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       CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, October 16, 1997, Issue #25
               http://www.interlog.com/~ginof/coc.html

Editor-in-Chief: Gino Filicetti <mailto:ginof@interlog.com>
Coordinator: Adrian Bromley <mailto:energizr@interlog.com>
Contributor: Alain M. Gaudrault <mailto:alain@mks.com>
Contributor: Brian Meloon <mailto:bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>
Contributor: Steve Hoeltzel <mailto:hoeltzel@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>
Contributor: Adam Wasylyk <mailto:macabre@interlog.com>
Contributor: Drew Schinzel <mailto:drew@magpage.com>
Contributor: Andrew Lewandowski <mailto:kmvb73c@prodigy.com>
Contributor: Pedro Azevedo <mailto:ei94048@tom.fe.up.pt>
Contributor: Paul Schwarz <mailto:thomas.schwarz@which.net>
Mailing List provided by: The University of Colorado at Boulder

NOTE: For  more  Chronicles  of  Chaos  information,  check  out  the
      'Details' section at the end of this issue.

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

Issue #25 Contents, 10/16/97
----------------------------
* Editorial
* Deadly Dialogues
-- Emperor: Thus Spake The Nightspirit
-- Obituary: Not Dead Yet
-- Vader: Within The Dark Lord's Silent Empire
-- Crack Up: Crackheads Aplenty
* Independent Interrogations
-- Death Of Millions
* Album Asylum
-- Aeturnus - _Beyond the Wandering Moon_
-- Agony Lords - _The Sun Of The Cursed_
-- Behemoth - _Bewitching the Pomerania_
-- 454 Big Block  - _Save Me From Myself_
-- Biohazard  - _No Holds Barred_
-- Blood Storm - _The Atlantean Wardragon_
-- Brutal Truth - _Sounds Of The Animal Kingdom_
-- Burzum - _Balder's Dod_
-- Cast Iron Hike - _Watch it Burn_
-- Christ Agony - _Darkside_
-- Desaster - _Stormbringer_
-- Dismal Euphony - _Autumn Leaves: The Rebellion of Tides_
-- Divine Sin - _Thirteen Souls_
-- Elend - _Weeping Nights_
-- Grope - _Desert Storm_
-- Hemlock - _Crush the Race of God_
-- In the Woods... - _Omnio_
-- Ironlung - _Chasing Salvation_
-- KMFDM - _KMFDM_
-- Lycanthropy - _The Veils of Sorrow_
-- Malevolent Creation - _In Cold Blood_
-- Mortiis - _Født til å Herske_ / Vond - _Slipp sorgen Løs_
-- The Misfits - _American Psycho_
-- Pantera  - _Official Live: 101 Proof_
-- Plan E - _E Spelled Backwards_ / Irstas - _Unluck_ Split 10"
-- Salvo  - _The Cult Of Speed_
-- Scanner Vs. Signs Ov Chaos - _Scanner Vs. Signs Ov Chaos_
-- Shai Hulud - _A Profound Hatred of Man_
-- Six Feet Under - _Warpath_
-- Skrew - _Angel Seed XXIII_
-- The Blood Divine - _Mystica_
-- Today Is The Day - _Temple Of The Morning Star_
-- Wallachia - _Wallachia_
-- Witch-Hunt - _Prophecies of a Great Plague_
* New Noise
-- Death Squad - _Death Squad_
-- Diesel - _Diesel_
* Chaotic Concerts
-- Metal in the Mitten: The Michigan Death Metal Fest
-- Something Old, Something New, And All Things Death Metal
      - Malevolent Creation with Vader and Infernal Majesty
-- Crash And Burn Baby, Burn: Crash Worship in Georgia
* What We Have Cranked

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                      _____)
                    /       /) ,            ,      /)
                    )__   _(/   _/_ _____     _   //
                  /      (_(__(_(__(_)/ (__(_(_(_(/_
                 (_____)

                          by: Gino Filicetti


     Hey everyone, I'm back for a quick couple of  announcements.  As
you probably already noticed, the last issue was missing an editorial
from myself; the reason for this is  because  I've  decided,  in  the
process of overhauling the 'zine, that a lot of my editorials  really
didn't say much other than, "Yo! Here we are again...." So I think it
is better if I just stick to writing editorials when I have something
useful to say.
     With that said, let me come to the main reason I've written this
editorial. There have been some changes and additions  to  our  staff
and their respective  duties  over  the  past  month.  Our  hawk-eyed
proofreader extraordinare Alain Gaudrault has stepped down  from  his
position as CoC's  copy  editor.  However,  Alain  will  continue  to
contribute to Chronicles of Chaos with  reviews  and  the  occasional
interview. In his place, Steve, Pedro and Andrew have all volunteered
to pick up a share of the proofreading work and  keep  our  'zine  as
error-free as possible. I'm sure these three "competent"  individuals
won't have any trouble doing so....... OR ELSE!! :-)
     Also of import this month  is  the  news  of  our  newest  staff
member, Paul Schwarz. Paul is an 18  year  old  student  of  English,
History and Philosophy at Esher College in  London,  England.  Paul's
CoC debut was last issue in which he had a few  submissions.  We  now
have two Europeans on staff with us, and  we  think  this  will  only
benefit the 'zine because of the breadth of opinion we  can  achieve.
Our numbers are now up to a whooping TEN  people,  including  myself,
residing on the CoC staff. All this from a meager beginning  of  only
two writers, wow...
     Finally, I'd like to mention that the  Toronto  band  Solus  are
currently conducting auditions for a new bassist to replace the  late
Doug Regan. Please email solus@interlog.com or  skinmask@hotmail.com.
Their phone number is 905-294-9331, or you can write via snail mail:

Skinmask Productions
PO BOX 271, Station 'B'
Toronto, Ont.
M5S-2W1, CANADA

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         T H U S   S P A K E   T H E   N I G H T S P I R I T
         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                   CoC interviews Ihsahn of Emperor
                          by: Steve Hoeltzel

Emperor... I hardly know where to  begin!  In  any  case,  this  band
really requires no introduction. Instead, I'll just mention  some  of
the main things that I was hoping to learn from talking with  Ihsahn.
I had always felt that  Emperor's  early  works  exhibited  a  spirit
thoroughly hostile  to  mainstream  normalcy,  so  that  conventional
musical trappings like "clean" singing could never (or so I  thought)
properly express the band's intent. Hence, I  was  surprised  by  the
fairly tame vocals and flashy guitar performances on the  band's  new
album, and very curious about  the  relationship  between  these  new
developments and the overall Emperor concept. I also  wondered  about
Ihsahn's feelings toward  the  flurry  of  promotional  activities  -
interviews like this one, for  the  most  part  -  which  the  band's
growing fame (and lasting notoriety) requires him to  engage  in.  As
you are about to discover, Ihsahn had interesting things to say about
these, and many other, issues.

CoC: I have quite a few questions about the new album, but  before  I
     get into all that: There's been a rumor going  around  that  you
     guys might be planning a trip to North America  with  Satyricon.
     Is that true?

I: Mmm, not as far as I'm concerned. I haven't heard  anything  about
   it.

CoC: Ah, must be just a rumor then....

I: Yeah. There are so many rumors about where  we're  playing,  where
   we're not playing.

CoC: In any case, do you have any plans to come to North America?

I: Well, Century Media has been  making  some  suggestions.  We  were
   interested in maybe going with Venom, or  in  support  for  Morbid
   Angel, but we don't know yet. I don't think it will be this  year,
   but perhaps in the spring  of  next  year.  We  are  not  finished
   touring Europe yet. We've been playing around... We're playing  in
   Athens next weekend, then we'll go on  a  full  European  tour  in
   October.

CoC: Who will be with you on that tour?

I: Aeturnus and Limbonic Art.

CoC: Oh, wow! Anyway, about the new album.  Did  you  feel  like  you
     really had something to prove with _Anthems_? And  if  so,  what
     was it?

I: Well, we haven't really tried to think much about how we should do
   it, or to think of what people would expect. We tried to do it  as
   we've always done: as best we can, and the way we like it. But, of
   course, there were thoughts of sort of proving our position  as  a
   black metal band these days. It's been quite a few years since  we
   recorded _In the Nightside Eclipse_, and there  are  quite  a  few
   more bands these days than there were then. So it was good to  get
   a new album out which has  been  received  quite  well.  Based  on
   reviews, people seem to like it... We felt, of course,  a  bit  of
   pressure, since _In the Nightside Eclipse_ was received very, very
   well, and we kind of expected people to  have  great  expectations
   for the next one, and probably to compare it to _In the  Nightside
   Eclipse_. But in general, we haven't thought that much  about  it,
   really. We just had to make the album that was right for our band.

CoC: Are you satisfied with the results?

I: Yeah. Not one hundred percent, but the day  I  get  an  album  out
   which I'm a hundred percent satisfied with, it will no  longer  be
   necessary to go on. You always want to make things better.

CoC: If you could change anything about the new  record,  what  would
     you change?

I: It would be minor details, really, especially  in  the  production
   and the mix. There are always  things  -  small  things,  not  big
   things - that you could do a bit different,  and  maybe  it  would
   sound better. You get experience each time you  record  something,
   and you always know that there will be things that you might  want
   to change later.

CoC: Do you think it's fair to say that some  of  your  compositional
     touches don't come through in the mix as clearly as  they  might
     have?

I: Well... having from one to seven synth layers, four  guitars,  the
   kind of drums we have, the bass, from one to five layers of vocals
   - it's very hard to get across all the  details.  So  some  things
   turn out to be just  subliminal  notes,  which  you  don't  really
   notice - but I think you would notice it if they -weren't-  there.
   If you first heard the  whole  thing  and  then  you  should  take
   something away from it, you would notice. Having these  subliminal
   notes, it's not an album that you get bored of very  easily.  It's
   more an album that you have to listen to quite a few times  before
   you really get into it, and then you can get more and more out  of
   it and pick up more of the details after a while. At least  that's
   what people who are friends  of  mine  have  said.  <laughs>  It's
   always hard to view your own music objectively, but I  think  it's
   the kind of album which you have to sort of grow into.

CoC: You mentioned that the album has met  with  a  lot  of  positive
     reactions, which is certainly true. I wonder, though:  have  you
     encountered  any  real  negative  reactions  from   people?   In
     particular, from the more  conservative  members  of  the  black
     metal crowd who might not feel too friendly  toward  the  band's
     slight changes in style?

I: No, not really. We got a quite  negative  review  in  the  English
   _Metal Hammer_, but that's the only thing I can think  of  at  the
   moment. The guy didn't say much about  us.  He  just  said,  "This
   album is like all black metal albums. It's  been  done  a  hundred
   times before, and it's  boring,  boring,  boring,  and  it's  most
   suitable for kids who are into role-playing." So...

CoC: <laughing> It doesn't sound like he even listened to the  album.
     I mean, like it or not, to say that it sounds "like every  other
     black metal album" is just crazy, if you ask me.

I: It was something like, "Burzum and Marduk have done this before."

CoC: <more laughter> Oh, man!

I: <laughs> So I don't think he'd like any black metal. I think  it's
   a bit strange, having a guy who's not into black  metal  reviewing
   black metal albums... But we got a very good review  of  our  live
   show in _Metal Hammer_, done by someone else. So it really depends
   who reviews it.

CoC: Well, as you know, there are a lot of people in the black  metal
     scene who are real purists about the music and the image and  so
     on. And I think it's fair to say that  the  new  album  contains
     some new touches, new approaches, and so on, that  such  purists
     might not really like. Have you run into any criticisms  of  the
     clean vocals, the guitar solos, things like that?

I: Mmm, I haven't heard anything, no. Of  course,  there  are  always
   those who will be critical, and I've  heard  of  those  who  still
   prefer _In the Nightside Eclipse_ to the new album. But that's all
   really a matter of taste. It's natural  for  us,  as  a  band,  to
   progress and bring in new elements and new  approaches.  We  can't
   base our career as a band on trying to copy ourselves because  our
   first album was so well-received. It's more important  for  us  to
   try to make things better, the way we feel it should be. If people
   don't like the clean vocals or the guitar solos - it's not  really
   our problem, is it?

CoC: Okay, but just to expand on this issue a bit... The  progression
     is definitely there, from album to album. And one thing  that  I
     think is great about _In the Nightside Eclipse_ is  that  you've
     got this great and fairly original concept, and you  communicate
     it  beautifully.  Everything  about  that  album  really   hangs
     together. Now, on the new album,  you  incorporate  these  newer
     touches that lead  someone  like  me  to  think,  "Maybe  I  was
     confused about the overall concept earlier on...  Or  maybe  the
     concept has changed," and so on. [I had been thinking  that  the
     basic concept behind Emperor was so truly outsider  and  extreme
     that more conventional or "mainstream" musical approaches  could
     never adequately embody it.] So I wonder, for instance, how  the
     use of clean vocals fits into  what  you  consider  the  overall
     artistic concept behind the band.

I: Well, we tried out clean vocals with "Inno A Satana"  on  _In  the
   Nightside Eclipse_, because  we  thought  it  was  an  interesting
   musical element to work with. The screaming vocals have a  limited
   form of expression; the clean vocals open forth other atmospheres.
   I feel in general that the _Anthems_  album  is  wider,  has  more
   variety in themes and atmospheres, than _In the Nightside Eclipse_.

CoC: I see...

I: The new album is more aggressive, but it's also more beautiful and
   nicer in other ways. Lyrically, it's not  so  one-sided,  and  the
   same with the vocals: there are more atmospheres on the new album.
   You can say, perhaps, that _In  the  Nightside  Eclipse_  is  more
   whole, as in total. It all expresses the same kind of  atmosphere,
   while the new songs are more individual, parted from  each  other.
   But I see that as a positive thing, because I see the new album as
   complex, and as a whole. Maybe even more than  _In  the  Nightside
   Eclipse_, because it portrays more of the  concept  than  _In  the
   Nightside Eclipse_ did. It goes deeper into what Emperor is about.

CoC: So when it comes to things like clean vocals, guitar solos,  and
     so on - things that aren't typically associated  with  the  more
     extreme kinds of black metal performance - would it be  fair  to
     say that you're much more interested in certain atmospheres than
     in simple extremity?

I: Of course. I mean, the extremity is one side, but you have to have
   contrast. The contrast between the clean vocals and the real, real
   fast, aggressive parts with screaming  vocals  kind  of  makes  it
   black and white - a very strong contrast.

CoC: It seems to me  to  add  to  the  impact  of  the  more  extreme
     sections, too.

I: Yes, I think so. During  the  years,  we've  been  more  and  more
   concerned  about  the  composition  of  things,  trying  to  build
   highlights into the music, as in classical music, where it  builds
   up to highlights with more and more voices, louder and louder, and
   then comes down again. It's much more interesting music  -  rather
   than just having very fast, screaming music for an hour.

CoC: Speaking of composition, is the new album a little  bit  slanted
     in favor of your own compositional touches as opposed  to  those
     of Samoth, as a result of his imprisonment? Or was it  a  fairly
     even collaboration between the two of you? How did it work out?

I: Well, I suppose you could say that, due to his imprisonment,  even
   though some of the material was ready before he was in prison, and
   of course we  kept  in  contact  using  tapes,  and  so  on.  But,
   naturally, since he was in prison (which was not a very  inspiring
   environment, of course), I think I might have had more say for the
   composition of this album - maybe more than I would have had if he
   was there all the way through as well. But, to the extent that  we
   were able to  in  that  situation,  I  think  it's  still  a  real
   compromise between the way we both  create  music.  That's  really
   what Emperor has always been:  a  compromise  between  differences
   that Samoth and I have.

CoC: How would you characterize these differences? Is it fair to  say
     that you're the more classically inspired of the two?

I: Yes - I think  I  am  maybe  a  bit  over-composing  at  times.  I
   constantly get new ideas for melody lines and for riffs, and if it
   were only myself, I would never be finished, and  there  would  be
   too much in the end. Samoth keeps it more floating,  perhaps,  and
   maybe  more  black  metal-ish  than  I  do.  We  have  very   good
   cooperation. Where I kind of exaggerate things - melody lines,  or
   second voices, and so on - he cuts me off. And where he maybe is a
   bit too simple in some ways, I might add more  chords,  or  second
   voices, and so on... It's very hard to explain, because this  kind
   of cooperation has been going on for eight or nine years of making
   music together.

