
   .|'''', '||                                       '||`              
   ||       ||                             ''         ||               
   ||       ||''|, '||''| .|''|, `||''|,   ||  .|'',  ||  .|''|, ('''' 
   ||       ||  ||  ||    ||  ||  ||  ||   ||  ||     ||  ||..||  `'') 
   `|....' .||  || .||.   `|..|' .||  ||. .||. `|..' .||. `|...  `...' 
                                                                       
                                                                       
                  .|';    .|'''', '||                          
                  ||      ||       ||                          
          .|''|, '||'     ||       ||''|,  '''|.  .|''|, ('''' 
          ||  ||  ||      ||       ||  || .|''||  ||  ||  `'') 
          `|..|' .||.     `|....' .||  || `|..||. `|..|' `...' 


       CHRONICLES OF CHAOS E-Zine, November 18, 1996, Issue #15

Editor-in-Chief: Gino Filicetti <ginof@io.org> <_DeaTH_ on #metal>
Coordinator: Adrian Bromley <energizr@interlog.com>
Assistant Editor: Alain M. Gaudrault <alain@mks.com>
Contributor: Brian Meloon <bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>
Contributor: Steve Hoeltzel <hoeltzel@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>
Contributor: Adam Wasylyk <macabre@interlog.com>
Contributor: Drew Schinzel <drew@magpage.com>
Contributor: Andrew Lewandowski <lewan@peachnet.campus.mci.net>
Mailing List provided by: The University of Colorado at Boulder

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

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

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

WORLD WIDE WEB SITE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are currently  in  the  process  of  constructing  a  website  for
Chronicles of Chaos. You can  check  it  out  by  pointing  your  web
browser  to  http://www.io.org/~ginof/coc.html.  If  you   have   any
comments    or    suggestions,    please    e-mail    Brian    Meloon
<bmeloon@math.cornell.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 <ginof@io.org>. The  'Subject:'  field  of
your message must read: "send file X" where 'X' is the  name  of  the
requested file. Back issues are named 'coc-n', where 'n' is the issue
number. For  a  description  of  all  files  available  through  this
fileserver, request 'list'. Remember to use lowercase letters for all
file names. If you experience any problems or are having  difficulty,
feel free to e-mail us the usual way at <ginof@io.org>.

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

Issue #15 Contents, 11/18/96
----------------------------
* Editorial
* Loud Letters
* Ferocious Features
-- Revealing the Brutal Truth
-- Exit-13: Exit to Euphoria
-- Human Remains: Revealing the Remains
-- Type O Negative: Spreading the Darkness Once Again
-- Vision of Disorder: Expressing the Vision
* Chaotic Chat Sessions
-- Dimmu Borgir: Storming the Black Castle
-- Stuck Mojo: When Pigs Fly
* Independent Interrogations
-- Anhkrehg: Montreal's Maniacs
* Record Revelations
-- Abscess - _Seminal Vampires and Maggot Men_
-- Acid Bath - _Paegan Terrorism Tactics_
-- Dio - _Angry Machines_
-- Dismal Euphony - _Soria Moria Slott_
-- Twelve After Elf - _Twelve After Elf_
-- Equinox of the Gods - _Images of Forgotten Memories_
-- N.A.O.S. - _Melancholia_
-- Shadowcaster - _Abandonment_     
-- Sort Vokter - _Folkloric Necro Metal_ 
-- Tsatthoggua - _Hosanna Bizarre_  
-- Gomorrah - _Caress the Grotesque_
-- Human Remains - _Using Sickness as a Hero_  
-- Inner Thought - _Perspectives_
-- Korn - _Life Is Peachy_
-- Iron Maiden - _Best of the Beast_
-- Manhole - _All Is Not Well_
-- Manowar - _Louder Than Hell_
-- Merzbow - _Rainbow Electronics 2_
-- Morgoth - _Feel Sorry for the Fanatic_
-- Atrax Morgue - _Cut My Throat_
-- Nevermore - _The Politics of Ecstasy_
-- Old Man's Child - _In the Shades of Life_ MCD
-- Overdose - _Scars_
-- Oxiplegatz - _Worlds and Worlds_
-- Pyogenesis - _Love Nation Sugarhead_ EP
-- Serenade - _The 28th Parallel_
-- Slapdash - _Slapdash_
* New Noise
-- Anhkrehg - _Brutal Witching-Metal_
-- Engulfed - _Castellated Architecture_
-- Human Disorder - _Twisted Sane_
-- Jim Studnicki - _The Second Day_
-- Mono Grande - _Mono Grande_
-- Phycus - _Sonderkommando Now_
-- Prototype - _Seed_
-- Thug - _Monochrome_
-- Within - _Bliss_
* Chaotic Concerts
-- An Evening of Intensity: Anal Cunt with Incantation
-- Danzig Does Detroit: Danzig with Speedball
-- Vicious Violence Vented: Voivod with Crisis and Pro-pain
* Writer's Wrath
-- Scouring the Scottish Scene
* Tours of Torture
* What We Have Cranked
-- Special Samhain Edition
* The Final Word

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

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

     Here it is folks, the big 1-5. That's right, CoC #15! What's  so
special about this issue you ask? Well, nothing  really:  except  the
fact that we're still around, pumping out the finest features for all
you fiends. 
     That said, I must make an announcement about CoC #16. It will be
released a little later than usual, but that is because we need  time
to prepare a wealth of great material for it. It is  going  to  be  a
special issue, jam-packed with shitloads of interviews  and  reviews.
You'll be in for a shock in December, believe you me.
     As you may have noticed, the survey I've been promising you  all
hasn't been sent out yet. Things are  just  too  hectic  around  here
right now. The projected release date for the survey (which will be a
separate mailing from the magazine), is some time after the  18th  of
December (my last exam). I hope you will all participate!
     As you'll notice in this month's Loud Letters, as  well  as  the
past couple of months, there  is  another  request  for  an  "oldies"
review section where we review some classic albums. At first,  I  was
closed to the idea, but since it seems that more than one of  you  is
in favour of the idea, I've  decided  to  entertain  the  suggestion.
However, this will not be a regular monthly column; instead, it  will
be part of next month's special issue and any other special issues we
may have in the future.
     Your Loud Letters seem to be coming in at a steady pace  lately,
so I can't complain about lack of feedback. Thanks to all of you  who
have taken a few milliseconds out  of  your  life  to  send  us  some
e-mail. You rule.
     Lastly, I just want to mention  that  our  subscriber  list  has
topped 800 since our last issue, and right now  it's  hovering  around
the 850 range. Add to this the number of people who read our magazine
via our web page, and those who are not privileged enough  to  own  a
computer and must rely on the few of you who actually print up CoC. I
am, and always will be, in awe of the number of people we've  managed
to reach through CoC. I hope we've been living up to  your  standards,
and we will endeavor to continue  doing  so.  Until  then,  I'm  Gino
Filicetti saying, "Enjoy the rest of the 'zine!"

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

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

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

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


Date: Thr, 17 Oct 1996
From: JDBowden <jbowden@ASSB01.ARL.MIL>
Subject: Great Death/Black Metal Source

Gino:
I am going to give you a  great  little  operation  to  plug  in  the
Chronicles. Elergy is a kick ass source for cassettes  and  CDs.  His
selection isn't the biggest, but sells the Brutal best. He works  out
of his home and his prices are rock bottom and no postal  charge  for
the continental U.S. He is extremely knowledgeable in  these  genres.
His stock is  for  the  Extreme  Metalhead.  This  kudos  is  totally
unsolicited. He is just a no bullshit dude trying to  make  a  living
selling what he enjoys, how many of us wish we could do that. Here is
his number:

ELEGY - (201) 614-0670  (6:30pm to 11:00pm EST)

Check out his Website: http://www.grave.com/~elegy


Date: Fri, 15 Nov 1996
From: "Jason St. Jacques" <jstjacqu@uoguelph.ca>
Subject: Festival

FESTIVAL OF FIENDS (FIENDS NOT FRIENDS)

When:   Saturday, December 21st, 1996.  Doors open at 3 p.m.
Where:  Royal Canadian Legion (Branch 60), 828 Burlington, Ontario.
Who: 17 bands from Hamilton,  Burlington,  Oakville,  and  Waterdown.
        Disgruntled Postal Workers,  Brown  Like  Dirt,  the  Vapids,
        Tom's Lunch, Six Sins Left(formerly known as State of Grace),
        Helen's  Basement,  Balm,  Photosiren,   failsafe,   Remotely
        Kosher,  Marvin  K.  Mooney,  Chauvez,  This  Side   Down...,
        Overhead, and three bands who are presently choosing new 
        names.
        In an effort to avoid labels I have not mentioned what  style
        each band plays,
What:   $8 admision at the door.  The show is all ages/licensed.
How:    Festival of Fiends Hot-line--(905)-336-3376

Thank you for your time;
Jason St. Jacques


Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996
From: Kris <kris@mail.telepac.pt>
Subject: Hail to the Metalic conspiracy

Hail Gino! I appreciate a lot COC although I do not  like  all  bands
exposed! Keep on going with it I appreciate your willpower and  honor
to proceed as you do so!! Never let the scene die! NEVER! I wonder it
if is possible to write a short note about Rites and that I  will  be
taking part in Blood servant mag on COC? Thanxsssssssss

Constance/ aka NataSSsja..........


Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996
From: Jack <sorcerer@gnn.com>
Subject: Loud Letters

Dear CoC,

Great job on issue #14! I can find little fault with  your  excellent
'zine.

My primary purpose for writing is to second the  motion  proposed  by
Zev Toledano  <zeevt@superstudio.co.il>  in  October's  Loud  Letters
section. Zev suggested a new column that would have a few reviews  of
old CD's that merit attention. As he wrote,  this  section  would  be
most interesting to new fans who may not  have  heard  the  music  of
bands like Destruction, Blood Feast, Assassin, etc. I'd be  happy  to
contribute each month a review or two of albums from my collection of
classic extreme metal. We should not let this music be forgotten!

-Jack Medley

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* "All things please Nature.  * <http://members.gnn.com/ *
*  We serve Her as we sin." *   sorcerer/homepage.htm >*
*  - Exodus                         *    FUCK CENSORSHIP   *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

P.S. Keyboards rule! ;)


Date: Wed, 16 Oct 1996
From: Fin Allman <finianm@minyos.its.rmit.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: Chronicles of Chaos #14 (1/4)

LOUD LETTERS.

FROM FIN ALLMAN

RE: Letter from GREGORY NALBANDIAN

DEAR GREGORY, 
     Well hello mr expert i know everything  and  i  am  the  biggest
death metal know it all  in  the  universe.  Gee  i  wish  i  was  as
powerfull as you. You know everything about music. And you  are  such
an expert you know how shit pan thy is. 
     Well dickhead since your such an expert where is your  fantastic
brutal evil death metal band and what is your cd called. You seem  to
know so much your album would have to sell 48 billion copies. 
     I dont even like pan thy and i can still say it is  one  of  the
best releases to date. You kneed a brain to make music like that. Bet
you could not play it. 

	You weak minded winner. 


Date: Tue,  5 Nov 96
From: wizard@finet.rosmail.com
Subject: Loud Letter

Hi guys!
I'm Dmitry Kobozev from Russia, Stavropol
    (aka Unholy Black Wizard)

Yours e-zine is fucking amazing stuff! Keep working in this way!  I'm
a great fan of Black Metal and your `zine help me to check  out  some
new releases. I've reading these e-zine from #8 and now want to write
some words.
   Did you know anything about EMPEROR? What  these  guys  are  doing
now? I'm tired to waiting for new album.  And  what  about  ex-MAYHEM
members? There are they (except Hellhammer)?
   Some about COC#14 -> All was ok, but why you  write  MORK  GRYNING
release date as May 1996?? I've purchased this CD at end of 1995!

    Dmitry        <Wizard@Finet.rosmail.com>
    [Black Wizard]                             BLACK METAL forever!


Date: Tue, 22 Oct 96
From: "GONCHAROV I.A." <ivan@rsuss1.rnd.runnet.ru>
Subject: Loud Letters

Hi, Gino!
With pleasure I was reading your last  e-zine.  In  one  I  foundmany
interest for me reviews and letters. In section "Loud  Letters"  I've
read the letter of Zev Toledano about old releases. It's  good  idea.
Let's suscribers will write about which release they want to read and
if you can you'll write in zine (if  it's  possible  certainly).  Ok?
Also I want to answer on letter Gregory Nalbandian. From  first  side
he is right. Often and my mark's of  releases  don't  identical  with
CoC's one. But from second side... In Russia says "On color and taste
don't find a friend". It's all.

P.S. Your e-zine is good work guys. Keep it forever.

                     Best regards. 
                                                    Andy Sayanov
                                                    Russia
                                           ivan@rsuss1.rnd.runnet.ru

[Well, it looks like we're going to have to please  you  all,  so  if
it's oldies you want, it's oldies you're gonna get. We've decided  to
include a special section in our next issue where we will review some
of our favorite albums of yesteryear. Hope you all like it -- Gino]

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
    ___________                        .__
    \_   _____/__________  ____   ____ |__| ____  __ __  ______
     |    __)/ __ \_  __ \/  _ \_/ ___\|  |/  _ \|  |  \/  ___/
     |     \\  ___/|  | \(  <_> )  \___|  (  <_> )  |  /\___ \
     \___  / \___  >__|   \____/ \___  >__|\____/|____//____  >
         \/      \/                  \/                     \/
      ___________            __
      \_   _____/___ _____ _/  |_ __ _________   ____   ______
       |    __)/ __ \\__  \\   __\  |  \_  __ \_/ __ \ /  ___/
       |     \\  ___/ / __ \|  | |  |  /|  | \/\  ___/ \___ \
       \___  / \___  >____  /__| |____/ |__|    \___  >____  >
           \/      \/     \/                        \/     \/

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


         R E V E A L I N G   T H E   B R U T A L   T R U T H 
         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
             An interview with New York's kings of grind
                          by: Adrian Bromley
	
     The leap from Earache Records to  Relapse  Records  has  been  a
positive one for Brutal Truth members Danny Lilker (bass),  guitarist
Brent "Gurn" McCarty, vocalist Kevin Sharp, and drummer Richard Hoak.
The band's debut album/EP release for Relapse Records, entitled _Kill
Trend  Suicide_  and  produced  by  Billy  Anderson   (The   Melvins,
Neurosis), is thirty-five minutes of insanely  violent  guitar  riffs
fused between spurts of anger and raw intensity. In the end, _KTS_ is
a powerhouse of sound and might that would shake even  the  strongest
foundations.
     While  with  Earache,  the  band  made   its   mark   with   the
well-received  releases  of  _Need  to   Control_,   the   _Perpetual
Conversion_ EP, and _Extreme Conditions  Demand  Extreme  Responses_,
but as time went on, the band and label parted ways leading the  band
in the direction of Relapse Records. Now with the EP (and full-length
debut for the label to surface in early 1997), the band plans to once
again make some noise with their  multifaceted  and  original  sound.
From grindcore to death metal,  Brutal  Truth  has  managed  to  keep
things different with each release since forming in 1990.
     "A lot of the material was written when we were in limbo between
Earache and Relapse," starts drummer Richard Hoak over the phone from
the Relapse offices. "At that time, we were in the  rehearsal  studio
three times a week. We didn't stop  writing  music  just  because  we
didn't have a label. We always kept recording. A lot of the stuff  we
had recorded on an 8-track in the studio. When we had decided to work
with Billy (Anderson), we had sent him the  live  8-track  recordings
which we had liked because of the live and raw intensity.  The  songs
sounded like they would if we were playing them live and we wanted to
capture that," describes Hoak about making the record. "We didn't  do
everything we wanted to do with this record but we  did  pretty  much
what we could do."
     And why an EP as opposed to a full-length debut?  Answers  Hoak,
"We knew we had to record it cheaply and quickly, and had to  have  a
live overall sound. So we made the EP and it turned out the live  way
we    wanted    it.    I    describe     this     record     as     a
"full-on-grindcore-chaotic-noise-mayhem" that'll rip your  head  off,
but at the same time seems so beautiful." He laughs.
     One thing that most fans will note of  the  newer  Brutal  Truth
stuff is the sound. As opposed to what the band had done  with  _NtC_
or _ECDER_, the newer material is much more focused on speed and  raw
aggression rather than a  dominating  factor  of  being  extreme  and
grindcore sounding. Hoak thinks that might turn off some  older  fans
of the band. "I'm afraid some of the older fans might  not  dig  this
record as it doesn't sound like the older records  sound.  There  are
real people who get offended by that. Some people will come up to  us
and say, 'Man, _ECDER_ was such a heavy record and  why  doesn't  the
new record sound like that? I dug _ECDER_ but why is this record like
this?' I say that is great for those people and  they  will  have  to
listen to _ECDER_ all the time then. Like I say to all those  people,
this is where we are at. These songs were written in a  very  natural
way and came out of us while we  were  sitting  around  playing  with
nothing to do. I think they are more musical and  coherent.  We  like
the way they sound. It sounds like the music sounds when we  play  it
and that was important to us when we started to record this record."
     So what is different? What are people seeing to be the different
factor between this album and the older material? "A lot of the older
fans dig it. They think our blasts of speed and intensity have gotten
a lot more intense and faster which is hard to believe. Everything is
not so mechanical anymore as it was. It is like all the other records
and their intensity is controlled going 'Grrr!' and with  _KTS_,  the
intensity is more raw and primal. It is more of a natural growl going
'Grr..ah..ah..grrr! It is hard to explain but I hope you see  what  I
mean."
     About the making of music he says, "We please ourselves when  we
make music, first. If it doesn't sound  good  to  us  then  we  don't
record it. It is a natural way of songwriting. For me personally as a
drummer, I like being able to play the whole thing through and having
all the parts fit together nicely. The song as a whole has  to  work,
and then I am comfortable with it."
     One thing Hoak will attest to is the way his role as a  musician
has changed over the years. Whether it be going from record label  to
record label, recording albums and/or touring, Hoak has been  a  part
of a changing scene and now feels things are on the up and up for the
band. "It has gotten a lot better since  signing  to  Relapse,"  says
Hoak. "It was such a horror story at Earache for us. They  work  hard
here at Relapse and expect us to work hard too which we  do.  I  have
run into a bunch of jerks in the long run whether it be  club  owners
or label people but I have also met a lot of nice people in  the  end
too. And that makes being in this business a lot more enjoyable."

