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


       CHRONICLES OF CHAOS E-zine, September 5, 1995, Issue #2


Co-Editor: Adrian Bromley <no email>
Co-Editor: Gino Filicetti <ginof@io.org> (_DeaTH_ on #metal)
Assitant Editor: Alain M. Gaudrault <amgaudra@ccnga.uwaterloo.ca>
Web Page Manager: Brian Meloon <bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>
Mailing List provided by: The University of Colorado at Boulder

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

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

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

WORLD-WIDE-WEB SITE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are currently  in  the  process  of  constructing  a  website  for
Chronicles of Chaos. You can  check  it  out  by  pointing  your  web
browser at 'http://www.geom.umn.edu:8000/~bmeloon/music/coc/coc.html'
If you have any comments or suggestions, please  email  Brian  Meloon
<bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>.

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

Issue #2 Contents, 9/2/95
-------------------------
Editorial
* Feature Stories
-- Dismember: Growing To Become the 'Perfect' Metal Band
-- Industrial Metal the Meshuggah Way
-- Benediction: Revamping the Past, ... Sort Of
-- Beware the German Invasion: An Interview with Pyogenesis
* Chaotic Chat Sessions
-- Morbid Angel Mortally Exposed
-- Grip Inc in The Grip of Fame
-- Testify's Truest Testimonials
-- Septic Flesh in the Flesh
* Independant Interrogations
-- Independant Feature: Enthroned
-- Darkheave
* Record Revelations
-- Pyogenesis - _Twinaleblood_
-- Sinister - _Hate_
-- Therion - _Lepaca Kliffoth_
-- Various Artists - _Sonic Obliteration Vol I_
-- Dismember - _Massive Killing Capacity_
-- Benediction - _The Dreams You Dread_
-- Brujeria - _Raza Odiada_
-- Souls at Zero - _Taste For The Perverse_
-- Crypt of Kerberos - _World of Myths_
* New Noise
-- Filthboy - _Filthboy_
-- Aeon - _Demo #1_ and _Demo #2_
-- Darkheave - _No Life 'til Pedro_
-- Embrace - _Embrace_
* What We Have Cranked
* The Final Word

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

                          E D I T O R I A L
                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Talking with several record companies over the  last  few  weeks
(Nuclear Blast, Relapse Records, Energy Records, Utopian Vision Music
- the list goes on) in an attempt to get this whole e-zine  deal  off
the ground, I must admit, there is a  positive  attempt  by  many  of
these record companies, whether  they  are  major  death  metal/metal
labels or independent ones, to keep the need for metal alive in  this
day and age where alternative and the 'new punk' sound is  the  music
of today - the mainstream. Good for them. As if they  didn't  give  a
damn, eh?
     It is 1995 and metal has, like it has done many times before  in
some form or another, taken the backseat in the music  industry  once
again over the last few years. Unlike when metal - death, doom, grind
and all other styles - was once on the rise, it has slowly crept back
into a hole, waiting to unleash a new breed of metal and  bring  back
the sound, image, and style of new and old metal bands alike.
     Listen to bands like Meshuggah (see this issue),  Fear  Factory,
or Amorphis. These bands are pretty much newcomers to the scene,  yet
with all three delivering an explosive aural  assault  of  riffs  and
vocals, mixed  samples,  or  atmospheric  visions.  They  are  making
headway in the advancement of metal once again.
     As we look into the future, bands like  Deicide,  Morbid  Angel,
Napalm Death, Obituary, and Death will always  stand  as  staples  of
metal music. They have developed and strengthened the  core  audience
of this musical genre for years; but it is now up to the new bands to
pick up the pace and do battle with whatever obstacles they must face
to keep metal alive.
     Like the 'New Breed' of metal that Fear Factory's Burton C. Bell
spoke about in CoC #1, or just the growth and maturity  of  metal  in
general, both Gino and I feel that this e-zine will go along with the
flow of the industry and are both hoping that the  e-zine  here  will
have a future as bright as what seems to be ahead for  the  world  of
metal music. Stay heavy and strive for everything chaotic. --  Adrian
Bromley

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

                          D I S M E M B E R
                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
              Growing To Become the 'Perfect' Metal Band
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Stockholm's Dismember surfaced during the late-80's thrash/death
metal wave that was on its  way  out  of  the  gutter  and  into  the
mainstream. Bands like Slayer,  Napalm  Death,  Death,  Overkill  and
Megadeth were happening and metal's following was on the up and up.
     Nowadays, those bands are still plugging away, and almost  seven
years later Dismember is still  around  and  still  delivering  those
sturdy, metallic riffs that ooze with  strength  and  persistence,  a
sound that has been associated with Dismember ever since  the  band's
inception  (circa  1988  -  demos  and  all)  and  release  of  their
well-received debut album _Like An Ever Flowing Stream_ in 1991.
     The band's sophomore album _Indecent and Obscene_  showed  us  a
much more direct band that was willing to  mold  into  the  'perfect'
band whether it be by touring, recording or success.
     The album did well but didn't escalate the band to heights  that
the band wanted to reach with their second  outing.  Now  with  their
third full length effort (the band released a 3-song  CD-EP  entitled
_Casket Garden_ in February), _Massive Killing  Capacity_,  Dismember
is hoping to stir up some of the intrigue and  notoriety  that  their
debut album brought them. Drummer  Fred  Estby  explains  the  band's
transition from album two to three. "I think there  has  been  a  lot
more involvement and input from all the members of the band this time
around. Not that it wasn't like that before, but  while  making  this
album the guys in the band did a lot more writing." He adds, "I  also
think we have brought in influences from the 'old school of metal.'"
     But in order for a band like  Dismember  to  see  more  success,
exposure or change, is it  necessary  to  showcase  their  influences
within their music? "We have  always  shown  our  influences  in  our
music," explains Estby, "but not to the extent that we have with this
album."
     The band, also featuring vocalist Matti Karki, guitarists  David
Blomqvist and Robert Senneback, and bassist Richard Cabeza, has grown
over the years through line-up changes, European tours and recording.
The one element that has managed to stay the same since  the  release
of _Like ..._ is the working conditions of the band while recording.
     Amazingly  enough  the  band  has  always   worked   with   good
friend/producer Tomas Skogsberg, always assisting  in  twiddling  the
knobs while shacked up in the famous Sunlight Studios (home to  other
bands such as Entombed and Grave) to record their  albums.  Do  these
two elements help shape the sound of Dismember?  "Yes  they  do,"  he
answers. "It was there (Sunlight Studios) that we found our sound and
with him (Skogsberg) we were able to develop our sound. He  was  very
easy to work with and always has been helpful adding ideas."
     Working to keep the Dismember sound, going into the studio, what
did the band want to come out showing the metal  buying  public?  "We
wanted to show people that we kept our sound and that we went another
step further. We tried to do a wide album, to show people that we can
do different types of songs and still sound like Dismember.  We  also
wanted a better sound." Describing the album, Estby says, "This is an
intense wide album."
     With such a set plan going into the studio and several  releases
under their belts, you'd think that this album was a  breeze  to  put
together. Not the case. "It was more work to do  this  album  but  it
felt right," says Estby with sincerity. "We took a lot more  time  to
record (9 months - but he says it was in two week spurts) but it  was
great."
     He concludes, "It was great that we took so long to do the album
to have it sound great but it was also frustrating  not  to  have  an
album out when we should have had one out."
     Plans to get back into the studio faster next time around? Estby
provides some insight on new material. "We have already been  talking
about releasing an EP in November because it has been a while between
albums and we don't like it that way."
     Any ideas on  the  direction  the  band  will  take  with  newer
material? "Sound wise we want to make the songs sound different  from
each other. We want an album that will show off what we can do."
     Breaking away from the work put into _Massive Killing Capacity_,
the discussion of the interview turns to the role of  metal  and  the
direction that it is following. Estby adds his views on metal: "There
are so many different kinds of metal  out  there.  Just  watch  heavy
metal shows like Headbanger's  Ball  and  you  can  see  how  it  has
changed. I hear that a lot of people are  saying  metal  is  a  dying
breed or being written off and that isn't true. It seems to  be  that
the harder music is gaining more press and selling  more  these  days
than ten years back. There are so many bands out there doing so well."
     What was or has been the hardest  period  of  time  (within  the
eight years of their existence)  that  they  have  had  to  face?  He
begins, "The first album did well  and  sold  more  than  people  had
expected it to do. That was the easy time. The hardest time was  when
the _Indecent And Obscene_ album didn't do as well as the first album
and that we had a lot of time between those albums. And  despite  the
strong support that we are getting  from  our  label  (Nuclear  Blast
Germany) a lot of people are telling us that this is a  win  or  lose
album, so I guess that that would make the time  leading  up  to  the
album being the hardest thing we have seen since forming," he says
     But this band has been fortunate, unlike some  metal  bands  out
there sludging through all the hassles  just  to  get  recognized  or
develop a following. "I think that when we started out we  wanted  to
sell lots of albums and tour and that is what happened to us. We were
able to see it come true and we were happy. I think there are  a  lot
of bands that should have the same opportunities that we  had.  We've
never earned a lot of money from our albums, and we  haven't  sold  a
million records, but being able to go out and tour, to talk to people
and be able to play music in front of lots of  people  from  the  six
tours in Europe (and one US tour) we have done,  the  experience  has
been worth it."
     Any word of advice or ideas to knock some sense into  the  heads
of those that say metal is dead? "I'm not really sure of what has  to
happen to bring back  more  interest  in  metal  but  perhaps  people
shouldn't think too much about what the big masses  think  or  listen
to. I think when people hear music, they can  tell  if  the  band  is
doing it because they like it or if they are out  to  make  money.  I
think people who write music need to be honest first."
     Finishing up, Estby adds, "I think we are honest and  our  music
shows it."

