       ________                     _      __                   ____
      / ____/ /_  _________  ____  (_)____/ /__  _____   ____  / __/
     / /   / __ \/ ___/ __ \/ __ \/ / ___/ / _ \/ ___/  / __ \/ /_  
    / /___/ / / / /  / /_/ / / / / / /__/ /  __(__  )  / /_/ / __/  
    \____/_/ /_/_/   \____/_/ /_/_/\___/_/\___/____/   \____/_/     

                       ________                    
                      / ____/ /_  ____ _____  _____
                     / /   / __ \/ __ `/ __ \/ ___/
                    / /___/ / / / /_/ / /_/ (__  ) 
                    \____/_/ /_/\__,_/\____/____/  

                  ** The New Year's Evil Edition **

       CHRONICLES OF CHAOS E-Zine, January 2, 1997, Issue #16

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

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

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

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

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

FTP ARCHIVE
~~~~~~~~~~~
All of our back issues and various other Chronicles of Chaos  related
files are stored in the e-zine archive at ftp.etext.org.  Connect  to
this  site  using  your   favorite   FTP   program   and   chdir   to
/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos. For a description of each file  in  the
archive, check out the README file. You  can  also  reach  this  site
through     a     web     browser     by     pointing     it      at:
ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos.

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 #16 Contents, 1/2/97
--------------------------
* Editorial
* Loud Letters
* Ferocious Features
-- Abigor: Crimson Questions and Ashen Replies
-- Danzig Does Dance
-- Inner Thought: Perspectives Played Out
-- Nevermore: Seattle's Sinister Sages
* Chaotic Chat Sessions
-- Korn: Kareless and Krazy
-- Diaboli: Diabolic Dialogue
-- Manowar: Metal's Masters
-- Gomorrah: Caressing Heaviness
-- Meliah Rage: The Rage Returns
* Record Revelations
-- The Abyss - _Summon the Beast_
-- Allegiance - _Hymn Till Hangagud_
-- Ancient Wisdom - _For Snow Covered the Northland_
-- Avzhia - _Dark Emperors_
-- Behemoth - _Grom_
-- Dearly Beheaded - _Temptation_
-- The Black - _Black Blood_
-- Catasexual Urge Motivation - _The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers_
-- Cathedral - _Supernatural Birth Machine_
-- Chemlab - _East Side Militia_
-- Cradle of Filth - _Dusk and Her Embrace_
-- Danzig - _blackacidevil_
-- Dark Tranquillity - _Enter Suicidal Angels_
-- Dawnbringer - _Sacrament_
-- Deathwitch - _Triumphant Devastation_  
-- Decameron - _My Shadow..._
-- Earth Crisis - _Gamorrah's Season Ends_
-- Einherjer - _Dragons of the North _
-- Endura - _Liber Leviathan_ 
-- Excelsis - _A Dark Noel_
-- Faction Zero - _Liberation_  /  Maximum Penalty - _Independent_
-- Floodgate - _Penalty_
-- Helheim - _Fenris_
-- Ildjarn - _Forest Poetry_
-- Karma to Burn - _Karma to Burn_
-- Kampfar - _Kampfar_
-- Laibach - _Jesus Christ Superstar_
-- Mastiphal - _For a Glory of All Evil Spirits, Rise for Victory_
-- Morgana Lefay - _Maleficium_
-- Necromicon - _Realm of Silence_
-- Niden Div. 187 - _Towards Judgement_
-- Pike - _Lack of Judgement_
-- Pist*On - _Number One_
-- Poison - _Poison's Greatest Hits 1986-1996_
-- Various - _Beneath the Icy Floe: A Projekt Sampler V.4_
-- Summoning - _Dol Guldur_
-- Swans - _Soundtracks for the Blind_
-- Thy Serpent - _Forests of Witchery_
-- Unpure - _Coldland_
-- Vision of Disorder - _Vision of Disorder_
-- December Moon - _Source of Origin_
-- December Wolves - _Til Ten Years_
* New Noise
-- Agony - _Apocalyptic Dawning_
-- Ataxia - _The Forgotten_
-- Carnal Sickness - _Blood Disrepulsion_
-- Curb - _Curb_
-- De Ros - _Ad Dei Gloriam_
-- Eve of Mourning - _A Dark Serenade_
-- Martyr - _Ostrogoth_
-- Murder 1 - _Murder 1_
-- NDE - _Falling_
-- Neuropath - _Desert of Excruciation_
-- Pleasure Void - _Demo 1996_
* Classic Carnage
-- Bathory - _The Return..._
-- Destruction - _Infernal Overkill_
-- Dio - _Holy Diver_
-- Entombed - _Left Hand Path_
-- Iron Maiden - _Somewhere in Time_
-- Megadeth - _Rust in Peace_
-- Overkill - _The Years of Decay_  
-- Sodom - _Obsessed by Cruelty_
-- Candlemass - _Epicus Doomicus Metallicus_
-- Slayer - _Hell Awaits_
-- Rotting Christ - _Passage to Arcturo_
-- Venom - _Welcome to Hell_
* Chaotic Concerts
-- A Fearful Freak-Fest: Fear Factory with Kilgore Smudge
-- The Day of Death: New York City's Deathstock
-- To Heaven And Back: Heavenwood Live In Portugal
* Writer's Wrath
-- Extremity, Conformity, Integrity - by: Steve Hoeltzel
* What We Have Cranked
* The Final Word

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

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

     Here we are people, the second day of 1997. And what can I  say,
1996 has been a great year for us, to say  the  least.  In  the  past
year, we've released 11 issues including this one right here. And our
readership has more than doubled, bringing the number  of  people  on
our mailing list to 909. I just want to extend one final thank you to
all our staff, all the  industry  people  who've  supported  us,  and
especially to you, our loyal readers for making Chronicles  of  Chaos
what it is today.
     Very shortly, a small survey will be on its way to all  of  you.
We ask that you take a few minutes out  of  your  busy  schedules  to
answer the questions contained therein. We thought that it  was  high
time we sent out a questionnaire to see what our readers think  about
certain things concerning both CoC and the music scene in general. We
will give you a few months to complete the survey and send it back to
us before we tabulate all the answers and release the results in  one
of our forthcoming issues. I'm sure you will be as interested in  the
results as we are, and we hope that all of our readers participate.
     As promised, this issue includes  a  "classic"  reviews  section
we've entitled Classic  Carnage.  This  section  has  a  few  of  our
favorite  picks  reviewed  for  your  entertainment.  Some   can   be
considered real classics, while others you  may  not  have  heard  of
until now. Regardless, we hope that this section will open a few more
ears to the jewels of the past.
     Well people, hope you enjoy this issue, and look forward to many
more issues of CoC in the new year. Let's make 1997 one to remember.

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

                 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: Mon, 18 Nov 1996
From: goden <goden@atl.mindspring.com>
Subject: ...thergothon...

Andrew's Top 5
5. Thergothon - _Stream From The Heavens_ 
 
...this speaks volumes for you guys...thergothon rules...
______________________________________________________
...so beautiful is your naivete...angelic...pathetic...i'll break
your fucking wings...--avernus...
______________________________________________________
...http: //www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Alley/5647/forge.html...
______________________________________________________


Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996
From: Jesper Nilsson <86jeni@knuthahn.ronneby.se>
Subject: Attention  Loud Letters

I read that you are going to review some  old  records  and  I  think
that's a GREAT idea!

I would also like you to review the latest RAGE  album  "End  of  all
days". Because it's very good. If you're interested, you should visit
the Rage Page at http://www.aracnet.com/~rage/

Thanks for a great magazine!

[Remember guys, we'll review any album sent to us,  so  if  you  want
your demo or album reviewed, simply mail it  to  our  postal  address
which is in our header -- Gino]


Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996
From: Steve Cox <STEVECOX@bitscorp.com>
Subject: Attention: Loud letters

Yo! People.

CoC has to be the best produced and largest E-Zine I get my hands on.
Good job guys we really appreciate the work that goes into it!!

Right to buisness. First a put down. I cannot stand Korn's new  album
_Life Is Peachy_ Compared to their debut it's a weak album and how it
could be rated 8-10 is beyond  me,  I'm  not  having  a  go  at  you,
everyone has their own oppinion but that's mine. It's just so weak.

Anyone see the MTV european music awards? What a sham! Metallica took
the piss though!  They  played  _Last  Caress_  and  _So  What_  (Yes
including all the lovely swearing) instead  of  _King  Nothing_  then
James thumped the Mic and Lars threw the drumkit down. Hopefully this
will signify the start of Metallica  getting  pissed  off  at  people
(read that trendy fucks) and going 'heavy' once again.

Respect.
     Stevie C

[Stevie, I seriously doubt that Metallica is 'making  a  come  back.'
They are just too far gone into the mainstream for any chance of them
coming back to the fold, but then again, that's my humble opinion  --
Gino]


Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996
From: Rodukov Alexander <shurick@nsys.minsk.by>
Subject: We need some help

Hi Gino. I've just subscribed to CoC e'zine and was  very  impressed.
You works hard to make this zine good.

You know, in my native Belarus there are some underground publishings
and I'm working in one of them (if you heared "Brr.Legion").  We  are
enough young but very energetic (I hope ;-).

You know, we need some help. If it possible, can you  share  with  us
some e-mail contact adresses of Metal bands. We really  need  it.  If
you want we can give you a lot of information about Belorussian Metal
bands. I'm sure that some of them  are  really  great  and  they  are
playing very professional music.

I'm waiting for your unswer and opened to all of your questions.

Sincerly yours...
+-----------------------------+
| Alexander (Shurick) Rodukov |
+-----------------------------+
    [shurick@nsys.minsk.by]

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

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.


C R I M S O N   Q U E S T I O N S   A N D   A S H E N   R E P L I E S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                   An interview with P.K. of Abigor
                          by: Steve Hoeltzel

     "Abigor creates music which is not from  and  for  this  planet
called Earth as it is today..." So proclaim the liner  notes  to  the
incredible _Opus IV_, an album which proves once  again  that  Abigor
are one of the black metal scene's most extreme and original bands. I
recently wrote to guitarist, lyricist, and layout  designer  P.K.  to
ask for his thoughts on extremity and originality - and on  a  number
of other topics as well. First, though, I asked him what  pushed  the
band to become even more unpredictable and intense on _Opus IV_,  the
most strange and savage-sounding Abigor recording yet. 
     "I think that's difficult to say," he wrote back. "I think as we
develop as individuals, our art through Abigor develops - that's  the
progress which keeps Abigor alive. Furthermore,  we  take  influences
from lots of other things. I mean, the whole of existence  influences
us. Also, dreams and visions which haunt us at night  inspire  us  to
put those experiences into our art. Plus, we're good musicians and we
know how to play our instruments, so  we  have  no  problems  at  all
putting our ideas into music."