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

                   E X I T   T O   E U P H O R I A 
                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                      An interview with Exit-13
                           by: Adam Wasylyk

     Exit-13 have always been on the experimental side. On both prior
albums, _Don't Spare the Green Love_ and _Ethos Musick_, the  use  of
pro-pot lyrics and their jazzy-grindcore sound  separated  them  from
the horde  of  generic  grindcore  bands.  With  their  latest  opus,
_Smoking Songs_, Exit-13 have further experimented with  their  sound
by dropping the blast beat drumming and grinding guitars, and instead
playing the trombone and piano! What can be heard on  the  album  are
jazz/blues cover tunes of 1920s, 30s, and 40s marijuana  anthems.  On
my first listen, I didn't quite understand what I was hearing, but  I
soon found myself snapping my fingers and  tapping  my  toes  to  the
music.
     I had a pleasant chat with Bliss Blood,  better  known  for  her
work in Pain Teens, from her New York home. Bliss contributed all  of
the female vocals that can be  heard  on  _Smoking  Songs_,  and  the
amazing kazoo playing on the track "1'1 (Thirteen  Inches  of  Fun)",
which was on the _UHF/VHF_ Relapse compilation.  Her  vocal  work  is
definitely one of the outstanding points on the record, which  really
complements the jazzy music.
     First off, Bliss explained how she came to meet up with a couple
of the members of Exit-13 and how she ended up  singing  on  _Smoking
Songs_. "I've known Dan (Lilker) and Rich (Hoak)  from  Brutal  Truth
since 1993 when my band Pain Teens did  a  tour  with  them  and  the
Boredoms. Danny  had  been  playing  on  Exit-13  records  with  Bill
(Yurkiewicz) and Steve (O'Donnell),  so  when  they  started  kicking
around this idea to do this record, Danny immediately thought  of  me
as far as a female vocalist that sang jazz. Although that's not  what
the Pain Teens was about, he knew I was into jazz. I talked  to  Bill
and we clicked as far as our aesthetics of what we wanted to do, so I
just flew up and we did some sections [of  songs]".  When  recording,
Bliss did have some choice as to which songs were going to be covered
for the album. "I picked out the songs with the female vocals that  I
liked, and they had already picked out some  other  songs  that  they
wanted to do, like "Hemp Cake". We basically all agreed on the  songs
that we were covering, as there weren't that many to choose from,  so
it was pretty easy".
     On my first listen to _Smoking Songs_, I truly wondered if  this
was some sort of joke or gag. Was this album a serious one? I  shared
my feelings with Bliss, who answered, "It's sort of a novelty  album,
compared to the grindy stuff. But most of Exit-13's albums have  been
thematically along the same lines, like "smoke a lot of pot." In that
sense, it was a continuation of their ideas with a  different  format
for it. It's pretty adventurous of them to even think of  doing  what
they did".
     On listening to all 13 tracks, what is evident is each track had
been modernized to a more 1990s sound, while still sounding  true  to
the original. Bliss acknowledged this and also  informed  me  on  her
involvement in the studio. "I had a little bit of influence as far as
ideas  for  the  arrangement  of  some  of  the  songs,"  she  began,
"especially when the trombone player came in. I was giving  him  some
ideas as far as  the  parts  that  he  was  playing.  He  could  play
Dixieland music anyway, but I did help him  with  specific  licks.  I
thought that the guys were going to modernize [the songs] a lot  more
when they mixed them down, like add lots of weird, tripped-out stuff.
Like the mix that I did on "If You're a Viper", you can hear the bass
[which was] a later re-mix that they did. I suggested that they  make
it sound like it was in a big room, like Carnegie Hall. I was  pretty
surprised when I got the tape later on, and that they mixed it really
straight. I wish I would have had more imput if I had been here  when
they mixed it. It would have been a little different".
     Will older fans like _Smoking Songs_? "What Bill told me is that
the fans of Exit-13 were intelligent and open minded enough to  check
out different things. But basically,  they're  not  really  concerned
with doing music for the fans, they're  concerned  with  doing  music
they dig. I'm sure a lot people who just like grindcore  won't  check
it out, but you'd be surprised, a lot of  people  like  variety,  and
especially if they're big pot smokers they're going to like it."
     And finally, I asked Bliss if she'll record with Exit-13  again,
and if she knew where the band was headed next. "I don't know.  We've
been talking about maybe doing a series of these records. Like  doing
one record about getting drunk, and one record of  sexy  blues  songs
from the '30s, because there's ton's of those. We may do  some  other
projects, it just depends on how busy everyone is."  I  wondered  out
loud if perhaps some of the attraction to Exit-13 is not knowing what
they'll do next? "They definitely  are  looking  for  ways  to  amuse
themselves, as far as sheer variety [goes]. They  want  to  keep  the
audience on their toes".

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      S P R E A D I N G   D A R K N E S S   O N C E   A G A I N 
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                    CoC Interviews Type O Negative
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Gothic/metal Brooklyn-ites Type O Negative return to  the  music
scene with _October Rust_, the follow-up opus to 1993's well-received
and breakthrough record for the band, _Bloody Kisses_.
     On _OR_, Type O have somewhat shifted their darkened, aggressive
tendencies into a more eloquent and seductive method of pleasing  the
listener this time out. The music on _OR_ is  a  very  sinister,  yet
ethereal dose of gothic mayhem (VERY Sisters Of Mercy-ish) bounded by
overwhelming  guitar  riffs,   haunting   vocals,   and   atmospheric
keyboards. The band has once  again  set  their  goals  on  achieving
success with their latest  long  player,  and  to  tour  extensively,
something they did (2 years of touring) with _BK_.
     Sitting with  keyboardist/producer  Josh  Silver  (the  band  is
rounded out by bassist/singer Peter Steele, drummer Johnny Kelly, and
guitarist Kenny Hickey) it isn't hard to sense the compassion and the
admiration he has for Type O's new release and the direction the band
is now headed. 
     "The album we have created is a natural evolution. I think  many
bands find a click or sound that works with them and they stick  with
it," points out Silver. "We don't do that. We try to be as  different
as we can and we never try to repeat ourselves and what we  do.  Just
because _BK_ was successful or did well doesn't mean we are going  to
make _BK II_. We have such an admiration for bands like  The  Beatles
who put out a variety of stuff."
     The album, which Silver calls "psychedelic, sexual, smooth,  and
satirical," is a rather assorted supply of melodic  pieces  of  music
and full of trademark Type O sounds. Silver  agrees.  "I  think  that
this album has some of the elements we used with _BK_,  and  some  of
the ideas and sounds of _Slow, Deep and Hard_ (1991). To me  this  is
where the band was always going." He adds, "It was never  intentional
to write melodic or commercial songs. We do what we do  and  I  think
that will bring in more fans, ultimately, than be what we are not."
     "Recording is an experimental process that never  ends,"  states
Silver about the making of the record. "I mean, when we were  in  the
studio mixing the record, we were changing  things  around.  I  don't
think this record came easier or harder  for  us.  We  were  under  a
different set of conditions to work under and we adapted to it."
     The album _OR_ was recorded in a short period of time  following
the finale of the _BK_ tour and the start up of this tour. The  band,
with Silver and Steele producing, took  time  to  get  the  mood  and
sounds right for them on _OR_. Sure  there  was  some  pressure  from
labels and fans to repeat success, there always is, but  Silver  says
there are ultimate methods to block those  pressures  out.  "We  take
lots of drugs trying to forget about the whole  business  end  of  it
while recording. If it sounds good to us then we'll do it but  if  we
are not happy, then there is no point in doing it."
     Silver also notes that bands do change, and the years of touring
and road experience do bring about  changes,  something  Type  O  has
witnessed. He smirks and says, "Man... if you are the same person you
were six years ago, then you are in deep shit and something is really
wrong."
     Silver, who is 33, says that  as  things  evolve  and  the  band
grows, his views of the industry shift. He has been  exposed  to  the
ways of the industry and has had to find ways to  get  by  and  still
remain the same person. But things have changed.  Confident  that  he
will be involved in the music industry in years to come,  whether  it
be in the band or behind the table twiddling  knobs  as  a  producer,
Silver is still figuring out what his  role  will  be.  "We  are  not
seventeen year-olds in a band thinking, 'I want to do  this  for  the
rest of my life.' I don't know what I will be doing in the  years  to
come. I know it will have something to do with  music.  I  know  that
being in a band is tough; I chose this way to go, but  being  on  the
road 3 or 4 years does rip apart your life. It was my  choice  to  do
this and in your life you make lots  of  choices  and  sometimes  you
don't know what the consequences will be. You give it a shot, go  out
on a limb, and take it from there. What else is there to do in  life?
You are here, this is the waiting room  for  death  so  try  to  make
something good out of it."
     About the whole view of the  band  being  seen  as  evil,  women
hating racists, Silver says, "I think people misunderstand us or take
us way too seriously. We don't take ourselves seriously as  well.  We
are not out to preach, think we are gonna move people or  change  the
world. We are not setting out to do that and  we  don't  plan  to  do
that. We express our feelings, but there is also a lot  of  camp  and
satire in what we do."
     He closes by saying, "Sometimes misconception works for you  and
sometimes it works against you, but either way it  is  funny  to  see
people's interpretation of your music and what you do."

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              R E V E A L I N G   T H E   R E M A I N S 
              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                   An interview with Human Remains
                           by: Adam Wasylyk

     A lot of people reading this interview may be asking  themselves
"Human Who"? Others may have heard their sole track, "Rote", off  the
_Death Is Just the  Beginning  3_  compilation  (named  on  the  comp
"Weeding Out the Thorns", incorrectly) and wondered when  they  would
release an album. Human Remains' recently  released  mini-CD,  _Using
Sickness as a Hero_, is the band's first, but last record as the band
is now defunct. Fans, as well  as  I,  will  miss  the  band's  music
trademarks:  quirky  riffing,  harsh  vocals,  and  insane  drumming.
However three of the five members will go on to form a new band named
The Sky Is Denied.
     I talked with drummer Dave Witte who was calling from  Relapse's
home office in Pennsylvania. Dave has kept himself very  busy  as  he
can be heard in a couple of other bands. He is busy at work recording
the second CD for Discordance Axis and has also  done  some  7"  work
with Exit-13. Dave and I discussed Human Remains' death and the birth
of his new project.
     "I guess we were getting tired of it," begins Dave on the reason
why Human Remains broke up. "Everybody  in  the  band  had  different
ideas and directions to go into,  and  it  didn't  work  out,  so  we
decided to stop. We're going to do our own thing, the bass player  is
doing his own thing now, and the guitarist is doing  his  own  thing.
Me, Steve, and Paul are going to  be  doing  the  new  band."  As  to
whether there  was  any  resentment  between  ex-band  members,  Dave
answered comfortably, "Oh no, everything's all right. It's just  that
we all had different ways in how we  wanted  to  do  things,  and  it
wasn't working out."
     On how Human Remains came to sign to Relapse, Dave made it sound
so easy. "We pretty much just sent them the tape," Dave chuckles. "We
sent them the tape a couple of times, and then [the band and Relapse]
started talking. We convinced them to  come  see  us  one  time,  and
afterwards, when they were really interested in us, they set us up  a
show, and they all came down. They dug us and we took it from there."
     A lot of people's first exposure to Human  Remains  was  through
Relapse's compilation, _Death Is Just the Beginning 3_. Dave gave his
comments on its success in getting the band's name out, and gave  his
opinion on how the tracks sounded. "It got [the Human  Remains  name]
around, but we weren't too happy with the mix and the playing of  the
song, but it represented us, definitely."
     Since relatively little is known about the band, I  asked  about
musical influences of the band.  "The  major  influence  was  Ripping
Corpse in the beginning. A couple of  us,  including  myself,  didn't
even play until we heard that band. They just opened  up  our  world.
And during the band's existence, bands like Rush and Skinny Puppy and
some fast stuff. It's like a big melting pot."
     _Using Sickness as a Hero_, a  6-song  mini-CD  (the  7th  song,
"Beyond Human Perception" is blank), is  again  the  first  and  last
recording for Human Remains. Dave gave his  opinion  on  the  record,
which were far from great. "I think it could have been better,"  Dave
starts with his criticisms, "but it represented us kind  of  well.  I
wasn't too happy with the mix; there  was  too  much  reverb  on  the
drums. Next time we'll be better." Delays also plagued the recording,
including re-recordings and even a foot injury suffered by Dave. Dave
begins with an uncomfortable chuckle, "We had a  bass  player  change
and I had some torn ligaments in my foot. It was just  a  mess.  I've
listened to it, there's a lot of stuff that I'll hear myself that  no
one else will hear because it's my own little errors,  little  things
here and there that irritate me".
     One of my favorite aspects on _Using  Sickness  as  a  Hero_  is
Dave's drumming ability, which still amazes me to this day.  I  asked
him about his drum training, and was shocked to hear his lack of any.
"I'm self-trained," Dave says with pride. "I took one  lesson  and  I
was pretty bored with it. I almost felt robbed! I didn't really  like
lessons so I just stayed home, so  when  everyone  went  out  I  just
stayed home and played."
     With Human Remains gone, the majority of its members  will  join
and form The Sky Is Denied. So I asked Dave what the band sounds like
compared to Human Remains, and when it will release its first record.
"It's kinda hard to say when we'll  release  a  record.  We  want  to
primarily write for ourselves at first, and once we're happy with it,
then we'll see if anyone (labels) wants to do anything with it,  with
first choice to Relapse. [The sound] will be very experimental, it'll
be a new form. It'll still have aspects and traits of Human  Remains,
but it'll be progressed, it'll be multiplied by a hundred."

