manage to  keep  such  a  high
level; however, much to my surprise, _The Mind's I_ is  perhaps  even
better than _The Gallery_. What happens with _TMI_  is  that  there's
just so much to be found, and it's all packed tight into  45  minutes
of pure intensity. It's just that Dark Tranquillity, with their  very
fast, melodic, and powerful  Swedish  style,  don't  need  to  repeat
themselves to keep  up  the  quality:  that's  why  there's  so  much
brilliant stuff on this album, there's really a lot to be listened to
here. Most of the songs are shorter than before, less experimental in
a way,  but  the  quality's  all  there;  the  changes  were  towards
perfecting their very own  sound,  not  necessarily  towards  clearly
changing it just for the sake of change. "Insanity's Crescendo" is  a
perfect example of DT's mix of aggression,  melody,  and  power,  and
it's one of the best songs I've listened to in a very long while - in
fact, those words apply to the whole album. DT have progressed,  yes,
have taken the now cliched "step forward", but they didn't need to go
softer, or radically change style; yet _TMI_ is  no  remake  of  _The
Gallery_. Thus, so far, for me this is THE album of 1997.


Deafness - _Oppressing the Silence_  (Independent, 1997)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (7 out of 10)

I would sure like to find out what they put  in  the  water  over  in
Quebec because we could sure use some here in  Toronto!  Yet  another
cool band from Montreal, Deafness are well taught in  the  school  of
brutal death metal. I've always held the opinion  that  if  you  play
this sort of music,  that  you  do  it  the  right  way,  a  la  good
production  and  skilled  musicianship.  Well,  Deafness  have  those
qualities in spades, and most of the seven tracks here are worthy  of
repeated listens. My only complaint was  that  sometimes,  the  speed
became monotonous, although admittedly those occurrences  were  rare.
Taking influence from  bands  like  Morbid  Angel,  Suffocation,  and
perhaps Incantation (in the vocal department),  Deafness  could  have
had a bright future. I say could, because I've  recently  heard  that
the band have broken up. Hopefully this'll turn out to be untrue,  as
I would have liked to hear a future recording. Those who  like  their
death metal brutal should get in contact with the band and get a copy.

Contact: Deafness, c/o Martin Lefebvre, 191 de Bourgogne
         St-Lambert, Quebec, Canada  J4S 1E4


Dimmu Borgir - _Enthrone Darkness Triumphant_
by: Pedro Azevedo  (9 out of 10)  (Nuclear Blast, June 1997)

Dimmu  Borgir  are  back,  with  the  successor  to   the   acclaimed
_Stormblast_. Now on German label Nuclear Blast, this Norwegian black
metal band will surely benefit from a  much  wider  distribution  and
promotion, as well as  possibly  better  production  facilities;  for
Nuclear Blast, presenting Dimmu Borgir as sort of the new  Cradle  of
Filth might mean a lot of profit. This new album of theirs shows them
in top shape, and the major changes concern perfecting and  enhancing
their old sound. Like  guitarist  Erkekjetter  Silenoz  had  told  us
before [CoC #15], "if we  had  been  feeling  good  and  happy  about
ourselves inside, we wouldn't have been making this kind  of  music."
That's easy to see by checking out any  of  the  band's  albums,  and
_Enthrone Darkness Triumphant_ is no exception; maybe it doesn't have
as much doom as _Stormblast_, but it certainly is  a  very  dark  and
doomy piece of  symphonic  melodic  black  metal.  Keyboardist  Stian
Aarstad is back after _The Devil's Path_ MCD,  and  thus  the  band's
sound resembles _Stormblast_ in a way, but it's faster now, and  much
more  powerful;  in  my  opinion,  clearly  better.  This  album  was
engineered by Peter Tagtgren (Hypocrisy), and the outcome is  a  very
strong and polished sound. Melodies are everywhere on this album, and
the shredding black metal parts show up all the time as well  -  both
really high quality, just about as good as it can get. In fact,  this
9 I'm giving them is -very- close to an even better rating,  as  this
is now one of my favourite black  metal  albums  ever.  I  must  also
mention the very dark and well done digi-pak artwork. One thing  that
could have been better, however, is  that  Dimmu  Borgir  could  have
attempted to link their epic sound to tracks of a  more  epic  length
(the average length is about 5 minutes). Still, _EDT_ is one hell  of
an album and Dimmu Borgir is a name that you'll most  certainly  hear
very often in the future.


Dissecting Table - _Dead Body and Me_  (Daft Records, 1997)
by: Andrew Lewandowski  (9 out of 10)

Never ones to remain content with a singular genre, Dissecting  Table
have  modernized  their  established  incorporation   of   primordial
metallic  pounding   and   guttural   screams   into   hallucinogenic
soundscapes (see such classic releases as _Zigoku_ or  _Between  Life
and Death_). Now, DT's  main  composer,  Ichiro  Tsuji,  mutates  the
conventional sounds of a post-industrial wasteland  into  an  utterly
desolate, stoic void replicating the contemporary psyche. Rarely does
Tsuji approach conventional music on this album, and his forays  into
recognizable music is no less nihilistic than his more deconstructive
passages; a sudden blast of distorted, high-pitched  noise  unsettles
the idle listener on the second of the four lengthy tracks, "violence
of existence", and "sonic body"  delineates  the  antagonism  lurking
between the emotive self and the industrial culture which annihilates
this emotion. The vicious drumming of  earlier  albums  reappears  on
this track in a more schizophrenic and metallic form.  Once  combined
with distorted wails of despondent agony,  "sonic  body"  exemplifies
just that, a "body" within a "sonic", or hyperreal, culture. In fact,
this jaded self has no body;  severed  from  his  outside  shell  and
thrust inside  his  skull,  the  individual  stares  blankly  at  his
computer screen at 1:15 am,  unable  to  either  sleep  or  feel  his
fingers typing any of the incoherent sentences of a Dissecting  Table
review, and sits crystallized within cerebral  agony  as  the  subtle
dissonance of the finale, "orgasm", confirms his fears. 


Emperor - _Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk_  (Candlelight, 1997)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (8.5 out of 10)

"Emperor performs Sophisticated Black Metal  Art  exclusively!"  says
the CD cover. Interestingly, good old Webster's lists the two primary
meanings of sophisticated as (1) "not in a natural, pure, or original
state" and (2) "deprived  of  native  or  original  simplicity"  -  a
perfect description of _Anthems..._ compared to  the  band's  earlier
work. Songs have grown more complex, and the  style  has  altered  to
include mainstream-friendly touches like squeaky  guitar  solos,  and
frequent "clean" singing. Some listeners will be  thrilled  by  this;
others, displeased. In any case, one cannot deny the high quality  of
composition and performance. Hence the generous  rating.  Personally,
though, I am disappointed by all the glamorous new embellishments  to
a sound which once was starker,  darker,  and  capable  of  achieving
"epic"  impact  on  decidedly   non-mainstream   terms.   Anyway,   a
well-constructed introduction opens the album,  building  to  a  peak
that's musically  very  well-conceived,  but  seriously  weakened  by
brassy synthesizer tones, sounding a climactic theme which would roar
like thunder if  performed  with  guitar  instead.  Then  again,  for
optimal impact, the guitars would require a powerful sound, something
which they lack on this album. With the exception of  the  occasional
up-front riff, solo, or melodic lead line, the guitars sound  awfully
thin, and they tend to get lost within a high-pitched wash of vocals,
drums, and keyboards which dominates  the  mix.  Thankfully,  though,
there is -plenty- of blazing speed  maintained  by  Trym's  excellent
drumming. Except for the opening and closing tracks,  all  the  songs
build blasts of fiery energy  into  structures  that  house  lots  of
musical variation. "Ensorcelled by Khaos"  and  "The  Acclamation  of
Bonds" do this especially enjoyably - whereas some of the other songs
don't seem quite as well-constructed. In my opinion, the guitar solos
which occasionally pop up don't add much to the music except  squeaky
sounds - and beware the glammy melodic lead line in the middle of "Ye
Entrancemperium." As for Ihsahn's bouts of clean singing...  well,  I
think they're conventional-sounding  to  the  point  of  being  quite
insipid at times. Still,  there  -is-  some  very  cool  stuff  here.
Cautiously recommended.