CoC: In  the  future,  will  the  two  of  you  continue  to  be  the
     compositional core of the band? Or is it possible that Trym  and
     Alver will begin to contribute more?

I: Well, at the moment, it seems like it will still be me and  Samoth
   that contribute most. Of course, Trym has a very  different  style
   than Faust had as a drummer, and that has impact on  the  process.
   As well, Alver differs from other bass players. But  still,  since
   Samoth and I have been working together for so long, it's kind  of
   hard to bring a third or a fourth partner into the actual  writing
   work. But it all depends. It's hard to say at  the  moment.  We're
   still writing some music for the next album, but with the  touring
   and so on, we haven't had much time for other work.

CoC: How about your side projects? Is there anything new there?

I: I'm still doing Thou Shalt Suffer. Samoth doesn't  have  any  side
   projects at the moment.

CoC: Really? I guess I'm kind of surprised to hear that, just because
     he's been involved in so much over the years.

I: Yeah, but he's doing Nocturnal Art Productions now, which he  puts
   a lot of work into. I'm still  working  on  my  first  Thou  Shalt
   Suffer album.

CoC: When might that be completed?

I: That's also very hard to say. I've signed it to Candlelight, and I
   have very much material, but nothing is quite complete  yet.  I've
   got my own studio where we'll record it, but  both  musically  and
   also technically (programming, and so on) there's  still  much  to
   do. I was planning to release it this year,  but  the  way  things
   look, I think it might take more time than  that.  Hopefully  next
   year.

CoC: Does "Opus A Satana" [the orchestral-synth version  of  "Inno  A
     Satana" on the _Reverence_ CD single] provide a kind of  preview
     for what Thou Shalt Suffer will sound like?

I: Both yes and no. The kind  of  arrangement  will,  of  course,  be
   similar, as Thou Shalt Suffer (at least the first album)  will  be
   based only on classical instruments. "Opus A Satana" was kind of a
   tryout for that kind of arrangement. It was the first  arrangement
   that I did with just classical instruments. Of course, I hope  I'm
   more experienced now at how to put things together, as Thou  Shalt
   Suffer will also contain choir arrangements, and I'm not stuck  to
   the usual structure of metal songs... Thou Shalt  Suffer  will  be
   much more complex in  construction,  and  also  in  harmonies  and
   everything else.

CoC: What are Emperor's plans for the next year, eighteen months,  or
     so? Do you plan to record again? Or do you want to tour  a  lot?
     Or both?

I: Well, I don't think we'll tour that much, as  we  really  hope  to
   record a new album during 1998. Of course, we do wish to go to the
   States for some touring, probably a short tour. And  we  might  go
   for a short tour of Australia. Our plan is to be touring this year
   and early next year, and meanwhile to try to write music  for  the
   next album. We want to be able, if not to release it in 1998, then
   at least to record it. There was such a long time between _In  the
   Nightside Eclipse_ and  _Anthems_,  and  it  can't  be  that  long
   between _Anthems_ and the next album.

CoC: Are you really busy doing a lot of promotional work now?

I: Yeah... Actually, today I was set up for  one  interview,  but  it
   turned out to be seven. <laughs>

CoC: Wow...

I: I've just come home from two weeks of  vacation,  so  I  did  like
   five, six, seven interviews prior to that. I've been  to  England,
   where I did like seventeen interviews...

CoC: Are you comfortable doing all this promotion? I  mean,  are  you
     interested in really promoting the band, or do you just get sick
     of it?

I: I'm interested in promoting the band, of course. But I must admit,
   doing all these interviews kind of gets a  bit  strange.  I  mean,
   when I was in England, in two days, I  did  seventeen  interviews.
   You sit there with a phone and answer the same questions  -  again
   and again and again. It soon feels like you have  nothing  to  say
   anymore, because you say so much.  Well...  you  actually  say  so
   little, if you get my point.

CoC: Yeah, absolutely.

I: The way I see it, the things  I  really  want  to  share  with  an
   audience, and with fans and everything... we do that  through  the
   music we make. The interviews... Well, you know,  Emperor  is  not
   really a band of propaganda which has a  special  message  to  get
   across. So I feel the interviews I do are not very exciting -  and
   I don't think they will be very shocking. <laughs>

CoC: Do you get a lot of dumb  questions?  In  particular,  I  wonder
     whether a lot of people still want to hear about the crimes  and
     all the other events of several years ago.

I: Mmm, not that much anymore. They rather make a point  out  of  not
   wanting to ask about these things,  because  they  obviously  know
   that we are tired of it. But apart from magazines like  your  own,
   metal magazines, and apart  from  _Metal  Hammer_  and  _Kerrang_,
   these kinds of things -- the bigger media institutions still  just
   whine  about  the  old  things.  Of  course,  they're  not  really
   interested  in  music.  They're  still  just  interested  in   the
   sensationalism of the church-burnings, murders,  and  all  this...
   The other day, I  was  also  asked  something  about  how  big  an
   influence Euronymous had on the starting  of  Emperor  -  which  I
   think kind of underestimates  Emperor,  when  you  realize  people
   think that Euronymous just decided that we should make  this  kind
   of band. <laughs>

CoC: Do people ask you questions that seem as if they're meant to get
     you to say something shocking?

I:  In  a  way,  sometimes,  and  especially  with   politics.   Some
   journalists have tried to pull out some, you know, Nazi  kinds  of
   comments - which they never get, because we are not interested  in
   politics at all, at least not as a band. And personally, I am  not
   interested in them at all. But some  people  have  the  impression
   that we are strong Norse nationalists. Some journalists have tried
   to pull such things out of us. Also, I think the information  from
   the Norwegian black metal scene - the original thing, plus all the
   rumors that are added during time, and also the distance from here
   to the States - it becomes very different. It makes it  seem  more
   mystic than it really is. Some people have very  big  expectations
   that we will be very, very extreme or very, very misanthropic  and
   strange... which I suppose we  can  thank  ourselves  for,  having
   given that impression. As  if  we  should  know  everything  about
   magic, or magic writers... One question recently asked if I  could
   draw parallels between Northern mythology  and  vampirism.  And  I
   must admit, I had never reckoned with possible  parallels  between
   Norse mythology and vampirism <laughs>  -  even  though  both  are
   interesting subjects to discuss. But when it's a  live  interview,
   what can you say, you know? <laughs> Of what relevance  is  it  to
   Emperor as a band?

CoC: Do you find that people -  especially  people  overseas  -  have
     really exaggerated impressions of what things are actually  like
     in Norway and in the Norwegian black metal scene?

I: Well,  I  get  the  impression  sometimes  that  they  think  very
   differently of me than I really am. They expect  me  to  be  very,
   very different from what they get to hear.

CoC: In what way?

I: I really think they expect us to be very much more extreme than we
   really are. And I think we're looked upon as having no  self-irony
   at all. Of course we have self-irony! But some people  think  that
   we go around wearing all the  spikes,  and  all  the  makeup,  and
   everything, that we sleep in coffins, all of this...

CoC: <laughter>

I: But of course, this has much to do with how we portrayed ourselves
   in media earlier on. And also it's very much when we were younger,
   you know - because it's very cool  to  be  looked  upon  as  being
   totally insane.

<We both laugh.>

CoC: So that image is something you're not too interested in anymore?

I: When you're like 16 or 17, it's much more important to be extreme.
   I think you need feedback from your surroundings, as well, for who
   you are and what you are. When you get to know that, it's not that
   important to try to make others think some way of  you.  When  you
   know yourself, you don't need everybody else's approval of who you
   are.

CoC: Definitely. So does that kind of thinking play  a  part  in  the
     band's toned down visual presentation? Because I'd say that,  in
     terms of costume and so  on,  you  guys  really  don't  look  as
     extreme (or insane, hahah) as you once did.

I: Well,  you  could  say,  I  think,  that  both  musically  and  in
   expression visually, it's more mature. We still wish  to  keep  an
   extreme visual aspect, but we really haven't had  the  opportunity
   to go too far with it yet...  We  now  have,  I  suppose,  a  more
   "metal" image than the usual spikes and corpse paint  and  things.
   And if we get the opportunity to have a more professional  touring
   crew, with pyrotechnicians and our own light people, then we might
   make more  costumes,  our  own  thing.  But  these  things  demand
   capital, they demand money. I think some people  are  disappointed
   that we dropped the corpse paint. This was really a natural  thing
   for us, as we hadn't used it since 1993, even though  more  people
   have been wearing it. A few more. <laughs>  It's  not  because  we
   wanted to appear more commercial.

CoC: Plus, since the time when only you and a handful of other  bands
     used corpse paint, there have been thousands of  people  wearing
     it - which seems to me to have totally watered  down,  or  maybe
     even wiped out the effect.

I: Yes, it was something special when we first started using  it.  It
   was something special. Now, suddenly,  there  are  so  many  bands
   putting on corpse paint and playing lousy music  and  claiming  to
   play black metal. It isn't the corpse paint that  makes  it  black
   metal. It isn't the corpse paint that makes you  extreme.  It's...
   what can I say?

CoC: I know what you mean...

I: There are many individuals who stand quite strong in black  metal,
   and in the black metal scene. So why shouldn't we be  able  to  go
   away from things like that?

CoC: What is your overall assessment of the state of the scene  right
     now? Do you see it as healthy? Do you think there are  too  many
     clone bands? Do you care?

I: There are clone bands. And there are bands that are just kind of a
   nicer version of black metal, putting  more  of  the  energy  into
   central aspects of dark atmosphere. Also, there are those who tend
   to go backward and play more  primitive  thrash  and  older,  more
   Celtic Frost-inspired black metal... What can I  say?  It  spreads
   out in more directions than it did in the beginning, and  to  some
   extent may be watered down, and getting more commercial. It's  not
   as complex a scene, with as strong a bond as it once had. This,  I
   suppose, is due to many things: people  growing  up  and  becoming
   older; bands deciding to concentrate more on being a band,  rather
   than on, you know, terrorism. <laughs> Black metal is  known  now,
   so I think more of the bands work  more  seriously  as  musicians,
   rather than as extremists, if you get my point.

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

                       N O T   D E A D   Y E T
                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                       CoC Interviews Obituary
                  by: Adrian 'The Energizer' Bromley

     No one can deny the impact that Florida's Obituary  has  had  on
the metal music scene. The band changed it forever. Early on in their
career, the band helped sculpt and strengthen the death  metal  scene
with  their  past  releases,  especially  the  band's  two   earliest
releases, _Slowly We Rot_  and  _Cause  Of  Death_,  which  are  both
considered classic records that any metal fan should own.  While  the
band saw very little success with 1993's _World Demise_, the band has
come 'back' to the 1997 metal scene with a  strong  contender,  _Back
From the Dead_.
     But, with a rumor circulating that Obituary's latest LP  may  be
their final record,  could  it  all  be  over  following  this  tour?
Chronicles of Chaos contacted drummer Donald Tardy  (while  on  tour)
about the rumors, work in the studio, and their record label.
     He begins, "As long as we have been together, been friends,  and
been in the same band for as long as we have, we have never let  that
type of pressure bother us when it comes  to  writing  an  individual
song, a rhythm, or  a  whole  album  in  general.  Yes  there  was  a
different atmosphere studio-wise when recording this album,  but,  as
far as songwriting went, it was pretty much the same  laid-back  vibe
for us. It was a different feel for us this time  around  because  it
had been so long since we had  been  in  the  studio.  We  were  just
itching to get back into the studio after such  a  long  absence  and
make music."
     Obituary - rounded out by singer John  Tardy,  guitarists  Allen
West and Trevor Peres, and bassist Frank Watkins -  has  always  been
one group to live off their success within the fanbase  of  Obituary.
The band believes strongly in interacting with fans  and  avoiding  a
'rock star' mentality with them. The fans make  the  band.  "I  don't
find that we lose fans with each release. I don't see it  that  way,"
explains Tardy. "You might see that with 90% of Metallica fans or 80%
of Slayer fans, but I think that Obituary fans stay true to  what  we
are doing from the first record all the way to the new  one.  But  we
have also stayed true to them which is really,  really  important.  I
think the important thing is that Obituary believed in so  much  what
we were doing and the kids understood  that  too.  I  think  we  have
stayed close enough to what we sound like. Sure we have changed a bit
here, a little bit of progression here and there, but we have  stayed
true to what we believe in when it  comes  to  writing  songs.  Album
wise, I  am  very  happy  with  the  decisions  that  went  into  it,
performance wise and other aspects of this album."
     He adds, "Band wise, we are happy  with  the  direction  we  are
always headed. You can't always be happy with where you are  or  what
you do because this music scene changes so much."
     On the topic of their label Roadrunner, Tardy says, "We now know
that our label has more interest now  than  just  in  Obituary  (i.e.
Machine Head, Fear Factory, Coal Chamber, etc...), and now we have to
promote ourselves and work as our own managers and bosses toward  the
record label because if you don't stay on  their  asses  twenty  four
hours a day then things don't get done the way they should,  compared
to being a band with a management company and paying them money to be
on their asses. We have realized that sometimes it  gets  frustrating
to see other bands paying money to a management  company  to  get  on
Roadrunner's ass, and it is working  'cause  they  are  getting  more
promotion than Obituary is being paid attention to. That is  the  one
thing I am paying more attention to  this  time  out  and  with  this
record because they have to support us and see us  as  one  of  their
bigger bands because we have been for sometime now. We  made  them  a
lot of money and they need to see that. We just need to pay attention
to the way the label and promoters are promoting us because  some  of
the shows on this tour are only promoted  like  a  week  in  advance,
whereas sometimes it is six weeks. We are  glad  of  the  turnout  to
shows, but they could be better if there was more promotion going on."
     The band has always felt that their studio work has  been  their
strength. The ability to bring in all their ideas and capture them on
record is important. Perfection is another  quality  the  band  takes
seriously when making their music. "We love to go into the studio  to
record and we take it very seriously. We know that what we are  doing
is what we want to do. When we record a song and  the  producer  says
'Cut!' we know we got what we wanted. If it's not what we  wanted  we
scrap it and record it again. In terms of production, we spent twenty
days doing this record. _WD_ took about two months to record. We  did
this in just under three weeks. We were very sure of  the  production
and knew that we had a raw groove and Obituary sound,  and  that  was
good enough for me."
     Also, how does Tardy see the sound of Obituary staying  true  to
their early days and not following trends like a lot of bands? "I can
honestly say that when we are home and recording the new material  we
tend to stay away from  outside  sources  or  new  bands  that  might
influence our music. We want to keep it Obituary and  not  let  other
types of styles or bands come into what we are doing. We are focusing
on what we are doing now, opposed to focusing on 'what didn't  we  do
last time?', 'what would sound good right now?  or  'what  did  sound
good last time?'"
     He finishes, "We focus  directly  on  what  we  are  doing  now.
Whatever rhythm comes to me that day, whether I am feeling  slow  and
blue or seeing threatening skies and feeling quick and fast, that  is
the type of music that will be written that day. That is why Obituary
has stayed the unique and same style. We play what we like  and  what
sounds good. The worst thing you can do is  follow  in  what  someone
else is doing. We are not into that."

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

                 WITHIN THE DARK LORD'S SILENT EMPIRE
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
              CoC chats with Peter Wiwczarek from Vader
                           by: Paul Schwarz

With last year's _De Profundis_, Vader really showed the  world  what
they could do. They produced one of the year's best albums and didn't
sacrifice one ounce of the brutality they are noted for. The  reviews
were  equally  favourable,  perfect  ratings  being  a  not  uncommon
occurrence. The fact that this was only their second album just added
insult to the injuries of so many other bands  who  couldn't  produce
something as good on their fourth or fifth attempt, let  alone  their
second, as Vader had. Despite all this  attention,  Peter  Wiwczarek,
the main songwriter for the band, is not a walking ego trip. He seems
quite excited (although containedly so)  that  the  new  Vader  album
_Back To The Blind_ will be out in about two  months'  time,  and  he
seems very pleased to be back on tour,  and  on  tour  with  so  many
great, true metal bands.

