  _______ __                     __      __                      ___ 
 |   _   |  |--.----.-----.-----|__.----|  .-----.-----. .-----.'  _|
 |.  1___|     |   _|  _  |     |  |  __|  |  -__|__ --| |  _  |   _|
 |.  |___|__|__|__| |_____|__|__|__|____|__|_____|_____| |_____|__|  
 |:  1   |                                                          
 |::.. . |                                                          
 `-------'                                                          
                   _______ __                      
                  |   _   |  |--.---.-.-----.-----.
                  |.  1___|     |  _  |  _  |__ --|
                  |.  |___|__|__|___._|_____|_____|
                  |:  1   |                        
                  |::.. . |                        
                  `-------'                        


        CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, March 2, 2004, Issue #71
                  http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com


Co-Editor / Founder: Gino Filicetti
Co-Editor / Contributor: Pedro Azevedo
Contributor: Adrian Bromley
Contributor: Brian Meloon
Contributor: Paul Schwarz
Contributor: Aaron McKay
Contributor: David Rocher
Contributor: Matthias Noll
Contributor: Alvin Wee
Contributor: Chris Flaaten
Contributor: Quentin Kalis
Contributor: Xander Hoose
Contributor: Adam Lineker
Contributor: Adrian Magers
Contributor: James Montague
Contributor: Jackie Smit
Spiritual Guidance: Alain M. Gaudrault

The   individual   writers   can   be   reached    by    e-mail    at 
firstname.lastname@ChroniclesOfChaos.com.                            
     (e.g. Gino.Filicetti@ChroniclesOfChaos.com).


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


Issue #71 Contents, 3/2/2004
----------------------------
* Chats
-- Coercion: No Arm Twisting Involved
-- God Forbid: Notice Is Served
* Albums
-- Coercion - _Lifework_
-- Deeds of Flesh - _Reduced to Ashes_
-- Deicide - _Scars of the Crucifix_
-- Eyes of Fire - _Ashes to Amber_
-- God Forbid - _Gone Forever_
-- In Flames - _Soundtrack to Your Escape_
-- Inspell - _Fairy-tales: Chapter One_
-- Into Eternity - _Buried in Oblivion_
-- Macabre - _Murder Metal_
-- Monster Magnet - _Monolithic Baby!_
-- On Thorns I Lay - _Egocentric_
-- The Duskfall - _Source_
-- The Forsaken - _Traces of the Past_
* Demos
-- Before the Rain - _...And With the Day Dying Light_
-- Gates of Dis - _notammargarteT_
-- Ulcerate - _The Coming of Genocide_
-- Walpurgisnacht - _Moerasghesomp_
-- WindSeeker - _By the Seed of the Same God_
* Gigs
-- Sad Eyes Question Future
* What We Have Cranked
-- Best Albums of 2003

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

                          _, _,_  _, ___  _,
                         / ` |_| /_\  |  (_ 
                         \ , | | | |  |  , )
                          ~  ~ ~ ~ ~  ~   ~ 

          N O   A R M   T W I S T I N G   I N V O L V E D
          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     CoC interviews Kenneth Nyman and Pelle Ekegren of Coercion
                           by: Aaron McKay


So far away from the abject  horror  of  the  thought  of  tomorrow's 
commute into a loveless job or needing to complete that  damn  thesis 
for your 8:00am class on the calculus of Astronomy  and  Astrophysics 
-- nothing about Coercion's new release, _Lifework_, necessitates any 
browbeating for motivation's sake. After a fairly  long  hiatus  from 
the scene, this devastating Swedish four-piece is back, and  in  rare 
form at that. Coercion fans  will  recognize  instantly  the  beloved 
style of a band missing in action for far too long. Vocalist  Kenneth 
Nyman and drummer  Pelle  Ekegren  delve  into  topics  around  their 
elongated break, a new label,  and  why  the  hell  this  wicked  MCD 
couldn't be just a few minutes longer...                              

CoC: First off, congratulations on _Lifework_!  One  of  the  biggest 
     attractions for me to Coercion's material  is  the  emphatically 
     catchy style of the band -- the stylish metal while  mixing  the 
     fast and slow tempos very well. Shed some light  on  behind  the 
     scenes sessions with regard to creating material for _Lifework_. 

Kenneth Nyman: Thanks for the kind words. After the  release  of  our 
               second album _Delete_ in 1999,  we  had  a  hard  time 
               coming up with new songs.  We  started  to  complicate 
               things musically and we felt that nothing we  came  up 
               with was any  good.  During  the  time  when  Coercion 
               consisted of only me and Pelle around 2001-2002 we did 
               a lot of jamming, and through that  we  luckily  found 
               our way back to the more basic and straightforward way 
               of making songs. We  have  also  picked  up  some  new 
               influences along the way since then, I guess.          

CoC: "Consumed", track three, has some intriguing breaks (for example 
     about the 1:50 mark) and some heavy-laden chops at  the  end  of 
     the track; probably my favorite cut off of _Lifework_. It  seems 
     like Coercion is constantly pushing the  envelope  in  form  and 
     style, this  song  being  a  good  indication  of  that.  Please 
     elaborate on "Consumed" a bit.                                   

KN: When this song came about, we just did as we always do. We  tried 
    out a few riffs that fit together and we  never  know  beforehand 
    how the final take is gonna be. We don't follow any template, but 
    since we like mixing grind with heavy  stuff,  those  ingredients 
    are likely to be a part of any song by us.                        

CoC: Why only five tracks to _Lifework_? It seems like it serves only 
     to whet the appetite...                                               

Pelle Ekegren: That's the whole point! Wait for our next full length!

KN: Originally _Lifework_ was recorded to let people  at  the  record 
    labels know that we're still around, despite the  four  years  of 
    silence. But since we were very pleased with how it  turned  out, 
    and got some offers to release it as a MCD, we couldn't  see  why 
    not. By this release it really feels like were back on track, and 
    who knows what the future holds...                                

CoC: Regardless of the line-up changes in the  past,  Coercion  seems 
     like a durable outfit where writing material is  concerned.  How 
     is that? Is it  the  live  (concert)  energy  follows  the  same 
     dynamic suit as the recorded tracks?                             

KN: Since I'm involved in most of the writing  of  the  material  and 
    have been in  the  band  since  day  one,  we  still  sound  like 
    Coercion, I guess. The question  on  how  we  sound  live  should 
    probably best be answered by anyone who came to see us play,  but 
    I guess we're doing okay.                                         

CoC: While not always prominent, the bass work on the  new  album  is 
     very pronounced and well utilized. Dag appears to  have  a  true 
     command of Coercion's style, yes?                                

KN: I'm gonna let  you  in  on  a  little  secret  <laughs>:  Rickard 
    [Thulin, guitarist] is the one playing the bass on the recording. 
    Dag had just joined the band once we started recording. He hadn't 
    been playing death metal for a long period of time, so he  wanted 
    to pass this one to get more in tune with the style.              

CoC: With the full nature of the band's sound,  how  much  or  little 
     would adding another  guitarist  to  the  fold  help  or  hinder 
     Coercion?                                                        

KN: We're having this discussion every now and then. The  best  thing 
    about having two guitars is that you can then  play  around  with 
    harmonies. That's really cool, but it's not a must in my opinion. 
    When we rehearse I often play the second guitar, and I must admit 
    that the sound improves. <laughs> Finding  a  fifth  member  that 
    fits the band musically and on the personal level is not an  easy 
    task. Besides, we're too lazy to even start looking...            

CoC: What is the philosophy of lyrics on a  Coercion  song?  Do  they 
     exist to add something vocally or communicate a message or maybe 
     utilized like an instrument (a la John Tardy from Obituary)?     

PE: Perhaps only Kenneth should answer to this, but what the hey, for 
    me the vocals are an instrument, but as it turns out Kenneth is a 
    devil on writing lyrics as well. So if you can't hear  what  he's 
    singing, check the  booklet.  To  me,  he's  a  poet  and  I  can 
    recognize myself in his words.                                    

KN: Ehmm... a poet!? You're making me blush, Pelle! I am  very  picky 
    when it comes to writing the lyrics and I do spend a lot of  time 
    and effort to make them exactly  the  way  I  want  them  though. 
    Hopefully anyone who reads them gets  something  out  of  it.  My 
    personal favorite growler  must  be  Barney  Greenway  of  Napalm 
    Death; a great voice with intelligent lyrics. Excellent!          

CoC: _Forever Dead_ has consistently been a personal  favorite  since 
     adding it to my  collection  in  late  1997/98.  How  would  you 
     compare that release with _Lifework_?                            

PE: That was then, this is now! I love  _Forever  Dead_,  but  that's 
    old; I think _Lifework_ is the evolution  of  _Forever  Dead_  in 
    2004.                                                             

KN: How flattering -- I'm glad you like it. I imagine that _Lifework_ 
    sounds a bit more American than our previous  releases.  The  new 
    stuff is also much faster and contains more grind parts.          

CoC: While we are on the topic of _Forever Dead_, allow me to inquire 
     about the last track, "Grief (Beyond Grief)", a 23-minute  track 
     which contains 10 minutes of clock sounding...                   