GWAR - _Carnival of Chaos_  (Attic/Metal Blade, 1997)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (3 out of 10)

GWAR are back. Who cares? No, really, who the hell cares? I mean, why
are you still reading this? Do you expect my review to  be  funny  or
something? Yeah, right, tough luck. Well, I did laugh with "Sex Cow",
but you'll have to hear it to believe it. Anyway, this  doesn't  seem
to be worse than _Ragnarok_ [CoC #5], actually, it's probably better,
but then again, I may not have enjoyed the "artwork" on this  one  as
much as Gino did on their previous. So, this  time,  instead  of  the
extra 3 points Gino gave them for the "artwork",  I'll  give  them  2
extra points for the  (short)  last  track,  which  proved  to  be  a
surprise, as Slymenstra does some nice(?!) female vocals on this soft
song. Er, actually, I can't believe I'm really giving them  2  points
for that, but whatever... So, if you  enjoy  listening  to  an  album
while feeling that everyone in that band is mocking  you  for  having
bought the CD in first place, then go right  ahead  and  buy  it;  if
you're -seriously- into metal, avoid it. Crap.


Hell-Born - _Hell-Born_  (Pagan Records, 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (8 out of 10)

This Les guy means business! He's participated in Behemoth (briefly),
the pulverizing Damnation, and now this cool project, which teams him
up with ex-Behemoth  drummer  Ravenlock.  Distinct  from  Damnation's
mighty death-grind pummeling, the  riff  stylings  of  Hell-Born  mix
rusty blackened metal with mid-paced,  thrashy  breaks,  and  ominous
slower sections. No really grinding parts occur, but there are  still
plenty of charging beats and bass drum pulsations.  The  material  is
straightforward, heavy, and memorable, and  Les  again  displays  his
talent for sculpting some cool riffs out  of  eerie,  ringing  tones.
(Check out "Merciless Onslaught" especially.) The guitar has a warped
death metal tuning, which further adds to the music's  weird  pull  -
but what  really  completes  the  Hell-Born  sound  are  the  wicked,
imperious  vocal  proclamations  of   "Hell   cavalry   machine   gun
skullcrush" performer Ravenlock. I don't tend  to  get  excited  over
black/death metal lyrics, but I must say, when this guy lays down the
law with sonorous, semi-spoken proclamations like:

       "Rain falls, drops of tears and blood,
	Red like dust from the Martian ground,
	Spinning in eternal circles of blasphemy."

Great stuff here. It's not as punishing as the best death-grind or as
lightning-quick as the most extreme  black  metal,  but  it's  heavy,
energetic, and (best of all) fairly unique. Five tracks, 25  minutes,
worth seeking out.


Hocico - _Odio Bajo del Alma_  (Opcion Sonica, May 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley  (8 out of 10)

Hocico (Spanish  for  "muzzle")  may  just  be  *the  band*  to  draw
attention to  the  ever-growing  Mexican  metal  music  scene.  Other
Mexican acts like 34-D and Hologram are reviewed in this  CoC  issue,
too. Mexico City electronic/industrial metal duo Hocico (comprised of
Erk Aicrag and Rasco Agroyan) play a very vibrant and truly  powerful
form of music. Its music relays numerous emotions and the atmospheric
offerings within _OBdA_ - Spanish for _Soul Full of Hate_ - not  only
amazes me, but leaves me feeling dirty and  unsure  of  what  I  have
heard or become a part of. Also, the riffs are deadly and the  vocals
and keyboards are truly sinister. I'm  pretty  sure  the  music  here
would go well as a soundtrack for a  real  scary  horror  flick.  The
album's eleven tracks provides us with  tales  of  darkness  and  the
exploration of the human mind and rarely does the band's material  go
stale. The success of Hocico lies  within  the  band's  structure  of
songs, programming of drums/keyboards/samples, as well as the  band's
dark songwriting. While the band may be circulating within the realms
of Canadian greats Skinny Puppy at  times  with  the  music  on  this
release, the band truly deserves a listen as they  have  found  their
own  identity  and  successfully  fused   together   the   might   of
industrial/metal  music  and  the  warped  sounds   of   electronica.
Super-cool!

Contact: Opcion Sonica - Concepcion Beistegui 622-3 Col. del Valle
         03100 Mexico D.F., Mexico
         mailto:opcion@mail.internet.com.mx


Ildrost - _High_  (Cold Meat Industry, June 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley  (8 out of 10)

What a wacked out release this is. Haunting and truly  mystifying  is
the  latest  release  by  ambient/soundscape  band  Ildfrost,   their
previous record entitled _Autumn Departure_. This is eerie shit here.
From the opening chimes of the church bell and softly played  piano,
"Natanael"  begins  its  journey  of   story-telling   with   melodic
interludes, spoken passages, and vibrant exploration of  soundscapes.
This is, I guarantee, unlike any record you will have  heard  before.
Much like a concept  record,  this  album  reads  like  a  book  with
background music (a soundtrack, if you will), and like any good  book
with plot changes, twists, turns, and characters, this  album  dishes
up some truer than life realism. It's stunning to  hear  and  try  to
follow. The lyrics (enclosed within the special gatefold  pack)  read
like a book/play and only  help  open  your  mind  more  to  what  is
actually going on within the music. I'm speechless. This is  a  great
find for anyone into well-crafted music and story-telling. A gem.


Incantation - _The Forsaken Mourning of Angelic Anguish_
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (9 out of 10)  (Repulse Records, May 1997)

Another great release from this great band. While still  as  crushing
as ever, the vibe is a bit quicker and more biting this time,  thanks
to songs which focus  on  unkind  grind  and  mid-paced  malevolence,
without any really slow segments. The production is the clearest  the
band has ever had, which really sharpens the music's edge, especially
by giving Kyle's excellent drumming a  distinct  place  in  the  mix.
Craig's vocals sound great, as always, and the guitar sound is punchy
and thick. So the overall sound is a bit cleaner, less  miasmic,  and
less doomy than on their previous stuff - but it's  still  way  heavy
thanks to the band's monster compositions; plus, the clarity  of  the
mix makes the grinding parts hit harder than before. This is  an  MCD
with 22 minutes of material; there are seven tracks,  five  of  which
are proper songs, if you count the  51-second  "Twisted  Sacrilegious
Journey Into Our Darkest Neurotic Delirium". (The two non-songs are a
brief, warped interlude, and a well  done  five-minute  outro  that's
creepy enough to stay interesting all  the  way  through.)  I'd  rank
opener "Shadows from the Ancient Empire" as one of  the  band's  most
effective songs ever - right up there with the almighty  "Christening
the Afterbirth" from their first CD. The title track definitely  goes
on that list, too.  There's  also  a  cover  of  the  old  Schuldiner
chestnut "Scream Bloody Gore"... pretty cool,  but  not  as  good  as
Incantation's stuff, which once again sounds killer. 