CoC: So how has this tour (with Vital Remains  Infernal  Majesty  and
     Malevolent Creation) been?

Peter Wiwczarek: We just started a week ago, and now we're in  Paris.
                 It's the sixth gig; it's  been  really  good.  We've
                 played with Malevolent  Creation  twice  before,  so
                 we're like brothers. The package  is  [also]  really
                 good: Infernal Majesty, Vital Remains... it's  good,
                 old, true bands, and it's a really good  package,  a
                 really...Metal package. So I'm  happy  that  we  can
                 join this package.

CoC: Are you planning to tour the UK again? I  know  you  played  two
     gigs last year with Cannibal Corpse.

PW: Yes, it was the first time we've  ever  played  in  the  UK.  [We
    played] London and Brighton; they were killer shows, but  what  I
    was very surprised with was the response, as  it  was  the  first
    time we've been in the UK. They were really good shows.

CoC: Your album did get ranked 17th in the Terrorizer albums  of  the
     year.

PW: Really?! Oh, I didn't know about that.

CoC: Yeah, you were above bands like Burzum and Cradle of Filth.

PW: I think what we may need now is better distribution.  [Peter  was
    told at this gig that their album is not distributed  in  France,
    where they are playing.] We used to be on a pretty  big  label  a
    couple of years ago, but when we joined the label there were  too
    many problems.

[Peter is referring to  Vader's  short-lived  stay  on  Earache,  who
released their debut.]

CoC: How was recording the new album _Back To The Blind_?

PW: We finished the album just the day before we started  this  tour;
    it's brand new.

CoC: How's the sound?

PW: It's, uh...I don't know how to  explain  the  sound.  It's...it's
    Vader, you know, but the sound was maybe a little faster than _De
    Profundis_ was - but no, it's still Vader. It's  not  only  fast,
    though; it's got a lot of different elements  in  it.  Generally,
    though, the songs are maybe shorter and faster, with  more  blast
    bursts.

CoC: Were you happy with _De Profundis_, 'cause you  know  a  lot  of
     people worship that album?

PW: Yeah, a lot of people like that  [album].  It's  still  the  best
    section of the band for me. If we can give emotions to people, to
    make them happy, to make them stronger, [then I am happy  we  can
    do that]. It's brutal music, you know; it's death metal  [and]  I
    am very happy that people still like this, that they still need
    it.

CoC: Yeah, death metal was declining  up  until  mid  '96  when  your
     album, Arch Enemy's album, and some other albums came  out,  and
     then everyone started saying that death metal  was  back  again.
     '95 was a slow year.

PW: Well, death metal, black metal - sometimes it's just a name,  but
    it's the music [which counts]. It's brutal music; it's a kind  of
    expression. Every generation needs this same power, this kick.

CoC: Do you like black metal?

PW: Yeah, why not?! I  think  we're  pretty  close  to  black  metal,
    because all the lyrics [in  black  metal  and  death  metal]  are
    talking about supernatural things - you know, generally about the
    dark parts of the  world,  about  dark  things,  about  different
    things, not about just living like this <motions to the room>. So
    it's like we try to make people  think...about  everything  about
    the world, the underworld, the upper world, about every world.

CoC: Is that the reason for the title of the  album  _De  Profundis_,
     i.e., "From The Depths"?

PW: Yes and no. _De Profundis_ is about the abyss. The  title  is  in
    Latin; it used to be like a...I don't know the words  in  English
    to explain it. It's like a word  to  explain  the  philosophy  of
    decadentism.*  Now  we  are  pretty  close  to   finishing   this
    millennium and so the feeling is similar. People  are  afraid  of
    something [again]; they don't even know what they are afraid of.

*[I didn't quite understand what Peter meant, so I did some research.
"De Profundis" is the opening phrase of the 130th Psalm from the  Old
Testament. In it, the psalmist  calls  to  God  from  the  depths  of
despair. I think Peter is referring to this Psalm, but  more  to  the
feeling which was felt at the time of the first millennium. When  the
first millennium came, people truly  feared  judgment  day,  and  the
psalm probably took on new meaning as the millennium drew closer.]

CoC: What about the lyrics to "Silent Empire"?

PW: Ah, no - you see, on the first album, I used to write 50  percent
    of the lyrics; now I try to make the music, and  I  have  friends
    [who write some lyrics for me], who have more time and  get  much
    more of a chance to study things. "Silent Empire" was written  by
    Paul Frelik, who is a friend of ours, has been for years, and the
    same with Paul Wasilewski. On the new  album,  those  two  people
    will appear again with new lyrics, and one more [person will also
    contribute lyrics]. I try to show the friends I  have  known  for
    years, and they are still living with  this  kind  of  music  and
    listening to this kind of music. There are  not  so  many  people
    left [who are like that], but they are death metal, or so  called
    death metal, fans from the heart, not just 'cause  it's  popular,
    and it is a big honour for  me  just  to  make  music  for  their
    lyrics. So each set of lyrics  and  each  song  was  inspired  by
    something different, mostly inspired by some books or  the  works
    of different magicians.

CoC: Lovecraft?

PW: Lovecraft, Crowley - more, more, more names. Sometimes it is hard
    to understand the lyrics if you don't know the book. Our  way  is
    to..is to give people  inspiration  for  looking  for  all  those
    books. We'd like to see them reading them, not just talking about
    them; we like to make people...angry for knowledge, you know what
    I mean. It's very important not  be  just  another  band  talking
    about shit. Just  to  make  people  hungry  for  knowledge...it's
    dangerous, because this knowledge might be  dangerous.  But  it's
    knowledge, it's...it's a kind of risk. It's like a choice in your
    life. It's a bit too hard for me to explain in English properly.

CoC: What about the covers album that you have done, _Future  of  the
     Past_? What was your motivation to do that?

PW: It is like a tribute  album  to  the  years  and  the  bands  who
    inspired us in the beginning. Apart from the Possessed,  Kreator,
    Terrorizer, and Celtic Frost songs, we also  put  all  the  cover
    songs we'd done, so you can see the Sabbath and the Depeche  Mode
    covers. [This was] because  those  songs  only  appear  on  promo
    versions, singles or whatever, and we wanted  to  put  everything
    we'd made, or all the covers, onto one CD and  forget  about  the
    covers for a couple of years.

CoC: So are they some of your favourite songs?

PW: It's hard, you know, because there were  a  lot  of  really  good
    bands back then, and so it was just  a  piece  of  them,  just  a
    couple of names. When you think  about  Destruction  or  Infernal
    Majesty or Necromancer, it's a lot of bands. So we had to choose,
    and those were the most known bands in Europe. Kreator, Sodom  is
    the beginning. Slayer is a big influence for us [also], so we had
    to do a Slayer cover - so we chose an unusual one: Silent Scream.
    It is a pretty heavy song, but even Slayer didn't play  the  song
    very often. I have it [live?] on a bootleg.

CoC: Are you Satanists?

PW: Satanists? That is a hard question because I can't say yes and  I
    can't say no, because Satanism is a kind of rebellion for me  [in
    my view?]. For sure: I am against  Christianity  from  my  heart,
    especially against the Christian church, because I know there  is
    a problem in my country. It's  fucking  [political?];  they  make
    problems every day in Poland, for everybody, and I am  absolutely
    against the Christian church from my heart: I want  to  see  them
    destroyed. I am not a Satanist, because Satanism is a worship  of
    Satan, and I am into powers that are more ancient than Satanism -
    because Satanism follows the same path  as  Christianity  but  is
    just the opposite [belief]. I believe in things like  Lovecraft's
    "The Necronomicon" and things like Sumerian magic  and  the  more
    ancient gods.

CoC: Like Paganism?

PW: It's like Paganism, because it used to be  at  the  beginning  of
    humanity, of human civilisation, and it is belief in the  natural
    powers. It is my belief. But, to be honest I don't like  to  talk
    about it, because people usually don't understand  it.  It  is  a
    personal thing. I'm against [organised/Christian] religion.

CoC: You released a live album last year  which  was  recorded  about
     four years ago?

PW: We recorded the album in 1993; it was our first  tour  in  Europe
    and Poland. We did this album before _Sothis_, which was supposed
    to be a mini-album before the upcoming album _De Profundis_. Last
    year we signed a deal with Arctic Serenades  to  put  this  album
    outside Poland for the rest of the world,  but  we  had  problems
    because we haven't received a copy of it. I saw it in America; it
    is really well put together.

CoC: Yeah, I've got it.

PW: Yeah, but it's too bad we haven't got it. <laughs> I wish  I  had
    just one copy, just to see it.

[I arrange to send Peter a copy of it.]

CoC: Are you thinking of recording any more live albums -  maybe  one
     for this tour?

PW: Maybe next tour. The original idea was to  record  that  sort  of
    live album every year, after releasing each  album.  But  it's  a
    problem.

CoC: It's expensive to put out as well.

PW: Maybe not expensive, but there's not always  enough  time.  Maybe
    this year when we have done a tour in Poland [we'll release one],
    because it is the best time to release the album; we get more  of
    a chance to release this kind of album. To rent the equipment  to
    do that [is easiest in Poland], so maybe this  year,  maybe  next
    year, the new live album is gonna  be  out  -  like  an  official
    bootleg, you know.

CoC: Last question. Are  you  going  to  put  your  first  two  demos
     together on CD?

PW: Yeah, next month, under the title _Reborn  In  Chaos_.  It's  the
    original version, maybe a little revamped.

[_Back To The Blind_ is released in November by  Impact  Records  and
will hopefully be available in France.]

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

                 C R A C K H E A D S   A P L E N T Y
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                       CoC Interview's Crack Up
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     As I expressed with mixed feelings in my review of  this  German
quartet's sophomore record _From The Ground_ in CoC #24, I felt  that
Crack Up were good, but that nothing had set them  apart  other  than
their groove. But the more and more I listened to the band's  latest,
the more I was drawn into what they were doing. While the  music  may
not be all that original, it is the death metal-ish sounds mixed with
the crazy groove of the band's music  that  draws  in  the  listener.
Songs like "Worthless", "Blood On The Floor", or the Fang (70's  punk
band) cover of "Money Will Roll Right In" just do  something  to  ya.
It's aggressive music built around solid grooves. Some may  disagree,
but I think Crack Up have a future if they continue  along  the  same
styles and grow as musicians and as a team.
     I investigated the band some  more,  to  learn  of  their  first
record - _Blood Is Life_ on We Bite records - and to find out  a  bit
more (from their website) than the average bio would  tell  me.  More
and more, I was hooked, so I  fired  off  questions  via  e-mail  for
bassist/singer Tim to answer.  After  weeks  of  waiting,  I  finally
received his replies. Here is what Tim had  to  say  about  Crack  Up
(rounded out by guitarists Dirk and Helvin and  drummer  Frank),  the
state of metal music nowadays, and the German music scene.

CoC: Tell me about the new album _From The  Ground_.  What  were  the
     initial ideas behind song styles and concepts?

Tim: We recorded it in December 1996 at Andy Classen's studio  (Stage
     Studio One) in about eleven days, plus five days of  mixing  it.
     We never really think much about the songs when we  write  them.
     It is a very natural process for the band and myself. The  album
     was initially released in Europe in April 1997, and we got a lot
     of good responses  from  magazines  and  zines.  Our  album  was
     initially supposed to be out  earlier,  but  the  label  Nuclear
     Blast has moved from Tampa Bay  to  Philadelphia,  and  that  is
     keeping it from coming out I think. At this time right now, I am
     not sure if the record is available there yet. I think it is.

CoC: Do you find that over the years the band has grown,  the  band's
     musical style/sound has altered a bit? Or do you think you  have
     stuck pretty true to what you initially set out to do as Crack
     Up?

T: Yes, I think we have stayed true to what we wanted to do since the
   very beginning. When we started the band, we  were  quite  bad  at
   playing and hadn't really learned how to use our  instruments  all
   too well. We all learned together and grew  as  a  band  with  our
   sound. We always wanted to take all the  riffs  and  melodies  and
   include them into our music. We always wanted to create music  and
   not think about the other types of music out there and  follow  it
   in anyway. We don't care if our music has a death metal riff, punk
   rock riff, or hardcore riff, as long as we like  what  we  do.  We
   feel that as we go along, album after album, we must  be  able  to
   express ourselves more.  With  each  album,  there  must  be  some
   natural changes and developments in the music,  and  we  are  very
   open to that.

CoC: What were your influences in metal music growing up? Do you  see
     those influences in your music?

T: Our drummer Frank and I were very much into the early death  metal
   releases of the 1980's. Those records that we bought back then are
   all classics now. It was a great time for metal music back then. I
   remember the debut records from  Obituary,  Entombed,  and  Morbid
   Angel. Those bands gave us the kick to form a band and  play  this
   type of music. But at the time when we formed the  band,  we  were
   also listening to bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Primus too.
   It's funny - we like all types of music, and death metal is a  big
   influence for us  and  our  music,  but  I  still  don't  consider
   ourselves a death metal band.

CoC: How long did it take you to write  this  record?  Do  you  write
     music often, or is it only when you head into a studio to record
     the material?

T: We wrote these fifteen songs over a year's time.  But  that  isn't
   always the way it is for us. I mean...we could write fifteen songs
   in three weeks, too. It just depends on the mood we are in. We are
   constantly recording music, unlike a lot of bands that write  over
   two hundred songs and only record ten of them. We prefer to  write
   material when we are in the mood or  need  to,  an  example  being
   [when we are] in the studio  needing  material  to  help  out  the
   recording process.

CoC: What is your take on the "metal industry" right now? Many people
     (non-metal fans) are saying that metal is dead - gone!  What  do
     you think?

T: There will always be metal fans wanting to hear only metal  music.
   Metal won't die. I don't  make  judgements  on  music  because  of
   sound, style, or genre. All that matters to me is the  quality  of
   the music. About metal music nowadays: metal music has had  better
   times, and it is very sad that most labels don't show any interest
   in pushing their new bands. It's a shame, but it is happening.

CoC: Tell me about the German music scene. It's a very diverse  music
     scene where all types of music can be found: techno, goth,  rock
     and metal. How do bands compete and  get  exposure  there,  with
     such a varied assortment of bands to choose from?

T: Yes, it is very difficult to get  attention  over  here  when  you
   play. When we started the band, there was a very good  underground
   death metal scene, and it helped get us a lot of  exposure  -  but
   the bigger we became with interest, the harder it was  for  us  to
   get shows. It is great to be a part of the music scene  here,  but
   with so many CDs coming out all the time and a variety of bands to
   follow, bands get neglected or don't get to play much.  About  all
   the types of trends here? Personally, I don't  like  many  of  the
   trends here, like gothic metal or black metal.  I  also  hate  the
   techno scene here. I hope it doesn't get as big in the US as it is
   over here. [Note: Too late, Tim. The Prodigy and Chemical Brothers
   have arrived! --A.B.]

CoC: What has been the reaction to the record  over  there?  Lots  of
     press? How do good and bad reviews affect you as a band and as a
     musician?

T: So far we have gotten a good amount  of  press  from  Germany  and
   other European countries. Overall,  we  are  satisfied  with  what
   reviews we have gotten. Also, our first album _Blood Is Life_  got
   really good reviews, so it is hard to top that  too.  Sometimes  a
   bad review is better than a good review,  especially  when  people
   are writing that we are a "pure" death metal band and give us high
   points. I don't understand that. I think the bad reviews expressed
   our music better, and I respect those reviews and reviewers more.

CoC: Anything that bugs you about being in this industry and/or being
     on a major label like Nuclear Blast?

T: I think there are a lot of negative things about the industry.  It
   is flooded with them. I really don't like  the  industry,  because
   everything is so concentrated on sales, and most labels don't push
   their bands like they promised when they got signed. I  hope  that
   Nuclear Blast believes in Crack Up,  and  that  they'll  have  the
   power and interest in pushing us.

CoC: Do you think there is a difference between  the  North  American
     metal scene and the European metal scene?