KN: That song is very special to me for the obvious reason that it is 
    written to honor the memory of my late friend Hakan  Stadin,  who 
    passed away in 1991. The "clock chiming" at the end of  the  song 
    is the result of our playfulness while mixing the album. If  done 
    today, we would probably have left that out.                      

CoC: In my efforts  for  the  magazines  I  contribute  to,  I  heard 
     precious little about _Delete_; to this day I haven't even heard 
     the album. Was it promoted  very  much  by  Perverted  Taste  in 
     America? Europe?                                                 

KN: That's a pitty.  _Delete_  is  a  good  album,  and  it  probably 
    deserved more promotion and a better label. Perverted Taste never 
    really let  us  in  on  what  they  were  doing  (or  not  doing) 
    promotion-wise. We declined their offer to release a third  album 
    there, much because of the lack of information from  their  part. 
    For instance, we have absolutely no clue on how  many  copies  of 
    our two albums have been sold nor how much of our royalties  have 
    gone down someone else's pockets.                                 

CoC: It seems to me personally that Coercion has been  an  underrated 
     and underestimated metal outfit on the scene for  a  long  time. 
     What are the band's thoughts on the subject?                     

PE: Yes, that's my opinion as well, I don't know why that is. I think 
    we just have had bad luck with record  labels  and  distributors, 
    'cause I never heard anyone hearing  our  music  saying  that  it 
    sucks, so I don't think it's our fault!                           

CoC: How is your media/press in the United States?

KN: Nowadays, due to the fact of our four years of absence  from  the 
    scene, it's not that good. We  still  get  many  mails  from  the 
    states though. Mainly from fans wondering when our  next  release 
    will be out.                                                      

CoC: Since  signing  in  November  of  2003,  how  has  your  working 
     relationship been with the German label, Animate Records?             

PE: Great, I love Andy!

KN: I knew there was something going  on  between  the  two  of  you. 
    <laughs> Seriously, they've managed to impress us all  more  than 
    once. Despite being a small label they make big plans,  and  work 
    hard to see them through. We met the  guys  in  Germany,  at  our 
    "Lifework-release- shows" in  early  January;  they  seem  to  be 
    really cool guys.                                                 

CoC: Any favorite groups Coercion has shared a tour  with?  My  guess 
     the tour with Fleshgrind and Resurrected in Europe in  2000  had 
     to be incredible.                                                

KN: True. That is definitely  one  of  the  highlights  of  our  tour 
    history so far. None of us had heard Fleshgrind before we went on 
    tour with them and we were completely blown away by their  stuff. 
    They now have a special place in our frostbitten hearts. We  have 
    also always enjoyed playing with Purgatory. We  meet  them  every 
    time we're in Germany, so they've become almost like family.      

CoC: Are there any bands out there currently that have captured  your 
     attention? Recent favorites?                                          

PE: Vital remains, Rotten Sound.

KN: Visceral Bleeding, Signs of Dying.

CoC: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Please  feel 
     free to relate any parting words to the reader that you'd like.       

KN: Thanks to Aaron for this excellent interview, and  to  those  who 
    are reading it for showing interest in Coercion. Be cool.             

Contact: http://www.coercion.tk

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

                   N O T I C E   I S   S E R V E D
                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
              CoC chats with Dallas Coyle of God Forbid
                           by: Jackie Smit


There's a name you're going to be hearing a lot in 2004: God  Forbid. 
Unlike the Limp Bizkits, the Papa Roaches and  the  Linkin  Parks  of 
this world however, their name won't be ringing in your ears  because 
of the traditional MTV force-feed, or  because  a  group  of  balding 
record company bosses think that God Forbid has the "2004  sound"  -- 
you will hear it on the lips of anyone with a passion  for  undiluted 
heaviness, because this New Jersey act is, as the saying goes, simply 
that damn good.  You  want  proof?  Try  their  latest  effort  _Gone 
Forever_ on for size. The product of relentless and painstaking  hard 
work, the influence of new friends made on tour  and  the  dedication 
and of five men to  their  craft,  _Gone  Forever_  is  God  Forbid's 
siren-call.                                                           

And they want everyone on this planet to sit up and pay attention...

CoC: Starting  with  the  new  album  --  there  was  a   significant 
     delay  between  _Gone  Forever_  and   your   previous   record, 
     _Determination_. Why the long gap?                               

Dallas Coyle: Well, it's hard to explain really, because when we  did 
              _Determination_, we had actually just completed _Reject 
              the Sickness_ and we were signed to Century  Media  off 
              the back of that album. So, we had to do  a  new  album 
              almost immediately for the label, so that we  could  go 
              on tour, which made _Determination_ sort  of  a  rushed 
              job. With _Gone Forever_, the  process  was  much  more 
              thought out. We toured for two years,  which  naturally 
              hindered everything, and  then  we  had  some  personal 
              problems, which took a  long  time  to  sort  out.  The 
              record also took a  long  time  to  write,  because  we 
              wanted to add all these new elements and obviously  you 
              want to introduce the new elements without compromising 
              the sound. So a lot of time  writing  this  record  was 
              actually spent being very scientific about what we were 
              doing. The fact that we are a "scream" band --  it's  a 
              lot harder not to be monotonous.  Take  _Determination_ 
              for example: think of the album what you  will,  but  I 
              think it gets monotonous after the sixth track, because 
              of the way that  the  songs  are  written.  With  _Gone 
              Forever_ that's definitely something that we wanted  to 
              avoid.                                                  

CoC: _Determination_ received a very positive response and raised God 
     Forbid's profile considerably. Did the band ever feel additional 
     pressure while recording _Gone Forever_ as a result?             

DC: No, because when we were doing this record, we knew that  it  was 
    going to be better than _Determination_ from the start. We're not 
    the kind of band to feel pressure, because the only goal  we  set 
    for ourselves is to  write  a  good  song  and  that's  the  only 
    pressure that we place on ourselves. I don't think  that  there's 
    any pressure from how successful we  are.  I  mean,  even  though 
    _Determination_ was critically acclaimed and we  got  well  known 
    and there were a lot of ads, we actually didn't really get  "big" 
    off of it. We were never drawing more than 500 people to a  show. 
    We were never really coming home with more money  than  we  could 
    spend. There was never really any pressure to do anything on this 
    album, because we didn't feel that _Determination_ had  taken  us 
    to the level where we wanted to be at that point.  We  want  this 
    new record to be one that will turn us into headliners. We  don't 
    want to be a band that supports. And _Determination_ -- man, it's 
    a good record, but it's definitely not what  our  band  is  about 
    now.                                                              

CoC: So placing  aside  the  diversification  you  brought  into  God 
     Forbid's sound, what would you say  sets  _Gone  Forever_  apart 
     from everything else the band has ever done?                     

DC: Focus. There's definitely greater confidence and  greater  focus. 
    With _Determination_ we were kind of scatter-brained. We had just 
    been signed to a metal label, we wanted to make a  metal  record, 
    and we kind of went away from some of the things that we do  well 
    to make that. With this new record -- in time leading up  to  our 
    writing and recording it, we were touring with all  these  bands, 
    who we all got  along  with  great  and  who  really  enjoyed  us 
    musically;  more  so  live  than  on  the  record,  because  they 
    understood how we had written the songs. I mean for us, when  you 
    listen to _Determination_, there are songs on  there  that  don't 
    capture the original energy with which they were written at  all. 
    With the new record, it was much more demanding, and  the  reason 
    why we had problems with our band as far as writing the album was 
    concerned, is because my brother and I had a definitive focus for 
    the band. We wanted to find our sound. Obviously we're  going  to 
    be compared to Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall and Lamb of God 
    -- those are things that  we  can't  control,  but  what  we  can 
    control is to make sure that we do what we do as well as  we  can 
    do it on every single song, and that it's our sound.  And  that's 
    what we tried to do, which again is why the album took so long. I 
    think that focus is the main issue and I think that touring  with 
    so many bands we have learned a lot of  new  things  about  music 
    which we apply to what we do.                                     