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

  I N D U S T R I A L   M E T A L   T H E   M E S H U G G A H  W A Y
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          by: Adrian Bromley

-- "I never thought of us as a death metal band" - Meshuggah  bassist
Peter Nordin about the industrial metal direction of the band

     Since the inception of Sweden's Meshuggah in 1987, the band  has
evolved from a generic thrash/death metal band to a  very  innovative
and experimental crossover band that meshes together the  droves  and
hardness of industrial music, entwined within the speed and frenzy of
metal. Their  latest  effort  on  Germany's  Nuclear  Blast  Records,
_Destroy Erase Improve_, is nothing short of stunning.
     Speaking with Peter Nordin, he quickly offers an explanation  of
the plans  that  Meshuggah  took  into  the  studio  while  recording
_Destroy Erase Improve_, a much different album than  others  in  the
past. "When we were making this album we went into the studio wanting
a new sound, a better sound that was a bit more aggressive," accounts
Nordin. "That was the main focus of the album. We just wanted a heavy
record."
     How would he describe the new album? "I see the album as a mixed
record that draws influences from several music styles and molds them
together to make hard, aggressive music."
     Since their self-titled debut album on Sweden's small Garageland
Records in 1987, the music of the band has definitely shifted.  While
listening  to  previous  efforts  such  as   1991's   _Contradictions
Collapse_ or last year's _None_, many will see that this switch to an
industrial edge was in the works. The band slowly evolved  into  what
they now are.
     Why the changes in music style? "I can't explain why we  decided
to go onto a more industrial sound. Perhaps  we  wanted  to  be  more
intense and a bit more straight on with the songs," he said. "I don't
know, we just evolved."
     One cannot withstand being drawn in by the opener "Future  Breed
Machine" or the verbal  and  musical  assault  provided  by  wreckers
"Catatonic Transfixon" or "Suffer In Truth" found on the new LP. As a
whole, _Destroy Erase  Improve_  is  about  as  musically  solid  and
mesmerizing as Fear Factory's sophomore epic _Demanufacture_.  It  is
hard, fast and furious; changing at  a  feverish  pace  from  roaring
riffs to catastrophic noises and sounds. The shapeshifting  qualities
of _Destroy Erase Improve_ are its finest assets.
     But seeing that the music has steadily advanced since the  early
days and the band has made an effort to do different things each time
out, does Nordin and the rest of the band  -  vocalist  Jens  Kidman,
guitarists Marten Hagstrom  and  Frederick  Thorendahl,  and  drummer
Thomas Haake - feel that they need to bring about consistent  changes
to be happy with their music or be successful? "I think  so,"  begins
Nordin. "In the beginning it was hard  keeping  the  Meshuggah  sound
consistent and original but we became  better  musicians  and  played
hard. Now it just seems a lot easier for us to play the music we play
now."  He  pauses  and  finishes,  "Perhaps  our  music  will  change
drastically in the future but that is the way we want it."
     The band's latest offering was recorded at Soundfront Studios in
Uppsala, Sweden and produced by 20-ront Studios  in  Uppsala,  Sweden
and produced by 20-year-old  Danne  Bergstrand  (someone  who  Nordin
praises very highly)  who  helped  mold  their  hard  riffs  and  the
clanging noise brought on by the industrial edge that they welcome so
openly into their music.
     "A majority of the reviews for this album  have  been  good  but
some have said that the album sounds too clean and that the songs are
hard to get into," says Nordin about press for the new LP.  "I  think
that is what makes this album great. The diversity of the songs."
     As if reviews could really damage  the  band's  outlook  on  the
musical growth? Nordin responds, "I want to write music where  people
will go, 'Yeah! That song sounds cool I think I will  hear  it  again
and again.' Hopefully they will hear it 5 or 6 more times that day. I
think that kind of response is what we have done with  Destroy  Erase
Improve."
     As popular or as well known  as  Meshuggah  may  be  in  Europe,
little has been heard of them here in North America.  Will  Meshuggah
ever tour here and if so when?
     Nordin starts to talk about the band's very successful tour last
spring with Oakland, California hardcore/metal  homies  Machine  Head
and responds to the question, "I think on that tour it showed us  off
to a lot of people.  Touring  with  them  (Machine  Head)  was  great
because they play aggressive music too and we were a good mixture  of
bands and styles."
     About coming to the States or Canada Nordin says, "We have a few
opportunities to come over there and play but it  is  very  important
for us to go out and tour with the right band."
     Seeing that Meshuggah does a fair amount of  touring  in  Europe
and having seen how the scene changes over the years, is it hard  for
Meshuggah to gain the much needed respect that metal bands need  over
there to stay in the spotlight? "It is a real problem for  us  to  do
well in the metal market. I think a lot of  death  metal  fans  don't
like our music. I'm hoping that we can break  into  another  form  of
audience now with Destroy Erase Improve. I'm hoping so."
     The future starts now for Meshuggah.

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

                        B E N E D I C T I O N
                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                   Revamping the Past, ... Sort Of
                          by Adrian Bromley

     "I had to fight to get  into  this  band,"  recalls  Benediction
frontman Dave Ingram about taking over the helm after  the  departure
of original singer Mark "Barney" Greenway to Napalm Death.  "I  guess
they (the band) really saw that I wanted to do it. They probably  saw
the fire in my eyes."
     And so the determination of this Birmingham quintet - guitarists
Peter Rew and Darren Brookes, drummer Neil Hutton, and Frank Healy on
bass make up the rest of the band -  is  once  again  back  with  the
release of their much anticipated Nuclear Blast Records release. _The
Dreams You Dread_ is an 11-song offering that molds together past and
present Benediction sounds and song styles, and an album that  serves
as thanks to all their fans. "It came together because of  a  lot  of
the mail that we got from our European and American fans  asking  us,
'Would you be able to do an album like _Subconscious  Terror_?'  (the
band's 1990 debut album) because that is the  album  that  sticks  in
everybody's head when they think of Benediction."
     About the issue of whether or not to go back to  basics,  Ingram
says, "We sat around in the studio and decided  to  go  do  an  album
where we would go back to the basics instead of making an album  that
was overly technical. It is like going one step back  but  it  is  an
evolution for Benediction. It is like a mixture of them both:  it  is
technical but it is still basic."
     "So because the fans have backed us and  supported  us  for  the
last seven and a half years we decided to call the album _The  Dreams
You Dread_ (the name of their first demo), kind of like a  Thank  You
to the fans for all of the support."
     This time around, unlike material and sounds of previous efforts
like _Dark Is The Season_ (1992) or _Transcend The  Rubicon_  (1993),
Benediction felt that  the  band  needed  to  find  themselves.  Soul
searching never killed anyone, eh?
     Talking about how their  latest  effort  was  put  together  (18
months of writing and six weeks of recording) Ingram notes, "We  just
tried to do  different  things  with  this  album  and  use  the  new
technology we had in the studio. We've never really rushed an album,"
mentions Ingram about the lengthy time put into this album. "You have
to take time when making a record. If you rush it  and  put  material
down on record and it is crap, it is there for eternity."

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

         B E W A R E   T H E   G E R M A N   I N V A S I O N
         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                     An Interview with Pyogenesis
                          by: Gino Filicetti

-- "We are just playing the music we want  to,  we  are  playing  the
music that we'd buy from other bands." - Vocalist/Guitarist Flo