T: Yes, I think so, but I am not too much into the US  scene  anyway,
   because it is difficult to keep updated for me. I would  say  that
   US bands sell well here in Europe  for  the  most  part,  where  a
   German band would have a hard time selling copies  over  there.  I
   think European albums could sell well over  there,  because  there
   are a lot  of  people  who  like  metal  over  there  and  a  huge
   underground death metal scene.

CoC: What are the  plans  right  now  for  Crack  Up  in  regards  to
     recording and/or touring? Will you tour the United States?

T: Right now, we are hoping that we get hooked up with this four-week
   tour with Unleashed that is  supposed  to  happen.  We  hope  that
   happens, as Nuclear Blast said they are trying to get us  on  that
   tour. Also, right now we are writing on and working on  our  third
   release, due out in the summer of 1998. About touring  the  United
   States - that would be a dream for us. We will  be  able  to  come
   over there if the record does sell well for us. We are  hoping  it
   will, because it would be great to come over there and play.

Contact: Crack Up, c/o Donnersbergstege 56
         46569 Huenxe, Germany (for CDs and merchandise)
         WWW: http://members.aol.com/crrrackup/index.htm
         mailto:crrrackup@aol.com

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      |-   -|   |  _| -_|  _|  _| . | . | .'|  _| | . |   |_ -|
      |_____|_|_|_| |___|_| |_| |___|_  |__,|_| |_|___|_|_|___|
                                    |___|


                  D E A T H   O F   M I L L I O N S
                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
              CoC Interrogates Texans Death of Millions
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Lashing out with brutal intensity  and  a  seductively  powerful
atmosphere throughout their music comes Texas' brutal music  ensemble
Death of Millions. The band's debut demo _Frozen_  is  a  fistful  of
metal of all facets: brutal death, atmospheric death, and just  pure,
vicious death metal styles. Some would say such  a  wide  variety  of
styles hampers the direction of the  band's  music  -  but  they  are
proven wrong, as the band's demo shines with brilliance and true grit.
     With numerous shows in and around  Texas,  DoM  -  singer  Chuck
Salvo, guitarists Brian Morrison  and  Lee  Ribera,  bassist  Brendon
Bigelow, and Mark Perry on drums - are starting to make  a  name  for
themselves. With a solid production (by  Bat  Lord  at  Agony  Column
Productions) and apparently a powerful live show, who knows  -  maybe
this band will be the next indie band  to  get  label  interest?  I'm
hoping so.

CoC: Why was the name Death Of Millions chosen by the band? Is  there
     a significance to the band's name and the topics the band  deals
     with in the music? What topics does the band deal with? Why?

Mark Perry: Death of Millions  was  thought  up  by  Chuck  (vocals),
            although the thought process behind it is a  mystery.  We
            thought it sounded pretty cool. Later, while reading  our
            song lyrics, I realized no one song of ours depicted  any
            kind of mass destruction  to  the  scope  that  the  name
            implies. Our songs tend to deal  with  the  up-close  and
            personal nature of your average serial killer,  depicting
            graphic accounts  of  sadistic  murder  and  necrophilia,
            right down to the smell.  Upon  asking  Chuck  about  the
            relationship between our name and  our  song  content  he
            replied, "It's the death of millions,  one  at  a  time."
            This reflects the bulk of our song topics, but there  are
            a few songs dealing with very different things.  We  have
            one song about the destruction of the planet,  one  about
            rape, some anti-religious/Christian songs, and some about
            cannibalism. As for why we write about these  things,  we
            tend to look on our music like a really bad horror movie.
            Above all, we look for pure entertainment  value  in  our
            songs. We don't have a message, we just want  to  deliver
            good, entertaining music.

CoC: Tell me about the metal/death metal scene in Texas.  What  bands
     are up and coming, and what bands from that scene  inspired  you
     guys to get this band rolling? What are your influences?

MP: Our experiences in Texas have all been great, except for some  of
    the ones in our home town of Austin, Texas.  Austin's  being  the
    "Live Music Capitol of the World" is great  because  of  all  the
    venues (literally hundreds), but it  also  tends  to  dilute  the
    crowds a little. It becomes difficult to get people out for  your
    show when there are 150 other bands playing that  Tuesday  night.
    When the larger acts come through, however, the fans come out  in
    force. The scene isn't bad in Austin,  but  it  could  be  a  lot
    better. As for the rest of Texas, we usually do extremely well in
    some of the small towns around, because  they  are  starving  for
    live music. Houston does pretty well on the road shows, as  well,
    but they tend to have the same problem as we do  as  far  as  the
    local bands are concerned. We keep hearing that Dallas  has  this
    killer metal scene up there, but we haven't played there yet.  It
    is really hard to say who's up and coming, but  there  are  metal
    bands like Agony Column and Force Fed,  death  metal  bands  like
    Demonio and Crucifixion, and black metal  bands  like  Thornspawn
    and Absu. Local bands that have influenced us over the years  are
    Dead Horse, Agony Column, Devastation,  Rock  Busters,  and  some
    others. The larger bands that are our influences include Deicide,
    Cannibal  Corpse,  Sinister,  Brutality,  Suffocation,  Neurosis,
    Malevolent Creation, Slayer, Gwar, along with  music  like  Rush,
    Pink Floyd, Mozart, and even Twisted Sister. We are,  after  all,
    going to burn in hell.

CoC: How hard is it for you to  play  out  in  Texas  or  surrounding
     states? Do you get good support from other  local  acts,  or  is
     there a lot of rivalry?

MP: It seems to be pretty easy to get a gig anywhere,  just  with  no
    guarantee of money. We don't necessarily have a problem with  low
    pay in this stage of our band, but getting the money together  to
    drive that far sometimes poses a problem. Playing  out  of  state
    seems to be no problem, except where funding is concerned.  Among
    the metal scene here, there is no rivalry that  I  am  aware  of,
    because the scene's size is such that the clubs know that if they
    book metal shows on the same night, nobody will make  any  money.
    All of the bands try to avoid that by playing together.

CoC: Most young bands have a hard time getting their product  out  to
     the public or even to record labels in order to spark  interest.
     Are you actively trying to push your material to a bigger label,
     or are your waiting for the right time  for  the  band  and  its
     material to grow more?

MP: We are actively pushing our material to everybody we can get  our
    hands on. Most everything we have done has been  accomplished  by
    networking with the right people. The more people you  know,  the
    larger the chance that someone you know  knows  someone  who  can
    help you out. Giving away most of your product at  first  doesn't
    hurt either. I think that if you make your fan base large  enough
    by yourself, the record companies will come to  you.  Getting  on
    the _Frozen Dawn II_ compilation has probably done the  most  for
    us. We are slowly becoming known across the whole  continent.  If
    you have a chance to get on a compilation, I highly recommend it.
    Also, getting to know your Relapse records mail order guy  helps.
    We ordered some stuff from him and met him in Milwaukee and BOOM!
    We got Relapse to distribute us in their  Resound  catalog.  This
    particular guy was very cool. It really is who you know  and  who
    knows you. Last, but not least, the Internet. As all of  you  who
    will receive this know, it can be a great source  of  information
    as well as a great source of exposure.  E-zines  like  this  one,
    websites,  and   the   usenet   (alt.rock-n-roll.metal.death   in
    particular) are all great places to push your product.

CoC: How would you describe the music on _Frozen_? Do you think  that
     the band captured the brutal direction and sound that  you  were
     aiming for with this recording?

MP: The music on _Frozen_ is a collection of songs we've  written  at
    various stages in our development. The music itself  ranges  from
    melodic to downright brutal. The first half of  the  album  is  a
    collection of murder for murder's sake type songs -  just  random
    violence and thoughtless massacres. The second half of the album,
    from "Salvational Rot" on, tends to look at the violence as  some
    sort of a religion, as if  it  were  necessary  to  maintain  the
    subject's existence. This wasn't done on purpose; that's just how
    it turned out. I really don't think we  could  ever  capture  our
    brutal direction without having it be our last album.  Our  music
    will continue  to  reach  for  the  impossible  goal  of  perfect
    music-based brutality. This can never happen, or the genre  would
    die - because then how could it get any better? As for the  sound
    of the album, I think we captured a quite brutal sound,  and  for
    the price we paid for production we are very pleased.

CoC: Tell me about the recording process for the band. Is it a  group
     effort in regards to songwriting and ideas, or is  it  just  one
     individual in the band? How has the band grown since forming  in
     1993?

MP: Writing songs has always been a group effort, with the  exception
    of the lyrics, which are  written  by  Chuck.  Lee  is  the  most
    proficient at coming up with guitar riffs, so most of  the  music
    comes from him, but Brian has written quite a few things as well.
    All of the songs are  manipulated  and  arranged  by  all  of  us
    together, so no individual credit is  ever  given  for  any  song
    unless that person is no longer in the band. Speaking of that, we
    have only had two member changes in the band  as  of  yet.  Brian
    came in after our other guitar  player  left  to  start  his  own
    project, and Brendon came in after we parted with  our  old  bass
    player. Recording the albums has always  been  easy,  because  we
    spend ridiculous amounts of time practicing to get tight for  the
    studio. We never have much money, so we have to execute it  right
    the first or second time. With this and  with  very  good  studio
    rates, we were able to produce _Frozen_  for  a  grand  total  of
    $600. I think we did pretty good.

CoC: Is there something different that you are trying to bring out in
     the music of DoM that no other  bands  are  doing,  or  are  you
     pretty much staying along the lines  of  the  music  your  peers
     create? Are you influenced by outside music and ideas?

MP: One of the major things I listen for when we are writing is if it
    sounds like something I've heard before. I don't like it to  even
    resemble anybody else's riffs, but at the same time, we  want  to
    be on top of what is going on in the scene. We try to  do  things
    that are different, but along the same lines of what is  current.
    It's hard to be ground-breaking in a style that has been here for
    as long as it has, but we are trying our best. Most of us  listen
    to a wide variety of music, all of which  influence  our  writing
    styles. We all have pretty diverse tastes from which to draw upon.

CoC: What has been the most  successful  thing  that  DoM  have  seen
     and/or done in the last few years since your inception? Favorite
     gig played, etc.?

MP: Probably the best thing we've been involved  with  has  been  the
    aforementioned _Frozen Dawn II_ compilation. This CD  has  gotten
    us more exposure than we could  have  hoped  for.  We  are  still
    getting letters pretty regularly because of this  thing,  and  it
    was released in the spring. The two Milwaukee Metal Festivals  (X
    and XI) did a lot for exposure, as well as making  contacts  with
    many, many bands, fanzines, radio shows, etc.  But  our  favorite
    gig was in this little piss-ant border town called  Del  Rio.  We
    played for a couple hundred kids in this hall. Apparently, one of
    the kids got one tape from us when we played with Deicide in  San
    Antonio, Texas. This tape  spread  like  a  fungus  in  Del  Rio,
    because when we played there, they knew our stuff! The  hall  was
    tiny, but these kids were nuts! They were  by  far  the  craziest
    bunch we had come across.

CoC: What lies in the future for DoM? Tours? Recording? What?

MP: Everything we can get  our  bloody  little  hands  on.  We  would
    definitely like to tour, because we need a fan  base  boost.  Our
    main goal  is  a  record  contract  with  touring  and  worldwide
    distribution, but we will more than gladly do it ourselves if  we
    have to. We will probably let _Frozen_ ride for  a  while  before
    recording again, but we are currently writing more  material  for
    the next one.

Contact: DEATH OF MILLIONS, 808 Chrisholm Valley Dr., Round Rocks,
         Texas, USA, 78681
         Bookings: (512) 441-6065
         http://www.io.com/~someguy/

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

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!


Aeturnus - _Beyond the Wandering Moon_  (Hammerheart Records, 1997)
by: Andrew Lewandowski  (9 out of 10)

Finally, a band that can be described as "black  death"  without  the
reviewer (or record company)  implying  that  they  don't  equal  the
quality of pure death or pure black metal bands.  _BtWM_  features  a
coherent synthesis of the morose, medieval melodies of  modern  black
metal with the low end bombastic production of  a  death  metal  act.
Aeturnus effortlessly alternate between blasting, breakneck  passages
and more absorbing moments akin to latter-day  Burzum,  where  slight
tonal variations lurk beneath a dense wall of sound. A powerful album
which is one of the few to  balance  corporeal  anger  and  ethereal,
melancholic beauty.


Agony Lords - _The Sun Of The Cursed_  (Oz Productions, April 1997)
by: Paul Schwarz  (8 out of 10)

Agony Lords (AL) have produced a well written  debut  full  of  songs
which are catchy but also heavy, not Deicide heavy, more  a  Paradise
Lost (PL) on albums 3 to 5, In Flames and Iron Maiden heavy. The Iron
Maiden influence is most evident on certain riffs, the  opening  riff
on "The Shadow and the Silence" being a prime example. Paradise  Lost
are definitely a  major  player  in  this  band's  musical  mind  and
although lacking the edge of being  (almost)  the  first  to  do  the
gothic metal thing as  PL  were,  AL  do  it  well  and  retain  that
essential heaviness which set PL apart from all those  shite  "gothic
metal" bands and also sets AL  apart  from  them.  There  are  slight
repetitions noticeable in the music  and  sometimes  in  the  lyrical
lines - "of our  lives"  is  used  to  end  two  songs  -,  and  this
similarity of songs was always my slight problem  with  PL,  but,  as
with PL, AL still produce a highly  enjoyable  album.  Although  this
release doesn't surpass their influences it is still  very  good  and
could fill the gap left now that Paradise Lost have  stopped  playing
this type of music.

Contact: X-Rated Records, c/o Mathias Kietzmann
         Apdo. Postal 1-2023, Cuernavaca, Mor., C.P.62001, Mexico
         Voice/Fax: +52-73-17 44 68
         mailto:xrr@mpsnet.com.mx
         WWW: http://members.tripod.com/~xrr/index.html
         Send $10+($2 P+P) for a copy of this album


Behemoth - _Bewitching the Pomerania_  (Solstitium Records, 1997)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (9 out of 10)

This terrific gust of raging, engaging heathen song demonstrates  yet
again  Behemoth's   mastery   of   furious   black   metal   in   the
swollen-hearted Polish style. There are three tracks,  two  of  which
are re-recordings of old songs  -  but  this  repetition  prompts  no
complaints, since both old songs are great efforts which benefit from
being revisited. Rescued from the horrid sound of  _Sventevith_,  the
agonized, anthemic majesty of "Hidden in the Fog" now rings out  loud
and clear. (I generally don't mind "bad" production, but the sound of
the original is just  too  lousy  for  material  this  strong.)  Also
included here is "Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic)",  originally
from the mini-CD _And the Forests Dream Eternally_ -  which,  by  the
way, is a masterpiece of ass-kicking backwoods rage. (The mini-CD,  I
mean.) This time around, the song benefits from improved instrumental
technique (plus clearer sound),  which  adds  some  fluidity  to  the
momentum of its sustained  sonic  charge.  Well-played  melodic  lead
guitar lines figure prominently, but they are not squeaky, obtrusive,
or annoying in the least.  The  new  song,  "With  Spell  of  Inferno
(Mefisto)", is pure Behemoth: a molten fusion of  impassioned  riffs,
articulate vocals, and awesome percussion  which  alternates  between
ripping speed and more rocking mid-paced sections. Great stuff - once
again.


454 Big Block  - _Save Me From Myself_
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) (Big Wheel Recreation, Sep. 1997)

I was pleasantly surprised to hear the metallic tones emanating  from
this release. While dabbling into the hardcore genre, 454BB manage to
escalate enough momentum and power between their potent riffs,  thick
bass lines and harmonic melodies  for  us  to  see  them  as  just  a
metal/hardcore crossover band. They are more  than  that.  While  the
production on this record could use a little work,  it's  the  groove
and  overall  sound  of  454BB  that  really  shows  off  the   great
songwriting and an interesting sound. Like the works of  Only  Living
Witness, Living Sacrifice and Turmoil, 454BB stay  within  a  certain
style/sound throughout, rarely leaving a comfortable vibe  and  bring
in more unnecessary sounds into the fold. Also worthy of  mention  is
Elgin Nathanial James (what a fuckin' name!?), who has a great  voice
that totally complements the  harshness  of  the  material  and  also
provides melody when needed. Recommended if you  dig  the  mixing  of
metal, groove and hardcore.