CoC: That brings me to my next point actually: God Forbid has  toured 
     with such a diverse catalogue of bands (Cradle of Filth,  Opeth, 
     Mushroomhead etc.); how much of an influence  have  these  bands 
     been on the new material?                                        

DC: I would say that not many bands really  rub  off  on  our  band's 
    style, apart from the bands  that  we  are  <pauses>  permanently 
    influenced by. Cradle of Filth, for example, is  a  band  that  I 
    like and respect, but I wouldn't say that I am inspired to  write 
    music because of them. Opeth on the other hand, is  a  band  that 
    really influenced  the  new  record  --  there's  so  much  Opeth 
    influence on the new record. A  lot  of  people  wouldn't  really 
    notice, but the style that they do where they're melodic as  well 
    as heavy at the same time is definitely something  that  we  have 
    taken from  them.  A  lot  of  people  wouldn't  even  think  it, 
    but that's definitely  something  that  we've  taken  from  them. 
    Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God and guys like that  --  those  are 
    inspirations to us. I mean, we listen to their music and  we  ask 
    what makes it current and what makes it fresh and then  we  apply 
    that to what we do, while still keeping  it  in  the  God  Forbid 
    sounds. You know, my dad always  says:  "Good  musicians  borrow, 
    great musicians steal." And that's what we do -- we  take  things 
    that other musicians do and do it in our own  way  and  hopefully 
    make it a bit better.                                             

CoC: Speaking of your father -- God Forbid has always exuded a strong 
     sense of bonding and family. How do your parents and your family 
     feel about what you do?                                          

DC: Our band is definitely supported by all our families. My  brother 
    and I have been brought up in a musical household. My father  was 
    a piano teacher, my mom is a singer -- and it's so  much  easier, 
    because my dad raised us on the piano. The fact that we didn't go 
    to college and got into music instead;  he  couldn't  really  say 
    anything about it, because he knew exactly where we  were  coming 
    from and why we were doing it. The fact that we've  gone  further 
    than he or my mother has ever gone, he's really  proud  of  that, 
    and he really shows his support. Every  Christmas,  he  buys  God 
    Forbid shirts for his students. He wears God Forbid stuff -- he's 
    really proud of it. I think that's a  big  reason  why  we're  so 
    successful. We put everything  into  our  music,  because  that's 
    always what we've been taught to do and what we've  been  steered 
    toward doing. We never had any flack about us throwing our  lives 
    away. It's not like the '70s,  like  in  "Almost  Famous",  where 
    parents were throwing away their kids' records. Our dad bought us 
    Metallica CDs.                                                    

CoC: Has he ever gone to any God Forbid shows?

DC: Yeah, he actually came out to a  show  recently;  just  after  we 
    finished the record. The first show that he ever came to  see  us 
    at, he just said to us: "You were out of tune." That was  all  he 
    said. Then with the last  show  he  said:  "The  singing  sounded 
    really great." That was when we had just started singing, so that 
    really meant a lot to us. It's not like when you have a kid  that 
    comes up to us and who's really bloody saying:  "That  was  great 
    shit, man -- I got my head kicked in six times." Our dad --  man, 
    he's listening to us the way a musician would listen to  us,  not 
    to blow smoke up our asses, because he is in no  position  to  do 
    that. He gains nothing from that. And the fact that he likes what 
    we do means a lot more to me than most other things.              

CoC: So what sort of music did you listen to growing up?

DC: Well, I got into music earlier than my brother. My brother didn't 
    really start listening to music, until we moved in with my dad -- 
    that's when he found Metallica. But when I  was  living  with  my 
    mother, I was really into old-school hip hop. And she was  really 
    into R 'n' B, so that's where a lot of my singing comes  from  -- 
    all the singing on the new  record  is  my  stuff,  because  it's 
    pretty easy for me to come up with it; it's really natural.  When 
    me and my brother moved out of the house  though,  I  got  really 
    detached from the whole black culture of music, and  I  got  into 
    metal. I was drawn to it so  much,  it  was  kind  of  like  this 
    immediate obsession for me. It was like, every time  that  I  saw 
    Guns 'n' Roses or Metallica on MTV, it  was  magical.  Then  from 
    there, when I was in high school I was not a good student, and  I 
    hung out with people that  were  much  older  than  me  and  they 
    listened to Slayer. Then a couple of people who I  knew  from  my 
    apartment building listened to Megadeth and I was  grabbing  onto 
    all this stuff from all these people and it was all  just  metal. 
    It was like fate -- getting this in my brain. One of  my  friends 
    gave me a tape with _Reign in Blood_ and you know that album  has 
    the whole album on both sides, and I was walking around  with  my 
    walkman with that shit on repeat, because  that  was  me  at  the 
    time. Then, being from New Jersey, I started getting to know  the 
    hardcore bands, and when we  started  hardcore  metal  was  still 
    really new. Shit like Overcast had just come out and I think that 
    the part of their music that we patch into  our  band,  makes  us 
    different to just a straight metal band. At the same time though, 
    our hardcore influence is minimal. I mean,  it  consists  out  of 
    basically just a couple of New Jersey bands and it's  there  just 
    basically for the brutality. The hardcore's definitely more of an 
    overtone.                                                         

CoC: Coming back to your dad; growing up with a  piano  teacher,  you 
     must also have quite  a  bit  of  classical  influence  in  your 
     musical array as well.                                           

DC: Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't say that I was really  watching  my  dad 
    play. I was just listening and learning  and  that  stuff  stayed 
    with me forever. I'm really turned on by minors -- minor  pieces; 
    things that don't sound happy. That's the type of stuff that I've 
    always been into. My dad would play old classical stuff  and  old 
    jazz like Miles Davis; stuff that's quirky, but  really  dark  as 
    well. That definitely takes a toll. Also, how I grew up  with  my 
    dad struggling to support us. I  mean,  I  never  got  abused  or 
    anything like that, but the stress level that my father  suffered 
    -- that shit rubs off and it can be almost just as bad. That made 
    me want to lash out; it made me want to create. I  never  thought 
    about singing until last year, but as far as guitar --  that  was 
    always there.                                                     

CoC: With your ethnic background and God Forbid being a band that  is 
     racially diverse in a fairly secular genre of music; do you feel 
     that what you are doing could potentially influence  other  kids 
     who would possibly be apprehensive  about  starting  a  band  or 
     doing something similar to get into the scene?                   

DC: Well, I think we're helping, but I think that bands like  Outkast 
    are actually doing more for metal in that respect. I mean,  their 
    new album is so <pauses> not black. We've been seeing more  black 
    kids coming to shows and you see no  shelter  in  their  eyes  or 
    anything like that. It's like they're proud to be black and to be 
    at the show. A lot of the black stereotypes... You know,  I  have 
    two black cousins who fit the black stereotype  and  who  are  in 
    jail right and it's so sad, because they're both smart  as  hell. 
    And they're in this shit, because they followed a fake dream that 
    someone else put in their heads. I think that the kids right  now 
    are getting smarter and they know that all the stuff they see  on 
    MTV -- all  the  shit  with  people  like  Puff  Daddy;  that  is 
    something that is not very desirable,  because  usually  it  ends 
    badly.  Metal  and  rock  music  for  me  has  always  been  very 
    liberating. It's always been about lashing out at the norm and  I 
    think that there's a lot of black kids who are realising that and 
    realising that just because they're more drawn to metal, it  just 
    makes them a different kind of person, not a bad person.          

CoC: Well, thanks a lot for your time, Dallas. Any last words?

DC: No, man -- thanks for the interview and we'll see everyone of you 
    on tour very soon.                                                    

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

                       _, _,  __, _,_ _, _  _,
                      / \ |   |_) | | |\/| (_ 
                      |~| | , |_) | | |  | , )
                      ~ ~ ~~~ ~   `~' ~  ~  ~ 

Scoring:  10 out of 10 -- A masterpiece indeed
           9 out of 10 -- Highly recommended
           7 out of 10 -- Has some redeeming qualities
           5 out of 10 -- You are treading in dangerous waters
           3 out of 10 -- Nothing here worth looking into
           0 out of 10 -- An atrocious album, avoid at all costs!


Coercion - _Lifework_  (Animate Records, 2003)
by: Aaron McKay  (9 out of 10)

Some may  picture  the  concept  of  "lifework"  as  Salvador  Dali's 
impeccable  collection  or  completing  Dante's  Divine  Comedy,  but 
Coercion  has  something  else  in  mind.  Not   altogether   without 
connection, _Lifework_ is an incredible  contribution  to  the  arts, 
only this one comes  with  a  bit  of  a  hitch.  Akin  to  Dali  and 
Dante,  Coercion's  material  isn't  necessarily  for  everyone;  the 
metal  community,  as  an  understated  sub-culture,  should  embrace 
this offering collectively -- almost  without  objection.  Coercion's 
material on _Lifework_, much as can be found on  their  1997  release 
_Forever Dead_ (which  was  my  first  exposure  to  this  band),  is 
emphatically catchy both in style and form. The band develops a  rich 
aura, oozing metal out of all pores while simultaneously mixing  fast 
and slow tempos as to tantalize the auditory sense. "Consumed", track 
three, throws down the gauntlet for power-inducing breaks  in  rhythm 
(tune in about the 1:50 mark for evidence of this) and brutally heavy 
chops. Coercion is constantly pushing the  envelope  on  this  record 
without reducing its stranglehold on their  aggressive  approach  and 
keeping the listener engaged with tempo changes and unexpected riffs. 
Now on German label Animate Records  since  November  2003,  Coercion 
seems poised on the cusp of wild abandon. Notwithstanding the album's 
meager seventeen minute, five track duration, _Lifework_  could  fast 
become one of my favorites of 2004.                                   