     Melody and anguish are two things so  seemingly  different  from
each other that it would  seem  absurd  to  string  these  two  words
together in one sentence. However, when it comes to Pyogenesis, there
are no other words that could correctly describe this German outfit.
     Formed in 1990, Pyogenesis started out as your run of the  mill,
everyday death metal project, but by 1995 they have grown  to  become
one of the best purveyors of melodic soulful metal. The band consists
of Flo and Tim, both sharing the double duties of vocals and guitars,
Roman on bass, and skinsman Wolle. The band's first  two  demos  were
released on two small South American labels that didn't  live  up  to
the band's expectations; "Well the deal was they wanted to do 1000  7
inch's and we were supposed to  get  two  hundred  but  we  only  got
thirty, so the band was really angry because we were ripped  off,  we
were full of anger when this happened and we are hoping that  we  are
gonna get the 170 copies left."
     Undetered, the band set out to find a  new  label  on  which  to
release their debut. In September of 1992, the band  found,  or  more
correctly, was found by Osmose Records of France who were  interested
in the way in which the band was progressing towards the melodic side
of metal, and away from the generic death metal sound. "When  I  came
to Pyogenesis, we didn't play death metal anymore, it was  boring  at
that time. The music was more melodic and that's  what  Osmose  liked
because they got a tape with two rehersal songs with the new  melodic
sound and they wanted to do it; they liked it and asked us whether we
were interested and we said yes."
     After being signed to the black metal-oriented label, Pyogenesis
released their debut mini-CD _Ignis Creatio_. Despite being very well
received by the media and fans  alike,  Pyogenesis  were  unsatisfied
with the treatment they received at the hands of  Osmose;  "Well  you
know Osmose is a black metal label, and we  never  were  satanic  but
they wanted us to be. So on an ad they promoted us as 'Devilish'  and
a promoter of Osmose said in an interview with a big German  magazine
that 'Pyogenesis don't have satanic lyrics but they have  other  ways
to show their satanism.' It's the main reason why we split."
     Once again the band was left  'sans-label'  and  so  the  search
began all over again. This time it would be Nuclear Blast that  would
take on the  task  of  supporting  one  of  metal's  brightest  gems.
"Nuclear Blast are much more professional [than Osmose]. They  really
trust in us, they put a lot of money into the new CD. I  think  right
now we'll be the best promoted band ever  on  Nuclear  Blast.  Markus
Staiger, the owner of Nuclear Blast, said  this  (_Twinaleblood_)  is
the most important CD for Nuclear Blast so far."
     The band's brand new recording,  _Twinaleblood_  (slated  for  a
November 6th release in Europe), shows the  band  to  be  progressing
further   away   from   generic   metal   and   towards    emotional,
thought-provoking melody. Although still  very  much  a  metal  band,
Pyogenesis show that there are still many unopened  doors,  and  many
untravelled paths that are just waiting to be found. "I don't have to
say it, but metal is becoming more and more boring. It's  always  the
same and I listen to lots of other styles of music.  It  inspires  me
too you know, I am listening a lot to techno music and some parts  in
the techno music inspire me to write the riffs for Pyogenesis."
     Pyogenesis' last album also showed a higher level of progression
for the band, but was still labeled as death metal, even  though  the
band doesn't really believe themselves to be death metal. "If I loved
death metal, I would want to be a death metal band, but I don't  hate
death metal." The band's influences vary as  much  as  their  musical
direction, showing that the best music can  only  come  from  a  wide
selection of musical tastes. "I used to love Cemetary from Sweden.  I
like Kyuss and Smashing Pumpkins, they are GODS!"
     The future of metal and of music  in  general  is  as  uncertain
today as it was 15 years ago when  the  new  breed  of  thrash  metal
maniacs were just bursting onto a still  young  and  thriving  scene.
Predicting what's in store for metal in the next few years is akin to
predicting the outcome of a walk down a dark alley at 2am, but melody
and emotion seem to be the dominant  factors  being  integrated  into
metal today. "I think death metal is dying. There are  only  quite  a
few real death metal bands left, most of them play the melodic  style
or go back to grind but real death metal stuff is dying. Like  Morbid
Angel, they were REALLY big five years ago, but they still think they
are stars."
     Right now, Pyogenesis are rehearsing and preparing for the going
out onto the road and getting out of  the  rehearsal  room.  "We  are
rehearsing each week with the same songs, I can't hear them anymore!"
In past the band had toured with Liverpool's Anathema, an  experience
that they'll never forget; "It (the tour) was  really  great  because
you play every night in another town and people come  to  watch  your
show and it's just really cool when  you're  in  Paris  for  example,
which is 1000 kilometers away from  my  home  and  people  like  your
music."
     Expect this powerful foursome to hit a European  town  near  you
early in '96. Pyogenesis look to  be  doing  two  support  tours  and
headlining as well. Be sure to catch this band on the rise, and get a
sneak preview into the future of this beast called 'metal'.

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


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.


      M O R B I D   A N G E L   M O R T A L L Y   E X P O S E D
              An Interview with New Guitarist Erik Rutan
         by: Alain M. Gaudrault <amgaudra@ccnga.uwaterloo.ca>

CoC: We're in a laundromat just down the road from the Opera House on
Queen Street East in Toronto, where Morbid  Angel  will  be  playing.
I'll begin by delving a bit into your past Erik, namely your previous
band, Ripping Corpse. What caused Ripping Corpse's demise?

Erik: Everybody in the band just got sick and tired of working at it.
See for me, I mean I'm 24 years old, so it's like I've been doing  it
for about 8 years, and I guess Ripping Corpse lasted for about 5 or 6
years, and everybody wanted to take a  break,  while  I  pretty  much
didn't want to take a break at all, I just wanted  to  keep  working.
The band broke up and I just started working on my own project, which
I'm still doing.

CoC: What's the name of the band?

Erik: It's called  Rutan,  it's  just  my  last  name.  I  have  Alex
(Webster) from Cannibal Corpse who's playing bass, and  it's  a  very
different thing, it's different from Ripping Corpse,  different  from
Morbid Angel, it's very heavy but melodic.

CoC: So your joining  Morbid  Angel  didn't  promote  the  demise  of
Ripping Corpse since the band had already broken up?

Erik: No, people seem to like trying to associate  that,  but  that's
not the case. The band broke up,  and  I  was  still  working  on  my
project when Morbid Angel called me up and wanted me to tour again. I
felt I was at a low, I mean, you spend 6 years  in  a  band  and  you
think that's it. We did an album, we lost our deal,  I  thought  that
was it, but that was just the  beginning.  Now  I'm  on  a  different
planet!

CoC: Were there any  general  tryouts  at  all  for  filling  in  the
guitarist slot in Morbid Angel?

Erik: There was a tryout I guess for me, they  flew  me  down  but  I
don't think they would've flown me down if they  didn't  feel  secure
that they thought I could do it. I mean they paid for me to fly  down
and stay in a hotel for a week and stuff like that,  because  at  the
time, I really didn't have much money. They took care of  me,  bought
me some equipment and made sure I had all the  right  necessities.  I
also had to play on different equipment, a different guitar,  because
Trey had been working on the sound for  quite  a  long  time  and  he
wanted to keep that the same. I was anxious because I didn't know  if
I'd be able to pull it off. I was thinking "Man, I'm  gonna  go  down
there and just devastate, I have to".

CoC: Do you any idea why Richard Brunelle left?

Erik: He never really wrote any material, I think that  was  part  of
it. Trey wanted somebody that could write material, that could add to
the flavour of the band, kind of expand into a  different  dimension,
rather than Trey who, up to Domination, had written  everything,  you
know, and I guess Richard was writing in a different  style  and  not
writing really towards Morbid Angel and  I  guess  he  felt  that  he
wanted to go in a separate way, and everyone in the  band  felt  that
they should go separate ways. Richard was just back basically to fill
in for the  Black  Sabbath  tour.  The  split  was  a  mutual  thing.
Richard's a great guitar player and he's a very good guy. I've  known
the guy for a long time, but he just went to a  different  dimension.
He's working on another project right now.

CoC: Some fans have indicated that Morbid Angel seems to  be  running
out of fresh ideas,  that  the  first  two  albums  were  the  band's
creative peak, and that the group is losing steam with _Covenant_ and
_Domination_, the latest two releases.  What  do  you  say  to  those
people?

Erik: Everybody has their own opinions about everything, but  I  feel
_Domination_ has a wide variety of material, from the slowest pace to
songs like "This Means War" which is blistering speed. The creativity
on this album I think is the best. I think _Domination_ is  the  best
album yet, and I think the band feels that way. I mean, I love  every
album equally, but the clarity of _Domination_ is superior.  Besides,
the lead work, Trey's leads I think on this album really  shine.  I'm
really happy with my lead work, and the songwriting on this album  is
the best, and people seem to lose sight of the  actual  song,  rather
than a rhythm here and a rhythm there. That's  great  for  some  good
bands who have great rhythms, but do they have great songs? To make a
song like "Where the Slime Live", that song to me is unbelievable,  I
love that song. Or "Dawn of the Angry", I mean that's just so brutal,
and even "This Means War". Really, I haven't had many people say that
to me, but the people that do, they're saying  that  now,  the  album
just came out but, 6 months down  the  road  hopefully  they'll  have
changed their minds about it.

CoC: Let's diverge a bit and address the issue of Morbid  Angel,  and
David in particular, being accused of  supporting  white  supremacist
ideologies, making certain derogatory remarks against black people in
particular.

Erik: That's just absurd. I don't know, people try  to  tear  up  our
band with their quotes and bullshit,  but  it's  meaningless  to  me.
People have been trying to bring down the band for so long it  seems,
and they'll say anything to cause a stir, but it's  not  true.  David
plays  with  a  black  drummer  in  the  Genitorturers  (Gen  of  the
Genitorturers is David's wife), and Pete's South American. That's all
just ridiculous.

CoC: There's a definite anti-christian bend in the lyrical direction,
usually portrayed through satanic imagery. Is this only a  tool  used
to offend christians or is there a set of  beliefs  held  within  the
band that tends toward satanism of any kind?

Erik: Offense is not meant to be given to anybody. It's  not  like  a
lot of satanic bands, but it's just  that  everybody  has  their  own
beliefs in this band, and it's more than a satanic image, I know  for
myself and Trey and everybody else, we all  believe  in  the  Ancient
Ones who are ancient Sumerian demons, which is vastly different  than
Satanism. We all dabble into Satanism beliefs a little bit,  but  not
solely held  down  by  that.  All  the  lyrics,  as  far  as  David's
concerned, they come from his heart. They're not meant to offend.  If
people are offended then that's their problem, but Morbid Angel's all
about feeling. All the songs, everything's completely about  feeling.
The only statement we try to make is to believe  in  yourself,  don't
fall into trends, believe in yourself and whatever empowers  yourself
to conquer is what should be done without bleeding onto other people,
at no-one else's expense but your own. We  try  to  keep  a  positive
image even though  some  people  perceive  what  we're  about  to  be
negative, to us it's completely positive, and that's succeeding.

CoC: Is this strictly a North American tour or will you also be doing
Europe and Japan?

Erik: We'll tour Europe immediately  after  the  States.  Immediately
after that we're going to Australia ... and New Zealand actually.

CoC: Who opens for the European and Australian legs of the tour?