Contact: P.O. Box 18095, Cathedral Station
         Boston, MA, USA, 02118-9998
         WWW: http://www.angelfire.com/ma/


Biohazard  - _No Holds Barred_  (Roadrunner, August 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley  (3 out of 10)

New York's favorite  (and  probably  most  popular)  hardcore  outfit
releases this massive 24-track recording, captured 100  percent  live
(uncut and raw) in Europe. While the  production  sounds  good,  with
crisp vocals, guitar tones and drums, it's the excess  of  monotonous
material that is the downfall of this recording. Only so  many  times
can one hear about "surviving the streets" or "being true and  having
respect". Am I right? But I guess that is the appeal of Biohazard and
having "street" credibility, and why the band  continues  to  have  a
following even though they were recently  dropped  from  their  label
(Warner/Elektra). Some of the songs I actually know  and  like;  it's
just that I can only take so much Biohazard before I get bored. If  I
didn't  hear  this  record  ever  again,  my  life  wouldn't  be  any
different. A "must have" only for  fans  of  live  albums  and  these
tattooed muthafuckaz.


Blood Storm - _The Atlantean Wardragon_  (Cacophonous, early 1997)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (5 out of 10)

I've seen Blood Storm at the Milwaukee Metal Fest  each  of  the  two
years I've attended, but little did I know that the band were  beyond
the demo stage and signed to a label, with a full-length out  now.  I
remember the band being unspectacular live,  and  not  so  strangely,
they were able to carry that lack of musical strength over  to  their
recorded material. Blood Storm is the project of Mezzadurus,  who  is
presently the live session bass player for  Absu.  But  don't  expect
this band to have thrash influences like Absu, as Blood Storm have  a
more traditional black metal sound, a la raging drums and fast treble
guitar picking. There is nothing too spectacular or  inspiring  about
_The Atlantean Wardragon_; it doesn't serve up anything new  to  this
over-populated genre, but rather  helps  to  clog  it  up.  Hopefully
Cacophonous didn't sign Blood Storm simply to capitalize on its  Absu
connection, but then again, I wouldn't put it past them. A couple  of
listens to _The Atlantean Wardragon_ had me wanting my $15 (American)
back.


Brutal Truth - _Sounds Of The Animal Kingdom_ (Relapse, October 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10)

Sporting one  of  the  coolest  album  covers  this  year  (an  angry
half-man/half-ape image on a  white  background;  simple  yet  cool),
comes New York's  fucked-up,  raging  music  ensemble  Brutal  Truth.
Twenty-two tracks of intense and brutal numbers that delve deep  into
the common life and big city world in which many of us live.  It's  a
big city soundtrack of sorts. Like most  Brutal  Truth  records,  the
songs found  on  _SotAK_  dish  out  pure  bursts  of  intensity  and
mind-numbing lashings to  our  psyche.  Singer/screamer/madman  Kevin
Sharp lets loose some ferocious cat calls and screams on such numbers
as "Average People", opener "Dementia", and "Foolish Bastard",  while
the rest of the band follow up Sharp with distorted riffs,  a  strong
rhythm  section,  and   blast   beats   where   needed.   (Even   the
segue/interlude of the sounds of city life  in  "Blue  World"  is  an
interesting addition.) The album is very creative at times,  managing
to meld grindcore, death  metal  and  hardcore  attributes  into  one
pounding rhythm - but after repeated listens to the new record, I  am
left asking myself, "Is this 'organized chaos'  getting  too  old  or
monotonous for us?" Maybe so. _SotAK_ is a good  record,  though  not
great and not living up to the hype that some have bestowed upon  it.
While much better than 1996's EP _Kill Trend Suicide_  -  the  record
that scaled down the band's need for production effects, thus keeping
the music raw and live - _SotAK_ is  still  chock  full  of  maniacal
exorcisms of the mind and all. Still, it just  seems  to  be  lacking
some of the momentum  and  craziness  that  garnered  the  band  much
attention on some of their older stuff, e.g. their  classic  1994  LP
_Need To Control_. Still not, a bad trip to undertake,  as  the  ride
into the "animal kingdom" is an experience all its own. Buckle up.


Burzum - _Balder's Dod_  (Misanthropy, September 1997)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (7.5 out of 10)

Another record release from the man you love to hate, Varg  Vikernes.
Burzum are back, and with a  vengeance!  With  Burzum's  last  record
_Filosefem_ receiving  mixed  reviews,  _Balder's  Dod_  proves  that
Varg's imprisonment certainly hasn't hurt  his  inspirational  flair.
The concept of the record is based on Norse Mythology and  the  death
of Balder (who was the son of Odin and the god  of  light).  Not  one
word is spoken on the record; rather, the music is left to speak  for
itself. _Balder's Dod_ is full of intriguing and captivating moments,
more resembling an ambient record than a black metal record. Gone are
the guitars and Varg's screams, with keyboards now creating  Burzum's
pagan-inspired ambiance. It's such a shame that such beautiful  music
was created by a cowardly racist fuck.


Cast Iron Hike - _Watch it Burn_  (Victory Records, June 1997)
by: Zena Tsarfin  (7 out of 10)

Welcome to  the  purgatory  known  as  post-hardcore,  you  have  two
choices: Go soft and embrace the "emo" work ethic or hone your skills
and put out a charged record that's progressive  but  still  brutally
angry. Quite thankfully, Cast Iron Hike have chosen the  latter  path
for their debut on Victory Records. Listening to Watch it Burn,  it's
easy to see why the Boston-based band have caused such a  stir  along
the East Coast with their metallic, downtuned sound and singer  Jacob
Brennan's powerful vocal performance. All these elements are captured
quite nicely on tracks such as  "Boxed,"  "Workhorse"  and  "Swimming
Through Sand" (picture Quicksand meets Only Living Witness). Although
some songs tend to bleed into one another, this  record  weighs  Cast
Iron Hike in as a potential force to be reckoned with.


Christ Agony - _Darkside_  (Hammerheart Records, June 1997)
by: Andrew Lewandowski  (4 out of 10)

While I do not  believe  that  bands  should  remain  confined  to  a
particular genre, the current wave of gothic black metal bands  (most
notably Dimmu Borgir) have  forsaken  most  of  what  makes  a  solid
extreme metal album. Christ Agony is the latest black metal  band  to
be absorbed by  not  only  the  gothic  trend,  but  its  correlating
insistence on rudimentary song structures and lack of aggression. The
epic songs of their past releases have been replaced by ten standard,
four minute long ambient dark wave songs. The ideological shift would
be acceptable if Christ Agony were capable of  producing  an  emotive
goth song, yet Cezar, who is now the band's  sole  member,  tarnishes
each of the more sedate tracks with his ludicrously  hoarse  attempts
at clean singing. Worst of all, Cezar utilizes techno  percussion  on
the two versions of "My Spirit Seal". The mechanized nature of a drum
machine is the antithesis of the emotive and organic gothic  ideology
which Cezar attempts to follow on the rest of  the  album,  and  only
reiterates his explicit desire of  pandering  to  the  goth/industial
crowd.


Death Squad - _Death Squad_  (4-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley  (***--)

I don't know whether to really like this band  (a  duo  comprised  of
Jared Drace  and  Joe  Beninati)  or  write  them  off  as  some  sad
characters trying to write metal music. Well, to tell you the  truth,
besides the really bad sounding production of this 4-song  demo,  the
music really isn't that bad. I tell ya, the production threw  me  off
here as seeing this initially as crap. Low  guttural  vocals  in  the
vein of Mortician burst from this demo tape with sludgy  guitars  and
hard-hitting drums bringing up the rear.  The  music,  for  the  most
part, is fast doses  of  riffs  and  grunts/growls  that  effectively
create some cool grooves and stop  at  nothing  to  bash  our  skulls
repeatedly. This stuff is violently brutal at times  and,  much  like
Mortician, the lower tuned the guitars are and the poorer  production
is, the better it sounds. An adequate demo and a definite gamble  for
most metallers giving it a listen.

Contact: 290 Collins Ave. Apt. 3B, Mt. Vernon, NY, USA, 10552
         mailto:DethSquad@aol.com


Desaster - _Stormbringer_  (Merciless Records, 1997)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (8 out of 10)

Lieben sie das  Metall  "Thrash"?  Ach!  Gut!!  Then  you  will  love
Desaster,  and  Desaster  will  kicken  your  Arsch,  Kreator  style.
Especially on "Tormentor". Holy Ventor - this song sounds  as  if  it
was taken right off of _Endless Pain_! Actually... it is  taken  from
that album, but Desaster's cover version  fits  in  quite  seamlessly
with their surrounding originals, such is the extent of  this  band's
debt  to  the  four  Altenessen  headbangers.  (Another  squadron  of
celebrity old-timers, namely Destruction,  would  appear  to  be  the
source of alternative spelling  inspiration.)  Stomping,  chunky  old
thrash this is - and damn well played, too. It's the  kind  of  music
that makes you think, "You know,  if  I  just  had  a  halberd  or  a
catapult right now - dammit, I could change the world!" I suppose the
medieval aspect of this wondrous sonic fantasy of mine  derives  from
the very tasteful medieval metal riffs which occasionally  complement
Desaster's quite sharp  old-school  axe  attack.  The  production  is
great, and the  vocals  have  that  essential  schnapps-for-breakfast
sneer that proudly says "Made in Deutschland."  _Stormbringer_  is  a
mini-CD with six songs, twenty-one minutes in length.  Of  the  retro
bands   I've   heard,   Desaster   are   my   pick   for   the   most
authentic-sounding and energetically enjoyable of the lot.  I'd  give
it two thumbs up - but I can't physically perform that gesture  until
I get out of this plate mail and into some denim and leather.  Hey  -
where are my goddamn high tops?! Auf Wiedersehen!


Dismal Euphony - _Autumn Leaves: The Rebellion of Tides_
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (8 out of 10)  (Napalm Records, September 1997)

Another impressive release from this talented foursome, which differs
somewhat from their previous material. Like their  earlier  releases,
_Autumn Leaves_ is of very high quality, displaying the band's artful
blending of classically-inspired melody, gorgeous female vocals,  and
semi-progressive    metallic    techniques,    including    plentiful
black-metallish rasps. Yet compared to  their  previous  effort,  the
marvelous _Soria Moria Slott_, the songs here are  more  compact,  in
two senses. First, the production  features  a  much  more  prominent
guitar, while beautifully balancing everything else in  a  dense  and
crystalline sonic totality. _SMS_,  by  contrast,  had  a  much  more
wide-open sound, the  faraway  buzz  of  guitar  opening  up  a  vast
acoustic space for the wispy keyboard melodies  and  angelic  vocals.
Now, the  melodies  vie  with  the  rhythm  guitar  for  sonic  room.
Additionally, the songs here are  generally  shorter  than  the  more
sprawling compositions of _SMS_ - but they arguably make up for their
lessened length by  incorporating  more  frequent  and  more  drastic
variations. Reactions  to  these  changes  will  no  doubt  differ...
Personally, I prefer the band's earlier recordings, but that's not to
say that this isn't pretty cool, for it certainly is that - check out
Keltziva's   awesome   vocals   on   "Simply   Dead",   the   musical
roller-coaster "Carven", the darkly anthemic feel of "Remembrance  of
a Shroud", and so on. However, I could definitely  live  without  the
Skinny Puppy emulation on "Splendid Horror", not to mention  the  ten
minutes of pointless experimentation that close out  the  album.  But
maybe that's just me.


Divine Sin - _Thirteen Souls_  (Black Mark, September 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley  (6 out of 10)

It has been more than  a  year  since  I  reviewed  the  debut  album
_Winterland_ (CoC #9) by Sweden's Divine Sin and  while  I  felt  the
record was mediocre at the time (it garnered a 6 out of 10), I  still
had some interest in hearing where the band had progressed with their
music. My analysis of _TS_? Not much has changed,  to  tell  you  the
truth. Much like the debut album,  which  was  drenched  in  a  total
progressive metal atmosphere  -  but  still  high  on  intensity  and
slightly death-ish growls -, so is _TS_. Changes, you ask? Well,  the
band's vocals are a little rougher this time out and  definitely  the
musicianship has risen within the band through experience, but at the
same time the album is still plagued with some tarnished  areas.  The
main problem I have with this sophomore release is the band's use  of
standard metal riffs and vocal styling throughout it. Not  that  it's
overflowing with cliches, it's just that the band sometimes showcases
a 'standard' brand of metal that we have seen over and over. I  think
that with a little more originality and less flash at  times  (listen
to some of the riffs and you'll understand) this  would  be  an  okay
record. Some of  the  best  tracks  are:  "Dreams  of  Oblivion"  and
"Emotionless".


Elend - _Weeping Nights_  (Holy Records, August 1997)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (8 out of 10)

Even though I have no religion, and indeed find the very  concept  of
religion to be something to which I'll never relate, I was  impressed
by the atmosphere Elend created around it (or,  more  precisely,  the
Luciferian Revolution) in _Les Tenebres du Dehors_,  through  lyrics,
imagery and music. (See CoC #19 - if I had to rate it, I'd give it  a
9 out of 10.)  _Weeping  Nights_  is  perhaps  more  subjective,  not
focusing on any storyline; this isn't Elend's third  chapter  of  the
"Lecons de Tenebres" series yet. If you already know _Les Tenebres du
Dehors_, describing _Weeping Nights_ is easy: it's a re-release of  6
tracks from _LTdD_ without any male vocals whatsoever  (so  both  the
black vocals and narration were left out), plus three new songs (also
without male vocals). The only songs from _LTdD_ not included in _WN_
are "The Silence of Light" and "Antienne", which  didn't  have  black
vocals in their original versions. In  the  older  songs,  the  music
seems to lose some of its atmosphere without  the  black  vocals  and
spoken parts; however, it may be better  for  those  who  don't  like
those shrieks of despair too much. The new songs are also  much  less
epic and orchestral; however, this is not to be taken as a sample  of
what's to come, as the third  chapter  of  "Lecons  de  Tenebres"  is
supposed to be the darkest of the series. _Weeping Nights_ will allow
you to enjoy a more soothing version of _LTdD_, but  if  you  already
have _LTdD_ and enjoy the black vocals, it may  be  doubtful  whether
the new songs alone will be worthy of the investment.


Grope - _Desert Storm_  (Diehard, September 1997)
by: Paul Schwarz  (3 out of 10)

I'd never heard Grope before listening to this album. I'd heard  they
played death metal,  "alternative  rock/metal"  was  what  the  press
release said... I thought "another wimpout". The  opening  chords  to
"Pacified" almost proved me wrong but although this and  other  songs
have good parts they are spoiled; either by a stupid  lyric,  a  crap
riff or an irritating way of singing. The singer sounds  like  he  is
trying to get the aggressiveness of  Lemmy  with  the  "angry  youth"
tones of Silverchair's Daniel Johns, suffice it to say he  fails  and
ends up with a voice which is, most of the time, just plain annoying.
One reason why this gets a 3 and not lower is because "Murmur"  is  a
revealingly emotional instrumental. Were it not for the inclusion  of
"OK For Now", which attempts to be 'weird' and ends up just  sounding
silly, and lyrics like: "I'm a castout, I am social garbage, I  am  a
zit, On society's face, I have a bad ear, I cannot hear you"  and  "I
have a bad arm, I cannot reach you", this album would only be flawed,
as it is, it is fatally flawed.


Hemlock - _Crush the Race of God_  (Head Not Found, early 1997)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (6 out of 10)

More unspectacular black metal fodder comes  our  way  via  Brooklyn,
NY's Hemlock. With the bass and  production  work  being  handled  by
Brutal Truth's Dan Lilker, my respect goes out to the  band  for  not
capitalizing on Dan's notoriety. Over the six tracks  on  _Crush  the
Race of God_, one can hear  Norwegian-inspired  black  metal  in  its
rawest and most primitive form. Some moments  bring  interest,  while
others just seem to drag on  and  go  nowhere.  Even  at  the  band's
musical height ("The Cold Twilight"), they still fall short  compared
to their counterparts in the genre. This isn't bad by any means,  but
for me, there will always be something better to hear.