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              E X P R E S S I N G   T H E   V I S I O N 
              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                 An interview with Vision of Disorder
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Long Island's Vision of Disorder are a band that feels the  need
for intensity and the ability of being able to channel  one's  anger,
life's experiences, and visions within one's music.  On  their  debut
album, _Vision of  Disorder_  (Roadrunner/Supersoul),  the  quintet's
music blares powerful chants of hatred, respect, love,  and  despair,
coated with thick metallic tones and hardcore tendencies. But as much
as they believe in the  power  of  a  hard-hitting  song,  they  also
believe in the need for growth in a band.
     "We are very happy  with  the  style  and  sound  that  we  have
progressed into," says frontman Tim Williams in a thick  Long  Island
accent over the phone from Roadrunner Records New York H.Q. You  see,
Williams and his band - guitarist Mike  Kennedy  and  Matt  Baumbach,
bassist Mike Fleischmann, and drummer Brendon Cohen - have grown with
their music ever since the formation of the band in 1992,  a  process
that  has  involved  numerous  live  shows,  being  included   on   a
compilation titled _New York's Hardest_, and the release of a popular
7".
     "I don't think we have lost anything  with  growing,"  continues
Williams, " I think we are still completing our goals. One  of  which
is being able to reach a larger audience  which  we  are  doing  now,
being able to tour and have a record out. It was tough for us  to  do
that in the beginning, but now we have people out there doing it  for
us and spreading the message. I don't think we have lost anything  in
growing. We have gained through experience and being on a  label  and
releasing our record."
     Most new bands will notice the vast amount of  requirements  and
conditions that come with being on a  label:  press,  record  company
executives, touring, etc. It is all part of being  on  a  label,  and
Williams and the rest of his crew are  seeing  this  first  hand.  "I
can't tell you how much I have learned. It is fucking ridiculous. The
whole recording process of making the record was one in its  own.  It
was very difficult. I still don't know much about it and we let  them
(record company) deal with it, but I am still  learning.  I  guess  I
have learned a shit load since getting signed."
     When asking Williams what he thinks sets VoD  apart  from  other
bands, he responds, "One thing is the drums. People always  for  some
reason hear the drums. People also tell us the vocals separate really
well. I don't think that my  vocals  are  the  key.  I  think  it  is
everyone doing their own part for the record and each  one  of  those
parts coming together. I think the whole unit and our sound  together
is was sets us apart."
     The sound of the band is something to behold. The  debut  album,
shows off the band as a monstrous flow of reality and hard-life tales
told through the words of Williams. Tough to  take,  but  nonetheless
realism thrown into our faces. And live the band is something also to
see says Williams. According to Williams, the music and live show are
two very different things. "When people come to our shows, they get a
completely different slap of reality. We are not  a  fake  band  that
stands up behind a microphone  or  on  a  pedestal.  People  know  we
interact and mingle. We know that they know that we know that we  are
not above them, rather they are above us. They are what made us. They
got us to Roadrunner. Maybe our music got us there  but  without  the
fan base it wouldn't have happened. The labels go  for  someone  when
they see money. If they see a thousand kids going to a show  they  go
'Wow' and see money. Then they listen to the  music.  But  first  you
hear the buzz from the kids."
     About signing to Roadrunner or  a  label  in  general,  Williams
says, "I had a feeling that it would happen, that all of  this  would
pay off one day. This is what we worked hard to do and something  had
to go right for us. It hasn't paid off yet but it is starting  to.  I
have been doing this since I got out of high school, four years  ago,
and every fuckin' day it has been the band. I went out of my way  all
the time for the band. The band has been my number  one  priority  in
life for the last four years now. It will always be that way and  I'm
glad to be doing it on this level now."
     "I am doing this for self-gratification and getting  my  message
out," says Williams about his music and wanting to keep at this  band
for years to come. "I also want to see different lands and meet  lots
of people and acquire knowledge. I think knowledge is  the  key.  You
can get knowledge from anything, you don't have to go to  school  for
it. I did, but I think the best knowledge comes from experience."

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


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


          S T O R M I N G   T H E   B L A C K   C A S T L E
          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
               CoC speaks with Silenoz of Dimmu Borgir
                          by: Steve Hoeltzel

Although they're certainly not the most notorious black metal  outfit
to emerge from Norway in recent years, Dimmu  Borgir  are  definitely
among the best of them. More emotive songwriters than most  of  their
corpse-painted brethren, they give distinct and  stirring  expression
to  black  metal's  unquiet  spirit,  weaving   together   compelling
tapestries of sound from moments of quiet sadness, desolate  majesty,
and charging anger. And the band's quality has not gone unrecognized:
after releasing two solid full-length albums (_For All  Tid_,  on  No
Colors Records, and _Stormblast_, on Cacophonous), they  have  signed
to Nuclear Blast, and their new CD-single _Devil's Path_ (just out on
Norway's up-and-coming Hot Records), has sold thousands of copies  in
quite a short span of time. In the midst of this flurry of  activity,
guitarist/vocalist Silenoz recently sat down to share his thoughts on
the band and the scene with CoC. And he  certainly  didn't  pull  any
punches... so just remember, the beliefs and attitudes expressed  are
-his-, not necessarily those of anybody here at CoC.

CoC: What is the meaning of the name "Dimmu Borgir"?

Silenoz: Dimmu Borgir is an Icelandic name (as well as a place on the
         northern part of Iceland), and  in  English  it  means  "The
         Black Castle."

CoC: On both _For All Tid_ and  _Stormblast_,  your  music  evokes  a
     feeling of majestic sadness which few other  black  metal  bands
     seem to be capable of creating. What inspires you to craft  such
     somber and moving songs?

S: Well, I guess the inspiration mainly comes naturally, as the music
   and the lyrics mirror our souls and reflect how we  actually  feel
   deep inside. To say it short, if we  had  been  feeling  good  and
   happy about ourselves inside, we wouldn't have  been  making  this
   kind of music. That should be pretty obvious by now, as  we  would
   probably  have  been  making  some  Hawaii-sounds,  or   whatever,
   instead, if we hadn't been honest to ourselves. We play  what  our
   heart tells us to do - not  necessarily  the  sane  parts  of  our
   minds. 

CoC: When you're not making music, what kinds of music do you listen 
     to?

S: What I really appreciate is  good,  old  heavy  metal,  a  lot  of
   classical music, and opera such as Wagner and Dvorak,  synth/dream
   music such as Schulze (the genius with a big G!) - and of  course,
   black metal of the eighties and of today, as well  as  some  death
   metal.

CoC: Is there a particular message or theme which you want your music
      to communicate? (I am especially curious about this, because  I
      like your music very much, but I'm unable to read the Norwegian
      lyrics, inscriptions, and so on.)

S: One thing that is highly important for us is to show the world our
   massive hate towards  God  and  the  messengers  of  Christianity.
   Almost every lyric is written from a  Satanic  perspective,  drawn
   out of ideas and notions of what we want OUR world to be like.  We
   feel an obligation to represent Satan, the dark and evil  side  of
   life - and if we are able to both possess and  provoke  the  other
   human beings on this earth through our music - together  with  the
   written part, which in our case is just as  important  -  we  have
   done exactly what we feel our mission is. But since the lyrics  so
   far  have  been  written  in  Norwegian,  a  lot  of  people  have
   misunderstood and thought that we are a band that sing  about  the
   Vikings. Even though I don't blame those who thought so,  I  still
   think it is too easy and narrow-minded to  jump  to  a  conclusion
   like that. We have therefore decided  to  quit  writing  Norwegian
   lyrics and instead concentrate on writing  them  in  English,  not
   only because of this matter, but also because we have signed to  a
   bigger  label  (Nuclear  Blast),  where  we  obviously  have   the
   opportunity to reach a lot more people and new listeners.

CoC: What does black metal represent to the members of Dimmu  Borgir?
     Do you regard it simply as a particular style of  music,  or  do
     you think of it as something more significant  than  that  -  an
     overall outlook or way of life?

S: I would, without a doubt, admit that black metal, in its true word
   and essence, has become our life, the reason why we still exist. I
   dedicate my entire existence to my band and  everything  that  may
   follow. For me, it is not only important just to record albums and
   play gigs; it is also about dedicating myself  mentally.  I  don't
   work. In fact, I don't even have  what  you  would  call  a  hobby
   either. I have no time and space left over to collect  stamps  and
   cards. We are putting so much energy and work  into  what  we  are
   doing, so if once in a while we are lucky and get laid, I guess we
   are as shocked about it as anyone else around us... Ha ha!!

CoC: What do you think of the current state of the black metal  scene
     in your country? How would you compare today's scene to the more
     tumultuous period of a couple years ago?

S: If our scene was tumultuous a couple of years ago, it sure as hell
   is an even more tumultuous period we are going through now! Before
   all those  newspaper-scribblings  started,  everything  was  under
   control. It was law and order. But suddenly, when  the  media  got
   into it and started to fuck up really bad, everything got  totally
   out of hand - especially  after  the  death  of  Euronymous,  when
   people started  to  choose  sides.  Should  they  stand  behind  a
   murdered man, a legend - or should they back up the  newcomer  who
   so endlessly bragged about "killing another weak human," as he put
   it? It became pretty  pathetic,  if  you  ask  me.  You  know,  he
   actually stabbed the man to  death  in  his  underwear...  a  very
   honorable and heroic act indeed. So after these happenings,  there
   popped up a lot of new bands, some very good and some  that  never
   would have lasted more than a few days  if  Euronymous  had  still
   been alive. Everything has its positive and  negative  sides.  The
   positive must be that our scene really has  been  "placed  on  the
   map" as one of the best scenes, maybe the best one  ever,  with  a
   lot of different-sounding and ambitious bands. The  negative  side
   must certainly be that  a  lot  of  kids  and  "children"  without
   knowledge and respect for the music and cult came into the  coven.
   Even though they never will be looked upon as a  threat,  I  would
   prefer that they disappear and fade away  -  escaping  the  earth,
   possessed by us.

CoC: What is your opinion on the current  state  of  black  metal  in
     general?

S: I suppose the black metal scene in general  mostly  holds  a  good
   standard. There are also  a  lot  of  shitty  and  terrible  acts,
   certainly, but in my opinion, Norway and Sweden  undoubtedly  have
   the best bands. Each to his own taste, of course, but I  think  no
   bands outside of these two Nordic countries are able  to  compete,
   music-wise. I do not exactly know how the scene in the  States  is
   right now, even though I know  you  also  have  some  really  good
   bands, too.

CoC: When did Dimmu Borgir first come together?

S: Shagrath (lead guitar and vocals) and I formed the  band  together
   with Tjodalv (percussion) back  in  '93,  and  after  some  weeks,
   Brynjard Tristan (who has now been replaced by Nagash)  joined  on
   bass. We also have a guy who handles synths/choirs and  piano  for
   us.
    
CoC: Did any members of the band have any involvement with the  black
     metal scene prior to the band's formation?

S: Yes, we all played  in  different  bands,  although  with  varying
   success, before Dimmu Borgir was created. The only  band  that  is
   worth mentioning  must  be  Fimbulwinter,  where  Shagrath  played
   guitar until they split up in '92.

CoC: Did the band release anything prior to _For All Tid_?

S: We released a 7" EP entitled _Inn I Evighetens Morke_  ("Into  the
   Eternity of Darkness") on Necromantic Gallery Productions in  '94.
   It was sold out within only a few weeks.

CoC:  _For  All  Tid_  features   contributions   by   Aldrahn   from
     Dodheimsgard and Vicotnik from Ved Buens Ende. Have  members  of
     Dimmu Borgir collaborated on any other musical projects?

S: Tjodalv also plays the drums for Old Man's Child, and Nagash,  who
   is the second part of Covenant, has a  side  project  named  Troll
   where he plays all the instruments himself. Troll is out  on  Head
   Not Found these days, and the full-length can be expected to  come
   out very soon on Damnation in Holland.

CoC: Are there any current  bands  which  you  regard  as  especially
     important or relevant? Any which you would especially  recommend
     to fans of your own group?

S: Well, I guess checking out Arcturus, if some of you still  haven't
   done that, might be a good idea if you are into black  metal  with
   piano parts and synths. Also, the long-awaited Covenant  album  is
   on its way, and that is something you  cannot  miss  if  you  like
   majestic, melodic, but grim black metal.

CoC: What does the future hold for Dimmu Borgir? How would  you  like
     to see the band continue to develop?

S: We hope the good development will continue, as we have got  a  new
   member, and we have been signed to Nuclear Blast, which  gives  us
   the opportunity of touring. Maybe we can  do  some  shows  in  the
   States  in  the  future?  Our  third  album,  _Enthrone   Darkness
   Triumphant_,  will  be  a  mixture  of  heavy  metal;   classical;
   ultra-fast, harsh, and evil black metal; slow and melodic,  dreamy
   parts, and  so  on.  I  think  we  have  about  all  the  possible
   ingredients of metal in it! Hopefully it will be released in early
   spring of '97. We will also do a European tour in the beginning of
   next year with Dissection, In Flames, Night In Gales, and  (maybe)
   Satyricon.

CoC: Any parting words for readers and fans?

S: First of all, I would like to thank you for doing the first  Dimmu
   Borgir interview EVER on the Internet! You are now  historical!  I
   would  otherwise  thank  our  fans  and   listeners,   bands   and
   individuals that we cooperate and are in touch with. Great fucking
   hails to you all!!

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

                      W H E N   P I G S   F L Y 
                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                      CoC chats with Stuck Mojo
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Atlanta, Georgia's Stuck Mojo received rave  reviews  for  their
1995 debut album on Century Media, _Snappin' Necks_. The album was  a
hybrid mix of metal, rap,  and  hardcore  that  flowed  heavily  with
groove and attitude. Their debut album contained flashes of fury with
"Not Promised Tomorrow", "2 Minutes of Death", and "Snappin'  Necks",
and the band was considered a "must see" live band.
     Now a year later, the band has released their follow-up to _SN_,
_Pigwalk_, a much more solidified take on the live feel and groove of
the band. With the help of  producers  Devon  Townsend  (frontman  of
Strapping Young Lad) and Daniel Bergstrand (producer, Meshuggah), the
band was able to capture the kinetic alliance of both live groove and
might on CD, something the band has not yet been  able  to  do.  It's
raw, it's tight, and most of all _Pigwalk_  sounds  heavy.  Extremely
heavy.
     Frontman Bonz and guitarist Rich Ward carry on the ways of Stuck
Mojo, and with the addition of a new rhythm section -  bassist  Corey
Lowery and drummer Bud Fontsere - the band  edges  itself  more  into
becoming a towering pillar of intensity. The band is not far off that
goal. 
     Chronicles of Chaos recently caught up  with  Bonz  at  home  in
Atlanta following a short European tour to talk about  _Pigwalk_  and
an upcoming North American tour. Here is how it went:

CoC: The band has done well with sales and  touring  over  in  Europe
     (the band played this year's Dynamo Festival).  It  has  been  a
     different story over here in the United States. Why do you think
     that is?

Bonz: Over here they don't have a heavy metal format and  over  there
      they do. And the zines over there give us more exposure and the
      people are more open to the style of music that we  are  doing.
      Over here it is programmed. Over here you got one  style  which
      is alternative and that is all the radio plays. Over there they
      don't have any radio stations and all they do is go out to  see
      the bands that are on tour. Also they  watch  a  lot  of  video
      shows. Them having heavy metal format  overseas  it  is  a  lot
      better for us than here. But we tour a lot here though.

CoC: Are you gonna go back again after playing in the U.S. for a bit?
     Will you be there a longer period of time next time?

B: We are going to be going back again for like two  months.  We  are
   playing there in November and December with Life  of  Agony  which
   should be cool.

CoC: With _Pigwalk_, what was the vision  and  sound  that  you  were
     trying to capture and show people this time around as opposed to
     what you had done with _SN_?

B: The live energy is what we wanted  and  we  did  that  this  time.
   Daniel (Bergstrand) and Devon (Townsend) came in to  help  on  the
   production of the record. Those guys are a lot  younger  and  more
   from our vision of what we wanted. We know  Devon  too,  he  is  a
   friend of ours, and it was a pleasure working  with  him.  He  has
   seen us a few times and is excited about the sound of the band and
   the direction we can  go.  Basically  Rich  (guitarist)  has  been
   working real hard. The boy has been working real hard and we  just
   plugged it out. _Pigwalk_ is a growing effort of the band.  It  is
   basically the same material we were writing at the end of the last
   record. That record (_SN_) is very old. We recorded it in 1994 and
   released it in 1995. We have changed.