Erik: For the European tour, ... There's a band  called  Immortal,  I
think they're opening for us in Europe.  I  always  look  forward  to
Europe because Europe's a great place to tour. I just like it because
it's different. I'm from America, so you go to Europe, it's  a  whole
new surrounding, you get to talk to different people, it's  great,  I
love it.

CoC: One final question on the direction of death metal  in  general.
Some say that it's a dying genre which will eventually go the way  of
speed  metal,  either  dying  out  completely  or  going  to  a  more
commercial incarnation. Where do you see death  metal  going  in  the
next 5 to 10 years?

Erik: I see death metal pretty much dead already, and  the  cream  of
the crop is still growing and producing, but everyone else is  really
going to have a hard time within the death metal  genre.  There's  so
many bands that came out while it was cool, while  it  was  happening
back in 1989 to like  1991.  Everyone  signed  everybody  and  didn't
really realize which band's great and which band blows. Unfortunately
it became so overpopulated that bands started  getting  dropped  from
their labels. Up and coming bands can't  even  get  a  deal.  I  know
bands, like these guys named Eulogy in  Florida,  I  mean  they're  a
great band, and Nokturnel, these other  bands  I  know  of  that  are
really great bands but  they're  having  such  a  hard  time  getting
signed, it's a shame.

Erik: You see, Morbid Angel, we have our own scene. Morbid Angel fans
are devoted to Morbid Angel. It's funny, we get so many new fans now,
14 year old kids, you know?  You  keep  continuing  on,  and  growing
bigger, because every album consistently  is  selling  more  records.
_Domination_ is doing incredibly right now. Everything is going  well
for us, although I can't say the same for other bands. Whoever  wants
to stay with a career in this type of music, they need to work really
hard. That's why we're touring  non-stop.  We  did  a  video,  we  do
in-stores, we try to do anything possible to help this band  succeed.
We don't have any plans of going down the way  many  bands  have,  we
want  to  stay  and  keep  going  without  compromising.   We   don't
compromise, we didn't compromise on  _Domination_,  we  did  what  we
felt, and every other album will be that way. We'll never  "sell-out"
if you will, or change the integrity of the band or the feeling.  And
notice  that  every  album  since  _Alters  of  Madness_   has   been
consistently different than the last one, and that's  the  way  it'll
always be. We're just going to keep going, we're not going  to  stop,
it's like a train, really. I mean for myself, I know I've got  a  lot
of material I want to put out, I've got plenty of ideas, and Trey has
plenty of ideas. I'm not even at my prime yet, I'm still on  the  way
up. Material definitely is not a problem in this band, there's  never
a lack of material, and now that me and Trey  are  together,  there's
two people writing the music.  It'll  just  becoming  more  and  more
creative."


       G R I P   I N C   I N   T H E   G R I P   O F   F A M E
       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     This month CoC sat down to talk with  two  of  Grip  Inc.'s  key
members, singer Gus Chambers and  drummer  Dave  Lombardo  (ex-Slayer
skinsman).
     After the drummer's departure from  Slayer,  Lombardo  recruited
Chambers, bassist Jason  Viebrooks  and  guitarist/producer  Waldemar
Sorychta to join forces in providing the metal  scene  with  a  force
that  not  only  played  thrashing  metal  music,  but  was  able  to
experiment with different sounds. This character  of  diversity  best
describes their Metal Blade debut release _Power Of Inner Strength_.
     While on tour,  Lombardo  and  Chambers  spoke  with  CoC  about
touring, Grip Inc.'s material, and anything else that came  to  mind.
Here's how it went:

Q & A:

CoC: With the presence of alternative and  punk  rooted  music  being
seen as the main success story of music nowadays, do you think  metal
is on a downfall?

Dave Lombardo: "I think the reason that alternative has taken such  a
major turn is because it is the only fresh thing in  music  nowadays.
Metal has gotten very stale." He adds, "I think metal  needs  a  good
kick in the butt and that is what we are here to do."

CoC: What is Grip Inc's plan to show fans of the  metal  scene  about
the band? What do they want to  express  with  themselves  and  their
music?

Gus Chambers: "We want to show people that we are who we are and that
we don't need to wear any stage clothes. What we  wear  on  stage  is
what we wear on the street. To show them that image means nothing for
us."

Dave Lombardo: "We want to show people that we don't need an image to
express ourselves. We've got the music to do that."

CoC: What has it been like to tour as Grip Inc? (the band has already
toured Europe with Motorhead and is playing  several  US  dates  with
Morbid Angel)

Gus Chambers: It has been great. Fantastic. The music that we made is
really fantastic. It has been very easy for us and  the  music  flows
and you don't have to force anything, it is like we  are  all  hooked
together. The chemistry amongst us is very natural."

CoC: Does Grip Inc feel challenged by other bands out there?

Dave Lombardo: "I feel challenged to do better and do  more.  I  feel
like I always have to keep learning, try new technology and listen to
what everyone is doing." He adds, "If you  keep  taking  it  in  then
eventually you will continue to grow and create new stuff."

CoC: It seems as though the music of Grip Inc is an evolving process,
a lot of the music seems to be in a realm all its own, and that there
is definitely a lot of routes the future music of Grip Inc can  take.
What will the music for the next album be like?

Dave Lombardo: "I feel it is going to get very experimental. We  have
many influences and we can't hold ourselves back from bringing  those
influences out." He goes on to say, "It will still be  metal  and  of
course be heavy, but it will have little elements between  songs.  We
want people to say, 'This is cool.' This band has potential  to  grow
this way and that way. Eventually we want to be an all-around band."

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

      T E S T I F Y ' S   T R U E S T   T E S T I M O N I A L S
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Aggro-metallers Testify are on a mission to be seen,  heard  and
respected in 1995.
     Since the band - comprised  of  Myk  Jung  (vox),  Rascal  Nikov
(bass), Moses W. (guitar), Ulf (guitar), and Shoby (drums) - began in
1992, they have released an LP entitled _Testify 01_ (garnering  them
critical acclaim in North America and Europe), and have toured  quite
extensively for the last few years in Europe. This has  allowed  them
to gain a hardcore fan base for their music.
     After several weeks of trying  to  track  them  down,  the  band
finally  responded  to  CoC's  questions  about  themselves  and  the
aggro-industrial-metal music that they play. In Q&A form, we discover
that these hard-edged aggro-metallers do seem  to  have  a  sense  of
humor.

CoC: What fuels the fire within the band? Is there a key  point  that
brings the band together to play as one?

Rascal: We are never completely satisfied with what we've  done,  and
that simple reason drives us forward.

Myk: The keypoint that keeps  us  working  together,  as  I've  often
stated it before:  Our  dissatisfaction  with  this  world  and  with
ourselves. That makes us continue, to save the world and ourselves.

CoC: How important is it for the band to keep up with current  sounds
and trends? Are the trends avoided?

Moses: We don't avoid any trends. They are sucked up by  us.  We  are
'The Trendsuckers,' a new Marvel Comics super hero group. Never heard
of us before?

CoC: Is metal/industrial music still accepted or  is  it  a  struggle
nowadays to keep it alive? Is it passe?

Rascal: No it is neither of the two. Metal/industrial  will  grow  in
Europe as well as in the States. It will be the 90's metal.

CoC: Musically  or  spiritually,  what  does  Testify  provide  their
listeners or fans with that no other band does?

Myk: 'I am eaten off by helpless wrath' - If anybody is in danger  to
feel something like this, then it would be the right thing to  listen
to Testify. I am sure that there are other  bands  offering  quite  a
similar medicine, I don't care, I have to get rid of my  helplessness
and Testify helps.

Moses: I think we have quite an original,  specific  way  to  combine
atmospheric noises with guitar sounds.

CoC: What are the influences that got you guys  into  this  genre  of
music?

Rascal: Oh, we have many influences but I'm praying that Myk  doesn't
mention any specific  ones.  If  so,  everybody  will  discover  that
everything we do is a cheap copy of things already  done  before  ...
and better.

CoC: Does the fact that  bands  like  Ministry  and  NIN  had  to  go
'commercial' to see some success bother you?  Will  Testify  go  that
route to see success as well?

Myk: Do you really mean that Ministry went 'commercial' in regards to
what they have done musically? I don't think so. Their Psalm 69 album
was a great success, of  course,  but  to  me  it  was  a  continuous
development, a logical step after their other previous albums.

Rascal: Testify on the other hand will go commercial, quite  possibly
seeing something like Bryan Adams starting to take shape.

For more information on Testify (and/or jokes) contact them at:

Van Richter Records P.O. Box 13321 La Jolla, Ca. 92039-3321
Voice: (619) 452-2322  Fax: (619) 453-1799
Email: vrichter@netcom.com
WWW: http://lab11.me.gatech.edu/vanrichter/


          S E P T I C   F L E S H   I N   T H E   F L E S H
          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
             by Maheras Panos <tiamat@prometheus.hol.gr>

     Death masters Septic Flesh, one of the leading acts from Greece,
are back with their newest opus _Esoptron_ on Holy Records. CoC  gets
to know more from Sotiris (guitar) and Spyros (bass/vocals) ...
     _Mystic Places Of Dawn_, the first CD from the band released  in
1993 on Holy Records, received very good reviews and in my opinion it
was another excellent release from  Holy  Records.  The  second  full
length CD (along with the EP _Temple Of The Lost Race_ back in  1992,
which was available only through mail-order) is finally out, and  the
guys are back on the music racks for good.

