         ___  _                   _     _                  _
        (  _)( )                 (_)   ( )               ,'_)
        | |  | |_  __  ___  ____  _  __| | ___  __   ___ | |
        ( )_ ( _ )( _)( o )( __ )( )/ /( )( o_)(_'  ( o )( _)
        /___\/_\||/_\  \_/ /_\/_\/_\\_\/_\ \(  /__)  \_/ /_\

                        ___  _                
                       (  _)( )                
                       | |  | |_  ___  ___  __ 
                       ( )_ ( _ )( o )( o )(_' 
                       /___\/_\||/_^_\ \_/ /__)


       CHRONICLES OF CHAOS E-Zine, July 17, 1996, Issue #12


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>
Web Page Manager: Brian Meloon <bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>
Contributor: Steve Hoeltzel <hoeltzel@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>
Contributor: Adam Wasylyk <macabre@interlog.com>
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 #12 Contents, 7/17/96
--------------------------
* Editorial
* Loud Letters
* Ferocious Features
-- Pantera: Suffering in the South
-- Malevolent Creation: Malevolently Plowing Forward
-- Deicide: Lucifer's Right-hand Man Speaks
-- 13mg of Amphetamine
-- Prong: Gargantuan Grooves
-- Grim Skunk: Releasing the Reek
* Chaotic Chat Sessions
-- Tom G. Warrior: Apollyon's Sun Illuminates the Frost
-- Abigor: Update from the Twilight Kingdom
* Independent Interrogations
-- Glutton: Strange Music (To Say The Least)
* Record Revelations
-- The Almighty - _Just Add Life_
-- Altar - _Altar_
-- Ancient - _The Cainian Chronicle_
-- Various - _Beauty In Darkness_
-- Celestial Season - _Sonic Orb_
-- Christ Agony - _Moonlight - Act III_
-- Diaboli - _Mesmerized by Darkness_
-- Equinox - _Return to Mystery_
-- Hybernoid - _Todays Tomorrow Yesterday_
-- Metallica - _Load_
-- Nastrond - _Toteslaut_
-- Nazxul - _Totem_
-- Nebrionic - _Psycho One Hundred_
-- Setherial - _Nord_
-- Wardogs - _Scorched Earth_
-- Yosh - _Metaphors_
-- In Flames - _The Jester Race_
-- Amon Amarth - _Sorrow Throughout the Nine Worlds_
-- Arcturus - _Aspera Hiems Symfonia_
-- Sadist - _Tribe_
* New Noise
-- Embrace - _Promo Tape 1996_
-- Dirge - _Hazing Rituals_
-- Zeitgeist - _The Eyes of Time_
-- Timescape - Timescape
* Chaotic Concerts
-- La Manie Reigne a Montreal: Obliveon at the Spectrum
* Tours of Torture
* What We Have Cranked
* The Final Word

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

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

     Welcome back everyone, here is your newest issue  of  Chronicles
of Chaos, a little late,  but  top  notch  as  always.  We  are  fast
approaching CoC's first birthday, it was one year ago on  August  12,
1995 that Chronicles of Chaos came  into  being.  Look  forward  next
month to an issue that'll be as jam packed as we can make it!!
     Well, July 26th is just around the corner, and  after  hours  of
contemplation, we've decide that we will no longer be  attending  the
Milwaukee Metalfest. As many of you must know by now, the  'fest  has
garnered themselves a VERY bad  reputation  over  the  years  of  not
delivering the bands that they promise will  appear  on  stage.  This
year alone, we've learned from Absu, Immortal and Mayhem  that  their
names were used in false advertising by the  'fest's  organizers  and
that they were never even contacted about the gig.  Despite  all  the
bullshit that is certainly going to  take  place  in  Milwaukee  this
year, that is not the whole reason Adrian and myself are  not  going,
the main reason is that Toronto is VERY far away from Milwaukee,  and
we just don't think it's worth the investment travelling so  far  for
what is looking to be a flop. But fear not, for Chronicles  of  Chaos
will STILL have a  representative  at  this  year's  Metalfest,  Adam
Wasylyk will be in attendance so keep an eye out for him (but I doubt
you'll find him!).
     Speaking of "out of town adventures," Adrian and I took off  for
six days in June and went down to Pittsburgh to hang with  our  buddy
Buzzy Beck and his band, Filthboy. Buzzy (unfortunately) got  married
on June 22nd, and we felt obliged to be at his  wedding  and  get  as
drunk  as  possible.  Unfortunately  one  of  us,  who  will   remain
anonymous, had his first taste of the harshest whiskey known to  man,
Yukon Jack. Suffice it to  say  that  despite  catching  the  bride's
garter, this person felt the need to empty his body  of  all  present
toxins, in a very disgusting way. Well, I think I'm getting a  little
too detailed now, so I'm going to end this story. As for Filthboy, we
got to sit in on numerous rehearsals, and  were  blown  away  by  the
sheer intensity of the band. Keep your eyes peeled for these fuckers.
     Our web page  has  now  officially  changed  locations.  It  was
permanently  moved  from   Brian's   site   to   my   own   site   at
http://www.io.org/~ginof/. If you have any links to our page,  please
use this URL.
     Last issue's giveaway contest was a resounding success, and  I'm
glad to report that five of the finest  minds  out  in  CoC-land  are
getting or have already gotten some of the wickedest free shit  known
to man. Keep your eyes peeled for another contest in the near future.
     Ok, that's all from me this time around, thanks for the  support
as always, and keep those Loud Letters coming.

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

Now here's a little something I thought you'd all be interested in:

Shukri, editor  of  Soul  Tumour  Ezine,  is  seeking  serious-minded
supporters of all extreme metal genres to set  up  an  internet-based
international scene report. Contributors are expected to cover  their
areas / countries. Monthly information on new bands,  releases,  live
shows, events etc etc, as well as  an  overall  opinion  on  the  way
things are moving are needed. If you think you can handle it, e-mail:
sadams@botzoo.uct.ac.za for more info. It doesn't  matter  where  you
live in the world, get in touch now !! 

Shukri NETZUL Adams
Soul Tumour Ezine

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

                 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: Sun, 9 Jun 96
From: Steven Cannon <cannon01@freenet.tlh.fl.us>
Subject: Re: send coc-10

Hey! Great 'zine! Keep up the good work! I wanted to send a letter to
let everyoneknow that even though my publication Vibrations  of  Doom
has been around for about 12 issues, and has had trouble  keeping  up
with deadlines, there are some digitized sound files from bands  like
Front Line Assembly, Trouble, Malevolent Creations, Zero Defects, and
a   host   of    other    bands.    We    cover    everything    from
speed/death/thrash/black metal to  over  the  top  techno/industrial,
ambient, rave, punk/hardcore (when we get it!) and so much more! It's
good to keep things flowing in the  underground,  so  make  sure  you
support ALL the 'zines, whether e-zines or paper, and also  encourage
your local music scene, no matter how small or diminishing.  Just  to
let you know, Savannah, Georgia has one of the first industrial bands
EVER signed to Re-Constriction Records (courtesy of yours truly!) and
also bands like Damad, Gam, and PCP showcase some brutal death  metal
and industrial! Drop us a line at our email address or check out  the
web site (which you can do a keyword search to find) Stay  heavy  and
keep yo' mind open!


Date: Mon, 10 Jun 1996
From: "David I. Schwartz" <dis@eng.buffalo.edu>
Subject: true readership of COC

Gino:

In the latest CoC (#11) you mentioned that you would like to increase
your  membership.  Have  you  accounted  for  distributed  copies?  I
copy/print the CoC for 4 friends who either  can't  access  email  or
whose accounts are limited.

Perhaps you should ask that  people  say  how  many  they  distribute
occasionally. (The Zocolo, the Babylon 5 newsletter  makes  the  same
request) - you might be surprised how large the "true" readership is.

BTW, thanks for putting  in  all  the  effort.  I  really  enjoy  the
interviews and band reviews. At some point I'll even send in my  band
demo tape when we settle in with our new guitarist (if you're ever in
Buffalo, check out Mobius at The Continental ;-)

thanks,
Dave

**************************************************************************
|David I. Schwartz                      |================================|
|Department of Civil Engineering        |====== dis@eng.buffalo.edu  ====|
|State University of New York at Buffalo|====== dis@acsu.buffalo.edu ====|
|202 Ketter Hall                        |================================|
|Amherst, New York 14260                | Cheap is good, but FREE is best|
|(716) 645-2114 X 2451                  | What you incur, you must endure|
**************************************************************************


Date: Thu, 20 Jun 1996
From: alovett@iamerica.net
Subject: Metallicrap

Hi!
        First, let me say that COC is really great for all of us that
like music that is perhaps a little out of the mainstream.  It  shows
alot of professionalism and a love for what you do. I wanted  to  ask
some opinions on a topic that has bothered me lately. I know that the
majority of your readers probably think that Metallica  is  too  slow
for them, but I have liked them since their first  album,  back  when
they were one of the heaviest bands around. But, of course, all  good
things must come to pass.  These  last  2  albums  have  been  pretty
crappy. I suppose that if Metallica was just starting out  as  a  new
band, they would be alright, since they are now sounding like many of
the bands around now like Smashing Pumpkins, Everclear,  people  like
that. My problem is that they totally turned their back on what  made
them so popular in the first place and started going in  totally  new
directions. Now, I'm all for artistic expression, but it seems to  me
that they have forgotten all the  fans  who  made  them  popular  and
bought all  those  albums  and  sold  out  all  those  concerts  when
Metallica wasn't even being played on the radio. I guess my  question
is: Why did they do it? Was it because they felt stagnant and  wanted
to experiment with new styles? Or was  it  for  money  and  they  are
trying  to  appeal  to  the  so-called  "Generation  X"  and  Top  40
demographic? And one more, what do you think that  Dave  Mustaine  is
thinking now? I personally have  been  listening  more  to  Megadeth,
since they embody that whole sound that I had come to  like  so  much
from Metallica, and they haven't changed. Well, sorry to ramble,  but
I just had to get that off my chest. Thanks, and  keep  up  the  good
work!

        Adam Lovett


Date: Sun, 30 Jun 1996
From: "M. J. THORAX EMBALMER" <KABAL@UWYO.EDU>
Subject: Attention Loud Letters

Hey! I would just like to say that yor magazine really kicks  ass!  I
especially enjoy the kontests and the free shit  you  give  away,  it
would be fucken kool if you  kontinue  to  do  this  in  the  future.
Anyway, I have a kouple of questions for you.  Whatever  happened  to
Alex Marquez, of Malevolent  Creation  and  Ressurection?  He  is  my
favorite drummer and has seemed to have dissapeared.  The  same  goes
for Dan SeaGrave- he was the raddest  kover  artist  for  many  death
bands, and I have not seen any of his work for a long time. Some info
would be much appreciated. Anyway, keep up the good work, I rekkomend
yor 'zine to all of my friends.

	Over and out.	

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

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.


             S U F F E R I N G   I N   T H E   S O U T H 
             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
               An Interview with Pantera's Vinnie Paul
                          by: Adrian Bromley

	Vinnie Paul, Pantera's drummer and producer, is sitting at  home
in Texas ready to talk about his band's  latest  release  _The  Great
Southern Trendkill_ and the first thing  I  notice,  which  is  quite
obvious by the tone in his voice, is that Paul is  quite  tired  from
doing 'phoners' (phone  interviews)  all  day  -  something  like  30
interviews were planned for this specific day. And to top it off, the
scheduled interview with Paul (a short 15 minutes) had been  slightly
shortened by an eager record executive (in New  York  or  some  major
metropolitan city) to  get  ALL  interviews  crammed  into  one  day.
Needless to say I was prepared and I got the answers I needed  and  a
few good quotes here and there. Onward with the 'trendkill'...
	"We wanted to make this record broader than  our  last  record,"
opens Paul about the new LP, in which he (like all the other  Pantera
albums) produced  with  co-producer  Terry  Date.  "The  last  record
everything was done all at the same level and this record  allows  us
to bring in all the qualities that Pantera has  been  known  to  show
with the hardcore, the bruteness of our music as well as some melodic
stuff that we have never been able to do." About his work behind  the
scenes with Pantera's sound he says, "No one knows more about Pantera
and what they should sound like more than I do. I mean we didn't want
to go off and work with Bob Rock and have a commercial sound. Pantera
has its own sound and I think on this record we  have  been  able  to
carry on with that."
	The uniqueness of each record has set Pantera from the  rest  of
the metal  acts.  Paul,  along  with  singer/screamer  Phil  Anselmo,
guitarist Dimebag and bassist Rex, the band has been able  to  exhort
brute offerings of metal and intenseness with every release. It began
with their major label debut _Cowboys From Hell_ (1990) and the power
went on to take shape in the  forms  of  _Vulgar  Display  of  Power_
(1992), 1994's #1 Billboard album entry, _Far Beyond Driven_ and onto
the 1996 Pantera aural assault of _TGSTK_ (which by the  way  debuted
on Billboard at #4). "We have always been able to be what we are.  We
don't change. The biggest change for us went from being a bar band to
playing to 20,000 people in an  arena.  That  may  seem  like  a  big
difference but it isn't for us as we go out and play it as if we  are
on a small stage. The only  difference  is  that  we  have  a  bigger
production now but there is no difference because of crowd  sizes  at
all.
	"Another thing about Pantera is that we have been the same  band
for six years now. No one has left or been replaced. It sucks because
nowadays you can go see a band and not know who is playing with  who.
With Pantera you know Dimebag is on guitar,  I'm  on  drums,  Rex  is
playing bass and Phil is singing and I  think  fans  appreciate  that
about us."
	With _TGSTK_ Pantera once again strived for that live feel  with
their album. "We set up all  our  live  and  recording  gear  in  the
warehouse behind Dimebag's house in Texas and started to record. That
was beneficial to us because as it is most  studios  are  set  up  on
hours like 11AM to 11PM and that is it, and all  I  know  is  that  I
ain't a morning person who likes to get up  and  play  the  drums  at
11AM. By having this studio where it was and how we recorded  it,  it
allowed us to record the material at 11PM if we wanted to or  at  any
given time without being dictated when we  have  to  record.  Another
difference in the recording with this record was that  we  had  demos
ready going into the studio where with the last record we  wrote  the
songs in the studio and  recorded  them  there  on  the  spot.  Doing
material the way we did with _TGSTK_ allowed us to work out the songs
from the early stages rather than right on the spot."
	Paul adds, "Unlike most bands who record or write 30 to 40 songs
in the studio and pick from that, we go into the studio with  the  12
or 13 tracks for the album and work with them. No picking or choosing
and that allows us to focus a thousand percent on those songs"
	And why has Pantera been able to  stay  afloat  in  an  industry
where heavy bands are  falling  quickly  to  the  wayside?  "I  think
because we have remained true to our form. A lot of those bands  that
aren't around focused a lot on image and getting songs on  the  radio
whereas we never focused on radio and just toured lots and  lots.  We
tour every album for like 18 months to two years at least and we need
to tour that much to reach all our fans around  the  world  in  North
America, Europe, South America, Japan and The Pacific  Rim.  Also  we
stayed true to what we wanted to do with the band and our  sound  and
again I think that is why we have been popular with our fans and been
able to continue on in this industry. Plus we are having fun  touring
and making music."