Intestine Baalism - _An Anatomy of the Beast_
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (8 out of 10)  (Repulse Records, 1997)

Some solid death metal from this Japanese outfit. It's not especially
brutal by 1997  standards,  but  it's  nicely  varied  and  precisely
played, with a sound that is in  some  ways  distinct.  Overall,  the
compositions are highly reminiscent of some  of  the  earliest  stuff
from Swedes like  Entombed  and  Dismember,  but  with  the  frequent
addition of mid-paced, semi-melodic riffing and lead work that has an
emotive, rather doomy feel. "Cannibal Sodom" makes great use of  this
technique, which crops up in several other songs as well.  Occasional
doses of more overt blast-heavy brutality are also offered, but  most
of the  time  the  band  switches  off  between  punchy  riffing  and
down-tuned rudi-melody in the vein of _Left Hand  Path_.  (But  check
out "Blasphemy Resurrected" if _Like an Ever Flowing Stream_ is  more
your style.) For my money, "Energumenus" wins the day, since it's the
most slamming track here, but "Cannibal Sodom"  and  "A  Place  Their
Gods Left Behind" also prove enjoyable thanks to  the  mix  of  death
metal crunch and moody leads. Great production, too, and the  playing
is top notch. It's not quite what I  personally  look  for  in  death
metal (warped, hyper structure and slamming percussive  weight),  but
it's undeniably a quality chunk of metal all the same.


Lake of Tears - _A Crimson Cosmos_  (Black Mark, 1997)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (7 out of 10)

This album seems to have been written while totally disregarding  any
boundaries whatsoever; in fact, this album  has  a  clear  mainstream
feel to it at times, something I really don't like. However,  besides
that, Lake of Tears have included lots  of  very  nice  easy-to-catch
melodies, which are what makes this album very much  worth  a  listen
for fans of soft melodic/gothic(?) metal; in fact, I even happened to
enjoy it myself, which is unusual, considering my  statements  above.
LoT's music spreads to very different areas, yet things never go  too
much out of proportion. _A Crimson Cosmos_ is varied (even though its
total length is under 40 minutes), and  therefore  has  its  ups  and
downs, but if you're not worried about its softness,  and  happen  to
enjoy mellow and melodic stuff, this might very well turn out to be a
good buy for you, as it's musically pretty good.


Makina - _Chorizo_  (Discos Manicomo, May 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley  (7 out of 10)

From Mexico City (my old stomping grounds) comes Makina, a powerhouse
death/thrash metal outfit that plays their music  like  there  is  no
tomorrow. What is interesting about this CD is that  it  acts  as  an
intro to the band (a series of questions and answers by band members,
in English and Spanish) and a few select choice cuts (five in  total)
from the band's album, _Red_. It's interesting to hear the band speak
about the origin of the band (formed in 1990), themes  of  songs  and
their future plans as a metal band. To  note:  the  band  has  opened
numerous shows in Mexico City for big named metal acts  in  the  past
few years and it seems as though that experience and band growth  has
allowed their music to strengthen itself. And how  is  the  music  of
Makina? Pretty good and most importantly, it shreds when it  has  to.
While the  band  relies  heavily  on  standard  thrash  metal  riffs,
death-like growls, and drum beats, it's the unique pairing of  groove
and violent spurts of  anger/intensity  that  help  make  the  band's
material stand out. I liked  the  title  track,  "Red",  due  to  its
explosive opening. It is hard to actually judge the band  on  just  a
few songs (ahem... a full copy of _Red_ would be nice,  guys...)  but
if I had to pass judgment on this band from what I know of them  now,
I would have to say that Makina provides us with great  music.  Heavy
and worth a listen.

Contact: Makina, P.O. Box 763 Admon 11
         Hipodromo, Mexico D.F. 06101 Mexico
         mailto:maina@servidor.unam.mx
         http://www.maicomio.com.mx


Megadeth - _Cryptic Writings_  (Capitol, June 1997) 
by: Drew Schinzel  (8 out of 10)

Surprise!  It's  actually  good!   After   the   very   disappointing
_Youthanasia_, an album full of weak riffs and  poor  songwriting,  I
have to admit that I didn't expect much out of _Cryptic Writings_. We
all know that once bands change for the  worse,  there's  usually  no
chance of salvaging another decent album; everyone hopes "yeah, their
last album sucked, but for the next one, they're returning  to  their
old style!" While I can't say that the  new  Megadeth  release  is  a
return to the days of such shredding  classics  as  "Hangar  18"  and
"Take No Prisoners", I can say that it's a refreshing reminder  that,
yes, aging metallers who had their heyday in the late  80s/early  90s
-can- in fact write decent  material  without  falling  back  on  old
ideas. Sure, none of these songs are going  to  blow  any  long  time
'Deth fans out of the water (except  maybe  "She-Wolf",  killer  song
that is), but pretty much all of them are structurally tight,  albeit
maybe a tad too predictable and commercially inclined, efforts  which
are  eons  better  than  the  majority  of  the  drivel  present   on
_Youthanasia_.  On  the  whole,  _CW_   is   a   bit   heavier   than
_Youthanasia_, and at the same time  more  experimental,  creating  a
balance between the  Megadeth  trademarks  such  as  Mary  Friedman's
classic solos and newer elements like acoustic interludes and a  very
minor use of keyboard highlights here and there. We even get a  treat
in the form of the aforementioned track "She-Wolf", a truly  bitchin'
song using the speedier riffing style from _RiP_ with  the  aesthetic
of the modern material, coming off overall as a song  that  should've
been on _Countdown to Extinction_. Examining  what  counts,  _Cryptic
Writings_ can be summed up like this: As expected, it's not a  return
to the days of old, but thankfully it's also not a _Youthanasia  part
2_. And when you compare it to what the "other" M-band out  there  is
putting out these days... no comment is necessary.