Contact: http://www.coercion.tk


Deeds of Flesh - _Reduced to Ashes_  (Unique Leader Records, 2003)
by: Adam Lineker  (5 out of 10)

Although the metal underground is an exciting and sprawling place  to 
explore, I sometimes feel like I'm digging through way too much tripe 
in hope of finding something that is worthy of the time it  takes  to 
find it. So many bands are frustratingly happy to  offer  us  records 
that teach nothing about the greatness of metal, but  just  exist  as 
lifeless obstacles that have to be painfully  dealt  with.  Yes,  I'm 
having a bit of a rant, but Deeds of Flesh have  set  me  running  on 
this. It's not that _Reduced to Ashes_ is all that bad --  it's  just 
totally uninspiring. This music is entirely made up  of  death  metal 
riff progressions, played through a guitar production  that  does  an 
adequate job, though the bass can be quite elusive in the mix.  There 
are some inventive riffs and effective tonal discords that might have 
stood a little taller had they been employed with more thought. As it 
stands, there is no sense of structure in these songs,  and  with  no 
melodic landmarks for one to hook into, nothing has any real  impact; 
it's never a good thing when one fails to differentiate between songs 
as they play. The vocals are reasonably powerful  but  dull,  with  a 
monotone death belch  dominating  proceedings,  punctuated  with  the 
occasional Jeff Walker-esque rasp. Drums are very competently  played 
but very impersonal, triggered to the extent that I double-checked to 
make sure that they were not machine programmed; the snare  sound  is 
also horribly weak.  Deeds  of  Flesh  show  evident  competence  and 
understanding of musical complexity, but they lose out big time  when 
it comes to structural intelligence; _Reduced to Ashes_ is  a  record 
that simply sounds the same throughout its duration. There is a  very 
real sense of soul-destroying emptiness, with nothing even to get the 
head nodding, let alone overload the senses and wring  the  emotions. 
There is also a total absence of  thematic  construction  within  the 
music, aside from the irony  of  the  fittingly  titled  closer  "The 
Endurance" (eleven minutes of dirge! I ask you!).  I  don't  actually 
enjoy being so critical of the efforts of working musicians, but with 
_Reduced to Ashes_  Deeds  of  Flesh  have  given  nothing  of  worth 
to death metal --  a  genre  that  could  do  without  such  a  staid 
representation.                                                       


Deicide - _Scars of the Crucifix_  (Earache Records, 2004)
by: Jackie Smit  (8.5 out of 10)

By the time you read  this  review,  the  odds  are  you've  read  ad 
infinitum the lamentations of several journalists bemoaning the  dire 
quality of Deicide's last few records. Ironically, a  great  many  of 
these individuals were praising Deicide's sonic atrocity; either way, 
the truth of the matter is that Deicide have been cruising  down  the 
wide-line highway to mediocrity ever  since  the  release  of  1994's 
_Once Upon the Cross_. That _Scars of the Crucifix_  has  promised  a 
return to the infernal form of the Floridian deathers' debut  or  the 
mighty _Legion_ means little  the  in  face  of  the  yawn-fest  that 
was  _Insineratehymn_  or  the  (unintentional)  self-parody  of  _In 
Torment in Hell_. So, for  anyone  still  wondering,  _Scars  of  the 
Crucifix_ does not match up to  what  it  claims  to  be.  Yet,  that 
said, it is  a  blistering,  ferocious  record  that  will  certainly 
make a fair few of  the  band's  detractors  eat  their  words.  Glen 
Benton's vocals are once again piercingly vicious, while Steve Asheim 
remains one of death metal's  unsung  heroes  behind  the  drum  kit. 
This time round however, top  honours  go  to  the  brothers  Hoffman 
for their outstanding guitarwork --  combining  venomous  riffs  with 
some surprisingly  symphonic  leads,  particularly  on  the  record's 
title track and the ironically titled "Mad  at  God".  Niel  Kernon's 
production job is slightly disappointing though, especially  when  it 
results in the thin, trebly  guitar  sound  that  previously  plagued 
1996's _Serpents of the Light_. When all is said  and  done,  perhaps 
the most intriguing thing about _Scars of the Crucifix_ is  not  that 
it's the band's first solid record  in  nearly  a  decade,  but  that 
it begs the question  as  to  whether  Deicide  will  manage  to  top 
this effort on subsequent releases, or  whether  this  is  the  final 
triumphant dying call of a once majestic beast.                       

Contact: http://www.earache.com


Eyes of Fire - _Ashes to Amber_  (Century Media, 2004)
by: Jackie Smit  (9 out of 10)

Turn your mind back a few odd years and you  might  recall  the  name 
Mindrot -- a promising five piece  hailing  from  Los  Angeles  whose 
debut record, _Dawning_, was  released  in  1995  amidst  a  somewhat 
pre-emptive amount of hoopla. Soon  afterward  the  ballyhooing  died 
down however, and by the time the arguably superior  _Soul_  surfaced 
in 1998, Mindrot had all  but  vanished  from  the  general  metallic 
conscience. Still, it's fair to assume that there are more than a few 
metalheads that mourn their passing to this day, and if you happen to 
fall into that category,  you'll  be  happy  to  learn  that  Mindrot 
founders Dan Kaufman and Matt Fisher have returned to the  fray  with 
Eyes of Fire. While their debut EP _Disintegrate_ passed  me  by  for 
some reason, _Ashes to Ember_ picks up where Mindrot left  off,  with 
Kaufman and Fisher still very much ruing the day, musically speaking. 
The heightened level of  maturity  in  their  songwriting  is  almost 
baffling though, and from the word go, _Ashes to Ember_ is a far more 
emotionally intense, focused and well-rounded  effort  than  anything 
they ever conceived under the  Mindrot  banner.  Eyes  of  Fire  sees 
Kaufman and Fisher (along with  new  collaborators  Ben  Smith,  John 
Haddad and Cary Petersen) further explore the  dissonant  soundscapes 
of Neurosis, the nervous energy of latter-day Anathema and the  cold, 
gothic overtures of Fields  of  the  Nephilim,  while  still  keeping 
things suitably heavy. Interestingly, _Ashes to Amber_ works best  as 
an album consumed in its entirety, as short abstract pieces flow into 
the record's more epic centrepieces -- of which "One More" stands out 
as perhaps the band at their most morosely effective. Cameron  Webb's 
(Godsmack, Danzig) production is adequate, although one listen should 
make it clear that Eyes of Fire would benefit  greatly  from  a  more 
layered and dense sound.  Ultimately,  Eyes  of  Fire  are  still  in 
relative infancy, and to release a debut of such poignancy and  power 
puts them right up there with metal's elite.                          

Contact: http://www.eyesoffire.net


God Forbid - _Gone Forever_  (Century Media, 2004)
by: Aaron McKay  (9 out of 10)

Pushing forth from the broadening expanse of the metal realm,  off  a 
small label  known  as  9  Volt  Records,  God  Forbid  stands  as  a 
formidable ally to us all on the scene today -- especially  now  with 
their newest offering _Gone Forever_. As a well-timed tease, the band 
spit forth a five track EP entitled _Better Days_ to prepare the  way 
for the full offensive that _Gone Forever_ unleashes.  Century  Media 
has captured, but not contained, this band from their debut  on  this 
label, _Determination_, and now _Better Days_ continues the truculent 
crusade. Arguably God Forbid may be using the recent album titles  to 
signal a profound change in metal by their  hands  alone  --  "better 
days" are just an album away and "gone forever" are the unchallenging 
concepts sometimes  found  scattered  throughout  the  metal/hardcore 
genres. Thickly enriched with solid grooves and high doses of rhythm, 
this band drives home their style on each of the nine  tracks  making 
up _Gone Forever_. This five piece outfit has arranged  their  newest 
offering with incredible  riffs  and  absolutely  stunning  leads  to 
invoke images of old Anthrax meets Corrosion of Conformity, but  with 
a flavor too hard to cite with any kind of decisive  accuracy.  Byron 
Davis' vocals have a harsh, biting,  unsympathetic  technique,  while 
Doc and Dallas Coyle's  twin  guitar  method  punches  through  _Gone 
Forever_'s track listing like a pneumatic air hammer. For evidence of 
this, check out track four, "Precious Lie", right about the 4:06 mark 
-- astonishing. Often operating unassumingly in the  background,  the 
rhythm facet of God Forbid has taken this  notion  and  categorically 
dismissed it: Jon Outcalt on bass  and  Corey  Pierce  on  the  drums 
further develop the forcefully tight union of hardcore and thrash. No 
better place can this be witnessed than on "Living Nightmare",  track 
six, for the majority of the song's nearly  four  minute  and  twenty 
seconds. For the money, it'd certainly be worth it to pick up _Better 
Days_ along with the full length to supplement the entire God  Forbid 
experience. I pride myself as a  reviewer  on  fighting  against  the 
temptation to issue a pass to a band simply based  on  previous  work 
and recorded material of the past. That said, God Forbid made matters 
delightfully easy in this regard as they have  reinvented  themselves 
on _Gone Forever_.                                                    

Contact: http://www.godforbid.com


In Flames - _Soundtrack to Your Escape_  (Nuclear Blast, 2004)
by: Jackie Smit  (8 out of 10)

So In Flames have released a new album -- so  what?  As  far  as  I'm 
concerned, the last decent record to bear  the  In  Flames  logo  was 
_Whoracle_, way back in 1995. Since then the  Swedes  have,  for  all 
intents and purposes, repeated their increasingly  tired  schtick  on 
every successive release, and in so doing have  steadily  grown  into 
one of the most boring bands  in  extreme  metal.  Of  course,  their 
juggernaut-like popularity would suggest that a fair  number  of  you 
don't share my opinion, but that's besides the point.                 

