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

       CHRONICLES OF CHAOS E-Zine, October 11, 1996, Issue #14

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 #14 Contents, 10/11/96
----------------------------
* Editorial
* Loud Letters
* Ferocious Features
-- Another White Male: Wrestling with Whitey
-- Turmoil: Tackling the Turmoil
-- Soulquake System: The Quintessential Quake
* Chaotic Chat Sessions
-- Mortiis: Mind Melding with Mortiis
-- Moonspell: Irreligious Inquiries
-- Blood Duster: Dusting the Outback
-- Rotting Christ: Revealing the Rotted Remains
* Independent Interrogations
-- Embrace: Embracing the Ethereal
* Record Revelations
-- Abigor - _Opus IV_
-- Ablaze My Sorrow - _If Emotions Still Burn_
-- Bile - _Teknowhore_
-- Blackmail - _A Female Impersonator_
-- Blood Axis - _The Gospel of Inhumanity_
-- Bloodstone - _Hour of the Gate_
-- Brighter Death Now - _Innerwar_
-- Brutality - _In Mourning_ 
-- Brutal Truth - _Kill, Trend, Suicide_
-- Brutal Truth / Spazz 7" split
-- Cryptopsy - _None So Vile_
-- Dawn - _Sorgh Pa Svarte Vingar Flogh_   
-- Devastation - _Violent Termination_  
-- Exit-13 - _Smoking Songs_
-- Gates of Ishtar - _A Bloodred Path_  
-- Gehenna - _Malice_
-- Godflesh - _Songs of Love and Hate_
-- Hecate Enthroned - _Upon Promeathean Shores_
-- Hypocrite - _Edge of Existence_
-- Inferno - _Utter Hell_
-- Inquisition - _Incense of Rest_
-- Insatanity - _Divine Decomposition_
-- Intrinsic - _Closure_
-- Lethargy - _It's Hard to Write with a Little Hand_
-- Marduk - _Heaven Shall Burn When We Are Gathered_
-- Marduk - _Glorification_
-- Meliah Rage - _Death Valley Dream_
-- Mork Gryning - _Tusen Ar Har Gatt_
-- James Murphy - _Convergence_
-- Mystifier - _The World Is So Good that Who Made It Doesn't Live Here_  
-- Mythological Cold Towers - _Sphere of Nebaddon..._                    
-- Namanax - _Cascading Waves of Electronic Turbulence_
-- Nightingale - _The Closing Chronicles_
-- Old Man's Child - _Born of the Flickering_
-- Opeth - _Morningrise_
-- Pro-Pain - _Contents Under Pressure_
-- Psychotic Waltz - _Bleeding_
-- Sacramentum - _Far Away from the Sun_
-- Samael - _Passage_
-- Sinister - _Bastard Saints_
-- Slapdash - _Bound_
-- Stuck Mojo - _Pigwalk_
-- Therion - _Theli_
-- Thou Art Lord - _Apollyon_
-- Type O Negative - _October Rust_
-- Visions of Disorder - <3-song sampler>
* New Noise
-- Avernus - _A Farewell to Eden_
-- Beauty - _Beauty_
-- Brick - _Brick_
-- Collapse - _From Another Place_
-- Darkheave - _Beauty, Truth, Goodness_
-- Entrafis - _Into Out_
-- Eternal Tears of Sorrow - _Sinner's Serenade_
-- Euphoric Evisceration - _In the Mind of Perversion_
-- Genetic Defense - _Genetic Defense_
-- Glutton - _She Was Beautiful_
-- Mental Crypt - _Sects of Doom_
-- Obscure Disaster - _Zeitalter der Unvernunft_
-- Ossuary Insane - _Fallen to the Pits_
-- Ritual - _Ritual_
-- Rotted - _Instinctive Demise_
* Chaotic Concerts
-- Disassembling the Machine - Monster Voodoo Machine at The Volcano
-- No More Tours, Again and Again... - Ozzy Osbourne at Copps Coliseum
-- A Night of Negativity - Type O Negative at The Warehouse
-- High Quality Metal, Low Quality Fans - Cryptopsy at The Embassy
-- Corroding Your Cranium - Neurosis at The Opera House
-- Anything but Lethargic - Lethargy at the Water Street Music Hall
* Writer's Wrath
-- Black Metal: Fad or Fiction?
* Tours of Torture
* What We Have Cranked
* The Final Word

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

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

     We're back!! After a nice long vacation, Chronicles of Chaos  is
back, better than ever. This issue is shaping up to be just  as  huge
as our last issue, and promises to be even better.
     Our newest section, Writer's Wrath (of which you've seen a sneak
preview last month), is debuting right here in CoC #14. The  column's
"inventor", Adam Wasylyk himself, will be writing the first column on
the pros and cons of black metal today.
     Also, please join me in welcoming another new writer to the  CoC
fold, Andrew Lewandowski. Andrew has contributed quite a  few  record
reviews this month some of which bring the electronic/noise genre  to
these Chaotic pages. Also contributing a large amount of reviews this
month is Drew Schinzel who debuted in  our  last  issue  writing  the
Slayer concert review. And of course, let's not forget our  "veteran"
CoC staff who, as always,  have  come  through  with  a  plethora  of
material for Chronicles of Chaos.
     Back with us after a well-deserved vacation in Scotland  is  the
one and only Alain Gaudrault. As you may have noticed, our last issue
had more than a few typos and errors. However you  can  rest  assured
that with Alain back proofreading, CoC's perfection will return.
     If any of you are frequent Usenet readers, you already know that
CoC was in the midst of a heated controversy concerning our "love  of
keyboards." We decided to give both sides of this fight  a  forum  in
CoC, so we've included two letters from both major  parties  in  this
argument. I hope you'll enjoy this "debate" as much as I did.
     Last month's Sepultura give-away went off really well. We had 36
correct responses to our questions. Even though this contest  is  now
closed, we haven't drawn any winners. But be patient, a  winner  will
eventually be drawn. Good luck to all contestants.
     Here is where I leave you folks, until next  month  that  is.  I
hope you enjoy this issue and aren't pissed off if I blew  away  your
e-mail quota. If for any reason you didn't  get  this  issue  in  its
entirety, by all means e-mail me and I'll get any  missing  parts  to
you. Later everyone!

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

Here's a message I thought might be of interest to some of you:

The university of Trois-Rivieres, located in Quebec, Canada  now  has
its own radio station. It will broadcast on FM 89.1 next year and  is
actually broadcasting in the UTREK bar,  the  sport  center  and  the
students' salon. My name  is  Eric  Luckenuik  and  I'm  the  radio's
researcher. My job is to find new CDs and K7 for the  radio.  If  you
have a demo that you would like us to play, you  can  e-mail  me  and
I'll send you the address to which you can send it. We have about  40
shows a week, playing music ranging from classical to metal. We  have
shows for progressive, techno-rave, folk,  alternative,  underground,
and blues just to mention a few.

Eric Luckenuik <levaluc@login.net>

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

Here's something for all you old Iron Maiden fans:

CASTLE  RECORDS  is  following  up  its  phenomenally   well-received
revamping  of  Iron  Maiden's   catalog   with   a   tremendous   new
best-of-collection,  _Best  of  the  Beast_.  The  release   of   the
career-spanning _Best of  the  Beast_  marks  the  band's  first-ever
best-of compilation, and will make  a  compulsory  purchase  for  the
legions of Maiden fans and metalheads alike.

_Best of the Beast_ is available in three different versions:

- a deluxe, limited edition two-CD set with 27  tracks,  including  a
  60-page  hard  cover  book  with  rare   photos,   lyrics   and   a
  comprehensive discography. SEPTEMBER 24th release date

- an ultra-limited (1,000 copies) quadruple-vinyl set with 34  tracks
  and a 48-page book. SEPTEMBER 24th release date

- a single disc/cassette collection with  16  tracks  and  a  20-page
  booklet. OCTOBER 15th release date

Once the initial quantities of the limited-edition deluxe two-CD  set
runs out, it will be converted  to  a  two-CD  slimline  set  with  a
24-page booklet.

_Best of the Beast_ leaves no  stone  unturned  in  its  coverage  of
Maiden's history. The deluxe  CD  version  contains  a  track,  "Iron
Maiden" from the legendary  _Soundhouse  Tapes_,  previously  relased
only in an edition of 1,000 vinyl 7-inch singles  in  1979.  It  also
contains a previously unreleased track from those sessions,  "Strange
World". These two tracks are the holy grail of collectibles to Maiden
fans.  The  quadruple-vinyl  versions  contain  an   additional   two
_Soundhouse Tapes_ tracks which, like "Iron Maiden",  were  available
only on the limited-run 1979 single.

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

And finally, check out some more of Brian Meloon's writing:

Released on Lammas August 2, 1996: (The Shattering of) The Web (Issue
#13). Interviews with Pro-Pain, Acid  Bath,  Prototype,  and  Boiler.
Features over 100 reviews, artwork, stories,  a  page  on  ECW,  etc.
Free, but send $1 for postage or $3 overseas.

Contact: THE WEB, P.O. Box 224, Ovid, NY, 14521-0224, USA
         email: azkath@aol.com

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

                 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, 25 Aug 1996
From: Gregory Nalbandian <gmnalbandian@ucdavis.edu>
Subject: Attention Loud Letters SC

Dear CoC,
  
Last issue you guys were begging for letters so, here is one from  me
that can be summarized in two words. 
  
YOU SUCK!!!
  
I can't believe you freaks actually like Pan-Sy-Monium's "Khaooohs  &
Krap-Fus-Ion"! Before I knew any better, I went out and  bought  this
album after reading your origional review, where it was exalted  into
the  realm  of  heaviness.  Needless  to   say,   I   was   EXTREMELY
disappointed. Sure they have a few  heavy  moments  but,  that's  the
whole problem, they are just moments. The  whole  album  is  infected
with  frickin'  keyboards--the  black  plague  of  Death   Metal--and
saxophones, the both of which ALWAYS detract from the  heavy  quality
possessed by the music. Yet two or three of you  came  back  in  this
anniversary issue, re-rating the album to 9 or 10! What a  joke!  You
wanna know what my rating is?....It's 1 out of 10. Fuck, this shit is
too light for Peter Pan let alone a bunch  of  self-proclaimed  heavy
metal fans! I bet if I secretly replaced your Pan-Sy-Monium  cd  with
one from Kenny G., you Helen Kellers would come back in a year or  so
and rate it a 12 out of 10! The "Pan-Sy" incident was  my  first  eye
opening experience with CoC. The next few came when I sent for all of
your backfiles--to skim through the older issues. You  freaks  jipped
Suffocation and Cannibal Corpse badly in your reviews!  Pierced  From
Within was given an 8 out of 10 and Vile, a 7 out of 10 if  I  recall
correctly. These two ratings alone should prove  to  all  that  CoC's
staff is nothing more than a  bunch  of  deviant  choir  boys.  Fuck,
Suffocation's album deserved AT LEAST a 10 out of  10,  and  CC's  at
least a 9 out of 10!!!
 
It is apparent that CoC does not favor quality Death Metal.  Instead,
these keyboard lovin' freaks will be biased towards any well composed
"metal" that utilizes keyboards. How sad. 

Here's 10 ways to improve CoC, in the eyes of a Death Metal Purist:
 
1.  Stop going to church.
2.  Quite sniffing glue.
3.  Fire Brian Meloon--who can't judge a tune.
4.  Rip on keys every chance you get.
5.  Improve Record Revelations section (see below).
6.  Re-discover DM and realize that it is the elite form of Metal.
7.  Go to the doctor and get your ears checked.
8.  Stop wearing corpse paint.
9.  Repeat after me, "I will no longer be a musical whore by praising
    all forms of wimpy metal."
10. Follow 1-9.
 
Improving Record Revelations
 
-Rather than having just one fool review each album,  have  at  least
 two. Preferably three or four, each  with  a  different  bias--Black
 Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Thrash Metal, etc. 
-Don't let them listen to it together in order to  prevent  the  weak
 minds from being influenced by the others.
-Print up a review that contains  a  paragraph  from  each  of  them.
 Writers, along with their biases, should be identified and each  one
 could separately rate the album at the end of his paragraph.
-An overall rating--the average of all the reviewers--might be useful
 as well, especially for those who like all kinds of metal.
 
Here's an example. When Suffocation comes out with their next  album,
have a Death Metal stud (something CoC lacks), a Black  Metal  freak,
and a Doom Metal freak, each review/rate the album separately. In CoC
it would look something like this:

"Death to Keyboard Freaks" by Suffocation.
     Average rating: 8.3 out of 10.

 Reviewer: Mr. Cheese/Black Metal. Blah Blah Blah, Blah Blah. It just
 didn't have enough keys for me  so,  I  had  trouble  cross-dressing
 while listening to this album. I give it a 7 out of 10.

 Reviewer: Captain Manly/Death Metal. Blah Blah Blah, Blah Blah. This
 has to be the heaviest album I've heard in my life!  My  rating:  10
 out of 10.
 
 Reviewer: Wishiweredead/Doom Metal. Blah Blah  Blah,  Blah  Blah.  I
 actually got a little hyper listening to this,  I  breathed  faster!
 For that, I give it an 8 out of 10.
 
Despite my badgering, I will say that CoC does showcase some  quality
writing, good interviews (if you like that sort of thing), and a shit
load of information on what's out there.
 
P.S. Don't be  misleading......Change  your  name  to  Chronicles  of
     Keyboards!
 
 
Date: Thu, 5 Sep 1996 14:09:26 +1000
From: BRETT BENZIE <n1521667@sparrow.qut.edu.au>
Subject: Gregory Nalbandian FAQ (part [001/400])

WHY BOTHER WITH THIS FAQ?
     - I just came across a review for the  latest  UNLEASHED  album,
       with  the  subject  heading  "A  review  inspired   by   Brett
       Benzie"...funny...unleashed are a band i've never been partial
       to, and nor do i own any of  their  CDs...I  assume  that,  in
       gregs inner  skull,  that  Unleashed  are  my  favourite  band
       because I don't HATE bands that use keyboards.
     - I would've replied to that message, but why bother?
     - I'm a tad pissed at how a certain patron of this group decided
       to flame me just for arguing with greg, yet  won't  answer  my
       mail when i question his posts....got it yet gothmog?  i  know
       who MY enemies are...why must you insist on joining those 
       ranks?

WHO/WHAT IS GREGORY NALBANDIAN?
     - Greg is the town freak of alt.rock-n-roll.metal.death.
     - he's like that one hyperactive kid in your grade  three  class
       that had to where a helmet to stop himself  from  hitting  his
       head all the time....you know, the one who goes berzerk if  he
       has anything with sugar in it, so you  and  your  mates  would
       smuggle licorice sticks into class and feed them to him...then
       sit back and enjoy the show.
     - AGE 15... something he hotly disputes, but  repeatedly  proves
       with each post.

WHY DOES HE POST?
     - Unknown. Most people post/subscribe to this newsgroup  because
       they want to discuss the ins&outs of  black/death  metal,  but
       not Gregory. In his case, death metal  is  purely  incidental.
       Maybe he has too much time on his  hands  (just  like  me  for
       writing this shit). 

GREGORY TOLD ME TO "GO CRY!!!!", WHAT SHOULD I DO??!
     - Laugh....laugh REAL hard.
     - Don't take it seriously.
     - add it to the tally.

WHY DOES GREGORY HATE BLACK METAL?
     - He doesn't. He hates "keyboard-using bands". He  _thought_  he
       hated black metal, and told 90% of the ng-patrons  that  their
       music was "shit", when in reality, what he was trying  to  say
       was "which blackmetal bands are the best?". 
     - Amorphis is blackmetal to Gregory...says a lot really.
     - After getting recommendations on black metal, he went out  and
       _purchased_ various CDs, on the faith of the opinions  of  the
       people he was flaming.

WAIT A SEC, DIDNT HE JUST SAY HE _HATED_ BLACKMETAL?
     - Yes, but he later changed that to "blackmetal bands  that  use
       keyboards"

WHAT DOES "Gregory The Illuminator" MEAN?
     - Legend has it, he once stuck a lightbulb  up  his  arse  at  a
       Pantera post-gig party.

WHAT DO I DO IF GREGORY ARGUES WITH ME?
     - Argue straight back. History has proven that his case  resorts
       to blind denial after 2 or three messages.

WHERE CAN I READ UP ON THE ANTICS OF GREG THE ILLUMINATOR?
     - Several sources. AltaVista,  DejaNews,  the  mail  section  of
       Chronicles Of Chaos, this very newsgroup.

IS THERE A WWW SITE DEDICATED TO HIM?
     - The thought had crossed my mind, but i decided not to give him
       the pleasure.

HOW DO I IDENTIFY ONE OF MR NALBANDIANS POSTS?
     - Check for - "NOW GO CRY!!!!"
                   "GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR"
                   "KEYBOARDS SUCK"
                   "FENRIZ HAS A SIDE PROJECT? I'D BOYCOT THE FUCKEN
                    THING!"
       Any message about Cannibal Corpse, or Deicide:
                   "Face it Philip"


Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996
From: Sven Loop <sven@loop.com>
Subject: Re: Chronicles of Chaos #13 (5/5)

HAIL,

Dug the issue as usual. It's fucking great! You packed it  with  info
for sure. Here's something you might want  to  check  out  if  you're
bored - this metal site BETA that's going online soon:

        <http://www.anus.com/~goat/metal/>

Take care,

GOAT
   |--> SVEN: a.k.a. Chris Blanc
        Internet consulting/Web design


Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996
From: john dokken <cyclone@connexus.apana.org.au>
Subject: Re: Chronicles of Chaos #13 (5/5)

hey Gino and everyone at CoC,

just completed another mega read!

Although Im personally not so much into death, your e-zine  is  still
interesting and cutting edge to wot is going on - so it is very  much
worthy of subscribing to and following. congratulations on the  first
year - You all really deserve it - no shit! Keep it up!

many more years to come

cheers

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
     @@@  /\
    @@@@@/  \        JOHN DOKKEN MNGMT, IMPORT EXPORT, PROMO
     @@@/@@  @
  @    /@@@  metal news columnist: Inpress Magazine, Melbourne, Aust
   \  / @@@@
    \/  @@@@   @@   e-mail: cyclone@connexus.apana.org.au
       @@  @@ @@
      @@    @@      snail-mail: PO Box 116, EPPING, Victoria, 3076
      @@                               A U S T R A L I A
    @@@@
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
STAMPY WANTS TO COME OUT AND PLAY!!!!!!
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@


Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996
From: Zev Toledano <zeevt@superstudio.co.il>
Subject: Loud letter

Amazingly good work on this e-zine. Keep up the good work!

I would like to propose a new short column for the e-zine.  It  would
have about 5 to 10 reviews of old CD's that merit at least 8  out  of
10. This should be most interesting to newbies who  aren't  aware  of
what classics are out there and even the  others  surely  don't  know
every band that's been around in the past 15 years.

Please consider this column. I would enjoy it immensely.

   	                              -- Zev Toledano --


Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996
From: Ian Moyle <imoyle@vision.net.au>
Subject: Attention Loud Letters!

Hey All.

     I've been with CoC since the very start... and  I  know  I  have
slacked off with the email (mainly to Adrain). But FUCK you guys have
fans coming out your ear holes not  to  worry  about  me...  CoC  has
improve so much over the first year you  guys  will  defently  see  a
second year.. Your reviews Kick ass over all the other  mags  around.
You are unbias about the music and you take suggestions from  us  the
reader! You guy need a medle or even better a pay check! for the work
you put into this  mag  for  us.  I  hope  that  everyone  out  there
apricates you guy cause I sure do. Keep up the awesome work!

        Raz.
        (Bruce Moyle)


Date: Tue, 3 Sep 1996
From: Pedro Azevedo <deec97@tom.fe.up.pt>
Subject: Attention Loud Letters

     First of all, since the rest of the letter is all criticism, let
me tell you your e-zine rules! You're doing an outstanding job!!
     Now, the nasty part (which is all the rest... hehe). I think  it
was Brian who put down Moonspell in CoC #13 to 5/10 on  their  superb
'Wolfheart'. Giving such an album such a score and justifying with  a
comparison of some of the vocals in one music to what you THINK might
be similar to someone neither of us likes is shooting yourself in the
foot as a reviewer. Take a better listen  to  the  album,  especially
tracks 1, 2, and 6 to 8. But, of course, even worse  is  giving  Dark
Tranquillity's excellent 'The  Gallery'  3/10,  together  with  those
laughable comments, which is, as a reviewer, shooting both your  feet
at the same time with a sawed-off shotgun. But you corrected it  last
issue, so no problem now. Just HAD to mention it, sorry... ;)
     Back to Moonspell, in the original review  you  make  some  VERY
nasty comments about my home country, Portugal. So there wasn't  much
of a scene back then,  so  what?  We're  not  an  African  nation  or
anything. Let me tell you to watch out (besides Moonspell's new album
'Irreligious', not bad) for Heavenwood (releasing their debut 'Diva',
good stuff) and Lacrima (still in demo phase, producing  one  of  the
best demos I ever heard), both from Porto, and Desire (I  don't  know
if their CD is being distributed in foreign  countries,  but  they're
good and unique). I think you'll hear a lot  about  Portugal  in  the
future...
     To finish off this long letter, I  think  Loud  Letters  is  too
quiet for such a great e-zine, so let's  stir  things  up  a  little,
shall we?... OK, just how many of you crap all over bands like Senser
or albums like White Zombie's latest remixes? How many of you  think,
like myself, that technoshit and metal are two opposite worlds?
	Thanks for reading. Keep up the good work in CoC, guys!!

 PEDRO AZEVEDO <deec97@tom.fe.up.pt>


Date: Thu, 12 Sep 96
From: "J.D.Bowden" <jbowden@ASSB01.ARL.MIL>
Subject: Cassette Search

Gino:
     Do you know where  I  can  order  any  music  cassettes  by  the
american death band " Rottrevore ". I've heard alittle of their stuff
on a radio station in Europe, they are BRUTAL. Its a damn shame  that
you have to go to another country to hear  an  american  death  metal
band on the radio. DEATH/BLACK METAL WILL NEVER DIE !!!!

                                     Thanks & Regards'
                                             Jim Bowden


Date: Fri, 13 Sep 1996
From: Leonardo Castellani 351099 <teskio@spiro.fisica.unipd.it>
Subject: Chronicles  Rules!!!