Melechesh - _As Jerusalem Burns... Al'Intisar_
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (8 out of 10)  (Breath of Night/Pulverizer, 1996)

Further complicating the tumultuous world of black metal  geopolitics
are Melechesh, who hail from  Israel  and  proclaim  themselves  "the
pioneers of Assyrian Mesopotamian black metal."  Ave...  Hoo  hah....
Anyway, some of the music offered here is quite  cool.  Much  of  the
time, the band sounds a -lot- like Marduk  did  on  _Opus  Nocturne_:
crisp, straight-ahead, and fast as hell black metal  with  sharp  and
well-phrased vocals, and without keyboard embellishment.  Yet  unlike
Marduk, Melechesh employ a broader range  of  tempos,  along  with  a
generous   (but   not   excessive)   incorporation   of   well-played
Middle-Eastern flavored riffs, lead  guitar  lines,  and  percussion.
This gives them a little bit of early-Satyricon zing, but the Eastern
feel is more pronounced in  Melechesh's  music  -  while  the  frosty
atmosphere of "Northern"-style black metal is diminished. (You  could
do some pretty sensuous hip-shakin' to "Dance of the Black Genii"  if
you felt like it.) But as  I  say,  there's  some  cool  stuff  here.
"Planetary Rites" is highly great: mid-paced, yet sharp,  hard-edged,
and full of ache, with a great Mesopotamian interlude (or  maybe  its
Assyrian; I don't know.) "Devil Night" also deserves mention for  its
well-captured eighties hell-thrash feel. "Sultan of Mischief"  blasts
along  quite  powerfully,  as  does  the  more  monumental  "Assyrian
Spirit". And  the  list  of  interesting  and  varied  moments  could
continue. This isn't anything earth-shaking, really  -  but  provided
that you enjoy energetic black metal, can live without keyboards, and
find yourself intrigued by the Middle Eastern flair, you'll  probably
find it to be worth seeking out.


Mortal Remains - _No Cash Flow_  (Tender Stone, May 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley  (6 out of 10)

Okay... this record starts off as a  somewhat  hardcore/metal  record
and as it progresses, it turns into a  tight,  blazing,  metal-riffed
thrash metal record. _NCF_ by New  York's  quartet,  Mortal  Remains,
isn't all that bad, I liked a lot of what I  heard,  it's  just  that
what it supplies us with is a typical dosage of thrash-styled  music.
I hear a lot of Slayer, Anthrax, and Metallica influence within their
music on _NCF_, as well as hardcore/metal stylings a la Biohazard.  I
like what the band is doing in regards to going back to an old school
style of playing and mixing with a 90s feel of  hardcore/metal.  I'll
be honest, I was pleased when a band like Meliah Rage  surfaced  last
year after a long hiatus with their self-titled album  plugging  hard
and heavy at old school metal and I am glad that Mortal Remains isn't
afraid to play music that may seem old or forgotten. It sounds  good,
they just need a bit more variety and creativity in some  parts.  Not
bad.


Satanic Slaughter - _Land of the Unholy Souls_
by: Drew Schinzel  (6 out of 10)  (Necropolis, June 1997)

With this their second album released on Necropolis Records,  Satanic
Slaughter have brought forth a CD filled with older material from the
early stages of the band in the mid- to late-80s, before the criminal
acts of a member or two halted development.  I  haven't  heard  their
self-titled debut, so I  can't  say  exactly  how  dated  this  album
sounds, however, judging it solely on its own qualities, I can't  see
how a release such as this can hold its own today in  the  late  90s.
Pretty old-school (obviously), with a very  one-dimensional  take  on
80s black metal, with much thrash influence (similar in some respects
to Sodom and others, but with more emphasis on the black  metal  part
of things), Satanic Slaughter give us thirteen tracks of very  spotty
material. There -are- a couple of songs which  stand  out  as  killer
efforts, namely "One Night in Hell", "Servant of Satan", and "Demon's
Feast". Unfortunately, the penetrating,  menacing  guitar  riffs  and
perfect mix of mid-paced rocking  sections  with  all-out  blasts  of
energy present in those songs are all too rare throughout the rest of
the album, and  this  quickly  becomes  the  type  of  CD  where  you
immediately find your favorite songs and  forget  about  the  others.
Though I hate to use the word,  the  one  that  comes  to  mind  when
listening to Satanic Slaughter is generic.


Siebenburgen - _Loreia_  (Napalm Records, June 1997)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (6 out of 10)

Some enjoyable music  here,  but  nothing  especially  innovative  or
aggressive. It's mostly mid-paced metal which  emanates  a  blackened
feel, while never becoming particularly harsh or  dark.  Melancholic,
mid-paced riffs and a semi-spoken black metal snarl define the style,
which sometimes reminds me a lot of  Dimmu  Borgir's  _Stormblast_  -
minus the  stirring  keys  and  variation.  In  place  of  keyboards,
Siebenburgen incorporate folkish female  vocals  and  the  occasional
well-placed violin. By black metal standards,  the  album's  speedier
parts  are  not  especially  fast.  Still,  there's  definitely  some
effective material, especially the  songs  in  which  the  riffs  and
vocals display the strongest folk influence, like "Ungentum Pharelis"
and the title track. Also worth mentioning are the  punchier  "Dodens
Somn" and  "Vittring  av  Liv",  both  of  which  express  some  more
traditional heavy metal influences. The mix and production are good -
but it seems to me that with less studio polish, the band might  have
a more "woodsy" atmosphere which would really  add  to  their  sound,
given its poetic and  folkish  sources  of  inspiration.  And  at  52
minutes in length, the album is fairly repetitious, with very  little
real dynamic variation within each song, or difference in song length
(between five  and  six  minutes),  structure  (conventional),  tempo
(mostly mid-paced), or feel.


...The Soil Bleeds Black - _The Kingdom and Its Fey_
by: Adam Wasylyk  (6 out of 10)  (Cruel Moon, June 1997)

From the label that brought us the amazing Proscriptor, Cruel Moon (a
sub-division of the Cold Meat Industry label)  have  brought  us  yet
another musical oddity that is worthy of  attention.  The  trio  that
comprises ...The Soil  Bleeds  Black  play  Medieval-influenced  folk
music who's pure, authentic sound lends the it a lot of  credibility.
Tracks like "Burh Stede  Beated",  "Dragon  Arte",  "To  Thy  Queen",
"Ecce, Victoria", and "Homonuculus" showcase some pretty well- played
music (exhibiting horned and stringed instruments, and  flutes).  The
only bone I had to pick with  _The  Kingdom  and  Its  Fey_  are  the
vocals, which were used sporadically throughout the 25  tracks.  Both
the male and female vocals at times sounded  awkward,  showing  their
flaws  in  tracks  like  "Redivivus  'Ole  Norwich,  the  Triumph  of
Horamane" and "At that Fiery Pond". ... The Soil  Bleeds  Black  have
something great happening here, I very much look  forward  to  future
recordings by the band. Not recommended for  more  traditional  metal
listener, but for more open-minded music lovers.


Soma - _Stygian Vistas_  (Extreme Records, June 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley  (6 out of 10)

While I really wanted to like this EP by noise  duo  Soma  after  the
brilliant _Inner Cinema_ last year, an ambient trip  into  chaos  and
expressionism, I felt kind of short-changed with this remix EP.  With
radio  edits  and  remixed  versions  of  some   material   scattered
throughout eight cuts, most of which come from _IC_, there is not too
much material here that really  stands  out.  Granted,  some  of  the
remixes help shorten Soma's lengthy songs and add a little bite,  but
the whole beauty of what Soma does is the long  ambient  soundscapes.
It's like their bread and butter. I dunno, I like remix  albums,  but
there seems to have been some kind of tampering or remixed ideas that
just didn't cut it in my books. Stick with the original  material  on
_IC_, and you'll thank me.