NOTE: Pantera begins a full North American  co-headlining  tour  with
      White Zombie with openers Eyehategod on June 28th -  Eyehategod
      are later replaced by The Deftones. See Tours  of  Torture  for
      more information.

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

       M A L E V O L E N T L Y   P L O W I N G   F O R W A R D
       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   CoC talks to Phil Fasciana of Malevolent Creation and Hate Plow
                          by: Steve Hoeltzel

     He's made some mistakes, he's had to pay for them, and now  he's
pissed. He's "On a drunken frenzy," he's got "One leg  to  kick  your
ass..." and now he's even got his own death metal theme song,  thanks
to the new Malevolent Creation CD that bears his name: _Joe Black_.
     Given that much, you can probably guess what my  first  question
was when I sat down recently to talk  with  guitarist  Phil  Fasciana
about the death metal juggernaut that is Malevolent  Creation  -  and
about Phil's new side project  Hate  Plow  as  well.  But  if  you're
anything like me, you'll be quite surprised to hear the answer to the
question: Is Joe Black a real person?
     "<Laughs> Yeah, it is. It's Jay's father, man!"  He's  referring
to Jason Blachowicz, Malevolent Creation bassist and vocalist.  "See,
Jason's last name is Blachowicz, but his father goes by  'Joe  Black'
<laughs>." Phil's got quite the story about this guy, too - but since
I hate to kick ol' Joe while he's down, I'm not going to get into the
details here. Besides, you can pretty much figure out the whole  deal
by reading the lyrics to  the  song.  Suffice  it  to  say,  as  Phil
laughingly puts it at one point, "It's fucked up!"
     Anyway, not only are Malevolent Creation the first  death  metal
band that I know of who've written a song  about  a  member's  dad  -
they're also the first to offer up techno (!) re-mixes of tracks  off
a straight death metal album. (I don't quite count  Fear  Factory  in
that category.) _JB_ contains  three  such  re-mixes  of  songs  from
_Eternal_, and I asked Phil where the band got the idea to  do  this.
Are Malevolent Creation closet ravers, or what?
     Phil laughs: "No, man! The thing is, we had nothing to  do  with
it! The guy that recorded the  guitars,  bass,  and  vocals  for  our
album, my friend Erich [Wytell], he's into shit  like  that,  and  he
kept on saying how he wanted to re-mix some of the songs and turn 'em
into dance songs!! <laughs> And we were just  like,  'Whatever,'  you
know? He didn't have time to do it right away when we did the  album,
but over the course of like  six  months  he  ended  up  doing  those
re-mixes. We never even knew what they were gonna sound like. And you
know, when we heard 'em, man, we were just dying, because it was just
so fucking weird."
     Obviously, though, the question is:  did  the  guys  -like-  the
re-mixes? Phil laughs again: "I don't know, man, I like  'em,  kinda,
'cause they're just crazy sounding, man!" I told him that although  I
really had no idea what to expect before I actually heard the things,
I ended up liking them too. They definitely have a way of growing  on
you. "I know, it does! A lot of people that hear it  go  'Holy  shit,
dude, I actually like your band now!!'  <laughs>  We'll  probably  do
something different like that again, maybe try to make  it  a  little
heavier."
     It was a good thing to hear that the band has such plans for the
future... or -any- plans for the  future,  given  that  rumors  of  a
possible breakup were circulating after the band  cut  short  one  of
their recent tours. "Yeah,  it  got  a  little  fucking  funky,  man.
<laughs> Our singer got arrested and shit - it was just  really  bad.
Everyone was drinking a little too much, everyone was  fighting,  and
shit wasn't going right, man. It just got a little out of control, so
everybody just went 'Fuck this - let's get outta here.' <laughs>"
     The band now has a steady line-up, though, and  is  planning  to
enter the studio to record their next full-length effort  around  the
end of July. However, there has been one change in  membership  since
_Eternal_ was recorded: Phil, Jason, and second guitarist  Jon  Rubin
are now joined by drummer Derek, who replaces Dave Culross. "The dude
is way sicker than our last drummer," Phil says. Before his  try-out,
Phil warned him that if he couldn't play the drum parts to  _Eternal_
he'd get the thumbs-down within five minutes - but Derek was unfazed.
"He goes 'Dude, I warm up to that album - don't even worry about it.'
<laughs> He came down here, and just totally blew us away, man,  just
played all the songs on _Eternal_  fucking  sicker  than  we've  ever
heard 'em. So after about five minutes with him, we went 'You're in!'
And the guy's killer, man."
     The band is looking to get their next album recorded soon,  then
tour as much as possible to support it. Writing for the  new  release
is pretty much completed, and I asked Phil how  the  new  stuff  will
sound compared to _Eternal_. "It's different, for sure,"  Phil  says.
"There's a lot less speed. It's  not  like  doomy  or  anything,  but
there's more rhythmic beats, stuff like that. And we tuned down to  B
for a few songs. I mean, there's still some fast  shit,  you  know  -
it's still fast, man. And the drumming - this is gonna be a real good
drumming album. Hopefully everything will come out produced right and
everything, the way we need it to be."
     How much older Malevolent material can we expect to show  up  in
their live set when they hit the road? "We're gonna be doing a lot of
it, man. We'll probably do like five songs from the first album, five
from _Retribution_. We do  maybe  one  or  two,  possibly  three  off
_Stillborn_. But see, we mix it up every time. Every night, we play a
lot off _Eternal_, and we'll probably whip "Joe Black" into the  set,
maybe "Self-Important Freak" [both off _JB_], and whatever new stuff,
you know. And we'll probably throw in a  couple  new  ones  to  freak
people out."
     Malevolent Creation is definitely  a  revitalized  band,  coming
back with two really strong releases after _Stillborn_ - which a  lot
of people, myself included, regarded as an incredibly weak  follow-up
to their crushing second album _Retribution_. It turns out that  Phil
hates that album, too! "It was a nightmare. The drummer  couldn't  do
the drum tracks right; the production sounded funky; Brett  [Hoffman,
ex-vocalist]'s voice was cashed; no one was into it. I was like 'Holy
shit - this is a nightmare!!'" During the studio  sessions  for  that
album, Phil says, "I thought I was gonna fucking die man, I swear  to
God, I couldn't handle it. It was the worst experience of my life. It
was brutal, and in the  end  result,  it  still  sounded  like  shit.
<laughs> I wish we could have totally done that whole  thing  another
time, a little later in a different studio. It was fucked up, period.
It was just a bad time, bad timing, man.  Everybody's  personal  shit
was interfering with the band - no one was even into it.  I  was  the
only one that had anything going on, and even my life was all  fucked
up, too! <laughs> It was a nightmare, man."
     Of  course,  Phil  will  be  entering  the  studio  again   with
Malevolent before the summer is over. And  not  only  that:  he  also
plans to record an album soon with his side project  Hate  Plow.  (In
fact, the album will have to be recorded  very  soon,  since  drummer
Crazy Larry is in trouble with the law.) I asked Phil  what  sort  of
variation on the brutal musical style we  can  expect  to  hear  from
them. "Hate Plow's coming out a lot more hardcore sounding - but  not
like hardcore New York style, or whatever, except maybe a little  bit
here and there. It's got really deep, brutal vocals, and it's  really
fast. <laughs> It's crazy, man!"
     Elaborating a  bit,  Phil  says  "It's  all  mixed-up  sounding!
There's a lot of grinding, man - but it's good, it's not noise.  It's
really good, man, and we're hoping that  everything  comes  out  well
when we record it. We'll be going to a  nice  studio,  so  it  should
sound really good. The demo we did sounds awesome!" In fact, a bit of
a clue to their sound can be found right  up  front  on  Malevolent's
_JB_ release. "You know, 'Joe Black' and 'Self-Important  Freak'  are
Hate Plow songs," Phil tells me. "They were on the first demo that me
and Rob [Barret, of Cannibal Corpse] and Crazy Larry  did.  That  was
the first version of Hate Plow."
     That version of Hate Plow no longer exists, though. Rob, who had
been playing guitars and handling vocal  duties,  eventually  drifted
away from the band, leaving Phil as the  lone  guitarist  and  making
room for new singer Kyle Steinens. According to Phil,  Kyle's  vocals
have to be heard to be believed. "This guy just came to our warehouse
one night, and we knew he sings for  this  other  band  [Florida  act
Sickness]. We were jamming Malevolent, and Jason didn't show up,  and
we wanted to do the songs with vocals. He's like, 'Oh, dude,  I  know
all the lyrics to the Malevolent songs.' So he started  singing  'em,
and we went 'Holy shit!!' We heard his voice and went 'Dude! My  God!
Fuck Rob - let's get this guy singing for Hate Plow!'" In addition to
Phil, Kyle, and Crazy Larry, the band is now rounded out by Tim Scott
(ex-Revenant) on bass.
     So both Hate Plow and Malevolent Creation will be recording  and
releasing new material before too long. In the meantime, though, Phil
has some friendly advice for fans: "Go look  into  _Joe  Black_.  You
better buy it, or Joe Black'll come and get you too. <laughs> So look
out, man - if a guy with one leg starts chasing  you,  run  for  your
life!" 

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    L U C I F E R ' S   R I G H T - H A N D   M A N   S P E A K S
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
               An Interview with Glen Benton of Deicide
                        by: Alain M. Gaudrault

     The  show  is  over,  the  sweat-drenched,   liquored-up   crowd
disperses, and I make my way to the band's dressing room to see if  I
can score an interview with any  of  the  members  of  the  evening's
headliners, Deicide. After twiddling my thumbs for what  seemed  like
forever,   the   road   manager   tells    me    the    controversial
singer/bassist/lyricist will do the interview after he's had time  to
shower. Lady luck is with me tonight as  a  damp-haired  Glen  Benton
invites me in. The open window reveals minor  chaos  brewing  outside
The Embassy, the London, Ontario bar which served as  venue  for  the
show. We sit down, I press record, and the banter begins.
     I begin with the usual barrage of questions pertaining to  their
latest opus _Once Upon the Cross_. He seems somewhat  bored  with  my
line of questioning, albeit consistently pleasant and friendly,  much
to my surprise. I begin by asking about the success of the album.  "I
think it's done just as good as any of the other records. It's a  lot
more flowing on this record than on  the  other  two  [_Deicide_  and
_Legion_]. I think it's pulling more people towards it. It's flowing,
man. When it's flowing like that,  people  are  pretty  much...  very
discreet, they're more likely to get it, not have a  fuckin'  opinion
about what I'm talking about," referring to the overt satanic imagery
pervasive  throughout  the  band's  lyrics,  which  he  pens.  Is  he
satisfied with the album? "So far. I mean it could have been  better.
You always want more, you know what I mean? Every record's  different
for whoever's writing the material, you know?  On  the  last  record,
Steve [Asheim, drummer] wrote most of the material.  He  sits  around
the house a lot! He stays up 'till 6 o'clock  in  the  morning  every
day." He laughs, "The guy don't sleep!"
     A few fans have found their way to the  dressing  room  by  this
time, wanting to greet Benton and hang out for  awhile.  He  obliges,
signing autographs,  shaking  hands,  and  answering  questions.  His
demeanor is rather pleasant, albeit never overly  talkative.  I  take
this opportunity to ask him whether he would enjoy partaking  in  the
sweet herbal delights I've so thoughtfully brought along.  Naturally,
he's game. The evil weed deed done, Benton politely asks the fans  to
move along so that we can talk.
     The tour in question is rather low profile, so  I  ask  him  how
extensive it is. "It's just two weeks, man.  We're  actually  in  the
process of writing and shit, so those guys (Eric and Brian Hoffman on
guitars, and Steve Asheim on drums) have  been  writing,  working  on
their new stuff, what they've written so far. This tour  got  offered
to us, and I kept telling [the promoters] no, I kept telling them no,
but the money kept getting better, and the money kept getting better,
and the money kept getting better, so I was like 'All right we'll  do
it.' It's just a couple of weeks, man. Make some quick cash." As  for
the coverage of the tour, he adds, "Just up  the  east  coast,  North
Carolina, New York, Conneticut, Ohio, Detroit,  Chicago,  here."  And
the crowds?  "Killer,  killer  shows."  Unfortunately,  the  band  is
notorious for their lack of touring and short sets. I ask him if it's
intentional. "Yeah, man, it's  just  marketing.  I  don't  flood  the
market with myself,  I  don't  spread  myself  too  thin.  It's  like
tonight. Our sets are usually that long so people  will  keep  coming
back for the next album's worth. People, they expect me to  come  out
there, and for the kind of money we're making, they think we'll  come
out there and do fucking 3 albums worth of material, you know what  I
mean?" He adds, "If I did that, you'd  never  come  back  to  see  me
again, you know what I mean?" We agree to disagree on this point, and
I move on.
     Deicide, of course, have become  infamous  for  their  religious
beliefs and the prominence of said beliefs in the lyrical content  of
their music, and while I considered bucking the trend and keeping the
subject out of the  conversation,  I  thought  again  and  asked  him
whether the band's families  also  hold  the  same  convictions.  "It
depends how far back you go in the family. My family,  for  instance,
my wife isn't a christian, she's an atheist. We don't teach any  kind
of fucking religion in our home at all. As far as  the  rest  of  the
band goes, everybody in the band knows that christianity  is  nothing
but a farce and fucking sham,  and  their  families  share  the  same
fucking beliefs. But as far as to go out like myself, I  don't  think
anybody outside the four of us would do that, because  you  know,  we
open ourselves up to take shots, man. We don't expect our families to
take it, you know what I mean?"
     Many have derided Benton, in particular, for his  pseudo-satanic
spewings of infernal allegiance, claiming it being  done  purely  for
the sake of publicity. In regards to textual basis  for  the  set  of
beliefs  he  holds,  he  comments,  "I've  read  so  many   different
philosophies about satanism and atheism, and paganism.  I  read  them
all and I understand the majority of it, and what I have gotten  from
all that is where I put myself in this place. I don't want to  follow
any other person because  that  one  particular  person  has  certain
things that I don't fucking agree with. Like [Anton] LaVey,  I  don't
agree with a lot of things that [the Satanic  Church  says].  Acquino
has a lot of things that he says that I  find  really  right  on  the
money. But then there's a couple of things that he kinda throws a bit
of Hollywood-ism to the whole thing. I'm not into that." He stresses,
"I'm more into eye for  an  eye,  out  for  myself,  and  as  far  as
christianity goes, I know for a fact that Christ did not die  for  my
sins and I do not believe in any of the christian hype, the Bible  or
any of that. I don't believe in any of it." Does  he  believe  in  an
entity called Satan? "I believe that... I'll try  to  explain  it  to
you... I want to go where all my friends have gone, and people I know
have gone. They're all sinners, so they're  obviously  not  going  to
Heaven by what the fucking christians want you  to  believe,  so  I'm
going wherever they're going. And if the christians say that's  Hell,
and that's Satan, so be it. All I know is that there  are  a  lot  of
good-hearted people and a lot of good people that are going to  Hell,
so if that's the scenario, then I might as well go with them  because
I fit right in with them."
     It's obvious at this point that the THC has  taken  effect,  and
that my interviewee is willing to share some insight, so  I  probe  a
bit further, asking him  about  the  practice  of  ritual  sacrifice.
"Yeah, man, we've played around with things like that. I  don't  tell
people what... I mean, we've researched on  shit  like  that.  Occult
means secrecy. That doesn't mean going around blabbing  about  things
like that." He goes on to say, "I don't deny it at  all.  I  wouldn't
deny killing animals, I wouldn't deny sacrificing things for  certain
purposes. I've killed many animals in the name of myself and others."
     I look at my watch at this  point  and  realize  how  late  it's
getting, so I close with one last  question.  The  premise:  You  are
given the opportunity to kill one person with your bare hands and  be
completely absolved of any legal repercussions.  Do  you  accept  the
proposition, and if so, who do you choose? "If I could kill  somebody
with my bare fucking hands? Who would it be...  Hmm.  Well,  I  would
have to say... whoever was the closest enemy to me  at  the  time.  I
won't say any particular person, I'll just say  whoever  the  closest
enemy is." He quips, grinning, "It's easy that way."