     This immediately raises the question whether any ideas have been
translated into new music since _Opus IV_ was released  earlier  this
year.  The  answer  is  affirmative:  work  on  the   next   release,
_Apokalypse_, is underway. "We're still  working  on  new  material,"
Peter reports. "At the moment, we have six songs completely finished,
and all the lyrics, as well as some ideas for the  layout."  And  how
will the new material compare to this year's release? "Of course, the
songs are  in  the  typical  Abigor  style.  Nevertheless,  it'll  be
different from _Opus IV_. It'll be extreme black  metal  without  any
compromises, but still in the vein of Abigor."
     Of course, the phrase "extreme black metal" suggests  more  than
just a certain sound. To many  people,  P.K.  included,  this  phrase
stands for an entire system of beliefs. "In my opinion,"  he  states,
"the lyrics of black metal bands shall deal with the  worshipping  of
Satan, darkness, death, and evilness. Therefore, the lyrics of Abigor
deal with such topics. Maybe it seems that they do  not,  because  we
use more paraphrases and because our lyrics are more personal. To sum
it up, one can say that our lyrics are visions of  [fellow  guitarist
and lyricist] T.T. and myself, and each lyric has  a  personal  value
for us."
     But are these -just- lyrics,  or  do  they  really  reflect  the
actions and beliefs of Abigor's members? According to P.K., it's  the
latter: "I practice ritual magic and ceremonial devil worship, but  I
am not willing to make more statements concerning this theme. I mean,
it's too personal; nor do I have the need. Furthermore, I don't think
it necessary to make  extreme  statements  in  'zines  concerning  my
beliefs. I know who I am, and I know  what  I  represent.  I  worship
Satan, and I take it as a personal offense if someone  criticizes  my
beliefs."	
     Clearly, like many people involved with this music,  P.K.  takes
black metal extremely seriously. "For me, it's  a  main  part  of  my
existence,"  he  says.  "But  I  see   it   more   as   a   kind   of
self-realization,  because  the  expression  of  thoughts  and  moods
through my music is important for me."  Still,  black  metal's  great
surge in popularity has attracted the attention of  many  individuals
who are less interested in serious self-realization than in posing as
"true" black metal fanatics simply because it's the trendy  thing  to
do. P.K.'s opinion of this bunch?
     "If you've been involved in the 'scene' for a longer time, as we
have, you know that all those 'evil' black  metallers  and  'circles'
are just -talking- about black metal, and I am not willing  to  waste
my time with such things. Nowadays, I  know  how  those  people  play
their game. It's just an image, not a religion, and to the  so-called
scene belong too many people who don't practice what they preach."
     So you don't think that black metal's massive  popularity  is  a
good thing? "It's definitely bad!" he plainly states. "But don't  get
me wrong - at the moment it's good for us because  we  sell  our  CDs
well,  but  the  time  will  come  when  it'll  be  drowned  in   the
mass-consumer society. At the moment,  the  labels  smell  the  money
which they can earn through the black metal boom, but with this  boom
the whole genre will be watered down. I mean, more outside influences
will be involved in black metal, and more and more the nice CD layout
and such unworthy things will be considered important, and  the  true
spirit of black metal will get lost, if you understand what I mean."
     I do, totally. Personally, I am not really a "true believer"  in
the religious aspect of black metal  (though  I  respect  individuals
like P.K., who are sincere in their beliefs) - but one thing  I  have
always especially liked about the best,  most  original  black  metal
bands [...] (Abigor included) is their obvious  disgust  with  modern
consumer society and their interest in forms of  social  organization
which are much more deeply rooted in  respect  for  nature.  So  it's
depressing to see the crazed and untamed musical  style  which  these
great bands pioneered being turned into  a  money-making  device  for
people who want to cash in on the trend. Is  commercialization  bound
to stomp out the real spirit of black metal? P.K. is  not  completely
pessimistic. "Maybe a few bands will survive, and  then  exist  in  a
kind of underground - maybe in this 'underground'  which  individuals
mostly talk about nowadays, but which doesn't exist at all today."
     Wondering if P.K. himself ever feels any yearning to  inhabit  a
world other than our own, I asked him  which  period  of  history  he
would choose to live in, were he given the choice.  "I  would  choose
the period of the migration of nations,"  he  said,  "because  in  my
opinion, this was a great time in my area. Lots of tribes have  lived
here, and lots of pagan and mystic influences and beliefs were  alive
at this time."
     On a more image-oriented note, I asked  whether  there  was  any
significance to the fact that  Abigor  are  pictured  without  corpse
paint in the _Opus  IV_  booklet.  Does  this  reflect  a  change  of
perspective regarding the device? "There's no change," P.K.  replies.
"Nor was there any special reason why we didn't use corpse  paint  in
the photos for _Horns Lurk_ [the first of _Opus IV_'s  two  four-song
movements]. We'll still use it again in all other new photos."
     Finally, what about the band's decision never to play live?  Why
not? Obviously, I was hardly the  first  person  to  write  the  band
asking this question... "Sorry, but I am really tired  of  explaining
why we'll not play live - accept it!" was P.K.'s retort. "As long  as
Abigor exists, we'll NEVER play live!"
     As you have noticed, P.K. does  not  mince  words.  His  parting
statement for all you readers and fans out there? "When your  reality
crashes into the void, we'll sit beside Satan and watch you die,  and
beside our lord we'll remember 'til the end of time."

[My sincere thanks to the man for a very  interesting  interview.
     -- Steve]

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

                  D A N Z I G   D O E S   D A N C E 
                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     The sounds and images of Glenn Danzig's music  has  always  been
within the realms of darkness,  lost  love,  and  references  to  the
devil. His music has molded itself into kind of like  an  institution
of sorts, with him being seen as  the  leader  of  the  "Dark  Side."
Parents hate him and fans adore him and his rise to success over  the
last four records (_Danzig_, _Danzig II - Lucifuge _, _Danzig  III  -
How the Gods Kill_  and  1994's  _Danzig  4_)  has  become  almost  a
cult-like following. People worship this guy. How things have changed
for Danzig in the last few years.
     With the  loss  of  former  drummer  Chuck  Biscuits  to  Social
Distortion and guitarist John Christ and bassist Eerie  Von  leaving,
Danzig has had to  pick  up  the  pieces  and  carry  on,  recruiting
guitarist (ex-Prong singer) Tommy Victor, drummer Randy Castillo  and
bassist John Lazie to complete the band, as well as he left  his  old
American Records for Hollywood Records. 
     Keep in mind though, regardless of line-up or  label  shift,  it
has always been a solo effort anyway, with Danzig leading the  ideals
and direction of the band. And how the  direction  of  the  band  has
changed too. The latest offering, _blackacidevil_ is drenched in both
industrial and techno-tinged  numbers  that  seem  to  take  Danzig's
visions of music one step further. Some fans may grasp it,  some  may
not. Danzig knows this. He explains. 
     "The change in the band has been a gradual thing for us," Danzig
starts from his home in Los Angeles,  "We  are  moving  in  the  same
direction, kind of like the stuff I  played  in  Samhain.  I  started
incorporating a lot of that experimental stuff into our  music,  most
notably on the last Danzig  record  on  songs  like  "Cantspeak"  and
"Sadistika". This was just the direction I was moving in anyway."
     Seeing  that  Danzig  has  kind  of  altered  his   sound   with
_blackacidevil_, what kind  of  reactions  has  he  gotten  from  the
release? "The fans and critics really like it. It  was  definitely  a
shock but not a bad shock. They like it a lot. I wanted  to  make  an
extreme record and I wanted  to  get  a  reaction."  Danzig  says  he
expected to get a reaction like this from doing the record. He  feels
that artists need to experiment and try new things, to  change  their
styles. "When you do a record and you sit back and listen to  it  you
say, 'Aw... I wish I could have done that,' but you let it go  'cause
the record is out and there is nothing that can be done. This record,
I don't have that reaction. All the songs are pretty much the  way  I
wanted them to turn out. Some are even better. I am really happy."
     So does that mean as we head into the year 2000 we will see more
of Danzig records surfacing like  this  opposed  to  the  old  Danzig
sound? "I still think this record sounds  like  Danzig,  it  is  just
Danzig in the year 1996. As for the future? I don't know what is will
be but that is what is exciting about the future. I am excited to get
started on the next record already. I am already starting on  the  EP
which will come out next summer. Some of stuff is a bit different and
we will see where stuff ends up when I record the next record."
     Danzig feels that  his  songwriting  over  the  years  has  been
something that he has had a lot of luck with. His music and ideas are
very easily brought to life.  "I  work  really  easily  with  people.
Especially the new guys. It is easy to work with  them.  And  I  just
added Tommy Victor to the band. He is working on this new EP with  me
and he is just great to work with."
     While this record may be the most commercial  one  to  date  for
Danzig, his views on being successful only lies  within  releasing  a
record and reaching fans with his music.  He  has  quite  the  unique
outlook on the music industry. "I am not really involved with how  we
are to market the band, what video to release or what single  to  put
on radio. The label decides what single to release. They come  up  to
me and say, 'We want to release "Sacrifice" as a single' and  I  say,
'Okay. Or well I don't think it is really a single but it  is  up  to
you.' To me it is more about doing  the  record  and  going  out  and
playing live 'cause the music industry part of it really sucks. It is
a pain in the ass. I find it to be a bunch of  bullshit  and  I  stay
away from it as much as possible, but of course you can't because you
definitely want to be involved with your band and how people  present
it. I give them my two cents and if I am really opposed to  something
I stand up and say, 'No!'" He adds, "What I do is make the best album
I can and I make sure before it comes out that I am happy with it and
want to release it. If I am not happy with a record I  won't  release
it."
     Few bands have been able to withstand the  turmoil  and  drastic
changes the industry has taken over the years, yet  still  Danzig  is
around. What keeps the Danzig sound  alive  and  well  in  the  music
industry? "Danzig is not based on any fads or trends. More  based  on
musical integrity and we go out and give  people  a  great  show.  No
flash pots. You know what I mean? We may have a backdrop or something
but there is nothing silly like pyrotechnics. We come  out  on  stage
and play really loud, obnoxious music." <he laughs>
     He continues on about growing within the music industry:  "I  am
not so quick to respond to outside stimuli. I will sit and think  for
a second before I react. That has helped me a lot. I  dunno.  There's
of course a sense of maturity that comes along with doing what you do
for a long time. You become more confident on how you  do  stuff  and
what you do. I can tell right away when I am creating music if it  is
a good song or bad song. If it ain't good it goes  into  the  bin.  I
have too much respect for my fans to release stuff like that, and  in
return they have a lot of respect for me, and I appreciate that,  and
I wouldn't sell them out like that by releasing an album with  crummy
songs."
     Besides music, Danzig is heavily involved (he is CEO)  with  his
adult comic book company, Verotic Comics, a business which  is  doing
quite well. "I started this company because I felt there was  a  need
for the kind of stuff that we were publishing. And I knew there was a
need when we started this but until we got all the  letters  we  have
been getting and the responses, I really  didn't  realize  there  was
such a need for it. It was  like  this:  Imagine  if  you  were  only
allowed to hear Top 40 music and all of a sudden someone dropped down
on your desk a hundred records, none of which are Top 40  stuff.  All
of a sudden you have a selection to choose from. We have  scared  the
whole comic industry. We have Marvel, DC, and Image shitting in their
pants."