Summoning - _Nightshade Forests_ (Napalm Records, May 1997)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (8.5 out of 10)

According  to  band  member  Silenius  Gregor  [see  CoC  #18],  this
thirty-four-minute MCD will  conclude  Summoning's  reliance  on  the
works of J.R.R. Tolkien as a  main  source  of  lyrical  and  musical
inspiration. Hence, the music  presented  here  is  faithful  to  the
tradition begun on  _Minas  Morgul_  and  refined  on  _Dol  Goldur_:
stirring, layered compositions which  evoke  the  aura  of  fantastic
places past and far  away.  "Kotirion  Among  the  Trees",  "Habbanan
Beneath the  Stars",  these  songs  and  two  others  weave  together
emotive, dominating synth  lines,  buzzing  backline  guitar,  mostly
laid-back beats, and black metal vocals which blend eerie whisper and
lonely rasp. As always, the music is  crafted  and  constructed  with
considerable feeling and skill - and without reliance on a  bunch  of
"true unholy" cliches. It's great stuff from start  to  finish,  with
"Kotirion Among the Trees" easily taking its place as one of Silenius
and Protector's most stirring songs yet. "Flesh and Blood"  is  cool,
too - hell, they're all cool. All in all, I think that  _Dol  Goldur_
still represents  the  pinnacle  of  the  band's  work  so  far,  but
_Nightshade Forests_ is a greatly enjoyable set of songs nonetheless.
(By the way, the -song- "Nightshade Forests" from _Dol  Goldur_  does
not appear on this disk; all the material here is new.)


Testament - _Demonic_  (Mayhem/Fierce, June 1997)
by: Drew Schinzel  (7 out of 10)

Pop quiz, hot shot: How many times did Testament  break  up,  reform,
and change drummers and other members in the last two years? I  don't
know the exact numbers,  I  prefer  to  leave  such  matters  to  the
metal-statisticians among us, but it seemed for a  while  like  every
month, there was a new line-up, but now they've finally put  together
a stable line-up and emerged from the shadows with their seventh, and
by far heaviest, studio album, _Demonic_. When I say  this  is  their
heaviest ever, I mean it. You might have thought that _Low_ was  some
pretty heavy material, but trust me, this is much more  so.  Vocalist
Chuck Billy's predominant use of death vocals (present in small  bits
on _Low_) and the chugging guitars should be all one needs to hear to
prove it (plus the members all put on some weight  and  now  resemble
Sepultura, _Chaos AD_ era). Now, whether this is a good thing or  not
I'm still undecided on. On the one  side,  ripping  tracks  like  the
eerily addictive "Burning Times" make a compelling argument  for  the
former, but in comparison to their previous work (I can listen to any
previous Testament album besides  _The  Ritual_  and  be  in  bliss),
something falls short. I can't really recognize this as Testament. It
certainly doesn't bare much resemblance  to  their  albums  prior  to
_Low_, and even _Low_ can probably only be considered a  step-brother
to _Demonic_. To me, it sounds like Chuck, Eric, and the rest of  the
Testament guys have been very pissed off lately, as well as listening
to a fair amount of mid-paced death metal. Not that there's  anything
wrong with that. I love Testament for what they are, and I love death
metal for what it is, however,  _Demonic_  just  doesn't  strike  the
right balance between the two, in my eyes, and while the  band  might
win over new fans  with  this  release,  older  fans  of  their  more
thrashier days may be mildly  disappointed  with  this  much  altered
effort.


Thy Serpent - _Lords of Twilight_  (Spinefarm Records, May 1997)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (8 out of 10)

With the current trend of black metal bands releasing badly  recorded
demos onto CD, Thy Serpent have gone one better by re-recording  some
of their demo songs for their newest MCD, _Lords  of  Twilight_.  Thy
Serpent's  concentration  on  creating   moody,   atmospheric   music
separates them from the endless  number  of  Immortal  clones,  while
never getting caught up in mindless speed, especially considering the
beautiful harmonies that  arise  from  tracks  like  "The  Forest  of
Blakulla",  "In  Blackened  Dreams",   and   "Unknown".   Some   nice
instrumentals can also be found in the likes of "Prometheus  Unbound"
and "As Mist Descends from the Hills". This is my first taste of  Thy
Serpent, and  I'm  already  contemplating  checking  out  their  back
catalog. Check them out, if you're look for  quality  in  your  black
metal music.


Various - _The Kanada Compilation_  (Lifestyle Records, June 1997)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (3 out of 10)

If the intention of this CD was to represent the music that comes out
of Canada, then I'd vomit right now. This is just pure shit, no doubt
about it. Comprised of three bands with two  tracks  each,  only  one
band is worthy of your time coming in the form  of  Infernal  Majesty
(which earned the 3 marks for this review). Oddly this is  the  FIRST
time I've ever heard their music;  they  offer  two  cool  unreleased
tracks ("Where Is Your God?", "Gone the Way of All Flesh") that  were
recorded earlier this year. Reminiscent of the late 80s  thrash/death
scene, hopefully Infernal Majesty will release  something  soon.  The
remaining bands, The Harpoons (punk  metal)  and  Custom  (industrial
rock) are just time-wasters, and have no place being on the same disk
(musically or talent-wise) with Infernal Majesty.  Don't  waste  your
time, wait for the next I.M. release and forget about this.

Contact: Lifestyle Records, 509-264 Queens Quay W.
         Toronto, Ontario, Canada  M5J 1B5

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
                 __                    __      _
              /\ \ \_____      __   /\ \ \___ (_)___  ___
             /  \/ / _ \ \ /\ / /  /  \/ / _ \| / __|/ _ \
            / /\  /  __/\ V  V /  / /\  / (_) | \__ \  __/
            \_\ \/ \___| \_/\_/   \_\ \/ \___/|_|___/\___|

Your best source of information on the newest of  the  new,  and  the
deepest 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.

Scoring:   ***** -- I see a record deal in the future
            **** -- Great piece of work
             *** -- Good effort
              ** -- A major overhaul is in order
               * -- A career change is advisable


34-D - _34-D_  (10-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley  (****-)

This is a good demo and I'll tell you why. This demo showcases us ten
songs that are delivered fast, furious, and  in  a  totally  reckless
fashion: no holds  barred  intensity.  34-D's  demo  is  yet  another
release from Mexico City that we are reviewing, a city in  a  country
where metal music is so cherished and loved that fans  eagerly  await
every new metallic release. 34-D is a  bar-styled  thrash  metal/rock
outfit with influences from Entombed to Metallica and even Pantera in
their music. It's violent and angry and rarely does the anger  within
the music and lyrics subside. While the lyrics are written  and  sung
in Spanish, not to mention the production of the record not being the
best it could have been, the band's ability to hit us  right  between
the  eyes  almost  every  song  out  distracts  us  from  not  really
comprehending what is being sung. I like this  record  for  the  fact
that the band has no set agenda on what or how they should  play.  It
seems as though the band had a few beers, plugged in and let  it  all
out. For those who like their music rough.