In the Woods... - _Omnio_  (Misanthropy Records, August 1997)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (10 out of 10)

_Omnio_ is one of those albums that ends  up  proving  to  be  highly
rewarding, even though at  first  that  may  not  seem  very  likely.
Compared to the only previous work of theirs I know, _Heart of Ages_,
the overall feeling in _Omnio_ is a lot doomier:  there's  much  more
doom and less black metal here, even though  it  still  'feels'  like
black metal sometimes. Nearly all the black vox are gone  (there's  a
total  of  three  short  black-like  screams  in  _Omnio_,  all  very
effective), the vocals now being clean and helped by  very  versatile
female voices which add a lot to the  result.  I  personally  usually
enjoy distorted vocalists much better, but the vocals in _Omnio_ just
fit the music, and the result is great - for once, I must admit  that
a leading distorted voice wouldn't have been a welcome change.  (Some
more well-placed black vox would have been  fine,  though.)  However,
the male singer alone wouldn't have been  good  enough;  the  backing
female voices help him very much. Like such great bands as  My  Dying
Bride and Opeth, ITW seem to write each song  not  caring  about  its
final length,  resulting  in  long,  complex  tracks  that  are  like
mini-albums within the album; and what  may  be  surprising  for  the
casual listener is that, in the end, it all fits together,  like  one
huge song. The first one, "299.796 km/s", is over  14  minutes  long,
and is a fine example of how  good  _Omnio_  can  get:  superb  doomy
melodies and atmosphere, good harsher parts, and it all just seems to
flow and change very naturally - in fact,  the  whole  CD  is  highly
varied. The  instrumental  quality  helps  as  well,  especially  the
guitars and occasional keyboards, as well as very good drumming.  The
instrumentation also presents the first appearance by the Dust String
Quartet (cello, viola and two  violins),  giving  _Omnio_  even  more
atmosphere. They show up again  in  the  fifth  song.  The  brilliant
artwork in "I Am Your Flesh", the second track,  portrays  the  whole
feeling of the song, completed by the lyrics and music. Track  three,
"Kairos!", is  shorter,  featuring  only  the  female  vocalist,  and
quality is still high. Then comes "Weeping Willow", the doomiest one,
with slow, sad guitar and keyboard lines throughout its  11  minutes.
And finally, the big one - 26 minutes, split into three  subsections:
"Omnio?". The reason for this partitioning is that the  second  piece
is a  six  minute  long  slow  crescendo  interlude,  with  the  last
subsection picking up where the  first  left  off  to  conclude  this
outstanding CD. Quite simply, this is superb music, showing  a  great
amount of work and talent, resulting in a truly rewarding album.


Ironlung - _Chasing Salvation_  (Diehard, September 1997)
by: Paul Schwarz  (8 out of 10)

This seemed like an odd concept to me: a former hardcore  band  whose
members  have  been  in  such  death  metal  bands  as  Autopsy   and
Suffocation  produces  an  album  rooted  in  heavily  Black  Sabbath
influenced 70's Acid Rock. Although not a classic  album  like  those
early Sabbaths, _Chasing Salvation_ measures  up  to  the  acid  rock
genre's less  brilliant  offerings  rather  well.  It  contains  some
excellent riffs which are catchy and  heavy.  Although  most  of  the
riffs could be Sabbath riffs, the  band  does  mix  in  a  few  other
elements. The hardcore section of "Reality Check" with its  Biohazard
sounding shouts and the spoken word  part  on  "Sunblock"  add  spice
which makes this more than just a Sabbath rehash.  The  vocalist  has
landed a good mix between American hardcore vocals and the  Ozzy  era
Sabbath vocals. A good production with all the  instruments  sounding
good and in their place brings the quality of the songs to life. What
lets this album down is its slight lack of variation. It is not, as I
said, a classic like _Master of Reality_ or _Sabbath Bloody  Sabbath_
are. It is still a very good album and especially  worth  it  if  you
like some of the more agressive  Sabbath  offerings  or  more  recent
bands like Slo Burn.


KMFDM - _KMFDM_  (TVT Records, October 1997)
By: Adrian Bromley  (7 out of 10)

Why review KMFDM in Chronicles  of  Chaos?  Why  not?  For  one,  our
beloved editor-in-chief Gino Filicetti is a *huge* KMFDM fan,  and  I
myself have a few copies of their past LPs (_Nihil_ and _Xtort_) here
at home too. I even think CoC's black metal  warrior  Steve  Hoeltzel
may have a soft spot  for  KMFDM  too?!  [Think  again.  --S.H.]  And
second, the band creates interesting and aggressive industrial/techno
music that shouldn't be ignored by the masses  (even  though  it  has
been, as KMFDM have made much of their success via the  underground).
If you're at all into branching out a bit with your  musical  tastes,
then read on. For the last decade or  so,  led  by  singer/programmer
Sasha Konietzko, KMFDM have crafted the  world  of  industrial/techno
music into an aural assault. It has  metamorphosed  itself  over  the
years, bringing many new styles into its musical domain: techno, hard
industrial and ambient sounds. While not straying too far  away  from
the band's industrial sound or  other  albums'  ideas,  with  _KMFDM_
Sasha and his crew bring the  music  down  to  more  of  a  simpleton
status. In other words, one style seems to dominate, rather  than  an
amalgamation of styles. The music seems to have taken on  more  of  a
techno/ambient feel this time out: while the industrial element rages
on throughout numerous tracks, it's the techno/ambient feel that does
most of the grooving here. The key to the success of _KMFDM_ is  that
the 10-tracks of the LP flow within a fixed pattern, feeding off each
other and leading us onto each new track with the greatest  of  ease.
Though much like past material, as stated above, Sasha's  imagination
and vision have never seemed so vibrant.


Lycanthropy - _The Veils of Sorrow_  (Path to Enlightenment, 1997)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (7.5 out of 10)

In an effort to enliven your experience as a reader, I  am  going  to
swear up a fucking storm in this goddamn review, plus  fire  up  some
major exclamation point usage!! After all, if you can't  handle  some
seriously profane  review  action,  then  you  are  a  goddamn  false
metaller! Anyway, before I get carried away with this  "false  metal"
shit... Lycanthropy play black metal, and while their approach to the
style is pretty damn standard, the results are not fucking  bad.  Not
fucking bad at all! In fact, it's a hell of a lot like Darkthrone!  I
mean, maybe not  as  good  as  Darkthrone's  stronger  material,  but
similar in approach. Their songs have the same  convincing  blend  of
straight-up, blackened starkness and plenty of well-timed  variation;
plus, their overall sound has a bit of that noisy Darkthrone  squawk!
(The release has the kind of rough production which often works quite
well with black metal, as it does here  -  simultaneously  dense  and
raw. I will stop swearing now. It gets boring!!!) Vocals are  of  the
very high-pitched, sort of yipping  variety.  A  four-track  mini-CD,
this runs for just over twenty minutes and stays  pretty  interesting
all the way through. A very solid first effort, I'd say - and  did  I
mention they're from Alabama? H O L Y F U C K ! !


Malevolent Creation - _In Cold Blood_  (Pavement Music, 1997)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (7 out of 10)

Have you always wanted to trepanate yourself, but  lacked  the  guts?
Well, mope no longer! New Malevolent drummer Derik Roddy will  gladly
ventilate your skull  pan  for  you:  just  program  your  player  to
"Nocturnal Overlord" or "Seizure", and get set to hear  some  of  the
damnedest blast beats ever hammered out. And when I  say  "hammered",
children, I mean it. Roddy may not  sustain  the  fluid,  light-speed
clackety-clack of a  drummer  like  Cryptopsy's  Flo  Mounier  -  but
dammit, this guy hits the snare drum HARD. Most impressive. And  true
to Malevolent tradition, Phil  and  his  guitar  cohort  (this  time,
newcomer John Paul Soars)  saw  out  some  monster  riffs  ("Narcotic
Genocide") and nail down  some  ripping  death  breaks  ("Violated").
Still, for all the excellent hammering,  sawing,  and  drilling  that
goes on, a lot of the material on  this  13-track,  42-minute  effort
seems rather artlessly constructed. Not that  the  band  is  anywhere
near sloppy; it's just that their sonic  architecture  is  noticeably
unambitious.  The  songs  have   short   running   times   but   lack
unpredictable breaks; hence, most tracks have a very "by the numbers"
feel. Some kill based on the sheer strength of their  riffs,  but  in
other cases the brutality of the instruments fails  to  triumph  over
the  conventional  and   repetitious   structures   of   the   songs.
_Retribution_ remains this band's finest hour; I'd rate that  one  at
least a nine.


Mortiis - _Født til å Herske_  (5 out of 10)
Vond - _Slipp sorgen Løs_  (8 out of 10)
     (Dark Dungeon USA/Projekt Records, Reissued September 1997)
by: Zena Tsarfin

What the hell would possess a grown man to put on  plastic  ears  and
pretend he was an  elf?  And  more  importantly--why  am  I  so  damn
fascinated by him? Mortiis, former keyboardist for the Norwegian band
Emperor, has turned  to  the  gloomier  side  of  new  age  music  by
reinventing himself as a mystical creature who finds inspiration in a
dark dungeon rather than a  burning  church.  The  material  on  this
domestic reissue of his debut  album  consists  of  two  lengthy  (53
minutes!) and eerie, organ-based dirges which could  easily  function
as elevator muzak in hell. The reissue of Vond, his side-project,  is
slightly more accessible with shorter and fuller compositions in  the
vein of gothic chamber music. While Mortiis' image may  mislead  many
to  expect  his  body  of  work  to  be  black  metal,  his  delicate
instrumentals (particularly Vond) are an eclectic addition to a  goth
fan's dark ambient record collection.


The Misfits - _American Psycho_  (Geffen, 1997)
by: Zena Tsarfin  (7 out of 10)

A lot of fans were ready  to  write  off  the  Misfits  as  has-beens
regrouping only to ride the current wave of comebacks  and  reunions.
Signing with Geffen sure didn't help their indie credibility. Neither
did recruiting 22-year-old singer Michael  Graves  -  who  admittedly
never heard the band prior to  auditioning  for  them  -  to  replace
legendary frontman Glenn Danzig.  Surprisingly,  the  Misfits'  first
album in almost  a  decade  isn't  all  that  bad.  After  all,  good
old-school style punk albums (especially  the  major  label  variety)
that aren't of the pop or ska lot are hard to come by these days--and
that's  exactly  where  _American  Psycho_  steps  in.  Most  of  the
quintessential  Misfit-isms  are  present:  B-horror  movie   lyrics,
whoa-whoa sing-along choruses, and catchy three-chord riffs  are  all
here. Songs like "Blacklight", "Speak of the Devil",  and  the  title
track are ghoulishly delightful,  while  "Day  of  the  Dead"  proves
Graves can do almost as good an Elvis  impression  as  Danzig.  While
Graves' youthful perspective adds some freshness  to  the  Misfits  -
which includes (somewhat) original members guitarist  Doyle,  bassist
Jerry Only  and  drummer  Dr.  Chud  -  the  singer's  underdeveloped
charisma also hinders some of the songs' dynamics.  In  a  couple  of
years, this boy will be dangerous.


Pantera  - _Official Live: 101 Proof_  (Eastwest/Warner, August 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley  (3 out of 10)

What we should have gotten with this 16-track, 76+ minute CD of  live
music was a good assortment  of  live  numbers  done  by  the  always
powerful and energetic Pantera. Instead, we are led through a  yawner
of a live LP with more ranting and raving from  singer/screamer  Phil
Anselmo than actual music. This gets annoying after a while. Examples
of his segues between songs: "This song is  dedicated  to  all  those
fuckers who think metal music is dead," or "Is everyone  stoned  yet?
Everyone got a beer and ready to go fucking crazy for some more?"  Or
my fave and  most  overused  comment  by  Phil:  "You  all  know  the
fuckinggggggg words. Sing!" Sure this  record  has  all  the  Pantera
"hits" (e.g. "Walk" or "Cowboys From  Hell")  and  two  adequate  new
studio numbers ("Where You Come From" and "I Can't Hide"), but seeing
that it was recorded over the course of a year at several stops along
_The Great Southern Trendkill_ tour, the flow  of  the  record  never
seems to get off the ground. It seems much more like a  cut-and-paste
collection of better live versions of  songs  than  a  coherent  live
recording. If they had recorded it much like Nailbomb's 1995 live  LP
_Proud  To  Commit  Commercial  Suicide_  (during   a   single   live
performance at Dynamo) and kept it raw and hard-hitting, then perhaps
this record would have at  least  garnered  some  interest  from  me.
Sorry, guys - you didn't score brownie points this time.


Plan E - _E Spelled Backwards_ / Irstas - _Unluck_ Split 10"
by: Adrian Bromley  (7 out of 10 / 4 out of 10)
     (E Records, September 1997)

More weird shit here on the first half of this split 10-inch  from  E
Records: Plan E with _E  Spelled  Backwards_  and  hardcore/punk/rock
band Irstas with _Unluck_. While the Finnish outfit known as  Plan  E
follow up their bizarre, space-rock-esque offering _E For Your  Eyes_
(CoC #20) with the equally weird and ambient sounds of  _ESB_,  their
sound differentiates a bit this time around, as it pretty much floats
within a simple, yet melodic atmosphere. Soft sounds,  pumped  up  by
melodic choruses and guitar riffs take precedence over the space rock
feel of the record  and  help  keep  this  offering  interesting  and
memorable. Those searching for obscurity  with  some  melody,  you've
come to the right place. As for Irstas, it seemed very  standard  and
cliche at times with its hardcore groove and rock/punk  styled  flow.
At times raw and rough in the punk/hardcore style (think Bad Religion
meets Madball), Irstas failed to really keep me interested from about
the third song onwards. Take your chance with that one. Note: Plan  E
and Irstas' label, E Records, has an  endless  supply  of  bands  and
releases in the same vein as Plan E, some even more obscure.

Contact: E Records, P.O. Box 50 90251 Oulu, Finland
         Voice/Fax: +358-8-3120-558
         mailto:jani.lehtosaari@mail.suomi.net


Salvo  - _The Cult Of Speed_  (Smart Fist Records, August 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley  (8 out of 10)

Shiver me timbers! Man is this cool.  The  guitar-driven,  synth  and
samples induced work of New York trio Salvo really hits  you  with  a
punch that'll surely knock you off your feet. It's not that the music
is heavy, I mean it's a fact that one-time / ex-Machine Head  drummer
Tony Costanza does play drums, but the sheer uncertainty  of  twisted
rhythms and beats delivering crushing  blows  at  numerous  intervals
really shakes up the listener. The music on  _TCoS_  has  some  great
guitar hooks and a  definite  proficient  use  of  synths  and  other
oddities used to spicen up and add more creativity to the Salvo vibe.
With a lot of bands using samples and synths to help bring variety to
their projects (all types of metal bands are doing so), it's  only  a
matter of time that Salvo could be in our spotlight more  often.  But
I'm not sure whether this band will break it big  amongst  the  metal
community (obviously they cater to such crowds of KMFDM, Clay  People
or Hanzel Und Gretyl) but this is an impressive  attempt  to  do  so.
Good music with a lot of creativity backing it.