Hi, I' teskio  from  Italy!  Coc  it's  a  magnificent  e-zine!  Your
contributor (exspecially Brian) are very preparated!  Your  work  are
vvery ggood!!

Bye   Teskio


Date: Fri, 13 Sep 96
From: Steven Cannon <cannon01@freenet.tlh.fl.us>
Subject: Re: Chronicles of Chaos

Hey everyone! Glad to see C.O.C. kickin' out another kick ass  issue!
Wish my publication could keep up with all the issues WE'VE put  out!
Which is why I'm here: To let Y'all know Vibrations of  Doom  #13  is
out and about! This time around we have aquired RealAudio online, and
the fact now stands that we are able to offer 30-40  digitized  music
files on our web site as opposed to about 9 or 10! Also,  we  have  a
new reviewer on site, and have gone to a points ratings system! Check
us out on our web site at: 

http://www.transarc.com/afs/transarc.com/public/mirv/vod_home.html

The other thing I wanted to mention real quick, glad that you got  in
touch with some of those labels I gave ya! I've been  telling  people
for years (well, 3 actually) that there are so many other harsh forms
of  music  besides  metal,  like  Industrial  (Cubanate,  Front  Line
Assembly, Die Krupps, Kalte Farben, Drown, Spahn Ranch, etc.) techno,
and so much more! It's good to see people branch out and try out  new
things, that's what Vibrations of Doom has  always  been  about,  and
now, it looks like the order of the day at Chronicles of Chaos! Well,
until yer next glorious issue, stay hard, heavy, and open minded!

Hail the darkness,

Steven Cannon.

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

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.


              W R E S T L I N G   W I T H   W H I T E Y 
              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                 An interview with Another White Male
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Vancouver's Another  White  Male's  lead  singer/bassist  Nathan
Dillon is very happy just to have another band recording out, not  to
mention on a major label, A&M. The album  in  question?  The  12-song
collage of _Cattle_, a follow-up to 1994's rousing  and  hard-grooved
independent EP _Yesterday Rolled By..._, which by  far  has  captured
the band's (rounded out by drummer Daniel Wiener,  stand-up  bass/sax
player James Cowan, and guitarist Sean  Webster)  insight,  intensity
and intuition as musicians. Characteristics  of  groove  and  passion
flow from the debut album.
     "We really didn't care what the label  thought,"  laughs  Dillon
with a sinister yet secure smile when talking about making the record
for a major label. "We knew they supported  what  we  were  going  to
create. The president of the label, before signing us said,  'I  want
you to go in to make a record that I don't want to listen  to.'  That
was a vote of confidence which allowed us to make the music we wanted
to create. We made a record we felt comfortable with."
     And so they did, allowing the creative process to emit  variety.
With just one listen, it  is  quite  evident  that  _Cattle_  has  an
assortment of loud bass lines, strong  riffs,  and  crisp  vocals  in
numerous numbers, i.e. "Exit", "Angst", "Do"  and  "Tis",  a  feature
which Dillon finds to be one of the finer qualities of  the  release.
"We feel the record became more concise than what we had done in  the
past. We tried to find songs that were  more  cohesive  and  sequence
them in a way. We wanted to make a record that you  can  put  on  and
listen to for 43 minutes and come  away  happy  with  what  you  have
heard. That was our own goal, as well as to  capture  a  live  studio
feel with what we did in the  studio.  That  was  important.  For  us
variety is key. We aim to reach that within all our songs,"  explains
Dillon. "But some bands stick to one style. Take Helmet for instance.
I love that band but they play one style, but they  do  it  the  best
though. We don't do that. For us it is very much important to express
our styles and voicings. Doing something poppy one time and then  the
next time abrasive. We thrive on variety and that carries  over  well
into our live shows too. My preference is to  be  really  dynamic.  I
want to be able grow sound-wise in many different directions  in  the
future."
     Talking about the album Dillon says, "We progressed a lot in the
two years in between the album. When we made the first record we  had
never played a show before or done real studio work  as  two  of  the
guys were in high school. That is why I think the first record sounds
ridgy, dry, and abrasive. These songs on _Cattle_, we have played for
two years and they have changed." According to  Dillon,  so  has  the
band: "When we started the band and made the first record, we weren't
working as a band or living as a band. Now we are doing so  and  that
is showing up in the way we are as well as  the  way  we  create  the
music for the band. It is now moreso a group  effort  than  just  one
person deciding how we should make music. We feel the  need  to  work
off each other now."	
     In finishing the interview Dillon says, "It's weird the  way  we
are as a band and  focusing  with  what  we  do,"  says  Dillon  with
sincerity in his voice, "I think we are different  because  our  only
guideline is that if we are not having fun with  what  we  are  doing
then it is over for AWM. No matter what we are doing. I mean  if  you
aren't having fun, get out." 
     Adding, he says, "I know so many bands that  have  to  be  at  a
certain point in their careers at this time or sell so many  records.
I couldn't do music that way. Having deadlines doesn't cut  it.  Just
enjoy it and get the most out of it."

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

               T A C K L I N G   T H E   T U R M O I L 
               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
               An interview with Pennsylvania's Turmoil
                           by: Adam Wasylyk

     With _From Bleeding Hands_ being their debut album  for  Century
Media, Turmoil have blown out of the hardcore scene  in  a  big  way.
Having played with bands like Earth  Crisis,  Snapcase  and  Life  of
Agony, they've also completed their first European tour with Madball.
I had the opportunity to chat with drummer Jon Pushnik about  Turmoil
and the new album, along with my discovery of the band's  unhappiness
with the sound of _From Bleeding Hands_, with a  possible  re-release
late this year!!
     I first inquired about the band's formation  and  past  history.
"The band formed around 1990. The three original members are Jonathan
Hodges (guitar), Jon Gula (vocals), and  Jeff  Hydro  (guitar).  They
were all friends and in the  same  area  in  Pennsylvania,  and  just
started going to shows in the late 80s. The first hardcore show  they
went to was with Sick of It All, and they were  actually  metal  fans
but after seeing them they thought  they  were  amazing  and  started
getting into that."
     Jon then went on to tell how  bassist  Gary  Rehrig  joined  the
band, along with himself. "I knew the guys to some extent  because  I
was in a band called Conviction, and we met up a few times because we
recorded at the same recording studio. Those guys went through a  few
drummers and a bassist, and eventually Gary  Rehrig  started  playing
bass for them. I joined the band about a year and a half ago and  the
current line-up has been that way ever since, and  will  probably  be
that way until the demise of the band."
     For the question on how Turmoil signed with Century  Media,  Jon
explained in full detail of the band's bumpy road to  stardom.  "It's
because the band recorded at Trauma Studios. The drummer for the band
Believer (who also owns the studio), whose band was on Roadrunner  at
the time, took a tape and sent it to Roadrunner since the band was at
the time shopping around for a label to do a 7-inch. Roadrunner  said
"Well if you could sound more like Helmet, we'll sign you,"  but  the
band was like, "We're not going to change our sound just to be  on  a
label." Century Media really liked  it  and  they  were  enthusiastic
about it and didn't want them to change anything about  it  and  said
they'd like to put this out the way it is.  Turmoil  weren't  getting
much response or feedback from other labels, so Century Media  signed
them for the release that they had and two more releases,  where  the
LP would have been one of them."
     "In the United  States,  it's  been  really  good";  Jon  starts
talking about the reaction to the LP. "In Europe, for  the  tour,  it
wasn't out long enough for us to get any feeling about it. I think  a
lot of kids other than in Germany didn't know who we were.  After  we
would play we would get a much better  response  as  far  as  selling
items. We didn't really sell anything before we would play, and  then
after we would play we would do pretty well. In  the  United  States,
which is the only place we've played since we  got  back,  just  from
selling to distributors like Victory, at first it had been  slow  but
it's picking up because they've been re-ordering it from us. Since we
got back (from Europe) a lot of the people that are  calling  us  are
calling us for shows because of the LP and not because of any of  the
older material." The discussion turns to tours that Turmoil are ready
to embark on. "We actually have a few tours lined up right  now,  and
we're scheduled to do a  tour  with  a  band  called  Damnation  from
Washington, DC in October, and then possibly play some weekends  with
Deadguy at the same time and in December,  we're  scheduled  to  play
with a band called Despair from Buffalo, New York."
     I then asked about the production side of the record, as I  read
that Joe DeLuca from Starkweather helped in the studio. Jon's opinion
of DeLuca's contribution wasn't favourable. "Let's put it  this  way,
we were much more happy with the 7-inch that we did prior to the  LP.
That's why we chose to do the LP with him because the 7-inch we  felt
was in the direction we wanted the LP to be. We were originally going
to record with a guy named Jamie Lock from the Boston  area,  but  we
chose not to do that because of the  high  cost  of  recording.  Even
though Century Media is putting up the money, it was still the band's
money and we didn't want an  overproduced  album.  We  wanted  a  raw
element there, but with the LP we are at this point, we're not really
happy with the way it sounds. It's a little too  raw,  a  little  too
muffled. It's not really the recording as much as it is the mixing of
it. We had the 7-inch mastered in New York but it was  recorded  with
John Deluca. We let him master the LP and we're just not  happy  with
it at this point. It is being remixed and remastered, with  time  for
it to be done in late October and be out by  December,  only  because
the drum sound and vocals are slightly low so we're going to  try  to
fix all that up and re-release it."
     On what the band's lyrics deal with, Jon goes into great  detail
in explaining the meaning behind some of the songs. "The  first  song
on the LP, I wrote the lyrics for. "New Media" is about  conservative
talk radio that I had to listen to all summer long  working  with  my
father for  a  number  of  summers.  It's  something  I  listened  to
religiously, not because I agree with it, but more because I  felt  I
wanted to know what was going on in people's minds;  guys  like  Rush
Limbaugh infuriated me to a certain extent. Not  necessarily  him  as
much as the people calling in and the other talk show hosts  of  that
nature that were in my opinion putting on a  facade,  that  followers
would believe whatever they said. Some other songs  like  "60  Minute
Void", which is actually very similar  to  "New  Media".  It's  about
television talk shows and the culture that  they've  created  through
television talk shows with people that just sit at home and watch it.
In my opinion a lot  of  it  is  garbage,  that  anyone  who  can  be
entertained by someone's family breaking apart. Some of them (lyrics)
are more personal like "Choke" which was relationship  oriented,  and
"Starve" which I wrote which  is  about  coming  out  of  slavery  in
America and then instituting a system  of  welfare  which  created  a
system of economic  slavery.  It's  not  anti-welfare,  it's  welfare
reform or "Let's see  if  there's  another  way  to  approach  this,"
because whatever we have right now just isn't working."
     We wrap up our conversation on  the  band's  direction  for  the
following album. "It's going to be a combination  of  where  we  were
taking the band. With the new album there's a little more noise and a
little more technical intricacy of  the  music  integrated  into  the
songwriting, and we're going to combine that but  at  the  same  time
also keep some of the catchy elements and the  more  tangible  things
that the crowd will respond  to  for  the  next  record,  so  there's
something there for people who liked the older stuff. No matter  what
happens, it going to be intense. We're  not  going  to  regress  from
that, that's what the band is about."

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

           T H E   Q U I N T E S S E N T I A L   Q U A K E 
           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                  An interview with Soulquake System
                           by: Adam Wasylyk

     Prior to the interview, I  had  heard  nothing  about  Soulquake
System. It figures, as the band has been in existence for only  about
two years and had been mainly confined to Europe.  But  no  more,  as
Soulquake System signed a worldwide license agreement with Black Mark
and now have a worldwide audience. With their debut album, _Angry  By
Nature, Ugly By Choice_, they demonstrate their fresh  hardcore/metal
sound. In their native country of Sweden, they  are  very  active  in
playing  gigs  and  coincidentally  were  the  opening  act  for  the
Snapcase/Turmoil tour (see the Turmoil interview in  this  issue).  I
had the opportunity to talk with them  about  the  band's  rise  from
obscurity and the success of their new album.
     As many readers may be unfamiliar with the band (as  was  I  for
the most part before the interview, knowing nothing other  than  what
was on my trusty bio), I asked about the band's formative  years  and
how they came to form Soulquake System. "We started about five or six
years ago, but the current lineup for Soulquake  System  has  existed
for about two years now. We did some shows  under  a  different  band
name, Tyburn, before [changing it  to  Soulquake  System].  When  the
music had changed drastically, we thought a new  name  would  be  the
best thing to do. Also, we had changed some of the lineup, too."
     I then  inquired  on  the  meaning  of  the  band's  name,  what
Soulquake System meant. "We wanted a name  so  that  people  couldn't
tell what the music sounded like. We didn't want a name that  someone
could say "ok, they play death metal" or "they play black metal,"  so
we wanted a name that didn't put us into a category, and  we  thought
Soulquake was quite intense. It more like described the music,  quite
heavy."
     Prior to the band releasing _Angry By Nature..._, they  released
a demo called _Disbelief_, so I asked about its  success  in  getting
the band's name around. "I think so, we received  quite  a  few  good
reviews, and many people got in touch with us and we were doing  some
interviews and they wanted to hear more about Soulquake System, and I
think  there  was  quite  a  good  response  on   that   demo."   Any
international attention? "Not that much, however we did get some good
reviews for it with some magazines and smaller zines. We are known in
Sweden, in Europe, but not America." Following  the  demo,  Soulquake
System signed to Stronium Records and started the  recording  process
for their first album. At this time Black Mark entered the picture. I
asked the band about how they came to sign with them. "It  was  while
we were recording  the  album  actually.  They  had  heard  the  demo
_Disbelief_ and they phoned us up and we talked a bit and I explained
what was going on with Soulquake  System  at  the  moment.  They  got
interested and we discussed some points; we  thought  this  licensing
agreement would be great because at the same time we were on a  small
label, and had the opportunity to get  good  distribution  through  a
worldwide label."
     I then asked what the response was for the record from fans  and
critics. "We haven't heard that much yet but the  reaction  has  been
very good in Europe and here in Sweden, and now  we're  getting  some
reaction from America and Canada and they've been great.  We're  very
pleased."
     Our chat turned to the lyrics on the album and  what  they  deal
with. "It's very different, it's our reaction from how we see  things
in life, and most of the lyrics deal with how you  should  make  your
own opinions and that people shouldn't  tell  you  what  to  do,  you
should think for yourself. Some songs deal with  racists  and  things
like that." I asked if there's a mix of personal and political  ideas
within the lyrics. He agrees and goes on by saying,  "Everything  you
do is in some way political. The lyrics aren't preachy, but they  are
political."
     The band holds a number of strong beliefs.  Along  with  racism,
the band holds strong views against animal cruelty. One of the  songs
off the new album, "Info Check", will appear on  a  compilation  that
will be  released  by  The  Nordic  Association  Against  Cruelty  to
Animals. "It's a strong subject for us, to be against  that  sort  of
cruelty. Two or three members of the band  are  vegetarians,  and  we
feel quite strongly about it.  We  haven't  wrote  any  lyrics  about
[animal abuse], but in private, we're sad about that."
     Finally  I  asked  if  the  band  was  on  the  internet,  since
Chronicles of Chaos is an internet e-zine.  "Well,  actually  I  just
bought a computer and the other guitarist did too, and we're planning
to get on the internet in about one or  two  months.  Then  we'll  be
chatting on the net!"

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


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


          M I N D   M E L D I N G   W I T H   M O R T I I S
          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
             CoC Speaks with the Emperor of Evil Ambience
                          by: Steve Hoeltzel

In the space of a few short years, the enigmatic Mortiis has ascended
from mere membership in a band called Emperor (perhaps  you've  heard
of them?) to the exalted status of "Emperor of a Dimension Unknown" -
or, untranslated, "Keiser av en Dimension Utjent." (That's the  title
of his 1995 release for the Swedish  dark  ambient  label  Cold  Meat
Industries.)  The  dark,  fantasy-inspired  ambience  of  _Keiser..._
represents a major musical departure from the raw black metal of  his
previous band, and Mortiis recently sat down with CoC to explain  the
genesis of his experimental works and the status of his many evolving
creative projects. 

CoC: Most of our readers will be familiar  with  the  name  "Mortiis"
     mainly from your days with Emperor. But I'm sure  you're  pretty
     much sick of talking about that, so I'm not going to  grill  you
     about the Norwegian scene.

Mortiis: <laughing> Thank you, man!!

CoC: Still, I'm kind of curious. Your new stuff is so different  from
     what you were doing in the early days with Emperor that  I  have
     to wonder what prompted you  to  leave  the  black  metal  thing
     behind and take your work in a more ambient direction.

M: Well, even when I was in Emperor, I was into stuff like  Tangerine
   Dream, Coil, Throbbing Gristle - you  know,  alternative  kind  of
   stuff. And I'd kind of been playing with the idea when  I  was  in
   Emperor to do a project  that  was  not  metal,  but  still  dark,
   original, weird. So when I left the  band,  I  thought  "Hey,  I'm
   gonna do this now. This is my chance."

CoC: So did you feel really frustrated  when  you  were  in  Emperor,
     because this was something you really wanted to explore? Or  did
     you just get sick of the band?

M: Well, I didn't really plan to leave the band, and I was happy with
   the band, so I was more frustrated after I left, because I  didn't
   know what was going to happen [next]. But then I started  Mortiis,
   and things just started rolling real fast, and I'm still here.

CoC: Do you still retain any artistic ties to the black  metal  scene
     in Scandinavia? Or are you  much  more  interested  in  pursuing
     something quite separate from all that?

M: I'd say the latter. I mean, I do have contacts in the black  metal
   scene, obviously. But I don't make music that's got anything to do
   with black metal or anything like that. I'm kind of  out  of  that
   now.

CoC: Do you think that you'll ever get involved in  a  metal  project
     again?

M: Metal? Very, very possibly. Black metal? Probably not.

CoC: Why not black metal? Are you just sick of it?

M: Yeah, I mean, it was great in the beginning, but it's  gotten  out
   of hand, and it's not very great any longer, is it? It all  sounds
   the same, and honestly, the scene  does  not  need  another  black
   metal band.

CoC: What are the basic themes and ideas behind the Mortiis  project?
     It seems like there's a basic concept that ties all of your work
     together, and I'm curious to learn a little bit more about where
     you're coming from.

M: Actually, I'm writing a book about that! <laughs> This is kind  of
   my nightmare question, you know - it takes so long to explain.  In
   a very, very small nutshell, Mortiis is based on  a  world  beyond
   this. It's my spiritual system of  belief,  and  all  the  Mortiis
   records are based on that. So when you say there's a concept going
   through all the records, you're incredibly right. Mortiis is based
   on this world which I have  created  -  and  which  I  have  great
   difficulties in explaining with human words.  I  mean,  there  are
   these thoughts, and ideas, and visions - but I can't express  them
   with words. Therefore I'm releasing a book with a lot of lyrics  -
   very emotional stuff, which I think might enlighten some people. I
   hope so.

CoC: How soon can we look forward to seeing that?

M: I'm hoping for some time during this year - at least sending it to
   press during this year. I'm not the one releasing the book,  so  I
   don't  know,  I  really  can't  speak  on  behalf  of  the   label
   [Misanthropy Records] that's going to do it. But I do hope that we
   can get some sort of release date at least  clarified  during  the
   year.

CoC: Will it be illustrated?

M: Yes. [Mortiis  then  went  on  to  mention  the  names  of  a  few
   Scandinavian artists who will be contributing  to  the  work,  but
   they're basically inaudible on the tape of our talk,  so  I'm  not
   going to do these people the injustice of butchering  their  names
   here...]

CoC: I've heard a lot of people refer to  _Keiser..._  as  your  best
     work yet. Do you agree with that assessment?

M: No, because I have a new one out. <laughs> It's called  _Crypt  of
   the Wizard_, and it's a limited edition thing.  It's  basically  a
   compilation of singles that I've recorded. I recorded it at  home,
   actually, and I suppose the  production  is  not  as  good  as  on
   _Keiser..._, but the music and the songs are better. There are ten
   songs, so they're shorter and a lot more is happening.

CoC: Does it continue to be pretty ambient, or is it  more  musically
     straightforward?

M: It's musically more straightforward. It's  more  orchestral;  it's
   more structured. It's more straight to the point, if you know what
   I mean.

CoC: Are you at work on any even newer Mortiis material? Or  are  you
     going to take a break from Mortiis for a while to work  on  some
     other things?

M: I'm actually going to take a break from other things  to  work  on
   Mortiis. <laughs> I've got a lot of new  stuff  coming  out.  I've
   been making new music for about a year.  Usually,  when  my  music
   gets released, it's pretty old. So I've got a lot of new  stuff  -
   I've got a new record which is going to be called  _Stargate_.  Do
   not think about the movie, please. <laughs> 'Cause  I've  had  the
   ideas for like four years, and then this movie comes out, you know
   - it pissed me off. But I'm going to call  it  _Stargate_  anyway.
   I'm hoping to record in January or something. It's going to  be  a
   lot better than anything I've done. I plan to bring people  in  on
   the  record  with  some  more   instruments,   hopefully.   Better
   equipment; everything is going to be better.

CoC: You've played live a couple times. How has that gone over?

M: It's been okay. I didn't have such a lot planned for it.  I  mean,
   nothing really happened. I didn't  play  back,  because  with  the
   Mortiis outfit, it's sort of hard to play. [Mortiis wears  a  kind
   of trollish-looking costume and makeup on the covers of  his  solo
   releases, and in concert.] Plus, I don't really want to be seen on
   stage  in  makeup,  in  the  Mortiis  figure,  with  one  thousand
   keyboards surrounding me. That's going to look pathetic.  So  I've
   been trying to make more of a theater out of it. I don't think the
   German public really understood that - but I didn't expect them to
   anyway. But I'm going to do another live show this week, and  it's
   going to be a lot better. I've got more things  going  on.  That's
   going to be cool.

CoC: How's the live show shaping up? What are you trying to work into 
     it?

M: We've got monks, altars with half-naked women on them, a big movie
   in the background. This time, there's not going to be any light  -
   there's just going to be candles, so there's going to be a kind of
   occult atmosphere. It's going to be very, very dark. And I'm going
   to play a few minutes on an old sixties organ, so  it's  going  to
   have, like, a horror sound to it in the beginning.  I  think  it's
   going to be pretty interesting. And  I'll  keep  building,  taking
   away things, adding things, until it gets real good.