Contact: 34-D Apdo. Postal 22-513 C.P. 14410 Mexico D.F., Mexico


Ambivalent Fluxation/Amish Mafia  (??-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley  (***--) / (*****)

Again??!! YES folks! Another fucking demo from  that  "Bill"  guy  in
California. Yep, this is one of the three I  recently  received  from
that creative mind out West and I must admit, this is definitely  one
of my favorites. Not for the fact that the music is good - I admit  a
lot of it is not - but that there are gems hidden everywhere  on  the
Ambivalent Fluxation side of this split demo. AF is a roller  coaster
ride into a totally distorted wall of noise and sound effects. A  lot
of  this   ambient/noise-styled   stuff   has   seeped   into   other
side-projects of Sannwald's (Thought  Masticator,  for  example)  but
there is something really eerie about the music  here.  Sannwald  has
brought some kind of weird vibe here (more noticeable on Amish  Mafia
side). I personally liked the fucked up version  of  Nirvana's  "Rape
Me" and the long-winding collage of noises  bestowed  by  the  clever
"Dancefloor Hit". Now onto Side 2 with the material by  Amish  Mafia,
probably one of my favorite Sannwald releases (though I yet  to  have
studied the works of the other demo I got - Acrobats of  Apocalypse).
The  "story"  goes  that  three  Amish  folk  (The  Tiller,  Jeremiah
Quakerkiller, and The Churn) broke  into  Jon  Apgar's  home  (he  of
Ephmeron demo fame) and used the "forbidden  technologies"  found  at
Apgar's home to experiment. Sounds cheesy, I know, but actually, this
is good ambient/noise stuff here. Throughout the  demo,  we  actually
get to  follow  these  Amish  folk  and  their  experimentation  with
"forbidden technologies." Quite a clever idea  and  concept  is  this
release. I seriously can't get enough of it. Damn! Those  Amish  folk
are warped! You *seriously* have to hear this to see why this  is  so
good. 'Nuff said.

Contact: Bill Sannwald, 3538 Paseo Salomoner, La Mesa, CA USA 91941
         mailto:satan666@ucsd.edu


Cromm Cruiach - _Cromm Cruiach_  (6-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley  (***--)

For the love of God (or should that be Satan?), I cannot find any bio
or contact information from this band. Did we at  CoC  ever  get  one
with this demo tape? Who knows? Anyway, whoever's band  submitted  us
this tape for review, I'm sorry for  not  including  an  address  but
c'est la vie, eh? Onto the music of CC. While a lot of the music here
is played very well, some of the instrumental pieces are  pretty  top
notch, if you ask me, but where the band's style and sound begins  to
fade fast in the originality or awe-inspiring area is when the  music
incorporates death growls into the flow of things. Not good. The  two
just don't mix well. It's  like  Dream  Theater  or  Rush  trying  to
incorporate Obituary vocals. Um... NO! In any  case,  some  may  find
this blend of styles in CC's music interesting - I'm not one of them.
To be blunt with ya, I think the band has several talented performers
that bring the sound up to the front. Too bad the vocals  and  lyrics
can barely keep up with that level of musicianship.


Drag Pack - _Drag Pack_  (4-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley  (***--)

Question: What do you get when you mix the music of Fu Manchu, Kyuss,
Monster Magnet, and Black Sabbath with low budget production? Answer:
New Jersey trio Drag Pack's self-titled 4-song demo. Get the picture?
I've heard this high-powered dirty sludge rock  all  before,  but  it
still sounds good. If you like any of the bands mentioned above,  and
have  a  taste  for  indie-style  rock/metal,  then  this  is   worth
investigating. 

Contact: DRAG PACK c/o Keith 93 Gourley Avenue
         Clifton, NJ, USA, 07013
         mailto:shorty@eden.rutgers.edu


Ember - _Chapter II: The Gate..._  (3-track demo)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (*****)

Another great demo from this potent and promising  young  band.  What
struck me about Ember's previous demo was the skill  with  which  the
band blended impassioned new  school  blackness  with  the  punchier,
hellish vibe of old school Satanic  thrash.  That  skill  is  evident
here, too. In fact, the band has become even more powerful and  adept
at fusing their influences into truly kick-ass,  memorable  material.
The music displays more texture and structure than their  first  demo
offered. The crustier segments sound energetic  and  up-to-date,  and
the presence of more modern influences elevates the music miles above
that of many other old-school-honoring bands. The songs contain  cool
riffs, crafty and compelling dynamic shifts, stylistic variation, and
solid performances all  around.  Plus,  the  music  just  oozes  that
thrash-on underground hell-metal vibe which cannot  be  faked.  Three
tracks, pro-copied, with a pro-printed J-card. First  rate  stuff;  I
really hope Ember gets signed.

Contact: Ember, c/o Peter Mlot
         P.O. Box 2177, Darien, IL, 60561, USA
         (send $5 US / $6 World for a copy)
         Fax: (630) 985-1169
         WWW: http://www.xnet.com/~odin/ember.html


Hologram - _Into the Hologram_  (6-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley  (***--)

Totally working off their set style  as  a  progressive  metal/thrash
outfit, Hologram, from Mexico (YES! another Mexican band)  really  do
bring a certain flare of excitement  to  the  music  they  play.  The
technical focus of the guitar playing and other  musical  aspects  of
the band are of a high calibre, well-executed, and carefully  thought
out. One would think that a band of this style would  stay  clear  of
any death metal  influence  and  go  for  a  more  Fates  Warning  or
Queensryche feel to it, but I'm sad  to  report  that  the  band  has
brought into the fold an annoying screamer/growler  who  just  taints
the exquisite music with poor vocals. Not a good sign. I'd have given
the band two stars, but felt that the music itself at least  garnered
three. So, to put it in a  nutshell:  good  music,  bad  vocals.  You
decide if  you'll  pick  this  up.  Recommended  for  fans  of  solid
musicianship. 

Contact: Hologram, c/o Fco. Javier Quintanar 
         Apartado postal 19-513 C.P. 03901 Mexico D.F., Mexico


Lucifer - _Lucifer_  (7-track demo)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (***--)

This is the first  demo  tape  from  this  American  band  who  plays
fast-paced death metal, showing some black metal influences as  well.
For this first demo, Lucifer used a drum machine (they don't  have  a
drummer yet, but are planning to  get  one),  but  it  didn't  really
bother me - I didn't notice it most of the time, anyway. As  well  as
in need of a new drummer and an extra  guitarist,  these  guys  could
very well use some improvement in what  concerns  the  vocals  -  not
necessarily  a  new  vocalist,  but  a  change  of  style   is   very
recommended. Lucifer produce a reasonably thick wall  of  sound,  but
the riffs aren't really brilliant, even though the tempo changes  are
well done. The main problem is now that the 25 minutes plus  of  this
demo are rather repetitive, they never really show too  much  besides
what's apparent after the second track (first after the intro).  This
wouldn't have been all that bad if something weird  hadn't  happened:
side B has a much worse production (and I mean -clearly- worse,  even
the stereo's balanced more towards the right), either  because  of  a
production fault or some problem with the dub they've  sent  us.  One
way or the other, this isn't a bad demo by any means, but it  doesn't
have anything really remarkable either and does  suffer  from  a  few
faults.

Contact: Lucifer, PO Box 49, Goldsboro, MD, USA 21636
         voice: 410-482-7247 (Jake)
         voice: 410-754-8515 (Jeff)


Manic - _Recollection of What Never Was..._  (4-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (****-)

After reading their bio and hearing the demo, I realized that I'm not
dealing  with  amateurs.   The   trio   that   comprise   Manic   are
professionally-taught musicians who play  a  music  hybrid  of  jazz,
fusion, and metal. Death's  technical  prowess  comes  to  mind  when
hearing any of _Recollection..._'s  four  tracks.  Getting  up  to  a
mid-paced speed, the tempo is always changing which  prevented  sound
stagnancy. A number of vocal types are utilized throughout  the  demo
like screams, death growls, and spoken word. Manic are all  over  the
map when it comes to musical  influences,  and  that  is  what  makes
"Recollection..." work. A full-length CD is coming  up  this  summer,
and I look forward to hearing more from this band.