Scanner Vs. Signs Ov Chaos - _Scanner Vs. Signs Ov Chaos_
by: Adrian Bromley  (5 out of 10)  (Earache, September 1997)

Both Scanner and Signs Ov Chaos (consisting  of  solo  artists  Robin
Rimbaud and Michael Wells) are bands that are pushing the  boundaries
of extreme music as far as techno/ambient/noise outfits go. The music
on this 6-song split CD (three songs each) flourishes  in  the  eerie
and creative department, but lacks in the variety department. Most of
the songs cater to the respective styles of each performer.  We  hear
the soft, atmospheric and tranquil side of Rimbaud  and  the  vibrant
and chaotic frenzy of Wells in their material, but so similar are the
songs' ideas (in both cases) that we rarely get a  glimpse  of  where
both are taking their music. I mean, three songs  a  piece  makes  it
kind of hard to determine whether or not someone has  the  talent  to
keep things fresh and varied, but judging by this, I'm left  thinking
that the two should have offered us more  of  a  glimpse  into  their
evolving musical ideas. This is my first  introduction  to  Rimbaud's
work in Scanner (which sounds like  Soma  or  Fetisch  Park  in  many
ways), but I do have Signs Ov Chaos'  _Frankenscience_.  I  recommend
that one more, due to the fact that it contains  fourteen  tracks  of
mind-bending and rabid techno/industrial/ambient that'll give  you  a
massive rush to the head and system. This newer material is  mediocre
compared to what I've heard before.


Shai Hulud - _A Profound Hatred of Man_ (Crisis/Revelation, May 1997)
by: Zena Tsarfin  (9 out of 10)

Combining brutal hardcore with hearty helpings of both noisecore  and
metal, Florida's Shai Hulud prove that teen angst can be a  veritable
muse. Their debut EP for Crisis/Revelation,  _A  Profound  Hatred  of
Man_, contains three  raging  songs  complete  with  catchy  metallic
guitar riffs and pit-ready breakdowns. Particularly haunting  is  the
first track, "Hardly", with its ominous melody and  emphatic  singing
by 15-year-old vocalist Chad Gilbert. Overall, this way-too-short  EP
sounds like a delicious taste of good things to come.


Six Feet Under - _Warpath_  (Metal Blade, September 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley  (9 out of 10)

This has got to be the biggest surprise for  me  this  year.  What  a
great record _Warpath_ is. I really wasn't too fond  of  SFU's  debut
disc _Haunted_ (1995) or 1996's live EP _Alive And Dead_,  because  I
felt that the band wasn't doing anything groundbreaking or  exciting.
Not to say that the latest installment of SFU is totally original  or
groundbreaking;  it's  just  that  singer/growler  Chris  Barnes  and
company have totally put some life into this project. The songs  seem
a lot more vibrant, in the  sense  that  there  is  a  killer  groove
binding the tracks together, and the band seems  tighter  the  second
time around. In other words, they have worked out their kinks. Opener
"War Is Coming" sets the tone for the destruction that is coming  our
way in  the  form  of  "stoner  death  metal".  Run  and  hide!  With
_Warpath_, Barnes has brought a more varied singing  style  into  SFU
(though his gargles and growls reminiscent  of  Cannibal  Corpse  are
still present), and the lyrics and subject matter seem to have  taken
on more of a "real life" approach, rather  than  just  singing  about
dead corpses and gutting  victims.  With  a  lot  of  the  music  and
concepts here inspired by  a  lot  of  marijuana  use  (Barnes  is  a
"pothead"), it's no wonder the  songs  seem  so  fucked  up,  yet  so
pounding and "in yer  face".  Gotta  love  a  band  that  scraps  all
preconceived notions about what they do or what they  should  do  and
just turns up the amps and cranks it out loud and raw.  SFU  delivers
this time, and I hope they can keep this up.


Skrew - _Angel Seed XXIII_  (Metal Blade, September 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley  (7 out of 10)

Texas industrial/metal outfit Skrew has been a popular outfit as  far
as CoC is concerned. We have featured a story on  them  in  the  past
(CoC # 9), and both Gino and I really dug  the  band's  last  effort,
1996's _Shadow Of Doubt_, with its hard industrial  delivery,  coated
with metal riffs and angst-ridden vocals. While following  along  the
same lines as _SoD_ or 1993's sound-montage _Dusted_, the new  record
by the sextet has broken down the barriers of  hard-edged  industrial
overtones and metallic riffs and interspersed some  cool  atmospheric
qualities. Don't think at once that the band has softened their sound
- that is not what has happened  here.  What  has  happened  is  that
songwriter/singer/guitarist/producer Adam Grossman has let go of  the
sounds and ideas of where his band should be and allowed other  ideas
to filter into Skrew's momentum, thus altering the sound a bit  while
still maintaining a Skrew sound and style.  And  it  has  worked.  As
always  with  a  Skrew  record,  nothing  seems  to  work  more  than
Grossman's sinister and distorted vocals  piercing  through  feedback
and darkened tales told. While Skrew has seen some praise  form  many
music critics, this band has never broken big or developed a huge fan
base - say similar to a Sepultura fan base - and  that  is  a  shame.
This is a good, honest record that will see multiple listens on my CD
player in the coming months.


The Blood Divine - _Mystica_ (Peaceville, October 1997)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)

As you can see in my review of TBD's debut  _Awaken_  (CoC  #18),  my
expectations for their second album were very high.  While  _Mystica_
is a very good album, it's not such an outstandingly great  follow-up
to _Awaken_ as I had hoped for. The reason is  simple:  most  of  the
album is excellent, but a couple other tracks aren't  so  remarkable.
And, being a relatively short album (40 minutes),  there's  just  not
enough here for _Mystica_ to be as great as  _Awaken_.  Things  start
off brilliantly, from the opening track to  the  superb  "As  Rapture
Fades", all the way to the fifth song, "Leaving Me  Helpless".  After
this one, however, only the short "Enhanced By Your Touch" and  "Fear
of a Lonely World" stand out as top quality  songs  -  not  that  the
others aren't good, they're just not -that-  good.  TBD's  sound  has
changed since _Awaken_, as the  guitars  and  drums  don't  sound  as
strong as before and the keyboards aren't  so  much  like  Cradle  of
Filth anymore. (I liked the CoF-style keyboards better.) Fortunately,
Darren White's voice is just as good as before. The  overall  feeling
is that _Mystica_ is more accessible  than  _Awaken_,  but,  in  this
particular case, that doesn't make it any  worse;  in  fact,  despite
these changes, the musical quality is still there.  Those  who  liked
_Awaken_ will surely enjoy this one  as  well.  I  did,  but  perhaps
expecting something even better than  _Awaken_  was  too  optimistic.
Looking at _Mystica_ for what it's worth  and  not  comparing  it  to
anything else, this is a very high quality album that's just  lacking
in quantity.


Today Is The Day - _Temple Of The Morning Star_
By: Adrian Bromley  (9 out of 10)  (Release, October 1997)

By far - hands down - one of the coolest releases I have  heard  this
year. Saturated in total anarchistic noise  and  distorted  lumps  of
creativity, the debut album for Relapse by Today Is The Day (who  had
three previous releases on Amphetamine Reptile Records) totally  took
me by surprise with its  mesmerizing  use  of  sounds,  samples,  and
imagery flowing from the music. It's eerie, to say the least.  Sounds
of satanic rituals, loud chanting,  and  distorted  vocals/noise  are
superbly meshed with an ample amount of samples, melodic  riffs,  and
even country/folk singer snippets (on "The  Man  Who  Loved  to  Hurt
Himself"). To describe the music style or sound of TitD would be like
describing a David Cronenberg movie - you can't.  Only  the  director
(or in this case the musicians) are the ones who know what  is  going
on. Sometimes even they (director or musician)  don't  know,  as  the
creativity and visions come to them as a blur - only there  for  them
to create and carry out the project, rather than ask why the  project
must be done that way. Noise. Noise. And more noise. It's  all  here,
and in deafening, pounding blows for the most part. Throw in a bit of
ambience and a real clear case of intensity, and you've  pretty  much
got TitD. Fucked, but definitely worth investigating. I am sure -  in
fact, I am positive - that all those with weekly  (or  even  nightly)
pot parties will have something new to  crank  as  background  music.
Fans  of  other  Relapse/Release  bands  like   Neurosis,   Malformed
Earthborn or Flux should take note. This shit smokes big time!


Wallachia - _Wallachia_  (Velvet Music Intl., 1997)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (8 out of 10)

I do not  envision  my  main  man  Vlad  Tepes,  supreme  bad-ass  of
Wallachia, as a particularly mellow individual.  I  mean,  supposedly
this guy impaled the country folk by the  wain-load.  In  truth,  the
ceramic deer and clay gnomes  that  populate  America's  front  yards
today  are  but  the  feeblest  echoes  of   my   man   Vlad's   lawn
ornamentation... In much the same way, the Hollywood  vampire  legend
is but a pale simulacrum of the  historical  reality  which  inspired
Bram Stoker's gothic potboiler. So one wonders: how  will  this  band
portray the ambience of the old stomping grounds of the  man  of  the
millennium, Vlad? The answer is that they've opted to go the mellower
route. (For the grittier version, savor some  '95  vintage  Behemoth,
won't you?) In fact, Wallachia reminds me a great deal of  Summoning.
The sound: an oceanic esoterica, where grim vocals float eerily  atop
seas  of  smoothly-surging  synth  and  guitar,  stirred  by   mellow
programmed beats. This is neither as  compositionally  dense  nor  as
sonically innovative as Summoning's best material, but I  still  find
it quite enjoyable. The guitar and synth are about evenly  prominent;
the melodies: simple, somber, and slow.  (Fans  of  Gehenna's  _First
Spell_, take heed.) A touch of eerie distinction is provided  by  the
strange vocals, which lend an edge of real  extremity  to  the  music
while differing a bit from standard  underground  styles.  There  are
four songs here, and the whole thing is  over  in  about  twenty-nine
minutes. The production is crystalline. The band is from Norway.  The
man, the legend, is Vlad.


Witch-Hunt - _Prophecies of a Great Plague_  (X-Rated, August 1996)
by: Paul Schwarz  (7 out of 10)

A lot of good things have been  said  about  _Prophecies..._  in  the
underground, and I'm happy to say, it's not all hype. Let's  not  kid
ourselves, though: _Prophecies..._ is not a breakthrough in sound  or
songwriting. It has five tracks of well written and well played death
metal - no more but also no less. The bulk of the music is similar to
In Flames, Dark Tranquillity and other Gothenburg death  metal  (GDM)
bands, but the music has more aggression and  contains  less  melody.
One of the best parts of _Prophecies..._ is its keyboard intro/outro;
Witch-Hunt have written  truly  haunting  arrangements  which  really
complement the music. The production of the songs may  be  the  thing
which lets this release down: the drums are slightly too  clacky  and
the vocals don't always come through well. For me, this is mainly let
down by poor vocal and drum production, and I think  Witch-Hunt  will
reach  far  greater  heights  on  future  releases.   _Prophecies..._
certainly shows promise of better things to come.

Contact: X-Rated Records, c/o Mathias Kietzmann
         Apdo. Postal 1-2023, Cuernavaca, Mor., C.P.62001, Mexico
         Voice/Fax: +52-73-17 44 68
         mailto:xrr@mpsnet.com.mx
         WWW: http://members.tripod.com/~xrr/index.html
         Send $10+($2 P+P) for a copy of this album

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

If you have a band, don't forget to send us your demo with a  bio  if
you want to be reviewed; our address is included in the zine's
header.

Scoring:   ***** -- A flawless demo
            **** -- Great piece of work
             *** -- Good effort
              ** -- A major overhaul is in order
               * -- A career change is advisable


Death Squad - _Death Squad_  (4-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley  (***--)

I don't know whether to really like this band  (a  duo  comprised  of
Jared Drace  and  Joe  Beninati)  or  write  them  off  as  some  sad
characters trying to write metal music. Well, to tell you the  truth,
besides the really bad sounding production of this 4-song  demo,  the
music really isn't that bad. I tell ya, the production threw  me  off
here as seeing this initially as crap. Low  guttural  vocals  in  the
vein of Mortician burst from this demo tape with sludgy  guitars  and
hard-hitting drums bringing up the rear.  The  music,  for  the  most
part, is fast doses  of  riffs  and  grunts/growls  that  effectively
create some cool grooves and stop  at  nothing  to  bash  our  skulls
repeatedly. This stuff is violently brutal at times  and,  much  like
Mortician, the lower tuned the guitars are and the poorer  production
is, the better it sounds. An adequate demo and a definite gamble  for
most metallers giving it a listen.

Contact: 290 Collins Ave. Apt. 3B, Mt. Vernon, NY, USA, 10552
         mailto:DethSquad@aol.com


Diesel - _Diesel_  (3-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley  (****-)

I was blown away by the intensity and sheer power of  the  vocals  on
this three-song demo. A.J. Cavalier's vocals are very similar to  the
styles of new Voivod screamer Eric Forrest and Pro Pain's Gary Meskil
- and that is a good thing. Both of  those  vocalists  have  somewhat
unique styles that cater to their bands' particular style and format.
The same goes for Cavalier's singing style, as it works well with the
rest of Diesel's music. This stuff is heavy shit that  tears  at  you
from several angles:  rough  vocals,  juggernaut  riffs,  and  highly
intensive adrenaline  bursts.  Hearing  this  Los  Angeles  quartet's
second demo tape, I am convinced  that  there  are  bands  out  there
nowadays putting hard work into what they do. While Diesel's take  on
metal music may not be innovative or new (it's similar  in  style  to
old Prong, Pro Pain, and Voivod), it's the attitude of the music that
makes it all seem so new once again. I  am  eagerly  waiting  to  see
where the band takes its music in the next little while.

Contact: Ayres Rock Management, 6655 Wilkinson Avenue Suite 10
         North Hollywood, California, USA, 91606
         Voice/Fax: (818) 764-7317

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



                M E T A L   I N   T H E   M I T T E N
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
             The Michigan International Death Metal Fest
                          August 22/23, 1997
       by: Steve Hoeltzel, Adam Wasylyk and Alain M. Gaudrault

Steve says:
~~~~~~~~~~~

     All in all, I had a great time at  this  well-organized  two-day
event. The unofficial motto for the weekend: "Okay - I wanna see  you
fuckin' guys get fuckin' SICK!" I swear,  I  must  have  heard  those
exact words about  a  dozen  times  -  once  for  every  gore-fixated
"grinding death metal" band that I witnessed up on stage. Oh yes,  it
was gore metal aplenty - a  veritable  pot  pourri  of  sludge-gargle
jingles about eating and/or screwing the  following:  poop,  fetuses,
small children, unwilling females, corpses, and/or more poop. Yawn...
Still, there were  several  gore-iffic  bands  who  transcended  mere
slasher-movie cheesiness by belching forth a cloud of sound so  heavy
that it seemed to turn the air into a quaking mass of wet cement. The
mighty Fleshgrind deserve special mention  here,  as  do  Louisiana's
Sabbatic Feast. I seem to remember  finding  Deeds  of  Flesh  pretty
impressive as well.
     On the more technical and less "putrid" end of the  death  metal
spectrum were bands like Oppressor,  Abominant,  and  Monstrosity.  I
found the first two of these bands  enjoyable  and  fairly  original,
while Monstrosity struck me as pretty flat.  The  lack  of  a  second
guitar surely weakened their delivery, but beyond that,  I've  always
found their  material  to  be  sort  of  clinical-sounding.  Give  me
Cryptopsy or Incantation over Monstrosity any day. For  that  matter,
give me  Suffocation,  who  pounded  and  ground  through  a  totally
crushing set late Saturday night. No screwing around from these guys:
first song, "Liege of  Inveracity"!  Suffocation  struck  an  optimal
balance between their more  straight-ahead  earlier  stuff  and  more
structurally-twisted later material, even hammering us with a few new
songs from  their  upcoming  mini-CD.  Definitely  one  of  the  peak
performances of the weekend.
     Another definite high point: local black metallers  Summon,  who
really sounded excellent live. (See CoC #24 for  a  review  of  their
very cool debut CD, _Dark Descent of Fallen Souls_.) Given the talent
these guys possess, I'm surprised that they are not much more  widely
known. Hail True Michiganian Black Metal!!  Heheheh...  I  must  say,
though... no matter how strong my allegiance to the clandestine wilds
of Michigan, if we're ranking things state by  state,  then  Missouri
gets highest honors for spawning one of the most rapacious live  acts
I have ever seen: Angel Corpse. Already highly wicked on disk,  these
guys are beyond venomous in the flesh. I've never actually  been  run
over by a tank, but thanks to this band, I think I have a  fair  idea
of what that must be like. Owing to Absu's unfortunate  cancellation,
Angel Corpse played a full set both Friday night and Saturday night -
blasting, fiery black death, blindingly paced  by  John  Longstreth's
fucking UNBELIEVABLE percussive battery. (This guy is inhuman;  those
of us watching him closely were outright floored.) Nuclear  drumming,
relentless alien guitars, vocals dripping with  heathen  ill  will  -
this band blew me away. Twice.
     All in all, then, the festival was a highly  enjoyable  event  -
not merely on the musical level,  but  also  on  the  level  of  just
hanging out and having a good time. Big-time hails and gratitude  are
owed to Sandi "Metal Mom" Newton for putting  the  festival  together
once again! It's a shame that every state doesn't have its own  Metal
Mom, or Dad, or whoever: someone willing  to  put  up  with  all  the
bullshit and strife involved in organizing such an extreme event, and
able to keep things running as smoothly as this festival  did.  Great
show.


Adam says:
~~~~~~~~~~