     A quick note about Verotic, he says, "We  have  lots  of  artist
working for us. Lots of new titles and  no  spandex  superheroes.  We
have some really good talent within the company. It is done on a more
mature level than most comics and we have little kids trying  to  buy
books and having their parents or friends buy comics for  them.  They
are standing outside stores saying, 'Mister. Can you  please  buy  me
this comic?'" <he laughs>
     Danzig is happy to be doing both, saying that while on the  road
he makes all the decisions for Verotic "by Fed-Ex and phone." "It  is
not as hard as it sounds, but finding the time to do it is hard. What
I have told people in the past few weeks is that Verotic  is  not  my
priority. Music is and always will be." He finishes, "I  always  make
sure I never lose sight of what made me get involved in this  in  the
first place and why I do what I do."

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            P E R S P E C T I V E S   P L A Y E D   O U T 
            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
              An interview with Toronto's Inner Thought
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Canada's Inner Thought, an industrial-tinged/death metal  outfit
that relies heavily on experimentation, is the mastermind of one man:
Bobby Sadzak. A one-time member of  Canada's  legendary  death  metal
outfit Slaughter,  its  successor  Strappado,  and  Lethal  Presence,
Sadzak has finally found a home for his ideas with Inner Thought. The
band's debut album,  _Wordly  Separation_  (originally  on  WitchHunt
Records, now distributed through Dwell Records in California), was  a
mix of doom/death metal, industrial, samples, and realism brought out
in the music. The album brought on worldwide  attention  and  as  two
years have passed, the band returns with  an  equally,  if  not  more
powerful assault on our senses with _Perspectives_, an album  brewing
with creativity, genre bending ideas and fierce momentum. 
     Sadzak begins, "Some of  the  things  that  contributed  to  the
difference of the second album was  me  getting  more  familiar  with
working with MIDI and the drum machine. For the first album I  was  a
bit more limited because I had just first started working  with  drum
machines. I mean you  can  imagine  a  guitarist  playing  with  drum
machines, eh? It just doesn't seem like a natural thing to do but  as
I worked with it more and more, I became more familiar. It wasn't  as
scary as it seemed it would be. I can now apply more  of  my  writing
skills to help create better drum patterns."
     Unlike the original three-piece lineup that made _WS_, this time
around the band's lineup has once again been altered and that in turn
has changed somewhat the style of Inner Thought's music. "It  changed
not the direction of the band, but gave a bit  more  inspiration  for
the band. When you work alone you tend to get a little bit  of  blind
vision with one direction and don't think  of  anything  else  except
your own opinion. It is nice to have  someone  from  the  outside  to
steer you away and help produce ideas."
     So who is in the band at this point  in  time?  "Currently,  the
band is myself and singer Dennis Balesdent, who is still in the  band
even though he has moved away from Toronto back to  Nova  Scotia.  We
have talked with each other and when the third album is ready to  go,
he is gonna come down here for a month and we will be ready to go. We
are gonna do that." He adds, "As well, I have been thinking about the
idea of hooking up with the old  drummer  of  Lethal  Presence  (Rick
Nemith) to play drums on the third album. So... I may be veering away
from the drum machines and go back to  the  basics  and  try  a  live
drummer again." 
     And is that something he would want to see brought into the fold
of Inner Thought? "I have always played with  a  real  drummer,  ever
since I picked up a guitar. The reason I went with drum machines  was
that when Slaughter and Strappado broke up, where was I to go? I  was
too old to start a new band and I just still wanted to  write.  So  I
got a drum machine and took it from there.  I  assembled  an  8-track
recording system and brought in a really good MIDI keyboard recording
system. That is what I started with."
     Unlike the views and visions of  the  atrocities  of  war  shown
through the images within the album's artwork or the  lyrics  on  the
album, the growth of the band has been altered  as  well  within  the
lyrics found on _Perspectives_. Sadzak accounts for the  changes.  "I
thought I said what I had to say with the first album  and  I  didn't
want to bore people to death with the [issues] I was dealing with.  I
didn't want to desensitize them to it so on the second album I  moved
away from that and filled the topics with very personal ideas  and  a
bit of that racial tension that has been going on in the world in the
last five years or so. I  also  dealt  with  the  desensitization  of
television where people go to work, come home and watch TV.  How  the
TV rules us and tells us what to do. Those were some  of  the  topics
that I covered on the new album as well as the  relationship  between
man and woman. How when a relationship goes wrong you go crazy for  a
while. Not that I wrote ballads or anything, but just how far  people
tend to go when things don't go right."
     The thing that does set the band apart  is  the  use  of  female
vocals, samples, and the drum machine. The uniqueness of the band  is
evident and with each and every track on both LPs. "I have always had
these ideas from years ago to do something like this. When I  was  in
Slaughter, I had ideas to incorporate keyboards. I don't know if  you
were around  back  in  the  1980s  when  Slaughter  was  around,  but
keyboards in music was sort of this taboo thing.  No  one  did  those
ideas because it wasn't really accepted, and whenever  I  brought  in
those ideas to the band they were  shot  down  anyway.  That  is  the
problem with being in a band. There is a lot of good but a lot of bad
too. If not all the band members don't see eye to eye on a  direction
then it doesn't happen. I was usually held back  with  my  ideas  and
what I wanted to bring to the band.
     "This project was an outpouring of what I wanted to do for years
and years," explains Sadzak, "to get down to write lyrics that  meant
something. Lyrics that meant something to me and when  I  read  them,
not necessarily everyone will feel this, but for me to get  something
out of reading the lyrics in the pamphlet. Back in that Slaughter and
Strappado era, you had to sing about the devil,  you  know,  and  all
that stuff. Destruction  was  the  main  focus  without  any  meaning
sometimes, and I wanted to be in a situation where  I  could  channel
more ideas that were more personal."
     And as happy as Inner Thought's lead man is with his  music  and
the direction it continues to head towards, so is the fan base of the
band. What does Sadzak believe to be the winning trait of  the  band?
"People have always seemed to use the term  "original,"  says  Sadzak
with pride. "People say that I have something more to offer and  that
songs seem to vary on each album, making it an  enjoyable  listen.  I
like to hear that."
     One thing that Sadzak has going  for  him  is  determination  to
further the sound of the band. Having time to do work (Sadzak  has  a
full-time job and then spends rest of his time on Inner  Thought)  on
Inner Thought in his home studio has allowed him to have already  the
blueprints for the next release. "The problem that I have had in  the
last few years is that I have worked so far ahead than what my labels
were doing that the album would just be released and I would have the
next one written, recorded and ready to go and it  seems  like  every
time I record it takes a year or two before the album is released  in
Europe or the United States. At that point I get bored of my material
and when it comes time to hype the album like I am  doing  now  I  am
sort of lacking the intensity that I had coming  out  of  studio  and
waiting to see the reviews. This album was recorded  two  years  ago,
just look at the booklet of the album. It has worn off a  bit  -  the
feeling of being excited by my work."
     And how do you combat that then? "Now what I have done is  every
time I go down into the studio and hammering the material  out  right
away I pace myself. The album has been out in Europe for a  year  now
and just came out in U.S. and Canada so I figure in about six  months
I will go into studio and start up with the next release.  I  already
have ideas flowing around in my head and I can take it a  bit  easier
now."
     About the evolution and recordings of  the  band  he  continues,
"The problem with Inner Thought  is  that  I  want  the  band  to  be
constantly evolving and I don't want to turn out an album that sounds
like what I did before and that is my problem right  now.  Trying  to
get the creative juices going to create something with a  new  twist.
It is always a challenge to create music and that  is  what  I  enjoy
doing. It would be very easy for me to copy what I did with _WS_  and
just change it a bit and put different songs on the album but what is
hard is to expand on what I did. That challenge is always there."

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           S E A T T L E ' S   S I N I S T E R   S A G E S 
           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                       CoC interviews Nevermore
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Seattle progressive metal quintet Nevermore's self-titled  debut
album, released in 1995 on Century Media records, won metal fans over
world-wide with singer Warrel Dane's explosive vocals and the  superb
brilliance that circulated within each  track.  Whether  it  was  the
dynamic assembly of  such  songs  as  "The  Sanity  Assassin",  "What
Tomorrow Knows", or the thought  provoking  lyrics  of  "The  Hurling
Words", Nevermore's debut was a true testimonial  that  there  indeed
was something powerful breathing within the depths of creativity that
Nevermore had inside them.
     The band spawned from the ashes  of  Seattle  power  metal  band
Sanctuary, with Dane and bassist Jim  Sheppard  recruiting  guitarist
Jeff Loomis to form Nevermore. The band developed a demo and soon was
signed to Century Media. Following a successful tour of the U.S.  and
Europe in 1995/96 in support of their debut, the band (rounded out by
other guitarist Pat O' Brien and drummer Van Williams) came  off  the
road to record their follow-up, _The Politics of Ecstasy_.  Prior  to
the release of _PoE_, the band released a limited edition  EP  titled
_In Memory_ which allowed fans of the band to be  content  with  some
newer material prior to the sophomore release.
     A year later since the release of their debut, Dane and the boys
of Nevermore have returned with  _PoE_,  a  blistering  and  powerful
assortment of  mighty  guitar  riffs,  harrowing  vocals,  and  truly
dominating progressive metal. Heaviness lurks throughout.
     "The last year or so has  been  really  good  for  the  band  in
regards to creativity," begins Dane over the phone from Seattle.  "We
have done a lot of stuff in between recording an EP and an album.  We
got to do the summer's Metal Meetings Tour in Europe  as  well  as  a
co-headlining tour in Europe with Iced Earth.  We  have  been  pretty
fuckin' busy."
     Listening to the debut album and _PoE_ back to  back,  they  are
quite similar, yet _PoE_ wins out due to its massive  counter  attack
of emotions and visions running rampant (i.e. "Seven Tongues of God",
"Next In Line", and the title track). "This album's  material  is  an
expression of what we were feeling at the time. For me I can only say
lyrically where all that came from. I read a lot and am a big  horror
fan, but I don't think that comes out in the  lyrics  lots.  I  write
from a lot of my own experiences and from watching CNN. I don't watch
much TV," assures Dane, "but I have  to  watch  CNN  just  to  remind
myself of how fucked up everything is. So... the music and  ideas  is
an amalgamation of all that. I think all of that stuff  filters  into
the songs. We're just really happy the way the record turned out."
     And his take on describing _PoE_? "I don't think we  are  trying
to break away from being a certain type of band or  trying  to  be  a
certain type of band. I have heard people say  that  this  record  is
extremely aggressive and others say something  else.  I  am  confused
myself to what to call this music," he says as he laughs. When  asked
again to describe the album he says, "This is the musical  equivalent
of a full-blown acid trip!"