CoC: How about the Vond project?  Anything  new  there?  [Vond  is  a
     separate solo ambient project created by Mortiis.]

M: Yeah: I'll have a new record coming in October  on  my  own  label
   [Dark Dungeon Music]. It's been a couple years since the last  one
   now. It's going to be quite different from  the  first  one.  It's
   more experimental, not as monotonous but still very  monotonous  -
   just more experimental, and more fascinating  listening,  in  some
   crazy, weird way.

CoC: Do you see the Vond project as a  way  to  express  a  different
     facet of your personality than  the  one  you  that  explore  as
     Mortiis?

M: Yeah, you could say  that.  Vond  is  kind  of  my  human  nature:
   thoughts, emotions, and feelings that I have as a human... just  a
   lot of negative vibes. I guess that's the  best  way  to  describe
   Vond: loads of negative feelings put into music.

CoC: So how do you think of Mortiis as distinct from that?

M: Mortiis is more like my spiritual side,  it's  very  difficult  to
   explain, to try to say. It's more like my religion, and Mortiis as
   a musical project is like a medium for me to express that.  People
   may wonder why I  bother  to  release  Mortiis,  because  it's  so
   personal. But I have certain purposes for releasing it, which  are
   also personal, and I'm not going to get into that now.

CoC: What kind of stuff do you listen to?

M: It depends. I'm really into old heavy metal stuff, because  that's
   what I grew up with. A lot of Mortiis music is influenced by that,
   especially in structure. I like German electronic stuff, 70s  hard
   rock. I'm going to see Kiss this December - it's gonna be cool.

CoC: Full makeup!

M: <laughs> That's why I'm going. I've been into that crap for, like,
   sixteen or seventeen years - I mean, I gotta see it when I've  got
   the chance. Anyway, I think you get the idea: anything  unique  or
   original...

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              I R R E L I G I O U S   I N Q U I R I E S
              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                      Metal Speak with Moonspell
                     Questions by: Gino Filicetti
                Intro and write up by: Steve Hoeltzel

If any band currently seems poised to make the leap from  underground
obscurity to international big-name status in near record  time,  the
Portuguese goth-metal five-piece Moonspell is it. In just a few short
years, this quintet has  displayed  remarkable  musical  development,
beginning with  the  fairly  raw  1994  EP,  _Under  the  Moonspell_,
progressing  through  the  inventive  gothic-black  metal  blend   of
_Wolfheart_,  and  culminating  in  this  year's  highly  anticipated
_Irreligious_. This work showcases a  band  masterfully  fusing  pure
metallic power with the lush textures, somber ambience,  and  dynamic
arrangements of the best gothic rock. CoC  recently  caught  up  with
bass player Ares to talk about the new album and the group who put it
together.

CoC: What has the band been up to since the release of _Irreligious_?

Ares: We've been busy with promotion: we  did  a  promotion  tour  in
      Germany, and we did two release  parties,  one  in  Lisbon  and
      another in Dortmund. After that we did one more show,  the  Pop
      Kom festival in  Germany,  as  special  guests  at  the  Samael
      release party. In the meantime we have  returned  to  Portugal,
      and I've tried to enjoy two really  short  weeks  of  holidays,
      since we spent the entire month of August in the rainy Germany.
      In between, there have been lots of interviews and other  promo
      activities and  obligations.  We  will  now  start  practicing,
      because on the 12th of September our first  European  tour  for
      _Irreligious_ will set off, this time with Samael  and  Rotting
      Christ. I'm particularly excited to go on  tour,  because  this
      album is way more pleasant to play live than  _Wolfheart_,  and
      because we've been hitting some of the European  charts,  which
      means that the response might be good.

CoC: Let's talk about the new album. How long have you been working 
     on it?

A: As far as I can remember, we made most of the songs between  July,
   August, and September last year. We were about to leave the Morbid
   Angel tour and we wanted to record the basics, since the tour  was
   a long tour and we wanted to work on the songs  on  the  road.  In
   fact, during our third tour - the one  with  The  Gathering  -  we
   already played two or three new songs. We took all the  free  time
   we had between all the touring to compose new stuff, and we  would
   even try some of the new ideas on sound checks.  We  usually  take
   about one year in between every  new  recording:  it's  about  the
   exact time needed for us to compose and record it.

CoC: When did you enter the studio to record the album and where  was
     this?

A: Once again we recorded in the Woodhouse studios in  Germany,  with
   Waldemar Sorychta (Tiamat, Samael, Grip  Inc.).  We  recorded  the
   album in May and July. This time we had a bigger studio budget and
   more time to do it.

CoC: This  album  seems  to  show  many  more  elements  to  it  than
     _Wolfheart_ did. How do you think you've grown  since  the  last
     record?

A: We have grown  in  a  natural  way,  learning,  accomplishing  and
   working very hard. We are young people, and we are eager to always
   achieve what we want as our  goals,  so  we  learn,  develop,  and
   progress. That's the only way to satisfy ourselves: doing what  we
   like in the best way we can.

CoC: How is the chemistry among band members?

A: Not so good anymore. Right now, I'm not getting any friendly vibes
   from the other members. There have been some  different  opinions,
   and we've been discussing all that, but I  don't  know  about  the
   future. I wish we could be the best of friends again.

CoC: Is there any one member who contributes more to the  music  than
     any other?

A: Probably me, the keyboard  player,  and  the  guitarist.  Fernando
   writes the lyrics, and Mike helps with the  arrangements.  Usually
   we all need to like it, and we all suggest several different  ways
   to do the song, but the music is mainly composed by the  three  of
   us.

CoC: What themes do your lyrics deal with?

A: Women, decadence, misery, life and death, hate and love -  all  of
   this, mixed with a bit of fantasy. We  are  going  toward  a  more
   personal and realistic kind of lyrics, but  we'll  always  involve
   our lyrics with a veil of mysticism. I guess subtle is the word.

CoC: You seem to draw from many influences. Can you name some of  the
     things that have inspired you during the writing  and  recording
     of _Irreligious_?

A: Hunger, despair, anguish, desolation,  misery,  ruin,  depression,
   pain and wrath!

CoC: How is your local scene in Portugal?

A: Lots of demo tape bands and lots of  joke  bands  -  but  I  would
   recommend  Heavenwood  and   Inhuman.   Both   are   pretty   much
   atmospheric, melodic, and keyboard oriented.

CoC: Not too many bands emerge from a country like Portugal.  Why  do
     you think this is so?

A: Probably because most of them  simply  lack  knowledge  of  what's
   needed to promote themselves, and to know what's really  happening
   outside Portugal. Until one or two years ago,  90%  of  the  bands
   didn't know that there is a huge, sophisticated underground  scene
   abroad. They'd rather  occupy  their  time  doing  something  else
   besides practicing, so...

CoC: Are musical pursuits encouraged or discouraged in your country?

A:  It  depends.  If  we  were  a  pop,   politically   correct   and
   easy-to-listen-to band, we would be supported and fed for the rest
   of our lives. But since our music is somehow subversive and defies
   many taboos, they try to make our progress difficult. We  are  not
   accepted in the Portuguese charts, but we sell more than  half  of
   the bands there.

CoC: How has Century Media been as a label for you?

A: So far so good. We can't complain: everything we  have  asked  for
   they have given us - but I just wonder about the future.  We  have
   been doing well, sales-wise; therefore they are fine with us - but
   I can't stop thinking if in the future we don't sell  as  much  as
   nowadays or even more will they still support us? The deal we have
   is for six albums and is better for the label than for us,  so  no
   matter how much we sell we'll never see a penny. It's not  such  a
   generous deal, and despite all our good and  increasing  sales  we
   are not rich or  rock  stars.  We're  in  the  Austrian,  Finnish,
   German, Italian, and Portuguese charts,  but  we  are  still  poor
   people and we just want to be pleased with what we  do.  Maybe  we
   can change the situation, but it will take some time before we can
   do it.

CoC: What are some of your most memorable moments from being on  tour
     for the last album?

A: Getting robbed in Rome, watching the crowd enjoy us more than  any
   other  band,  driving  around  the  Scandinavian  landscapes,  and
   shitting in the Norwegian woods. Usually I  think  the  only  good
   thing about touring is going on stage every night and feeling  the
   magic moment of playing. Anything else simply disgusts me - I hate
   touring and I hate being away from Portugal.

CoC: Why do you write/play music?

A: Simply because it's the art form I've found where  I  can  express
   better what I think and feel about certain things. This is  not  a
   permanent state: I can drop music and start  drawing  or  writing,
   which is  something  I  used  to  do  before  I  got  into  music.
   Everything started as an experiment, and now we are  engaged  with
   this lifestyle. I try to be careful in order not  to  let  me  get
   dragged down too much by the business side of it.

CoC: What is your dream in life? What do you hope to accomplish?

A: To make my mother come back to life; to give my little sister  all
   she needs to grow strong and wise; and to build a  secure  present
   for me and my girlfriend. These are the only persons I care about.
   Anything else just doesn't matter to me.

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

                D U S T I N G   T H E   O U T B A C K
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                 An interview with Blood Duster's FiN
                           by: Adam Wasylyk

Australia's Blood Duster, with their new album _Yeest_,  has  enabled
them to reach North  American  audiences  with  their  uncompromising
grind and catchy groove that has made it one of my favorite albums as
of late. After interviewing Blood Duster's  vocalist  Tony  over  the
phone, I experienced every writer's  nightmare:  my  recorder  didn't
tape it!!! Luckily  I  was  able  to  do  an  e-mail  interview  with
guitarist Fin Allman. One of the two parties was  calm  and  serious,
the other was, well, the opposite. I'll let you guess which  one  was
which.

CoC: So tell me about the band's origins/history/musical  background,
     how you guys started out?

Fin Allman: Tony and Jason met in a peep show  booth  when  Tony  had
            masturbated himself into dehydration. I met Jason through
            a friend, who he was rooting at the time, and  Matt  came
            to us on a cloud from heaven.

CoC: Where did the name Blood Duster come from?

FA:  Naked  City.  I  am  not  sure  why,  the  original   name   was
    Analdreadlock.

CoC: What musical influences do Blood Duster draw from?

FA: Well we all have different influences. My favorite  band  is  the
    Allman Brothers, but we cannot use their kind of music in  BD.  I
    get  my  riffs  from  rockabilly  stuff,  Charlie  Daniels  band,
    Melvins, Primus. Jason p.c. gets his ideas from  psychedelic  70s
    bands such as the Edgar Winter Group, Abba, and Kiss.  Matt  gets
    his drumming influences from drummers such as Pete  Sandoval  and
    Malevolent Creation, and he also likes jungle drumming. Tony does
    not own a stereo.

CoC: Tell me how Blood Duster came to meet Relapse and sign with them?

FA: They approached us after hearing the _Fisting the Dead_ CD.  Then
    we sent them _Yeest_ and they creamed. We are fucking great.

CoC: Now about your new album, _Yeest_. Isn't it comprised of two  CD
     singles?

FA: Yep. _Fisting the Dead_ was released in '94 and _Yeest_ was  done
    and released in 95. We then had the dance track done. And like  I
    said, we are ace.

CoC: My introduction to you was your song off the _Death Is Just  the
     Beginning III_ Relapse compilation. How did that  turn  out  for
     you and in getting the band's name around?

FA: Oh yeah. Dunno really. I get a lot of e-mail from the U.S.A.  but
    not Europe. We were already well known in the underground.

CoC: Tell me about your choice for cover art for _Yeest_. It's pretty
     sick!! Where did you get the pics?

FA: We got a call from Dr. Jim himself, who actually is a  practicing
    doctor with surgery and all, and he said "Where the fuck  is  the
    artwork you virgins?" And we had to do it all in one night. So we
    pulled out this VD dictionary and said "THAT WILL DO," (it was  a
    1-inch square) and then when it  was  blown  up  to  CD  size  we
    thought "shit" and  then  they  did  full  size  posters  and  we
    screamed. It did not look that full on when it was  just  1  inch
    big.

CoC: On _Yeest_ you have a number of sound bytes from various movies.
     Tell me about those.

FA: Yes, they are sound bites from various movies.

CoC: Hmmmm... could you be just a little more specific?

FA: On _Fisting..._ (trax 8-2?) they were from the New  Zealand  film
    maker Peter Jason's  "Braindead"  which  was  released  as  "Dead
    Alive" in the US, and from his earlier film "Bad Taste" and "Meet
    the Feebles" plus a few from "Necromantic". The  _Yeest_  samples
    are Dr. Dre, the farty noise before "muthafuckkin'" was from  the
    Bugs Bunny show, and is the Wile E. Coyote riding  a  motor  bike
    through mud. And some (other) film.

CoC: How is _Yeest_ selling, by the way?

FA: They have not been able to tell us yet, but they did say it  sold
    more than expected. We are discussing a triple live album now.

CoC: How is the metal scene right now in Australia?

FA: Pretty slow. But there are a few big bands  up  and  coming.  One
    release which is out  next  month  and  will  be  available  from
    Relapse is the new Christbait album. DISEMBOWELMENT ARE DEAD  AND
    THANK GOD COZ THEY ARE POX. We are one of the only countries  who
    can live off the government, but no one bothers to get off  their
    asses. Pretty sad really. Aussies are so lazy.

CoC: What are you up to now? Are you touring? Recording for the  next
     album?

FA: Writing the new album, and I have run out of ideas this  week  so
    we are touring a bit.

CoC: So you're going to have a full-length album coming  out  in  the
     future? How does it differ from _Yeest_?

FA: A big surprise in which it rocks more, yet is much  heavier,  and
    we pissed off most of the blast bollocks. Blast beats  should  be
    left for the gods such as Napalm Death. Think of your own  beats,
    that's what I say.

CoC: Have your lyrics created any controversy over in Australia?

FA: Not really, just a few POLITICALLY CORRECT CUNTS having a  winge.
    They were taken as being humorous and taken quite lightly.

CoC: Does the band have any outside influences other than music, such
     as reading?

FA: I read a lot of artistic books. Jason p.c. has a  wide  range  of
     reading, mostly unusual stuff like, he has a book full of pranks
     people have done. I play Skermish (paintball)  whenever  I  can.
     And I used to play a lot of Games Workshop stuff, which I  found
     through Bolt Thrower. I also  have  a  workshop  where  I  build
     guitars and restore old ones. As for influences, we just want to
     jam. Touring is one of my favorite things in the world.

CoC: Any plans to tour North America?

FA: Yeah, we want to tour with  Brutal  Truth,  but  they  are  busy.
    Perhaps when the new album is  out.  Brutal  Truth  are  doing  a
    full-length too, you see, and we love them so dearly and we  want
    to be with them at all times.

CoC: And finally, since this interview  is  for  the  Internet  'zine
     Chronicles of Chaos, what are your thoughts on the Internet?

FA: I have been subscribed to CoC for ages now and I think  the  free
    news which the people from CoC  slave  over  their  computers  to
    bring you is a credit to the underground music scene. It  is  one
    of the best ways to keep up with what the metal world is  up  to.
    Usually I  have  to  fork  out  a  heap  of  money  to  some  gay
    corporation who runs a metal mag, and only puts what they want in
    it. CoC is run by the people who are a part of the metal  family,
    and therefore are unbiased and are doing it for their love of the
    music, not for the money. I mean you did not pay for this to show
    up on your screen, apart from your server. I think  the  Internet
    is one of the best ways to unite the world wide metal family, and
    to stay in touch with our international brothers of grind.

FA: Blood Duster would like to thank all at Chronicles of  Chaos  for
    their efforts in supporting underground music, and it  should  be
    known that without the support of people like these, Blood Duster
    would not be on your stereo and  in  the  stores  of  the  United
    States of America. We dedicate our music to these kinds of people.

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       R E V E A L I N G   T H E   R O T T E D   R E M A I N S 
       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                    CoC chats with Rotting Christ
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Mention the role of Rotting Christ and their black  metal  music
in their homeland and they are praised as heroes -  true  victors  of
the BM scene over there. And that role of a triumphant  BM  band  has
slowly crept its way out of their homeland of  Greece  and  into  the
world's metal scene. Praised for  what  they  did  with  their  other
releases such as 1995's _Non-Serviam_ and their 1991 EP, _Passage  to
Arcturo_, their debut album for Century Media called _Triarchy of the
Lost Lovers_ is a stunning blend of brutality and passion  that  rips
and tears through nine epic songs. Much like what they have  done  in
the past with their other releases, _TotLL_ showcases the deep rooted
growls/vocals and  crashing  riffs  that  embedded  the  black  metal
stylings of Rotting Christ as fresh and  innovative  in  their  early
days.  As  well,  _TotLL_  finds  them  breaking   in   new   musical
directions/sounds, with more groove and substance to the material.
     Bassist Mutilator (the band is rounded out by guitarist/vocalist
Necromayhem and drummer Necrosavro) corresponded with  Chronicles  of
Chaos by mail about the new album, signing to a new label  and  their
progression as a black metal band. Here is how it went:

CoC: Having your record put out by Century  Media  allows  the  album
     (Triarchy of the Lost Lovers)  to  reach  a  much  bigger  music
     buying public than in the past. Aside  from  more  people  being
     able to purchase the material, how else is signing with  Century
     Media important for you?

Mutilator: For us, Century Media gave us a real good opportunity  for
           our music to reach a lot more people and  to  escape  from
           the underground limits. Of course, that doesn't mean we're
           not  the  same  underground  band  that  we  were  in  the
           beginning. With Century Media, it is  the  first  time  we
           have worldwide distribution with our release,  i.e.  Japan
           and United States. This is also the first time we have had
           good support and advertising for a release and  the  first
           time we have really been supported in making  the  record.
           Comparing Century Media to  our  old  labels  (Osmose  and
           Unisound) is like comparing day to night.

CoC: There seems to  be  a  hard-working  ethic  of  brutality  meets
     passion on _Triarchy..._. Were  those  truly  distant  paths  of
     emotions meant to cross? Opposed to what you have  done  before,
     how would you describe the material that makes up _Triarchy..._?

M: All our music  is  feelings,  instincts  and  passions.  It  comes
   through us normally. After the thunder comes the calm. We want  to
   paint pictures  with  our  music.  We  want  our  listeners,  when
   listening to the music, to be able to close their eyes and  travel
   with it. It is hard to give a description of our music: it is full
   of emotions, full of inner freedoms, full of  mysticism  and  wise
   occultism.

CoC: How important is it for you to have  lyrics  in  your  material,
     seeing that a majority if the album is encompassed by epic  song
     structures? And where did the ideas for lyrics  and  songs  come
     from?

M: Our lyrics are very important. Our influences are all  around  us.
   They are in the forests, in the space and in the beast within  us.
   We want all our lyrics to have an epic touch but still be  lyrical
   and an important part of the material. To somehow act like ancient
   tragedy or glorious Greek mythology.

CoC: Do you think _Triarchy..._ is significant of where the  band  is
     headed musically or do you  think  the  band  will  evolve  more
     musically as the next album is assembled?

M: I'm not sure of that. We  are  pretty  happy  and  satisfied  with
   _TotLL_ and we think that is what we wanted to  create.  Sure,  we
   want to go further and that just takes time, time to allow  us  to
   research ourselves and what we want to do musically.

CoC: What problems (if any) did you face with putting this album out?

M: None. This was the first time we have ever made a record  with  no
   problems. Everything we did was well organized and professional.

CoC: Since your inception in 1987 the  band  has  changed  with  your
     music and your outlook on the industry. Where do you  think  the
     band has changed the most? And the least?

M: I think every album is different but it still keeps the same core.
   Maybe with _TotLL_ we went a bit further, reaching more  epic  and
   progressive levels but it is still Rotting Christ.

CoC: Do songs and music come easier now seeing  that  you  have  been
     doing this for almost a decade?

M: No. It is harder to write material and let everything to come  out
   on the paper.  In  the  beginning  we  were  satisfied  with  just
   straight songs. It changes nowadays and we really work  hard  with
   ourselves to write really good songs and keep the music strong.

CoC: Seeing that your music has been  praised  by  critics  and  fans
     around the world, was there ever a  time  when  the  reviews  or
     write-ups on your material seemed negative? If so, how  did  you
     get past that stage in your careers? How did you deal  with  bad
     press?

M: For sure. We get some bad reviews but not that many. If the review
   is written honestly, then it is okay for us no matter if it  is  a
   good or bad one. We really feel good and respect  a  good  review,
   but  sometimes  the   bad   reviews   written   against   us   are
   well-organized against  us  by  our  ex-labels.  Bad  press  means
   nothing for us. Compared to good press it is just like a  drop  of
   water in the ocean.

CoC: Are Rotting Christ still the "dominating  force"  in  the  Greek
     black metal  scene?  Any  newcomers  we  should  look  out  for?
     Favorite new bands (from any genre)?

M: I think we still are big there. There are a lot of  good  acts  to
   look out for there. Some good bands  include  Varathron  who  have
   been around so long and have done well for themselves  with  their
   really emotional music. Another good band is Kawir.  There  are  a
   lot of bands in and around Greece but no  one  really  stands  out
   right now as  one  to  really  watch  out  for.  Some  bands  have
   followers but that is about  it.  For  my  last  comment  on  this
   question, Greek does have a  very  strong  scene,  especially  the
   power/epic/progressive music scene.

CoC: Any significance or meaning for the album title?  If  so,  what?
     Also - how or why did Steven Kastner get chosen for the artwork?
     Do you think the artwork works well with the feel of the record? 

M: That album title deals with the music  situation  nowadays.  There
   are tons of new bands that say a lot of big words but give no shit
   when it comes to the music they create.  We  are  still  the  same
   three members who started out this band and real lovers  for  what
   we have done in the past decade. As for the picture, it was in the
   office in Los Angeles and I think the nice artwork works well with
   keeping the spirit of the band and its music alive and well.

CoC: What experiences have happened to you along the way to where you
     are that has helped  allow  you  to  make  your  decisions  more
     carefully?

M: We have learned that our old labels had a real  bad  attitude  and
   were real unprofessional when it came to dealing with us  and  our
   music. We don't want to have that happen again and we  are  pretty
   confident that Century Media will do a good job  with  us  -  they
   already have.