Sotiris:  Our  new  album  _Esoptron_  was  completed  in  May.   The
recordings lasted for one month in Storm studios, with  Magus  Wampyr
Diaoloth (Necromantia/Rotting Christ/etc.) on the production  duties.
His selection had to do with his experience.

Spyros: Yeah, he is the best death metal producer in Greece.

CoC: _Mystic Places Of Dawn_ received very  good  reviews  from  just
about everywhere. What about from the sales point of view? Did it  do
well?

Spyros: The sales can be described as  very  satisfactory,  since  we
have exceeded 8,000 copies and we are expecting to break the  barrier
of 10,000 in the very near future. Besides that, we have  managed  to
grow bigger in terms of appreciation, since  we  took  part  in  many
compilation albums, with the last of them being _Death  Is  Just  The
Beginning III_ from Nuclear Blast.

CoC: Your contract with Holy Records was for two albums.  Now,  after
the release of _Esoptron_, will you search for  a  new  and  possibly
bigger label which will contribute more to your future plans?

Spyros: At this moment Holy does a fine job, better than some of  the
'bigger' labels. We are quite pleased with our  label  and  the  term
'bigger' doesn't mean that a  'smaller'  label  can't  give  you  the
support you need. Holy Records are absolutely a fine choise for us.

Sotiris: Of course, if we get a better offer from another label  that
can fulfill our expectations then why shouldn't we move  on  to  that
label?

CoC: Are there any plans for touring in Greece or abroad?

Sotiris: It is something that we want very much, but we have to first
find some standard group members or at  least  a  couple  of  session
musicians on the second guitar and the keyboards, because we want  to
play live the same songs as on the CDs. In Greece, it's difficult  to
find people with our points of view, because we are very demanding.

Spyros: That's why we have had so many changes  in  our  line-up  all
these years! With drummers especially, we faced a LOT of problems  in
the past. It's because we love our music so much, and we want to make
it as good as possible.

Sotiris: Besides, the difficulty to find members for the  group  with
the proper musical  education,  we  couldn't  agree  very  easily  as
characters either. Me and Spyros have made our minds  about  what  we
are aiming for, and we also share common points of view in general.

CoC: If we take it as a fact that Greek black metal is  very  popular
among the underground black metal scene, can we safely say that it is
time for some death metal groups to be known outside Greece and  make
similar success as the Black metal groups?

Spyros: It's difficult to say, because in Black  metal  most  of  the
groups are rubbish, while in Death metal there are many great groups.
So, the competition in Black metal is  not  as  strong  as  in  Death
metal. That statement goes for the labels too, and not only  for  the
bands. The Greek black metal scene with groups  like  Rotting  Christ
and Necromantia is much better than the Scandinavian scene.

Sotiris: Scandinavians pay more attention to speed and their  makeup,
while Greek groups prefer to show more character. If you  read  their
lyrics it's mostly crap! Simple little things! Just the opposite side
of Christianity. Black metal is not only about Satan - it has nothing
to do with the true meaning of Satanism. What better proof  than  the
fact that most of these groups now admit that whatever they  did  was
out of a 'childhood's error' and  they  didn't  believe  any  of  it.
Lyrics should be about your own imagination.

Spyros: Let them do whatever they want, but do it with *quality*.

Sotiris: I have to say that I hail all the groups  which  believe  in
what they say. I may not agree with them, but they  are  honest  with
themselves.

Spyros: I'm pretty much sure that if those little kids made true  any
of the stuff that they imagine and talk about, they would fill  their
pants with shit!!

CoC: Many people consider you the best local  outfit.  Do  you  share
this opinion?

Sotiris: When you create something, it means that it  expresses  your
thoughts and satisfies you. So I like the music that I  compose  more
than other people's music. This of course  doesn't  mean  that  other
people will like it too. Each of us can have his own opinion on  what
he likes or not.

CoC: What is your opinion on 'classic' heavy metal?

Sotiris: I was brought up with  this  music.  It  offered  me  unique
feelings and I have kept a place for it in my heart  forever.  That's
why I'm very unhappy to see it's decline. Of course  with  all  these
other kinds of metal, it's still alive and  it  has  many  things  to
offer, but the original heavy  metal  doesn't  give  to  us  diamonds
anymore as it did in the past. I would like to see more groups follow
the true tradition of metal.

All in all, Septic Flesh are a very impressive band,  not  only  with
their incredible, dreamy music but with their personalities as  well.
Today it is especially hard to find musicians  playing  modern  music
and having respect for their musical ancestors.

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

       ::::::|       :|                       :|            :|
         ::|  :::\ :':| :~~/ :::\ :~~/ :::\ :':| .::\ :::\ :::|
       ::::::|:|:| :::| :::, :::/ :::, :|:| :::| `::| :|:|  :|
                             :|
 ::::::|      :|                                 :|  ++
   ::|  :::\ :::| :~~/ :::| :::| ,::\ /::| .::\ :::| :| ,::\ :::\ <::<
 ::::::|:|:|  :|  :::, :|   :|   `::/ \::| `::|  :|  :| `::/ :|:| >::>
                                          ,.:/

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


     I N D E P E N D A N T   F E A T U R E :   E N T H R O N E D
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          by: Gino Filicetti

     The small university town of Davis, California (20 miles west of
Sacramento) is seemingly the last place in the world that  one  would
ever think could spawn a band with the  brutality  and  intensity  of
Enthroned. However, this band has turned more than a few  heads,  and
crushed many of them in the process. Having garnered  a  strong  cult
following in  their  hometown,  the  band  shows  that  even  stuckup
university people can have their eyes and ears  opened  to  the  true
beauty of metal. The  band  consists  of  guitarist/frontman/founding
father John Oster, vocalist Lyle  Livingston  (who  is  currently  on
doctor's orders not to sing for 3 to 4 months because of nodes on his
vocal cords; his temporary replacement is Dan Renolds),  bassist  Rob
Martin and drummer Cory Valdez.
     Probably the most  interesting  fact  about  Enthroned  is  John
Oster's day job. John teaches seventh and ninth grade  English  at  a
local school. What does he think about being  the  teacher  of  young
minds and then going out and crushing  those  same  skulls  with  the
music of Enthroned? "I treat them as two different entities.  One  is
my job, and the other is my hobby. Being around kids lets me see that
exposure to controversial lyrics  does  not  turn  them  into  serial
killers! Most of them can separate reality  from  fiction.  I  should
think that my being a  teacher  has  taught  them  something:  it  is
possible to play extreme music and still be a responsible person, not
just a strung out loser! I've never had any complaints  from  parents
or other teachers - everyone has been very supportive."
     Enthroned was formed when some of John's students asked  him  to
play in a Band Jam  that  the  school  was  currently  having.  After
jamming with these kids, John realized how much  he  missed  grinding
the axe, so he set out to form his own 'real' band, and thus in  June
of 1991, Enthroned was born.
     The band  has  recorded  four  demo  tapes,  _Darkness  Reigns_,
_Cranial Damage_, _Gears_, and most recently, _Absence of Life_. (see
CoC #1 for a review of _Absence of Life_) How  does  John  think  the
band has progressed through each of these recordings? "Each  one  has
gotten heavier and more complex. Our earlier tapes had a considerable
amount of thrash influence  (Kreator,  Dark  Angel,  early  Megadeth,
etc.), but we decided to go in a heavier  vein.  So  many  bands  are
wimping/selling out, but not Enthroned! Instead, we are  adding  some
classical/fusion/progressive elements to keep  our  music  fresh  and
original."
     One of the  elements  of  Enthroned's  music  that  make  it  so
appealing is the structure and  complexity  of  their  sound.  Having
extensive training playing the classical guitar, it is no wonder that
John is able to pull off some of the more intricate  leads  on  their
new  demo.  "My  training  has  provided  me  with  a  strong  theory
background that enables me to use more  adventurous  harmonies,  plus
more advanced playing techniques. I play a lot of  classical  guitar,
which enables me to play the more difficult riffs and rhythms."
     As for live performances, Enthroned have played  many  shows  in
their hometown, and have even been banned from  some  venues.  "There
are only a few venues that book metal, but they treat the  bands  and
fans like cattle. We've even been banned from a few due to  the  pits
that break out! We're trying to find a warehouse to rent and  put  on
our own shows so we don't have to kiss ass at the clubs anymore;  you
can only do that so long before your face starts to smell!"
     The band has also opened locally for a huge  assortment  of  big
name metal bands including Malevolent  Creation,  Forbidden,  Machine
Head, Brutal Truth, Pungent Stench and VIO-lence.  However,  they  do
not have any plans on touring. "Right now  we  have  no  tour  plans.
Tours would have to take place during the summer due to  my  teaching
schedule." Does this mean that Enthroned do not have  any  plans  for
super stardom and conquering the world? "Well, I seriously doubt that
would happen. Extreme metal bands just aren't going to  make  it  big
like Metallica. Look at Morbid Angel; they're one of the most  famous
and influential bands, and they've been around  quite  a  while,  but
they're still playing clubs that hold 500-800 people and  damn  lucky
to sell them out. I suppose I could take  a  year  sabbatical  for  a
tour, but I would never resign or give up my career. I've worked  too
hard to throw it away on a  pipe  dream.  I'm  content  having  local
success, which we have, and making demos. But even if I didn't have a
solid career, I'm not sure I'd be up to the stress and pressure of  a
tour. I don't like driving more than 50  miles,  so  the  thought  of
embarking on a national or international tour is a  real  mindblower!
I'm basically a homebody who loves to shred!! On the  other  hand,  a
million bucks? Hmmm...."
     Even though the band's demos have received  great  reviews  from
everyone who've been lucky enough to  hear  them,  Enthroned  haven't
sparked much label interest. "I'd love to make a CD  on  a  major  or
indie label, but most won't go for a studio band that  doesn't  tour.
If so, then I'm there, dude! Making 'real' CDs would be  cool,  being
known internationally and all."
     So what is in the books for Enthroned in  the  future?  At  this
juncture, it is pretty hard to tell, but the band  is  just  chugging
along at their usual pace and are looking to  perhaps  release  their
next  demo  on  CD,  an  awfully  expensive  task  for  a  completely
independant outfit, but nevertheless  worth  the  time,  effort,  and
money. Enthroned are perhaps the *true* incarnation of an underground
band, and they  are  extremely  grateful  for  it  all.  "We  greatly
appreciate the support from the underground scene, and  I  am  really
jazzed that there's an e-mail magazine! Go figure. Anyway, if  anyone
is   interested   in   tapes    or    T-shirts,    e-mail    me    at
joster@wheel.dcn.davis.ca.us.  Also,  check  out  our   homepage   at
http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us:80/~joster."