     "Songwriting comes a lot  easier  nowadays,"  mentions  Dane  in
referral to the early days of Sanctuary and songwriting.  "Without  a
doubt, it is a lot easier now. Now more than ever we can  work  as  a
unit, more so than our last band. With this record,  we  have  fallen
into our stride as songwriters and I think we have  matured  just  as
much."
     About the work going into _PoE_, he offers,  "We  began  writing
for this record as soon as the first one came out.  A  lot  of  songs
were written from January 1995 (when debut came  out)  till  when  we
went into the studio in September of 1996. And a lot  of  our  better
songs came out just before we went into record _PoE_. We looked  hard
to find out what we wanted to with this record and I believe we found
the right songs. Also, when we made the first record, we financed  it
ourselves and went in and recorded it as quick as we could.  The  new
record is a record which I consider to  be  our  first  real  record,
because we had the time to sit down and figure out what we wanted  to
do, to experiment with different ideas and the recording. I  can  see
the difference in both records  and  I  think  we  have  matured  and
changed for the best."
     The topic slowly shifts towards the state of  metal  in  today's
music. Dane is aware that metal  has  been  pushed  aside  but  still
believes metal has life left in it. His main goal  right  now  is  to
tour with the latest effort, seeing touring as an  important  element
to any metal band in 1996. "For us it is the most important thing  to
do. To get out and tour. I think it is important  for  bands  to  get
out, especially metal bands right now, to get out in the public  eye.
That'll let people know that metal is here, it hasn't gone  away  and
that it won't go away. I know there is still an audience  and  people
want this and it is just a matter  of  time  before  this  all  turns
around. It has to because I am so sick of seeing  short-haired  geeks
on MTV. I know a lot of people feel this way."
     He adds, "The alternative scene has become so stagnant that  the
winds of change are coming. No one knows what is coming  but  I  know
that there are a shitload of metal bands waiting  to  be  appreciated
finally."

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


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


                 K A R E L E S S   A N D   K R A Z Y 
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                        CoC Interrogates Korn
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Bakersfield, California quintet Korn have been the talk  of  the
music industry ever since the band released their  self-titled  debut
album on Immortal Records/Epic in 1994. The band toured  extensively,
more  than  three  hundred  shows  in  the  last  year  and  a  half,
captivating concert goers with their intense live shows and  watching
their fan base grow. 
     The band returns in 1996 with their sophomore  follow-up,  _Life
Is Peachy_, a blistering  dose  of  anger,  aggression  and  powerful
screams n' riffs that'll keep the grooves  strong  and  intensity  at
Level 10.
     Recently while on tour in North America, singer  Jonathan  Davis
and guitarist J. Munkey Shaffer (the band is rounded out  by  drummer
David, guitarist Brian Welch and bassist Fieldy Snuts) took time  out
to talk about touring, the sophomore record and life in Korn. 


CoC: Let's talk about the music on _Life Is Peachy_. The record seems
     to showcase a maturity factor  and  not  primarily  focusing  on
     individuals or individualism (as on last record), rather society
     as a whole. How do you view where Korn has headed?

J. Munkey Shaffer: I think we have all matured. I think we are better
                   musicians now than when we started.  We  took  the
                   first record and examined it and decided we wanted
                   to take it to  another  level  as  musicians.  The
                   angst and anger coming from his vocals  or  lyrics
                   are still coming from [Davis'] gut but it  is  now
                   in place with a more mature sound.

CoC: Why do you think this change happened for the band?

Jonathan Davis: It has to be touring. We did three  hundred  and  six
                shows last year. When you play your instrument  every
                day you do get better at it. We are now being able to
                do stuff that we weren't able  to  do  as  a  younger
                band. Plus we are a band that has been  together  for
                three years now, opposed to us being a band  for  one
                year when we made the last record. I think it takes a
                good three years for everyone to fall into place and 
                be a band.

CoC: There is this anarchistic, almost chaotic flow  or  frenzy  that 
     takes over a crowd at a Korn show. Obviously you guys get a  lot
     out of playing live and releasing emotions or expressions.  What
     do you think these kids get out of being at the show?

JD: I think they just let out a lot of aggression. They come to see a
    good show and they can just get all their aggressions out. 

MS: I think the kids, when they come to  our  show  or  watch  us  up
    there, they see a part of them in each one of us.

JD: They can at least relate to one of us...

MS: ... or all of us. Each one of us is a small part in one of them.

CoC: The press has been almost positive of Korn since the  beginning.
     It has been a gradual climb to success for  the  band  and  fans
     just seem to love you. You  have  developed  quite  a  cult-like
     following in the last year or so  too.  How  do  you  think  the
     exposure of Korn has been?

JD: We don't want to be overexposed because if that happens kids  get
    sick of you. We have always been some kind of an  underground  or
    cult band and if you start getting too much press like  plastered
    all over magazines and sorts then you lose your  credibility  and
    we don't want that.

CoC: So are you doing a lot of press this time?

JD: We are doing tons... but press is fun. Kids love  to  read  about
    the bands. Let them do that. When I  talk  about  overexposure  I
    talk about MTV in the States playing the video all the  time  and
    making people sick of us.

CoC: Once again you worked with Ross Robinson at the  producer  helm,
     what do you think he did with the  last  record  that  you  were
     happy to bring him back to do the new release?

JD: Ross is an incredible producer.

MS: You just gotta know Ross. 

JD: He has been with the band longer than I have. He was working with
    the band before I joined the band. I  couldn't  imagine  doing  a
    record without Ross. It just wouldn't be Korn if he wasn't there.
    He is us. I can't understand bands meeting  producers  two  weeks
    before recording a record and feeling totally comfortable. He  is
    an important part to our unit.

MS: He is the sixth member of the band.

CoC: What are the highlights do you think of _Life Is Peachy_?

JD: The whole highlight of the record was  making  the  record.  From
    start to finish it was a  great  experience.  We  hadn't  written
    anything in two years. Not one thing.  We  were  just  aching  to
    write. When we wrote the record within one month's  time  we  had
    such fun just letting it all pour out and having Ross there. 

MS: I think the highlight  of  making  the  record  was  writing  the
    material. We came off the road, took a week off and wrote. It was
    a great feeling to be able to put  our  thoughts  down  into  our
    music.

CoC: And because of the success of the debut record, was  there  some
     kind of pressure that came along with making the second effort?

JD: There was a little bit when we were writing. We didn't know  what
    we were going to write.

MS: There was a little bit of pressure. We were  thinking  about  the
    "sophomore jinx" but it didn't happen and we are glad about that.

CoC: There have been a lot of new bands coming and going in the  last
     few years but still Korn seems to be sticking around. Why do you
     think that is? What do you think makes people fascinated to you? 

JD: I think it is 'cause we are real. That is basically it.  We  tour
    and work our butts off. We tour and  I  sing  about  real  stuff.
    People can relate  to  it.  There  is  no  gimmick  here  either.
    Basically you see what you get and kids respect us for that. If I
    wasn't in Korn I would be a total freak of the band just  because
    of the fact I think we are real. I dig that.

CoC: Are the visions and goals of the band pretty much  the  same  as
     when you started out or have they changed?

JD: I think it is pretty much the same.

CoC: And so with the same goals intact and a  bit  more  mature  this
     time, how would you describe _LIP_?

JD: I would say that we have maintained the vibe of the first  record
    but taking our music  to  a  higher  level.  Maybe  even  a  step
    further. I think the first record was really raw and  we  weren't
    that good and I think with this record we are better at  touching
    more of the things around us and  writing  about  them.  We  have
    grown and I am glad to see that happen with Korn. 

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                  D I A B O L I C    D I A L O G U E
                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                   CoC chats with Pete from Diaboli
                          by: Steve Hoeltzel

One  of  the  cooler  black  metal  debuts  of  1996  was   Diaboli's
_Mesmerized by Darkness_, a take-no-prisoners, blast-and-pummel metal
detonation. Completely free of all the arty embellishments which have
become tired  black  metal  cliches,  this  album  just  hammers  the
listener with undiluted dread and aggression. Described  by  Unisound
Records as a "back to the roots" release, it's definitely true to the
no-bullshit ethic of the 80s - plenty of cold Scandinavian extremity,
zero display of sensitivity. I recently wrote to Pete, Diaboli's sole
member, hoping to learn a bit more about the band.


CoC: Why did you decide to go "back to the roots" of black  metal  on
     _Mesmerized by Darkness_?

Pete: I don't know about going back  to  the  roots.  The  music  has
      always been in this style, so...

CoC: What are  four  or  five  albums  that  have  had  the  greatest
     influence on the Diaboli style and sound? What else inspires you?

P: That's a hard one. One album I have to name which influenced me  a
   lot when I heard it is Slayer's _Reign in Blood_. But speaking  of
   black metal albums, there are many - Venom, Bathory, Celtic  Frost
   albums, and a lot more. I think it's impossible  to  name  just  a
   few. And besides the 80s bands, some of the 90s  bands  have  also
   influenced me - for example, Darkthrone. I can't deny that.

CoC: The album has a fairly raw sound to it (which I like!!). If  you
     had  the  opportunity  to  record  an  album  with  a  polished,
     big-budget production, would you take it?

P: Well, I think the first album  almost  sounds  like  a  big-budget
   recording (!), but I don't know.  I'm  sure  that  if  I  had  the
   opportunity, then I'd record a few songs  and  listen  to  how  it
   sounds. It the sound was too clean, then no.

CoC: Why do you choose to operate as a one-man black  metal  project?
     Has there ever been a time when Diaboli involved other musicians
     besides yourself? If so, what happened to them?

P: When the band was formed in summer 1992 and we released the  first
   demo, _Descent into Hell_,  in  November  1992,  there  were  five
   members in the band. But when we released _Demo II_ in June  1994,
   there was only me and a vocalist left. Then our egos got  too  big
   and we were not getting along very well, so I parted ways with the
   vocalist, and Diaboli became a one-man band.

CoC: Were you involved in any other bands prior to forming Diaboli?

P: Yes. I played some not-so-interesting music.
  
CoC: Black metal is extremely fashionable in  the  underground  metal
     scene right now, and it seems that there  are  new  black  metal
     bands forming every day. What do  you  think  of  black  metal's
     sudden popularity?
     
P: That's really stupid, because there are bands who just put  corpse
   paint on and can't make  quality  music,  and  suddenly  they  are
   selling thousands of records. But on the other hand, they are also
   spreading the anti-Christian message more and more, which is good.

CoC: Do you take an active part in any black metal  "scene"  in  your
     area, or do you keep to yourself?

P: Here where I live, there is no black metal scene. But  outside  of
   this town, I meet a few people from the other Finnish black  metal
   bands once or twice a year - not very often.

CoC: In your opinion, what are the best and the  worst  things  about
     today's extreme metal underground?

P: Best = good bands. Worst = shit bands.