Contact: Manic, Dimitrios Tasikas, CU Box 7070
         Potsdam, NY, 13699, USA


Meth - _Legacy of Vikings_  (12-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (****-)

Not bad, not bad at all! Meth play Viking-inspired black  metal  that
contains plenty of interesting guitar hooks and varying tempos. Songs
like "Whores of Norway", "Palace in the Mountains", and  "Frostbitten
Soul" testify to this. Each song has at least one  intriguing  aspect
which I find hard to find these days on a demo  (well,  judging  from
the demos I've reviewed in the last two issues of  CoC).  Influences?
Hmmmm... that's a hard one, no band really comes to mind.  There's  a
little Bathory influence here, but no other noticeable influences are
present. Meth  are  a  hard  band  to  describe,  but  its  music  is
definitely not hard to enjoy. The only thing that prevented this demo
from a perfect mark was the production, which isn't  shit  but  could
have been better. I hope that Bill continues with Meth, as I hear  he
has a number of other musical projects  going.  This  demo  is  worth
picking up, for the music is top rate.

Contact: Meth, 3538 Paseo Salamoner, La Mesa, CA, 91941, USA

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        ____     __                       __
       /\  _`\  /\ \                     /\ \__  __
       \ \ \/\_\\ \ \___      __      ___\ \ ,_\/\_\    ___
        \ \ \/_/_\ \  _ `\  /'__`\   / __`\ \ \/\/\ \  /'___\
         \ \ \L\ \\ \ \ \ \/\ \L\.\_/\ \L\ \ \ \_\ \ \/\ \__/
          \ \____/ \ \_\ \_\ \__/.\_\ \____/\ \__\\ \_\ \____\
           \/___/   \/_/\/_/\/__/\/_/\/___/  \/__/ \/_/\/____/
     ____                                          __
    /\  _`\                                       /\ \__
    \ \ \/\_\    ___     ___     ___     __   _ __\ \ ,_\   ____
     \ \ \/_/_  / __`\ /' _ `\  /'___\ /'__`\/\`'__\ \ \/  /',__\
      \ \ \L\ \/\ \L\ \/\ \/\ \/\ \__//\  __/\ \ \/ \ \ \_/\__, `\
       \ \____/\ \____/\ \_\ \_\ \____\ \____\\ \_\  \ \__\/\____/
        \/___/  \/___/  \/_/\/_/\/____/\/____/ \/_/   \/__/\/___/


Here is where Chronicles of Chaos gives you the lowdown on the latest
shows coming your way. Check out Chaotic Concerts every month for the
scoop on the bands brutalizing the masses  with  their  own  form  of
terror.


  A N   E N D L E S S   N I G H T   O F   W I C K E D   M I S E R Y
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
         Fleshless, Endless, The Wicked, and Infernal Majesty
       At the Generator in Toronto, Ontario, April 21, 1997
                           by: Adam Wasylyk

     Let me start off by saying this was by far the WORST  show  I've
ever been to. I was surprised that I didn't flip, but I was damn near
close. I hate to come down on indie bands, but what entered my ears I
will NEVER forget. I will now question going to a future show if  one
of these bands are on the bill. However, my complaints don't stop  at
this particular band. Read on and witness my Hell.
     The Generator. What a fucking horrible place for bands to  play.
The stage is at the very back of the bar, and it's sideways  so  only
the back 1/3 of the place can see the band actually playing.  Coupled
with the heat (and apparent lack of air  conditioning),  it  made  my
blood boil. "What else could go wrong?", I said to myself. You  fool,
you.
     Starting off the night's festivities were Fleshless, who  I  had
seen before previously  with  this  being  only  their  second  show.
Fleshless, I must say, are a great band, play brutal death metal  the
way I like it: with plenty of  tempo  changes  and  technical/skilled
guitaring. The band impressed much of the 80-100 on hand to  see  the
show, actually a good turn out considering Toronto's  pathetic  metal
scene (excluding some indie bands).
     Next were Endless, who carried  the  momentum  well  with  their
mid-paced death metal music. Dueling growls was cool, along with  the
superb drumming that make the band  stand  out  and  move  away  from
mediocrity. A classy act, hopefully a lot will be in store  for  this
talented band.
     Okay, here's where Hell breaks loose. Setting up  and  ready  to
take the stage were St. Catherines' The Wicked. I had seen this  band
in London with Hemdale (see CoC #19) but I guess the heat and  shitty
club had me extra irritated  by  the  band's  industrial/gothic/black
metal musical shit. The band's drum machine sounded beyond  pathetic,
while the keyboards just sounded cheesy. The singer's  vocals  ranged
from typical black metal vocals to a  yelling  sound  (a  la  Marilyn
Manson), but picture it  done  as  unconvincingly  as  possible.  The
highlight of their set was when I noticed that behind the bar  was  a
television, where it was showing a Saturday Night Live repeat episode
with the Spice Girls performing. I would have given my  soul  (had  I
not already sold it to Satan) for The Wicked to just stop, but I  was
reduced to reading zines that I had brought  along  and  cleaning  my
glasses to absolve me of the boredom.
     Finally the aural-assault (literally) ends and we  (Adrian  "The
Energizer" attended as well) leave, missing Infernal Majesty, who was
the band we originally came to see. Why, you ask? Both Adrian  and  I
were sickened by what we heard in addition to being exhausted by  the
shitty conditions of this bar. We couldn't stand to stay for  another
minute. What an unforgettable night.
[ed:  You  guys  are  wimps. -- Alain]
[ed: Yeah, fucking wimps! -- Gino]
     Fleshless and Endless rule,  check  them  out  if  you  get  the
opportunity to do so. If The Wicked comes to your town, run for  your
life. Your ears will thank you for it.

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

     B E   A F R A I D ,   B E   V E R Y   V E R Y   A F R A I D
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Fear Factory and Type O Negative with Drain and Powerman 5000
          At The Warehouse in Toronto, Ontario, June 6, 1997
                           by: Adam Wasylyk