              This just in from John Oster of ENTHRONED!

               STOP THE PRESS: WE'VE BEEN SIGNED!!!!!!
               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I just got a letter from Lion Records in Poland (they are Vader's new
label) and they offered us a deal. We supply a DAT of 8-10 songs  and
the cover art and they will produce 1000 copies  on  tape.  If  those
sell out, they will issue it on MCD and  CD!!!  They  have  worldwide
distribution, so plenty of people will hear about it. The  only  down
side is that we have to pay  for  the  recording  sessions.  We  will
re-record 2-3 tracks  from  "Gears",  4  from  "Absence"  (they  want
"Purple Haze", "Blood Storm", "Injection", and "Crimson Wings"), plus
our 3 new tracks.

                          D A R K H E A V E 
                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          by: Gino Filicetti

     It's always nice and refreshing to be  able  to  hear,  see  and
behold a band in its beginning stages of  development.  It's  a  good
reminder of the fact that envigouring and fresh  music  always  comes
from the minds of the young. So enter  Darkheave,  one  of  Toronto's
newest additions to its growing list of brutalily brilliant bands.
     The band consists of bassist Jon, rhythm  guitarist  Matt,  lead
guitarist Rob, drummer Mike, and singer Dharm. Although Jon and  Matt
have been together for over three years playing music and jamming out
their aggressions, the band as a  whole  have  been  together  for  a
little more than six months.  However  the  band  still  offers  this
advice for bands that are  just  starting  out,  "Be  as  unique  and
original as possible and do what you want to do. You aren't going  to
end up contributing anything  significant  to  music  in  general  if
you're copying  riffs  off  other  bands,  stealing  image  and  just
pretending to be some other band that you like. No one  is  going  to
remember you... unless you're Pantera."
     The thing that the band appreciately the most about  good  music
is its quality and song  structure,  they  site  some  pretty  varied
influences, from White Zombie to  Motorhead  to  Darkthrone  to  Deep
Purple to Entombed. However after sitting in on  only  one  Darkheave
jam session, it is obvious that their major influence  is  of  course
(early) Metallica.
     The band has recorded one demo thus far, entitlied 'No Life 'til
Pedro.' Suprisingly enough, the demo was record on a Tascam 464  four
track recorder, in the basement! (see  review  at  the  end  of  this
story) Although the demo  was  recorded,  cut  and  packaged  at  the
cutthroat cost of $20, the band has bigger and better plans for their
next efforts, "Well the next step, obviously, is the  studio.  Either
we want to do a demo and make it as small  as  possible,  like  three
tracks, so we can spend  as  much  time  on  those  three  tracks  as
possible, send it to labels and see if they're interested,  or  we'll
do an album ourselves in the studio and see how that turns  out,  but
probably the former, because doing an  actual  album  in  the  studio
yourself is ridiculously expensive."
     As for giging the band hasn't had much experience in the  field.
They did play a local battle of the bands, under a  pseudo  name  for
various unspecified reasons. "Well we've only  been  together  for  a
very short period of time so getting the original stuff  together  is
the most important part right now. We just want to get together  with
other local bands that are at the same stage as we are, do small gigs
and see where that goes.  No  plans  to  open  up  for  Metallica  or
anything, well, at least not yet."
     Although the band appreciate a good variety of metal music, they
are disappointed in which the way metal has been progressing  in  the
1990's, "It's just a boring time, not much has changed  really  since
1991. The music has gotten out of hand to the point  where  it  isn't
about music anymore it's about being as heavy as possible or how mean
you look for videos, and the brutality of the image. It  has  nothing
to do with music anymore. But a band like Entombed, they are  one  of
the best acts in the world, or in the history of metal, and  I  guess
they're mostly a product of the 1990's so it can't be all bad."
     The band also has strong opinions on what is important in  music
today, they refuse to follow ANY  of  the  current  trends  that  are
prevalent in metal today, instead  opting  for  the  honest  straight
ahead approach, "The groove and the quality of the song are important
as well as making the music memorable. Not just  being  obnoxious  in
the noise/garbage factor of it all. To have a sound that  people  can
actually get into and remember, and enjoy while they are listening to
it. We want to make music you can hum along to  and  that  makes  you
want to kick in someone's head, no noise/garbage shit."
     Although the band is not pleased with the scene in Toronto  they
don't believe that relocating would solve any  significant  problems,
"I don't think being part of a scene, where all the bands  sound  the
same, like the hardcore thing in New  York  or  the  Skate  thing  in
Vancouver, would help us out a lot. It just doesn't do anything for a
band who is  trying  to  be  as  original  and  unique  as  possible.
Montreal. I guess there's a much better scene  there  as  opposed  to
Toronto with regards to aggressive music, but ideally,  I'd  say  San
Francisco, circa 1981, but they tell me that's impossible."
     Darkheave are definitely a band to keep an eye on, perhaps  they
will be one of the first to spark a return to the old ways of  honest
metal and leave behind all the bullshit such as the  tough  guy,  you
suck we rule, image that is plaguing metal today.

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

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!


Pyogenesis - _Twinaleblood_  (Nov 95, Nuclear Blast/EastWest)
by: Adrian Bromley  (7 out of 10)

Pyogenesis' latest offering is far from what I had imagined it to be.
Managing to blend heavy alternative riffs and a metal edge is not  an
easy task but Pyogenesis has pulled it off with flying colors. In the
same, somewhat gothic stance of  Type  O  Negative,  mixed  with  the
sounds of  metal  heroes  Paradise  Lost  and  fuzz-whizzos  Smashing
Pumpkins, Germany's Pyogenesis discover another route (an alternative
route maybe?) to playing their metal music. An interesting concept to
say the least when you have numbers like the commercially  accessible
title track 'Twinaleblood', 'Snakehole', or  'Those  Charming  Seas',
blended with stoic metal numbers as 'I'm Coming',  and  the  vigorous
'God Complex'. One of the most memorable things about  _Twinaleblood_
is the eerie vibe/atmosphere that consist a majority  of  the  songs.
It's haunting and very  effective,  which  kind  of  places  a  lower
emphasis on the less metallic sound that _Twinaleblood_ delivers, and
that is something worth noting. Don't know how well this  album  will
go over with the die-hard metal fans but as far as experimental death
metal goes  this  is  pretty  much  walking  the  fine  line  between
'metal'-ly acceptable and a complete write off. Listen  to  it  first
before you decide to scrap your other Pyogenesis material 'cause  you
may be surprised.

Sinister - 'Hate'  (Spring 1995, Nuclear Blast)
by: Gino Filicetti  (7 out of 10)

Sinister are back and making their presence known  with  their  third
full length outing, _Hate_. The album was recorded at TNT studios  in
January of 1995, marking a full seven years since  drummer  Aad,  and
vocalist Mike started this Holland-based band. The CD starts off with
a cool intro track, which plunges the listener into an evil,  haunted
house atmosphere, with supposedly satanic chants  coming  from  every
direction. Just as the chanting reaches its peak, Sinister storm onto
the scene with their brutally  heavy  guitars,  and  breakneck  blast
beats care of drummer and founding father, Aad. The lyrics  are  sure
to scare off any and all Christians, and make them shudder when  they
hear the blasphemous bellowings coming from  Mike's  throat.  Obvious
influences here are Deicide and Cannibal Corpse, not surprising since
they did tour with both of those bands at  one  time  or  another  in
Europe. One thing that can be said about Sinister is  that  they  are
completely uncomprimising with regards to their speed and  brutality.
One song that kind of rises above the crowd is 'Unseen'. It's  got  a
catchy chorus, intelligent lyrics,  and  is  definitely  my  favorite
track on the album. The music on this CD isn't very innovative or eye
poppingly new and fresh, but it does contain certain  elements  which
do not make it totally worthless.