_Soundtrack to Your Escape_ is In Flames' seventh full-length  outing 
and immediately captures the band in a more austere mood. The  flashy 
guitar leads that have become synonymous with their sound  have  been 
all but entirely cast aside, in favour of a more subtle  keyboard-led 
approach. Indeed, the more sombre atmosphere of _Soundtrack  to  Your 
Escape_ comes especially to the  fore  on  the  almost  gothic  "Dead 
Alone" and "Touch of Red"  --  tracks  that  sport  driving  keyboard 
melodies and clean-sung harmonic choruses that hint at a very  strong 
'80s pop influence.                                                   

Now why the generous score, you ask? Well, the simple reason is  that 
_Soundtrack to Your Escape_ did what  I  considered  unthinkable  and 
surprised me. It may be overall slightly less heavy than _Reroute  to 
Remain_, but it's the first time in aeons that In Flames  have  truly 
attempted any sort of experimentation, and thankfully for  them,  the 
results are very enjoyable. Of course, I'd be the first to  frown  at 
the frankly radio-tailored "Evil in the  Closet",  and  at  the  same 
time, the infectious hooks of forthcoming single  "The  Quiet  Place" 
and "Dial 595 Escape" bears undeniable appeal.                        

If you haven't surmised it by now, _Soundtrack  to  Your  Escape_  is 
going to split fan opinion in two (possibly)  very  uneven  segments. 
Whatever happens though -- kudos to In  Flames  for  coming  up  with 
something this enjoyable at a time when  many  skeptics  had  counted 
them down.                                                            

Contact: http://www.inflames.com


Inspell - _Fairy-tales: Chapter One_
by: James Montague  (5 out of 10)  (Little Norway Productions, 2003)

Does a black metal band that releases an album  called  _Fairy-tales_ 
-- containing song titles like  "The  Brave  Tin  Soldier"  and  "The 
Little Match-seller" -- deserve a fair review? The devil on my  right 
shoulder urges me to launch into a rant about black  metal's  essence 
being raped by power metal fantasia; the devil disguised as an  angel 
on my left shoulder compels me to judge each case on its merits.  The 
left shoulder wins, and I must confess that within the constraints of 
beautified,  emasculated,  keyboard-drenched,  melodic  black  metal, 
Inspell (right shoulder: "Look at the  name!  Come  ON,  man!!")  are 
doing pretty well.                                                    

The first thing these Bulgarians have done right is to recognise that 
black metal -- even black metal about Little Red Riding Hood -- is  a 
form of metal music, and therefore guitars and  drums  are  integral. 
The lead guitars are scratchy in  the  typical  early-'90s  Norwegian 
style, but the solid rhythm guitar and bass give the  songs  impetus, 
while the drumming is an energetic driving force. The vocalist  rasps 
away in the usual way, and when all  is  said  and  done,  the  metal 
component of this album is quite well done.                           

Of course, in this bastardised form of black metal, the metal must be 
smothered in sweet keyboard melodies, mostly in the form of admirable 
piano and sickly, squeaky violins (blech!). In certain places -- such 
as the five-part "The Snow Queen"  --  these  extra  ingredients  are 
mixed into the songs creatively, and add to  the  flavour.  In  other 
songs, such as "The Little Ida's Flowers" (ye gads! What  a  title!), 
the keyboards are sprinkled  indiscriminately  like  so  much  excess 
parsley in a pretentious modern yuppie restaurant.                    

The album concludes with a Styx cover, so  there's  no  way  I  could 
possibly like it. But I can admire the band's skill and  songwriting, 
and can recommend Inspell to people who think that Darkthrone is just 
shitty garage rock and that Cradle of Filth were the real pioneers of 
black metal.                                                          

Contact: c/o Nikolay Velev, PO Box 296, Blagoevgrad 2700, Bulgaria


Into Eternity - _Buried in Oblivion_  (Century Media, 2004)
by: Jackie Smit  (8 out of 10)

It's been well over a decade, but death  metal  is  growing  up,  and 
regardless of whether or not  you  think  that's  a  bad  thing,  the 
sizeable influx of quality records from  the  genre  --  particularly 
toward the close of last year -- prove that the days  of  the  "shin" 
bands are quickly giving way to a newer, more lethal beast. Only  one 
obstacle could potentially upset this rapid rise  to  prominence,  as 
more and more bands rely on speed and the blast beat as  the  driving 
force to everything they do, which begs the question: how long before 
it all turns as  stale  as  yesterday's  underwear?  It's  heartening 
therefore to see  bands  like  Canada's  Into  Eternity  display  the 
talent and gumption to fuse  diverse  elements  into  their  barbaric 
incantations, and while their  combination  of  Floridian  death  and 
progressive power metal may not seem instantly appealing on paper, in 
practice it is superb. Hinting at Iron Maiden and  Dream  Theatre  at 
times, Deicide and Morbid Angel at others, Into Eternity  incorporate 
their influences into  a  seamless  alchemy  that  owes  as  much  to 
speed as it does to  dynamic,  ultra-technical  leads  and  mid-tempo 
neck-snapping riffs. "Beginning of the End" and "Black Sea of  Agony" 
stand out as immediate favourites on an overall superb package, which 
is only slightly let down at times by a production job that is a  tad 
thin on the guitars  and  allows  the  snare  drum  to  sound  tinny. 
Elsewhere, "Three Dimensional Aperture" shows off  one  of  the  most 
infectious vocal hooks you're likely to come across this year --  all 
of which helps make _Buried in Oblivion_ an inspiring and  refreshing 
alternative to the pedal-to-the-floor standard.                       

Contact: http://www.intoeternity.com


Macabre - _Murder Metal_  (Displeased, 2003)
by: Quentin Kalis  (5 out of 10)

How to make a Macabre CD:

1. Pick a serial killer. Any will do.
2. Write darkly humourous and somewhat mocking lyrics about his
   crimes.
3. Toss in some simplistic riffs.
4. Add a catchy chorus.
5. Repeat till enough material to produced to fill a CD.

Yes, they are sadly that predictable. The Macabre trio were never the 
most accomplished or technical  of  musicians,  but  compensated  for 
their musical shortcomings through the creation of a unique sound and 
the adoption of a then fairly novel  lyrical  obsession  with  serial 
murderers. But what once were mere defining elements have degenerated 
into a formula that is adhered to almost religiously. The  ubiquitous 
black humour of the lyrics is likely to produce a smile --  they  may 
even generate a snigger -- but the joke fades fast and  one  is  left 
with the music, which is sadly lacking. Macabre are not one of  those 
bands that undergo Ulverian shifts in sound, but  even  to  a  Marduk 
fanatic the albums would sound too similar to each other -- the  only 
substantial change  has  been  the  dumping  of  the  more  punk-like 
elements present in their initial efforts.                            

To end on a positive point, the bass notes are easily distinguishable 
and it is placed on an equal footing with the  other  instruments  in 
the mix; after years of listening  largely  to  trebly  black  metal, 
where the bass may as well not be there at all, and its sidelining in 
most death metal, it is a pleasure to actually hear an extreme  metal 
album with such a  distinct  bass.  This  however  does  not  somehow 
magically transform _Murder Metal_ into a  worthwhile  purchase,  and 
the interested reader is encouraged to investigate classics  such  as 
_Grim Reality_ or _Sinister  Slaughter_  rather  then  purchase  this 
recycled drivel.                                                      

Contact: http://www.murdermetal.com


Monster Magnet - _Monolithic Baby!_  (SPV Records, 2004)
by: Jackie Smit  (9 out of 10)

Monster Magnet are the saviours of rock  'n'  roll.  In  fact,  check 
that. Monster Magnet -are- rock 'n' roll. Period. Fuck  The  Darkness 
and their faux-spandex, bucktoothed grins plastered across  every  TV 
music channel. Fuck Axl Rose  and  his  mythical  Chinese  Democracy. 
Monster Magnet are the real deal: a band that exudes the  hedonistic, 
vital pulse of rock 'n' roll like no other,  and  if  their  previous 
offerings haven't convinced you, then _Monolithic Baby!_  offers  the 
final shard of evidence to underpin their genius. Continuing  in  the 
vein of 1998's  _Powertrip_  and  eschewing  the  over-production  of 
2000's _God Says No_, this is a  gloriously  filthy  behemoth  of  an 
album, well-played and devilishly clever  in  its  simplicity.  While 
largely stripped of the psychedelic shades that characterised some of 
the band's previous work, songs like "Too Bad"  and  "On  the  Verge" 
still betray Dave Wyndorf's penchant for experimenting  with  diverse 
sounds and textures. At its heart though, _Monolithic Baby!_  is  all 
about big, in-your-face verbosity; the kind of  music  that  is  best 
enjoyed at maximum volume, with as little forethought as possible. To 
this end, _Monolithic Baby!_ requires no further  analysis,  save  to 
say that after three years of label woes and uncertainty,  it's  good 
to see Monster Magnet back and as strong as ever.                     