   [Hard to argue with that. -- Steve]

CoC: Many black metal musicians that I speak to say that black  metal
     is more than just a musical style - it is  a  way  of  life.  Is
     black metal a  way  of  life  for  you?  If  so,  what  are  the
     distinctive features of this way of life?

P: Yes, I think black metal is much more than just a  musical  style.
   It is elite music, above all other music, and it is a lifestyle.

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

P: I mostly listen to elite Scandinavian black metal, but  because  I
   play it too, I also listen to other kinds of  bands  -  otherwise,
   I'd get bored and uninspired. But what kinds of bands  those  are,
   you really don't want to know!

CoC: What are your plans for the future? Will the  world  be  hearing
     from Diaboli again?

P: I have quite a lot of new material recorded already, so  wait  for
   the second album to be released in 1997.

CoC: Any parting words for readers and fans?

P: I'd like to take this opportunity  to  advertise  that  the  first
   album, _Mesmerized by Darkness_, is also available  directly  from
   me. The CD costs $20 (which includes  postage  everywhere).  Write
   to: Diaboli, Box 54, 33961 Pirkkala, Finland.

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                   M E T A L ' S   M A S T E R S   
                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                        CoC interviews Manowar
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Manowar singer Eric Adams is quite outspoken and not  afraid  to
say what he thinks. Adams is very open about music, the industry, and
the state of metal music today. And regardless of musical  trends  or
label switches, the New York-based band has always  strived  to  keep
metal  deep  within  themselves.  Just  look  at  the  pure  metallic
offerings they have released to the  world  since  forming  in  1981:
_Battle Hymns_ (1982), _Hail to England_ (1984), _Fighting the World_
(1987), _Kings of Metal_ (1988), and 1992's _Triumph of  Steel_.  And
the manliness and raw power continues onward with their powerful  and
latest album, _Louder Than Hell_. _LTH_ is  a  monstrous  assault  of
rip-roarin' guitars, pounding beats, and shrieking  vocals  that  cry
out 80s metal. And why does Manowar continue to  play  this  kind  of
music? Why, you ask? Because they can and no one  else  is  doing  it
like Manowar does. 
     The band is loud (they are in the Guinness Book Of World Records
as "World's Loudest Rock Band"), they  rock,  and  all  non-believers
aside, this type of metal is still big business. Manowar  is  on  top
and they love it. Adams wouldn't have it any other way.


CoC: Tell me about the inspiration that went into this  record.  Talk
     about _LTH_ and being "louder than hell." Was that something you
     were just feeling you needed to be in the studio - wanting to be
     just this huge, mighty machine of metal?

Eric Adams: You know we  broke  the  Guinness  Record  of  being  the
            loudest band in Germany? It was in  Hanover.  During  the
            last tour we did that. During the "Triumph of Steel" tour
            we did that. We were originally the "Loudest Band in  the
            World", and then some prick band, I don't  even  remember
            their name, decided they wanted to break our record. They
            did, or said they did. So the word was out that maybe  we
            weren't the loudest band or most  powerful  band.  So  we
            said, "Okay... let's show everybody  right  now."  So  we
            brought over a wall of gear. So much that we had to fly a
            whole section of gear on top of the other section of gear
            we had brought with us. We hooked it all up.  Before  the
            show we had invited CNN, MTV, the  Guinness  people,  and
            they were all there with their  special  ear  protection.
            And we kicked some serious ass  brother...  <laughs>  ...
            and broke the sound record and I don't  think  anyone  is
            crazy enough to do that again.

CoC: What exactly was the decibel count?

EA: I think Joey (DiMaio; bass) was playing at 129 DB... and that was
    just Joey, too. It was a pretty powerful sound. I mean, we didn't
    want to hurt our fans or make them go deaf so  we  toned  down  a
    little bit. <laughs> Not only, when you come to a  Manowar  show,
    do you get a show, but you feel it too.

CoC: So seeing that we  have  been  talking  about  being  loud,  the
     question again is, what was the  inspiration  for  material  and
     sound going into _LTH_?

EA: We just wrote what we felt at the time. You can't  just  say  you
    are gonna write a song right now and go and do it. We were riding
    on the Harleys one day and Joe came up with the idea  of  "Return
    of the Warlord", and with Scott (Columbus;  drums)  in  the  band
    again, it was just a cool idea to have. When an idea for  a  song
    happens, it fuckin' happens. If it is good enough to  be  on  the
    album,  then  it  goes  on.  Fuck,  "Brothers  of   Metal"   took
    fifty-seven versions before we finally put that one on.

CoC: When you are creating music, are  you  intentionally  trying  to
     create and use visions of a "barbarian-like" era?

EA: We don't try to go back in any era.  We  have  always  felt  that
    everyone has always needed a hero in their life. That hero  could
    be you in the mirror. That  is  why  the  album  cover  has  this
    warrior/hero-like image with no face. Because it could be anyone.
    We have always believed that heavy  metal  was  about  power  and
    might and steel and just a strong feel to a song. That is why  we
    have always had that  in  our  songs.  You  can't  get  any  more
    powerful than steel. It goes well with the heavy metal genre.

CoC: You guys are different to a lot of  bands  nowadays,  especially
     with some of the bands in the metal genre. A lot of  bands  have
     fallen to the side but you guys continue to go on. Like any form
     of music, there is a need for certain types of  music  and  they
     are in demand. Your type of music is a good example of that. How
     do you feel about Manowar being different  from  all  the  other
     types of music in the metal genre?

EA: I think it is good. I think it is great that we are in a field by
    ourselves because people are pussies and they want to get out  of
    the metal scene because they don't want to play  from  the  heart
    anymore. They want to play from the wallet. These bands just want
    to sell songs that'll do well  on  the  radio.  Those  bands  are
    pussies as far as I am concerned and they  don't  belong  in  the
    metal scene. They should then just get the fuck out of  the  way.
    We are not like that. We believe in what we do. We listen to  our
    fans. Our fans tell us "never change, never change," and  we  are
    not gonna fuckin' change. There is no need for us  to  change.  I
    saw Metallica said that they aren't metal anymore. Well what  the
    fuck? They have "metal" in their name for fuck's sake. They  have
    been metal all this time. The  metal  crowd  are  the  ones  that
    bought them their cars and homes and now they are gonna fuck them
    and say, "We are not metal anymore?" That is bullshit.  We  would
    never let our fans down. We are proud to wave the metal flag.

CoC: Because you have stayed with the same sound and images, and  are
     one of the only bands like Manowar now, do you get criticism for
     what you are doing?

EA: I get criticism from journalists. Not you, because you are a fan,
    but mainly from journalists. You know what metal  is  about,  not
    these guys. Fuck... I just got off the phone with a journalist in
    Greece who quite frankly was a prick. He said, "This sounds  like
    old metal. Don't you think you should change with the times?" And
    I said, "Fuck you!" That is what I said, "Fuck you! You don't buy
    the records. Our fans buy the records and they tell us  what  the
    fuck what they want to hear. They tell us 'don't change' or 'stay
    the same' and we do that. We won't change." I explained  to  this
    guy, we believe what we do. He then  says,  "Well,  I  see  these
    pictures of you guys riding motorbikes." And I said,  "Yeah?  So?
    What is wrong with that?" That whole thing goes  with  the  metal
    scene. We have ridden bikes for years and it's something that the
    fans may have not seen till now. We are not ashamed of metal.

CoC: The way I describe your music is to go as far as to say that  it
     reminds me of a barbarian, "we want to  be  strong"  angle.  You
     won't wimp out on a record. I mean, you do ballads on the record
     that are soft, but there is still the intensity  there  and  the
     motivation of what you want to do.

EA: You are exactly right. You got it right. The slow tracks  on  the
    album are  there  because  I  feel  like  singing  and  not  just
    screaming. It still has  that  "believe  in  yourself  attitude."
    Don't be a follower. Be a leader. That is how we feel.  The  slow
    songs still have that same feel or ideas.

CoC: From your perspective, how has the band's  take  on  songwriting
     changed over the years?

EA: I guess it depends who is in the band at that time. <laughs>  Our
    guitar player Karl Logan is really into theory and  guitar  work.
    He is brilliant. It has brought the band up to a level now  where
    we can do anything and are not afraid to do it. We  can  do  fast
    songs, slow songs, um...symphonic metal and take less time  doing
    it. We have a guy now who can help us do what we want to do  with
    our material.

CoC: For you, what do you get out of performing or the  whole  vision
     of being a pure mighty machine? What do you get out of this?  Is
     it like taking on a role?

EA: I get the chicks. <he laughs hysterically> I am the singer and  I
    get the chicks. Joey and I get all the chicks. <he laughs> No...I
    just get a good feel up there...and the chicks. I  get  a  really
    good feeling on stage, but not only on-stage. After the  show  on
    the bus when we are meeting some fans to sign autographs it  just
    gives me a good feeling.

CoC: What are your favorite tracks on _LTH_? I like  "Return  Of  The
     Warlord."

EA: My favorite track that we have ever recorded is  on  this  album.
    The song "King." Yeah.... "Return Of The Warlord"  is  cool.  You
    know what is so cool about that song is that is the  first  track
    of the album. It just tells everyone that we  are  back  together
    again with Scott in the band. It just makes  sense  to  come  out
    with something like that.

CoC: There are a lot of people that you thank on this record,  people
     that have kept the vision of Manowar alive. What  has  been  the
     hardest thing you have had to deal with over the years?

EA: Oh...wow...that is a good question. That is a first. No  one  has
    ever asked me that before. I think the hardest thing I have  ever
    had to deal with is speaking from my heart  to  journalists  like
    yourself and then reading the article  and  they  pissed  on  the
    band. That is the hardest thing I have had to face  I  think.  If
    they get assigned the job and not really give a fuck about  metal
    and they usually right about alternative music then we get fucked
    by that. It is people like that in the music industry  that  fuck
    the bands over the years and unfortunately they not only fuck the
    bands but the fans too.

CoC: Another focus that the band seems very  detailed  about  is  the
     inclusion of lyrics. How important are lyrics to you?

EA: Lyrics are real important. Not only do they have to fit the songs
    and I have to be in character... I mean if I did "Courage" with a
    raunchy voice it wouldn't be the same as when  I  do  it  with  a
    clean voice. You know what I  am  saying?  I  have  to  get  into
    character with each song. The lyrics are important and if it is a
    powerful track and you want people to get the message the emotion
    has to be there. Lyrics are important, especially for metal.

CoC: What kind of stuff do you want to do with Manowar in the future?
     This record is out now, will it be sometime  before  Manowar  is
     back in the studio?

EA: I wanna get back out on the fuckin' road man. I have been in  the
    studio for years now. It is time to hit the road. We  would  like
    to be out on the road as long as we can with this  record.  Until
    it is done. It could be a year... who knows? After that  we  will
    take a month off, take our vacations or whatever we do, and  then
    go back into the studio. We'll clean our heads and then  go  back
    into the studio to create.