CoC: Will the band tour North America seeing that you are now working
     with Century Media?

M: We hope so.

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

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

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.


             E M B R A C I N G   T H E   E T H E R E A L 
             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                      An interview with Embrace
                          by: Adrian Bromley
		
     Kitchener, Ontario's doom/gothic quartet, Embrace, have steadily
grown as a band and as songwriters since their beginnings  two  years
ago, in the fall of 1994. The collaboration of poetry and darkness as
well as metallic riffs fused with passion have all been explored in a
more in-depth manner as the band has progressed as musicians. 
     The  band  -  comprised  of  vocalist/keyboardist  Laura  Weibe,
guitarist Dwayne Pretty, drummer Jason Head, and bassist Trevor  Rees
- have released two demos, 1995's _Embrace_, and 1996's  _Promo  96_,
and have recently independently released  their  debut  album  called
_Coven the Eternal_.
     Speaking with Laura Weibe at home in Kitchener, we begin talking
about the mood and atmosphere that surrounds the lyrics and sounds of
the band. "We are strong believers in fantasy," begins  Weibe.  "When
we started, a lot of the band members were into vampire stuff and the
guitarist was into Celtic music and ideals, so I guess we set out  to
make a mood that was not so much reality-based. Kind of an escape for
us and people to comprehend."
     The album's nine tracks are ethereal, mesmerizing, haunting, and
eloquent poetic writings and scriptures that are aided by dark  riffs
and epic song structures. Most of _CtE_'s material made up a majority
of the material on the band's two previous demos, yet  the  band  has
re-recorded and changed some of those songs to what they  appear  now
on the debut LP. "We really haven't written  any  other  songs  other
than those on the album, except maybe for two.  We  kept  working  on
them and changing them into what we wanted them  to  sound  like.  We
wanted them on the CD release, but as it was, we weren't  happy  with
the way they were or the sound quality so we spent time  mixing  them
better or improving them." She adds, "We spent a  lot  of  time  with
these songs. A lot of the material is our feelings, a bit of everyone
in the band, but if you look at or read the lyrics it is moreso about
imagery and metaphor, rather than spurting out our true feelings  for
people to discover. Let them discover  what  they  want  out  of  our
music. Let them find their own interpretations."	
     Finding the sound of the band was something they had  to  search
out and discover. "It took a while for the band to get to  the  sound
they have now," explains Weibe. "When we started we were trying to be
a death metal band with male vocals and me singing in the background.
Then we ended up not finding a vocalist that we wanted so I ended  up
doing the vocals. At that time we had a second guitarist and we had a
lot of difficulty bringing it together to work. We then cut  down  to
four members and it worked out pretty well from that point on.  As  a
band we listen to lots of  different  things,"  reveals  Weibe  about
their influences, "but I have to say that we  all  have  an  interest
with bands like My Dying Bride and Type O Negative,  and  some  older
Paradise Lost and goth-style music. We like music with  feelings  and
moodiness. I guess that is why we play the music  we  create,  right?
Because we enjoy it."
     A lot of bands nowadays, especially  in  the  metal  genre,  are
edging towards breaking away from the mold of being  just  a  typical
metal band by trying to add  different  elements  and  features  into
their music, in attempting to making their music unique in some  form
or another. What does Weibe think is the uniqueness  about  them?  "I
think it is the combination of both the female vocals, the melody and
the keyboard parts combined with the really  heavy  guitar  and  bass
sound. I think that is what makes us different. Sure there  are  some
bands that play music that way, but we do it our  own  way,  with  an
Embrace sound."	
     While independent, and working hard to promote the band in their
area (Southern Ontario), Embrace is slowly trying to get  some  label
interest in them. Weibe doesn't push away the notion of wanting to be
scooped up by a label, as some young acts would want to be indie  for
sometime before signing. Rather, Weibe and her band have  their  arms
open to any kind of support. "We would love  to  get  signed,"  notes
Weibe. "It would just be great for exposure and a  great  experience.
We would really like to get some exposure in Europe, as I think  this
music would do well for us over there 'cause there is an audience for
the music we play. We'll see what happens."

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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!


Abigor - _Opus IV_  (Napalm Records, August 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (9 out of 10)

These guys are definitely one of the black metal  scene's  very  best
bands, and this  killer  release  contains  their  most  intense  and
creative work yet. Of course, _Opus IV_ features  all  the  trademark
Abigor touches; technical prowess, dynamic  structures,  ultra-pained
vocals,  stirring  medieval  flourishes,  and  layers  of   inventive
embellishments. Just check out  the  opener,  "Crimson  Horizons  and
Ashen Skies" for all of the above. Yet this CD is even more  involved
and, at times, more aggressive than  anything  they've  done  before.
Tracks like "Mirages for the Eyes of the Blind"  and  "Dimensions  of
Thy Unforgiven Sins (Part 1)" just seethe  with  feverish  intensity,
plunging  through  wild  musical  twists  and  turns  punctuated   by
intriguing  effects  and  unexpected  interludes.  It's   ambitiously
creative stuff, but they totally pull it  off,  producing  some  very
weird, dark, and evocative sounds - a wild style of black metal which
is all their own. This is the album which the fury of  _Orkblut_  and
the complexity of _Nachthymnen_ only hinted at. Strongly  recommended
to -any- metal fan seeking something savage, strange, and original. 


Ablaze My Sorrow - _If Emotions Still Burn_  (No Fashion, July 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel  (7 out of 10)

Despite the moniker of this band, which would make one think it  were
a doom metal band, Ablaze My Sorrow is yet another in the  long  line
of  "melodic  black/death  metal"  bands  hailing  from  Sweden,  the
majority of which are talented and  extremely  listenable  musicians.
AMS is no exception to this trend. In fact,  although  they  are  not
better than their brethren, they stand slightly apart, musically.  If
you are expecting just another Dark Tranquillity, In Flames or  Gates
of Ishtar with this debut album, you'll be fairly  surprised  at  the
direction AMS takes, with the much rawer  (not  deeper)  vocals,  and
different melody structures put forth. The playing might  not  be  as
tight as others, and some of the songs just seem to meander  on,  but
there is enough here to keep the listener  interested,  and  to  come
back for more. Indeed, this album took some time to  grow  on  me,  I
hardly liked it at all at first, but after a few more  listens,  I've
grown to like _If Emotions Still Burn_ quite a bit, and suggest it to
all who consider themselves a fan of the genre.


Bile - _Teknowhore_  (Energy Records, June 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (2 out of 10)

I have never been a real big fan of Bile, and let's just say with the
release of _Teknowhore_, I still am not one. I've seen them live once
(Foundations Forum Conference '94) and wasn't that impressed.  Though
the band uses lots of samples, visuals, and stage antics all  coraled
into one huge live presentation, it just doesn't seem to do the  job.
The music lacks something. Creativity? Substance? Whatever  the  case
may be, the bottom line is that as these "industrial terrorists" hide
behind their visuals or personalities (i.e. Omen, R.H.  Bear,  Slave)
to create an image, and from that their music lacks. Playing the  CD,
it emits no real genius, just noise  and  more  noise  of  industrial
noise and absurd lyrics rolled into one. The band's debut  album  for
Energy Records, _Suckpump_ (1994) wasn't anything to get  riled  over
about either; just the same shit. I'm not  recommending  this  CD  to
anyone. Okay, maybe Gwar fans. No, maybe not even them.


Blackmail - _A Female Impersonator_  (Ransom Records, August 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (2 out of 10)

With a really cheesy aura  to  their  EP,  _A  Female  Impersonator_,
Sweden's three-piece Blackmail are a real gem of a find.  Cloaked  in
Dream Theater-meets-Iron Maiden-meets-Savatage feel  to  it  (not  to
mention some Black Sabbath and Kiss influence), the  4-song  offering
by the trio is  just  horrible.  The  songs  ("Female  Impersonator",
"Demons Hide", "I Become", and "World of Misery") have a kind of  80s
metal sound at times, too. I mean, the music  is  okay,  some  pretty
standard vocals, guitar parts, and melodies are here, but the lyrics?
Ouch! Example: "... so put on your high heels and I'll see you later/
Oooh... female impersonator..." or "... when I'm dead I'll be glad if
I see you in Hell..." Gimme a break. Lots of critics  like  the  band
and their debut CD-EP _Schizophrenic_, and I don't know why. This new
record needs to be put away before it gives someone a coronary.


Blood Axis - _The Gospel of Inhumanity_  (Cthulhu/Storm Records, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski  (10 out of 10)

Bach originally composed the music for two of the tracks. The  lyrics
to "Between Birds of Prey" are taken directly from  the  writings  of
Nietzche. None other  than  Charles  Manson  orates  the  vocals  for
another track. Add fantastic packaging along with an apocalyptic  and
melancholic aura permeating throughout, and how could I not  salivate
all over this disc? This is easily one of the more diverse recordings
that I have encountered; the best description  for  this  is  ambient
gothic with heavy symphonic influences, but that alone does not  give
Blood Axis justice. A heavy  early  Current  93  and  Death  in  June
influence can also be detected, but three tracks build  a  foundation
upon  an  electric  guitar,  something  that  neither  of   the   two
aforementioned bands have been willing to  attempt.  The  vocals  can
equal the music in its decrepit beauty; they  are  deep,  unwavering,
and powerful, and the corresponding lyrics generally deal with themes
that can be associated  with  Nietzchian/philosophical  Satanist/etc.
dogma, with a bit of a militaristic flair  thrown  in.  Some  of  the
better lyrical moments include the two-minute "make love - make  war"
mantra, along with the mythology-based "Reign I Forever", written  by
H. W. Longfellow. So far, this is my favorite release in an otherwise
disappointing '96.


Bloodstone - _Hour of the Gate_  (Burn Records, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon  (5 out of 10)

This  is  pretty  typical  melodic  death  metal.   It   was   dubbed
"death/black," but I see little black metal influence at all. They do
have a fair amount of black metal-like single note line melodies, but
they are played in a death metal fashion. In any case,  they're  more
closely related to Morbid Angel than Dissection. In fact, their  main
sound reminds me  of  a  more  melodic  Morbid  Angel,  perhaps  like
_Blessed Are the Sick_ meets _The Karelian Isthmus_. I can't say that
it's really bad, but these guys aren't really too professional  about
what they do, and it shows. The music is a little sloppy, though  not
grossly incompetent. Their main problem is just that the music  isn't
that interesting. It's all pretty standard  stuff  that's  been  done
before, and done better. It's unfortunate to note that the last three
songs (which are older) are actually longer and more interesting than
the newer songs. That doesn't bode well for their future.  I'd  avoid
this unless you're a death metal fanatic. 


Brighter Death Now - _Innerwar_  (Release, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski  (9 out of 10)
 
Unfortunately,  power   electronics   guru   Roger   Karmanik's   5th
full-length album has disregarded many of  the  qualities  that  made
previous   works   exceptional;   namely,   their   melancholy    and
multi-dimensional horror. Instead, he decided to create the next best
thing; sheer aural destruction, which is more in the  vein  of  other
Release "noise" bands, along with Karmanik's earliest creations under
the  Lille  Roger  moniker.  In  comparison  to  previous   material,
_Innerwar_ is 10 times as intense and painful; BDN are now capable of
matching most Japanese noise bands  in  the  category  of  nihilistic
brutality. Karmanik has still managed to retain a suffocatingly  dark
ambience, largely due to his patented manipulation of  rumbling  bass
drones and distorted, monster-like screams  in  the  background,  the
latter being used to the greatest effect  during  the  album's  grand
finale, while, at times, the bass and screams combined  to  violently
shake the walls surrounding my stereo (although this  is  due  to  my
obscenely cheap walls more than anything else).  These  factors  help
add some of his previous work's emotion to  the  mix;  BDN  is  still
capable of transcending the comparative stoicism of his  many  peers.
Brighter Death Now has  remained  one  of  the  more  esoteric  bands
currently creating music; _Innerwar_  should  literally  terrify  and
overwhelm the typical "metalhead." BUT, Karmanik's latest exploration
of the extreme music spectrum's further reaches will  guarantee  that
those with a sense of experimentation will be greeted with one of the
more blissful hells in existence.


Brutality - _In Mourning_  (Nuclear Blast, August 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (6 out 10)

Back with their third effort, Tampa, Florida's  Brutality  return  in
1996 with _In Mourning_, a hardening display of massive  death  metal
sounds and pure intensity. Listen to the  strength  of  numbers  like
"Destroyed By Society" or the Oklahoma  bombing-inspired  "Died  With
Open Eyes", and you can feel the heartening satisfaction of Brutality
once again ripping at our skulls as they did with their two  previous
records _Screams of Anguish_ and _When the  Sky  Turns  Black_,  with
their detonating drums beats, sinister riffs, and gargantuan  growls.
With  a  new  guitar  section  that  includes  newcomers  Dana  Walsh
(ex-Degradation) and Pete Sykes (ex-Execration), Brutality have  been
able to step above what they have done in the past.  A  fresh  guitar
sound by both have added more intensity to the music the band  plays,
as seen  on  tracks  like  "Obsessed",  "Subjected  to  Torture"  and
"Extinction". But something Brutality lacks with _IM_ is the  ability
to stay focused. The record is a  scattered  assortment  of  bruising
songs and overpowering heaviness  that  rarely  weaves  together  one
crushing blow. We get racked around but  never  really  knocked  out.
Maybe more focus will next time bring out one strong idea as  opposed
to numerous tracks going their own way, and every so often  pummeling
us. Other than that, an enjoyable death metal release.


Brutal Truth - _Kill, Trend, Suicide_  (Relapse, October 1996)
by: Gino Filicetti  (8 out of 10)

Although hardly EP  length,  this  35-minute  opus  from  New  York's
influential grindcore/hardcore/punk/crust/death/speed  metal  freaks,
Brutal Truth, is definitely an album to write home  about.  Contained
herein are ten tracks of ferociousity and mayhem which have an urgent
message to convey: Our World Bites the Big One. Some  of  the  topics
touched on by Brutal Truth  this  time  around  are  social  decline,
scapegoat-ism, war, the great marijuana lie,  religion,  trends,  and
one track whose topic can not be expressed better than it is  by  the
title, "Humanity's Folly". The music on this release is much more raw
sounding than previous efforts, as if the band said, "Fuck  the  mix,
let's just play." I think this captures the  brutal  essence  of  the
band like never before. As always, the drumming can be  described  as
controlled chaos thanks to skinsman Rich Hoak. The vocals  on  _Kill,
Trend, Suicide_ are not as well-defined as they should  be.  I  think
they should have been much higher in the mix and perhaps worked on  a
little more;  nothing  will  beat  Kevin  Sharp's  vox  on  _Need  to
Control_. The ninth track, "I Killed My Family", is a cover of a  YDI
(why die) song from the early eighties;  very  descriptive  and  very
sick lyrics to say the least. Seeing as  this  is  an  EP,  it  seems
Brutal Truth are only teasing us and making us  lust  for  what  lies
ahead on their next full-length. Only time will tell  people,  so  be
patient. I know I won't.


Brutal Truth / Spazz 7" split  (Rhetoric/Bovine, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski

Brutal Truth  (2 out of 5)

Once one of the scene's  premier  purveyors  of  experimental  grind,
Brutal Truth have  degenerated  into  yet  another  monotonous  grind
bands. These 3 tracks are mostly hindered by a weak  production;  the
repetitive  drums  are  mastered  too  high,  forcing   the   equally
repetitive guitars to an almost inaudible  level.  Granted,  this  is
just a 7" on a small label and I doubt that they had much - if any  -
of a recording budget, but I still expected much  better  songs  from
one of my favorite bands. Maybe it's time for Dan Lilker to find  yet
another outfit to play in.

Spazz  (3 out of 5)

Surprisingly enough, this is actually an improvement  on  the  Brutal
Truth side. Spazz are more hardcore influenced than the comparatively
deathy Brutal Truth, which improves the track-to-track variety, as  I
was actually able to differentiate one  song  from  the  next.  Also,
they're probably the only band in this genre - hell, one of the  only
extreme bands ever, regardless of genre - to actually use a banjo  on
a track. This actually  improves  the  song;  it  adds  some  melody,
without becoming obtrusive or sacrificing any of  the  extremity.  On
the negative side, Spazz suffers, although to a lesser  extent,  from
the same recording problems that Brutal Truth does, and  they  really
should drop the juvenile skater imagery and  lyrics  -  although  the
non-skater related "Nuge on a Stick" is fairly amusing.


Cryptopsy - _None So Vile_  (Wrong Again Records, 1996)
by: Alain M. Gaudrault  (10 out of 10)

Godly. This is without a doubt some of the most  intense  music  I've
ever heard. Fans of grinding death, your ship has come  in,  and  its
name is Cryptopsy. Turning up the level of complexity  and  embracing
an appreciation of early speed metal as  a  few  other  Montreal-area
bands have been doing of late, these Quebecers merit massive  amounts
of recognition for the genius that graces  the  32  minutes  of  this
album. Cryptopsy manages to incorporate a  slight  Slayer  influence,
yet woven seamlessly throughout and weighed down by death metal mire,
creating a unique sound within the death/grind genre.  They've  taken
the sound pioneered by Suffocation, and added even  more  razor-sharp
precision, solos which are more musical in nature, and better use  of
dual guitars. Interestingly,  Jon  Levasseur  is  the  only  credited
guitarist on this album, although the  band  dedicates  the  work  to
ex-axeman Steve Thibault. It's unclear  whether  Levasseur  performed
all of the guitar tracks himself, or whether Thibault gave a  lending
hand. Regardless, whether it be meaty grooves,  chugging  rhythms  or
breakneck riffing, every note is rendered with expert timing  without
losing intensity or feeling. Miguel Roy was recruited for the  second
guitarist slot, and judging from his performance at The Embassy  (see
this issue), he can hold his own.  Eric  Langlois'  bass  playing  is
nifty, that is whenever the mix delivers  it  enough  for  it  to  be
readily audible. It's  a  cool  plucking  technique  which  isn't  as
annoying as funk slapping. Flo Mounier's drumming is  the  proverbial
icing, always frenetic, crisp, blazingly fast, and amazingly  complex
to the point where I'm often left wondering just how he can manage to
get so many simultaneous beats with  only  four  limbs.  Spectacular.
Lord Worm's vocals serve to round out the whole affair, taking a hint
from John Tardy regarding the intent behind his delivery. His  vocals
aren't remotely like that of the Obituary frontman, and are at  first
listen a seemingly mixed bag of current styles, but the  arrangements
of  death  growls,  piercing  screams,  and  grunts  in  an  entirely
unintelligible  manner  reinforce  the  concept  of  vocals   as   an
instrument on par with drums and  bass.  The  vocals  fit  the  music
perfectly, consistently adding to the intensity without becoming lame
or monotonous,  always  in  time  with  the  music,  always  properly
reflecting  the  mood  set  by  the   harsh   melodies.   He   utters
uncomprehensible dialogue, and yet,  he  is  able  to  speak  to  the
listener through his primitive discourse. My only  complaint,  and  I
was tempted to dock them a mark for it, is that the credits,  and  in
particular the lyrics,  are  often  washed  out  in  the  background,
causing undue strain to the eyes. Lord Worm's lyrics being what  they
are, reading them's an absolute must, and in turn, an  absolute  joy.
His writing style is quite poetic, yet chillingly  perverse.  Instead
of going right for the jugular in his descriptions of atrocities,  he
instead creates mental images on both a physical and emotional level.
Twisted,  fluid,  nasty.  This  is  definitely  the   album   Gregory
Nalbandian is looking for. Gregory, if you don't have  this  already,
remedy the situation immediately. Basically, this is the  holy  grail
of extreme death for 1996. I swear.


Dawn - _Sorgh Pa Svarte Vingar Flogh_  (Necropolis, September 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel  (8 out of 10)

Back with an altered lineup and a slightly different  sound,  Swedish
black metallers Dawn's new MCD  follows  their  extremely  impressive
(and still played multiple times per  week  by  yours  truly)  debut,
_Naer Solen Gar Niber for Evogher_. Although not quite matching up to
the awesome first  album,  _Sorgh  Pa  Svarte  Vingar  Flogh_  (which
translates to "sorrow flies on black wings") is still a solid effort.
So what are the changes, you ask? First, rhythm guitarist Andreas  is
out, and is now replaced by Herr A. Fullmestad. Second, this  release
is much blacker  sounding  than  _NSGNFE_,  and  is  not  as  overtly
melodic. The production has changed also,  the  lead  guitar  is  now
nowhere near as high in the mix, and bass is inaudible.  Now  to  the
songs. This MCD consists of four tracks, unfortunately  only  two  of
which can be considered "real" and original songs. It starts off with
"Vya Kal", a quiet minute and a half intro which leads right into the
second track, "Sorrow Flew on Black Wings". To get an  idea  of  what
this song sounds like, just think of any  song  off  Marduk's  latest
album, _Heaven Shall Burn When we are Gathered_, played with a little
more melody and variation. The next  track,  "Soil  of  Dead  Earth",
starts  off  mid-paced  and  melodic  and  then  goes  into   another
Marduk-esque blast, but again played with more melody and  variation.
The MCD is concluded with a cover of Infernal Majesty's "Night of the
Living Dead". Since I haven't heard the original song I can't comment
on it in that respect, but listening to it for what  it  is,  it's  a
decent track, though distinctly  un-Dawn-like.  It  would  be  almost
impossible to top _NSGNFE_, and Dawn doesn't quite achieve this,  but
_SPSVF_ is still a very good album on it's own rights, and, for  only
$10 direct from Necropolis, you've got nothing to lose by buying it.


Devastation - _Violent Termination_  (Defiled Records, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski  (8 out of 10)

If I heard this during its proper historical epoch - i.e. 1987,  when
this was first released on vinyl - I  would  applaud  this  as  being
highly original, and possibly one of  my  favorite  albums.  Now,  in
1996, this CD reissue is a bit of an anachronism, although the  music
is strong enough to remain somewhat fresh, and is still definitely  a
worthy listen. Devastation conjure up  images  of  good  ol'  mid-80s
deathrash; they have a sense of melody  that  few,  if  any,  current
death bands are capable of matching, while retaining enough brutality
to match such classic bands  as  Kreator  and  Death.  The  music  is
technically competent - more so than many of their peers, as a matter
of fact - and the production is relatively raw, but up  to  par  with
other similar bands. The four additional live tracks at  the  end  of
this album prove that Devastation once  had  quite  an  intense  live
experience, and culminate a stunning release. Defiled deserves  kudos
for finally releasing this one on CD.