Contact: http://www.monstermagnet.net


On Thorns I Lay - _Egocentric_  (Black Lotus, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (5 out of 10)

It only took one listen to _Egocentric_'s opener "Life  Can  Be"  for 
contradictions to arise in my mind: from a reviewer's perspective,  I 
immediately loathed this new incarnation  of  On  Thorns  I  Lay  for 
copying present day Katatonia so unashamedly; but the  catchiness  of 
the track was  undeniable  and  reasonably  pleasant,  and  one  must 
surely possess some skill in order to  achieve  that.  _Egocentric_'s 
similarity to  Katatonia  initially  seemed  my  most  likely  target 
for criticism, in spite of  the  apparently  decent  quality  of  the 
album. How ironic then that it  was  never  again  felt  as  much  as 
on the  first  couple  of  tracks,  and  that  this  would  prove  to 
be _Egocentric_'s undoing.  As  the  similarities  faded,  the  album 
correspondingly  descended  into  an  anonymous,  unremarkable   mush 
of  trendy  pseudo-depressed,  half-acoustic  rock.  Some  tracks  on 
_Egocentric_ fell below the limits of my patience, while others  were 
just about average; ultimately, I ended up actually missing the  kind 
of blatant lack of originality found in the aforementioned "Life  Can 
Be" for the rest of  the  album.  This  isn't  to  say  the  rest  of 
_Egocentric_ is a very original affair: it's  mostly  the  influences 
that change and become much less interesting. Only the last couple of 
tracks recaptures some of the album's initial interest, and they even 
do so without having to resort to any great lack of  originality.  On 
Thorns I Lay have come a long way from their early experimental  days 
of _Sounds of Beautiful Experience_,  _Orama_  and  _Crystal  Tears_; 
having previously toyed with  interesting  ideas  but  still  falling 
short of the target, six albums into their career  On  Thorns  I  Lay 
just seem confused as to where they want to take their music.         

Contact: http://www.onthornsilay.com


The Duskfall - _Source_  (Black Lotus, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (7 out of 10)

Still haven't had enough of mid-era In Flames? Longing for  something 
more in that vein, only more death-metal-oriented? Then you  are  one 
of those who would do well to purchase  _Source_.  The  Duskfall  are 
undeniably good  at  their  craft,  which  involves  Swedish  buzzsaw 
riffing and melodic hooks aplenty, and end up  sounding  a  bit  like 
mid-era In Flames on a death/thrash day most of the time. Tracks like 
"Striving to Have Nothing" and "Not a Good Sign" are damn good,  even 
with so many bands playing a similar style. Clocking in at a mere  33 
minutes, the album certainly doesn't overstay its welcome; and  while 
the remaining tracks fail to shine  as  much  as  those  I  mentioned 
before, they still remain  entertaining  enough.  With  two  cracking 
tracks and a very decent offering overall, The  Duskfall  now  dangle 
between the oblivion of being just another  band  in  an  overcrowded 
genre or actually coming up with an entire album of material as  good 
as the best songs on _Source_ next time -- and that would  definitely 
take them to a different level. For the time being, Corporation 187's 
_Perfection in  Pain_  remains  my  pick  of  the  year  for  Swedish 
death/thrash.                                                         

Contact: http://www.theduskfall.com


The Forsaken - _Traces of the Past_  (Century Media, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (8.5 out of 10)

The  Forsaken's  debut  _Manifest  of  Hate_  propelled   them   into 
vertiginous heights in  my  expectations;  after  an  unusually  high 
number of listens spanning several months, I ranked them  as  perhaps 
-the- most exciting prospect in Swedish death metal. Along came their 
second  album  _Arts  of  Desolation_,  and  I  found  myself  mildly 
disappointed by the band's turn toward American influences.  Although 
a very competent album,  _Arts  of  Desolation_  fell  short  of  the 
staying power and enjoyability possessed  by  its  predecessor.  This 
takes us to the Swedes' latest effort, _Traces of the Past_, an album 
I obviously met with mixed expectations. In most ways, it has  turned 
out for the better: there's less American riffing, more enthusiasm in 
their vibrant form of technically sharp, energetic death  metal,  and 
overall _Traces of the Past_ is closer to the level of accomplishment 
found in _Manifest of Hate_. On the other hand,  however,  the  sheer 
catchiness of _Manifest of Hate_ is yet to be reproduced by the  band 
--  although  this  one  is  even  more  impressive  as  far  as  the 
technicality of its guitar work is concerned. I still have a bit of a 
gripe with the vocalist's phrasing of the lyrics,  but  his  work  is 
otherwise very adequate. Ultimately, _Traces of  the  Past_  is  more 
accomplished than its predecessor, but only just enough to stay  with 
an 8.5 (they would have received a lower rating had they  stagnated). 
The Forsaken have  nonetheless  reaffirmed  their  place  as  one  of 
Sweden's premier death metal acts today; whether they  will  ever  be 
able to find that ellusive extra  inspiration  to  create  their  own 
_Slaughter of the Soul_ remains to be seen.                           

Contact: http://www.theforsaken.net

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

                        __, __, _, _  _,  _,
                        | \ |_  |\/| / \ (_ 
                        |_/ |   |  | \ / , )
                        ~   ~~~ ~  ~  ~   ~ 

Scoring: 5 out of 5 -- A flawless demo
         4 out of 5 -- Great piece of work
         3 out of 5 -- Good effort
         2 out of 5 -- A major overhaul is in order
         1 out of 5 -- A career change is advisable


Before the Rain - _...And With the Day Dying Light_
by: James Montague  (3.5 out of 5)

Those of you still  mourning  the  death  of  In  the  Woods...  have 
probably  invested  many  a  wasted  dollar  in  the  search  for   a 
replacement. Many of those cash cows (heifers, more like) have  silly 
names like Beyond the Dusk, After the Dawn, or When  Sleet  Turns  to 
Snow. Before the Rain keeps this daft tradition  alive,  but  is  the 
first band I've heard that might -- just might -- have the  potential 
to fill the massive hole left by the Norwegian crackpots.             

This Portuguese quintet came to being in 1997, as  an  acoustic  duo. 
They decided to go electric to get the full  weight  required  for  a 
proper feeling of doom; unfortunately they also discovered a love  of 
noisy guitar feedback that blights the recording from time  to  time. 
Most of the pieces are in place, though: thoughtful, melancholy  lead 
guitar; competent clean vocals that ocassionally overdo the woe-is-me 
factor  (but  wasn't  this  also  one  of  In  the  Woods...'  guilty 
displeasures?); and a generally slow pace. Occasionally the band will 
throw in a crushing riff and some death growls --  just  to  get  the 
blood pumping again -- but these three lengthy  songs  are  decidedly 
down-tempo, and not too heavy for the most part.                      

Quite an impressive blend of soul and grunt, Beyond the Rain  is  one 
to look out for if you're into melodic doom... and you-know-who.      

Contact: http://doom-metal.com/bandlist_entry.php?id=28


Gates of Dis - _notammargarteT_
by: James Montague  (1 out of 5)

The band member who sent me this demo proudly proclaimed it  as  "the 
worst demo ever -- a bunch of  stoned  daemons  playing  Beherit  and 
Countess songs". The latter part of this description is apt  --  they 
do sound  like  devotees  of  the  two  underground  legends  --  but 
apparently not everyone  agrees  on  the  former,  as  they  actually 
managed to find a Danish label to release this demo on CD-R. God only 
knows how: I guess these days it's easy to market any  old  noise  as 
cult black metal, just as it's easy to take some warbling  cow,  team 
her up  with  a  failed  jazz  pianist,  and  market  the  result  as 
"contemporary adult pop" for those who want to follow the trends  but 
are worried that their investment banker friends might laugh at  them 
if they listen to Christina Aguilera. But I digress...  the  point  I 
have just veered from is that Gates of Dis are woefully inadequate at 
their instruments / vocal chords, and although technical  proficiency 
has never been a requirement for black metal, it helps if you are  at 
least capable of expressing whatever the hell it is you're trying  to 
say. And when covering a Beherit song ("Gate  of  Nanna"),  it  helps 
if the vocalist  knows  at  which  point  to  come  in;  clearly  the 
cannabinoids were having more than enough of the  desired  effect  by 
this point in the  recording.  Don't  even  get  me  started  on  the 
drummer, who makes Capricornus look  like  Flo  Mounier;  he  clearly 
hasn't a clue, or has been getting the best shit in his spliff.       