     A one-off show from the Ozz-Fest  tour,  Toronto  would  be  the
receptionist of the better bands on the bill  (as  opposed  to  bands
like Vision of Disorder... Yuck!). After  seeing  Fear  Factory  last
November in New York, I was looking forward  to  seeing  them  again,
this time on more familiar soil.
     Of course, tonight  in  attendance  were  the  usual  sluts  and
Marilyn Manson freaks. What would a Type-O show be without them?
     When the show eventually started,  it  was  Sweden's  Drain  who
would open the show. A female  quartet,  the  band  plays  dirge-ish,
heavy rock with dueling female vocals. Not much  appreciated  by  the
audience, nor I. I consider Drain "background  music,"  something  to
listen to while talking to friends. Thankfully, it ended soon.
     Following up were Powerman  5000,  whose  funk/rap  metal  style
bored me to tears. When will people  recognize  that  metal  and  rap
don't belong together? [ed: Don't care  what  anyone  says,  I  still
think Stuck Mojo is cool. -- Alain]
     Finally, the good stuff! Fear Factory took the  stage,  to  what
would be the loudest response by the crowd for  the  night.  Starting
out sounding horribly, luckily the sound guy fixed his  fuck  up  and
make them sound like the great live band I  remembered  them  to  be.
Some songs that were played are  "Demanufacture",  "Self-Immolation",
and  "Replica",  coupled  with  some  remixes  off  FF's  new  album,
_Remanufacture_ and my favorite  FF  remix,  "Scum  Grief  (Deep  Dub
Trauma Mix)" off the _Fear Is the Mindkiller_ EP. What a great set; I
hope to see them back here soon.
     Closing out the show was Type-O, who I admit I've never  been  a
great  admirer  of.  Still  supporting  last  year's  _October  Rust_
release,  songs  off  it  such  as  "Love  You  to  Death"  and   "My
Girlfriend's Girlfriend" were mixed with older favorites like  "Black
#1" and others I'm not familiar with. What was odd about Type-O's set
was the number of cover songs the  band  did,  this  being  my  first
attendance at a Type-O gig, I don't know if this is usually what they
do. Bands like Black Sabbath, Neil Young and The Doors  were  covered
with mixed results. Not a bad set, but FF were  definitely  tops  for
this night. [ed: Type O played too damn FAST, seemed rushed, perhaps?
-- Alain]
     Overall I had a great time at the show. Not only did I hear some
great music (mostly on behalf of Fear Factory) but I was able to meet
the night's bands, media people, musicians, writers, and metal  fans.
A Toronto metal show that is unforgettable. Who woulda known?

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

                   D O U B L E - O H - O R A N G E 
                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                  Agent Orange with Mess and Swindle
                At the Bay Street Bar in Savannah, GA
                          by: Steven Cannon

I had almost wanted to tell my friend Chris I thought  he  was  lying
when he said that legendary Southern California surf punk band  Agent
Orange was going to be in town... And since my usual  videotaper  was
out of town going to school for six weeks, I was in dire  straits.  I
HAD to do a videotaped interview and film the show,  and  luckily  my
friend Chris had all the  necessary  items  ready  to  go!  The  show
started rather late, but by the time the bands rolled out, the  place
was quite crowded. The interview, by the way,  was  very  informative
and quite humorous at times, done with the only original Agent Orange
member left, singer Mike Palm. Mess started the show with a  kind  of
poppy punk style, sounding a little  at  times  like  Green  Day-type
stuff. Some of the lyrics were kind of weird too, tracks like  "Brain
Dead", "Infection", and some kind  of  perverted  tune  about  smelly
fingers. Some of their songs had a rather Ramones-type influence, but
nothing really outstanding. Finally,  the  moment  we  had  all  been
waiting for (no I didn't leave anyone out, so bear with me!)  arrived
as Agent Orange, as a three-piece STILL, hit  the  stage!  The  first
song they ripped into  surprised  me,  as  it  was  "Pipeline",  that
all-time surf anthem which sounded VERY thrashy! They only played two
songs off of their newest album _Virtually Indestructible_,  and  the
rest were mostly classic cuts from my favorite Orange album,  _Living
in Darkness_. The only weak spot of the show, which by the way saw  a
vicious pit when they ripped into "Bloodstains", was the chorus lines
on one of their songs,  I  forget  which.  They  did  all  the  heavy
classics, like "Living in Darkness", "No Such Thing", and "Too  Young
to Die", and many of these renditions sounded much heavier live  than
on record. They also performed a few cuts off of their later  albums,
like "I Kill Spies" and "Tearing Me  Apart".  Live,  they  were  very
energetic and humorous, jumping around, and basically feeding off the
audience and allowing us to do the same. They ended  their  set  with
"The  Last  Goodbye"  and  left  the  stage   (after   Mike   did   a
fire-breathing act which he probably got the  idea  as  a  result  of
looking at pictures of other artists a lady friend of mine had  taken
at previous shows)  to  an  unbelievable  crowd  response!  They  had
announced that Swindle had just arrived (even  though  they  were  to
play second instead of last) and they  would  graciously  allow  them
ample time to play after Agent  Orange's  set.  They're  really  nice
guys! Anyway, the audience was so loud and kept cheering and  calling
for Agent Orange that they came back to play three  additional  songs
for us. Swindle, I didn't get to hear much of, but they sounded  loud
and brash and quite intense in a hardcore punk sort of way.  The  new
Agent Orange album will be reviewed in issue  #15  of  Vibrations  of
Doom, and sound clips from their new album also will be presented, as
well as portions of the video interview that yours truly  will  never
forget. Thanks go to Mike and company for being really cool guys.

Steven Cannon,
Editor in Chief of Vibrations of Doom Magazine
http://www.kmf.org/~cl/vod_home.html

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

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

Gino's Top 5

1. KMFDM - _Retro_
2. Mundane - _Feeding On A Lower Spine_
3. Various - _Amp_
4. Pitch Shifter - _Infotainment?_
5. Monster Magnet - _Spine of God_

Adrian's Top 5

1. Geezer - _Black Science_
2. Hanzel Und Gretyl - _Transmissions From Uranus_ 
3. Faith No More - _Album Of The Year_
4. Arcana - _Cantar De Procella_
5. Autumn Tears - _Love Poems For Dying Children - Act 1_

Brian's Top 5

1. Spastic Ink - _Ink Complete_
2. The Jerky Boys - _The Jerky Boys_
3. Symphony X - _Divine Wings of Tragedy_
4. Red Tide - _Vicious Circle_
5. Clockwork - _Search_

Steve's Top 5

1. Damnation - _Rebel Souls_
2. Arckanum - _Kostogher_
3. Summoning - _Nightshade Forests_
4. Incantation - _The Forsaken Mourning of Angelic Anguish_
5. Cryptopsy - _None So Vile_

Adam's Top 5

1. My Dying Bride - _Like Gods of the Sun_
2. Pain - _Pain_
3. Various - _A Black Mark Tribute_
4. Emperor - _Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk_
5. Pan-Thy-Monium - _Khaooohs & Kon-fus-ion_

Drew's Top 5

1. Megadeth - _Cryptic Writings_
2. Dimmu Borgir - _Enthrone Darkness Triumphant_
3. Iced Earth - _Iced Earth_
4. Absu - _The Third Storm of Cythraul_
5. Dark Tranquillity - _The Mind's I_

Andrew's Top 5

1. Dissecting Table - _Dead Body and Me_
2. Merzbow - _Music For Bondage Performance 2_
3. Discordance Axis - _Ulterior_
4. Incapacitants - _Asset Without Liability_
5. Dismembered Fetus - _Generation of Hate_

Pedro's Top 5

1. Dark Tranquillity - _The Mind's I_
2. Dimmu Borgir - _Enthrone Darkness Triumphant_
3. Within Temptation - _Enter_
4. Theatre of Tragedy - _Velvet Darkness They Fear_
5. Septic Flesh - _The Ophidian Wheel_
 
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

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

That's it dudes. Hope you've enjoyed this issue as much as the  rest.
Remember to keep your eyes peeled for us in Milwaukee, and  don't  be
shy, come up and say hi, or even say "Fuck you!", if  you  feel  like
it. See you all there.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #22

All contents copyright 1997 by individual creators of included work.
All opinions expressed herein are those of the individuals expressing
them, and do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone else.