Therion - _Lepaca Kliffoth_  (Early 1995, Nuclear Blast)
by: Gino Filicetti  (10 out of 10)

Holy fuck. What else can I say about this amazing outing  that  those
two words alone  can't  describe?  This  album  is  so  gigantic,  so
enormous, so majestic, so incredible, it *really*  is  beyond  words.
_Lepeca Kliffoth_ marks Therion's  fifth  venture  in  the  realm  of
musical genius. Continuing on the heels of the trends  set  in  their
previous release, _Symphony Masses:  Ho  Drakon  Ho  Megas_,  Therion
produce another album that will very well set them  up  for  life  as
true innovators. This CD never ceases to amaze me; the more I  listen
to it, the more I find something new and wonderful about  it.  It  is
very rare for me to spew all over an album in a review like this, but
it would be impossible to tell you about this  record  without  doing
so. Therion's wide range of  influences  is  present  all  over  this
outing. There are  elements  of  classic  heavy  metal,  doom,  goth,
classical and even some  fusion!  They  are  all  blended  and  mixed
together in such a way that it finally  dawns  on  you,  "Why  didn't
anyone think of this before?" A plethora of keyboards adds atmosphere
to the record, and the operatic performances of Claudia  Maria  Mohri
and Hans Groning are so breathtaking it made me wish the entire album
featured their vocals instead of only two songs. The tracks  on  this
CD probably vary more than any I've seen on any other album. From the
light and beautiful music of 'Arrival of the Darkest  Queen'  to  the
fast crunching anthem 'Riders of Theli'.  When  it's  over  and  done
with, Therion leave the listener with the uncontrollable urge to just
press play again and be captivated by these Swedish gods for  another
40 minutes.  Chalk  up  another  masterpiece  on  Therion's  list  of
metallic wonders.

Various Artists - _Sonic Obliteration Vol. 1_ (two-disc compilation)
by: Adrian Bromley  (9 out of 10)  (Aug 95, Utopian Vison Music)

So there are a lot of metal fans, industry types, and just plain  old
music fans out there that believe Canada's  metal  scene  is  dead  -
colder than the tundra of the north. A generous 'Fuck  You!!'  is  in
order after hearing this awesome  collection  of  some  of  the  most
underrated/unsigned metal and  hard  rock  outfits  scattered  across
Canada from Nova Scotia to British Columbia. From the pounding tribal
sensations bestowed  by  Toronto's  Mundane  with  'Drowning  in  the
Mainstream', the brutal  heaviness  of  Winnipeg's  Malefaction  with
'What For?', the doom and gloom of Bedford,  Nova  Scotia's  Entrafis
('To The  Underneath'/'Frowns  Unfold')  to  the  furious  frenzy  of
London, Ontario's Porno and their  strong  offering,  'Soiled',  this
collection keeps the metal cranked to the very end -  a  mind-blowing
120 minutes later. Other less metallic  acts  such  as  Lesser  Known
(Tilbury, Ont.) and Toronto's Krug and  Son  Of  Bronto  stand  their
ground with some  great  songs.  An  important  note  to  make:  also
included in this compilation are a couple  of  killer  foreign  metal
numbers of unsigned acts such as Finland's Eternal  Tears  Of  Sorrow
('The Son Of  The  Forest'),  Holland's  Hoer's  double  offering  of
'Painless Torture' and 'Breakin' The Silence' or  Denmark's  Crawcell
('Human Filth',) though the majority is Canadian content.  With  lots
of metal bands getting discouraged that they aren't getting any  play
or publicity, Utopian Vison Music's offering is just the needed  cure
that many of these young acts  need.  Get  your  copy  now  and  help
support Canadian metal. We got the goods up here in the North but can
you handle it?

For info contact: Utopian Vision Music, 8 Dalcourt Drive,
                  Scarborough, Ont. M1E 3H1 Canada
                  Tel/Fax: (416) 284-1169

Dismember - _Massive Killing Capacity_
by: Gino Filicetti  (8 out of 10)  (Aug 95, Nuclear Blast/Relapse)

From  opening  note  to  closing  crunch,  Dismember's  newest  sonic
skull-crusher _Massive Killing Capacity_ never ceased to impress  the
hell out of me. One thing that can be said about this album  is  that
it is *pure* Swedish death metal incarnate. Sounding very  much  like
countrymates Edge of Sanity and Entombed, Dismember seemed  to  be  a
bit lacking in their originality. However, Swedish  death  metal  has
always been my favorite form of this bastard art form so I must still
salute Dismember for creating a fine slab of noise.  Although  catchy
rhythms and severely heavy  guitar  make  up  the  majority  of  this
release, some elements, like lead work and vocal  variation,  add  to
the   total   enjoyment   of   the   album.   Produced   by   Swedish
producer/demigod  Tomas  Skogsberg,  _Massive  Killing  Capacity_  is
definitely a fine addition to Dismember's  massive  library.  In  the
past the band  had  joined  forces  with  the  likes  of  Mike  Amott
(Carcass) and Johnny Dordevic (formerly of Entombed),  so  it  is  no
wonder that an abundance of talent lies in the  Dismember  camp.  The
only thing I found disturbing on this album  is  the  fact  that  the
vocals sounds *exactly* like  Lars  Goran  Petrov  of  Entombed.  The
semblance  in  each  note  of  Matti  Karki's  anguished   cries   is
incredible. All in all, Dismember have  once  again  produced  a  top
notch album that will certainly earn them the repect they deserve.

Benediction - _The Dreams You Dread_
by: Gino Filicetti  (5 out of 10)  (Aug 95, Nuclear Blast/Relapse)

Another release from one of  England's  founding  fathers  of  brutal
music, Benediction, this is the  band's  sixth  full  length  outing.
Unfortunately, the guys are starting to show their age  and  lack  of
creativity. The addition of  18  year-old  drummer  Neil  Hutton  was
probably an attempt to infuse some fresh blood into  the  group,  but
they have still fallen into the realm of  stagnation.  The  CD  opens
with an interesting semi-acoustic guitar solo/riff,  which  carefully
gives way to some good ol' mid-paced generic death  metal.  From  the
first grunt to the last scream on this album, Dave Ingram has *still*
failed to kick the monkey called Barney Greenway off  his  back,  and
find a vocal sound all his own. All in  all,  the  vocals  completely
failed to enthuse me. This album is full of variations  with  regards
to speed, which is all the better for the band. The last  two  tracks
show the extent of the contrast. 'Saneless  Theory'  is  the  classic
drag-on whining song, while 'The Dreams You Dread'  is  a  breakneck,
blast beat ridden cacophony. I even see some  Obituary  influence  in
songs like 'Answer Me'. If you are a  fan  of  Benediction,  I  would
definitely recommend this album to  you,  seeing  as  the  band  have
managed to keep up with their previous efforts. But for those of  you
that are looking for progression and innovation, you definitely  need
to find greener pastures.

Brujeria - _Raza Odiada_  (Aug 95, Roadrunner/Attic)
by: Adrian Bromley  (9 out of 10)

Rarely do I get an album that  I  go  ape-shit  over.  I  was  really
anticipating the new Kyuss, but I knew  what  to  expect  from  those
underrated dirge-metallers. Overkill's live  opus?  C'mon  guys,  I'd
seen them before, thus the live album would  rock.  But  when  I  was
provided with the latest from Brujeria, a very well-kept secret  side
project of, well, let's just say metal pioneers, I  was  shaking  and
sweating waiting to put Raza Odiada  in  my  CD  player.  From  start
(title  track  'Raza  Odiada  (Pito  Wilson)')  to  finish   ('Ritmos
Satanicos'), Brujeria's latest maims, kills, strangles, and mutilates
the listener with its rapid-fire of death metal mayhem.  With  lyrics
sung in Spanish built  within  the  foundations  of  the  anarchistic
assaults of metal, _Raza Odiada_ manages to supply  us  with  a  very
unique sound and approach to death metal, something that many  of  us
(especially in North America)  aren't  accustomed  to.  Whatever  the
reasoning for this band's conception (political or recreational), one
thing is for sure, Brujeria does  it  really  well.  Loud,  fast  and
furious, tracks like 'Revolucion', 'Sensos Humanos (Sacrifia IV)', or
'El Patron' add fuel to the fire burning beneath the determination of
this band to be seen, heard,  and  understood.  Hide  the  women  and
children, and brace yourself: Brujeria has arrived. !Viva Brujeria!

Souls At Zero - _Taste for the Perverse_  (Aug 95, Energy Records)
by: Adrian Bromley  (6 out of 10)

I used to think  Wrathchild  America  was  too  much  of  a  renegade
metal/rock band, with too much going on within their music and  their
message - a band lost within their own vision. Then they became Souls
At Zero, and it was like they had been given a new lease on life. The
eponymous  debut  album  was  built  on  anger  and   frustation,   a
characteristic that was stapled to every note and lyric on the debut.
This album is far from an angry mob of  lyrics  and  musical  mayhem.
Though still heavy and in your face, _A Taste for  the  Perverse_  is
more of a transition album than anything else. The band has developed
a lot more since becoming Souls At Zero, and you can hear it  in  the
Pantera meets Helmet/Quicksand songs that the band cranks out.  Built
more around strength of force and groove, _A Taste for the  Perverse_
rarely loses the listener, and  that  does  deserve  good  marks.  My
personal favorites  are  opener  'Undecided',  'My  Fault',  and  the
clearly cool crunch of 'Me Myself I'.  Music  focused  more  on  what
sounds great out there than what they could  actually  pull  of  with
their own direction and  sound,  Souls  At  Zero's  latest  is  worth
checking out, but not really a life and death purchase. Not now,  but
who knows what the future holds for Souls At Zero?