Exit 13 - _Smoking Songs_  (Relapse Records, September 1996)
by: Gino Filicetti  (8 out of 10)

This album has got to be one of the most anticipated albums I've seen
in a long time. For months I've been asked countless times when  Exit
13 was going to release _Smoking Songs_, so I'm very  happy  to  say,
"Here it is folks!" Although not your average Exit 13 album (but then
again, which Exit 13 album could be  considered  average?),  _Smoking
Songs_ proves to be an ultra-cool CD full of marijuana  anthems  from
the 20s, 30s, and 40s. All of these songs are covered as  closely  as
possible to the original tunes. Yes, that means that they all consist
of ragtime, swing, and jazz style  music.  However,  don't  let  that
scare you at all, what lies here is  a  stoner's  paradise,  thirteen
tracks of buds, bongs, and big fat J's. Most of the  vocals  on  this
album come  to  us  care  of  Bliss  Blood  (from  Pain  Teens),  her
hallucinatory harmonies are  definitely  a  treat,  and  one  of  the
highpoints of this album. Some notable tracks include "Light Up!",  a
marijuana anthem if I've ever heard  one.  "Jack  I'm  Mellow"  is  a
catchy cover of the 1938 song by Trixie Smith. "1'1 (Thirteen  Inches
of Fun)" and "Weed" may be familiar to some of you who got a hold  of
the rare _UHF/VHF_ sampler from  Relapse.  And  finally,  the  hidden
fourteenth track consists of a  "grind/swing"  song  called  "Loading
Dock" that is total mayhem! Check this one out people, just make sure
you've smoked enough green beforehand.


Gates of Ishtar - _A Bloodred Path_  (Spinefarm, July 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel  (7 out of 10)

Gates of Ishtar has gotten a lot of pre-release publicity  for  their
debut album on Spinefarm Records. Most of it has been on the positive
side, with them being  compared  to  At  the  Gates  and  Dissection,
musically. So how does the actual CD rate? It is,  not  surprisingly,
very good... that is if you don't mind a little bit of recycling  and
a decided lack of originality. The album starts  out  with  a  fairly
long (for an intro) instrumental intro, which sounds vaguely  similar
to a few other Swedish bands. The second track then  sets  the  stage
for the remainder of this CD,  which  follows  a  very  similar  song
structure, and becomes predictable after a while. Alternating between
extremely fast sections which sound reminiscent of a  combination  of
black metal  speed  with  melodic  death  metal  melodies,  and  slow
sections with some forgettable solos, GoI somehow manage to pull  off
a sound which is both instantly recognizable to any listener of  Dark
Tranquillity or In Flames, yet also great to listen  to  on  its  own
merit. The vocals are what you usually get from this  type  of  band:
not  exactly  death  metal  growling,  and  not  quite  black   metal
screeching. They definitely aren't bad,  just  middle  of  the  road.
Unfortunately, this CD falls prey to the recurring problem of a short
playing time. Even with an intro and horrible W.A.S.P. cover  at  the
end (it's just a bad song, by anyone), this album still seems like it
is over before it even began. With all of the similarities  to  other
bands of the genre, and some  obviously  ripped-off  parts  (track  4
intro = Swordmaster's "Wraths of Time"), Gates of Ishtar  still  have
an album which is memorable and worth listening to again and again.


Gehenna - _Malice_  (Cacophonous Records, September 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (7 out of 10)

This one is a tough call. On the one hand, Gehenna  are  a  band  who
possess tons of talent in composing and performing black metal  music
that stretches the boundaries of  the  genre,  incorporating  gothic,
thrash, and classical influences while staying (more or less) true to
the atmospheric black metal style most often associated with Emperor.
On the other hand, though, I find it kind of hard to really get  into
their stuff. In fairness to the band, there are some undeniably great
songs on this release. Opener "She Who Loves the Flames" is  so  full
of  twists  and  hooks  that  it's  impossible  not  to  enjoy;  "The
Pentagram" rages compellingly from beginning  to  end;  "Ad  Arma  Ad
Arma" displays a cool flair for experimentation. But all  in  all,  I
think _Malice_ is a bit lacking in the stark viciousness of the  very
best black metal. The overall sound is quite reminiscent of  Emperor,
but with much greater variety in tempos -  and  with  keyboards  that
tend to dominate the mix in a way that  gives  the  music  an  overly
flowery, sometimes carnivalesque sound. (And I'm  not  one  of  these
stupid "All keyboards suck!" people - I just think Gehenna goes a bit
overboard in their use.) I want a frosty sonic wind coming out of  my
speakers when I listen to black metal - with this band the result  is
often more like syrup. Still, they're unquestionably  great  at  what
they do, so fans of the Emperor style  who  want  to  hear  something
energetic and interesting should definitely check 'em out. 


Godflesh - _Songs of Love and Hate_  (Earache, August 1996)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (7 out of 10)

To start off, this isn't the average CD I listen to, but I  did  find
myself enjoying this. Godflesh return with  11  songs  of  industrial
metal that is very bass driven, which is what I love  to  hear  on  a
record. Songs like "Wake", "Sterile Prophet", "Gift From Heaven", and
"Kingdom Come" really drive the bass sound home and are  very  catchy
to listen to. Accompanied with the strong music  are  painful  lyrics
from vocalist J.K. Broadrick, whose vocals  I  thought  really  stood
out. Musically these guys very  much  reminded  me  of  Misery  Loves
Company. The use of samples and the synths were also very well  done,
which I felt truly enhanced the music. Not much else  to  say,  other
than if Godflesh made a fan out of me, then I'm sure older fans  will
like it and perhaps others who haven't heard of Godflesh will dig  it
too. I look forward to seeing them on their North American tour.


Hecate Enthroned - _Upon Promeathean Shores_  (Blackend, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon  (6 out of 10)

Apparently, this band was formed by  some  ex-members  of  Cradle  of
Filth, and they've taken not only the CoF sound with them,  but  even
the artwork on the back of  the  _TPoEMF_  CD  insert.  Anyway,  this
sounds like a  better  produced,  but  unfortunately  drab  and  less
interesting version of _The Principle of Evil Made  Flesh_.  The  CoF
style  has  been  nearly  completely  copped,  with  similar  vocals,
guitars, drums, keyboards, and even some  whispering  in  the  albums
opening keyboard-only intro. The gothic elements aren't as  pervasive
as they were on _Vempire_, but are evident in about the  same  levels
as they were on _TPoEMF_. However, Hecate Enthroned really  lack  the
imagination of CoF, and this ends up sounding like the worst parts of
_TPoEMF_. It does have a few  shining  moments,  however.  There  are
really only four songs here, as the opener and  closer  are  keyboard
only instrumentals. I'd recommend it to those looking  for  something
in the style of CoF, but don't expect too much. 


Hypocrite - _Edge of Existence_  (Off World, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon  (6 out of 10)

Hypocrite are yet another band exploring the fertile  waters  between
death metal and black metal. Their emphasis is more  on  the  melodic
death metal side, like Amorphis' _The  Karelian  Isthmus_,  but  they
incorporate a good deal of melodic  death/black  metal  influence  as
well. Most of these black metal-like parts are well done, and  remind
me most of Sacramentum's _Finis Malorum_, being melodic,  single-note
line riffs, usually with either harmonization or countermelodies. One
nice thing to note is that  their  melodic  parts  aren't  completely
predictable, which tends to be a  big  problem  among  melodic  bands
(e.g. In Flames). These parts of the album work very well, but  their
transitions between them and the more  typical  melodic  death  metal
sections could be a little smoother. They also suffer from  the  same
out-of-tune guitar problems that Sacramentum did on their MCD,  which
really detract from their effect. There are a  few  repeated  motives
throughout the album, which I found curious, because this album isn't
in any way a concept album. Even more curious is the inclusion of the
song "A Black Wound", which seems completely out of place.  In  fact,
it sounds like something off of Fates Warning's _Parallels_. I  don't
know what the band was thinking including it. These guys seem  to  be
fleshing out the spectrum between death metal and black metal, and do
a reasonably good job at it. I'd recommend  them  above  Amon  Amarth
(see CoC #12) in the (more death than black) death/black field. 


Inferno - _Utter Hell_  (Osmose Productions, September 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (7 out of 10)

Wish the 80s had never come to an end? Well,  slap  this  CD  in  the
player, and these guys will take you right back to the good old  days
of the evil thrash metal underground. Big time. Think of  the  Slayer
sound  circa  _Haunting  the  Chapel_,  cross  it  with  the   crazed
riff-mania of Exodus' vicious _Bonded by  Blood_,  add  some  vintage
Venom panache, and you've  got  Inferno.  Start  to  finish,  it's  a
frenzied  melee  of  wicked  thrash  riffs  (some  of  which   you've
-definitely- heard before), galloping  tempos,  piercing  shrieks  of
feedback, and - of course - tons of metal  cliches.  (I  mean,  these
guys play "Ripping Hell" and "Storming Metal" back to back!) Some  of
the songs are total old school barnstormers - like the  multi-riff-ic
"Sodom" and "Infernal Invasion", to name just two.  Indeed,  I  found
_Utter Hell_ a lot more enjoyable than I figured I would -  though  I
find that it helps to tune out  the  dumb  lyrics.  (This  especially
helps when the words degenerate from the  usual  boring  Satan  stuff
into sexist bullshit like "Necroslut" and "Torment Her" - the kind of
silly adolescent crap  that  makes  metal  musicians  and  fans  look
socially retarded.) Still, on  a  purely  musical  level,  this  band
totally delivers the goods - even if they  have  showed  up  about  a
decade late.


Inquisition - _Incense of Rest_  (Defiled Records, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski  (6 out of 10)

Released in a time of numerous unoriginal "trend" followers,  I  find
it quite refreshing when a newer metal band such as Inquisition  hits
the scene. Although their sound is in no way  revolutionary,  it's  a
unique  hybrid  of  various  styles,  thus  they  comfortably  escape
comparison  with  any  other  band.  The  music  generally  tends  to
alternate between blasting death metal  passages  and  melodic,  mid-
paced old school black metal, and the vocals are a hybrid of  demonic
squeals and guttural grunts;  IMO,  they  fit  the  music  perfectly.
Inquisition show some immaturity in their compositions. The  frequent
shifts between blast beats and  melodies  sometimes  lack  coherence;
this is most noticeable on "Whispering in Tears of Blood", the  first
of this  album's  four  non-instrumental  tracks.  Also,  the  outro,
"Meditation Before the Kill", adds too much of a jovial  ambience  to
the otherwise  somber  mood.  Given  some  time  to  iron  out  these
mistakes, Inquisition have the potential to evolve into  one  of  the
scene's better bands; as is, this is a solid,  albeit  unspectacular,
debut.


Insatanity - _Divine Decomposition_  (Unisound Records, June 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (7 out of 10)

This up-and-coming Philadelphia band pounds out fairly standard death
metal in the sick and guttural style of bands like Internal  Bleeding
and Suffocation. At their best, they do it  in  a  massively  weighty
way, melding together some very evil-sounding riffs,  raspy  shrieks,
super-deep growling, and tempos all over the  map.  The  band  sounds
especially heavy plowing through some crushing  grooves  at  mid  and
slower speeds - and  they're  not  shy  about  playing  fast,  either
(though I think they sound a bit less distinctive when  they're  just
blasting away). "Transfiguration", "The Blood is the Life",  and  the
title track all showcase a finely honed death metal outfit  executing
some compelling material with conviction and skill. The production on
this CD is a bit rough, though, but it doesn't really take much  away
from the  music.  Does  this  release  measure  up  to  the  creative
intensity and technical bombast of a band like Kataklysm or  Cannibal
Corpse? No. But it's solid, real heavy stuff nonetheless. 


Intrinsic - _Closure_  (Independent, 1995)
by: Brian Meloon  (5 out of 10)

Intrinsic are an  unsigned  band  from  Phoenix,  Arizona.  _Closure_
certainly is a competent and serious offering, but  it  really  lacks
any unique style or focus to really set it apart from the throngs  of
unsigned metal bands. Their main style seems to be a variant of  that
hardcore/Pantera style that is so popular, but upon inspection of the
whole album, I heard  parts  that  sounded  like  country,  rap,  old
fashioned rock'n'roll, industrial, and even funk.  In  fact,  I  kept
getting the feeling as I was listening to it "hey, that really sounds
like Black Sabbath (with Dio singing)," or "that really  sounds  like
Memento Mori," etc. However, it is worth noting that  there  isn't  a
predominant influence that I could discern. There are a multitude  of
different  vocal  styles  employed,  from  shouted  to  distorted  to
melodic, and many different feels, all set within the constraints  of
(usually) standard song structures. All of this makes for a  15-track
album  that  really  offers  up  too  many  styles,  and  not  enough
individual feel or coherence. Although it is well produced  and  well
played, that alone isn't sufficient to set it apart from the pack. 


Lethargy - _It's Hard to Write With a Little Hand_  (Endless, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon  (9 out of 10)

Lethargy are one of the few truly unique bands out there  right  now.
Their sound is probably best  compared  to  the  extremely  technical
style of Sieges Even  (circa  _Life  Cycle_)  or  to  Atheist  (circa
_Unquestionable Presence_), but that's not  quite  right.  There  are
some  moments  which  sound  like  a  more  aggressive  Death  (circa
_Symbolic_), and even a slight Primus influence. Most of the album is
aggressive, complete with blast beats, but some of  the  riffs  sound
"goofy" (though not  "goofy"  in  a  bad  way,  i.e.  unintentionally
goofy).  Their  style  is  very  technical,  though  technical  in  a
"noodley" way, not concentrating on  complex  rhythmic  syncopations,
but rather complex individual parts weaved  together  into  a  single
composition.  Unfortunately,  these  compositions   lack   structure.
Although there are abbreviated structures here and there, their  main
compositional style is the jumble-of-riffs style.  For  example,  the
opening track, "Careborne", has a completely new riff pop up  with  8
seconds left in the song. The riff is played a  few  times,  and  the
song ends. However unpleasing this compositional style might  be  (it
isn't  at  all  unpleasing  to  me),  it  does  fit  their  approach.
Unfortunately for me, over half of the songs are ones  that  were  on
their previous demos: three are from _Humor Me, You Funny Little Man_
(see review in CoC #4), one is a medley of songs from _Humor Me_  and
_Tainted_, and one ("Among", previously "Among the Dead  I  Lie")  is
from their first demo, _Lost in This Existence_. Still it's  nice  to
have them on CD, finally. Most of the songs start out  with  samples,
which seem out of  place,  since  they  are  used  very  infrequently
throughout the rest of disc. Also very out  of  place  is  the  final
track, which is a "remix" of some of their songs, done by the guys in
Forward Now (see CoC #9  or  concert  review  this  issue).  However,
unlike the Pantera, White Zombie, or Megadeth remixes,  this  "remix"
bears no resemblance to the original song at all.  It  doesn't  sound
like Lethargy, it sounds like Forward Now,  and  whatever  you  might
think of FN, it really doesn't fit with the flavor of the rest of the
album. In any case, the production is great, the  playing  is  great,
and the style is truly unique, so this is essential for all  fans  of
ultra-technical metal.


Marduk - _Heaven Shall Burn When We Are Gathered_  (Osmose, July 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (9 out of 10)

Ten seconds or so into this CD's amazing opening  track,  any  doubts
that Marduk is one of the most intense bands on this planet should be
vaporized for good. "Beyond the Grace of God" is a totally rabid, yet
streamlined hybrid of haunting black metal riffs, extremely anguished
vocals, and blasting percussion - and it showcases some  pretty  wild
melodic bass lines to boot. "Beyond..." more or less  sets  the  tone
for the rest of this incredibly relentless album,  during  which  the
band goes on to wring  some  surprising  sonic  variety  out  of  the
standard  (no  keyboards)   formula   for   way-fast   black   metal.
"Glorification  of  the  Black  God"  borrows  from   the   classical
barnstormer _Night on Bald Mountain_ (you've heard  it),  while  "The
Black Tormentor of Satan" welds some  memorable  riffing  to  ringing
sonic sheets of heavily distorted guitar. Things slow  down  for  the
ultra-grim  "Dracul..."  -  but  only  momentarily,  since   "Legion"
follows, and closes the album out at a level of breakneck  speed  and
severe intensity which is downright scary. (Dig the vocal effects  on
this track!) Enhanced by solid production and  a  clean,  clear  mix,
_Heaven Shall Burn..._ is an unrelenting and uncompromising  slab  of
spitting, sped-up rage -  definitely  Marduk's  best  work  yet,  and
easily one of the most extreme black metal releases ever. 


Marduk - _Glorification_  (Osmose Productions, September 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (8 out of 10)

This new five-track EP contains four very cool cover  songs,  plus  a
solid remix of one of the best tracks from their  latest  full-length
release. (See my review of that further up the  page.)  Each  of  the
cover songs is a true blast from the blackened past - yep: the 80s  -
and together they prove that Marduk can sound  awfully  wicked,  even
doing material which is (somewhat) less extreme than their  own.  The
early Destruction track, "Total Disaster", is  a  killer  choice  for
this band to cover: its super-catchy  old  school  riffs  just  sound
wicked with Marduk's demon rhythm section lashing them along. The two
old Piledriver tracks are cool,  too,  since  they  show  that  these
grim-faced black metal warriors actually do have a  sense  of  humor!
(Anyway, hearing them crank through "Sex with  Satan"  suggests  that
much to me.) And I like  the  Bathory  cover,  too  ("The  Return  of
Darkness and Evil"), even if it  doesn't  quite  measure  up  to  the
creepiness of the original. So even though this  EP  is  a  bit  mild
compared to _Heaven Shall Burn..._,  it's  still  some  pretty  crazy
stuff. Totally recommended to fans of  the  band,  and  suggested  to
anyone seeking a short sample of seriously blackened, wild sound. 


Meliah Rage - _Death Valley Dream_ (Backstreet Records, September 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (8 out of 10)

Boston's thrash metal band are back with a  fully  cocked  n'  loaded
collection of some truly  dynamic  thrash  metal  numbers  on  _Death
Valley Dream_, this being their first release since 1990's  _Solitary
Solitude_. It may seem passe to some, but for those that  enjoy  (and
miss) this sort of metal music, you'll want to check it  out.  Having
broken up for some time, the band is now regrouped and on independent
label, Backstreet Records, and are  back  in  form  once  again  with
singer  Mike  Munro  delivering  some   gut-wrenching   vocals,   and
guitarists Anthony Nichols  and  Jim  Coury  providing  some  serious
guitar shredding, something unheard of  in  the  last  little  while.
Watch the licks fly on "Blacksmith", "Madness  and  Poetry"  and  the
super-cool "War Journal", and be drawn in to the addictive nature  of
numbers like the title track and "Prideland". Unlike  their  previous
records, _SS_ and 1989's _Kill to Survive_, _DVD_ appears to be  more
focused and tight with the songwriting as the music seems to  lend  a
hand in shaping the melody and lyrics  and  vice  versa.  It's  quite
possible the time apart allowed the band to focus more with what they
wanted to do musically. Whatever the case may be for the sharpness of
the material on _DVD_, the album seems  to  explode  with  might  and
speed, releasing anger,  emotions  and  furious  tension  everywhere.
Powerful for sure. Check this out.


Mork Gryning - _Tusen Ar Har Gatt_  (No Fashion Records, May 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel  (9 out of 10)

After, in most people's opinion, a very  forgettable  demo  in  1994,
Mork Gryning (Dark Dawn,  in  English)  were  somehow  picked  up  by
well-known Swedish label,  No  Fashion  Records.  NFR  must've  known
something that no one else did, because Mork Gryning's  debut  album,
_Tusen Ar Har Gatt_ (A Thousand Years Have Passed), is a  masterpiece
and ranks thus far as one of my favorite albums of 1996. Weighing  in
at an extremely short 33 minutes,  there  is  hardly  a  dull  moment
during the nine tracks which constitute this chunk of  Swedish  black
metal. After the one-minute intro, the first real song swiftly  kicks
in, and from then on this CD is  impossible  to  stop  listening  to.
Accusations of sounding a  little  too  much  like  former  NFR  band
Dissection have been voiced by some, and they  are  not  untrue.  The
song structures are extremely similar to Dissection's, and  a  couple
of the melodies are also much alike. However, this  release  is  much
faster and more brutal (but definitely not better)  than  Dissection.
The faster parts are  often  interrupted  with  mellow  acoustic  and
keyboard sections. These parts are good, but  most  of  them  seem  a
little forced, and not entirely needed. On the other hand, by far the
best part of this album would be  the  extremely  melodic  and  clean
melodies that are interspersed in each song. On the lyrical side, the
lyrics are supposed to tell a story, and each song is a  continuation
of the last in this respect. Although half the lyrics are in Swedish,
the English parts are enough to follow the story  by,  for  the  most
part. Overall this is a fine release, and a worthy  addition  to  any
fan of melodic black metal's collection.


James Murphy - _Convergence_  (Shrapnel Records, August 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel  (6 out of 10)

After listening to James Murphy's new solo effort for the first time,
I wondered if it was appropriate for review in COC; it can hardly  be
labeled "extreme music." Although not an entirely bad album,  do  not
buy this in hopes of hearing "solos from  Spiritual  Healing  -  Part
II." The music here is definitely NOT death  metal,  but  leans  much
more to the side of hard rock/metal  and  maybe  (gasp)  a  little...
alternative. A lot of the tracks have vocals, and these too are  your
basic heavy metal/alternative vocals (performed by various well-known
vocalists). Probably the only saving grace of this CD are the awesome
solos sprinkled liberally throughout, which just  ooze  James  Murphy
all over them. Everyone who's heard  his  amazing  leads  knows  this
sound. Other than that, the extremely  boring  riffs,  below  average
vocals,  and  overall  lack  of  direction  lead  to  an  album  with
questionable merit and no intensity at all. If more of the tracks had
been like "Convergence", or "Vision", the solo-fests that  they  are,
this album would've been much better off. Bottom line: If  you  don't
mind sitting through 3 minutes of crap to hear an amazing one  minute
solo, or don't mind only three or four listenable songs, don't buy it.