CoC: I have told you how I felt about  the  record  or  how  I  would
     describe it. You being the lead singer and leader of  the  band,
     how would you describe it? How would you describe it to  someone
     who may not have heard Manowar before?

EA: I would tell them to strap their nuts to their legs because  they
    are gonna blow right off.  They'll  blow  right  off.  The  title
    _Louder Than Hell_ speaks for itself brother. It is loud  and  it
    is powerful.

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                C A R E S S I N G   H E A V I N E S S 
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                      An interview with Gomorrah
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Much like the ways  of  life  where  growth  is  a  much  needed
necessity, England quintet Gomorrah felt it was necessary to grow  in
many ways with their music: as musicians and as a  band.  The  band's
latest LP _Caress the Grotesque_, the follow-up to 1994's debut album
_Reflections of Inanimate Matter_, has the definite  qualities  of  a
band that has seen change. The riffs are heavier at  times  on  _CtG_
but now the band concentrates on making their music more  stable  and
moodier instead of  just  reckless  hatred  and  anger  being  spewed
outward.
     Having been together since just before  the  release  of  1991's
well-received demo _Embryonic Stages_ , the band has managed to  keep
the same line-up and the same objectives: to create music  they  feel
best represents the band.
     Chronicles of Chaos recently had  the  opportunity  to  talk  to
guitarist Jose Griffin about the band, their five years together, and
the state of metal. The band is rounded out by singer  Sven  Olafson,
guitarist Mike Prior, drummer Fran Robinson, and bassist John Clark.


CoC: How have things being going for the band  this  time  around  as
     opposed to the last release?

Jose Griffin: Things have been going really  well.  Black  Mark  have
              done a lot better job  with  this  one  than  the  last
              record in terms of setting stuff up like interviews and 
              all.	

CoC: How do you think _CtG_ differs from what you had done  with  the 
     last release?

JG: I think we have progressed on this one which I suppose every band
    should do with every release. I think we are a lot  more  focused
    this time. Every band's first  record  is  everything  they  have
    written from day one. It is like the "Best of... my first  years"
    where the second album material is written  for  the  record.  We
    locked ourselves up in our own studio, which is a luxury, and  we
    became more focused and worked a lot harder on it.  I  think  the
    difference is that  we  have  opened  ourselves  to  a  lot  more
    avenues, which I think is very obvious. I think we worked hard on
    vocals and that shows and I  think  basically  is  that  we  have
    opened ourselves up to a lot more. We discovered more avenues  to
    experiment with.	

CoC: Did you just want to do different things with this record?

JG: I think it is something that may have happened a bit more  freely
    on the first one had we been  more  wiser  to  it.  It  has  been
    natural for us to do this and something  we  have  mucked  around
    with, but I think early on we might have shied away from  it.  We
    might have come up with riffs and decided it didn't work for what
    we wanted to do. But now we say "Fuck it!" - If  we  like  it  we
    record it. It has always been a challenge for us to  throw  in  a
    riff that we might not have normally done.  As  I  see  it  is  a
    matter of us opening up our mind and what we want to do and  just
    do it more freely as opposed to throwing away stuff. We just look
    at what we create and see if we can work with it. If we enjoy it,
    that is all that matters.

CoC: A lot of bands in the last few years have  shifted  their  sound
     slightly to either appeal to certain fans or to just go with the
     times or to just even be seen as unique.  Gomorrah  hasn't  done
     that. What do you think sets Gomorrah apart from other bands?

JG: I don't know if we offer anything unique  or  original.  That  is
    very hard to do these days and be original. I think what we do is
    that we offer quite a range of metal. Three fifths  of  the  band
    has been listening to metal since the early 80s and  I  think  we
    have influences in our music from 1980 right up  to  the  present
    day. We have sixteen years of great music and a great stew of all
    these great bands within our music. I don't think you can nail us
    down and say we sound like so and so. I  think  maybe  you  could
    have  done  that  with  _RoIM_  because  we  were   so   unfairly
    pigeonholed as a death metal band. I think we offered some  great
    twin guitar riffs but maybe Sven's vocals kept us in that mode. I
    think this album offers quite a good variety  of  stuff  now  and
    Sven's vocals have changed too which has helped us.	

CoC: How have you changed over the last few years as a musician?

JG: A lot like the records we do. A lot more focused and I  think  we
    are happy to be doing what we are doing. I  think  we  are  happy
    being where we have been able to get with our music. It  is  hard
    to describe. As a unit we have had a unique experience of  having
    the same members five years down the road. We have become tighter
    too as a band. We have the same goals as  a  unit.  I  think  the
    whole  growth  for  us  all  has  been  as  a  band  and  not  as
    individuals. Our lives have all blended into the band now.

CoC: With the music on _CtG_, has songwriting been easier?

JG: I think it has. Like the first record being a "Best of...,"  this
    time we worked hard as a unit and we took the time to create  all
    this music. The bulk of this material, as opposed to what we  had
    done earlier on, was all written  as  a  unit.  All  five  of  us
    working on the lyrics, the songs, the music, and it  allowed  all
    the five minds to come together and create what we wanted to make
    our music take shape into.  I  think  it  was  easier  this  time
    because the ideas had all these walls to bounce off right away as
    opposed to sitting in your bedroom writing music by yourself.

CoC: Most artists have a hard time coming up with  a  description  of
     their release. Do you? How would you  describe  this  record  in
     regards to sound or style?

JG: It depends if it is someone who knows the band or  not.  I  would
    have to say that it is definitely a  metal  record.  I  think  it
    expands all types of music  from  1980-1996.  I  think  we  offer
    variety and I think you will experience the  different  moods  of
    the record from listening to it and reading the lyrics.  I  think
    it is a worth a listen from track one to track  ten.  This  is  a
    metal record with lots of sounds. I would  tell  anyone  to  just
    check it out.

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                   T H E   R A G E   R E T U R N S 
                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                    An interview with Meliah Rage
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Five years. That is a long time for a band to put their music on
hold but Boston thrashers Meliah Rage did just that  after  just  two
releases. The time frame has been long enough  and  now  Meliah  Rage
singer Mike Munro (whose  band's  second  album  _Solitary  Solitude_
surfaced in 1990; debut _Kill To Survive_ in 1989) thinks it is  time
that his band find it's way back into somewhat smaller,  less-focused
on metal music scene with their stunning third effort  _Death  Valley
Dream_.
     With a new line-up, keeping original guitarists Anthony  Nichols
and Jim Koury, the band assembled the 1996  version  of  Meliah  Rage
with drummer Dave Barcos and ex-Wargasm bassist Bob Mayo and recorded
their third opus.
     Munro is pumped  and  excited  about  the  record  and  possibly
touring, but as most metallers know nowadays it's a  tough  scene  in
music. He explains to Chronicles of Chaos the ups and downs of  being
a metal band and resurrecting Meliah Rage. Here is how it went:


CoC: What was the feeling like  for  the  band  to,  after  years  of
     putting the music of Meliah Rage aside,  to  start  it  up  once
     again?

Mike Munro: I was busy doing some stuff. I was in three  other  bands
            when I wasn't doing Rage. I was in a King's X style band,
            a blues band and a hard rock band.  I  tried  to  use  my
            voice lots  when  I  wasn't  playing  with  Meliah  Rage.
            Getting back into was definitely kind of strange. It  was
            hard to write again.  I  mean  when  I  wrote  the  other
            records I had a lot of aggression in me and that  was  my
            outlet back then. And now I didn't  have  that  built  up
            aggression that I did. It was a different thing but I did
            miss it. You get a little older and  you  get  away  from
            things but it was fun to do this again.

CoC: Has you outlook on the metal industry changed?

MM: It definitely has. I am not as in touch as I should be with  what
    is going on. I am still following metal to what I can  but  I  am
    more into the Alice In Chains and Soundgarden metal and I am  not
    really keen on the death metal stuff. For me personally  I  don't
    get into it. Also because I like singing and that is not  singing
    that I enjoy in death metal. It is a type of singing but  nothing
    I enjoy.

CoC: Do you feel that _Death Valley  Dream_  is  sort  of  a  concept
     record or a record that is concentrating on one set of  emotions
     rather than a assortment of scattered ideas and themes? Or maybe
     it is a collection of ideas...

MM: This record is a lot of ideas thrown together  because  Bob  Mayo
    did half of the writing of the lyrics which was  good  because  I
    was having a hard time coming up with stuff. I  said,  'Hey  Bob!
    Help me out here' and he came in and helped put a different twist
    into things. He came up with certain things melody  wise  that  I
    couldn't come up with and/or something I  wouldn't  have  thought
    of. I was so used to writing my way and singing  it  my  way  but
    with this record I had to adjust to his writing and  his  way  of
    how it was supposed to be sung. I still made the music my way but
    with his ideas/ I liked it that way because  I  got  a  different
    aspect of writing in general.

CoC: Musically _DVD_ seems to be catering to that  80s/late-80s  kind
     of thrash-riff metal but with  a  90s  sound.  You  seem  to  be
     sticking with that 80s thrash sound. Do you think you will  ever
     try to lose that style of sound in Meliah Rage's music?

MM: This record is us. I can honestly say this that this is the  same
    record we would have released if we had stayed with Epic  Records
    (the band is now with indie label  Backstreet  records)  back  in
    1992. This is the way we are. I couldn't see us  coming  out  and
    sounding like Green Day <he laughs>. Some of the feedback we have
    been getting is, 'This is what  we  have  been  waiting  for.  We
    thought we might get it from Metallica but...' We wrote  what  we
    wrote at the time and this is what came out. The whole process of
    being a musician or writer is getting it all out and writing what
    ya feel at the time and your influences at  that  time.  We  also
    stayed with our influences being in the 1980s. I don't know where
    (James) Hetfield or Lars (Ulrich) got their ideas? Obviously they
    are into other stuff and it comes out another way. 

CoC: With hooking up with Backstreet and putting out _DVD_, was  that
     a make or break thing if you couldn't find a label to put out  a
     record that would be in for Meliah Rage?

MM: We have been shopping the tapes of our music for the last  little
    while, ever since we got off Epic. We  have  been  pushing  three
    demos but ever since we left Epic  metal  music  has  been  on  a
    decline and trying to find a deal was hard.  It  was  aggravating
    but we kept at it. But in the meantime everybody kept at it doing
    their own thing. It wasn't like we were Meliah Rage for the  past
    six years. We were doing different things  which  every  musician
    does and that adds flavor to your life.

CoC: A lot bands from the era of metal  that  you  surfaced  in  have
     either given up or have tried really hard  to  be  accepted.  Or
     bands like you will sit around and wait for the proper  time  to
     strike. How was it for you guys?

MM: I think we were lucky. I think people miss the metal scene and it
    can do well again, especially the music we play or bands like us.