CoC: Whether it be the loss and addition of new members or  different
     approach of the sound and style of the band, is this where Stuck
     Mojo wants to be in 1996?

B: I guess. This is what we produced and the sound that  we  came  up
   with for us. Our sound continues to evolve and  we  have  to  find
   just what we are. We  are  still  searching  ourselves.  With  the
   addition of the new members, that has helped create  and  free  up
   our creative juices because we were pretty stagnant with  the  old
   unit where they didn't want to be a part of or see things the  way
   that Rich and I saw things heading. We wanted to  change  somewhat
   and expand our horizons a bit more. We didn't want  to  just  talk
   about the things we hate. We wanted to put some solutions to  some
   problems. You know, point your finger in the mirror and stuff like
   that instead of just standing on a soapbox and talking  about  one
   subject. We tried to spread some ideas around.

CoC: With album number two, how has the label support  been  for  the
     band?

B: This time around I think the label (Century Media) is going to  do
   a lot for us. Number one, they went out and got  the  producer  we
   wanted, and suggested that we work with Devon  too  after  we  had
   been thinking about it too, which shows that  they  were  clicking
   with us. The promotional staff overseas have been wonderful.  They
   work hard. You got  to  take  in  account  this  is  a  "B"  label
   stationed overseas and don't really have a good idea of what  goes
   on over here in the American market. I mean they have an office in
   Los Angeles but it is small. So they are dealing with an  American
   band that tours extensively  but  really  has  no  exposure  to  a
   European market. They are trying to figure out  how  we  fit  into
   their program seeing that they used  to  work  with  mostly  death
   metal bands. We are new material to work with for them.  With  the
   new stuff on the label  you  will  be  impressed.  It  is  a  good
   assortment of stuff like the new Samael, Moonspell, and Nevermore.
   All those new records are slammin'. I think Century Media will  be
   a record label to deal with in the future and hopefully they  will
   want to continue to grow 'cause we do.

CoC: Would you ever consider going to a major label?	

B: Everybody wants to go to a major. If it happens, it does,  and  if
   it doesn't, it doesn't. We ain't gonna stop.

CoC: What kind of stuff have you been doing since the record is  out?
     Do you write and record while on the road?

B: I write all the time and so does  Rich.  We  are  always  thinking
   ahead and we know we just can't rest on this record. By  the  time
   we do the next record we want to have a record to kill  this  one.
   Plus we want to do some side things too, so we are always  writing
   for something. We never stop writing.

CoC: A lot of people have dismissed the band for being one  of  these
     bands that mix both metal and rap, which  wasn't  the  case  for
     Stuck Mojo. You guys showed people that  those  visions  of  the
     band were false and proved them wrong.  This  time  around  with
     this record there seems to be more of a groove and a direct fist
     in the face saying, "We are staying."

B: We want to compete with the "Big Boys"  and  show  them  that  our
   music has yet to be exploited. Some bands have been doing this for
   awhile, but we have been doing it longer. We just haven't had  the
   exposure. We have been cut off and we just have to work  twice  as
   hard than the other because we are not from New York or L.A. -  we
   are from Atlanta, Georgia. We deal with that shit all the time and
   we are prepared to do it. With this record we set out to  prove  a
   point. We want to put ourselves on the planet  and  not  just  the
   map. We just want to compete with the "Big Boys" and  there  ain't
   no joke about that. If the "Big Boys" would just open up and  take
   the smaller ones out, then the sky is the limit. It is  great  for
   an "A" band to take out a "D" band because they get exposure. It's
   like "BOOM!", the band gets some exposure and  then  the  band  is
   known. But that is not happening right now with a  lot  of  bands.
   There is an ego trip happening.	

CoC: Where does the title name (_Pigwalk_) come from? 
   
B: It is about society in general where people of  all  levels,  they
   walk all over the weak and meek. It is a pigwalk.  Be  it  a  rich
   pig, a bully in high-school, your cousin, your teacher, anyone,  a
   judge, an officer of the  law.  It  is  anyone  who  pushes  their
   authoritative power on  someone  else,  whether  it  be  physical,
   political, financial power or mental power.  Everyone  needs  help
   out there every now and then and people  like  to  walk  all  over
   everyone. It happens everyday. A short story and example  of  this
   would be that we were making a video down here for "Pigwalk"  with
   a video crew from New York in a neighborhood down here  (Atlanta),
   and this man came out of his house making a scene saying, "Why are
   these white people working with  these  black  people,"  and  just
   making problems. He had a gun in his back pocket and  told  us  to
   leave the neighborhood. He had back-up there in  the  neighborhood
   too and he was serious about us not being there. See, there is  an
   example of someone pushing their power. Someone pigwalking. 

CoC: What do you think fuels the  aggressive  nature  of  the  music?
     There also seems to be a lot of reality in  what  you  do.  What
     inspires you to create music?

B: Everyday issues inspire me to write. Songs on the record deal with
   several topics.  "Mental  Meltdown"  deals  with  industry  radio,
   "Despise" is dealing with the alternative nation and how they took
   over and made it harder for bands like us to get out and play, and
   "(Here Comes) the Monster" is about us trying to get out and play,
   and for the big metal guys to give us a chance. It is  like,  give
   it up or we'll take it. Lots of topics make up a Mojo record.	

CoC: If you had to sum up or describe the  record  in  a  word  or  a
     description, how would you describe _Pigwalk_?

B: This record is like [Mike] Tyson getting out of  jail  and  coming
   back to claim his title. We are the number one  contender  and  we
   want you to give it up. We just want our shot. We want  our  title
   shot with some people and a chance for us to be at  center  stage.
   We are like Tyson coming out refueled, hungry, and ready. <laughs>
   Be ready, we are here to beat up your eardrums.

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

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


                 M O N T R E A L ' S   M A N I A C S 
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                      CoC interrogates Anhkrehg
                           by: Adam Wasylyk


What has become legend in Canada is  the  strength  of  the  Montreal
metal scene and the number of talented metal bands from  the  region.
Bands like Kataklysm and Cryptopsy have gone from relative  obscurity
to international recognition. Anhkrehg are one of many Montreal bands
who have high hopes in obtaining the success that the  aforementioned
bands already have. Conducted through Canada  Post  is  an  interview
with guitarist Michel Monette [a.k.a. Shrapnel (Angel of Hate)] which
touched on the band's history, prior work, and their  newly  released
demo _Brutal Witching-Metal_.

CoC: How did the members come to join and form Anhkrehg?  Didn't  the
     band have two bassists at one point?

Shrapnel: It started in the winter of 1992, with Khayr (bass/vocals),
          Dead Christian (drums), Blac(K)night  (guitar)  and  Killer
          (guitar) just jamming to heavy music. After the  _The  Oath
          of Sorcerer-King_ demo  release,  Killer  left  because  of
          personal obligations and the band continued on as  a  trio.
          Shortly after I joined (with me knowing Khayr for some time
          prior to joining) as a helper, I then became band  manager,
          mainly because I saw the potential in the band, music-wise.
          As the months went by, the second demo  arrived  which  was
          called _Sacrificial Goat_. [The demo] was more serious than
          the first one, it helped us to establish  ourselves  within
          the very crowded Montreal death  metal  scene  as  well  as
          gaining recognition  for  our  still  developing  style  of
          music. It is also then that I joined  Anhkrehg  on  guitar,
          having Black(K)night become the second bassist.  It  didn't
          last long (only two shows), but we felt that it had  to  be
          tried (with him leaving afterwards). I still think  playing
          live as a trio is the best line-up, for us anyway. Demo  #3
          _Brutal Witching-Metal_ was released in July 1996 with  our
          new concepts and our  own  black  metal  trademark  (Brutal
          Witching-Metal).

CoC: How would you describe the band's sound? I had always thought of
     the band being black metal, but to label  it  just  black  metal
     would be quite misleading.

S:  Fast,  infernal,  and  furious.  That's  how   I   describe   it.
   Grindcore-ish type of riffs splattered with black screaming vocals
   with bits of the good ol' "blast'n'heavy" parts.

CoC: What has Anhkrehg released up till now, demo-wise? What is  each
     release like/how do they sound/your thoughts on each of them.

S: First was the '94 demo _The Oath of Sorcerer-King_ which  was  our
   first try. A little  underproduced  and  our  sound  wasn't  quite
   perfected  at  that  point.  It  was  followed  by  our  '95  demo
   _Sacrificial Goat_, which  sound-wise  needed  better  production.
   Next we were featured  on  a  CD-compilation  called  _Underground
   Symphonies #2_ which helped to get contacts with different people.
   Following it was a live promo we did called _Howls from the North_
   which was just a promo and isn't really for sale. It had  a  great
   live sound, the kind of sound I would like  us  to  have  all  the
   time. Finally to the present with our  release  _Brutal  Witching-
   Metal_ which is in our opinion the best release so far. Music-wise
   and lyric-wise a lot better, it's where Anhkrehg dwell now.

CoC: Tell me about the new demo _Brutal Witching-Metal_ and  describe
     it musically and lyrically.

S: We lurk under our brutal witching metal banner  which  stands  for
   black-grind music with lyrics  about  ancient  history,  merciless
   warriors, and forgotten wars.

CoC: There's a live track on the demo isn't there? What show  was  it
     recorded at and who were you playing with?

S: It was recorded August 31st 1995 in Montreal when we played a show
   with Sarnia, Ontario's  Inner  Misery  and  headliners  Malevolent
   Creation.

CoC: What other bands have Anhkrehg played  with  that  you  consider
     notable?

S: In my opinion, most of the bands we've played with that I consider
   notable are Malevolent Creation, Kataklysm, Hidden  Pride,  Agony,
   Cryptopsy, Demence, Resisting Arrest (ex-Majester), Inner  Misery,
   Corpus, Elements, etc.

CoC: Are there any other outside influences on the band, like perhaps
     an interest in the occult, or reading about history or war, etc.?

S: Khayr reads A LOT of books on history and wars, as well as  having
   interests  in  role-playing  games  like   Dungeons   &   Dragons,
   Warhammer, etc.

CoC: You also run a management company called E.S.T Management.  What
     bands do you handle? How did you start the business/why/when?

S: It started in the summer of '94 with bands Mortify  and  Anhkrehg,
   both from the same home town in the eastern part of Quebec. It was
   just basically me helping them  from  Montreal.  A  year  later  I
   became manager for Montreal's Demence  and  Repentigny's  (Quebec)
   Hidden Pride and then Agony  asked  for  me  to  do  the  same  in
   November '95. Since then,  I  now  work  full-time  for  Anhkrehg,
   Agony, and Hidden Pride. I began on  my  own  being  insecure  and
   unaware,  making  phone  calls  to  people  I  didn't  even  know,
   contacting promoters, etc. After awhile I really  got  comfortable
   doing those sort  of  things.  Helping  my  friends,  meeting  new
   people, and most of all, listening to great music all the time!

CoC: How is the Montreal scene right now? How many people go to  your
     average show?

S: Everybody knows that Montreal is overcrowded  with  all  sorts  of
   bands (especially metal/alternative). Just last month, I  received
   news from three death metal bands who are planning to relocate  to
   Montreal! As far as shows go, it's very unpredictable. I'd say  an
   average show is somewhere between 60 and 100 people  (for  smaller
   bands). For bands like Deicide and Morbid Angel, you could  expect
   around 800 people.

CoC: Do  the  Montreal  bands  support  each  other?  Do  bands  like
     Cryptopsy and Kataklysm help and support the lesser-known bands?

S: Yes of course. Each time a big band plays,  inevitably  they  will
   need an opening act. And that's where the smaller bands come in.

CoC: You've played shows in Quebec and Ontario. Will Anhkrehg venture
     out further, like to the U.S?

S: We'd love to, but for now we  try  to  conquer  our  own  backyard
   before invading others.

CoC: Are you happy with the demo, production-wise?

S: I'm much happier with this one than the last one. It also  had  to
   do with the manufacturer we worked with  this  time.  I'm  looking
   forward to the next one. I've got a lot of new ideas.

CoC: Why was the decision made to have a good portion  of  the  songs
     sung in French?

S: Khayr is in a better position to answer that question  since  he's
   the lyricist/vocalist of the band. I'd say it has to do  with  our
   French Canadian roots that he wants to explore  and  represent  in
   the music.

CoC: What's the band doing now? Writing  any  new  material?  Touring
     Quebec?

S: Right now we're not doing much, as far as the whole band together.
   As for myself, I'm keeping very  busy  with  my  distribution  for
   E.S.T. management, as well as  keeping  in  contact  with  various
   people in the metal scene.

CoC: And finally, what do you feel sets you apart  from  other  bands
     that play extreme forms of metal??

S: The fact that we are from an unknown region of eastern Quebec  and
   that we play intense metal, and also the fact that we emphasize on
   our "brutal witching-metal" trademark. We also  do  not  dwell  on
   typical   black   metal   trademarks    (like    female    voices,
   chains'n'leather, Hollywood make-up, gothic keyboards, etc).

Demo prices:
_The Oath of Sorcerer-King_: $4
_Sacrificial Goat_: $7
_Underground Symphonies #2_ CD: $12
_Brutal Witching-Metal_: $5

Contact: E.S.T Management, c/o Michel Monette
         755 Muir, Suite #205, Saint-Laurent, Quebec
         H4L-5G9, Canada

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

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

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


Abscess - _Seminal Vampires and Maggot Men_
by: Adrian Bromley  (4 out of 10)  (Relapse Records, Fall 1996)

Ugh! It's loud, poorly recorded and, extremely lame at times. Welcome
to the world of Abscess. The music of Abscess floats  in  an  endless
supply of reckless guitar  riffs,  screams,  bad  lyrics,  and  sick,
demented humor. Most of the time, the songs (i.e. "Freak Fuck  Fest",
"Burn, Die And Fucking Fry" and "Removing The Leech") are an  endless
supply of bad, loud music that seems to make the listener cringe  and
want to turn off the music. So why would we listen to this? Humor?  A
fascination with sick humor? A lust for multiple music styles? I  can
see some of the reasoning behind cranking up an Abscess record,  much
like an Anal Cunt record, to be amused by someone's idea of being  as
loud or as sick as possible. That's about it. This material gets  old
real fast.


Acid Bath - _Paegan Terrorism Tactics_ (October 1996, Rotten Records)
by: Adrian Bromley  (9 out of 10)

_Paegan Terrorism Tactics_, Acid Bath's  follow-up  album  to  1994's
disturbing and violently coated release _When the Kite  String  Pops_
(killer John Wayne Gacy artwork serving as its cover),  follows  much
of  the  same  direction  and  sound  of  _WtKSP_  with  an  unclean,
well-powered slab of heavy guitar riffs, flowing grooves, and a  vast
assortment of screams and growls all thrown  together.  I  thoroughly
enjoyed - and still do - this release as it has enhanced  the  groove
and diversity of the band with singer Dax Riggs providing some killer
vocals (both the clear and unclear ones) and  the  band  shaping  its
sound  into  a  more  proportioned  deliverance  of   their   musical
"terrorism tactics" this time around. Being from Louisiana, the  band
radiates a Southern-style flare to their music,  much  like  that  of
Corrosion of Conformity or newcomers Floodgate, but still manages  to
fuck shit up with their  incorporation  of  death  metal  growls  and
fast-paced guitar licks. This record is like  a  rollercoaster  ride.
It's fast and slow-paced at times but you always know there is a good
thrill around the bend. Attention grabbers include the stomp of  "New
Corpse",  "Locust  Spawning",  and  "Bleed  Me  an  Ocean",  as  well
"Graveflower" and "Venus Blue". There is also a neat and lengthy (and
pretty morbid) acoustic track called "Dead Girl" that rounds out  the
record. Note: The mid-point of the record, "Old Skin", has to be  one
of the creepiest things I have heard in some time. Creepy.  Also,  to
keep up with the controversy, the band has  included  a  painting  by
"Dr. Death" himself, Dr. Jack Kevorkian (called "For He Is  Raised"),
to serve as the cover artwork. Gotta love it.  The  "sophomore  jinx"
has not affected Acid Bath as  _PTT_  delivers  a  well-balanced  and
diverse offering that'll surely grab the attention of  many  fans  of
multiple musical genres. This album comes highly  recomended.  