Mystifier - _The World Is So Good That Who Made It Doesn't Live Here_  
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (8 out of 10)  (Osmose Productions, August 1996)

Mystifier's songwriting displays the kind of cunning  artistry  which
you don't often hear propelling such dark and  punishing  music.  And
these guys  can  be  punishing  indeed:  they  play  a  predominantly
mid-paced, low-tuned, super-heavy style of death metal, augmented  by
a solid production job and set  apart  by  a  number  of  distinctive
touches.  For  instance:  their  vocalist  is  a  tenor!  This  seems
unbelievable, I know, but if you ask me, it works. For one thing,  he
sings in a pretty standard "gruff" style most of the  time  anyway  -
but on the odd moments when he belts it out in a (more or less) clear
voice, he adds a very distinctive vibe to the music, encompassing way
more emotional range than the usual death metal burping. The band  is
also notable for pushing dense but very crisp-sounding bass lines way
up front in the mix, for featuring some very tasty lead guitar  work,
and for artfully spicing their arrangements with keyboards (piano and
organ tones, not new-agey stuff). Their songs tend to gradually mount
from an atmosphere of chilly foreboding to one of  big-time  tension,
as on the amazing "Chant to the Goddess of Love",  which  continually
builds and builds in sonic depth and emotional intensity. This  isn't
the kind of stuff that reaches right out and grabs you: you  have  to
really pay attention, but when you do, you find that there's  a  hell
of a lot going on. The basic formula might wear a bit thin over time,
I think - but this is way heavy, really creative stuff nonetheless. 


Mythological Cold Towers - _Sphere of Nebaddon..._
by: Adam Wasylyk  (8 out of 10)  (Sound Riot Prod., August 1996)

Some great music comes my way from Mythological  Cold  Towers.  Their
slow, doom/death metal approach is very  refreshing  to  hear.  Songs
worthy of note are "The Vastness of a Desolated Glory" and "Slaves in
the Imaginary Abyssal  Line",  both  of  which  demonstrate  M.C.T.'s
talent at slow, eerie riffing, and "Exotic Voluptuousness of  a  Lost
Feeling of Life", for its  sheer  majestic  sound,  very  similar  to
Visceral Evisceration's slow,  doomy  feel.  Keyboards  and  acoustic
guitaring are scattered throughout most of the songs,  which  greatly
enhanced the pleasure I got from listening to this. Speed  is  rarely
used, a slower paced is preferred, and is what the  band's  good  at.
Doom/death like it should be.

Contact: MYTHOLOGICAL COLD TOWERS c/o Sound Riot Productions
         P.O. Box 251, Campo Grande, MS, 79002-970, Brazil


Namanax - _Cascading Waves of Electronic Turbulence_  (Release, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski  (7 out of 10)

While my  reaction  was  somewhat  lukewarm  to  Namanax's  debut  on
Release, they have rebounded with one of the more inventive noise CDs
yet to come from my home country. The opening  track,  "Contaminating
Influence", is bass-heavy  and  monotonous;  the  sound  is  actually
somewhat akin to a recorded, and over-amplified, squash  match.  Next
up is the main course, the 47-minute title track. If the  opener  can
be compared to a game of squash, the only fitting comparison that can
be made for this one is  to  an  Americanized  Chernobyl.  After  the
initial meltdown and  ensuing  destruction,  this  track  starts  off
sparse, as only the unimportant - due to the fact that they only make
$5 an hour, of course - factory workers get mutilated. As the blast -
BTW, this is a massive explosion - slowly envelopes  the  surrounding
areas, Namanax adds a myriad of cacophonous clashes  and  shrieks  to
their bludgeoning mix. This is harsh noise, not death  metal,  so  do
you think that the senseless maiming ends here? Of  course  not!  The
bodies continue to pile up; an outside observer  can  easily  discern
the skin of each victim, along  with  the  listener's  ears  and  the
stereo's speakers, being slowly raped from  each  helpless  American.
With about 10 minutes left in the album, and our  wonderful  nation's
history, for that matter, this  piece  evolves  into  an  apocalyptic
cacophony suffused with more than enough bass  to  satisfy  the  most
critical masochist; by  the  culmination  of  this  CD,  our  country
remains a barren wasteland, only she's now relieved of her  obtrusive
human population and related skyscrapers. God bless America.


Nightingale - _The Closing Chronicles_  (Black Mark, August 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (7 out of 10)

I was really  not  impressed  with  Nightingale's  debut  album  _The
Breathing Shadow_ and its gothic/80s rock format (see CoC #7), but  I
must say that the follow-up to that  ridiculous  first  effort  isn't
that bad. With the new style and sound of Nightingale  being  pressed
as somewhere between Marillion, Kansas and Asia (even  Canada's  Rush
at times), the effort and creativity put forth by Dan Swano seems  to
be more there this time. His music seems to work, with its heavy dose
of synthesizers and melodic riffs creating very captivating songs  on
album number two. Noteworthy numbers include: "Thoughts From a Stolen
Soul", "Revival", and "Deep Inside of Nowhere."  Those  who  know  of
Swano's work with Edge of Sanity  and  what  he  did  with  the  1995
Nightingale release know that his  work  with  his  solo  project  of
Nightingale is representative of him cleansing out  other  hopes  and
ambitions he wishes to create with his music. Seems as  though  Swano
did some proper housecleaning this time. _TCC_ is worthy  of  looking
into if you  are  fans  of  progressive  metal  (Dream  Theater/Fates
Warning) or wizard rock (Styx/Genesis).


Old Man's Child - _Born of the Flickering_  (Hot Records, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon  (7 out of 10)

This is very high quality black metal. I think "bleak" and "grim" are
appropriate adjectives, but it's not terribly "cold" sounding.  There
are lots of comparisons to be made to Dark Tranquillity, both because
of the folk-death touches, and because of the Yngwie-esque parts, but
this is primarily black metal. They make significant and good use  of
acoustic guitars, fully integrating them into their  sound,  and  not
relying simply on arpeggiated parts like so many other bands do. This
makes for an original  and  refreshing  sound.  However,  the  almost
Spanish-sounding instrumental in the middle of the album seems really
out of place. Some of the vocals are low death grunt/growls, but  the
majority are of the  screaming  black  metal  variety.  Occasionally,
clean vocals are used, but they're a little  flat,  reminding  me  of
Mourning  Sign's  clean  vocals.  The  playing  is  precise  and  the
production is good, so this is well worth searching out, even  if  it
isn't completely satisfying. 


Opeth - _Morningrise_  (Candlelight Records, August 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel  (8 out of 10)

Alright, let me just start this review off by saying  that  those  of
you who are looking  for  a  continuation  of  Opeth's  first  album,
_Orchid_, will be heartily satisfied by _Morningrise_. With that  out
of the way, on with the review. For those not familiar  with  Opeth's
style, it is possibly best described as  slow  to  mid-paced  melodic
black metal (for lack of a better *-metal label... who makes up these
things anyway?), without typical BM production. Morningrise is, quite
simply, a great album which tires itself out. Opeth's familiar  "take
one part 'forest'/black metal, one part acoustic, mix 4  to  5  times
per song, repeat" song structures remain the same, as does the  basic
style in which they are played. This makes for  a  good  combination,
although the acoustic sections are  a  little  too  liberally  spread
throughout the CD, and gets pretty old after the  first  40  minutes,
and then there's still 26 more minutes to go after that. Not  to  say
that the songs are bad, on the contrary,  they're  melodic  and  well
played, with great vocals and the occasional guitar solo;  they  just
left me thinking "Hey, this is a great song! And perfect length, at 6
minutes long... oh, wait a sec...  there's  still  9  minutes  left."
Also, maybe I'm just not in touch with my  inner-acoustic-child,  but
the acoustic sections are too numerous, and  get  old  fast.  So  for
those of you who loved Opeth's first release and are looking for more
of the same, by all means pick up _Morningrise_, you definitely  will
not be disappointed. And if you have never  heard  Opeth  before  and
think you'd like them, go for it. But if you've heard  _Orchid_,  and
thought it was just alright, then draw your own conclusion.


Pro-Pain - _Contents Under Pressure_  (Energy Records, July 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (8 out of 10)

The follow-up to 1994's _The Truth Hurts_ by New York thrash-groovers
Pro-Pain  is  amazing.  From  the  opener  "Crush",  _Contents  Under
Pressure_ hits ya fast and furious with a  deadly  groove  and  harsh
vocals provided by singer/bassist Gary Meskil, and _CUP_  just  keeps
the rage and momentum going till  the  bitter  end.  Sparked  by  the
downfalls and the corruptive nature of society in general, Pro-Pain's
third offering continues on where the band left off with _TTH_,  with
a dedicated pursuit of keeping the death-ish/hardcore  vocals  intact
and on fire as well  as  the  brutally  honest  lyrics,  calling  the
album's ten songs home. Ideas and visions within songs like the title
track, "Gunya Down", "Against the Grain", and  the  heavy  "Political
Suicide" get embedded deep into our skulls. Society  and  life  isn't
always pretty and the boys in Pro-Pain are making  sure  we  remember
that. Heavy duty noise from a band that has come a long way since the
somewhat dismal debut album _Foul Taste of Freedom_  in  1992.  Bands
grow for the better sometimes and this is proof of it.


Psychotic Waltz - _Bleeding_  (Independent, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon  (6 out of 10)

This is a step in the right direction for these guys. It's  a  return
to a style closer to _Into the Everflow_ than _Mosquito_.  The  songs
remain simpler in structure, but they are heavier, more  interesting,
and they've replaced the pseudo-alternative influence  of  _Mosquito_
with the 70s hippie-rock influence of _ItE_. Although I'm no  fan  of
70s rock, I think this is a  change  for  the  better.  They've  also
retained their Jethro Tull influence, as the intro to "My Grave" will
attest. I guess the overall mix of the album is about half  and  half
heavy and light, and half and  half  hard  rock  and  metal.  It's  a
reasonably coherent album, but it doesn't get boring.  Unfortunately,
it doesn't get too interesting, either. The playing is good, with the
best parts being the guitar solos. However, I get a strong  sense  of
deja vu when I listen to parts of this album,  as  they  seem  to  be
taken directly  from  (or  at  least  heavily  influenced  by)  their
previous albums. Parts of "Locust" evoke  a  strong  recollection  of
"Haze One", and the solo in "Sleep" recalls the solos  in  "Into  the
Everflow" and "Strange". I'm sure that if you  liked  their  previous
releases, you'll like this one as well. If you  haven't  heard  them,
and you like 70s rock mixed with metal, you could do much  worse.  By
the way, although this is an independent release,  the  packaging  is
excellent. It's the best indie packaging I've ever seen; very vibrant
and strange artwork.


Sacramentum - _Far Away from the Sun_  (Adipocere, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon  (8 out of 10)

On their first full-length offering,  Sacramentum  fix  most  of  the
mistakes they made on _Finis Malorum_.  Gone  are  the  out  of  tune
parts, (most of) the off-time parts, and the poor production.  What's
left? Something that sounds a lot like  Dissection.  They  even  have
blue/black cover artwork by Necrolord,  and  their  pictures  are  in
boxes on the back liner. But to discount them as Dissection  rip-offs
on this basis alone would be foolish. Their style is less  aggressive
than  Dissection,   but   more   intricate,   avoiding   the   overly
straightforward  approach  that  Dissection's  latest  (see  CoC  #4)
suffered from. As with  Hypocrite  (see  review  this  issue),  their
melodic parts are usually either harmonized or have  countermelodies,
which is a technique that I think works especially well. As  was  the
case with their MCD (although not quite as much  so),  the  songs  on
this offering vary often, switching riffs every couple of times  that
they're played. In some cases, this amounts to nothing  more  than  a
change of key or a different drum beat, but it does help to keep  the
album from getting boring  too  quickly.  Overall,  I  was  a  little
disappointed by this album, but I did have high hopes for it, and  it
nearly delivered. I'd recommended it for Dissection and melodic black
metal fans. 


Samael - _Passage_  (Century Media, September 1996)
by: Gino Filicetti  (9 out of 10)

Back and ready to blow your mind away is  the  newest  offering  from
Samael. It's hard to imagine that this is Samael's fourth full-length
when you take a look at the age of its members, the average being  23
years old. Despite this fact however, Samael have grown immensely and
produced an album that is both powerful and mature. _Passage_  begins
with a  typical  Samael  guitar  riff  and  is  then  enhanced  by  a
cacophonous keyboard sound.  Former  drummer  Xytras  has  left  from
behind his drum kit since their last album, _Ceremony of  Opposites_,
and is now Samael's full time keyboardist and drum  programmer.  Yes,
you heard me correctly,  a  drum  machine  IS  used  on  this  album.
Personally, I would have preferred a live drum  sound,  but  in  this
case, the drum machine just adds to the  atmosphere  created  by  the
extensive use of keyboards and samples. This album is  home  to  many
mind-blowing songs  such  as  the  catchy  lead  track,  "Rain",  the
powerful "My Savior", the  experimental  "Jupiterian  Vibe"  and  the
amazing "Liquid Soul  Dimension".  Samael's  musical  departure  from
black metal has been  just  about  completed  with  this  album,  but
lyrically, the theme of true satanism, the worship of  the  self,  is
still intact. Check this one out folks. An  amazing  band  amazes  us
again.


Sinister - _Bastard Saints_  (Nuclear Blast, August 1996)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (7 out of 10)

Having heard much of their older material, I admit I was never a  big
fan of Sinister. But you can't deny that they are  cut-throat,  never
sloppy, and at times quite brutal. This 5-song mini-CD contains 3 new
songs (actually, one is an intro, the others are the title track  and
"Rebels Dome") and 2 remixes of older songs,  "Cross  the  Styx"  and
"Epoch of Denial". Listening to the new tracks, they are very much in
the same vein as older material, with  fast  riffing  and  controlled
blast beats. The two remixes sound great, with better sounding vocals
and production. If this EP is any indication of what the new album is
going to sound like, then Sinister can rest  assured  that  the  band
will still be one of the  more  popular  death  metal  bands  around.
Sinister fans should definitely check this out, and expect  an  album
early next year.


Slapdash - _Bound_  (MNW Zone, August 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (4 out of 10)

Sounding a lot like Pantera from the get-go on opening track "Bound",
Swedish power-groove metal quintet really don't  get  far  away  from
that  comparison  with  the  remainder  of  material  on  this  short
11-minute long EP. At times the  band  sounds  similar  to  San  Fran
thrashers Machine Head as well, even Korn on vocals. The material  is
rather weak and repetitive at times. I figure if the band hadn't held
themselves up in some garage somewhere in Sweden with Pantera's  _Far
Beyond Driven_ or Machine Head's _Burn My Eyes_ on repeat play, maybe
their power-groove metal material would have had some  kind  of  it's
own identity/personality rather than borrowing from someone else. 


Stuck Mojo - _Pigwalk_  (Century Media, October 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (9 out of 10)

This record kicked my ass. BIG TIME! From the opening thrust of title
track "Pigwalk" through powerful concoctions  as  "(Here  Comes)  the
Monster", "Despise", and "Violated", the  newly  altered  Stuck  Mojo
(new bass player and drummer) from Atlanta, Georgia deliver  a  truly
dynamic and  high-powered  follow  up  to  their  1995  debut  album,
_Snapping Necks_. While _SN_ showcased the  band's  hybrid  blend  of
rap/hardcore/metal, _Pigwalk_ replays their sound, yet is enhanced by
the band's determination to further their sound. The album  showcases
the amount of experience the band has attained while  doing  numerous
tour stops worldwide and captured that in the recording of the album.
Thanks to the stunning production of  Strapping  Young  Lad  frontman
Devin Townsend and Meshuggah producer Daniel Bergstrand,  Stuck  Mojo
have finally been given proper care. The riffs are  heavier  and  the
anger of the band is more detailed this time out. Not only  does  the
band provide some of the thickest, most sharp-shooting grooves around
on this record but  lead  singer  Bonz  still  carries  the  role  as
frontman well with  his  rapping/screaming  style.  Not  many  people
originally caught on to Stuck Mojo and what they did, but  this  time
around Stuck Mojo should have the ball in their court. This  band  is
for real and _Pigwalk_ is probably one  of  the  best  releases  this
Fall, maybe even this year. It's not how heavy you are, it's  whether
you can play your music.


Therion - _Theli_  (Nuclear Blast, September 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (10 out of 10)

Few albums have left me speechless and in awe. Therion's sixth  album
and latest effort, _Theli_, is one of them. First, before I  go  into
my review of the Therion LP, let me recap  what  CoC  editor-in-chief
Gino Filicetti had to say about the band's  previous  effort,  1995's
critically acclaimed,  _Lepaca  Kliffoth_:  "...  this  album  is  so
gigantic, so enormous, so majestic, so  incredible,  it  *really*  is
beyond words..." I couldn't have said anything more on the money than
that for _Theli_ as well. A  powerful  masterpiece  of  delicateness,
symphonic sounds, and sheer genius. Guided by composer and  guitarist
Christofer Johnsson, Therion's sound is something  to  take  note  of
with his visions of melding metal and orchestral symphonies. The  way
the material on _Theli_ is  written,  with  its  strong  emphasis  on
uniqueness,  we  the  listener  are  able  to  see  the  patterns  of
creativity flow from _Theli_, as they unfold. We are  there,  feeling
and moving with each orchestral pattern or melodic section. Aided  by
several choirs on _Theli_ (The North German Radio  Choir,  The  Siren
Choir, and The Bambek Symphonic Orchestra), this has allowed Johnsson
to create what he has always planned to do  with  Therion;  a  record
that was set by no boundaries and in return do something that has yet
to be attempted. The album, sometimes leaves the listener in  a  form
of orchestral  ecstasy.  The  album  (10  tracks)  is  littered  with
enormous   epic   songs,   showcasing   emotions,   complexity    and
intelligence.  Be  thoroughly  impressed   with   such   numbers   as
"Invocation  of  Naamah",  the   ultra-cool   "To   Mega   Therions",
"Interludium", "The Siren of the Woods", and the phenomenal "Cult  of
the Shadows." Buy, order, steal, beg or do whatever you  can  to  get
your hands on this record as it truly stacks up to be one of a  kind.
Amazing.


Thou Art Lord - _Apollyon_  (Unisound Records, June 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (8 out of 10)

Thou Art Lord is a side project led by members of the excellent Greek
outfits Necromantia and Rotting Christ, and this, the  band's  second
full-length release, is a very cool piece of work.  The  backbone  of
TAL's sound is simple,  raw,  and  blasting  black  metal,  but  they
distinguish themselves from  other  practitioners  of  this  overdone
style by artfully positioning moments of true raging blackness inside
highly engaging songs which draw equally from  80s  power  metal  and
thrash. This proves to be a really refreshing approach, since all the
"old school" stuff is done with cool and credible  style,  while  the
persistent black metal influence keeps things from sounding dated, or
"retro" in a trendy sort of  way.  "Prelude  to  Apocalypse"  gallops
powerfully  along  in  total  thrash   metal   style   before   madly
accelerating into a blackened blast, while "Wardance of the  Empress"
weds fast black metal to pounding old school metal thud. On the other
hand, "Societas Satanas" is  ripping  thrash  straight  through,  and
"Excremental Magick" is just plain  raw  and  seriously  eerie  black
metal. Throughout its  eight  tracks,  _Apollyon_  showcases  crafty,
catchy songwriting that doesn't skimp on impact or  speed.  A  unique
and highly recommended release.


Type O Negative - _October Rust_  (Attic/Roadrunner, August 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (8 out of 10)

Light the candles, burn incense and  pull  the  drapes  down  as  New
York's dark, blood lusting gothic quartet Type O  Negative  are  back
with _October Rust_, a follow up to the hugely  successful  1993  LP,
_Bloody Kisses_. From "Love You to Death" onward, the mood is set for
_October Rust_ - a very sinister, yet ethereal dose of gothic  mayhem
bounded  by  overwhelming  guitar   riffs,   haunting   vocals,   and
atmospheric keyboards. Much in the vein  of  gothic  forefathers  The
Sisters of Mercy, singer/bassist/Playgirl model  Peter  Steele  leads
his band through a much more commercial  sounding  record  with  soft
melodies and vocals that in some way seems more justifying  to  their
sound. I personally liked the rather  abrasive,  cutthroat  mentality
that called their first two  releases  (_Slow,  Deep  And  Hard_  and
_Origin of the Feces_) home, but  I  can  live  with  this.  But  the
question is, what about the music buying public? Would seem so as the
album debuted in the #42 position in the  Billboard  Top  200  chart.
Call it sellout material, but I  think  _October  Rust_  is  a  great
record that captures Type O's ability to mix mood and melody - moreso
than they have done in the past, though captured somewhat with  _BK_.
Other choice cuts; first single "My  Girlfriend's  Girlfriend",  "Die
With Me", a cool  gothic  sounding  cover  of  Neil  Young's  classic
"Cinnamon Girl", and "Green Man". A great follow-up record to _Bloody
Kisses_.


Visions of Disorder - <3-song sampler>  (Roadrunner, September 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (9 out of 10)

Having only sampled 10:30 of this Long Island, NY five-piece's  music
(their  debut  album  is  forthcoming),  I  was   left   shaken   and
panic-stricken. But oddly enough, I enjoyed the emotional stress  and
uncertainty I was subjected to. The music is fucking violent and  the
music is repeatedly urged on by truly demented  accounts  of  reality
and hardships  told  through  the  powerful  screams  and  lyrics  of
frontman Tim Williams on such songs as the anger-inspired "Through My
Eyes", the awkwardness of "Viola", and adrenaline rush  of  "Watering
Disease". Take the absurdity/creativity  of  Tool,  the  hard-driving
stamina of Turmoil, Crisis or local T.O. act Mundane, and incorporate
some heavy death-ish growls of  Obituary/Death  and  you've  got  the
assorted platter of VoD. It's rough around the  edges,  but  all  the
heavy angles meet at one strengthened point. This  band  has  got  my
attention, no question about it.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
                 __                    __      _
              /\ \ \_____      __   /\ \ \___ (_)___  ___
             /  \/ / _ \ \ /\ / /  /  \/ / _ \| / __|/ _ \
            / /\  /  __/\ 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


Avernus - _A Farewell to Eden_  (4-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (*****)

Unbelievable! Not only for the music, but for  the  fact  that  these
guys are  actually  unsigned!!  Their  appearance  at  the  Milwaukee
Metalfest amazed me, and their four-song demo, _A Farewell to  Eden_,
definitely lived up to my expectations, and more. Starting  off  with
the tribal sounding title track, I found myself struggling to come up
with words to describe their sound. There's as I mentioned  before  a
tribal element in the music (using instruments like  tambourines  and
African drums) which is a predominant  factor  in  a  couple  of  the
tracks. Perhaps slow, melodic metal?  Efficient  keyboarding  is  one
strength of the band which is very emotional sounding, another is the
male and female singing which accentuates the music beautifully.  Not
one single complaint here (including production-wise), this is one of
the best demo's I've ever heard. Record companies please take note!