     My overall view of this show  was  positive,  but  next  to  the
mammoth Milwaukee Metal Fest that I attended not more  than  a  month
previously - which boasted such acts as Hypocrisy,  Cradle  of  Filth
and Venom - it just doesn't compare. However, in Michigan, instead of
having a small time slot to play  in,  bands  were  given  a  sizable
amount of stage time (around half an hour). This does  the  fans  and
the band justice, so in this respect  the  Michigan  show  wins  out.
Unfortunately, the quality of bands was the big problem at this show.
Read on...
     I must admit that one of my motivations for going to the show in
the first place was just to hang out: to meet friends  and  make  new
contacts, but most of all to just talk metal! And we  (including  CoC
writers Alain and Steve) did exactly that.
     Why this was called an "international"  metal  fest  I'll  never
know, as I didn't see any acts that weren't  American.  Who  knows  -
perhaps one of the bands had a Canadian member. Or (going  out  on  a
limb) perhaps a band member was re-incarnated from a Norwegian Viking
warrior or a Swedish tree-dwelling troll? Who knows....
     One of the biggest problems I had with the show was  the  amount
of death/grind bands. As I've said before, I hold bands of this genre
to a high standard. If they don't meet this  standard,  then  I  just
can't appreciate them. It turned out that more than half of the bands
at the fest were pretty bad and not worth remembering.  Some  of  the
bands in this category were:  Exploding  Zombies,  Escalation  Anger,
Production Grey, Noctophilia, Regurgitation, Enter Self, Clean Flesh,
Disfigyerd and Doom Formation.
     Absu were perhaps the band I was most looking forward to seeing,
but unfortunately they had  to  cancel.  This  really  sucked,  as  I
thoroughly enjoyed them in  Milwaukee,  and  I  had  purchased  their
amazing _The Third Storm of Cythraul_ and become  familiar  with  its
material just for this show. However, Angel Corpse would make up  for
this disappointment by playing two  sets  (one  both  nights),  which
ended up being the highlight of the show. With  razor  sharp  guitars
and drums that totally amazed (just ask Alain about their drumming!),
I definitely won't be forgetting Angel Corpse's live voracity anytime
soon. Vital Remains also canceled, and that sucked too.
     Despite more than a few bombs, some of the 30+ bands  did  do  a
good job and are worthy of your attention. Summon played a great  set
of high speed death/black metal which had most onlookers  captivated.
Fleshgrind played some truly heavy and brutal death/grind, performing
material off their _Destined for Defilement_ CD and ending their  set
with my fave song "Anger". Deeds of Flesh, despite doing  a  horrible
job on their Repulse CD _Trading Pieces_, actually did a great job in
a live setting. Maybe it was due to their new  drummer?  Somnus  also
played a good set of atmospheric black metal with female vocals.
     The headliners obviously weren't as big as those  in  Milwaukee,
but they were entertaining nonetheless.  Master's  old  school  death
metal sound went over well  with  the  crowd,  including  one  of  my
favorite tracks, "Cut through the Filth". Hometown  favorites  Gutted
had the crowd enthralled with their set of  aggressive  death  metal.
Oppressor did an average job, and for doing so got  a  good  response
from their Midwest fans. Monstrosity played a good  set,  mixing  old
material and material off their latest,  _Millennium_.  Unfortunately
the band need a second guitarist to fill out their sound as live they
could have been so much better.  As  I  said  earlier,  Angel  Corpse
ruled, playing a whole bunch of tracks off their Osmose CD _Hammer of
Gods_, and some new tracks as well. Suffocation also played  a  great
set, performing a good variety of material, including new  stuff  off
their upcoming CD. This should be out any  time  now  on  the  band's
manager's  label,  called  Vulture  Entertainment  (if   I   remember
correctly).
     What made this a great trip was the hanging out and talking; the
music was incidental. Who knows if I'll attend  this  fest  again?  I
guess it'll depend not on the bands, but on which of my friends  will
be in attendance.


Alain says:
~~~~~~~~~~~

Thumbs up: Two sets of Angel Corpse, Angel Corpse drummer, Oppressor,
           Malamor, Escalation Anger, Metal Mom!

Thumbs  down:  Poor  bar   arrangement,   Suffocation's   sound,   no
             Suffocation CD release party, missing  (dead,  I  hear?)
             Monstrosity guitarist.

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

       SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW, AND ALL THINGS DEATH METAL
       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Malevolent Creation with Vital Remains, Infernal Majesty and Vader
           September 3, 1997 at the Gibus in Paris, France
                           by: Paul Schwarz

     Since it cost me £95 to attend this gig and the chance of  Vader
playing the UK anytime soon appeared slim,  I  was  hoping  this  gig
would be something special... it was. The concert was  held  at  what
was usually a shitty club; a low, tiny  stage,  a  curtain  over  one
corner for the band's dressing  room,  a  communal  toilet,  and  the
lights turned up (so that people would buy more drinks) brought  home
this reality. Since I lived in London and generally went  to  theater
sized venues, this was not what I was  accustomed  to.  Although  not
pleasant, the size and conditions added to the atmosphere;  this  gig
was truly underground, as the bands were selling  their  own  shirts,
signing autographs, and just chatting. There was no bullshit. The way
it should be.
     Vader were on first. Anyone in  the  audience  who  didn't  know
them, since their album isn't distributed in France, got to know and,
probably,  like  them  after  their  performance.  They   played   an
atmospheric intro while spending 5 minutes raising their arms in  the
sign of the horned one and exciting the crowd to a point  of  extreme
anticipation. Next, all of Vader bowed their heads silently, as if in
prayer, for 5 minutes. When the intro finished and the band  launched
straight into "Sothis," I knew that not a penny of my money was going
to waste. The sound was incredible and the energy which came  through
from  every  instrument  was  amazing,  especially  Doc's   faultless
drumming. Vader went through a set consisting  of  "Sothis",  "Silent
Empire", "Dark Age", "Carnal", "Reborn In Flames" (new song #2),  and
'Testimony'. The first new song, "Carnal", was interesting;  it  used
slow chords, sudden stops, speaking from Peter, and sudden blast beat
drumming. If the new album equals the  quality  of  both  new  songs,
November shall be a good month. Vader played a short set, but it  was
brilliant from the first beat to the last note.
     Next were Infernal Majesty, a band I have never  heard  or  seen
before. They also had an intro, but it did not get as much of a crowd
response as Vader. I think a majority of  this  crowd  were  fans  of
recent death metal, and, consequently, Infernal Majesty got the  most
controlled response of the night. They lacked the theatrics from  the
inlay photos on their debut and played what  sounded  like  a  decent
set.  However,  their  engineer  seemed  unable  to  manipulate   the
soundboard in the way Vader's had done. What we were left with was  a
competent band playing in bad conditions to a clueless audience. It's
a real pity, since Infernal Majesty has returned 10 years  after  the
release of their debut album and need to make their mark  again,  yet
this show doesn't make them appear as legendary as  so  many  believe
them to be.
     Vital Remains took the stage after Infernal Majesty.  They  were
greeted with a more knowledgeable response, and  also  appeared  with
forearm spikes and looked very much like a death  metal  band.  Their
set had a better sound than Infernal Majesty's  but  not  as  good  a
sound as Vader's. The music and atmosphere were  both  very  charged.
Having heard only _Let Us Pray_ twice and 'I Am  God'  from  _Forever
Underground_, the aforementioned song was the only one that  I  could
distinguish  from  the  45   minute   set.   Vital   Remains   played
exceptionally well and  appeared  to  play  everything  right  which,
considering the technicality of their music, was no  mean  feat.  The
sound emphasized both the slower, more powerful parts and the  faster
sections. The only problem for  Vital  Remains,  and  all  the  bands
throughout the night, was all the fucking people who  got  on  stage,
obscured the band, and knocked into the equipment.  Stage  diving  is
for hardcore gigs and bigger stages. These idiots should have respect
for the bands; on stage is where the bands belong, and the pit is for
the fans.
     Malevolent Creation waited a while to actually appear,  but  the
anticipation was evident; the audience  shouted  and  applauded  when
their drummer came on to start the soundcheck. Once again, I  do  not
know Malevolent Creation's music song for song, but the small PA gave
them a crunchy sound which captivated the audience for over  an  hour
with some excellent death metal. Malevolent Creation  impressed  more
than just the crowd; when I was listening to the set with Shambo from
Vader, a song came on and he began drumming  on  the  table,  as  did
David Suzuki who was sitting close by. This was an incredible  night,
the bands were great and so were most of  the  fans.  The  music,  as
ever, was brutal and brilliant. If you get the chance to  see  either
this lineup or any of the bands live (with the possible exception  of
Infernal Majesty), DO NOT PASS IT UP!!!

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

         C R A S H   A N D   B U R N   B A B Y ,   B U R N !
         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                Crash Worship plays The Somber Reptile
                  Atlanta, Georgia, August 29, 1997
                        by: Andrew Lewandowski

     The nonsensical chatting of a human herd suddenly ceases, as the
thunder generated by an approaching stream  of  bellicose  percussion
heralds the subversion of all rational action. Soon,  tangible  forms
join the aural bombast. Despite possessing the attributes of a normal
human being, these creatures  were  no  procreation  of  a  Christian
mother and father. Instead, they appeared as  if  they  were  profane
anachronisms,   granted   immortality   through   some   metaphysical
transgression in an archaic Jamaican  voodoo  cult.  I  profess  that
these  were  no  human  beings,  but  demons;  their  destitute  rags
accentuated charred and emaciated sinews,  illuminating  their  gross
musculature.  If  their  bodies  manifested   the   potentiality   of
effortlessly killing a man, their eyes proved that this was  no  mere
threat. The stoicism of their expression only belied the true  nature
shining in their eyes, which is the harbor of all  visceral  emotion.
Each malignant eye portrayed a degree of raw  ferocity  unequaled  in
our domesticated society; an impetuousness commensurate with only the
the erotic dance of the flames wielded on clubs by several brutes  as
they stalked amidst the intoxicated herd.
     So what exactly was this obscure spectacle? The ritual of a cult
ushering new  members  into  their  sacred  fraternity?  A  transient
descent into depravity? Or an insurrection against  the  jurisdiction
of rational thought, perpetrated by those  who  are  enslaved  in  an
office during less ungodly hours? Actually, this  was  just  a  Crash
Worship concert.
     After  the  culmination  of  this  initial  evocation,   silence
descended upon the mass of spectators, who, by now,  had  joined  the
band as participants. Upon the first cataclysmic slash into the heart
of ephemeral silence, the audience once again began  to  move.  Soon,
the entire herd gyrated in concordance  with  the  cascade  of  harsh
rhythms emitted from both stage and audience. Once combined with  the
intermittent waves of pulsating white light thrust  upon  the  crowd,
the effect was truly hallucinatory, as each  mind  became  completely
submerged under the despotism of the power generated by not only  the
music, but also the fetid aura of transgression which  emanated  from
the air. The arrival of a naked, masked woman carried by four  slaves
on a platform ornamented with gold and grapes (plus a few  refreshing
slices of watermelon, I might add) only served as a  mere  effigy  of
the perverse ambiance. Alas,  in  this  age,  never  does  an  erotic
presence last. As the mental approached the death intrinsic  in  this
ambiance,  the  mind  severed  its  ties  with  the  body,  yet   its
transcendence towards an ecstatic liberation was  terminated  by  the
intrusion of a subjugating social power (the deeds of  a  policeman),
which resurrected the reign of rationality and tarnished the  night's
potential to have a lasting effect on this body.

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

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

Gino's Top 5

1. Life of Agony - _River Runs Red_
2. The Crystal Method - _Vegas_
3. Brutal Truth - _Sounds of the Animal Kingdom_
4. Brutal Truth - _Need To Control_
5. Juno Reactor - _Bible Of Dreams_

Adrian's Top 5

1. Six Feet Under - _Warpath_
2. Today Is The Day - _Temple Of The Morning Star_
3. Juno Reactor - _Bible Of Dreams_
4. Dub War - _Feel The Pain_
5. Life Of Agony - _Soul Searching Sun_

Brian's Top 5

1. Setherial - _Nord_
2. Cryptopsy - _None So Vile_
3. Dissonance - _Look to Forget_
4. Ved Buens Ende - _Written in Waters_
5. Dimmu Borgir - _Enthrone Darkness Triumphant_

Alain's Top 5

1. Mundane - _Feeding on a Lower Spine_
2. Dimmu Borgir - _Enthrone Darkness Triumphant_
3. Flotsam & Jetsam - _High_
4. Sentenced - _Drown_
5. Bal-Sagoth - _Starfire Burning Upon the
          Ice-Veiled Throne of Ultima Thule_

Steve's Top 5

1. Xibalba - _Ah Dzam Poop Ek_
2. Niden Div. 187 - _Impergium_
3. Aeturnus - _Beyond the Wandering Moon_
4. Master's Hammer - _The Filemnice Occultist_
5. The Misfits - _Static Age_

Adam's Top 5

1. Macabre - _Sinster Slaughter_
2. Phobia - _Return to Desolation_
3. Hecate Enthroned - _The Slaugher of Innocence..._
4. Suffocation - _Human Waste_ EP
5. Enemy Soil - _Casualities of Progress_ 7"

Drew's Top 5

1. Iron Maiden - _Best of the Beast_
2. Rush - _A Show of Hands_
3. Blackstar - _Barbed Wire Soul_
4. Algaion - _General Enmity_
5. Metallica - _And Justice For All_

Andrew's Top 5

1. Aeturnus - _Beyond the Wandering Moon_
2. Faust - _IV_
3. Archon Satani - _The Righteous Way to Completion_
4. Immortal - _Pure Holocaust_
5. Philip Glass - _La Belle et la Bete_

Pedro's Top 5

1. In the Woods... - _Omnio_
2. Samael - _Passage_
3. The Blood Divine - _Mystica_
4. Emperor - _Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk_
5. Katatonia - _Dance of December Souls_

Paul's Top 5

1. Brutal Truth - _Sounds Of The Animal Kingdom_
2. Cenotaph - _Epic Rites_
3. Malevolent Creation - _Eternal_
4. Dominus - _Vol.Beat_
5. Konkhra - _Spit Or Swallow_

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


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 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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DESCRIPTION
~~~~~~~~~~~
Chronicles of Chaos is a monthly magazine electronically  distributed
worldwide via the Internet. Chronicles of Chaos focuses on all  forms
of chaotic music including black, death and doom metal, dark/ambient,
industrial and electronic/noise as well as  classic  and  progressive
metal. Each issue will feature a plethora of  album  reviews  from  a
wide range  of  bands,  as  well  as  interviews  with  some  of  the
underground's best acts. Also included in each issue are demo reviews
and indie band interviews.

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

AUTOMATIC FILESERVER
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All back issues and various other CoC related files are available for
automatic retrieval through our e-mail fileserver. All you have to do
is  send  a  message  to  us  at   <mailto:ginof@interlog.com>.   The
'Subject:' field of your message must read: "send file X"  where  'X'
is the name of the requested file (do not include the  quotes).  Back
issues are named 'coc-n', where  'n'  is  the  issue  number.  For  a
description of all files available through this  fileserver,  request
'list'. Remember to use lowercase letters for all file names.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #25

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