Crypt of Kerberos - _World of Myths_ (1993, Adipocere)
by: Brian Meloon  (7 out of 10)

This is a nice disc of melodic death metal. It's  well  produced  and
features some good  musicianship,  especially  from  the  two  guitar
players. They both do some fast and intricate  work,  and  work  well
together. Like Crematory, this band also features a  female  keyboard
player (Jessica),  although  her  skills  are  not  as  developed  as
Katrin's are. The keys here are used more for  'atmosphere'  than  to
carry melodies. A little more integration of keyboards would be nice.
The vocals could also use a little work  ...  they're  about  halfway
between standard death vocals and Chris Barnes'  style.  They  aren't
terrible, but not terribly original, either. The songwriting is  very
good, though. These guys really know how to put together a song,  and
make it progress in ways other than  standard  song  format.  I  look
forward to this band's next release; with  a  little  maturity,  they
could be quite good.

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

Your only source of information on the newest of the  new,   and  the
lowest of the underground, New Noise is the best and  only  place  to
read about all the coolest shit you never thought existed! And if you
are 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 e-zine's header.


Filthboy - _Filthboy_  (6 track demo)
by: Gino Filicetti

Shit! What a wild demo. I swear, and not a word of a lie  to  all  of
you out there, this is probably one of the  best  demos  I've  heard,
ever! The demo starts out with the track 'Agent  Hate'  which  begins
with an amazingly heavy rhythm and then tears away into a  distorted,
spoken word vocal style. I thought, wow, already  this  demo  has  my
toes tapping. I was warned by one  of  Filthboy's  founding  members,
Buzzy, to keep an open mind while listening to the tape and  to  keep
in mind that this is a straight dub, totally unmixed. Fuck, if that's
the case, then I'm scared to think of what this band could accomplish
in the studio, with their hands on some of the latest in state of the
art technology. The band incorporates  the  best  elements  of  death
metal, hardcore and thrash in a fusion that has an undeniably massive
attraction. The vocal style  is  varied  throughout  this  recording,
changing almost every second, from low spoken word ramblings, to deep
grunts, to fast paced blabber  mouth  distortion.  Keyboards  add  an
undeniable presence to the  music  giving  it  life  beyond  'death'.
Definitely a band to keep both eyes on, I see a future for these guys
as bright as the one Monster Voodoo Machine had  in  store  for  them
after their first demos.

Contact: Filthboy, c/o Buzzy Beck, 1616 McFarland Rd.
         Dormont, PA, 15216, USA
         Email: hate@telerama.lm.com

Aeon - _Demo #1_ (3 tracks) and _Demo #2_ (5 tracks)
by: Brian Meloon

Wow ... death metal from Croatia. And impressive at that. Their first
demo is from early 1993, and the second is from December, 1993.  Both
demos were recorded on only 8 tracks, and they suffer  somewhat  from
this, but they still sound decent. _Demo #1_  (recorded  under  their
former name Dissection) is straightforward death metal, with guttural
vocals for the most part and heavy riffs. It's semi-melodic, a  cross
between Morbid Angel and Cannibal Corpse styles. Not too much new  or
innovative, but at least it's well played, and kind of catchy.  These
guys took a huge leap forward in musicianship  for  _Demo  #2_.  They
changed their name to Aeon, lost a guitar player,  added  a  keyboard
player, and changed their  style  from  straight  ahead  death  to  a
progressive, melodic style  reminiscent  of  Amorphis  and  Crypt  of
Kerberos. They also tend to sound  like  Nocturnus  (keyboard-doubled
guitar lines no less!). The best track on here is track 4,  'Gyratory
Stars' (I think ... there are only five tracks,  but  there  are  six
song titles in the J-card). It sounds like a  cross  between  At  the
Gates and Amorphis' _Tales from the 1000 Lakes_. Again,  the  playing
is very high quality, the drums are excellent, fast and precise,  but
more interesting this time, with some cool rhythms going on under the
other music. The keyboards function both for atmosphere  as  well  as
melody. Guitar and bass  work  is  quite  technical,  at  least  when
playing rhythms. What keeps this release from being  truly  excellent
are  the  guitar  leads  and  solos  which  sound  very   amateurish,
especially compared with their high quality of rhythm  music.  Still,
this demo is one of the best I've heard. Apparently, these demos  are
no longer available, but there is a cassette EP scheduled for release
in October/November. It may  or  may  not  be  on  Abstract  Emotions
(Barcelona), since Jordi Bellaubi is planning to start his own label,
and Aeon are going to stick with him. I'm told this release will have
more of a 'fusion' sound. Keep your eyes peeled for Aeon.

Contact: AEON, c/o Sinisa "Sipy" Bival, Laginjina 11,
         51000 Rijeka, CROATIA-EUROPE, ++385-51-226-479
         email:  bival@ihssv.wsr.ac.at  (Sipy's mom)

Embrace - _Embrace_  (6 track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley

Kitchener's four-piece,  Embrace,  are  a  welcome  offering  to  the
growing fold of atmospheric metal outfits. Poetry  fused  with  heavy
riffs and melodic pieces  of  music,  Embrace's  6-song  demo  is  an
assorted collage of long metallic epics that 'embrace'  the  listener
and take them to another world. Such is the plan of Embrace, if their
short but to the point bio is to be believed. Of course, it is;  just
listen  to  'Descendence',  opener   'Solitude',   or   my   favorite
'Embodiment Of Darkness', and beg to differ with me that  this  music
doesn't suck you in. _Embrace_ is a moody demo with a lot of powerful
chord  progressions,  intelligent  lyrics  and  banshee-like/ethereal
vocals of singer Laura Wiebe that seem to add to Embrace's own style.
Five out of the six songs hit the six-minute mark, and at times  they
(especially closer 'Twilight Soul', clocking in at 12  minutes)  seem
to lose momentum and tail off at  the  end,  but  by  the  time  that
happens, the next epic  is  waiting  to  unfold.  A  somewhat  dismal
recording here takes chips  out  of  the  foundations  that  make  up
Embrace's sound, but not enough to wreck the effect that  Embrace  is
trying to pinpoint with their music. Better recording measures taken,
and a few more penned masterpieces, and Embrace should  be  on  their
way to getting more attention in and around  Ontario,  and  hopefully
elsewhere.

Contact: Embrace, 470 Driftwood Road, Kitchener, Ont.
         N2N 1S6, Canada

Darkheave - _No Life 'til Pedro_  (4 track demo)
by: Gino Filicetti

This demo comes to us from local Toronto band on the rise,  Darkheave
(see story this issue). The first thing I was told by the band was to
listen to this recording with an open mind, seeing as it was recorded
on a four-track mixer in their basement for a  grand  total  of  $20.
However, I thought that the mix was amazing  considering  the  tracks
are almost completely live. I can hear a strong  Metallica  influence
in this band, but they are far from some kind of cheesy  clone  band.
Darkheave also incorporate elements of death metal to achieve a sound
that is technical,  while  maintaining  an  element  of  groove  that
prevents them from becoming stagnant. Of  the  four  tracks  on  this
demo, the most interesting is 'Innocence Lost'  which  opens  with  a
soft melodically sung verse, and then builds to a peak  of  punishing
brutality. One thing that detracts from the quality of this  demo  is
the vocals which just don't seem to fit very  well  with  the  music.
However, the music more than makes up for any vocal  inadequacy.  All
in all a pretty solid  demo  considering  its  production  cost.  I'm
curious to see what this band is capable of in a full-fledged studio.

Contact: Darkheave, c/o Matt Smith, 131 Beecroft Rd. #801
         North York, Ont, Canada, M2N-6G9
         Voice: (416) 733-3379  Email: worm@io.org

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

Gino's Top 5

1. Therion - _Lepaca Kliffoth_
2. Fear Factory - _Soul of a New Machine_
3. Bolt Thrower - _... For Victory_
4. Amorphis - _Tales From The Thousand Lakes_
5. Monster Voodoo Machine - _State Voodoo/State Control_

Adrian's Top 5

1. Down - _Down_ [featuring Corrosion Of Conformity's Pepper
                  Keenan & Pantera's Phil Anselmo]
2. Meshuggah - _Destroy Erase Improve_
3. Embrace - _Embrace_ (demo)
4. Kyuss - _... And The Circus Leaves Town_
5. Carcass - _Heartwork_

Brian's Top 5

1. Confessor - 'Condemned'
2. Red Tide - 'Expressions'
3. Suffocation - 'Effigy of the Forgotten'
4. Emperor/Enslaved - 'Hordanes Land' (split)
5. Moonspell - 'Wolfheart'

Alain's Top 5

1. Various Artists - _Death Is Just The Beginning III_
2. Morbid Angel - _Domination_
3. Suffocation - _Pierced From Within_
4. Dead Horse - _Peaceful Death And Pretty Flowers_
5. Death - _Symbolic_

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

Well this ends issue number two for Chronicles  of  Chaos.  I'm  just
amazed at the size of this thing, and it's only our second  issue.  I
have to extend a big thank you to all the record companies that  have
supported us by including us on their mailing lists, and  setting  up
interviews for us. Everyone whom  we've  encountered  has  been  very
supportive and has given us lots of encouragement, and generally  has
been absolutely stoked that there *actually* is an Internet  magazine
for the type of brutal music we here at CoC cover.  Once  again,  one
big thank you to everyone. It's amazing how fast this thing has taken
off. BTW, before I go, I just want to remind you guys  to  check  out
our web page at the URL included in the e-zine's header.  It's  under
construction right now, but we'll soon have it up to  top  notch  CoC
standards, so don't fret. Anyways, that's about  it  from  this  end,
enjoy, and see you all next month with our special Foundation's Forum
issue, where we give you the big  scoop  on  what  happened  at  this
year's 'Only Hard Music Convention'. Remember, keep the  music  loud,
and strive for everything chaotic. -- Gino Filicetti

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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #2