    The problem is that there are not  enough  fans  embracing  bands
    like us right now. That is the problem we have now.  I  am  doing
    all these interviews and people are  asking  me,  'When  are  you
    touring?' or 'When are you gonna be in Texas?' and I say,  'If  I
    could be in Texas I would be there tomorrow.' But it takes  money
    to get there. If you don't have the money and clubs don't pay you
    lots of money then it is hard to make it  to  Rhode  Island,  let
    alone Texas. We want to get out and tour, maybe even hook up onto
    a good tour but a lot of venues aren't taking the  shows.  It  is
    tough but I can see it happening. It is now  like  1981  or  1982
    where things are in the small clubs again where bands are playing
    there and are now, like back then, breaking out into the scene.

CoC: I think people are just wanting something different again, don't 
     you?

MM: I see what you are saying. I know a lot of  people  are  sick  of
    this whole alternative thing. I listen to the radio  and  I  hear
    all that stuff on the radio and I wonder  why  anybody  would  by
    that crap. But if that is what they dig then  cool  for  them.  I
    just don't get it.

CoC: With the metal scene maybe on a course back into the  spotlight,
     what do you hope will happen to the metal music this time around
     that may not have happened last time out?

MM: I hope that the labels recognize it more.  I  think  they  should
    recognize the talent more than just a pretty face. Glam Metal was
    a type of metal that sold records and  got  the  teen-boppers.  I
    think that the big factor was that the talent was lost.  I  don't
    think the labels gave credit where credit was  due.  That  always
    aggravated me. I hope this time around if it  gets  bigger  again
    that labels take focus in bands more.

CoC: In your eyes, how do you see this record?

MM: I see this record as us being us. Us being us in 1996. I think we
    have changed a bit. The songs are a little shorter, more  to  the
    point and with a little punch in them. I just really  dig  it.  I
    have always considered us power metal. I always thought that  and
    I still think we are that. I have always been happy playing  this
    kind of metal and I happy to be doing this again. I think this is
    the best record we have ever done. I'm happy but at the same time
    a slight bit aggravated that we might not be able to get  put  an
    tour and play shows at this point. I wanna play  for  people  who
    want to see us and hear what we do. That bums me out that  people
    want to see us play the kind of metal we play and they  won't  be
    able to see us. Hopefully touring will be in our cards this year.
    We'll see.

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

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

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


The Abyss - _Summon the Beast_  (Nuclear Blast, November 1996)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (6 out of 10)

_Summon The Beast_ is The Abyss' second album and  is  very  easy  to
categorize: no frills, straight-forward black metal. The side-project
of Peter Tagtgren (of Hypocrisy, but you already  knew  that,  didn't
you?), the eight songs on this are played at hyper speed  nearly  all
the time stopping only long enough to spill forth a fast melodic riff
or two. My problem (which is a big one) is  that  nearly  every  song
starts out with blast beating and during most of the song  it's  that
same speed, so after the album's done it's nearly impossible to  tell
which song was which. Songs like "Satan's Majestic Empire", "Damned",
"Cursed", "Feasting the Remains of Heaven",  and  "The  Arrival"  all
sound the same, each having drums  and  guitars  set  on  kill,  with
nothing much else. No keyboards are present which is too bad  because
that would have made  this  record  less  bland  and  given  it  more
variety. The  vocals  (done  by  Mikael  Hedlund,  Tagtgren  did  the
drums/bass) are pretty good and don't get irritating like some  black
metal vocalists I've heard. Clocking in at just under 30  minutes,  I
liked _Summon the Beast_ for its uncompromising speed but I  disliked
it for its lack of variety and all-the-same-ness.


Allegiance - _Hymn Till Hangagud_  (No Fashion, August 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel  (7 out of 10)

After receiving Allegiance's debut album, _Hymn Till Hangagud_, I was
overcome with a feeling of total...  (get  ready)  non-feeling.  This
viking black metal (at least  so  says  their  image:  Swedish  flag,
hammers and axes, members posing on mountains with swords held  high;
I think you get the picture) release inspires absolutely  nothing  in
me.  Nothing  extraordinarily  good  or  bad,  just  plain,  ordinary
mid-paced to fast black/death  metal,  played  with  some  skill  and
perhaps numbed by rather boring songwriting. The vocals are a throaty
rasp, and similar to Old Man's Child in  that  respect.  Guitars  are
decent, well played, but with riffs that are  pretty  unoriginal  and
definitely not groundbreaking. Drums, well, you guessed it: typically
played, nothing outstanding here. This CD has been highly recommended
by a few people I've talked to, but for the life of me I can't really
see why, there are just so many more worthy titles out there in  this
vein which dominate all over this. After the searing first  track,  I
expected more from this one. Certainly not -bad-, just  don't  expect
something to blow you away.


Ancient Wisdom - _For Snow Covered the Northland_
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (7 out of 10)  (Avantgarde Music, 1996)

I'm not sure why these guys  chose  to  open  their  album  with  the
piano-and-black-metal-vocal-only  "Hymn  to  the  Northern   Empire."
Perhaps it's because they don't know how sick the rest of us  are  of
all this hot air coming from The North. Anyway,  this  is  some  very
cool doom metal, pairing up black metal inspired vocal technique with
riffs that totally recall the killer dual guitar stylings  of  Tipton
and Downing on the first (best!) Judas Priest records.  (I'm  talking
of monsters like _Sad  Wings  of  Destiny_  here,  not  the  cheesier
fist-banging stuff  like  _British  Steel_.)  On  "No  Tears  at  His
Funeral", this approach  sounds  just  great  -  slow,  melodic  lead
riffing ringing out clearly on top of  chiming  metallic  chords  and
good, laid-back double bass  drumming.  Songs  like  this  one  sound
incredible live, I bet, and they definitely sound pretty good on this
CD, given that the guitar sound is thick  and  reasonably  clear.  No
keyboards get in the  way  of  the  echoing  strings,  which  take  a
fuzzier, Iommi-style turn on two unnamed bonus tracks,  only  to  rip
abruptly into 80s-style chainsaw  riffing.  The  early  Priest  style
definitely dominates, though, which I think is  a  very  cool  thing.
Heavy stuff.


Avzhia - _Dark Emperors_  (Storm Productions, 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (8 out of 10)

If I had to pick an album for "Best Really  Obscure  Release  of  the
Year," this Mexican band's debut would be the one, hands down.  _Dark
Emperors_ is seven tracks of great black metal which totally captures
the killer vibe of seminal "second wave" releases like the split from
Emperor and Enslaved, while managing not to come across as generic or
imitative. The vibe in question is grim, cold, and epic  -  qualities
which  can't  be  faked,  and  which  Avzhia's  music  possesses   in
abundance. (Of course, the vibe also depends to a certain extent upon
low-budget production, and you get that here, too, but the  sound  is
definitely fuller and  clearer  than  on  many  of  the  early  Norse
releases.) The riffing style often reminds me of the earlier  Emperor
stuff,  yet  Avzhia's  overall  sound  is  less  messy  and  not   so
keyboard-heavy. Some of the more propulsive, impassioned riffs  bring
Enthroned or Satyricon to mind. Songs are in the nine- to  ten-minute
range, and always feature a variety of paces  and  dark  moods.  They
don't reach the upper limits of speed set by, say,  Marduk,  but  the
fast  material  definitely  plows  forward  with  conviction,  as  on
"Shadows of the Forest". And the slow material is  great,  exuding  a
genuinely doomy feel on tracks  like  "Immortal  Spirit".  Plus,  the
vocals are wacked! They're the  most  throat-lacerating  black  metal
rasps  I've  ever  heard.  The   album's   final   two   tracks   are
live-in-the-studio, and although their production  is  fairly  rough,
they prove that this band can definitely tear it up  and  sound  just
wicked in the process. A very cool release.


Behemoth - _Grom_  (Solstitium Records, 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (10 out of 10)

Whatever "Grom" actually means, it might as well  stand  for  dynamic
force, radiating might and emotion, poised to crush all in its  path.
That's what Behemoth's breed of black metal has evolved to become - a
relentless, whirling blizzard of sound, second to none  in  intensity
and possessing a metallic signature all its own.  One  thing  I  love
about this band is their highly developed sense of dynamics: this  is
rooted in the fast black metal style, yeah, but it's fast black metal
-plus- insane riffs, cool vocal phrasings and variations  in  singing
style, frequent and fluid changes in pace  (some  hair-raising,  some
orgasmic, some both), loud and crusty  bass,  awesome  guitar  breaks
with rhythmic power-chording, well done solos  (guitar  -and-  bass),
cool female vocals, and on and on. Keyboards are  used  very  little;
acoustic guitars, a lot.  Nergal  vocalizes  with  tons  of  feeling,
alternating between blackened snarl, sinister semi-spoken  narration,
and almost-clean singing that sounds very cool. (The operatic  vocals
on the title track aren't  so  hot,  though.)  I  have  a  hard  time
imagining any open-minded fan of extreme  metal  not  really  getting
into this release. Highlights abound; favorites include the power-mad
opening of "The Dark Forest",  the  bad-ass  backbeats  in  "Dragon's
Lair",  and  the  Motorhead-on-speed,  Slayer-on-acid  riffs  of  the
awesome "Spellcraft and Heathendom". And that's the  just  the  first
three songs; I could go on. Great production,  too:  Nergal's  guitar
and Les' bass sound splendidly raw, but come  through  clear,  sharp,
and loud in  a  very  organic-sounding  mix.  Same  for  the  amazing
drumming  of  Baal   Ravenlock.   Totally   seething   with   energy,
demonstrating a huge progression  from  this  band's  more  primitive
early sound, _Grom_ is easily one of the best metal releases, in  any
style, of the past several years. Highest recommendation. 


Dearly Beheaded - _Temptation_  (Fierce Recordings, October 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (5 out of 10)
	
England quintet Dearly Beheaded deliver some  really  aggressive  and
Pantera-esque guitar riffs throughout _Temptation_,  and  that  is  a
bonus. I like that sound. You know? Thick riffs accompanied by  harsh
vocals and a steady rhythm section make DB's release a good listen at
high volumes. But all good things must come to an end. With a Pantera
meets thrash metal mentality  circulating  throughout  the  releases,
_Temptation's_ deliverance and objectives get  old  fast.  Repetitive
music styles are everywhere and I found that the band  didn't  really
opt to try to allow singer Alex Creamer any room to alter  his  vocal
styles much. Standouts include the title track, "Fuel My Hatred"  and
"Break the Restraint". It's a good record for loud, crunching  guitar
riffs but might not keep all metal fans' attention span.


The Black - _Black Blood_  (Necropolis Records, October 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel  (6 out of 10)

If you've already heard The  Black's  debut  album,  _The  Priest  of
Satan_, then there's not much new to tell you about  this  MCD.  It's
their demo pressed on CD, and suffice it to  say,  it  sounds  -just-
like _TPoS_. If, on the other  hand,  you  haven't  heard  The  Black
before, this is fairly old school straightforward  black  metal  with
ear lacerating production. Most  of  the  time,  this  stuff  is  not
exactly something to write home about, and  with  the  production  as
annoying as it is (-extremely- raw sounding), the  slower  parts  are
definitely welcome, and without  question  the  best  part.  A  great
brooding,  menacing  sound  is  evident  in  these   sections,   with
occasionally some keyboards backing for atmosphere  (something  which
definitely does not  decrease  the  brutality  one  bit).  If  you're
looking for progressive, melodic, orchestral metal, don't even  think
about it, and even those who look more toward the  old  school  sound
might not want to check this out. But  those  who  already  know  The
Black's sound and don't mind it won't be disappointed.