Now,  this  vehement  criticism  does  not  mean  I  agree  with  the 
assessment of "worst demo ever". I've managed to write more than  two 
sentences about _notammargarteT_, which  immediately  makes  it  more 
interesting than 80% of the demos I listen to. It  is  certainly  the 
most incompetent recording I've received, but dammit, it is  quite  a 
laugh. Just listen to "Invocation", a Satanic version of  the  Lord's 
Prayer -- you gotta admire anyone who does that  after  pressing  the 
REC button. And hell, at least they're fucking  up  in  an  appealing 
manner. I always say: if you're going to butcher something, make sure 
you butcher the classics.                                             

Contact: http://rustyaxedistro.tk


Ulcerate - _The Coming of Genocide_
by: Quentin Kalis  (3.5 out of 5)

The first thing I noticed upon  receiving  this  demo  was  that  the 
booklet has a very professional look to it, superior to many booklets 
released by labels  who  presumably  have  comparatively  more  money 
to play around  with  then  these  New  Zealanders.  My  expectations 
were immediately raised, and to  a  certain  extent,  Ulcerate  don't 
disappoint. The production is markedly superior to most  other  demos 
-- even better than some (non-black metal) CDs. For  an  act  at  the 
demo stage, they are also a fairly tight  unit.  The  music  is  well 
performed, competent and well written lyrically and musically, but it 
is also incredibly generic, whose spectre affects many  brutal  death 
and underground black metal  acts.  Although  it  will  hardly  be  a 
terrible listen for ears weened on extreme metal, the sameness of the 
music to many other acts will make this a  hard  album  to  remember. 
Though highly listenable, it is also  but  also  highly  forgettable. 
Undoubtedly, they will probably sooner rather than later be picked up 
by a label,  but  if  they  want  to  hit  the  big-time  (relatively 
speaking, of course) a more distinctive and personal  touch  will  be 
needed.                                                               

Contact: http://www.ulcerate.orcon.net.nz


Walpurgisnacht - _Moerasghesomp_
by: Jackie Smit  (4 out of 5)

Grim  and  necro  are  very  definitely  the  order  of  the  day  on 
Walpurgisnacht's maiden offering -- a rehearsal demo  that  the  band 
claim will be a true revelation to old-school black metal  fans.  The 
influence of Mayhem, Darkthrone and early Satyricon is indeed  strong 
on the cold, aggressive songs contained on this disc,  but  to  their 
credit Walpurgisnacht manage to sound as relatively unique as one can 
reasonably expect of a  band  in  this  genre,  despite  the  obvious 
rehearsal quality of the recording. Clearly a  tremendous  amount  of 
talent is at work in this band --  some  followers  of  the  European 
black metal underground might even recognize drummer Marchosias  from 
his work in Grimm, Zwartkkerij and Cirith Gorgor. While this  doesn't 
quite top the ominous majesty  of  Benighted's  last  demo,  you  can 
comfortably tick off Walpurgisnacht as a name to keep an  eye  on  in 
the future.                                                           

Contact: http://www.walpurgisnacht.tk


WindSeeker - _By the Seed of the Same God_
by: Pedro Azevedo  (3.5 out of 5)

This Italian quintet started out as a power metal outfit  with  their 
first demo _Breath, Light and Hope_. A few years past, _By  the  Seed 
of the Same God_ showcases a thrashier, more aggressive  approach  to 
their music -- at least according to WindSeeker's biography. You will 
find quite  a  bit  of  Nevermore  and  Iced  Earth  in  WindSeeker's 
relatively modern-sounding power/thrash, with  some  prog  influences 
thrown into the mix here and there. The band members are  technically 
proficient, the  clean  singing  is  competent,  and  the  occasional 
harsher vox just decent.  Production-wise  WindSeeker  have  found  a 
reasonable balance considering this is only a demo  CD,  though  when 
their singer hits his higher notes the sound comes out rather strange 
to my ears. Overall,  WindSeeker  are  at  a  stage  where  they  are 
competent as a band, able to create some good  tunes  and  reasonably 
entertaining songs, and now need to excel a bit more as far as really 
capturing the listener. In any case, these guys look like they  might 
be a good band in the making.                                         

Contact: http://www.windseeker.it

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

                             _, _  _,  _,
                            / _ | / _ (_ 
                            \ / | \ / , )
                             ~  ~  ~   ~ 

         S A D    E Y E S    Q U E S T I O N    F U T U R E
         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     Arch Enemy and Akercocke at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow
                         December 16th 2003
                          by: Adam Lineker


It has  been  very  satisfying  watching  Arch  Enemy  win  over  the 
mainstream metal  press  with  their  last  two  records,  especially 
because they are  now  touring  accessibly  in  Great  Britain.  This 
billing with Akercocke was the third time I have seen the band  live, 
and after witnessing a storming performance at  Donington  Park  (May 
31st 2003), I had very high expectations. However, on a night full of 
the unexpected, it was hard to ignore the sense of something amiss in 
the Arch Enemy camp.                                                  

The gig started in suitably  explosive  fashion.  As  the  venue  was 
packed to the rafters it didn't need much to create  atmosphere,  but 
Akercocke made an inspired effort, with all their  eerie  red  lights 
and possessed facial contortions. As the chants of their  intro  tape 
grew louder, the band worked themselves up into a frenzy, only to  be 
immediately thwarted by the guitar amp conking  out  after  the  very 
first note, and leaving a jocular Jason  Mendonca  to  save  face  in 
front of a crowd who were almost on the  floor  with  mirth,  as  the 
frontman's London accent quickly transformed him into a more  sharply 
dressed Nigel Tufnell.                                                

However,  proceedings  were  quickly  back  on  track  and  Akercocke 
restarted their set, assaulting the crowd with a relentless half hour 
of undefined, passionate bludgeon. Maybe their sound man was having a 
bad one, but I barely recognised anything in their set, and it seemed 
that most of my favourite songs were left out; the fact that the band 
segued many songs into each other didn't help. I probably should have 
acquired their current _Choronzon_ opus before the show.  However,  I 
took great pleasure in watching the band's physical performance,  and 
David  Gray's  effortless  drumming  was  among  the  finest  musical 
displays I've witnessed.                                              

Having  milled  around  individually  during  Akercocke's  brief  but 
violent set,  Arch  Enemy  made  a  confident  collective  appearance 
onstage, kicking into "The First Deadly Sin" with conviction.  Having 
overdosed  on  their  recent  _Anthems  of  Rebellion_  opus,  I  was 
expecting the show to be a visceral and triumphant display of musical 
prowess from a metal band whose  time  has  arrived.  I  was  brought 
down to earth  with  an  uncomfortable  bump  by  what  was  actually 
delivered. The band  played  their  metal  as  solidly  as  expected, 
with the virtuoso  Chris  Amott  and  bass-monster  Sharlee  D'Angelo 
giving inspired performances. The band took the atmosphere  up  to  a 
satisfying level, working the crowd with newer songs such as "We Will 
Rise" and "Instinct". Yet  despite  these  achievements,  there  were 
evident problems that became more so as  the  set  progressed.  Aside 
from the  rather  short  and  patchy  set,  the  sound  often  seemed 
hopelessly over-distorted, marring the  melodic  intricacies  of  the 
music. Although this may seem like a rather bizarre criticism from  a 
dedicated metal lover, everything was simply too loud to preserve any 
form of clarity and the vocals  were  often  buried.  Angela  Gossow, 
despite performing with her usual fire and  passion,  vexed  me  with 
Slipknot impressions whenever the music stopped. Gone  was  the  cool 
and professional frontwoman who told the soundman  here  to  get  his 
shit together on  the  last  tour;  this  incarnation  addressed  the 
audience entirely in growled tones and  said  Fuckin  MuthaFuckas.  A 
lot. However, this might have been good, wholesome, metal  fun,  were 
it not for the killjoy demeanour of Mike Amott.  Staring  moodily  at 
his feet and seeming to go  through  the  motions,  the  flame-haired 
guit-artiste was an introverted and disconcerting presence over stage 
left. I wasn't the only one to notice this. As the show progressed, I 
noticed more and more people looking  at  each  other  and  shrugging 
their shoulders, debating the possible cause of this apparent  attack 
of disinterest.                                                       

It is quite possible that the band were having an off night, which is 
an understandable occurrence for any group of  working  musicians  on 
tour, but nobody wants to pay money to go and see a  band  that  look 
like they've other things to  be  doing  from  the  moment  they  get 
onstage. I'm not interested in starting  up  the  rumour  mill  about 
Amott and Gossow's relationship here  on  CoC,  so  I'll  express  my 
confidence that this distracted  vibe  was  caused  by  knowledge  of 
forthcoming cancellations that affected the  rest  of  the  UK  tour. 
Still, despite my love for Arch Enemy, I left King Tut's underwhelmed 
and crestfallen. The band that totally ruled at Donington  2003  just 
knocked about some of my favourite metalworks  of  the  recent  years 
without any real heart.                                               

As the era of the old Metal  Gods  draws  to  a  close,  we  look  to 
champion new ones. On this performance Arch Enemy  seemed  touchable, 
not much more than a decent band doing the rounds.                    