Dio - _Angry Machines_  (Mayhem, October 1996) 
by: Adrian Bromley  (8 out of 10)

One listen to Ronnie James Dio's latest release of _Angry Machines_, 
even look at the cover artwork, and it isn't hard to see  that  Dio's
music has become more modern. A modern Dio? Cool. For  those  of  you
that loved his last Black Sabbath contribution, 1990's _Dehumanizer_,
then you will enjoy the direction and sound of  _AM_.  The  music  on
_AM_ has a very 90's feel to it as do the lyrics and writings of Dio,
dealing with topics such as divorce and the role of women in society.
Managing to piece together a stellar group to record with,  guitarist
Tracy G., bassist Jeff Pilson, and drummer Vinnie  Appice,  Dio  (who
produced the record) manages to take his music to  new  heights  with
some great vocal arrangements and some real slick musical interludes.
The music of _AM_ stands as a  test  of  time  for  the  singer  that
brought about so many ideas and creations with his  other  work  with
the bands Elf, Rainbow, and Sabbath, not to mention his strong effort
and accomplishments of releasing seven solo efforts. Dio has  managed
to carry on with his ways for more than three decades now, and  seems
to be just as content now  as  he  did  when  he  started.  Standouts
include: "Big Sister", "Black", "Institutional Man", and "Stay Out Of
My Mind". This man is a  legend  and  continues  to  create  stunning
masterpieces. 


Dismal Euphony - _Soria Moria Slott_ (Napalm Records, September 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (8 out of 10)

This is an imaginative and adventurous  release,  one  in  which  the
creative forces released by the  black  metal  explosion  take  on  a
striking new form. Like many bands, Dismal Euphony augment the  basic
black metal vocal, guitar,  and  drumming  style  with  synthesizers,
female vocals, acoustic guitars, flute, piano, and so on.  But  while
most  black  metal  bands  only  rely  on  such  "non-metal"  touches
occasionally, and locate them at the edges of their sound, these four
highly talented Norwegians proudly give such  instruments  extensive,
starring  roles  in  their  compositions.  Propelled  by  Austrheim's
muscular percussion, their songs are  dark  mini-symphonies,  usually
arranged around Elin's excellent, epic synth lines, which sound great
and don't overly dominate the mix. Guitar by Ole and  Austrheim  adds
an eerie, buzzing tone, mixed fairly quietly to leave space  for  the
more interesting components of the sound  -  especially  the  vocals,
which alternate in very creative ways between haunting  melody  lines
sung beautifully by Keltziva (who is female,  in  case  you  couldn't
tell) and Ole's chilling black growls. It sounds crazy, I  know,  but
it's very  thoughtfully  done,  and  it  works  amazingly  well.  The
songwriting is confident and imaginative, and  the  arrangements  are
rich, textured, and inventive - rolling  soundscapes  blanketed  with
gently falling synthesized snow, brushed by Keltziva's eerie melodies
and the icy gusts of Ole's  snarl.  "Atmospheric"  doesn't  begin  to
describe this stuff, and "wild" doesn't either. Yet all the while, it
stays true to black metal's unquiet  spirit,  as  the  eerie  "Natten
Loftet Sitt Tunge Ansikt" attests. "Isgrav, Det Siste Hvilested" does
the same. _Soria Moria Slott_ is an awesome addition to black metal's
sonic legacy. 


Twelve After Elf - _Twelve After Elf_  (WOM, September 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel  (5 out of 10)

Hailing from Germany, and having a name that sounds like  it  belongs
to a Tolkien-inspired  black  metal  band  (it  actually  just  means
"Twelve After Eleven", in German), Twelve After Elf play  a  kind  of
mid-paced metal/rock hybrid which, on the surface,  is  fairly  good,
but after a few listens changes into just mildly annoying. The vocals
alternate between very Alice In Chains-like "clean," and some  pretty
bad death growls, by far the worse of the two. The playing is  pretty
simplistic, also, without much melody to be heard. Maybe I'm just not
the person for whom this album was intended, and I've heard that,  in
a live setting, Twelve After Elf are  awesome,  so  I  can't  totally
dismiss this album, but take caution when considering its purchase.


Equinox of the Gods - _Images of Forgotten Memories_
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (7 out of 10)  (Unisound Records, 1996)

This band's hybrid "gothic metal" style is not exactly my cup of tea,
but they definitely deserve credit for their ability to craft catchy,
yet somber melodies, and embed them in  rich,  layered  arrangements.
"Welcome Home", "N.L.S.", and the impressive "Dance of the Dead"  are
memorable songs loaded with melodic hooks, cool vocal phrasings,  and
nice ambient touches like piano, chiming bells,  female  vocals,  and
the like. Without a doubt, these guys have got tons of  talent.  Lead
vocals are mostly delivered in the usual sonorous gothic  style,  and
the tempos are slow to  mid-paced  throughout.  My  only  substantial
gripe with _Images..._ is  that  the  guitar  tone  is  rather  thin.
Granted, this helps to accentuate the other diverse elements  of  the
band's multi-faceted sound - but I can't help  thinking  that  a  bit
more metallic punch would greatly increase their overall impact.  (In
fact, I think they'd sound a lot like Moonspell if they beefed up the
guitar. But these guys aren't copycats; they've been around.) Anyway,
even if it isn't maximally  heavy,  this  is  a  first  release  that
showcases real creativity and talent.


N.A.O.S. - _Melancholia_  (Cacophonous Records, 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (2 out of 10)

My advice to the reader this month:  Beware  of  keyboard-based  solo
projects which claim to have some kind of affinity with  the  extreme
metal scene!! N.A.O.S. is just such a project, the brainchild of none
other than the estimable Magus Wampyr Daoloth - an integral member of
both Diabolos Rising and  the  excellent  Necromantia.  Knowing  that
much, I expected to find this  fairly  interesting,  but  frankly,  I
hated it. Maybe this is killer stuff by "dark wave" standards, but  I
just couldn't take it. Three of the eight tracks are boring  keyboard
pieces of the sort that kick off way too  many  black  metal  albums;
three more sound like a (one-man) new wave  band  singing  about  the
occult; one sounds like a couple of goths playing a circus  march  on
their synthesizers. I did find "Ourobouros" somewhat  enjoyable,  but
it's a far cry from metallic: It sounds like a  crazy  cross  between
dark wave and R&B. If you're a fan  of  Mr.  Daoloth's  other  bands,
don't expect to  hear  anything  even  remotely  like  them  on  this
release. (... And now, for even more  reasons  to  be  suspicious  of
projects like this, see the review of Shadowcaster below.) 


Shadowcaster - _Abandonment_  (Unisound Records, 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (3 out of 10)

Shadowcaster is touted as an  "experimental"  entry  into  the  black
metal genre, but "tedious one-man keyboard project" would be  a  much
more accurate description of  this  release.  _Abandonment_  features
loads of synth,  some  slow  programmed  percussion,  and  plenty  of
tortured vocalizations "sung" in the black metal style - but there is
not one note of guitar (or bass) to be heard  at  any  point  in  its
71-minute playing time. That's not why I'm giving it the low  rating,
though. No, it's because the  incessant  keyboards  sound  cheap  and
rather goofy - and, frankly, they're  not  played  with  much  skill.
Moreover, the compositions tend to be really simplistic,  monotonous,
and overly long. Some moments even end up being unintentionally funny
(to me, at any rate). In comparison to the awesome  ritual  music  of
Equimanthorn (also on Unisound) or the  spellbinding  "dark  ambient"
music of the mighty Mortiis,  this  is  incredibly  doltish  sounding
stuff. The album does contain  a  few  moments  of  weird,  nocturnal
charm, but those moments are way too few and far between.


Sort Vokter - _Folkloric Necro Metal_  (Napalm Records/Norse League,
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (8 out of 10)                     September 1996)

Wow!! This disk sounds like the recorded output of some  freaked-out,
inhuman woodland entity who does lots of drugs and thinks that  early
Bathory is God!! "This album was fully recorded under  the  influence
of T.H.C., with no care for technical details," says the back  cover.
Sort Vokter is a one-man project from Norway dedicated  to  producing
only the most  abrasive  and  ultra-simplistic  forest  black  metal.
Indeed, this stuff is -so- primitive, raw, and  distorted  that  it's
outright psychedelic. The guitars are a wall of super-crusty fuzz; so
is the bass, and the rudimentary arrangements are propelled by  harsh
programmed percussion that creates a supremely  chilly  feel.  Vocals
are done in the standard black  metal  style  (occasionally  filtered
through various effects), and synthesizers are used  in  a  genuinely
creepy way. _FNM_ is  a  very  deceptive  recording:  If  you  listen
casually, it sounds totally crude  and  unimaginative  -  yet  closer
attention (headphones help) reveals multiple layers of  morbid  sound
carefully designed to congeal into a juggernaut of stark, atmospheric
black scorch. "Grdlysning" is very simple, yet  very  cool;  "Bak  to
Lysende Oyne" just sounds mean as hell; and the  inhuman  shrieks  in
"Hatefulle Tanker ut I Natten" are incredible. This  whole  album  is
one mighty, resounding "Fuck off!" to those who proclaim  their  love
of  black  metal,  then  whine  about  bands  who  don't  have  slick
production or fancy-pants arrangements. Hell, I'm tempted to give  it
a nine.... (Killer packaging, too.)


Tsatthoggua - _Hosanna Bizarre_  (Osmose Productions, July 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (6 out of 10)

These  over-energetic  lunatics  proudly  describe  their  style   as
"satanic-devastating-black-sadomaso-mad-whipping  HYPERSPEED  metal."
Apparently this is the style you get when you take the basic  Impaled
Nazarene sound, augment it with loud, screechy keyboards,  and  crank
out compositions as quirky and furious as anything by  Brutal  Truth.
Kinda weird. (In fact, there are quite a few parts of the  disk  that
sound, I swear, like old Destruction LP's played at 45 rpm instead of
33. Not that that's necessarily bad.) This is  totally  crazed  music
which only occasionally attempts to be catchy, and often  becomes  so
frenetic  that  it  makes  more  famous  purveyors  of  the  standard
fast-black-metal formula seem  laid  back  by  comparison.  But  even
though that description might sound enticing, I end up being kind  of
bored by this release. It definitely has its moments (best among them
the blasting "Worm of Sin"), but most of the album's riffs are  quite
uninspired, and the jumpy song structures do  little  to  hold  one's
interest. (Plus, the  overall  sound,  though  thick,  is  incredibly
high-pitched, with  keyboards  mixed  very  loud.)  This  is  totally
ferocious stuff; it's just  that  Tsatthogua's  song-writing  prowess
doesn't keep pace with their all-out need for speed.


Gomorrah - _Caress the Grotesque_  (Black Mark, October 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (7 out of 10)

Unlike the rather harsh mentality and direction that was essential to
the strong debut album, 1994's _Reflections  of  Inanimate  Objects_,
Gomorrah's follow-up, is a downscaled version in terms of  aggression
and anger, though increasing substantially in both groove  and  focus
in songwriting. While some fans of England's quintet  may  feel  less
invited to take a listen because of lack of growls, it is  the  clear
and precise attempt at developing a well-rounded feel  to  the  music
that need be explored and taken note of. Personally, I enjoyed _RoIO_
a lot and felt that the band had a lot to offer in  the  future  with
their music. _CtG_ has some great numbers, most  notably  "Fireball",
"33 Utopia", and "Feed On Me", but at times seems to lack  some  kind
of burst of energy. Maybe trying too hard to focus has  lessened  the
aggressive lunge of the band's musical drive? No  problem,  when  you
look past that, the album is pretty strong in its own right.


Human Remains - _Using Sickness as a Hero_  (Relapse, Summer 1996)
by: Brian Meloon  (7 out of 10)

After a lengthy  delay  that  included  a  name  change  or  two  (to
"Remains" and back again), Human Remains finally released their debut
EP. The band hails from New Jersey, and play a chaotic,  heavy  brand
of death metal. As with Within (see review this issue), they  have  a
few sections which sound "quirky" or "goofy", which  helps  to  break
the monotony. This EP is pretty short, with seven songs  clocking  in
at roughly 20 minutes. But this might be just as well, as a little of
this style goes a long way, and the album might get boring if it were
any longer. Overall, this is a good effort, but I find  it  a  little
too unfocussed for its own good. Some of the parts are too chaotic to
retain the heaviness that they appear to be going  for.  In  fact,  I
can't really judge how tight they are in these sections, because they
usually go by in a  blur,  with  the  bass  and  drum  parts  totally
decoupled from the guitar parts. Otherwise, though,  the  playing  is
very tight. The vocals are okay, and the singer reminds me of a  more
aggressive Chuck Schuldiner, as some of his vocal parts have the same
kind of discernible sneer. In any case, the production is great, with
a heavily distorted bass, and brutal guitar tone. It's  an  enjoyable
listen, but with a little focus (like Within), it could be better. 


Inner Thought - _Perspectives_  (Dwell Records, October 1996)
by: Gino Filicetti  (9 out of 10)

Since the first time I heard  Inner  Thought,  I  found  it  hard  to
believe that one man, Bobby Sadzak, could  compose  the  masterpieces
that are Inner Thought's songs.  Perhaps  you  have  heard  his  name
before, that's because Bobby was once in the legendary Canadian  band
Slaughter, who, along with their American  contemporaries,  pioneered
the death metal genre. On this record Bobby  plays  guitar,  programs
his drum machine, and plays keyboards. The only other member of Inner
Thought is Dennis Balesdent who's superb  vocal  talents  grace  this
release. The CD starts off with "Words" which gives  the  listener  a
taste of the brutality and intensity that is to follow.  This  entire
album was recorded with the help of drum machines, however that's not
to say that the power of the drums have been compromised in any  way.
On the contrary, this is probably the best use of drum machines  I've
heard  since  Skrew.  Also  appearing  on  "Sanctioned   Situations",
"Tortured",  and  "Autodogmatic"  are  female  vocals  care  of  Mary
Giordano. These, mixed with Dennis' brutal growls, create an  amazing
complementary effect. My favorite  song  here  is  "Tortured",  which
starts off with a sample and proceeds into one of the best  riffs  on
this album. This track truly encompasses all aspects of Inner Thought
with its keyboard section and female vocals close to the end  of  the
song. Another favorite is "Rack of Lethargy", which appeared  on  the
Utopian Vision Music double CD compilation, _Sonic Obliteration  Part
I_. This song utilizes an array of  samples,  techno  beats,  driving
guitars and both clean and growled vocals  to  give  the  listener  a
unique listening experience. I'd recommend this album to all fans  of
death metal, and even industrial. A superb release to say the least.


Korn - _Life Is Peachy_  (Immortal Records/Epic, October 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (8 out of 10)

The band's debut album on Immortal Records sold one  million  copies.
So will this one... maybe more... who knows? I'm impressed  with  the
strength and sound quality the band has been  able  to  magnify  with
_Life Is Peachy_. The screams are louder, the music seems harsher and
the dementia of the band has magnified ten-fold. This stuff scares me
at times - I'm serious. The album's "fucked-up" nature seems to carry
this album into a different state of mind several times as  _Life  Is
Peachy_ plays, and for those who expected Korn to sell-out with album
number two, you're wrong. _Life Is Peachy_  is  an  intense  shot  of
anger, frustration and maniacal tendencies all  rolled  up  into  one
fist-pounding blow to the skull. An album very similar, yet at  times
far from what they had done with  their  self-titled  debut  release.
Heavy tracks include "Twist", "K@#*%!", the ever-cool "A.D.I.D.A.S.",
and "Kill You". They even cover Ice  Cube's  "Wicked".  Korn  returns
with a deafening, hard-edged dose of might that will surely  bring  a
smile to their fans and keep them moshing.