Contact: AVERNUS, P.O. Box 508257, Cicero, IL, 60804, USA


Beauty - _Beauty_  (3-track demo)
by: Brian Meloon  (****-)

As I've said in reviews before, industrial really isn't  my  favorite
style of music. However, there is some industrial that I  enjoy,  and
this is some of the better  industrial  I've  heard.  It  essentially
follows the style of Fear  Factory,  mixing  metal  with  industrial,
though more of a middle ground between the two styles. It's at  times
technoish (e.g. the intro  to  "Outpatient"),  and  at  times  heavy.
There's also some pretty strange stuff here too; dissonant and  weird
sounding sections that really add an extra  element  to  the  overall
effect. The drum programming is pretty good at  times  too,  and  the
bass is cranked way up, even beyond the guitars  most  of  the  time,
which makes for an interesting  and  unique  sound.  The  vocals  are
usually shouted, with some being distorted, and fit  right  into  the
style of the  music.  The  songs  all  run  together,  and  the  song
structures are varied. Unfortunately, the  song  structures  in  some
cases hinder the song's effect, as in "Outpatient", which gets  going
full speed, and then slows down again abruptly.  Still,  this  is  an
excellent effort for a  one-man  industrial  project,  and  his  next
offering sounds promising. 

Contact: BEAUTY, 3178-B8 Summit Square Drive, Oakton, VA, 22124, USA
         e-mail: gse@ocsystems.com


Brick - _Brick_  (5-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (***--)

A five-piece from Minnesota, Brick, on  their  self-titled  five-song
demo play death  metal  with  enough  tempo  change  to  keep  things
interesting. Songs like "Humanities  End",  "Destined  to  Die",  and
"Conflict" are good representations of the band, which in some  parts
have speed but it isn't used excessively, and for the most part  they
prefer a slower beat. Production is pretty good too. Not bad.

Contact: BRICK c/o Manitou Productions
         P.O. Box 600218, St. Paul, MN, 55106, USA


Collapse - _From Another Place_  (4-track demo)
by: Brian Meloon  (****-)

This is some pretty interesting and technical thrash. It sounds  most
like a thrashier Voivod, but it's pretty interesting, with a  lot  of
complex syncopations, a la Meshuggah. A lot of  the  technicality  is
(for lack of a better word) tedious: it's not  the  "twiddly-twiddly"
complexity that the shredders have,  nor  the  flashy  complexity  of
Atheist or Lethargy, but rather the dense  kind  of  complexity  that
makes the songs difficult to really follow on the first few  listens.
Adding to this effect are the numerous changes in the music, and some
rather  choppy  transitions  between  sections.  A  number   of   the
transitions are very smooth, though. The vocals  also  remind  me  of
Voivod, although  they're  more  melodic,  and  not  as  nasal.  They
certainly fit the music well. The  production  is  good,  thick,  and
heavy sounding, and the  packaging  is  very  good  too.  This  is  a
professional offering, and worth checking out if you  like  technical
stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if they're signed shortly. 

Contact: COLLAPSE, P.O. Box 4557, London, SW20 8XJ England
         e-mail: veilmaya@dircon.co.uk


Darkheave - _Beauty, Truth, Goodness_  (4-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley  (***--)

For an unbelievably low amount of money (the rumor around  T.O.  says
$50 or less) North York, Ontario's Darkheave  produced  and  recorded
their follow-up to their debut 4-song  demo,  _No  Life  'til  Pedro_
(which was done on 4-track for $20). Now that we get past the overall
cost of the band's recordings, we  get  down  to  the  heart  of  the
matter, the music. On _BTG_, Darkheave lashes  out  with  some  heavy
death metal numbers (aided by multiple  samples)  that  shout  Napalm
Death or (old) Fear Factory styles. As well, there is  an  underlying
element of groove that is found on this recording,  therefore  citing
influences of Machine Head and Kyuss. After  noting  that,  it  seems
that those influences and sounds make this 4-track demo sound like  a
collection of musical influences rather  than  a  full-fledged  solid
effort by the band. I know the band has potential to do  something  a
bit more aggressive and more detailed to their sound  as  opposed  to
mimicking other bands because of the  work  on  their  previous  demo
tape, which showed a varied Darkheave sound of  metallic  mayhem  and
groove. _BTG_ shows definite signs of growth in sound and  harshness,
and besides the low-cost  production  muffling  direction  or  wanted
sound, this demo actually hits its mark with its rawness  and  rather
harsh brutality. Tracks like the powerful "Die a  Tribe"  and  opener
"Bastard Diabolic" are worthy of checking out. Sounds heavy, but more
emphasis on a Darkheave sound is needed. 'Nuff said. 

Contact: DARKHEAVE, 7 Haddington Ave.
         North York, Ontario, Canada, M5M-2N6
         voice: (416) 733-3379 (Matt), e-mail: untied@netcom.ca


Entrafis - _Into Out_  (4-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (****-)

Some may recognize Entrafis  from  their  appearance  on  the  _Sonic
Obliteration_ compilation, but the band is no more, that is, with the
presence of the member who originally formed the  band.  Jake  Evans,
who in November 1991 named and formed Entrafis, called  it  quits  in
February 1995, but the rest of the members are  continuing  with  the
Entrafis name. This four-song demo is the last for  Evans,  who  will
continue with his latest ideas  and  concepts  which  were  initially
intended for Entrafis, through his new work  in  the  future.  Enough
band history, now on to the music. As I  said  this  is  a  four-song
demo, and the songs lie on the technical side of death metal.  Rarely
fast, concentration on slower song structures is evident  and  pulled
off nicely, leaving this as a better than average demo. Evans, on his
feelings of the rest of the band continuing on as  Entrafis  says  "I
feel without my lyrical and musical approach,  it  is  just  not  the
same." Well, the lyrics I could personally do without (as they aren't
the greatest), but musically, that's a different  story.  Some  great
Canadian talent here.

Contact: ENTRAFIS c/o Jake Evans
         119 Purcells Cove Road, Halifax, NS, B3P-1B3, CANADA


Eternal Tears of Sorrow - _Sinner's Serenade_  (5-track demo)
by: Gino Filicetti  (***--)

Hailing from Finland, this multi-faceted metal band displays a lot of
talent, but one of the shittiest demo recordings  I've  heard  in  my
LIFE! However, if one overlooks that one  minor  detail,  it  becomes
evident that EToS can  hold  their  own.  This  tape  is  actually  a
four-son advance tape  in  lieu  of  their  full-length  debut  being
released by X-treme Records later this year.  The  demo  begins  with
"Dawn, a very soft melodic intro to  the  song,  "Another  One  Falls
Asleep",  which  showcases  EToS's  musical   style   which   remains
consistent throughout this demo. The vocals are probably my  favorite
part of this tape: they are growled and pretty low in tone,  but  not
extremely guttural, the way I like 'em best! The guitar sound  has  a
definite black metal styling to it, but can become quite folkish a la
Amorphis in songs like, "Sinner's Serenade". Overall, a solid advance
tape: let's just hope the album has better production than this.

Contact: ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW c/o Jarmo Puolakanaho
         Tuulimyllyntie 7 B 18, FIN-93100 Pudasjarvi, FINLAND


Euphoric Evisceration - _In the Mind of Perversion_  (7-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (***--)

From Illinois, Euphoric Evisceration play some  better  than  average
death metal with below average production. Six songs can be found  on
this demo, starting off with the plain weird "Sovereign", and in  the
remaining  tracks,  EE  demonstrate  a  good  balance  of  speed  and
heaviness. In songs like  the  title  track,  "Autorotica",  "Tainted
Lies", and "Fractured", there is some vocal  diversity  present  with
three different band members contributing vocals. Musically good  but
unfortunately the production brings it down a tad.

Contact: EUPHORIC EVISCERATION c/o Alan Collado
         129 E. Dennis, Wheeling, IL, 60090, USA


Genetic Defense - _Genetic Defense_  (7-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (****-)

I rather enjoyed this demo from metallers Genetic Defense. The  music
is heavy and at times very catchy, evidence being  the  first  track,
"Conform". Other songs, like "Stone Man",  "Sick  and  Hurting",  and
"Ritual Punishment" are enjoyable to listen to, while there  are  few
moments of weakness to be heard. From what I could  hear,  it  sounds
like there are some Pantera and perhaps Prong influences. The  vocals
are raspy and are quite different than  most  voices  I've  heard  on
other demos. Production is very good too, and  that  only  helps  out
their sound and my enjoyment listening to this. The lyrics are pretty
depressing too (if that counts for anything). There is no real  speed
factor here, the band definitely prefer a slower beat so the  guitars
can take over. Genetic Defense JUST earn  a  four-star  rating.  It's
worth listening to.

Contact: GENETIC DEFENSE, 4802 East Ray Road Suite 23-261
         Phoenix, AZ, 85044  USA


Glutton - _She Was Beautiful_  (3-track demo)
by: Gino Filicetti  (*****)

As soon as the package labeled "Glutton" arrived in my mail, I knew I
was in for a treat; and gosh darnit, I was right! This is  the  third
self-produced,  self-printed,  self-pressed  demo  these  boys   have
regurgitated to the masses in their  presumably  short,  but  unknown
lifespan. I can safely say that everything about Glutton's  music  is
original; the riffs, the vocals, the lyrics, the  artwork,  the  bio,
and their entire (non)image can not be compared  to  any  other  mere
mortals. The production on this tape is quite  muddy,  but  strangely
enough,  it  suits  the  music  well.  The  first  tune,   "Excessive
Premonition", is the highlight of the demo.  It  starts  off  with  a
bunch of weird, haunted house-style shriekings that give way to  some
very catchy riffage which dominates the rest of the song. The  vocals
Glutton call their own are a sort of raspy whisper that comes  across
quite clear in parts. The lyrics  are  somewhat  poetic  but  totally
undecipherable, which only adds to the mystique of the band. I  would
definitely recommend this recording to any and  everyone,  especially
to all the numb fuck A&R reps who haven't signed these guys yet.  For
more insight into the mentality  of  Glutton,  check  out  CoC  #12's
Independent Interrogations.

"Send All Wounds To:" GLUTTON, PO Box 56691
                      Harwood Heights, IL, USA
                      e-mail: miketv@mcs.net


Mental Crypt - _Sects of Doom_  (4-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (***--)

Musically this demo isn't bad, but  vocally  it  left  a  lot  to  be
desired. The five-piece from Sweden play death  metal  combined  with
more traditional elements of  metal  which  accounts  for  the  music
sounding okay, but the vocals sounded more whiney than powerful.  The
demo was recorded in the Abyss Studios  by  Peter  Tagtgren,  who  is
better known for being in Hypocrisy. I  didn't  find  the  production
exceptional, but it's better than most demos I've heard of late. With
a band in its infantile stages, the best producer in the world  can't
make up for lack of talent. That is  somewhat  the  same  case  here.
Musically, there isn't  anything  great.  For  the  most  part,  it's
average material. Lyrics deal with death and gloom, song  titles  are
"Genocide", "Suffocation", the title track, and "Pandemonium".  I  do
see potential in Mental Crypt, but some  musical  and  vocal  changes
will have to be made for  them  to  prosper.  _Sects  of  Doom_  just
scrapes out an average mark.

Contact: MENTAL CRYPT, c/o Sven Erik Fritiofsson
         Solgatan 8C, S-663 30, Skoghall, SWEDEN
         e-mail: sven-erik.fritiofsson@enator.se


Obscure Disaster - _Zeitalter der Unvernunft_  (6-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (****-)

Hailing from Germany are Obscure Disaster with this being their debut
demo. Formed in  1992,  this  five-piece  are  good  at  writing  and
performing melodic death metal. The  demo  starts  off  with  a  cool
choir-sung intro, then swings into songs  like  "Menschenfleish"  and
"Obscure Life Disaster" which really showcase their talent  for  this
type of death  metal.  Great  production  really  helps  out  OBSCURE
DISASTER's sound, which left every instrument to  be  heard  clearly.
Speed is used but not excessively. This will please a  wide  spectrum
of death metal fans.

Contact: OBSCURE DISASTER c/o Dennis Wendig
         Wiesenkoppel 8, 29640 Schneverdingen, GERMANY


Ossuary Insane - _Fallen to the Pits_  (3-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (****-)

Original? No. Enjoyable? Yes. Ossuary Insane are a death  metal  band
who don't use speed as a crutch. The constant tempo changes keep  the
listener  guessing,  from  blast  beats  to  slower,  more  intricate
patterns. Vocals are what you've come to expect from  a  death  metal
band. The guitaring is well done and the  drumming  is  great.  Songs
"From Beneath the Blood" and "Summoned to  Death"  were  a  treat  to
listen to, while the closing track "Blaspheme Unto Rebirth" had  more
bark than bite. Sound  clips  are  also  used  throughout  the  demo.
Production could be better, but on the whole some  enjoyable,  brutal
(yet catchy) death metal to be heard.

Contact: OSSUARY INSANE, P.O. Box 22094, Eagen, MN, 55122, USA


Ritual - _Ritual_  (3-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (***--)

"You gonna do something or just stand there and  bleed?"  This  sound
clip starts off RITUAL's heavy three-song demo. The  vocals  on  this
very much reminded me of Pantera's Phil Anselmo. Actually,  not  only
do the vocals, but also the music reminds me of Pantera.  "Bombshine"
starts off the demo with some heavy riffing, "Silent  Treatment"  has
an acoustic intro and then becomes very much like the first song, and
the demo ends with "Nail in the Coffin", which starts out  with  some
soft guitaring and then breaks out into the most aggressive track and
also my favorite one. Not bad, but there is plenty of room for  their
sound to grow and become more their own.

Contact: RITUAL, 4452 N. Overhill, Norridge, IL, 60656, USA


Rotted - _Instinctive Demise_  (4-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (***--)

Not be confused with Canada's own Rotting, Milwaukee's  Rotted,  with
the four-track _Instinctive Demise_, perform some brutal death  metal
in the same vein as Suffocation, especially vocal-wise. Songs "Beyond
My Sight", "Substance Replaced Reality", "Remorse Destiny",  and  the
title track are performed  brutally  and  are  unrelenting  in  their
aggressive style. Very good production and a  good  demo  layout  put
this over the top. However, if Rotted want  to  go  beyond  the  demo
stage, then they have to incorporate some more  musical  styles  into
their present sound. They do have the talent,  but  they'll  have  to
back it up with more originality, to separate them from the  hundreds
of Suffocation-sounding bands out there.  If  they  indeed  do  this,
you'll be hearing the name Rotted again in the future.

Contact: ROTTED, P.O. Box 341062, Milwaukee, WI, 53234, USA

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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.


          D I S A S S E M B L I N G   T H E   M A C H I N E
          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
         Monster Voodoo Machine at The Volcano in Kitchener, Ontario
                      with Ink, October 4, 1996
                           by: Jay Smith

     Most fans of hard music in Canada will admit that  this  country
is not necessarily that much of a spawning ground  for  high  quality
heavy metal acts that break through with commercial  success.  Having
this in mind, October 4th at the Volcano in Kitchener,  Ontario,  was
an especially dramatic night, where the last Monster  Voodoo  Machine
gig ever took place.
     The night started with  unwanted  complications  (MVM  arriving/
checking sound late due to Highway 401  traffic  accidents/problems).
However, when openers Ink started the night off at  approximately  11
o'clock, all was forgotten. For about a half an hour,  newcomers  Ink
treated the Volcano to their  infectious  blend  of  melodic  hip-hop
core, displaying elements of bands like Orange 9MM, while maintaining
the drama and intensity of bands such as Tool. Despite minor problems
with sound and a bassist with a broken hand, Ink  played  a  powerful
set, and shall be a force to be reckoned with in the future. However,
the people in the Volcano were there for one reason only; they wanted
to see MVM go out with a bang.
     At about midnight, the lights went out and over the PA  came  an
acoustic/country-tinged ditty  about  a  band  named  Monster  Voodoo
Machine, who, as it ended, triumphantly sauntered out and  wasted  no
time in diving into a ferociously intense version  of  "Temple".  The
crowd, as well, wasted no time in becoming exponentially  overzealous
(and unfortunately, a tad too violent). Adam and  the  band  spent  a
majority of the time in between songs continually humbly thanking the
crowd for their respect and support throughout the  band's  five-year
reign. Musicianship-wise, they were in  their  finest  hour,  playing
tighter than I had ever seen them play! In  addition,  Adam  informed
the fans about the future of  the  members  of  MVM,  with  the  band
mutating into a new hardcore punk-styled  band  (minus  Adam)  called
Semi-Auto Reflex. 
     Monster  Voodoo  Machine's  set  stuck  to  the  definitive  MVM
classics of each album: "3 Year Plan" from _Burn_; "Get On With  It",
and "Born Guilty" from _State Voodoo/State  Control_;  "Inside  These
Walls",   "Defense   Mechanism",   and    "Fetal    Position"    from
_Suffersystem_. The only non-album track of the night was a cover  of
Dag Nasty's "Dag Nasty", which incited the  already  crazy  crowd  to
elevate their animosity. In addition, the band played a  fair  amount
of new songs from the newly-released _Pirate Satellite_ EP,  crushing
the crowd with "Ghetto  Blaster",  "Water  to  Wine"  and  more.  The
surprising aspect of the show was that this was the only show that  I
had ever been to where the sound was  beyond  100%  perfect  -  album
quality. MVM appeared to be finished the show after having  played  a
tear-jerking rendition of "Distanced". Minutes later, we were treated
to a skull-crushing encore containing "Bastard Is As  Bastard  Does",
in which they invited ME (to whom they dedicated the rest of the show
to for having designed the MVM homepage) on  stage  to  share  vocals
with Adam, "Voodoo #1", and the closing epic, "Copper Theft", when  a
majority of the members proceeded to dive into the crowd, instruments
and all.
     Like them or not, Monster Voodoo Machine made a  big  impact  on
the hard music scene in Canada, sticking to playing  uncompromisingly
angry hardcore/metal anthems like no other. If you were a fan of  MVM
and you did not show up for this event, I'll conclude  by  tormenting
this article's readers by commenting that they missed the  best  hard
music concert in Canadian history.

Check out the MVM web site at:
     http://www.golden.net/~molotov/mvm/mvmhq.htm

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Here is an excerpt from MVM's press release:

                MONSTER VOODOO MACHINE CALLS IT A DAY
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     After five years, one album, 4 EPs, 1 Juno  award,  and  several
hundreds of thousands of miles behind them (not to mention a few #1's
along the way), Monster Voodoo Machine has decided to call it a day.
     As of August 14, 1996, band brainchild Adam Sewell has sent word
that it's time to move on. "It felt as though there  wasn't  anything
more that could be accomplished with Monster  Voodoo  Machine",  says
Sewell. "I just think it's better to go out gracefully while the name
still means something"
     "We never had the best of luck in Canada",  says  Sewell.  We're
probably the only band to win a Juno in a rock category and never get
picked up by Canadian commercial radio."
     Contrary to popular belief (read: stereotype), Adam  Sewell  and
the rest of MVM would like to extend a  very  large,  heart-felt  and
sincere THANK YOU to everyone who has been there and who  has  helped
along the way.