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

            W H A T   W E   H A V E   C R A N K E D ! ! !
            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                         Best Albums of 2003


Back with a vengeance after a brief hiatus in 2002, the CoC Album  of 
the Year competition has crowned a new champion for 2003:  Melechesh, 
whose prodigious album _Sphynx_ shattered all competition.  Naglfar's 
_Sheol_ was second both in terms of total points and individual votes 
(i.e.  number  of  individual  lists  mentioned  in),  with  Mourning 
Beloveth and The Crown completing the top four. Also worth a look  is 
Behemoth's _Zos Kia Cultus_, which in spite of  a  relatively  modest 
tenth place in the overall list still managed an impressive  tie  for 
third spot in the Most Consensual Album chart. The lists:             


CoC Writers' Best Albums of 2003
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 1. Melechesh - _Sphynx_
 2. Naglfar - _Sheol_
 3. Mourning Beloveth - _The Sullen Sulcus_
 4. The Crown - _Possessed 13_
 5. Graveland - _The Fire of Awakening_
 6. Hate Forest - _Purity_
 =. Drudkh - _Forgotten Legends_
 8. Septic Flesh - _Sumerian Daemons_
 =. Necrophagia - _The Divine Art of Torture_
10. Behemoth - _Zos Kia Cultus - Here and Beyond_
 =. Burnt By The Sun - _The Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good_


CoC Writers' Most Consensual Albums of 2003
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Melechesh - _Sphynx_
2. Naglfar - _Sheol_
3. The Crown - _Possessed 13_
=. Behemoth - _Zos Kia Cultus - Here and Beyond_
5. Mourning Beloveth - _The Sullen Sulcus_ 
=. Graveland - _The Fire of Awakening_
=. Hate Forest - _Purity_
=. Septic Flesh - _Sumerian Daemons_
=. Morbid Angel - _Heretic_
=. Vital Remains - _Dechristianize_


Gino Filicetti's Top 8

1. Drudkh - _Forgotten Legends_
2. Ulfsdalir - _Grimnir_
3. Hate Forest - _Purity_
4. Graveland - _The Fire of Awakening_
5. Blut Aus Nord - _The Work Which Transforms God_
6. Burnt by the Sun - _The Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good_
7. Nargaroth - _Geliebte des Regens_
8. 1349 - _Liberation_


Pedro Azevedo's Top 10

 1. Aurora - _Dead Electric Nightmares_
 2. Mourning Beloveth - _The Sullen Sulcus_
 3. Elend - _Winds Devouring Men_
 4. Corporation 187 - _Perfection in Pain_
 5. Behemoth - _Zos Kia Cultus - Here and Beyond_
 6. Vital Remains - _Dechristianize_
 7. The Crown - _Possessed 13_
 8. The Haunted - _One Kill Wonder_
 9. Naglfar - _Sheol_
10. Hate Forest - _Purity_


Adrian Bromley's Top 10

 1. The Old Dead Tree - _The Nameless Disease_
 2. Darkthrone - _Hate Them_
 3. Hammers of Misfortune - _The August Engine_
 4. Anathema - _A Natural Disaster_
 5. Dead Soul Tribe - _A Murder of Crows_
 6. Ephel Duath - _The Painter's Palette_
 7. Melechesh - _Sphynx_
 8. Type O Negative - _Life Is Killing Me_
 9. The Mars Volta - _De-Loused in the Comatorium_
10. Darkest Hour - _Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation_


Paul Schwarz's Top 10

 1. Melechesh - _Sphynx_
 2. Keelhaul - _Subject to Change Without Notice_
 3. The Meads of Asphodel - _Exhuming the Grave of Yeshua_
 4. Necrophagia - _The Divine Art of Torture_
 5. Axis of Perdition - _The Ichneumon Method_
 6. The Crown - _Possessed 13_
 7. Dissection - _Live Legacy_
 8. The Haunted - _One Kill Wonder_
 9. Desaster - _Divine Blasphemies_
10. Nevermore - _Enemies of Reality_


Aaron McKay's Top 10

 1. Fleshgrind - _Murder Without End_
 2. Melechesh - _Sphynx_
 3. Coercion - _Lifework_
 4. Hatebreed - _The Rise of Brutality_
 5. Strapping Young Lad - _SYL_
 6. Behemoth - _Zos Kia Cultus - Here and Beyond_
 7. Naglfar - _Sheol_
 8. Misery Index - _Retaliate_
 9. Project: Failing Flesh - _Beautiful Sickness_
10. Vital Remains - _Dechristianize_


David Rocher's Top 10

 1. Funeral Mist - _Salvation_
 2. Naglfar - _Sheol_
 3. Melechesh - _Sphynx_
 4. The Crown - _Possessed 13_
 5. Moonsorrow - _Kivenkantaja_
 6. Leviathan - _Far Beyond the Light_
 7. Septic Flesh - _Sumerian Daemons_
 8. The Wake - _Ode to My Misery_
 9. Dimmu Borgir - _Death Cult Armageddon_
10. Behemoth - _Zos Kia Cultus - Here and Beyond_


Matthias Noll's Top 10

 1. Necrophagia - _The Divine Art of Torture_
 2. Hate Forest - _Purity_
 3. Drudkh - _Forgotten Legends_
 4. Disfear - _Misantrohpic Generation_
 5. The Crown - _Possessed 13_
 6. Melechesh - _Sphynx_
 7. Mourning Beloveth - _The Sullen Sulcus_
 8. Desaster - _Divine Blasphemies_
 9. Revenge - _Triumph, Genocide, Antichrist_
10. Ulfsdalir - _Grimnir_


Alvin Wee's Top 10

 1. King Diamond - _The Puppet Master_
 2. Iron Maiden - _Dance of Death_
 3. Naglfar - _Sheol_
 4. Serpens Aeon - _Dawn of Kouatl_
 5. Leviathan - _The Tenth Sub-Level of Suicide_
 6. Septic Flesh - _Sumerian Daemons_
 7. Vital Remains - _Dechristianize_
 8. Khanate - _Things Viral_
 9. Morbid Angel - _Heretic_
10. Melechesh - _Sphynx_


Chris Flaaten's Top 10

 1. Mourning Beloveth - _The Sullen Sulcus_
 2. Swallow the Sun - _The Morning Never Came_
 3. Edge of Sanity - _Crimson II_
 4. Moonsorrow - _Kivenkantaja_
 5. Draconian - _Where Lovers Mourn_
 6. Slumber - _Formless Serenity_ (demo)
 7. The Provenance - _Still at Arms Length_
 8. Strapping Young Lad - _SYL_
 9. Melechesh - _Sphynx_
10. Windir - _Likferd_


Quentin Kalis' Top 10

 1. Dimmu Borgir - _Death Cult Armageddon_
 2. Solefald - _In Harmonia Universali_
 3. Akercocke - _Choronzon_
 4. Opeth - _Damnation_
 5. Zyklon - _Aeon_
 6. Graveland - _The Fire of Awakening_
 7. Melechesh - _Sphynx_
 8. Behemoth - _Zos Kia Cultus - Here and Beyond_
 9. Naglfar - _Sheol_
10. Moonspell - _The Antidote_


James Montague's Top 10

 1. Deströyer 666 - _Terror Abraxas_
 2. Skyforger - _Thunderforge_
 3. Misery's Omen - _Misery's Omen_
 4. Graveland - _The Fire of Awakening_
 5. Elend - _Winds Devouring Men_
 6. Negura Bunget - _n crugu bradului_ 
 7. Darkthrone - _Hate Them_
 8. Morbid Angel - _Heretic_
 9. Satanic Warmaster - _Opferblut_
10. Portal - _Seepia_


Jackie Smit's Top 10

 1. Burnt by the Sun - _The Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good_
 2. Krisiun - _Works of Carnage_
 3. Septic Flesh - _Sumerian Daemons_
 4. Morbid Angel - _Heretic_
 5. Zyklon - _Aeon_
 6. Tomahawk - _Mit Gas_
 7. Misery Index - _Retaliate_
 8. Akercocke - _Choronzon_
 9. Nevermore - _Enemies of Reality_
10. Alchemist - _Austral Alien_  
   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

                      __, __, ___  _, _ _,   _,
                      | \ |_   |  /_\ | |   (_ 
                      |_/ |    |  | | | | , , )
                      ~   ~~~  ~  ~ ~ ~ ~~~  ~ 

Web Site: http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com
FTP Archive: ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos

--> Interested in being reviewed? Please ask for a local mailing 
    address by e-mailing us at:

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

                    Europe@ChroniclesOfChaos.com

                 NorthAmerica@ChroniclesOfChaos.com

                RestOfTheWorld@ChroniclesOfChaos.com

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

DESCRIPTION
~~~~~~~~~~~
Chronicles  of  Chaos  is  a  FREE  monthly  magazine  electronically
distributed worldwide via the Internet. Seemingly endless interviews,
album reviews and concert reviews encompass the pages  of  Chronicles
of Chaos. Chronicles of Chaos stringently emphasizes all varieties of
chaotic music ranging from black and death metal to  electronic/noise
to dark, doom and ambient forms. Chronicles  of  Chaos  is  dedicated
to the underground and as such we feature demo reviews from all indie
bands who send us material, as  well  as  interviews  with  a  select
number of independent acts.


HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may subscribe to Chronicles of Chaos at any time  by  sending  an
e-mail to  <Subscribe@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>  with  your full name in
the subject line of the message.

You may unsubscribe from Chronicles of Chaos at any time by sending a
blank e-mail to <Unsubscribe@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #71

All contents copyright  (c)  1995-2004  by  individual  creators  of 
included work. All rights reserved.
All  opinions  expressed  herein  are  those  of   the   individuals 
expressing them, and do not necessarily reflect the views of  anyone 
else.                                                                