Iron Maiden - _Best of the Beast_ <2-CD box set>
by: Adrian Bromley  (10 out of 10)  (Castle Records, Sept. 1996)

First off, if you are a Maiden fan and don't have this  release  yet,
you must be on crack or something. This release should get 10 out  of
10 just for the stellar packaging - amazing!!! But  the  fun  doesn't
stop with the packaging as within this double-CD (27-song) release is
a thorough and well thought out assortment of some of  Iron  Maiden's
most memorable numbers from over the years,  such  as  "Fear  of  the
Dark", "Can I Play With Madness," "The  Trooper",  "Running  Free"...
the list goes on. Another good thing is that  the  material  on  this
release caters to songs sung by the numerous lead singers of the band
over the years: Paul DiAnno, Bruce Dickinson,  and  current  frontman
Blaze Bayley. The box set also has many pictures and facts about  the
band's releases and years on the road too. But wait... there is more!
The most prized gem of this release is the inclusion of material from
the band's first recording session, 1979's _The Soundhouse Tapes_ - a
much desired find  for  any  Maiden  fan.  Songs  from  that  session
include, "Iron Maiden", "Strange World", "Phantom of the Opera",  and
"Sanctuary". Sure, there have been countless  releases  by  the  band
over the years  of  assorted  material  (the  double-live  Donnington
record, _A Real Dead One_  and  _A  Real  Live  One_),  but  none  so
well-packaged and well assembled as what the band and Castle  Records
have done with _Best of the Beast_. A  worthwhile  purchase  for  any
Iron Maiden fan.


Manhole - _All Is Not Well_  (Noise Records, August 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)

Heavy  shit  happening  here.  The  debut  album   by   Los   Angeles
rap/metal/hardcore  quartet  Manhole,  _All  Is  Not  Well_,   is   a
bludgeoning assault of  socially  conscious  lyrics  and  anger.  The
album's songs deal with topics ranging from rape to racism to sexism,
and when singer/screamer Tairrie B. sings them, they seem so real and
so "in-yer-face." From the opening chords of "Hypocrite", the  albums
kicks into some serious grooves and rhythms that do some serious work
on your cranium. Get kicked hard and violently by such  lash-outs  as
"Empty", "Victim", and "Cycle of Violence".  Producer  Ross  Robinson
(Korn/Deftones/Sepultura) has done a  remarkable  job  capturing  the
intensity and live feel of the band on CD and the band play off  that
work by delivering overbearing doses  of  adrenaline  numerous  times
throughout the debut. Raw and downright ruthless at times,  Manhole's
debut will no doubt catch the ears of fans of such diverse  bands  as
Korn, Rage Against the Machine, and Life of Agony.


Manowar - _Louder Than Hell_  (Geffen/MCA, October 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (8 out of 10)

For those of you who grew up in the 1980s listening to Judas  Priest,
Accept, Iron Maiden, and Anvil material (there were  hundreds  more),
you  will  definitely  cream  your  pants   with   Manowar's   latest
installment of "manly metal" with _Louder Than Hell_. As  if  written
from the tales of Conan the Barbarian or Thundarr the Barbarian  (80s
cartoon hero), the material on _LTH_ lashes out in a blinding fury of
aggression, speed, and harmony. It's tight, loud, and brings forth  a
tremendous feeling of power with every  song.  Stomp  your  feet  and
strap on your spiked-arm bands and head bang fast  and  furious  with
such delights as "Return  of  the  Warlord",  "The  Gods  Made  Heavy
Metal", and "Outlaw." At times cheesy, but for the remainder  of  the
time, Manowar's _LTH_ is a definite ear-pleaser. This  album  may  do
moderately well and get some exposure seeing that they are on a major
label (Geffen). Metallic mayhem unleashed!


Merzbow - _Rainbow Electronics 2_  (Drag City, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski  (8 out of 10)

Recently, one of the many people uninitiated in the ways of Japanoise
attempted to provoke an argument with me about whether or not all  of
Merzbow's albums sounded the same; of course, my initial response was
that such a rash comment could only be coming from the mouth  of  one
posessing an extreme amount of ignorance. Still, a  sense  of  accord
permeated beneath my unwavering veneer; many of  the  "wall  o'noise"
(for examples, see _Noise Embryo_, or the disappointing, yet easy  to
locate, _Venerology_) releases that Masami Akita, Merzbow's  dictator
and sole member, has composed for the past  decade  have  started  to
sound quite generic and, at times, even stale. Has the  godfather  of
noise started to run out of fresh  ideas?  After  a  few  listens  to
_Rainbow Electronics 2_, I can proudly respond  with  an  irrefutable
nope. While still equaling many of his latter day releases  in  their
unadulterated  bombastic  nature  (especially  during  the  last  two
tracks), in this sequel/remix of a rare five-year old CD of the  same
name - sans the "2" - Akita throws in more of  an  ambient  influence
this time around. Also, this release is neither manic nor  monotonous
when compared  to  previous  compositions,  as  the  soundscapes  are
constantly evolving, yet still remaining harsh throughout (especially
during  the  album's  final  two  tracks;  as  usual,  Akita  bestows
chronological titles on each track) . What results is a  surprisingly
subdued whole; instead of tearing apart'n'mutilating  your  eardrums,
_RE2_ appears to attack  the  listener's  nerve  cells,  creating  an
experience which is simultaneously enthralling and unbearable. 


Morgoth - _Feel Sorry for the Fanatic_
by: Adam Wasylyk  (8 out of 10)  (Century Media, September 1996)

Morgoth, after a three-year hiatus, have released a  record  that  is
full of experimentation that really pays off. With  me  having  their
first effort _Cursed_, they never impressed me as I found their sound
quite boring. With _Feel Sorry for the Fanatic_, Morgoth  stray  from
their death metal roots and embrace  a  more  hard  rock  sound.  The
vocals have lost every shred of death metal influence, sounding rough
and husky rather than low. Fans may not  know  what  to  think  about
track four, "... and its amazing consequences",  which  is  a  techno
track with keyboards, but is oddly one of my favorite tracks.  Others
like  the  powerful  opener  "This  Fantastic  Decade",  "Cash",  and
"Curiosity" are catchy and memorable, the opposite of what I  thought
of the tracks on _Cursed_. There is also a heavy use of keyboards  on
the album, which I think deserve credit in making this album as  good
as it is. I think track 10 sums up this record,  "A  New  Start".  It
really is, and a great one at that.

[Note: I found this album simply atrocious, having  loved  their  old
material, _Odium_ in particular. Fans of the old stuff,  *BEWARE*!
   -- Alain]


Atrax Morgue - _Cut My Throat_  (Slaughter Productions, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski  (6 out of 10)

After producing numerous cassettes under  the  Atrax  Morgue  moniker
throughout the past three years,  Marco  Corbelli  has  released  his
first four CDs in 1996. The most recent  of  which  is  this  limited
edition CD (250 copies  with  a  bandage  on  the  jewel  case),  the
ominously titled _Cut My Throat_. This one continues the sparsity  of
his past works; one constantly  moving  sound  pattern  occupies  the
foreground,  while  random  distortion  and  noises  dwell   in   the
background. During the first track, "Before", these sounds are  quite
docile; they evoke images ranging from sirens and chainsaws  to  more
childlike (ie: something that  would  appeal  to  a  four  year  old)
patterns, and never become overbearing. The second track, the  longer
"I  Cut  Yours",  is  comparatively  harsher,  largely  due  to  more
background distortion and a pulsating  foreground,  yet  still  never
reaches an unlistenable level. Although this makes for an  intriguing
listen, it lacks both the harsh and disturbing nature of better noise
artists.


Nevermore - _The Politics of Ecstasy_  (Century Media, October 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (9 out of 10)

Holy shit! What an intense record! From the opening chords of  "Seven
Tongues of God" onto the stunning "Passenger", "Politics of Ecstasy",
and till the end of the album, this 60-minute+ sophomore  release  by
Seattle's Nevermore never seems to falter. Led by the vocal charge of
frontman Warrel Dane, Nevermore continues on  with  their  style  and
direction with a crisier, more detailed  vision  of  the  progressive
metal they create. The music is more balanced with the  melodies  and
vocal styles taking shape into full-fledged  epics  as  well  as  the
sound has become more firm with triumphant guitar  riffs  (thanks  to
guitarists Jeff Loomis and Pat O'Brien)  that  seem  to  garnish  the
musical platter of the band. The debut  album  by  the  band,  1995's
_Nevermore_, seems so minimal and off-center when played back to back
with _PoE_. Maturity will do that. Bottom  line:  _PoE_  is  a  truly
remarkable second release. In the same vein  as  Queensryche,  Angra,
and Fates Warning (though heavier), Nevermore's latest truly sets the
standard for what ALL progressive records should follow.


Old Man's Child - _In the Shades of Life_ MCD
by: Drew Schinzel  (8 out of 10)  (Hot Records, October 1996)

Following in the footsteps of their debut full length album, _Born of
the Flickering_, Old Man's Child are back (sort of) with a  new  MCD,
_In the Shades of Life_. Why the  "sort  of?"  Well,  the  MCD  isn't
actually filled with new material,  but  instead  consists  of  their
demo, remastered and pressed onto CD for mass consumption. Originally
recorded in 1994, this latest offering is fairly lengthy, for an MCD,
at 27m:10s, encompassing five tracks. Be forewarned though, the final
track is mostly synth and really nothing like the rest of the  album.
Other than that, though, this release is  filled  with  more  awesome
black metal with a melodic edge and incorporation  of  acoustics  and
the very rhythmic guitar sound embodied by OMC. Slightly slowed  down
from _BotF_, _ItSoL_ doesn't sound like demo material at all,  but  a
mature and diverse mixture of different elements to form  a  complete
and pretty original sound. Of the five tracks, the second one, "Seeds
of the Ancient Gods", stands out as  the  best;  from  its  blend  of
acoustic guitar layered over a simple guitar  melody  with  mid-paced
drum beat, to the high-speed black metal assault, to the clean vocals
mixed with acoustics and alternating double bass, it  represents  the
sound of Old Man's Child perfectly. Those familiar with  OMC's  style
should not miss this fantastic release, and  those  who  are  yet  to
experience them would do well to pick this MCD up.


Overdose - _Scars_  (Fierce Records, July 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (4 out of 10)

Brazil's metal outfit Overdose is a band that has  the  potential  to
break away from being seen as a Sepultura clone, and they  almost  do
it on this, their second release. Almost. But unfortunately, breaking
away from a stereotype is one of the hardest things to do. _Scars_ is
full of powerful rhythm sections and works well to provide a  focused
Brazilian feel to the music and vibe of the album (as seen on numbers
like "How To Pray", "The Front", and "Still  Primitive"),  but  after
all that, _Scars_ still sets no real identity  for  the  band.  Round
three should be promising for the band... I hope? 


Oxiplegatz - _Worlds and Worlds_  (Seasons in Mist, October 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel  (9 out of 10)

How to describe the awesome music of Oxiplegatz?  They  use  so  many
different styles in this  offering,  from  straightforward  primitive
black metal, to death metal, to a seeming opera. The music is adorned
with trumpets, acoustic guitar, and beautiful synth. Upon hearing the
relatively straightforward opening track, one  might  think  this  is
"just another average black metal album." Not so. Take one listen  to
the amazing second track, and from then on you are hooked;  there  is
no turning back. It is not the individual parts  on  their  own  that
make this release so wonderful, but their  seamless  integration  and
resulting variation  which  create  an  aura  of  wonderment  (and  a
definite sci-fi twist) while listening  to  some  tracks.  The  sheer
atmosphere and feeling during the slower,  clean  vocal  sections  is
enough to base a purchase of this CD on. Also, the use of a (probably
synthesized) trumpet  adds  much  to  the  overall  quality,  with  a
majestic, monumental touch. While this is definitely  not  the  first
time a horned instrument has been used in a black metal  release,  it
definitely creates a unique sound and  adds  to  the  atmosphere.  In
addition, the fantastic female vocals, which are prominent during the
synth sections of the songs, are some of the best performed that I've
ever heard; they actually produce feeling, unlike the  female  vocals
in some other black metal bands, which create the perception that the
vocalist was just a little bored while recording. For those who  look
for a little diversity in their music, this is almost a must have.


Pyogenesis - _Love Nation Sugarhead_ EP
by: Adrian Bromley  (2 out of 10)  (Nuclear Blast, October 1996)

I really wanted to like this record - seriously - but instead am left
totally disappointed. The German four-piece  have  left  their  metal
roots and gone more for that  alternative/punk  rock  feel  to  their
music. The band dabbled with alternative-ness with their last  effort
_Twinaleblood_ (a la Smashing Pumpkins) but  still  managed  to  keep
some metal qualities intact. Not the case for _LNS_,  a  record  that
shakes any past Pyogenesis qualities and focuses more on  the  sounds
of God Lives Underwater  (techno-oriented  feedback  rock),  Mudhoney
(rough grunge/rock), and Redd Kross (pop/punk rock) to bring forth  a
new musical direction for the band. Sad. Really sad.


Serenade - _The 28th Parallel_  (Deviation Records, 1996)
by: Alain M. Gaudrault  (6 out of 10)

Their label calls them "progressive doomrock", and  while  the  band,
comprised of  John  Alexander  on  vocals,  Gerry  Magee  and  Fraser
McGartland  on  guitars,  Stephen  Mitchell  on  bass,   and   Graeme
McGartland on drums, prefers not to be labeled, I can't say  that  it
isn't  a  fitting  description  of  the  music   composed   by   this
Glasgow-based outfit. Combining doom, death, plenty of  Iron  Maiden,
and 90s prog metal stylings, Serenade are  out  to  write  epics.  On
their first full-length album, they  chose  a  concept  album  format
"based on the voyages of Christopher Columbus and  the  discovery  of
the Americas" (from The Crypt Fanzine, see  Writer's  Wrath).  Pretty
strange move for a Scottish act  to  delve  so  deeply  into  Spanish
history, but delve they did  through  songs  such  as  "Introduction:
1492", "Oceans of Despair", and "Eden After the  Fall".  Thin  guitar
sound aside, I found the tone  of  the  greater  part  of  the  music
somewhat same-y, although relatively complex and intricate, rendering
it mildly enjoyable to  listen  to.  What  will  keep  me  from  ever
listening to this album again, though, are the truly  horrid  vocals.
Part death growl, part clean, and occasionally spoken, I can't  begin
to explain just how poorly sung this material is. I'll give Alexander
a few points  for  effort,  but  basically,  his  growling  voice  is
monotonous, weak, and directionless. What's  more,  they  just  don't
seem to mesh well with the accompanying music. His clean  vocals  are
even worse, grating sorely on my nerves whenever they come up,  being
off key, and lacking in control. With a singer  having  such  a  poor
grasp of melody and harmony, and lyricist(s)  with  such  a  lack  of
depth and sense  for  the  poetic,  these  Dream  Theater/Queensryche
aficionados  will  be  hard-pressed  to  attract  the  same  type  of
audience, if that's remotely what they're after. Despite there  being
so few Scottish metal acts, I'm sad to say  I  can't  much  recommend
this release other than to those  who  are  more  forgiving  of  such
singing limitations.

Contact: SERENADE, 19 Castlehill Drive, Newton Mearns
         Glasgow, Scotland, G77-5J3


Slapdash - _Slapdash_  (Nuclear Blast/EastWest Records, October 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (2 out of 10)

Read my review of Slapdash's _Bound_ in CoC  #14.  More  songs,  same
shit. Not impressed  with  this  power-groove-metal  quintet's  debut
album at all. Next.

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

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

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


Anhkrehg - _Brutal Witching-Metal_  (10-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (****-)

A three-piece from Montreal, Anhkrehg show that the smaller bands  in
Quebec have something to offer too. The  band  combines  death  metal
grunting and black metal  screaming  with  heavy  and  catchy  guitar
riffing, and often speedy drumming. On _Brutal Witching-Metal_, there
are 10 tracks, with most of the songs sung in French,  about  ancient
wars and battles. Songs like "Acte II (L'Armee De  Dieu)",  "Acte  IV
(L'Invasion)", the great title  track  (with  military  drumming  and
grinding bass), "Under the Reign of Leviathan", "Satan's Curse",  and
"To the Devil... A Daughter"  are  really  strong  and  enjoyable  to
listen to. Also included is a live track, which I must say  is  quite
rare to see on a demo. The layout isn't bad, mostly b/w but  contains
three small colour photos, one of each  band  member.  Production  is
much better here than on their previous demo, _Sacrificial Goat_ (see
review in CoC #10). A better than average demo,  and  a  band  to  be
reckoned with.