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

  N O   M O R E   T O U R S ,   A G A I N   A N D   A G A I N . . .
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
         Ozzy Osbourne at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario
   with Danzig, Sepultura and Neurotic Gypsies, September 28, 1996
                        by: Alain M. Gaudrault

     I could hear opening act Neurotic Gypsies as I  was  waiting  to
pick up my tickets at the wicket. Sounded like nothing  special,  but
of course, we still weren't in the venue.  Unfortunately,  it  didn't
get much better after we'd taken our seats.  This  unknown  act,  who
filled the slot for Clutch, who filled the slot for Fear Factory, who
took over for Prong after their recent breakup, smacked of  Alice  in
Chains  clones,  thanks  to  the  sub-par  Layne  Staley-esque  vocal
delivery. The music seemed rooted in 80s-era heavy metal, which  made
me believe that they were likely a last-minute replacement  from  the
greater Toronto area, as this style of music still seems  to  pervade
here, despite its lack of popularity. A forgettable act, particularly
with the remaining lineup lying in wait.
     Sepultura were on next, much to my surprise, as I expected  them
to be of higher ranking than ex-Misfits modern day goth-crooner, Glen
Danzig. It's a shame their set was so short, as it  basically  forced
the band to choose between  focusing  on  their  latest  two  (highly
successful) albums, or pleasing the older crowd with past favourites.
They chose the former of the two  approaches,  playing  nothing  from
their first four releases, and only the title track off their  fifth,
_Arise_. Disappointing to an longtime fan, to say the least.  I  must
admit that they did a good job of playing what they did,  turning  in
solid performances, yet not overly spectacular, possibly because none
of the new material seems  to  be  particularly  difficult  to  play,
taking away from the frenetic pace which graced  Sepultura  shows  of
yesteryear. The fusion of the South American tribal  music  to  metal
makes for an interesting listen, and  the  6-person  tribal  drumming
session at the end of the set was rather memorable, and yet the music
itself is quite forgettable. The crowd in the pit ate it up,  though,
but then, I've seen trendies mosh at far lamer shows in the past.
     Quicker than you can spark up another spliff,  Danzig  took  the
stage and proceeded to show the world just how much he loves himself.
Opening with massive hit "Mother", the  band  received  a  reasonably
enthousiastic response which lessened as the set dragged on. Danzig's
brand of "goth and roll" can be a  bit  hard  to  take.  It  has  the
semblance of sleazy 80s-era hard rock, but  with  a  darker,  doomier
edge. While I personally found the material more  entertaining  in  a
live setting, the crowd didn't really seem to  be  getting  into  the
music, or  perhaps  they  were  actually  listening,  for  a  change.
Regardless, Glen Danzig pranced around like the  steroid-pumped  rock
star he wants himself to be, and did a good job of that.  His  vocals
were acceptable, particularly towards  the  end,  but  his  unmelodic
yelling and shortness of breath detracted from what could  have  been
adequate material on a good night. The most interesting part  of  the
set was the band's  latest  addition,  ex-Prong  guitarist/songwriter
Tommy Victor, who's bound to suffer the constraints of  working  with
the likes of Glen.
     It was obvious that timing was crucial, as the first opening act
had started playing immediately at 19:00, as advertised;  now,  after
only 10 or 15 minutes at most, Ozzy was ready to take the stage,  but
not before the video montage which  has  become  de  rigueur  on  his
latest tours. The two large composite monitors adorning each side  of
the stage were just big enough to offer everyone a good view  of  the
sometimes funny, sometimes  self-aggrandizing  footage.  Whereas  the
montage  leading  into  last  year's  performance  at  Toronto's  RPM
Warehouse consisted mostly  of  Ozzy  slickly  spliced  into  various
well-known music videos and movies, a large portion  of  this  year's
served to showcase the career  of  heavy  metal's  madman,  featuring
concert footage with the mighty  Black  Sabbath,  outtakes  from  the
Randy Rhoades era, clips from his mid-eighties glam stage,  and  full
circle to the more heavily Sabbath-inspired releases  of  late,  most
importantly _Ozzmosis_, the album which he is currently promoting.
     After a shorter-than-expected video session, the real Ozzy  took
the stage  to  an  eager  audience,  who  immediately  seemed  to  be
transported back in time some 15 years. Chants of "Ozzy, Ozzy,  Ozzy"
were screamed everywhere, home-made banners were proudly displayed by
fans, and lighters burned brightly during Ozzy's ballads. Of  course,
I can't really blame them all. After all, I *was* wearing my  13-year
old "Bark at the Moon" jersey with the white sleeves, and I *did* get
the urge to stand up and pound my fist in  the  air.  Ozzy  generally
does a good job of pleasing just about all of his  fans,  and  has  a
pretty good idea what his audience wants to hear. His band, featuring
Joe  Holmes  (former  student  of  Ozzy's  late  ex-guitarist,  Randy
Rhoades) on guitar, ex-Suicidal Tendencies bassist  Robert  Trujillo,
ex-Faith No More drummer Mike Borden, and an unknown  (and  inaudibly
introduced) keyboardist who filled in the empty spaces in the  music,
were quite adept at playing the whole spectrum of  Ozzy's  catalogue.
Several Sabbath numbers were performed, including  "Paranoid",  "Iron
Man", "Sweet Leaf" (one of my personal favourites), and "Children  of
the Grave". Oddly enough, though,  despite  the  massive  success  of
1986's _The Ultimate Sin_ and the  well-received  _No  Rest  for  the
Wicked_ (1988), not a single track was played from  either  of  these
albums, possibly an attempt to downplay some of the more embarrassing
moments from a period known for its willingness to reward style  over
substance. I suppose, having Joe Holmes in his band, Ozzy feels  it's
a good opportunity to put more emphasis on his older material,  which
in my  opinion  is  clearly  superior.  Emphasize  he  does,  playing
mainstays such as "Crazy Train", "Suicide Solution" and  "Goodbye  to
Romance". Holmes executed Rhodes' work  quite  skillfully,  mirroring
many of the late guitarist's  techniques.  Strange  that  a  tour  in
support of an album should only feature a single track off the latest
release, but I've read  an  interview  where  Ozzy  admits  that  his
producer pushed him so hard in the studio that he now has a difficult
time performing the material live. "I  Just  Want  You",  his  latest
single, was the only _Ozzmosis_ track performed that night.
     Unfortunately,  most  of  Ozzy's  set  was  plagued  with  vocal
problems. Ozzy just isn't feeling all that well, it seems, and in all
honesty, it showed. His voice would cut out  entirely  at  times,  he
could reach none of the high notes, and his singing  seemed  gravely.
It's unclear whether it served to rest his  weary  body,  soothe  his
sore throat, or just to give the rest of the  band  some  space,  but
Ozzy vanished for awhile in the middle of the set while the  rest  of
the cast played an instrumental medley of Sabbath and early-era  Ozzy
tunes. I started wondering if he'd even come back. Another handful of
songs, and Ozzy called it  quits,  coming  back  for  the  obligatory
encore. The set was a tad on the  short  side,  but  considering  the
state of his vocals, I can't say I blame the poor guy. This  show  is
recommended mostly for fans of Ozzy who want  a  return  to  the  way
things used to be done, which apparently  is  a  Hell  of  a  lot  of
people, judging from the crowd.

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

              A   N I G H T   O F   N E G A T I V I T Y 
              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Type O Negative at The Warehouse in Toronto, September 22, 1996
                    with Life of Agony and Manhole
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Like a scene from the depths of Hell,  thick  smoke  and  noises
that conjured up images of Hell's evil spawn, Type  O  Negative  took
the stage to a thunderous applause at this, their first  stopover  in
Canada  with  their   latest   release   _October   Rust_.   Gigantic
frontman/bassist Peter Steele emerged through the dense smoke  amidst
powerful guitar riffs  and  haunting  organ  notes  to  serenade  the
audience with his vengeful tales of lust and hate. It  was  something
to see.
     Along   with   guitarist   Kenny   Hickey,   Josh   Silver    on
organ/keyboards, and  drummer  Johnny  Kelly,  Steele  commanded  the
nearly sell-out crowd with ear-crushing versions  of  such  songs  as
"Kill All the White People", "Christian Woman", "Too  Late:  Frozen",
and of course,  the  ever  popular  "Black  No.  1".  The  band  also
showcased newer material off _OR_  like  "Love  You  to  Death",  "My
Girlfriend's Girlfriend", and covers of Neil Young's "Cinnamon  Girl"
and The Doors "Light My Fire". The only problem with  the  show  (ask
Gino) was the somewhat muffled sound  that  The  Warehouse  sometimes
provides band's music with. It happened with Type  O  and  it  was  a
shame as the band had a killer show with great songs and  an  amazing
light show. 
     Opening the show were  longtime  friends  of  Type  O,  Brooklyn
four-piece Life of Agony. The band played hard and had the crowd in a
frenzy for most of their 40-minute set. LOA's sound was much  clearer
than Type O's at times,  as  singer  Keith  Caputo  belted  out  such
numbers as "Lost At 22", "Damned If I  Do",  "Seasons",  as  well  as
older favorites "Through and Through" and  "This  Time."  LOA  always
rocks hard and plays with feeling. It was evident this night too.
     Other  openers  included  Los  Angeles'  Manhole,  a  hard-edged
female-fronted outfit that stood their ground with  stunning  display
of aggression and attitude. The band played some great  material  off
their debut album _All Is Not Well_ (Noise Records). If you are  into
the band Crisis, I recommend checking this band out.
     I was hyped to see this show and wasn't let down  and  I'm  left
wondering, "How many times will Type  O  play  Toronto  with  _OR_?",
seeing that the band played here four times with  their  breakthrough
album, _Bloody Kisses_. Who cares? I'll be sure  to  check  them  out
every time, as they always put on a spectacular show.

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

          H I G H   Q U A L I T Y   M E T A L ,
          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                         L O W   Q U A L I T Y   F A N S
                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
             Cryptopsy at The Embassy in London, Ontario
                with Blood of Christ, August 31, 1996
                        by: Alain M. Gaudrault

     Let me just start by saying that the poor  turnout  pretty  much
tainted what could have been a phenomenal evening, but was instead  a
complete  letdown  for  both  bands.  With  perhaps  50   people   in
attendance, the room was sparse, to say the least. London's (Ontario)
Blood  of  Christ   opened,   performing   quite   well   under   the
circumstances, and inciting me to later pick up a copy of their  demo
_Chapter III - The Lonely Flowers of Autumn_, reviewed in  CoC  issue
11. I highly recommend this tape; its combination  of  death,  black,
and doom metal is quite impressive for a band at the demo stage,  and
well-produced to boot! In any case, back to the concert.  Aside  from
the vocalist who seemed genuinely into the material, the rest of  the
band pretty much looked like they were zoning out, likely bummed from
the empty room. They  still  played  well,  showcasing  their  talent
effectively despite their disappointment, the vocalist in  particular
showing good control over his delivery. A band to  look  out  for  if
they can break out of the going-nowhere-fast southern  Ontario  metal
scene. Maybe I should just move to Montreal.
     Cryptopsy took the stage shortly after and proceeded in  showing
the scant few just how powerful their music can be in a live setting.
Granted, the sound could have been better, but it was actually  quite
good, permitting one to easily identify the  various  instruments  in
the mix. Of particular note were  the  performances  of  Flo  Mounier
(drums) and Eric Langlois  (bass),  who  have  such  an  unmistakable
mastery of their instruments that I was often unable to take my  eyes
off them. Lord Worm, with his witty banter and master  of  ceremonies
style presentation, lightened the mood  considerably,  and  delivered
his vocals with ferocity and conviction. The  band  played  a  rather
even distribution between both of their full-length releases, with  a
slight emphasis on their  latest,  _None  So  Vile_,  a  most  worthy
death/grind offering, I must add. Unfortunately, there  would  be  no
encores, and understandably so,  I  suppose.  Nonetheless,  Cryptopsy
showed no compromise in their playing intensity as a  result  of  the
turnout. A great night for those fans who  bothered  showing  up.  Do
make an effort to see them if they happen to come your way.

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             C O R R O D I N G   Y O U R   C R A N I U M 
             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      Neurosis plays the Opera House in Toronto, August 31, 1996
                        with Bloodlet and Tree
                           by: Adam Wasylyk

     As of late I have been going to live shows for bands I had heard
little or nothing about. I first went  to  the  Clutch/Orange  9MM/Fu
Manchu/Core show when the tour rolled into Toronto.  I  knew  of  the
bands but I didn't have an album of any of the three bands  (as  Core
didn't play at this show). I was surprised that I enjoyed  each  band
so much, especially Fu Manchu. For the Neurosis  show,  I  had  heard
selected tracks of two of the bands' albums and had  never  heard  of
the third. I was looking forward to seeing and hearing some more  new
music.
     A crowd of around 200 had came for the show,  which  began  with
Boston's Tree. The hesitant Toronto crowd  stood  and  watched  while
they went into their hardcore set. The singer very much  reminded  me
of Clutch's vocalist (even mannerism-wise), but I enjoyed this band a
lot less than the aformentioned Clutch. Perhaps I have to  hear  more
hardcore to know what's bad and what's good, but I didn't  like  this
at all.
     Following up were Florida's Bloodlet, which appeared to  be  the
band most people came to see.  A  lot  of  people  seem  to  be  into
Bloodlet's hardcore sound, but I can't seem  to  find  out  why.  The
band's vocal approach is definitely different from the hardcore pack,
but they just plain irritated me. Frankly, I couldn't wait until they
were off the stage.
     Last up was the band whose live shows I had heard a  lot  about,
Neurosis. I had heard before  the  show,  and  then  saw  for  myself
Neurosis' visual show, which consisted of film projectors  and  about
six or so  slide  projectors.  The  images  were  intense  but  never
obscene. The visual  intensity  went  right  along  with  the  band's
musical intensity, combining industrial  and  hardcore  rather  well.
Older songs were combined with songs off  their  new  album  _Through
Silver in Blood_, like "Purify", "Aeon", and my favorite song of  the
night, "Eye". To sum up their set, they were very noisy,  very  loud,
and very intense!!!
     Thank the gods Neurosis were on the  bill,  otherwise  it  would
have been a total loss. I will  continue  to  go  to  shows  with  me
knowing little or nothing about the bands playing.  Hmmmmmm,  I  hear
that the Godflesh/Genitorturers tour is coming.

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

             A N Y T H I N G   B U T   L E T H A R G I C 
             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Lethargy at the Water Street Music Hall in Rochester, New York
                    with Forward Now and Time's Up
                           by: Brian Meloon

     This was the CD release  party  for  Rochester's  Lethargy  (see
reviews in CoC #4 and this issue), who released their debut CD, _It's
Hard to Write With a Little Hand_. Deadguy, who  are  apparently  big
Lethargy fans, were scheduled to headline, but they never  showed.  A
quick scan of the crowd  revealed  a  mixed  bag  of  metalheads  and
hardcore types, with a sizeable contingent of people who looked  like
neither: mostly (pre?) teen boys and girls. The  show  was  all-ages,
and probably 200 or 300 people showed up: a good crowd, but not  even
half of the venue's capacity.
     Forward Now lead off the ticket with a 20-minute set  consisting
of four songs; two new and two from their demo,  _Smileremover_  (see
CoC #9). They stayed away from their more industrial songs  (although
using a drum machine played on an ADAT still gave them an  industrial
feel), instead choosing to concentrate on  their  heaviest  and  most
metallic/hardcore offerings, such as "Coward White  Man".  The  crowd
didn't really get into their set, which was probably  mostly  due  to
their unfamiliarity with the band, but also perhaps had something  to
do with the tempo of the songs. They didn't  stay  at  a  consistent,
moshable speed for very long: the fast parts were too fast,  and  the
slow parts were too slow. Unfortunately, the sound wasn't  very  good
either. Although it wasn't too loud (ear  plugs  optional),  it  sure
sounded that way. It was very muddy and difficult to really hear what
was going on. The guitarist and bassist seemed to be playing  complex
parts, but it really was impossible to tell that  they  weren't  just
faking it and moving their hands up and down their fretboards. Still,
it was an entertaining and energetic set. 
     The sound problems continued through Time's Up's set. Not  being
familiar with these guys, I didn't pay close attention to their  set.
They seemed  like  a  typical  hardcore  band.  They  were  certainly
competent on stage, and the crowd really got into  it.  The  security
had their hands full, and they escorted at least one irate individual
out, with the security guy telling him  "that's  not  'having  fun.'"
They played for about 30 minutes, enough time to complete probably  8
or 9 songs. 
     Last up for the evening was Lethargy. I  caught  nearly  all  of
their fifty-minute set, and it was well worth the price of admission.
They ran through nine of the songs  on  their  debut  CD  (minus  the
remixed final track) virtually note  for  note,  which  is  quite  an
accomplishment considering the complexity and technicality  of  their
compositions.  My  personal  favorite  was  the  long  and  technical
"Medley", although the crowd seemed to prefer their  closing  number,
"Spill". The sound was dramatically improved, being louder (ear plugs
encouraged, but not essential), and much clearer. There was a  little
banter between songs (such as: "This is a  song  about  an  ex-bitch.
It's called 'Erased'."), but not too much. Other than a  delay  while
the band members and some audience members had  shots,  the  set  was
fairly fast moving, and the audience really got into it. Much of  the
time, Lethargy's music was too complex, intricate, and/or  quirky  to
really mosh to, but there were at least a few sections in  each  song
that got the pit moving. I'm a little surprised that they didn't have
an encore, since the crowd really liked them. In fact, I'd  speculate
that Lethargy was even a bigger draw than Deadguy. In any case,  they
played long enough for me to have a good  time  and  get  my  money's
worth. 

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  @@@  @@@  @@@ @@@@@@@  @@@ @@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@   @@  @@@@@@
  @@!  @@!  @@! @@!  @@@ @@!   @@!   @@!      @@!  @@@ !@  !@@    
  @!!  !!@  @!@ @!@!!@!  !!@   @!!   @!!!:!   @!@!!@!       !@@!! 
   !:  !!:  !!  !!: :!!  !!:   !!:   !!:      !!: :!!          !:!
    ::.:  :::    :   : : :      :    : :: :::  :   : :     ::.: : 
                                                                  
          @@@  @@@  @@@ @@@@@@@   @@@@@@  @@@@@@@ @@@  @@@
          @@!  @@!  @@! @@!  @@@ @@!  @@@   @@!   @@!  @@@
          @!!  !!@  @!@ @!@!!@!  @!@!@!@!   @!!   @!@!@!@!
           !:  !!:  !!  !!: :!!  !!:  !!!   !!:   !!:  !!!
            ::.:  :::    :   : :  :   : :    :     :   : :


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


       B L A C K   M E T A L :   F A D   O R   F I C T I O N ?
       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           by: Adam Wasylyk

     Hi there, and welcome to CoC's newest column, Writer's Wrath!  I
will be bitching about something that I've been noticing as of  late,
how black metal is becoming commercial and  trendy.  Before  you  say
"What is this guy talking about?," here are a few things I've noticed
that lead to where I'm coming from.
     My first point comes from a media point of view, which  I  first
discovered after purchasing an issue of a mag  called  Metal  Hammer.
Reading an article on Cradle of Filth, the accompanying photos had me
thinking "What the hell is this?" Three photos in  particular,  shots
of Dani (vocalist) washing dishes and  sitting  on  the  toilet,  and
another shot of the band standing beside a bathtub (of course all  of
them trying to look evil, but how evil could the  drummer  look  with
his feet dangling above the bath water?). I couldn't believe that CoF
agreed  to  do  the  photo  shoot,  and  that  Metal   Hammer   would
commercially exploit the black metal image in this way.  The  popular
alternative magazine Spin (this issue had Trent Reznor on the  cover)
did an article on the Norwegian black metal scene  awhile  back.  The
article was well written, but it was very much biased (the writer was
Catholic/daughter of a minister), and to this day I still don't  know
why they published the  article  in  the  first  place.  Oh  I  know,
controversy sells magazines, right? What readers of Spin really cares
about black metal? And how many articles do you think Spin have  done
since then on black metal and the number of talented bands within the
scene?
     My second point comes from a band point  of  view.  What  really
bugs me is when bands transform from death metal to black  metal.  If
the band is changing purely for the music itself, that's  acceptable,
but when it comes to just doing it for monetary gain then that's what
I have a problem with. I do know that it's going on  out  there,  and
all it's accomplishing is in hurting the scene.
     It's sad to see black metal turning into an  overpopulated  (and
in some cases undertalented) scene. Being at first amazed by some  of
the black metal bands (Enslaved, Emperor, etc.), a lot of what I hear
now just doesn't measure up. I  take  comfort  in  knowing  that  the
copycat bands will eventually die off and the  bands  true  to  their
roots will remain intact.

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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>.

Grave (U.S. Tour)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oct 1  - Jaxx, Springfield, VA
Oct 2  - Obsessions, Randolph, NJ
Oct 3  - Sea-Sea's, Moosic, PA
Oct 4  - Club Babyhead, Providence, RI
Oct 5  - Saratoga Winners, Cohoes, NY
Oct 6  - CBGB's, New York, NY
Oct 7  - Sports Palace, New Britain, CT
Oct 9  - Foufounes, Montreal, QUE
Oct 10 - The Rat, Boston, MA
Oct 11 - The Chance, Poughkeepsie, NY
Oct 12 - Metropol, Pittsburgh, PA
Oct 13 - Bogart's, Cincinnati, OH
Oct 14 - Drop Shop, Huntington, WV
Oct 16 - Reptile House, Grand Rapids, MI
Oct 17 - Thurston's, Chicago, IL
Oct 19 - Asylum, Toledo, OH
Oct 20 - The Rave, Milwaukee, WI
Oct 21 - Mirage, Minneapolis, MN
Oct 22 - Rock Island, Wichita, KS
Oct 23 - Pure Energy, Colorado Springs, CO
Oct 24 - Mercury Theatre, Denver, CO


Chum
~~~~
Oct 5  - Common Grounds, Charleston, WV
Oct 11 - Drop Shop, Huntington, WV
Oct 16 - Area 51, Lexington, KY
Oct 18 - Ron's Crossroads, Akron, OH
Oct 19 - Whit's End, Toledo, OH
Oct 22 - The Rat, Boston, MA
Oct 24 - Memory Lane, Baltimore, MD
Oct 25 - Lost Horizons, Syracuse, NY
Nov 2  - Velvet Elvis, Savannah, GA
Nov 3  - Spikes Doghouse, Jacksonville, FL
Nov 7  - Monaco Bob's, New Orleans, LA
Nov 10 - Impala, Fort Worth, TX
Nov 12 - Panama Red's, Wichita, KS

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

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

Gino's Top 5

1. Brutal Truth - _Need to Control_
2. Exit 13 - _Smoking Songs_
3. Another White Male - _Cattle_
4. g/z/r - _Plastic Planet_
5. Korn - _Korn_

Adrian's Top 5

1. Stuck Mojo - _Pigwalk_
2. Vision of Disorder - <3-song sampler>
3. Rotting Christ - _Triad of the Lost Lovers_
4. Type O Negative - _October Rust_
5. Meliah Rage - _Death Valley Dream_

Brian's Top 5

1. Lethargy - _It's Hard To Write With A Little Hand_
2. Abigor - _Opus IV_
3. Sacramentum - _Far Away From the Sun_
4. Korova - _A Kiss in the Charnal Fields_
5. Vauxdvihl - _To Dimension Logic_

Alain's Top 5

1. Cryptopsy - _None So Vile_
2. Samael - _Passage_
3. Vader - _De Profundis_
4. Iced Earth - _The Dark Saga_
5. Corrosion of Conformity - _Wiseblood_

Steve's Top 5

1. Abigor - _Opus IV_
2. Marduk - _Heaven Shall Burn When We Are Gathered_
3. Thou Art Lord - _Apollyon_
4. Mystifier - _The World Is So Good..._
5. Pitch Shifter - _Infotainment?_

Adam's Top 5

1. Samael - _Passage_
2. In Flames - _The Jester Race_
3. Avernus - _A Farewell To Eden_ demo
4. Neurosis - _Through Silver in Blood_
5. Celtic Frost - _To Mega Therion_

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

Well, here ends one helluva issue. I couldn't complain about the Loud
Letters I received for the last two months, it's  probably  the  most
we've ever gotten. Good work people,  keep  'em  coming.  Also,  next
month we are thinking of publishing  a  reader  survey  for  all  you
crazies. If we do go through with it, we'll need the support of every
subscriber. Our survey will not have served its purpose  if  we  only
get twenty answers. See you all soon.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #14