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                1 3 m g   O F   A M P H E T A M I N E 
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Producer/musician Howie Beno is quite the talker.  Calling  from
Chicago, Illinois, 13Mg.'s frontman, known for  his  production  work
with Ministry, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Monster Voodoo Machine to
name a few, he immediately jumps into a story about the formation  of
his one-time industrial influenced side project (then known as  Drag)
into a full-time band. "There is a long story to go with this  but...
here goes. Sort of. The material that wound up on  _Trust  and  Obey_
(their debut on Chicago-based Slipdisc Records) was from maybe  three
or four years ago when producer Critter and I  were  working  on  the
tail-end of the Ministry _Psalm 69_ record. We just  started  writing
casually, fucking around in the studio and a lot of the  material  on
the debut [is] from that time period and since then I have  gotten  a
band together and did some showcasing. We put out  an  6-song  EP  on
Flipside Records (a California punk  label)  called  _Pilfer_  (1994)
under the band name Drag a while back. So eventually we worked  those
six songs off the EP onto the _TaO_ LP on Slipdisc."
     It all seems to have happened so easily,  from  EP  material  to
touring band with an LP. Not the case says Beno. "After  the  release
of the EP we signed to Slipdisc in the spring of last  year,  and  it
being a new company and this being their first signing,  they  needed
to put out a record in order to get money from  the  distributor.  So
they pushed us into the studio to remix and  repackage  the  material
and also adding four new songs. They then slammed it  out  there  and
here we are."
     While H. Beno (as he is known to many) spends  a  good  deal  of
time  perfecting  the  material   he   is   working   with   or   the
industrial/techno sculpted pieces off of _TaO_, he kind of laughs  at
the notion of story behind the  band's  name.  No  real  meaning,  no
point, just a name that stood out  from  other  possible  names  like
Cyclops Love Doll and Guano. "We eventually settled on 13Mg., that is
13 milligrams, as it is the prescribed dosage for Vicadin. Vicadin is
a commonly prescribed heavily dosed painkiller." So is the  music  of
13Mg. acting as some form of a  painkiller?  "I  dunno,"  he  laughs,
"Maybe the music is some form of a tranquilizer." <laughs again>
     While 13Mg. relies heavily on  fluctuating  between  melody  and
dance beats, heavy riffs and industrial  rawness,  the  feature  that
stands out most predominantly is the fact that there was a  revolving
door  of  musicians  (with  help  from  producer  Critter  and  Brian
Liesegang of Filter fame to name a few) used to create  and  assemble
_TaO_. "There really wasn't a choice because Critter  and  I  started
writing material for the _Pilfer_ EP. As for Critter  being  part  of
the band he is good at twiddling knobs and  being  the  producer.  He
does it very well and that is what he wants to concentrate on.  Brian
(Liesegang) just helped out with some material while  he  was  living
here, long before Filter was formed, something like three years  ago.
We went into the studio and recorded "Nath" and when I was  searching
for material for the album that one came up as it  would  be  a  good
addition, as an ambient piece, to everything else in the  record,  to
kind of show off a different aspect of the band rather  that  just  a
guitar thing." [The band's now permanent line-up consists of  drummer
Felix Miklik, Joe  Callahan  and  Max  Edgin  on  guitars  and  Brian
Lanktree.] 
     And the overall feel of the record and sound, as it shapeshifted
as  time  went  on  through  various  production  stages  and   being
influenced somewhat by the sounds of the overall music industry,  was
something that Beno had to accept too. "The newer songs like 'Debris'
and 'Uppercut' are my favourite songs as they seem to be  fresher  in
my mind and they have been influenced by what I have been doing  over
the last few years as opposed to having been set on one direct  style
of music." On his view of how people should feel about the record  he
casually says, "I just put the  record  together  and  threw  it  out
there. Other people are making the devaluing or valuing positions  on
it. On that  question  I  will  have  to  plead  artistic  ignorance.
<laughs> In other words people see different things and attach  their
own meaning. I would hope people would attach their own views." 
     As Beno has been involved with thousands  of  hours  in  studios
doing work to make other band's material sound clear  and  crisp  and
the closest to how they want it to  sound,  how  did  Beno  react  to
putting his own material together in  the  studio?  "As  far  as  the
production approach, I am so anal it is ridiculous,  especially  when
it comes to my own stuff. When the music comes  out  of  me  it  goes
through so many filters before it gets to the final product and a lot
of time that shuts me down. When I  was  doing  either  the  Ministry
record or the Monster Voodoo Machine record I was still writing as  I
knew this was something that I wanted to do. It was always  something
that I always wanted to be able to accomplish.
     "The diversity of the material on _TaO_ comes from writing music
over a period of four years and going in and out of phases. I'll come
back and tinker with it and change it here and there. I wanted to put
diversity on the record because the concept of this  particular  band
can encompass all those things. For the debut release,  much  like  a
thesis statement, was to cover as much ground as I could, to try  and
encompass the kind of aesthetic of what I was trying to do  with  the
band."
     Anything left out that he wanted to do with the  LP?  "The  next
time around I may possibly want to include a string quartet into  the
music, something I have written in the last  little  while.  I  would
like to work it into our next record depending on  the  direction  it
goes. Small snippets here and there and make it work together. And as
far as the direction of the next, I don't know. I won't know until  I
sit down and work on it. The label may hate me  for  this  but  maybe
I'll come out with an all-ensemble record next." <laughs>

NOTE: For  those  interested,  13Mg.  has  two  remixed  CD   singles
      (including dance and techno styles) of  the  tracks  "Sinister"
      and "Uppercut" off the _Trust and Obey_ LP. Also Bon Harris  of
      Nitzer  Ebb  does  a  great  remix  (the  Bon  Dage  Remix)  of
      "Uppercut" on that particular CD single. For  more  information
      and/or purchasing these two 'PROMOTIONAL ONLY' CDs contact:

Contact: SLIPDISC RECORDS, c/o Kristen Cotter N. Dearborn #3007
         Chicago, IL, 60610, USA 
         Voice: (213) 951-1650
 
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                 G A R G A N T U A N   G R O O V E S
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                       An Interview with Prong
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     The  fourth  LP  by  New  York  power-groove  act  Prong,  _Rude
Awakening_, is just that, a 'rude awakening' to the reality  of  life
and one's struggle to face  hardships  and  go  on,  as  well  as  an
'awakening' to the exceptional display of  thought  and  perseverance
that Prong has sustained after all these years  within  their  music.
Extremely focused on capturing an element of groove and  growth  with
_RA_, lead singer/guitarist Tommy Victor has managed to  magnify  and
control the grooves  of  Prong,  allowing  more  assorted  styles  of
harshness to flow more into  sync  and  not  following  one  standard
pattern that may have been evident with  past  releases  as  _Beg  To
Differ_ (1991), _Prove You  Wrong_  (1992)  and  1993's  breakthrough
record for the band, _Cleansing_. 
     While somewhat similar to those other  outings,  Prong's  latest
can also been seen as one of  the  most  experimental  of  all  their
previous releases too. "The old adage is, the more records  you  sell
the more freedom you get to do what you want to do," says Victor from
his home in California,  "With  _Cleansing_  being  a  real  hardcore
record where  it  was  the  kind  of  record  where  it  exploded  in
everyone's faces, with this record I kind of wanted to do more songs,
serious ones. The last one has allowed  us  to  do  this  record  and
opened up avenues for us to go down with our music. We  always  leave
avenues open for ourselves so we can escape  what  we  did  with  our
previous records."
     On the decisions that sparked the onslaught of  ideas  for  _RA_
Victor reveals, "I am happy with the decisions that were  made.  Some
A&R people at the label (Epic/Sony), I won't name any  names  though,
were concerned with the direction the band was headed or going to and
I pretty much told  them  'Fuck  You'.  Maybe  there  has  been  some
compromising, I'll be honest with you,  'cause  when  someone  knocks
something I respect their opinion. I probably would have made more of
a techno type record if it had not been  for  Terry  Date  and  other
people gearing me onto more of a rock record. Again  like  everything
it is a balancing act but right now I am  happy  where  the  band  is
right now. I'm pretty ambitious and I want  our  record  in  as  many
people's hands as I can get it. I'm sure not everyone is  happy  with
what their status is at times in their careers."
     The real success and strength of  the  record  lies  within  the
power and feelings given off by Victor's lyrics on _RA_.  Whereas  on
previous records he tackled social issues and other things that  most
bands might look into, this time Victor took time to  write  material
that flowed from him. The music allows us to see where we are in  the
world, the hardships, the love and the  struggle  of  everyday  life.
That is evident with the material as well as the artwork  (images  of
Eastern Bloc life) that accompanies the record. About those images he
says, "A package is supposed to reinforce what you are saying or  the
vibe of the record. The corresponding images work off the  lyrics  to
some degree."
     Much like a concept record, _RA_ opens up to the listener as the
albums goes on, and then the stories are told. "I  like  cohesiveness
in a record. I personally was striving to get that going.  A  lot  of
our records have been scattered and lyrically I had never really been
into what I was doing lyrically. I was  learning  as  I  went  along.
There were a couple of lyrics that I liked on that last record and  I
took them and that style into this record and it wound up  that  most
of the record was built around a theme or same style of writing." And
the theme for _RA_? "I just think it is more  personal.  I  tap  into
real serious emotions and I think that comes across  in  the  vocals.
There was something real in what I was doing that allowed me to do it
rather than sit back and target issues of what to write  about.  This
is how I am feeling and was at the time and I put that in  the  song.
We wrote a lot of songs but musically and vocally these were the best
that suited the record and where it was headed. I didn't really  have
a concept going into this record as that would have confused us while
writing. That is why it took so long to do this record as it  took  a
while to sift through our material and see which ones were the better
ones."
     In regards to his use and reference to the album title he  says,
"It is a quest for balance when you wake up in the  morning  or  your
approach in life. It is about keeping away from high expectations and
being prepared for the worst. I am not into or believe the  power  of
positive thinking 'cause I have tried it and I don't think it  works.
You got to be prepared for your obstacles or horrors of  everyday.  I
don't expect a lot out of life anymore, I enjoy it more though 'cause
I don't think this will happen or whatever. The  album  also  has  to
deal with relationships and how people put an emphasis on  trying  to
make other people happy. I think you gotta rely on yourself more.  On
the title track there is a line that says, '... there is no  kindness
to waste...' and that implies that I am not going out of  my  way  to
cling to somebody."
     Once again, as with _Cleansing_ the band - rounded out  by  Paul
Raven on bass and Ted Parsons on drums -  worked  as  they  did  with
_Cleansing_ with Terry Date (Pantera/White Zombie) on _RA_.  On  _RA_
Victor served as co-producer of the record  and  the  band  had  also
brought in a new recruit to add some flavour  to  the  material  they
were working on; the  musician  was  NIN  keyboardist/sample  Charlie
Clouser. On the style they brought into  making  the  record,  Victor
responds, "A lot of the playing was different in the studio and  that
coincided with the construction of the songs which  were  constructed
from drum loops or vocal melodies rather than strictly guitar  parts.
We set up grooves and patterns to work with. It  was  more  technical
this time around with the tempos and the loops or vocal approaches as
to either scream or sing smoother. I think we were less prone to  put
on false voices on this one. I used my natural voice with this one. I
think it came down to this way because of the  years  we  have  spent
re-evaluating ourselves." 
     Known for their grooves in the past, Victor  still  acknowledges
that grooves are an important factor to the band's style and sound no
matter how they change over the next few years. "I think the  grooves
are a highlighted part of what we do  and  acknowledged  by  a  small
amount of people. What we have done is highlight those grooves rather
than rely on the brute force of what we are doing. We are  aiming  to
be more song oriented and the grooves are still there, we have always
been a groove-oriented band, so we are just highlighting  our  strong
points and maybe abandoning some aspects that we find distasteful  of
what we used to do."
     "I don't go into a studio and write a part of a song for a  mosh
part," says Victor on the creation of songs, "I try  to  write  songs
that are true to what I want to do and what I like. End of story."
     He finishes, "I just want to remain focused with what I am doing
with Prong because a lot of things can distract you. So, I am  trying
to keep my nose clean, I have a good attitude right now  and  I  hope
that I remain as fresh as this to  the  year's  end  rather  than  be
bitter and hostile or have negative feelings about things. I want  to
remain ambitious and attentive to the project."