Contact: ANHKREHG c/o E.S.T Management
         755 Muir Suite #205, Saint-Laurent, Quebec
         H4L-5G9, Canada
         Send $5 for a copy of _Brutal Witching-Metal_


Engulfed - _Castellated Architecture_  (6-track demo)
by: Alain M. Gaudrault  (***--)

This is without a doubt the heaviest band  I've  heard  come  out  of
Scotland. I hear shades of Carcass, older  Entombed,  and  even  Bolt
Thrower. Takes a while to get past the thin production and odd guitar
sound, but underneath the mire are some passable  tunes  played  with
much conviction. What this band needs, in my opinion is time; time to
become better songwriters, time to become a better unit.  This  isn't
the tightest demo I've heard, not by a longshot, but then, that's not
really a  prerequisite  for  grindcore,  by  which  this  is  heavily
influenced. Lyrics to  the  first  three  songs  deal  with  medieval
imagery, while the last three are inspired more by Satan. Odd  combo,
but to each his own, I say. Vocals  are  your  standard  grind  fare,
combining  warped  growls  with  high-pitched  screaming,   generally
unwavering albeit well delivered. While not very original in  nature,
_Castellated Architecture_ is still a decent listen  for  grind/death
enthousiasts.

Contact: ENGULFED, c/o Kelvin Cook
         26 Nithsdale Drive, Glasgow, Scotland, G41-2PN
         Voice: 0141 423 5714


Human Disorder - _Twisted Sane_  (10-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley  (****-)

Southern Ontario metal quartet Human Disorder's debut album, _Twisted
Sane_, is quite the piece of work. The riffs are  thick,  the  vocals
are abrasive and the pounding rhythm section is tight throughout  the
debut album. Molding their music after such  thrash  metal  bands  as
Anthrax and Sacred Reich, and working  hard  to  create  well-crafted
metal numbers as we would see with  bands  like  Flotsam  Jetsam  and
Metal Church, Human Disorder's 10-song  release  is  pleasing  as  it
flows a very consistent pattern of groove and  tightness.  I  enjoyed
this release as it seems the band  has  managed  to  capture  a  very
honest feel to the way their music  comes  across.  It  doesn't  seem
contrived or fake. Get drawn in by  such  numbers  as  "Horrorscope",
"Fever", and "Afraid". Musically, the band is doing something of  the
kind of music that some people have ignored in  the  past  few  years
(that being thrash/groove metal),  but  with  bands  out  there  like
Anthrax still kicking around and  new  killer  LPs  by  Sacred  Reich
(_Heal_) and Meliah Rage (_Death Valley Dream_), there may be a place
for Human Disorder in the realms of Canadian  metal.  An  independent
release worth looking into.

Contact: Human Disorder c/o New Music Management
         27 Balfour Street, St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada, L2R-2G4
         Voice: (905) 687-4825


Jim Studnicki - _The Second Day_  (3-track demo)
by: Brian Meloon  (**---)  

Jim Studnicki comes from Florida, and  was  able  to  convince  Shawn
Malone and Sean Reinert (both ex-Cynic) to  play  on  this  demo.  As
you'd expect, the playing is good, but unfortunately too  restrained,
and the songs aren't very interesting. A  late  80s  metal/hard  rock
feel permeates the demo, and there's a general dated sound to it. The
three songs all have a different feel, so I'll give  them  individual
attention. "Ensnared" starts out okay, but goes  downhill  after  the
singing starts. The guitar riffs bring to  mind  the  late  80s  hard
rock/metal style, and  the  vocals  added  on  top  caused  the  word
"Dokken" to pop into my head. I think the vocalist is the weak  point
of the whole demo. His voice is too whiney, and  gives  the  demo  an
overly commercial feel that it wouldn't  otherwise  have.  The  title
track follows, and this is the  worst  song  on  here.  It's  a  soft
acoustic number, which reminds me  a  lot  of  Dream  Theater's  "The
Silent Man", or for that matter any of a number of similar  songs.  I
can't find anything interesting in this song,  as  much  of  it  (and
especially the ending) are very cliche. Closing off the demo  is  the
best song, "Wolves",  an  instrumental  that  reminds  me  of  Vinnie
Moore's _Meltdown_ in the guitar leads and rhythm parts. There  is  a
short but cool bass solo, and a few  heavier  parts,  but  this  song
doesn't really get off the ground either. I'll give  Jim  credit  for
playing music that isn't trendy, and for not trying to  be  the  next
"guitar god," but I just can't enjoy this. 

Contact: Jim Studnicki, 13808 Lazy Oak Drive, Tampa, Florida 33613
         e-mail: studnick@soleil.acomp.usf.edu


Mono Grande - _Mono Grande_  (11-track demo)
by: Alain M. Gaudrault  (***--)

Scored this one in Aberdeen in a  small  CD/vinyl  store  on  Belmont
Street. One of the band members works in the store and wanted for  me
to listen to his work. While I suppose this could be considered heavy
by some, it's more in the so-called alternative vein  of  rock/metal.
And for what it is, it's a decent effort. While somewhat hit-and-miss
in nature, it sports the occasional  Prong-drenched  riff  and  vocal
combo. Vocals are in the vein of Helmet, albeit more  melodious,  and
generally happier. The Nirvana-loving bass-heavy grooves and  punkish
touches give it the 90s alternative feel overall, but  despite  that,
there  are  some  half-way  decent  tunes.  If  you're   into   "hard
alternative"  and  happen  upon  a  copy  of  this  Scottish   band's
self-produced affair, you could do worse than to pick it up.

Contact: MONO GRANDE, 18 Pinkie Road, Newmachar
         Aberdeen, Scotland, AB2-0RG
         Voice: (01224) 642662


Phycus - _Sonderkommando Now_  (13-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley  (8 out of 10)

First off, I spelled this band's name  wrong  last  time  I  reviewed
their full-length release _Brainmower_.  It  is  Phycus  not  Psycus.
Continuing on in the same vein as their last release with heavy  NIN,
Skinny Puppy, and Ministry  sounds  and  influences,  _Sonderkommando
Now_ remains pretty much the same style as  _Brainmower_  except  for
the fact that the band has somewhat darkened their visions a bit more
and become a bit more experimental with sounds and samples. The album
has a lot going on within it but at the same time seems to  have  too
much going on within it. There seems to be no real pattern  of  sound
and direction, and at times, the listener is thrust  back  and  forth
into realms of darkness and warped ideas. But maybe that is the plan?
Songs like  "Zero  Years,"  "Metal  Mantra",  "Mental  Illness",  and
"You're Killing Me" come off as disfigured concoctions of sounds  and
ideas but in many ways pleasing to the ear. Regardless of my dislikes
(a few small things) of this release, I still believe this band to be
one of the few of its genre in Canada making music that can not  only
sound good but really disturb you at the same time.

Contact: MUSICUS PHYCUS, P.O. Box 55083, 240 Sparks St.
         Ottawa, Ontario K1P-1A1, Canada
         e-mail: phycus@cyberus.ca


Prototype - _Seed_  (3-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley  (***--)

This Los Angeles-based quartet has got the right thing going on here.
With a very defined  thrash  metal  sound,  sounding  much  like  the
newer/slicker  version  of  Megadeth  in   some   spots   and   still
incorporating some old school thrash metal elements, not  to  mention
progressive metal styles of Damn the Machine  and  Fates  Warning  at
times too, L.A.'s Prototype are aiming towards bringing  variety  and
uniqueness back to music to some extent. What happens with the _Seed_
demo is that the band leads  us  through  a  sample  of  their  music
roster: "Seed", "Shine", and "Dead of Jericho"  -  songs  that  while
similar in some spots, radiate variety and craftsmanship.  This  band
consists of great musicians and do nothing wrong in making us believe
those qualities exist, it is just that even though the music on  this
demo is well executed, it seems to lack a  notion  of  integrity  and
feeling. The music sounds great (don't get me wrong), it is just that
after a few listens I am left with little of any impression  of  what
the band has delivered to me musically. Sound is one thing  but  also
is reaching out to the audience and  shaking  them  a  bit.  A  mixed
review nonetheless.

Contact: Prototype, P.O. Box 993, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272, USA


Thug - _Monochrome_  (13-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley  (****-)

An eerie feeling seems to take over my  body  with  every  listen  of
Thug's debut album, _Monochrome_. Heavily into the radiating emotions
and sounds through music, this  industrial/metal  trio  from  Oshawa,
Ontario taunt us, scare us, and take pleasure  in  disfiguring  their
sounds and visions of material  off  their  debut  album.  I'm  still
trying to figure out why this album gives me the creeps. I  think  it
has to do with one of these three reasons: a) a top secret mission by
C.I.A. to scare music critics like myself from  the  business,  b)  a
bizarre pre-Halloween scare (it worked!) or c) this band really knows
how to manipulate sounds and music  and  can  flawlessly  incorporate
samples and feedback  into  songs,  making  them  more  volatile  and
demented as it goes along. I think it is the  last  one.  Interesting
numbers include: "Fucker", "Reject",  "Science  Fiction  Organ",  and
"Vole". _Monochrome_ is much like a bad nightmare that you can't seem
to wake up out of. Haven't heard shit this fucked up since  my  first
encounter  with  Skinny  Puppy  material.  Weird   shit.   Goosebumps
guaranteed every time. 

Contact: THUG, c/o Negative Air Research
         285 Taunton Rd. P.O. Box 82571
         Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, L1G-7W7


Within - _Bliss_  (7-track demo)
by: Brian Meloon  (****-) 

Within  are  from  Rochester,  NY,  and  like  their   contemporaries
Windbreed, play a style that can be described roughly as a more death
metal version of Lethargy (see review in CoC #4 or #14). They seem to
have fused the semi-melodic death metal style of their previous demo,
_The Unaccepted_ (see review in CoC #7), with the quirky death/thrash
of Lethargy, which I think is a change for the better. Their sound is
more diverse than either Lethargy  or  their  previous  work,  as  it
incorporates many acoustic/clean sections and a lot of slow parts  as
well. While this is a good thing from a variety perspective, the slow
parts tend to drag on, making it boring  at  times.  When  the  songs
speed up, they sound  fine  though;  they're  (semi-technical)  death
metal with excellent production, and an especially clear  bass  tone.
The playing isn't quite as tight as it could be, but it's still  very
good. The songs are usually short (seven  tracks  fill  up  about  25
minutes), but the structures  avoid  standard  form.  The  singer  is
typical death metal style, actually sounding a lot like the guy  from
Crematory at one part. I enjoy this tape a lot, and I hope these guys
get signed in the near future. In  a  head-to-head  competition,  I'd
rank these guys above Human Remains (see review this issue),  because
of their more impressive control and diversity. 

Contact: WITHIN, 56 Durand Blvd, Rochester, NY, 14622, USA

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


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


            A N   E V E N I N G   O F   I N T E N S I T Y 
            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                      Anal Cunt with Incantation
         October 27, 1996 at The Velvet Elvis in Savannah, GA
                           by: Steve Cannon

     Wow! A show like this coming to our town!  Actually,  they  were
appearing with local band Damad, who I didn't get  to  see,  but  can
best be described as a punk/death metal  combo  with  a  female  lead
singer who is absolutely brutal, and puts most guys to shame  in  the
genre. They have a CD coming out which I will tell y'all more  about!
The strangest thing about this show was the local band played last.
     Incantation went on first, and lemme tell ya, there  were  about
30 people who drove 5 hours from  Gainseville  Florida  to  be  here!
Incantation did not prove to be a disappointment, though  the  vocals
were a bit lower in  the  mix  than  the  rest  of  the  band.  Their
material, most of which was from their previous efforts, was  a  good
mix of blistering speed and slow grinding riffs, and there was a good
bit of moshing about! Unfortunately, as I was not very familiar  with
their stuff, I don't know exactly what songs they played, but all who
know Incantation know they are quite vicious live.
     Anal Cunt was next, and this  reporter  definitely  enjoyed  the
craziness, although there were a couple of times when I didn't  think
I would live through the show! Lead singer Seth was half  drunk,  and
fell off the stage at many points, one time falling  right  onto  his
back and still singing in that crazed half  death/half  screech  that
most black metal bands might  wanna  grab!  He  threw  a  few  chairs
directly into the crowd, and some probably feared  for  their  lives!
They did a rather short  set,  only  a  drummer  and  guitarist  were
present besides Seth. They did the Oi version of Staying Alive,  Pepe
the Gay Waiter, and the crowd was 100 percent behind them (those  who
are A.C. fans) when they covered Gloves of  Metal  (the  old  manowar
hit) of which I got to sing several lines along with Seth, the second
show I've ever been to where I was allowed to sing  with  the  singer
(Corrosion of Conformity being the first). The bouncer had a  problem
with the throwing of chairs and the obvious gay bashing going on,  to
which the lead singer replied "Hey, kick that gay freak's ass!" Quite
a wild troop on stage; Seth is a total madman. Many people  I  talked
with afterwards were saying what a great show A.C. put on, but others
still were rather put off by Seth's antics. Two bands who are  almost
virtual unknowns down here got rather a  mixed  reception,  but  it's
obvious that to this backwards ass town, there are still quite a  few
people who want to see a good show. 
 
-- Steven G. Cannon
Editor in Chief of Vibrations of Doom Magazine.
Email address: ax487@freenet.uchsc.edu

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                D A N Z I G   D O E S   D E T R O I T 
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      Danzig with Speedball at The State Theatre in Detroit, MI
                     Halloween - October 31, 1996
             by: Alyson Morrow <amorrow@emuvax.emich.edu>

     On October 31, 1996, I had ventured off to the State Theatre  in
downtown  Detroit  to  see  Danzig  with  local  openers,  Speedball.
Speedball are a cross between Nirvana  and  White  Zombie,  and  were
pretty good. The crowd went nuts though just  before  Danzig  was  to
take the stage. The crowd of about 6,000  people  were  all  cheering
Danzig, all waiting to see the God of Darkness himself, Glenn Danzig. 
     He had stood on stage wearing his usual tight, black  jeans  and
his black fishnet hole shirt  which  is  like  the  Danzig  trademark
fashion. As the lights went down the background  of  Danzig's  latest
effort, _blackacidevil_, had been displayed and the crowd went crazy.
Danzig chose to open with his classic song, "Mother". The  band  then
proceeded into the long set list of favorable Danzig songs  from  his
first four albums. Songs included "Twist of  Cain",  "Long  Way  Back
>From Hell", "Her Black Wings", "Dirty Black Summer", and  "Until  You
Call On The Dark". 
     Danzig played three songs off of his  latest  album  (which  had
been released a day prior to the show): "Sacrifice", "7th House", and
title track "blackacidevil". 
     The show was incredible  due  to  the  fact  that  everyone  was
singing all the words to the songs and the fans really got  into  the
new music off _blackacidevil_. There was a lot of moshing  and  stage
diving during the show and the pit was horrible. It had begun at  the
start of the show and lasted until the bitter end of Danzig's set. 
     All in all the Danzig show of Halloween  '96  will  go  down  in
history as being a "treat" and not a "trick." Look out  for  Danzig's
album, it rules!