NOTE: Rob Nicholson (formerly of California outfit DROWN)  has  taken
      over bass duties for Paul Raven who has recently left the band.

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

                 R E L E A S I N G   T H E   R E E K 
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
               An Interview with Montreal's Grim Skunk 
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Montreal quintet Grim Skunk are in their  own  little  world  of
creative music and songwriting. The band - comprised  of  singer  Joe
Evil, guitarists Franz and Peter, drummer Ulf and  bassist  Borris  -
manage to incorporate reggae, metal, punk  and  hardcore  into  their
music with the greatest of ease and still make the music sound  heavy
and chaotic. Multiple adjectives could be used to describe the  music
of Grim Skunk. My choice: fucked up.
     Ever since the release of their two debut albums, _Sonic  Blend_
and _Autumn Flowers_ (released independently) a few years  back,  the
band's fanbase has grown in Montreal and the province of  Quebec,  as
well as the rest of Canada. The band really managed  to  get  noticed
and have been fortunate enough to be able to tour Europe  and  across
Canada several times thanks in part  to  a  somewhat  successful  hit
single and video for "Silverhead",  a  single  found  on  their  1994
self-titled debut for Cargo Records.
     Since then, the road has strengthened the band's live  show  and
musically the band still has that anarchistic feel to it though  more
focused now. Loud and brash, Grim Skunk sticks it to  us  quite  hard
with their latest sophomore effort _Meltdown_. "In terms of style  on
this record we wanted to have more of a reggae feel to  the  record,"
reveals guitarist Franz, "We are able to do that live but have  never
been able to get that on record. The big thing was also  to  get  the
hardcore punk rock feel flowing throughout the  record,  something  I
felt was lacking on  our  last  outing.  The  last  record  was  more
psychedelic and drug oriented music. While putting together  material
for this record we were on the road and didn't have time to put  long
songs  together  so  instead  we  went  straight  to  the  point.  We
simplified all of our tunes and made them as powerful as possible. We
made them direct, moving from one end to another  quite  harshly.  We
are at our best in the live environment and I'm proud  that  we  were
able to capture that with _Meltdown_."
     With a somewhat wise man mentality the guitarist mutters,  "This
is just the beginning for us with this record.  We  have  always  had
this 'no-limits' philosophy with this band and  with  this  record  I
think you start to see the maturity in the songwriting area. We  have
always had longwinded songs that were drawn out a  bit  and  we  have
managed to connect them a little closer and cut the fat a little more
so that not every song is a long adventure  for  people  to  try  and
follow."
     As mentioned before, Grim Skunk puts on a  strong  show  and  in
order to capture that 'live rush' the band  opted  to  record  a  bit
differently than last time out. "We just recorded everything  all  at
the same time. I think this record sounds like you put your  head  in
between all of our amps and the drum kit. This is not a very  refined
record at all, I think it is very raw. To my ears it is very much  in
your face." As well, Montreal has always been known for its  'harder'
take on the music scene with numerous  bands  flowing  from  a  death
metal scene, hardcore scene and a punk movement. Over  the  last  few
years the scene has managed to prosper says Franz.  "For  us  it  has
blossomed. We have grown steadily over the  last  little  while.  The
scene has grown and as it has gotten better and better for us it  has
done the same for the scene too. Younger bands are  touring,  putting
out CDs on small labels or by themselves or  even  making  their  own
videos. That was something that wasn't happening five years ago." 
     When asked about how Franz and the band manage to work out of  a
very multi-styled scene (most  notably  the  death  metal  scene)  he
responds, "Some of the death metal people  like  us  because  we  are
heavy and are really aggressive at our shows. Some people don't  like
us because they say we aren't heavy enough.  As  far  as  us  getting
along with death metal bands, we don't play with them often but  when
we do it is fun. I respect the death metal scene and a lot of kids in
Quebec love it. I can't handle the voices of death  metal  bands  all
the time 'cause they get on my nerves. But some are  okay  I  guess."
<laughs> He continues, "The scene  in  Quebec  is  so  open  and  not
divided. You can go to a show and have hippies, metal heads and punks
at the same show and see them all up in the pit, especially at one of
our shows."
     Will success grow for this band with _Meltdown_? "I think if  we
tour and get visibility I think people will catch  on  and  hopefully
things will happen," explains Franz, "but also you can bang your head
against the wall for ten years and nothing will happen.  We'd  rather
have people take notice than bang our heads." (no pun intended)

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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.


                 APOLLYON'S SUN ILLUMINATES THE FROST
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                    CoC Speaks with Tom G. Warrior
                          by: Steve Hoeltzel

Guitarist, vocalist, and all around main man  of  the  mighty  Celtic
Frost, Tom G. Warrior really  needs  no  introduction.  However,  the
circumstances surrounding this interview might.  Earlier  this  year,
Los Angeles metal indie Dwell Records released _In Memory  of  Celtic
Frost_, a tribute  compilation  featuring  covers  of  classic  Frost
material by 14 bands hailing from  the  darker  confines  of  today's
death/black metal underground. Most of the  selections  (ten,  to  be
exact) are drawn from Frost's earliest material: _Morbid Tales_,  the
_Emperor's  Return_  EP,  and  even  Frost's  previous   incarnation,
Hellhammer. The more atmospheric and involved _To  Mega  Therion_  is
represented just twice, as is the band's daring artistic high  point,
_Into the Pandemonium_. (One of the  _ItP_  covers  is  performed  by
Tom's new band, Apollyon's Sun.) The  abortive  _Cold  Lake_  is  not
represented; nor are the band's last two albums, _Vanity/Nemesis_ and
_Parched With Thirst Am I  and  Dying_.  Indeed,  all  of  the  Frost
material which followed _ItP_ is written  off  in  the  compilation's
liner notes as the product  of  "beating  [a]  dead  horse..."  which
brings us to this interview. When rumors began circulating that  Tom,
angered by this verbal slam at his work, was  boycotting  the  entire
project, CoC contacted him in Switzerland and invited him to set  the
record straight. Here's what he had to say about  the  compilation  -
and about the current state of the underground, and his new, "heavier
and darker" project, Apollyon's Sun.

CoC: Please give  us  your  overall  opinion  of  the  Dwell  Records
     tribute. Were there any things about the  compilation  that  you
     especially liked? Rumor has it that you were  unhappy  with  the
     finished product. Is  that  true?  And  if  so,  what  were  you
     specifically displeased with?

Tom G. Warrior: To answer this, I would like to quote some lines from
                a memorandum we  sent  to  Dwell  Records  after  the
                release of the compilation:

"Forming a band like Celtic Frost, you know from the start that there
will not always be idle sunshine as far as reviews or  criticism  go.
Working with such a band means that you have to expect  that  and  be
able to handle it. -That- was never much of a problem for us.  As  we
are opinionated about music, so is the music scene about us.

Criticism is good. It can help in finding the right path - especially
as one tends to be too close to see all aspects of one's work if  one
is a part of the band (and particularly if it is a band  so  inflamed
as ours was and is). It is beneficial to anybody with an open ear, if
it is constructive. But what  are  we  supposed  to  learn  from  the
wording  of  the  compilation's   liner   notes?   Far   from   being
constructive, it is  an  expression  of  personal  frustration  about
directions the band had or hadn't followed. The  chosen  language  of
the paragraphs in question adds  to  the  impression.  What  lack  of
style. What is -that- doing on a -tribute- to a band such  as  Celtic
Frost?

You will undoubtedly realize that any band like Celtic Frost  has/had
to deal with much such  personally  biased  criticism,  even  in  the
'holy' early years. We released  unconventional  products,  from  the
first to the last year, and we got used to both massively  overrating
reviews and extremely negative opinions. That is still all  fair  and
well.

The biography is not only derogatory towards us, but also towards the
literally hundreds  of  thousands  of  fans  who  actually  purchased
_Vanity/Nemesis_ and _Parched with Thirst..._ and who came to see the
corresponding tours and - god forbid - liked it! Is the  tribute  not
for them as well? Is it not for us, too, who played in Celtic  Frost?
Guess not. We all fail to be in possession of the  holy  passport  to
the light.

The bio states as much as that we created  this  and  that  style  of
music. I know that this is incorrect. As if we  had  been  the  first
band to play dark and heavy. Remember, there had been a  band  called
Black Sabbath. And old Blue Oyster Cult, etc., etc. Yeah, sure,  -we-
created that style with Celtic Frost. But suppose for a  minute  that
we actually -did-: this, exactly this, would give  us  the  right  to
create damn well any other thing we  liked,  too.  There  are  enough
coward bands out there who will never ever take  even  the  slightest
risk or who will only take a so-called 'risk' after other bands  have
proven that it  is  feasible.  You  can  count  those  bands  by  the
thousands.

It bothers me that a large number of tribute CDs will  be  bought  by
younger fans, who will be unable to judge for  themselves  about  the
contents of the bio. The incorporation of a few ritzy words  and  the
continuous listing of insider-like 'facts' will serve to make the bio
look authentic. As to the 'facts,' in reality they  contain  numerous
inaccuracies.

Frost was Frost and, hate it or like it, what we released  under  the
band's name is part of the legacy of Celtic Frost. That doesn't  only
include gems like _Into the Pandemonium_. No, we  who  were  part  of
that project have to be man enough to accept that  it  also  includes
utter garbage like _Cold Lake_. But what  is  labeled  a  tribute  to
Celtic Frost really seems to be a tribute to Hellhammer or,  give  or
take a little, to Hellhammer and the early months  of  Celtic  Frost.
There were those who loved Hellhammer and didn't really want  any  of
Frost's experiments.  They  followed  us  tentatively  into  the  new
project and then slowly dropped away, once we had gained the business
muscle  to  actually  go  and  try  our  ideas.   That's   completely
legitimate. But Frost was about  being  daring,  and  Hellhammer  was
about being heavy. We never had the illusion  that  those  fans  were
Celtic Frost fans. We saw them as Hellhammer fans who  liked  Frost's
heavy material.

The music on the tribute spells it out clearly: but one or two of the
new renditions of Frost songs are derived from Frost's soul. The rest
really are Hellhammer's  children.  It  seems  that  even  _Into  the
Pandemonium_, recorded during the 'good  old  times'  and  with  'the
classic line-up' hardly received a nod, even though it supposedly  is
the high point of the first half of Frost's existence. Not only that,
but it is the absolute quintessential album of the band:  no  mention
of Frost is possible without it. Yet it is all  but  ignored  on  the
tribute. That fact alone makes us pose the question again: why  label
it _A Tribute to Celtic Frost_, while at  the  same  time  being  too
narrow to allow for most of that band's post-1985 material,  far  too
narrow in particular when compared to the horizon of the band  it  is
supposed to be an homage to. This is  exactly  the  kind  of  limited
small-town thinking that almost killed _Into the Pandemonium_. It  is
what Celtic Frost so vehemently fought  against.  How  absurd,  then,
that a tribute to the band should be infested with it!

I despise having my work bashed in a biography contained in a tribute
CD to my former band, while, at the very same time, having to lend my
name for sales advertising on the front  cover  (i.e.,  the  'Tom  G.
Warrior' promotional sticker) and in flyers and advertising. This  is
not what I call integrity."

CoC: According to the liner notes of the tribute CD, after the  _Into
     the Pandemonium_ album "Celtic Frost was dead and everyone  knew
     it!"--even though the band went on to record  both  _Cold  Lake_
     and _Vanity/Nemesis_. What is your opinion  on  that  statement?
     Was  the  true  Celtic  Frost  really  dead  after   _Into   the
     Pandemonium_?

TGW: It was dead - or much of it was dead - during the recordings  of
     _Cold Lake_. That this happened was due to the year-long contest
     between us and the  record  company  as  to  the  existence  and
     recognition  of  _Into  the  Pandemonium_  and   the   resulting
     cancellation of tours, promotion, video  clips  and  advertising
     for the album, which caused the band to break  apart  and  which
     led the subsequent album, _Cold Lake_, to aim for an attitude of
     no worries, no more  darkness  and  seriousness,  smiles  and  a
     light-hearted party attitude. It was severe escapism. I know now
     that there was no way around this album. It was inevitable  and,
     very regretfully, unavoidable. It was both the conclusion  of  a
     very destructive phase, legally and on a personal level, and the
     foundation for a subsequent major rethink and rediscovery of our
     real line. Yes, I loathe that album. It  is  a  piece  of  utter
     crap. Despite my personal feelings, however,  it  is  an  absurd
     fact that _Vanity/Nemesis_ and _Parched with Thirst..._, both of
     which I love as true Frost albums, would not have been  possible
     without  the  professionalism  and  business  advantages  gained
     through _Cold Lake_. That album, however, certainly wasn't  part
     of the natural direction of the band.

CoC:  One  of  the  great  things  about   Celtic   Frost   was   the
     ground-breaking fusion of brutality, originality, and atmosphere
     which the band achieved on songs like "Necromantical Screams" or
     "Rex Irae" (to name just two). Yet most  of  the  bands  on  the
     tribute CD chose to cover earlier,  less  adventurous  material.
     What do you think this says about today's extreme  metal  scene,
     and about the nature of Celtic Frost's influence on it?

TGW: In addition to the comments I made in my first answer, I do  not
     believe that the essence has  changed  much  from  the  previous
     decade: there were always  numerous  bands  who  were  only  too
     willing to choose the "less adventurous" lane. It  almost  seems
     as if bands and lack of guts go together like moths and light. I
     also realize now that any Celtic Frost influence must be seen on
     two levels: (i) in the thrash metal genre and (ii) with material
     such as found on _Into the Pandemonium_. And lots of bands  are,
     by design, not looking for anything like _Into the Pandemonium_,
     which is a legitimate approach. Imagine albums  like  _Into  the
     Pandemonium_ coming out left and right... would you go for that?
     I don't know if that would be beneficial. That  the  compilation
     is so one-sided merely reveals the mechanisms of  the  selection
     process rather than the bandwidth of available bands, though.

CoC: Recently there has been a great deal of renewed interest in  the
     extreme metal scene of the 80's, of which Celtic  Frost  were  a
     crucial  part,  along  with  bands  like  Kreator,  Destruction,
     Bathory, and so on. How do you think today's  underground  scene
     compares  to  the   scene   of   a   decade   ago?   (Musically,
     stylistically, and so on.) What do you think of the death  metal
     genre?

TGW: I am really not qualified to comment on that. Not only didn't  I
     expose myself to Bathory or Kreator in the 1980s, but  nowadays,
     I listen to music very selectively and I have  very  opinionated
     tastes.  Any  of  my  comments  would   therefore   be   totally
     insignificant, perhaps even far from accurate.

CoC: What is your opinion of the black metal scene? I  am  especially
     interested to know this because so many black  metal  bands  are
     clearly influenced by Hellhammer and early Celtic Frost.

TGW: I do not tie Celtic Frost  to  this  scene.  With  Martin  Ain's
     addition to Hellhammer, the simple  and  ignorant  Venom  lyrics
     rip-off days were unquestionably over and a far more serious and
     conscious  approach  began  to  materialize.  Martin  aimed   at
     acquiring an expertise regarding the  subject  of  theology  and
     occultism. Therefore, this naturally included  -all-  facets  of
     the subject, and Martin's studies were by  no  means  one-sided,
     narrow-minded or biased. By the time  we  recorded  Hellhammer's
     only EP, _Apocalyptic Raids_,  we  had  solidly  determined  our
     stand within the then  popular  and  nearly  unavoidable  theme,
     i.e.,  songs  such  as  "Third  of  the  Storms",   "Aggressor",
     "Messiah",  or  "Massacra"  had,  with  Hellhammer's  naive  and
     undeveloped  means,   clearly   become   vehicles   of   fervent
     proclamations and caution against such dark tendencies in  heavy
     rock. Months of respective discussions in the  band  as  to  the
     definition of a clear line had  preceded  this  process.  Celtic
     Frost were later to solidify this direction in that band's early
     years. As you and any true Frost fan know, Celtic Frost's lyrics
     presented an aggressive stance against  such  trends,  from  the
     band's very first composition, "Visions of Mortality", on.  Also
     analyze lyrics such as "Into the Crypts of  Rays",  "Procreation
     (of the Wicked)", "Nocturnal Fear", "Morbid  Tales",  and,  and,
     and... Therefore, should Celtic Frost have anything to  do  with
     the resurgence of interest in black metal, it  would  be  rather
     absurd! This all simply seems to indicate that such people  have
     never really taken five minutes to read our lyrics  and  analyze
     our ideology.

CoC: How are things going with Apollyon's Sun?  Can  you  give  us  a
     brief history of this group?

TGW: Things are going very well with the  project  and  we  are  both
     happy with our current material and aware that any project  with
     a difference requires an undeterminable amount of work.  For  an
     insider's view at Apollyon's Sun, please point your  readers  to
     our home page: http://www1.psi.ch/~uenala/as.html. I propose  to
     only give an abbreviated glimpse here. After the end  of  Celtic
     Frost, I was not sure whether or not I would  ever  want  to  be
     part of a  band  again.  After  Celtic  Frost's  passionate  and
     distinctive years, I had a hard time seeing myself involved in a
     new project. In summer 1994, I received a call from Erol Daae, a
     guitar player, about a production job. I had just begun to  feel
     a  careful  and  discreet  urge  to  create  music  again.   Our
     subsequent meetings exposed much shared chemistry, and  I  asked
     him  to  participate  in  a  tentative  limited-duration  studio
     project of mine. But when we wrote music together over a  period
     of several months, the project developed into a band,  to  which
     we are now both fully committed. Apollyon's Sun's first practice
     session took place in late  spring  1995,  and  we  had  Stephen
     Priestly [drummer for Hellhammer and  for  some  Frost  lineups]
     lend us an essential hand during the first months of rehearsals.

CoC: Can we expect to hear more recorded material from the  band  any
     time soon?

TGW: We are working on a material of quite some bandwidth. There  are
     also a number of unreleased  Celtic  Frost  tracks  from  _Under
     Apollyon's Sun_, which we have remolded. [This was to be Frost's
     follow-up to _V/N_.] All this work points at  a  single  project
     right now: an album in 1997. Recording budgets for a debut album
     permitting, we are out to find  out  what  Celtic  Frost  hasn't
     dared to do, to go further than _Into the Pandemonium_ has  gone
     already. An official demonstration tape will be available to the
     industry at the end of this year.

CoC: Does Apollyon's Sun intend to pick up where  Celtic  Frost  left
     off, or do you look at the new band as a completely  independent
     musical entity?

TGW: It is impossible to simply revive Celtic Frost.  Apollyon's  Sun
     is a different band in that it was born in the  1990s  and  that
     our work reflects that time. In a very  cautious  way,  our  new
     band is a continuation of Celtic Frost. No doubt  about  it,  we
     are proud  to  be  the  successor  to  Frost.  However,  we  are
     different people, have a  much  more  modern  concept,  and  the
     effects of the pause between the  two  bands  are  evident.  The
     connection lies in the fact that  it  allures  us  to  see  what
     Celtic Frost hadn't done yet and that our sound  is  built  upon
     the Frost roots, while being heavier and darker. [!!]  But  both
     music and lyrics are very contemporary.

CoC: Were the various "atmospheric" elements  present  on  Apollyon's
     Sun's version of "Babylon Fell" simply included out  of  respect
     for the original, or will such avant-garde ingredients also play
     an important role in Apollyon's Sun's own sound?

TGW: Both. With Alexandra Rolland, for example, we have for the first
     time a permanent female backing vocalist, which  will  serve  to
     define the atmosphere of our music now and then. And rather than
     merely repeat elements which Celtic Frost has used as  well,  we
     are also aiming at finding additional toys.  So,  yes,  it  will
     play an important role in our sound. I now find  that  I  cannot
     rest happy in a band anymore unless it defines its  approach  to
     music as -unusual-, -borderless-.

CoC: Any parting words for us?

TGW: There are issues far more important than any of the above, which
     really should concern us as the generation  now  inheriting  the
     planet. What matters is responsibility and  integrity  regarding
     nature and environment, the guts to make inconvenient -  perhaps
     "uncool" - decisions, so as to be able to earn -true- respect. I
     would like to express our sincere thanks to those who  were  and
     are willing to listen to what Celtic Frost had to say  and  what
     Apollyon's Sun is going to say. As  I  have  said  in  countless
     interviews before: no matter how  elaborate  concept  and  music
     are, it is at all times the faith of the fans that makes it  all
     possible.

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

   U P D A T E   F R O M   T H E   T W I L I G H T   K I N G D O M
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                  CoC Talks With Peter K. of Abigor
                          by: Steve Hoeltzel

In existence for just about three years now, Abigor have  established
themselves as one of the best among the swelling  ranks  of  European
black metal bands. With  three  solid  CDs  of  musically  adept  and
inventive black metal already under their belts, the members of  this
Austrian three-piece are currently putting the finishing  touches  on
their next release, which should be out on Napalm Records soon. Peter
K. recently took some time out from this process to briefly tell  CoC
a bit more about Abigor's history, outlook, and plans.

CoC: Could you give us a brief history of the band?

Peter K.: Abigor was formed in mid-summer 1993. The first demo,  _Ash
          Nazgh..._ was released in November 1993. The  second  demo,
          named _Lux Devicta Est_, was released in  January  '94,  in
          February the _Promo-tape_, and in  March  we  released  our
          last official demo, _Moonrise_. After the  _Moonrise_  demo
          we replaced our vocalist Tharen with Silenius, who is  also
          involved in Summoning. In July '94 we  recorded  our  debut
          CD, _Verwustung_, in November the _Orkblut_ MCD, and in May
          '95 _Nachthymnen_. During the days of May '96, we're  still
          recording our next album, which will be named _Opus IV_.

CoC: Who are the biggest influences on Abigor's outlook and sound?

PK: There are no influences concerning outlook  nor  sound.  We're  a
    black metal band - which outlook do  you  expect?!  And  Abigor's
    sound can't be compared to other bands in the genre. We've  found
    our individual sound which fits our art exactly.

CoC: Your songs have become more elaborate and more fierce with every
     new release. What can we expect from the next Abigor recording?

PK: It will definitely be the best Abigor  CD  since  our  beginning:
    more technical, more extreme. We've opened the gates  to  unknown
    dimensions and we've entered untrodden paths.

CoC: Are there plans to record again soon? How about touring?

PK: Well, as I've written above, we're  still  recording  _Opus  IV_,
    which will maybe / hopefully be released at the  end  of  June  -
    we'll see. As long as I am a member of Abigor, we'll never go  on
    tour, nor will we ever play even just one gig.

CoC: Do you ever feel musically limited by  the  conventions  of  the
     black metal style?

PK: For us there exist no limits. We believe in our art, and  we  are
    satisfied with it. That's important - not what others think about
    black metal and how it's meant to be.

CoC: Some very interesting music  has  been  coming  out  of  Austria
     lately. How would you describe the metal scene in your country?

PK: In Austria there is no scene - there are Abigor, Summoning [which
    includes Abigor vocalist Silenius], and Amestigon [which includes
    ex-Abigor vocalist Rune]. We represent Austrian black metal  art,
    simply put, along with Napalm Records. We belong  to  the  elite.
    All other black metal bands and labels from Austria are worthless
    shit.

CoC: Like many black  metal  bands,  Abigor  seems  to  envision  the
     modern-day rebirth of a 'tribe' united by pagan  belief,  occult
     philosophy, and interest in  the  pre-Christian  mythologies  of
     Europe. Exactly what do you hope to see happen? What do you want
     this movement to accomplish? Who are  the  movement's  spiritual
     leaders? Who are its enemies? And  how  does  this  movement  in
     general relate to the black metal scene in particular?

PK: I am not interested  in  any  movements.  Time  changes,  and  my
    individual philosophy and beliefs  have  changed  radically.  The
    only movement worth being  supported  is  the  union  of  Abigor,
    Summoning, and Amestigon. What individuals try to  organize,  for
    example in Norway or  Sweden,  doesn't  interest  me.  Just  look
    around: nowadays 90  percent  are  little  children  who  try  to
    project  an  image  of  being  evil  and  satanic,  without   any
    knowledge. Those people will never get our attention -  they  are
    to be ignored. Those who really believe are just a  few,  indeed,
    but the time will come when we'll stand united under as one under
    the banner of our spiritual leader: Satan. Our enemies are  known
    well. Further I am not interested in this question.

CoC: This interview will be read by  fans  of  Abigor  all  over  the
     globe. What would you like to say to them?

PK: We will  no  longer  answer  requests  for  interviews,  nor  any
    letters. Worship us! Satan mit uns...

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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.


   S T R A N G E   M U S I C   ( T O   S A Y   T H E   L E A S T )
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                       CoC Interrogates Glutton
                          by: Gino Filicetti

     Hailing from somewhere  in  Illinois  are  Glutton,  the  newest
addition to a scene  which  doesn't  even  exist,  a  scene  that  is
invisible yet alive because of Glutton's music. Glutton is not a band
to be categorized, their lyrics speak of  the  anguish  and  love  of
young men, of  murder,  death,  life  and  charity.  Glutton  is  all
encompassing, Glutton is almighty, Glutton is here to stay.
     Having formed during a funeral procession, the band has come  to
embrace the dark low end  of  music.  Consisting  of  guitarists  Dan
Parker and John Sprenger, bassist Rich Schultz, vocalist Deron  Grams
and drummer Bob Rising (who could  not  participate  because  of  his
current involvement in a film shoot), Glutton has recorded two  demos
during the course of their life, _Their Eyes Will See  No  More_  and
the newest _Cruel, Disfigured_ which  was  incidentally  produced  by
Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha. Here is what the band  had  to
say in  their  defense  (Please  excuse  John  for  he  only  answers
questions in capital letters).

CoC: Gimme a little more history on the band. When did you form,  and
     where did you REALLY meet?

John Sprenger: GLUTTON, AS A MOUNTED UNIT, HAS BEEN  AROUND  ABOUT  A
               YEAR AND A HALF.

Deron Grams: We are all  from  a  place  called  Elk  Grove  Village,
             located  alongside  O'Hare  International,  the  world's
             busiest airport. Life under a constant and faithful roar
             brought with it a stabilizing effect, one which we  seem
             to always be after.

CoC: Your band is definitely a unique one, why  have  you  chosen  to
     distance yourselves from the rest of the scene?