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

            V I C I O U S   V I O L E N C E   V E N T E D
            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                   Voivod with Crisis and Pro-Pain
          October 30, 1996 at The Masquerades in Atlanta, GA
                          by: Steve Cannon

As I arrived at the Masquerades in Atlanta, Georgia, I  was  3  hours
early for the show and proceeded to head backstage (since I  had  all
the necessary "credentials" that a magazine editor must have in order
to "hang with the stars") where I met up with all the members of  the
three bands. Piggy from Voivod and Dan  from  Pro-Pain  were  jamming
together, in the sense that Piggy was playing guitar  with  no  amps,
and Dan was tapping his feet on the floor and using his hands  and  a
table to simulate various drum parts. All the  guys  and  Karen  from
Crisis  were  very  friendly,  and  we   enjoyed   many   interesting
conversations, especially the 30-minute tirade about various groupies
the bands encountered. Finally, at 21:00,  the  first  band,  Crisis,
went onstage. Though the crowd was not very  large,  they  were  very
appreciative, as was I, of Karen's obvious talents to be able to sing
as well, hitting bloodcurdling  screams  that  would  have  the  lead
singer from Drill running in fear. As they mentioned in the interview
that was done by myself and the friends of mine from a radio  station
in Alabama, the lead and bass guitar work blended  nicely  with  each
other, oftentimes giving no hint  as  to  which  was  what.  After  a
30-minute set, which left everyone quite pleased, the  moment  I  had
been waiting for had finally arrived. They did take their sweet  time
arriving; after a 25-minute wait, in  which  time  I  smelled  strong
essences of pot, they finally burst through the back stage door in  a
cloud of smoke. It's obvious what was going  on  back  there!  Though
they only played a 40-minute set, ripping through  newer  tunes  like
"Project X", and "Negatron", they also played a  few  classics,  like
the ever popular "Voivod" and my  most  personal  favorite,  "Nuclear
War", from their first album, _War and  Pain_.  They  did  "Astronomy
Domine", and were joined by both guitarist  and  lead  vocalist  from
Crisis to do a ripping version of "Nanoman" off their new album. Many
heads were banging on the front  row,  and  all  in  attendance  were
overly pleased at the sound, and no surprise that new  Voivod  member
Eric Forrest sounds a LOT like the former singer from years back!  Go
pick up the new Voivod album 'cause it's an  obvious  return  to  the
heavy days of  _War  and  Pain_  and  _RRROOOAAARRR_,  but  with  the
technical  intricacy  and  trippy  space  themes  found  in  _Killing
Technology_, _Angel Rat_, and _Nothingface_.  Finally,  Pro-Pain  hit
the stage, and their set was thunderous! I rushed in as I  heard  the
first few notes of "Shine" blast from offstage. The only band to have
an active thrashing pit, they were quite vicious in their attack,  as
I knew they would be! (See Vibrations  of  Doom  issue  #13  for  the
interview.) I went into this full force, loving every minute of their
ultra brutal hardcore  riffs  on  old  tracks  like  "Foul  Taste  of
Freedom",  and  "Death  on  the  Dance  Floor".  The  new  stuff  was
undeniably raw, and for those of you  who  don't  have  their  newest
release, _Contents Under Pressure_, MUST go grab this! They performed
"Odd Man Out", "Against the Grain", and many others  from  this  epic
masterpiece, and from the intense moshing going around (and the  fact
that many were knocked down to  the  floor  several  times),  it  was
obvious that many fans had been waiting for this night. In fact, this
kind of material sounds so much heavier live than on disc. I want  to
thank all three bands involved for  being  friendly  and  letting  me
drink their beer, eat their food, and enjoy one  of  the  best  shows
I've seen in quite awhile. 
 
-- Steven G. Cannon
Editor in Chief of Vibrations of Doom Magazine.
Email address: ax487@freenet.uchsc.edu

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            ::.:  :::    :   : :  :   : :    :     :   : :


Here is where things get ugly. Writer's Wrath  gives  our  writers  a
chance to voice their own opinions about certain hot  topics  in  the
scene today. Check out this semi-monthly column for the most  obscene
and controversial ramblings this side of the National Enquirer.


        S C O U R I N G   T H E   S C O T T I S H   S C E N E
        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                         by: Alain Gaudrault

     As the plane touched down  on  the  Glasgow  Airport  runway,  I
recall making mental preparations for the 3-week adventure  that  lay
ahead for me as I trekked throughout  awe-inspiring  Scotland.  Being
the tenacious, relentless metal fan that I am, this trip wasn't  just
going to be majestic scenery and copious Scotch whiskey. There  would
be metal, I thought to myself. So as my mate and  I  meandered  about
the country in our economy rental car, fearing for  our  lives as a
result of right-hand steering and left-hand shifting, I daydreamed of
the  remote  possibility  of  there  being  a   wholly   undiscovered
underground scene taking place in a country greatly unrepresented  in
the annals of metal history.
     My first clue that Scotland was not  devoid  of  metalheads  was
spotted in a downtown Glasgow marketplace.  There,  right  before  my
eyes, a letter-sized poster indicating the whereabouts of a club that
featured extreme forms of metal. Things were looking up.  We  decided
to check out the club one night, only to find out  that  the  extreme
metal was only a weekly event. The lower area that night had a  stage
featuring a blues-rock band, while the upstairs  section  had  a  few
pool tables, and a DJ playing rock and early metal. We'd come on  the
wrong night, but decided to stick around, as we just wanted  to  hang
out and have a few drinks. Saw a guy with an At the Gates shirt, so I
figured at least *somebody* had taste in the country's biggest  city.
Since we were leaving for the Highlands in a few days, we would  have
to wait awhile before making an appearance at The Crypt, the  extreme
metal theme night at Ragnarok, the bar in question.
     The Highlands, while absolutely breathtaking and making  for  an
insane driving experience, do  not  offer  quite  the  mayhem  I  was
seeking.  Even  in  Inverness,  the  biggest  northern  city,  I  was
hard-pressed to find metal in music  shops.  Scotland,  as  a  whole,
seems to be obsessed with dance, rap, euro-pop, and traditional folk;
a major bummer, indeed. Once we arrived in Aberdeen,  things  started
looking up. I not only found a small CD shop which had a few  of  the
more obscure Monster Magnet titles, but  another  shop,  One  Up,  on
Belmont Street, that  sold  vinyl  as  well  as  CD.  The  staff  was
extremely helpful; playing music for me that  they  thought  I  might
like, given my interests; pointing out a CD convention going on  that
week;  handing  me   a   promo   copy   of   one   of   the   clerk's
industro-alterna-metal band, Mono Grande  (see  review  this  issue).
Amongst the alt-rock, dance, and euro-pop, I was lucky enough to find
Gorgoroth's _Antichrist_ and Fu Manchu's _In  Search  of..._.  I  was
also told that Korpse (Candlelight Records), a band I'd heard of  for
some time, was in fact Scottish. Unfortunately, I was unable to  find
a copy of their latest release,  _Revirgin_.  The  next  day  saw  me
spending a few hours at the Stakis City Hotel, poring over  thousands
of CDs at the convention which was packing up at the end of the  day.
Found a few older titles  I'd  wanted  for  some  time,  but  nothing
terribly exciting. On we went to  the  nation's  capital,  Edinburgh,
easily the most visually impressive city in Scotland. Not much metal,
found a few small shops with the occasional metal CD, plenty of  punk
though. In fact, we were visiting just as a  big  punk  festival  was
raging throughout the city; mohawks, neon dye jobs, Doc Martens,  and
piercings abounded on the city streets, all in  anticipation  of  the
evening shows.
     Finally, we managed to get back to Glasgow on the last  Thursday
of our trip. Went to The Crypt, and lo and behold, live  heavy  music
could be heard. I spoke at length with Kelvin Cook, organizer of  the
weekly event, and bassist/singer of  Engulfed,  a  local  grind/death
outfit. Here was a dedicated fan of genre, excited about what he  saw
as a burgeoning scene in Glasgow. As well as providing  a  stage  for
heavy acts and creating  his  own  music  with  Engulfed,  Cook  also
manages a few other acts. Further, he provides space at The Crypt for
his friends at  Deviation  Records  (see  end  of  article  for  more
details) to sell their wares. I  found  several  current  underground
titles, all reasonably priced, in a country where  music  prices  are
through the roof compared  to  North  America.  Kelvin  was  gracious
enough to provide me not  only  with  a  copy  of  his  band's  demo,
_Castellated Architecture_, but a complimentary  copy  of  Serenade's
_The 28th Parallel_ (Deviation Records) and an issue  of  a  friend's
publication, The Crypt Fanzine (not to be confused with  the  venue's
theme night), a Scottish extreme metal  zine,  put  out  sporadically
whenever the author finds the will to do  so.  See  the  end  of  the
article for more  details.  A  busy  man,  Kelvin  Cook,  that's  for
certain. See the end of the article for more info, should you wish to
get in touch with him.
     The entertainment that night, unfortunately,  left  much  to  be
desired. Kelvin felt simply mortified, and apologized profusely. He'd
apparently been pressured by the venue management  to  permit  a  pop
punk/hard rock/alternative act to play that  evening  as  an  opening
act.    He    chose    other    less-than-extreme    (more    Machine
Head/Biohazard-like) acts to play that night to level things out. Not
really a wise decision, in my opinion. The crowd was somewhat sparse,
the bands lacklustre.  I  wouldn't  discourage  anybody  from  going,
though, as he does legitimately bring in brutal  acts  on  a  regular
basis. It was all just poor timing on our part.
     In retrospect, while I can't exactly  say  that  Scotland  is  a
metal haven, it does offer some glimmer of hope. Along  with  Korpse,
Engulfed, and Confusion Corporation are the Scottish bands  to  watch
for, the latter band appearing on Shiver Records' (see end of article
for details) _Sometimes...  Death  Is  Better_  3-CD  compilation  of
European death/grind/black acts. With  encouragement,  the  scene  in
Glasgow could pick up, unleashing bands who could possibly  make  use
of the discontent and rage which they feel towards the fate of  their
country and countrymen, not to mention  the  British  government  who
seems to dog them at every turn. I  would  encourage  Scottish  metal
fans that may be reading  this  to  send  in  their  reports  on  the
Scottish metal scene for our new up and coming column, Regional Rage,
or informal comments for our Loud Letters section.

-----

Deviation Records
49 Carfin Road
Newarthill, Scotland, ML1-5JZ
Voice/Fax: +44 (0)1698 734 344

The Crypt Fanzine c/o Gregory Whalen
49 Bellevue Crescent
Ayr, Scotland, KA7-2DP

The Crypt/Engulfed c/o Kelvin Cook
26 Nithsdale Drive
Glasgow, Scotland, G41-2PN
Voice: +44 (0)1414 235 714

Shiver Records c/o Hans De Wijngaert
Bossepleinstraat 6
3128 Baal, BELGIUM

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        _  /   / /_/ / /_/ /_  /   _(__  )    / /_/ /  __/
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           /_/    \____//_/    \__/ \__,_/ /_/    \___/


Welcome to Chronicles of Chaos' tour listing column. Check out  Tours
of Torture every month for the scoop on  who's  coming  to  town  and
where to catch your favorite bands. If you have any information about
upcoming tours, we'd be more than happy to hear about it. Contact  us
at <ginof@io.org>.


Brutal Truth/Cannibal Corpse/Immolation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nov 18 - Rockafella's, Columbia, SC
Nov 19 - Biograph, Richmond, VA
Nov 20 - Jaxx, West Springfield, VA
Nov 21 - Memory Lane, Baltimore, MD
Nov 22 - Bogies, Albany, NY
Nov 23 - PWAC, Lindenhurst, NY
Nov 24 - Wetlands, New York City, NY
Nov 25 - Zootz, Portland, MA
Nov 26 - The Rat, Boston, MA
Nov 27 - Obsessions, Randolph, NJ
Nov 28 - Sub Gallery, Dayton, OH
Nov 29 - Metropol, Pittsburgh, PA
Nov 30 - Harpo's, Detroit, MI
Dec 1  - Rave, Milwaukee, WI
Dec 2  - Mirage, Minneapolis, MN
Dec 3  - Pomp Room, Sioux Falls, SD
Dec 4  - Bottleneck, Lawrence, KA
Dec 5  - Mercury Theater, Denver, CO
Dec 6  - Ranch Bowl, Omaha, NE
Dec 7  - Galaxy, St Louis, MO
Dec 8  - Masquerade, Atlanta, GA
Dec 20 - El And Gee, New London, CT
Dec 21 - Twisters, Richmond, VA
Dec 22 - Jaxx, West Springfield, VA  (with Deceased)
                          
                          
Godflesh with Vision Of Disorder
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nov 17 - Rave Bar, Milwaukee, WI
Nov 18 - Mirage, Minneapolis, MN
Nov 19 - Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL
Nov 20 - Bottleneck, Lawrence, KS
Nov 21 - Mercury Theatre, Denver, CO
Nov 22 - North Star Pavilion, Salt Lake City, UT
Nov 24 - EJ's, Portland, OR
Nov 26 - The Fenix, Seattle, WA


Dirge
~~~~~
Nov 17 - The X Club, Hamilton, ON  (with Shallow N.D.)
Nov 18 - The El Mocambo, Toronto, ON  (with various bands)
Dec 4  - Lee's Palace, Toronto, ON  (with Solus and Xanax)


DIO
~~~
Nov 18 - Sneaker's, San Antonio, TX
Nov 19 - Piranha, Corpus Christi, TX
Nov 20 - Villa Real, McAllen, TX


Thanatos with Allegory
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nov 17 - The Kitchen, Miami, FL
Nov 18 - 1784 Club Z, Winter Park, FL 
Nov 19 - Outa Control, Atlanta, GA 
Nov 20 - Jimmy's Club, New Orleans, LA
Nov 21 - The Abyss, Houston, TX
Nov 22 - The Impala, Fort Worth, TX
Nov 25 - Reptile House, Grand Rapids, MI

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

Now is the icy season of Samhain  -  a  period  of  steadily  growing
darkness and cold, the apparent decline of the living world.  An  old
pagan tradition holds that the barrier  between  the  worlds  of  the
living and the dead is at its thinnest at this time of year  -  which
makes this the perfect time for a special edition  of "What  We  Have
Cranked", featuring our  picks  for  the  top  five  creepiest  metal
releases ever. So read on, if you dare...

Gino's Top 5

1. Various - _... And Even Wolves Hid Their Teeth_
2. Impaled Nazerene - _Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz_
3. King Diamond - _Them_
4. Marilyn Manson - _Smells Like Children_ (Unedited)
5. Ultraviolence - _Psychodrama_

Adrian's Top 5

1. Arckanum - _Frad Marder_
2. Mindrot - _Dawning_
3. Black Sabbath - _Black Sabbath_
4. Various - Halloween Movie Soundtrack
5. Profane Grace - _The Divination of Souls_

Brian's Top 5

1. Abigor - _Nachthymnen_
2. Setherial - _Nord..._
3. Within - _Bliss_
4. Dawn - _Sorgh Pa Svarte Vingar Flogh_
5. Mekong Delta - _Kaleidoscope_

Alain's Top 5

1. Alice Cooper - _Welcome to My Nightmare_
2. Black Sabbath - _Black Sabbath_
3. Hellhammer - _Apocalyptic Raids_
4. Hypocrisy - _Abducted_
5. Incantation - _Mortal Throne of Nazarene_

Steve's Top 5

1. Bathory - _The Return..._
2. Darkthrone - _Panzerfaust_
3. Impaled Nazarene - _Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz_ 
4. Black Funeral - _Vampyr - Throne of the Beast_
5. Incantation - _Upon the Throne of Apocalypse_

Adam's Top 5

1. The black metal compilation Steve dubbed for me... you rule!!!
2. Emperor - _In the Nightside Eclipse_
3. Samael - _Rebellion_ EP
4. Samael - _Passage_
5. V/A - _Nordic Metal - A Tribute to Euronymous_

Drew's Top 5

1. Emperor - _Emperor_ (off the split with Enslaved: _Hordane's Land_)
2. Gehenna - _First Spell_
3. Entombed - _Left Hand Path_
4. Mayhem - _De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas_
5. The Black - _The Priest of Satan_

Andrew's Top 5

1. Brighter Death Now - _The Slaughterhouse_
2. Mayhem - _Live In Leipzig_
3. Archon Satani - _Virgin Birth (Born Again)_
4. Current 93 - _Dog's Blood Rising_
5. Thergothon - _Stream From The Heavens_ 
 
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                     T H E   F I N A L   W O R D
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, you've actually made it to the end of another issue of Chronicles
of Chaos have you? Well good for you, your  mother  would  be  proud!
Hope you guys enjoyed this issue, including our  Top  Five  creepiest
albums. Remember that we'll be a little late next month  in  lieu  of
our special issue. I'm sure you'll all enjoy it.  See  you  then!
   -- Gino Filicetti

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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #15