Dan Parker: It's not  intentional,  and  while  naturally  some  rock
            trappings should be embraced, others should be discarded.
            It's more important to keep your hands on the  rock  than
            your ear to the ground.

DG: We haven't the drive nor  the  looks  nor  the  smarts  to  align
    ourselves with anybody anyway, and we're probably very irritating
    to have around.

CoC: Your portrayal of being 'image-less' could in itself be seen  as
     an image. What do you make of this accusation?

DG: We're just automatically suspicious of any group  of  people  who
    choose to express themselves  primarily  through  their  face  or
    sloganed flesh or whatever seems to have caught on.  I  get  very
    around someone whose looks seem to be  transitory.  Additionally,
    we'd all look undeniably foolish, ornamented and  posturing  like
    bad/hard asses, exchanging  dreadlocks  and  mechanic's  uniforms
    bearing stranger's names. We're just nice regular men. But,  that
    doesn't mean we're weak ninnies.

JS: YEAH, WE CAN GO TOE-TO-TOE WITH ANY TOUGH GUY ON THE STREET.

Rich Schultz: I'd say our image lay deep in the meaning of our songs,
              though it may take years of listening to discover it.

CoC: What steps does Glutton take to INSURE their uniqueness?  Is  it
     something that is a major part of the band,  or  just  something
     that came about by accident?

DP: How much of a magician's spell is in the magician and how much is
    in the wand? When fifty fingers and five  skulls  converge  on  a
    hill, results cannot be predicted. 

RS: Agreed.

DG: Agreed.

JS: AGREED.

CoC: What is the chemistry like in  the  band?  Does  everyone  carry
     their own weight within your ranks?

DP: We are bound by the Periodic Table of the Elements.

DG: ... Dwelling near the Noble Gases.

RS: On paper: 3.5 parts THC, 6 parts AGONY, and a cup of savvy.

JS: GLUTTON IS A ROCK DEMOCRACY.

RS: Each member's ideas are dismissed with equal ridicule and scorn.

DG:  We  model  group  discussions  after   the   Articles   of   the
    Confederation, the flawed precursor to the American Constitution.

CoC: What would you say is the greatest rival in brutal music  today?
     What do you think holds it back from becoming a revered artform?

DG: I think it will thrive more without reverence. Or reverends.

DP: Waiting for brutal music to become revered is  like  looking  for
    the horse's eyes under water. Certain beauty should not  be  kept
    under glass.

CoC: Is Glutton currently pursuing a record deal? What kind  of  deal
     would be idealistic in your eyes (within reason of course)?

DP: Yes, we are looking for a  label  which  understands  that  while
    heavy music ebbs and flows in  terms  of  mainstream  acceptance,
    there will always be a devoted core audience.

DG: We'd like to put out a record or two a year. That's all we'd ask.
    And I think we would be a benefit to any label because we  are  a
    very TALL band. Very tall, with a median height of 6'1. Rock  has
    often  been  a  short  man's  domain,  but   taller   bands   are
    historically easier to deal with.

RS: We're tall  AND  we're  very  responsible,  both  of  which  lend
    themselves to endurance in the entertainment industry.

CoC: Who or what has been the greatest source of inspiration  to  you
     or your band?

JS: MOAT (John's INFAMOUS previous band).

DP: Glenn Tipton and Abraham Lincoln.

DG: WOMAN.

RS: The music we will make tomorrow.

CoC: I find remote similarities to Exit-13 in your music,  especially
     the vocals. Have you ever been told this before?

DG: No. They seem to be a lot faster and noiser  than  we  are.  More
    concerned with pot than girls.

DP: Never heard 'em.

JS: NOPE.

CoC: Describe a typical live Glutton performance.

DG: Like all good bands, we begin  each  show  by  setting  the  bass
    player on fire.

DP: At times  it's  like  a  public  hanging,  at  other  times  like
    witnessing a child being born who will one day lead a  nation;  a
    sonic picnic.

RS: It think it comes down to deciding whether it's the booze or  the
    fumes that are making you dizzy.

CoC: What are the band's immediate goals?

RS: To determine our long term goals.

DG: To tour and release something other than cassettes.

CoC: What are the band's long term goals?

DP: To build an impenetrable Rock Fortress.

RS: Agreed.

DG: Agreed.

JS: AGREED.

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                |      <|  -__|  __|  _  |   _|  _  |
                |___|__||_____|____|_____|__| |_____|
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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!


The Almighty - _Just Add Life_ (Raw Power/Castle Records, June 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (6 out of 10)

While this may be their fifth studio album, _Just Add  Life_  is  the
band's debut album for New York-based Castle Records  and  much  like
being a new addition to a label, the music found on _JAL_ is  new  to
the band, quite a contrast to their previous work...  sort  of.  What
can I say about this release? Hmm... where to begin? Let's  just  say
when the band began their career the band was a  full-blown  metallic
machine with loud guitars, harsh vocals and some melody thrown in for
good measure. Now... well... the band has been  somewhat  drained  of
their  loudness  and  metallic  overtones  and  gone   for   a   more
commercially friendly sound of both punk and  metal  influences  i.e.
"Some Kind Of Anything", "All Sussed Out"  and  "8  Day  Depression".
Sounds similar to the plight of Metallica, eh? BUT in the end  though
_JAL_ is a good record with strong melody, with some powerful  vocals
provided by guitarist/vocalist Ricky Warwick. With  a  mixed  bag  of
goodies and  sounds  ranging  from  Metallica  to  face  to  face  to
Therapy?, The Almighty's album has something for everyone... that  is
if the music that fans crave is tight melodic guitars jam packed with
catchy vocals.


Altar - _Altar_  (Displeased Records, June 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (7 out of 10)

Say you love Satan, play as fast as you  can,  maybe  throw  in  some
growls and some killer licks here and there and you pretty much  have
the ideals and philosophies stemming  from  the  music  of  Holland's
five-piece  Altar.  This  is  quite  brutal  death/thrash  metal  and
delivered with quite an enormous amount of intensity and  conviction.
Throughout _Ego Art_, Altar grow in speed  and  might  as  the  album
carries on, backhanding us with killer cuts like "Truly Untrue",  the
title track, "Egovernment" and "Follow Me". The thing  that  I  found
most enjoyable about the music on Altar was the  almost  "unstoppable
feel" the music revealed. It seems as though the  band  (for  however
long a song is) is truly unstoppable once they have  such  gargantuan
grooves and the thrashness focused they don't give up till  the  last
note of a song. Strongly opposed to the Christian faith  and  way  of
life, Altar deliver some serious statements and  visions  with  their
music and lyrics and it is no wonder why this Holland band  has  been
able to establish a strong underground  following  and  respect  from
those that follow the faith of the dark one (no... not Darth Vader...
Satan!) Album number two on Displeased Records and it's a  good  one.
NOTE: there are some CD-ROM tidbits on the CD as well... find them.


Ancient - _The Cainian Chronicle_  (Metal Blade, June 1996)
by: Gino Filicetti  (9 out of 10)

Started in 1992 in Norway as a solo project by Aphazel, Ancient  have
since evolved into a formidable beast.  _The  Cainian  Chronicle_  is
Ancient's second full length record, and the first to appear on Metal
Blade. This record features a new line  up  that  has  increased  the
strength of the band twenty-fold. Taking on the vocal duties (and the
occasional drumming stint) is Lord Kaiaphas hailing from Virginia (of
all places). Nevertheless, the Lord is no poseur. All lyrical work on
this album is his, and they are, without a shadow  of  a  doubt,  the
best part of this album. The main part of this record is a  four-part
story (told over the  course  of  four  songs)  called  "The  Cainian
Chronicle". It details the events after the banishment  of  Cain  for
the murder of his brother. The rest of  the  songs  deal  with  other
parts of mythology and are excellently written since the  Lord  is  a
native English speaker.  The  music  on  this  disc  is  pretty  much
standard black metal fare, but talent is definitely present.  Another
plus for the Lord is his supreme vocal abilities. Definitely an album
you all should check out, and make sure your read the lyrics!


Various - _Beauty In Darkness_  (Nuclear Balst, June 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (9 out of 10)

Truly an outstanding compilation and a must for those who  love  both
goth and metal music.  Seventeen  outstanding  tracks  from  some  of
Europe's finest metal and goth acts: Dissection,  Tiamat,  Lacrimosa,
Love Like Blood, End Of Green not to mention some  remixed/remastered
versions of Dissection's "Feather  Fall"  (off  Japanese  version  of
_Storm Of The Light's Bane_), Mindrot's "Burden" (off _Dawning_)  and
unreleased tracks by Amorphis ("My  Kantele"),  Sirrah  ("Acme")  and
Therion ("To Mega Therion"). Standouts  include  both  Amorphis'  and
Therion's offering, the stellar  and  ethereal  "Tears  Of  Time"  by
Crematory and opening (unreleased) track by In Flames,  "Moonshield".
So with all these acts you get a  bit  of  ambient  metal,  doom  and
gloom, melody and some  musical  masterpieces  all  rolled  into  one
packaging. Thanks Nuclear Blast!. Living in the shrouds  of  darkness
has never seemed so appealing.


Celestial Season - _Sonic Orb_ (Displeased Records, Fall 1995)
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10)

The four songs that find their way onto the latest EP  (MINI-CD)  are
trippy,  melodic  offerings  of  metallic/rock.  Hollands'  Celestial
Season have created a 'fucked-up' rollercoaster  ride  of  moods  and
ambience and though the band has added a new singer, with  only  four
songs it is really hard to decipher whether this is a  new  direction
for the band (it is much different than  debut  CD  _Forever  Scarlet
Passion_) or just a jam session to break in a new singer.  Judge  for
yourselves. I'd assume that for best results of this  EP  one  should
drop large quantities of acid or smoke pot and just sit back and feel
the 'celestial-ness' of the music come down on you. I'm just assuming
that don't ya know? :)


Christ Agony - _Moonlight - Act III_ (Cacophonous Records, June 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (7 out of 10)

Although this is the third release by this  trio  from  Poland,  it's
their first CD for Cacophonous and the first time I've actually heard
the band.  _Moonlight_  showcases  a  trend-defying  style  of  dark,
mid-paced metal which occasionally dashes through speedier  territory
and incorporates some acoustic guitars, some clean  vocals,  and  the
odd  synthesized  bit.  The  excellent  thirteen-minute  (!)   opener
"Asmoondei" exemplifies the harsh,  speedy  black  metal  style,  but
incorporates some cool  touches  not  usually  associated  with  that
genre, like mean double-bass drumming  and  -heavy-,  thrash-inspired
chugging guitars. (Such flourishes recur from time to time throughout
the album.) For my money, the next track, "Devilish Sad", is the high
point, beginning with a couple minutes of  catchy  mid-paced  riffing
that dissolves into a storm of feedback, only  to  explode  forth  as
ripping black metal propelled by  ferocious  percussion.  Still,  the
remainder of the album generally shies away from the  blasting  speed
of these two songs. The slower approach  works  really  well  on  the
pounding, anthemic title track, but I find a  few  of  the  remaining
songs to be  a  bit  monotonous  in  that  they  don't  involve  much
deviation from a single tempo. Nonetheless, these guys are undeniably
heavy. And the production is  really  outstanding,  which  definitely
sets this one apart. 


Diaboli - _Mesmerized by Darkness_  (Unisound Records, June 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (8 out of 10)

Lord Pete, the one man behind this one-man black metal  project  from
Finland, is a no-frills  kind  of  guy:  "NO  atmospheric  parts,  NO
progress, NO melancholic passages, and of course NO  melody,"  boasts
the Diaboli bio. That pretty much saves me the trouble of  describing
the music on this CD!  It's  completely  unoriginal...  but  it  also
really smokes. More than anything, this sounds like a  (just  barely)
updated version of the classic Bathory stuff  from  the  days  before
Quorthon started playing 'viking metal.' In other words,  pretty  raw
recording of  raspy  vocals  and  repetitive-but-catchy,  evil  riffs
cranked out at a variety of speeds from  crawling  slow  to  (mostly)
blasting fast. Song structures are quite simple, but there are plenty
of tempo changes to keep things  interesting,  and  the  drumming  is
solid and powerful at every speed. Cool riffs, too, even  if  they're
nothing fancy. In fact, this whole album is oddly  refreshing,  since
it's completely free of all those  artsy  embellishments  which  have
basically become black metal cliches--and which can get pretty  corny
when they're not done right. It  just  rocks,  and  that's  it.  Nice
going, Lord Pete.


Equinox - _Return to Mystery_  (Unisound Records, June 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (8 out of 10)

This Florida four-piece formed in  late  1992  and  rapidly  garnered
quite a bit of underground praise for their self-released "old  style
black/death" demos and EPs. Hearing the band for the  first  time  on
this  CD  debut,  I  have  to  conclude  that  all  that  praise  was
well-deserved. Equinox hammer some much-needed new  energy  into  the
classic, old-school death metal sound by freely injecting  plenty  of
crushing doom grooves and strident black metal  blast  sections  into
the sonic mix. The result sounds like this decade's answer to Death's
mighty _Leprosy_ album: an  unrelentingly  heavy  mosaic  of  catchy,
crunchy riffs, bruising tempos, and harsh, raspy vox. I think there's
a lot here to please any listener who's into grim, powerful  metal  -
especially  on  charging  juggernauts  like  "Dreams  of  the  Winter
Solstice" and "The Mourning River". The production is a  bit  on  the
murky side, and the guitars tend to be a bit low in the mix, but  the
overall sound is thick and powerful, with a stern  underground  vibe.
Definitely a worthy purchase,  I'd  say  -  especially  if  you're  a
long-time fan of the scene who's sick of the current trends. 


Hybernoid - _Today's Tomorrow Yesterday_ 
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10) (Displeased Records, November 1995)

I am shocked... FUCKIN' SHOCKED! First thing that  came  to  my  mind
after listening to this record was, 'Why didn't Gino scoop this CD up
to review it?' I mean it has everything that Gino has been into for a
while: both death-style and angelic vocals, loud guitars, samples and
techno beats. In a nutshell this is ambient, trance-like techno death
metal (like Ultra-Violence/Monster Voodoo Machine) Cool shit  if  you
ask me! _TTY_ rotates through many warped dance-like techno beats  as
the record goes on and the loud guitars are enhanced  and  made  even
louder by the use of  keyboards  and  the  harsh  vocals  staple  the
intensity of the song even further. Some may  have  a  hard  time  to
swallow this second outing by Hybernoid, but for those  with  a  open
mind and the curiosity to see how the vividness of techno  beats  and
the brashness of metal can mix and work in harmony,  this  record  is
for you. Break out the beats and break something in the process too. 


Metallica - _Load_  (Warner/Elektra, June 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (3 out of 10)

Six words: 'I waited five years  for  this?'  Having  once  been  the
almighty metallic machine that they once were with the  stunning  and
classic masterpieces such as 1983's _Kill 'Em All_, 1987's _Master Of
Puppets_ and the domineering force of their _... And Justice For All_
(1989) LP, it now seems that after  a  five-year  gap  between  their
commercially successful last LP, the self-titled release  a/k/a  'The
Black Album,' Metallica's four-piece (James, Jason, Kirk and  Lars  -
we know'em all) have once again shifted gears  and  slowed  the  pace
down even further with _Load_. And even though the  last  album  sold
millions and gathered up new fans, many die-hard old  Metallica  fans
jumped ship due to the commercialism of the album. _Load_ will surely
bring even more success to Metallica and again old fans may bail  but
with more radio exposure (NOTE: first single  "Until  It  Sleeps"  is
played on both alternative and mainstream/rock stations) and the fact
that the band will be headlining Lollapalooza  1996.  Many  new  fans
will be turned on by the wholesome, clean cut  hardness  to  the  new
Metallica tuneage i.e. "Cure", "Ain't My Bitch",  "Poor  Twisted  Me"
and "King Nothing". Working with Bob Rock (as they did with the  last
release) has allowed the band to really  prove  to  have  potentially
addictive grooves but still have  the  heaviness,  and  though  those
changes may be promising  for  the  longevity  of  the  band  it  has
somewhat taken away from the band the brutality  and  cutthroat  edge
they once gladly wore on their metallic sleeves. A big  disapointment
for the most part... and I'm sure most REAL Metallica fans will agree
with me on that. 


Nastrond - _Toteslaut_  (Napalm Records, February 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (6 out of 10)

These guys have a rather creepy sound,  one  that's  fairly  distinct
from the black metal genre's more established bands.  In  fact,  they
remind me a lot of early Sodom, before that  band  moved  in  a  more
orthodox thrash direction. The songs tend to be quite  elementary  in
structure, centering on really simple riffs driven by  drumming  that
alternates between mid-paced and blast beats (though never  attaining
the extreme speeds reached by bands like Marduk  or  Setherial).  The
guitar tone is heavily distorted, and  weightier  than  the  standard
black metal guitar sound,  but  it's  pretty  low  in  the  mix.  And
although you have to listen closely to pick it out, you can  actually
hear the bass! The vocals are well done, but standard for this scene.
(Some pretty catchy phrasings are worked in, though,  and  occasional
spoken vocals are used to interesting effect.) I like  "Lord  of  the
Woods" and "Neuntoter", but overall this CD doesn't measure up to the
quality of other recent releases in the genre. The  main  problem  is
that most of the songs sound quite alike. Given their simplicity, the
album ends up becoming a bit tedious on the whole.  Still,  it's  not
bad, and old school purists who aren't  into  "epic"  flourishes  and
songs about Scandinavian weather will probably dig it.


Nazxul - _Totem_  (Vampire Records, 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (5 out of 10)

The best stuff on this CD is just pulverizing. The problem  is,  it's
basically all contained in one or two songs. "Distance Begins"  is  a
percussive powerhouse  of  mid-paced  riffs  mixed  with  frightening
blasts of amazing speed and a cool synthesized interlude.  This  song
is a monster, and the otherworldly blur of  "Amidst  the  Flames"  is
pretty impressive, too. Still, I find the  rest  of  this  Australian
black metal band's debut much less enjoyable. The blasting snare drum
often sounds really flat,  while  the  strange  vocals  are  filtered
through some distorting effects and punched so far up in the mix that
they frequently overwhelm the music. But my main gripe  is  with  the
music itself. Definitive black metal bands like Marduk and  Setherial
weave together icy vocals, creepy riffs, and blasting percussion into
a charging, cohesive whole. Nazxul, on the  other  hand,  often  just
excrete a smear of chaotic noise  in  which  there's  no  discernible
connection between the riff  and  the  (blast)  beat  and  the  vocal
phrasings, except that they're all being played  at  the  same  time.
Plus, most of the riffs are completely unmemorable.  The  two  tracks
mentioned above are killer, but for the most part  _Totem_  is  quite
weak.


Nebrionic - _Psycho One Hundred_  (Displeased Records, June 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (6 out of 10)

Four-piece Nebrionic (known years ago as Nembrionic Hammerdeath) have
always felt to be 'with the program' in regards to playing music that
seems fitting for the moment. Not bandwagoners to  the  music  scene,
rather students learning of the styles whisked  in  and  out  of  the
multiple genres of metal music, trying to grab  hold  of  styles  and
thus incorporate them into their music.  _Psycho  One  Hundred_,  the
second offering for Displeased Records,  is  once  again  a  stepping
stone as the band evolves with its multiple  styles  and  songwriting
(very dark may I add). Calling it death metal would serve no  justice
as you would have to add grindcore and speed metal  to  the  name  as
well; let's call it multi-faceted metal.  The  album  itself  may  be
versatile (numbers like  "Strength  Through  Power",  "Death  to  the
Harmless" and "In Ebony")  but  in  the  longrun  there  is  no  real
congruency with the styles and at some points in the record seems  to
be rather loosely pieced together. Maybe too many styles put  in  one
basket was not a good idea? Hmmmm... something to think about.  While
_POH_ may not stir ravage mosh pits and fists of fury, some  material
off the record can do some damage.


Setherial - _Nord_  (Napalm Records, February 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (9 out of 10)

Hearing the first ten seconds of this CD, I thought "Wow, these  guys
sound a lot like Immortal." By the time the opening track had  ended,
they had me thinking "Yep -  at  least,  if  Immortal  played  twelve
minute songs featuring totally crazy riffs,  sounding  every  bit  as
'epic' as Emperor, and incorporating lots of cool  (and  surprisingly
deft) instrumental flourishes  much  like  Abigor."  It's  super-fast
black metal all the way, and if you ask me, Setherial kick  out  this
frantic style with as much conviction and -more- creative flair  than
any of the scene's better known bands. They've essentially  perfected
every element of the style Emperor pioneered, blasting at  incredible
speeds through frozen soundscapes lashed by jagged guitar  lines  and
screaming vocals, ocasionally layering  cool  acoustic  passages  and
unobtrusive keyboards into the mix. Most importantly, they've  packed
some  really  interesting,  super-fast  riffs  into  every  track   -
something which too many otherwise-solid black metal bands don't  do.
The blazing guitars in "I Nattens Famn" and "Morkrets Tid" have to be
heard to be believed, and the drumming is just amazing.  Recorded  at
Peter Tatgren's Abyss Studio and produced  by  the  band,  the  sound
quality on _Nord_ is as good as anything  else  in  this  scene,  and
better than most of it. And the quality of the music is unparalleled,
I think, by any other band in the genre. Killer release.


Wardogs - _Scorched Earth_  (Metal Blade, June 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (3 out of 10)

After several listens of _Scorched Earth_ I am reminded of  the  many
80s metal bands still trying to find room for  themselves  and  their
music in 1996. Examples  would  be:  Sacred  Reich,  Helloween,  Iron
Maiden, etc. But the thing about Wardogs is that they are a  somewhat
new band (formed in 1993 in New Mexico) that manage to play VERY Iron
Maiden-influenced songs. Hell even lead singer  Chris  Catero  sounds
like Bruce Dickinson on several numbers and listen  no  further  than
"Sounds Of War", "Nothing Left" or the  title  track  to  hear  this.
Throughout the record it becomes evident that the band stuck  to  one
song style or mold when creating their material. Their bio says, '...
what we do is metal,' and sure enough they stick true to those words,
but this is metal of  the  80s,  an  era  where  Judas  Priest,  Ozzy
Ozbourne, Iron Maiden and Anthrax ruled the airwaves, and in my  eyes
that is an era maybe remembered and dear to many hearts but  a  style
that does nothing more than bring back memories other  than  get  the
toes tapping. Old and outdated is  the  material  on  _SE_  and  when
placed up against 'metal' bands of the 90s like Fear Factory,  Misery
Loves Company and Edge of Sanity does little to keep  me  interested.
If I want to listen to 80s tinged metal (stuff I can  still  get  off
on) I'll slap on Ozzy's _Blizzard of Oz_ or Maiden's _Piece of Mind_.
If anything good is to come out of this record review it is the  fact
that this record may appeal to  the  FEW  who  still  live  in  their
parent's basements and play air-guitar riffs  alongside  their  Judas
Priest's _Defenders of the Faith_ LP. Get the point?


Yosh - _Metaphors_  (Black Mark, May 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (6 out of 10)

Belgium's thrash quintet's debut album, _Metaphors_, is a combination
of years of playing in numerous bands, experience and planning.  From
the ashes of several Belgian thrash outfits the band  was  formed  in
1989 (releasing several demos) and in 1996 we find them  pretty  much
solidified as a strong thrash band. The music on _Metaphors_ is  pure
rugged thrash metal that with some cool riffs, solid drum  beats  and
angry vocals carries on with the standard  thrash  metal  sound  much
like Overkill, Testament or D.R.I. but with a slight twist. The music
seems a bit more planned out or visual rather than  brawny  lumps  of
thrash know-how, maybe that has something to  do  with  the  European
metal scene opposed to the style of thrash metal that surfaced in the
80s out of San Francisco or New York that  many  American  acts  base
themselves on, a style which was  based  upon  speed  and  rough  and
tumble jabs of adrenaline. Not my favorite thrash metal-style  record
but it serves its  purpose  by  showing  me  a  more  (if  you  will)
sophisticated look at performing thrash metal and what its sound  can
be altered to. Highlights include "Perpetual", "Virus"  and  "Violins
Of Violence".


In Flames - _The Jester Race_  (Wrong Again, Spring 1996)
by: Brian Meloon  (8 out of 10)

This  is  a  bit  of  a  disappointment  to  me.  After  their   fine
_Subterranean_ EP from last year  (see  review  in  CoC  #8),  I  was
expecting  this  to  be  one  of  the  best  albums  of   the   year.
Unfortunately, this album doesn't really live  up  to  the  potential
that they showed with the first two tracks  of  _Subterranean_.  This
album as a whole reminds me of Dark Tranquility, although  there  are
sections which sound a lot like Iron Maiden,  At  the  Gates'  _SotS_
(see CoC #4), a lighter Amorphis (_Tales_ era, as  they  did  in  the
last two tracks of _Subterranean_) and even in one  part,  Van  Halen
(ack). "Moonshield", which has  appeared  on  a  compilation  CD,  is
indicative of what the album sounds like, but isn't one of the better
songs. There are a number of folky acoustic sections, and a couple of
instrumentals, one a short space filler which is very good,  and  the
other a full instrumental, which is not  as  good.  The  death  metal
sections  are  lighter   than   on   _Lunar   Strain_   (similar   to
_Subterranean_), but they mostly avoid the  sing-songy  quality  that
really hurt parts of their EP. Their new singer and new drummer don't
really add any surprises (other than the fact that the  drummer  also
plays guitar), but fill their roles  adequately.  The  production  is
good, and the performances are  solid,  but  the  writing  lacks  the
energy and flair that I was hoping for. Still, this is a  very  solid
album, and worth checking out. 


Amon Amarth - _Sorrow Throughout the Nine Worlds_ (Pulverised, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon  (6 out of 10)

Amon Amarth are another Swedish band playing  the  death/black  style
(Dawn, Naglfar, Dissection), but these guys are a little  further  to
the death side of the genre. They have some nice  ideas,  but  aren't
really outstanding. Their main sound is  typical  death/black  metal,
probably most like a less intricate Dawn,  but  they  throw  in  some
melodic death metal (a la Amorphis _TKI_ or Scum  (see  CoC  #7))  as
well. The differences in these two sounds isn't great, so they  don't
clash, although the melodic death sections do seem a  little  out  of
place. The guitar lines seem fresh, but aren't as copious as they are
in the above mentioned bands. They aren't really as melodic,  either,
as some of the guitar lines don't really seem  to  go  anywhere.  The
playing is average; not bad, but not great, either. The production is
pretty rough, sounding almost like a demo. Overall,  this  is  better
than average, but not as good as Naglfar, Dawn or Dissection... worth
having if you're into the genre, but not essential. 


Arcturus - _Aspera Hiems Symfonia_  (Ancient Lore Creations, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon  (9 out of 10)

Arcturus  are  a  Norwegian  black  metal   side-project,   featuring
Hellhammer and Garm, as well as the guitarist from Tritonus (see  CoC
#10, _A Gathering_ review). Their overall sound  is  melodic,  gothic
black metal with neoclassical and progressive tendencies. It's  heavy
on melody,  and  varies  from  mid-paced  to  slow.  The  playing  is
excellent, and the production lets them all shine through. The guitar
solos are usually very good, and although they would fit better in  a
progressive metal song than a black metal song, they don't sound  out
of place here at all. The drumming  is  busy  and  creative,  and  is
generally very impressive. The vocals are good, but  rather  ordinary
black metal style. The male choir parts are especially  welcome,  and
much better  done  than  those  on  Satyricon's  _Shadowthrone_.  The
keyboard work is good as well, well-played and  using  a  variety  of
tones and textures. As the guitars are mixed low, the  keys  have  to
carry large sections  of  this  album  with  the  drums,  and  do  an
admirable job at that. Most of the songs have  their  own  character,
such as the heavily Bach-influenced "Du Norvadind", the gothic  "Fall
of Man", and the almost carnival-sounding "The Bodkin &  The  Quietus
(... To Reach the Stars)". This goes  a  long  way  towards  avoiding
monotony, and yet a common sound  runs  through  all  of  the  songs.
Here's one side project about which I can finally say, "Guys, DO quit
your day jobs."


Sadist - _Tribe_ (Rising Sun Productions, Spring 1996)
by: Brian Meloon (9 out of 10)

Sadist return as a four-piece, replacing their bass player and adding
a singer. Musically, this isn't too far away from their  debut  album
_Above  the  Light_  (which  is  also  excellent),  but  the   better
production and the increased variation makes it  sound  that  way  on
first listen. I guess describing this is a "more twisted  version  of
_AtL_" wouldn't be too far  from  the  truth,  but  there  are  other
differences as well... Their main metallic sound is very  reminiscent
of middle-era Coroner, both production-wise  and  in  terms  of  riff
composition. Since their new bassist uses a fretless at  times,  some
of the sections sound like something  from  Death's  _ITP_.  However,
they rely on this metallic sound less frequently than on  _AtL_,  and
probably only a little more than half  of  the  album.  The  rest  is
filled with various metallic and not-so-metallic feels,  including  a
few jazzy parts, a neoclassical section, a progmetal guitar solo, and
a couple of sections with organ and drums only (as  Cradle  of  Filth
did in "Summer Dying Fast", but evoking a different feel  here).  The
strangest track is "The  Ninth  Wave",  which  features  no  electric
guitar, but is as aggressive as any of the other  tracks.  The  music
changes very fast, virtually never  dragging  on,  and  many  of  the
repeated sections aren't repeated verbatim, but  rather  recur  in  a
(slightly) different form.  The  playing  is  very  good,  but  seems
simpler than on _AtL_. It also sounds a little bit loose: not sloppy,
but not mechanically precise either. This is unfortunate, since  this
style really screams out (to me) for precise  (and  flashy)  playing.
It's really too  bad  that  this  album  is  on  such  a  small  (and
dishonest, I've heard) label as Rising Sun Productions, as it's bound
to be one of my favorite albums of 1996. 

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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


Embrace - _Promo Tape 1996_  (4-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley  (****-)

Aahhh... once again the  beautifully  sculpted  sounds  of  Kitchener
four-piece Embrace find way into my musical collection. For  all  you
CoCer's out there who  remember,  Embrace's  self-titled  debut  demo
appeared in the pages of CoC Issue #2. While following much along the
format of the first offering (choir-like melodies stitched within the
depths of a death metallish musical overtone)  the  new  material  on
this demo is quite impressive with its much darker feel  and  ambient
state of deliverance - the music is along the lines of My Dying Bride
and The Gathering. I'm advised that some of  the  material  off  this
demo (plus the six songs on their first demo) will find their way  on
a forthcoming full-length CD _Coven the  Eternal_  due  out  in  July
sometime. Truly, growth has shown its wings with  this  act  and  I'm
glad to say that their newer material/sound/approach is truly proving
to be worthwhile for several listens over and over  again.  Get  lost
within the realms of "Falling Away" or "Obscured", just  two  of  the
tracks on this demo. Or better yet, wait for the full-length album to
emerge with re-recorded versions of great  Embrace  songs  like  "The
Living End",  "Solitude"  and  "Embodiment  Of  Darkness"  off  their
original demo. Worth the wait to hear how this  whole  package  comes
together.

Contact: EMBRACE, 100 Queen St. N. #1803
         Kitchener, Ont., CANADA, N2H-2H6


Dirge - _Hazing Rituals_  (17-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley  (***--)

I'll say it first to get it out of the way: the  production  on  this
record sucks. I don't know what went down in the  Rumblefish  Studios
(where  the  LP  was  recorded)  but  something  wasn't  on...  maybe
something was broken? The music sounds dull and not clear enough  and
I wish I had known that but at this point all I can  say  once  again
is,  'What  happened!?'  Nothing  in  the  bio  said  anything  about
'recording problems!' Okay... now that that is done I  can  highlight
the good points about this Toronto  area  four-piece.  The  music  is
intense, the anger and rage is everywhere and all the songs flow with
sharpness of its hardcore and grindcore styles fused into  one  tight
ball of energy. That is the best definition I can give to their debut
CD _Hazing Rituals_, and it seems to  stick  as  the  music  of  _HR_
rarely leaves those two musical boundaries and styles (though a touch
of punk is evident in some parts). The band play music  much  to  the
style of Nailbomb, Sepultura and Korn for those interested. Seventeen
tracks find their way onto this debut (three tracks: "Break It Down",
"Casted" and "Vile-Lence" are from their 1995  independent  cassette,
_I Am_) and as bad as the recording may sound we are  still  able  to
feel the vivacity and  rawness  that  Dirge  dictates  through  their
lyrics and music, most  notably  on  tracks  like  "Nothing's  Real",
"Bloodlines" and "More Than a Reason". Their  attitude  adds  to  the
blow as well. Loud and gritty, Dirge's music is worth a listen,  just
wish the recording  would  have  been  better.  Okay  enough  of  the
criticism, check this band out and support local Toronto talent.

Contact: DIRGE c/o Rumble Fish Studios
         108 Woodbine Downs Blvd., Unit 7
         Etobicoke, Ont., M9W-5S6, Canada


Zeitgeist - _The Eyes of Time_  (8-track demo)
by: Brian Meloon  (***--)

Zeitgeist  are  a  progmetal/rock  band  from  California,  who  just
released this 8-track indie album on  CD.  The  songs  however,  were
recorded in 1993 and 1994, and therefore have a dated feel  to  them.
The poor production adds to this, as the level is very low,  although
the relative levels of the instruments is good. The performances  are
good, though  not  terribly  exciting.  They  do  a  couple  of  nice
instrumental breaks in their songs, with some good guitar solos,  and
a fair amount of changing tempos and feels. Their overall sound is  a
late 80s progmetal sound, mixed with some 'classic  rock'  influences
(such as Boston or the Doobie Brothers). The last three  tracks  here
are from their 1993 demo, and are more metallic, while the five newer
tracks feature more of the classic rock influence. As you might  have
guessed, I prefer the older tracks, although my favorite track  ("The
Firing Line") is one of the newer ones... They show  some  potential,
but they need to find their own voice, and move away from their  more
commercial side to realize their full potential, IMO. 


Timescape - Timescape (3-track demo)
by: Brian Meloon  (***--)

These guys are from Sweden, and play standard progressive metal, with
similarities to the usual suspects: Fates Warning, Dream Theater, and
Queensryche. It's said that a chain is only as strong as its  weakest
link, and this chain's weak link is the singer. He really pulls  some
(otherwise passable to good) sections down, as his voice is a  little
flat, and  his  accent  makes  him  sound  awkward.  Other  than  his
performance, the rest of the music is mostly average  to  good,  with
special  praise  due  to  the  fine  bass  work,  and  some  creative
composition techniques, with changing times  and  tempos  (especially
under the guitar solos), and some good polymetric sections. The songs
are usually well crafted, not the  epitome  of  smoothness,  but  not
cookbook songs either. Unfortunately, what  they  really  need  is  a
little originality, as some sections sound suspiciously  familiar  to
me, and I don't get any sense of a unique style. Also, they fall into
the  typical   progmetal   trap   of   occasionally   becoming   very
commercial/cheesy. It's too bad, since the few  times  that  they  do
this really detract from the overall effect. The production is  good,
and the packaging is nice as well, so this is a good debut  offering.
Keep an eye out for these guys, because with some more  maturity  and
inspiration, they could be a force to reckon with. 

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


         L A   M A N I E   R E I G N E   A   M O N T R E A L
         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
         Obliveon at the Spectrum in Montreal, June 15, 1996
                       with Mundane and Q.R.N.
                        by: Alain M. Gaudrault

     I'd driven for 7 hours in bad weekend escape traffic to see this
show, so you know I was coming  in  with  high  expectations.  I  was
finally about to see a band that I'd wanted to see live for years, in
a nice mid-sized club, no  less.  The  first  thing  that  pleasantly
surprised me was the turnout. The place may not have been  packed  to
the rafters, but it was certainly quite populated. I was happy to see
such support for a local act, particularly since the Grand  Prix  was
the big thing in Montreal that weekend, what with a  Quebecois  vying
for top prize.
     The show started with Q.R.N. (Quite Ridiculous Nonsense, or so I
was told), another Montreal-area act. They  not  only  looked  stupid
with their sequined  apparel  and  bad  haircuts,  but  they  sounded
dreadful, sort of a cross between Jane's Addiction and Red Hot  Chili
Peppers with industrial leanings. Done badly.  They  sucked,  and  in
their incompetence made us all appreciate the two following acts just
a little bit more. Toronto's Mundane took the stage  and  put  out  a
solid set of songs from their debut album, _Seed_, as well as some of
their newer unrecorded material.  They  were  well-received,  despite
problems with the sound, in particular the guitar which was  far  too
low in the mix. Bad  sound  seemed  to  predominate  at  this  event,
unfortunately. It helped that I already knew a lot of the songs  they
played.
     Obliveon  was  then  unleashed.  Nice   big   spotlit   banners,
impressive light show, the works; but could they deliver  the  goods?
The answer is a resounding yes. Their musicianship is top notch, both
live, and on  record.  In  most  part,  they  stayed  true  to  their
recordings, successfully improvising on solos, occasionally. The only
fault I could detect was newcomer Bruno Bernier (vocals) screwing  up
the occasional lyric, even on songs he's recorded!  I  was  happy  to
hear his faithful renditions of the old material,  although  I  would
still have preferred to hear Stephane Picard  (bassist,  former  lead
vocalist) take the lead vocal on the  songs  he's  recorded.  Perhaps
once the band has more material under  their  belt  with  Bernier  on
vocals can they consider having Picard sing the odd  oldie.  The  set
featured a number of tracks off  their  latest  release,  _Cybervoid_
(see Chaotic Chat Sessions and Record Revelations in last  issue)  as
well as their previous, _Nemesis_, with the odd token  material  from
their first, _From This Day Forward_, thrown in to stew the  steaming
pit below. Unfortunately, the large men lining the stage weren't  too
keen on anybody diving, which was unfortunate, given the pit size.
     All of this was more than I could ask for,  but  just  when  you
thought you'd seen it all, Snake, former vocalist  of  Voivod,  comes
out on stage and joins the band in a scorching rendition of  "Voivod"
off Voivod's first album,  _War  and  Pain_.  The  crowd  went  nuts,
including yours truly. I'm told by Obliveon's Martin Gagne that Snake
has been playing guitar for the last year or  so,  has  been  jamming
with some guys, and that the music has  punk  flavourings.  The  show
ended with the  band  playing  the  closing  instrumental  track  off
_Cybervoid_ after the requisite encore. All  was  then  good  in  the
universe. With luck _Cybervoid_ [buy it] will pick up  momentum  [buy
it] and permit Obliveon to tour  a  bit  more  extensively  [buy  two
copies].

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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>.


Pantera / White Zombie / EYEHATEGOD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

July 1 - Louisville Gardens, Louisville KY
July 2 - Starwood Amphitheatre - Antioch (Nashville) TN
July 3 - Oak Mountain Amphitheatre - Pelham (Birmingham) AL
July 5 - Jacksonville Coliseum - Jacksonville FL
July 6 - Miami Arena, Miami FL
July 7 - Orlando Arena, Orlando FL
July 9 - Civic Center, Savannah GA
July 11 - Uno Lakefront, New Orleans LA
July 12 - The Summit, Houston TX
July 14 - Starplex Amphitheatre, Dallas TX
July 15 - Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio TX
July 18 - Compton Terrace, Chandler AZ
July 19 - Great Western Forum, Inglewood (Los Angeles) CA
July 20 - Sports Arena, San Diego CA
July 22 - San Jose Arena, San Jose CA
July 23 - Arco Arena, Sacramento CA
July 25 - Memorial Coliseum, Portland OR
July 26 - Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver BC
July 27 - The George Amphitheatre, George WA
July 30 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Denver CO

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

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

Gino's Top 5

1. Monster Magnet - _Spine of God_
2. Korn - _Korn_
3. Marilyn Manson - _Lunchbox_ (single)
4. Pitchshifter - _Infotainment?_
5. Cradle of Filth - _Vempire or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein_

Adrian's Top 5

1. Monster Voodoo Machine - _Pirate Satellite EP_
2. Pantera - _The Great Southern Trendkill_
3. Korn - _Korn_
4. Fu Mnachu - _In Search Of..._
5. Carcass - _Heartwork_

Brian's Top 5

1. Sadist - _Tribe_
2. Cradle of Filth - _Vempire or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein_
3. Arcturus - _Aspera Hiems Symfonia_
4. In Flames - _Jester Race_
5. AC - _40 More Reasons To Hate Us_  [ed. Are you pulling my leg? - AMG]

Alain's Top 5

1. Cannibal Corpse - _Vile_
2. Gorguts - _Considered Dead_
3. Fleshcrawl - _Bloodsoul_
4. Obscene Crisis - _Silence of the Mind_ (demo)
5. Obliveon - _Cybervoid_

Steve's Top 5

1. Setherial - _Nord_
2. Equinox - _Return to Mystery_
3. Diaboli - _Mesmerized by Darkness_
4. Malevolent Creation - _Eternal_
5. Pan-Thy-Monium - _Khaooohs & Kon-Fus-Ion_

Adam's Top 5

1. Nordic Metal - _A Tribute to Euronymous_
2. Blood Duster - _Yeest_
3. Visceral Evisceration - _Incessant Desire for Palatable Flesh_
4. Vondur - _Stridsyfirlysing_
5. Absonant Cadence - _Emergence_ (demo)

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

Ok, that about wraps things up for the last issue of our first  year.
Next issue we are planning some big things, and hope to have  a  huge
monster of an issue ready for all of you, as well as some  free  shit
to give away, so keep your eyes peeled, and your ear to  the  ground.
Chronicles of Chaos' birthday bash is coming up, so you better  watch
out! -- Gino Filicetti

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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #12