Catasexual Urge Motivation - _The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers_
by: Adam Wasylyk  (4 out of 10)  (Deliria Prod., September 1996)

Japanese gore/grind band Catasexual  Urge  Motivation  (initials  are
C.U.M, get it?) have released an album's worth (22 songs clocking  in
at around an hour) of boring, sloppy music with  bad  production  and
leaves the listener bored out of their wits! The lyrics deal with the
band's interest in serial killers and mass murder as well as torture,
cannibalism,  mutilation,  and  sadism.  Songs   like   "Supraliminal
Psychosadistic  Motivation",  "Philosophical  Diary  of  a   Habitual
Murderer",  "Multiple  Parasexuality  Disorder",  "Declaration  of  a
Serial Killer... Mental Terrorism" and "Campaign to Legalize  Murder"
prove just this. The music is  grinding  death  with  bad  production
leaving the guitars sounding like mud. The vocals sound  like  a  mix
between Suffocation, Demilich and perhaps early Carcass. There are no
fresh  or  new  ideas  being  injected  into  the  music,  it's  very
straight-forward (and very boring). Buy Blood Duster instead.

Contact: Deliria Productions, c/o Frank Riesinger
         P.O. Box 2914, 74029, Heilbronn, GERMANY
         email: f4033684@ca.aif.or.jp


Cathedral - _Supernatural Birth Machine_  (Earache, November 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (7 out of 10)

Fourth album and probably the most versatile offering to date for the
powerful sludge/doom metal band, _SBM_ is a cosmic and rewarding trip
into the visions of lead singer/bassist Lee Dorrian, a world  created
around imagination and lust for emotional  upheaval  and  domination.
Much like their other works, 1995's _The Carnival Bizarre_ and 1991's
thought-bending _Forest of Equilibrium_, _SBM_  rides  the  waves  of
classic doom metal pretty firmly, and  the  crunch  of  fuzzy  guitar
riffs meeting Dorrian's stale but raspy vocals still has an effect on
the listener. Though not as heavily geared as previous  works,  _SBM_
does have its heavy moments, but primarily  it  goes  for  that  more
"laid-back" cruise mode (i.e., Fu Manchu and Kyuss). My problems with
the record have to do primarily with the marketing of the band by the
label, making them seem to be a "stoner band"  instead  of  the  doom
metal band that they are. Look at the cover of the album (a  somewhat
hazy  pic  of  the  band)  and  tell  me,  does  it  not   place   an
uncharacteristic portrait of the  band?  I  think  it  does  to  some
extent. The original cover artwork by brilliant artist Dave  Patchett
is on the inside of the album sleeve for those that want to  see  the
original cover. A little less Cathedral-like but still flowing like a
raging  river  when  need  be.  Choice  cuts:  "Cyclops  Revolution",
"Fireball Demon", and "Urko's Conquest".


Chemlab - _East Side Militia_  (Fifth Column Records, October 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (3 out of 10)

Techno metallers Chemlab's _East Side Militia_ release  is  a  boring
assortment of samples, drum machines, and bland vocals. I was not  at
once interested in anything I heard on this release. While  the  band
may be seen as innovative, original or even ground breaking  in  many
people's eyes (who are these people?), I'm left with a bad  taste  in
my mouth after hearing _ESM_. I do like a lot of techno-driven  metal
music   (13mg.,   God   Lives    Underwater,    Chemical    Brothers,
Ultra-Violence), as does Gino, but I'm turning my back on  this  one.
The only  cool  track  is  the  distorted/vocal  style  of  "Electric
Molecule". Did I say boring already?


Cradle of Filth - _Dusk and Her Embrace_ (Music For Nations, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon  (8 out of 10)

I guess there isn't really too much to say about this other than:  if
you liked _Vempire..._ (see review in CoC #11), you'll like this, and
if you didn't, this probably won't change your mind. The similarities
to _Vempire..._ are numerous; the production is nearly identical, the
vocal styles (male and female spoken parts, growls, and screams)  are
similar, and the gothic influence is just as heavy. There are  a  few
differences though, the  most  important  being  the  more  prominent
guitar work.  There  are  a  few  leads  (which  remind  me  of  Dark
Tranquillity or Iron Maiden), and even  a  solo.  Unfortunately,  the
guitars have never been CoF's strong point, and  some  of  the  parts
sound a little sloppy. The keyboard tones are similar, but there  are
a  few  new  ones,  and  a  (much  appreciated  by   this   reviewer)
reappearance of the pipe organ tone from _TPoEMF_.  The  non-digipack
version contains 7 real songs, and two short instrumentals,  and  the
digipack version contains "Nocturnal Supremacy '96", a remake of  the
(weakest) song from _Vempire..._. The artwork is less overtly  sexual
(no naked chicks this time), but similar in flavor  to  the  previous
artwork.  (BTW,  check  out  Nicholas  in  the  band   pictures,   he
alternately looks like Uncle Fester and Rob Halford)  Although  there
aren't any obvious flaws, overall I find  this  a  little  bit  of  a
letdown. It just doesn't seem very striking. It's good,  but  nothing
really stands out to me, the songs  just  seem  to  pass  by  without
really making a statement. Perhaps a few  more  listens  will  reveal
some intricacies  that  I'm  missing,  but  for  now,  I'm  a  little
disappointed. 


Danzig - _blackacidevil_ (Hollywood Records, October 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (4 put of 10)

Has anyone seen Danzig? Anyone? I can't seem to find him on this, his
supposed fifth release, _blackacidevil_. I am looking for  the  stout
and short lead singer/crooner who sings about devils,  darkness,  and
has a cute "cuddly-wuddly" wolf tattooed on his arm.  Anyone?  Hmm...
Okay, the joke is getting old  now.  YES!  this  is  Danzig's  latest
release, a record chock-full of techno-driven, industrial-edged tunes
that'll make ya want to dance more than  raise  your  fist  and  hail
Satan. This record surprised me a lot, but as our beloved copy-editor
Alain Gaudrault mentioned to me, it might have been the  only  option
or route for Glenn Danzig to  go  seeing  that  his  band  dissolved,
leaving him to fend on his  own.  I  can't  think  of  anything  more
shocking to happen to an American  icon  since  Pee  Wee  Herman  got
caught choking his chicken at a porno theater  in  Florida.  At  that
point, his whole identity was torn apart and  to  this  day  Pee  Wee
Herman is still the butt of jokes. Danzig may soon see  this  happen.
I'm not sure how REAL die-hard Danzig fans feel about this record  on
a whole, but from what I've heard from some people, they hate it. Bad
career move? Maybe. The band does have some good moments with  opener
"7th House" and "Hint of Her Blood". I think first single "Sacrifice"
is horrible and was a bad choice. Will the real Danzig show  up  come
album #6? Hope so. Wouldn't want him needing to get a  part-time  job
at this point in his career.


Dark Tranquillity - _Enter Suicidal Angels_ EP
by: Adam Wasylyk  (8 out of 10)  (Osmose, November 1996)

My first record by DT is _The Gallery_ which I really liked  for  its
speedy-yet-melodic guitaring and Mikael Stanne's vocal style. On this
4-song EP, the music is an extension of what can  be  found  on  _The
Gallery_  but  catchier  and  in  my  opinion  more  melodic.  Tracks
"Zodijakyl Light", "Razorfever", and "Shadowlit Facade"  continue  in
DT's fine tradition and are instantly likable on  the  first  listen.
The big surprise on _Enter..._ is track  four  entitled  "Archetype".
It's best described  as  a  techno  song  with  black  metal  vocals.
Experimental material can usually be found on band's EPs so  that  is
exactly what this is and is definitely not indicative of what  future
material will sound like. I must say, judging "Archetype" as a  song,
it is different but I do like it very much. If you're a fan  of  Dark
Tranquillity or fast, melodic music than this EP must not  be  passed
up!!!


Dawnbringer - _Sacrament_  (Twilight, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon  (7 out of 10)

An American band (I believe) that are playing a strange hybrid  of  a
lot of styles. The vocals are what really stand  out  about  this  on
first listen. They're both distorted and processed,  and  they  sound
like they're being sung from far away. They're a little hard  to  get
used to at first, and aren't at all what you'd  expect  from  hearing
the music, but I actually like them. The  music  ranges  from  folksy
acoustic to black metal to melodic  death  metal  to  straightforward
rock. At times, they almost have a pop feel, with the lead guitar  on
the title track sounding like "Reptile"  by  the  Church.  Musically,
they're not doing anything too new, as they don't mix the styles  too
much,  instead  opting  for  a  more  standard  approach,   but   the
arrangements of the parts are novel. For example,  during  the  title
track, while playing  a  black  metal  style,  they  stop,  strum  an
acoustic guitar four times with long pauses  in  between,  then  kick
right back into the  mid-  to  fast-paced  black  metal  style.  It's
strange, but I like it: it keeps the music from  getting  monotonous,
the way a lot of (black metal) bands tend to do. The musicianship  is
somewhat inconsistent; most of the black metal sections  sound  good,
but the bluesy guitar solos  sound  very  cheap.  It's  only  an  EP,
clocking it at around twenty minutes long, but it's  a  nice  effort,
and I'm curious to hear their next offering. 


Deathwitch - _Triumphant Devastation_  (Necropolis, October 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel  (8 out of 10)

In all the promos and talk about this CD that I've seen, they've been
described as being very "old-school" in their approach. Well, if this
is indeed old school, then I'm sorry I missed the days of  early  80s
metal! Replete with cheesy lyrics, screamed vocals, great song titles
("Infernal Gates of Evil", anyone?),  and  surprisingly  good  music,
this release reeks of attitude and metal machismo. How can you listen
to lyrics like "Under the flag of black  death,  we  shall  rule  the
world!" without a smile of knowing satisfaction crossing  your  face?
Just about every one of the twelve songs presented here contains some
kind  of  not-so-subtle  evil  imagery,  and  although   the   actual
compositions might not be the most complex to ever grace  your  ears,
they still are enjoyable, if only because they will make  you  laugh.
If Deathwitch intended this to be a serious  release,  then  I  guess
I'll be expecting some of Satan's minions to come devour my soul  any
day now. However, if it was only intended as an original  tribute  to
early 80s metal, then mission accomplished.


Decameron - _My Shadow..._  (No Fashion Records, August 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel  (7 out of 10)

It seems that nowadays, almost any extreme metal band coming out of a
Scandinavian country feels obligated to incorporate  -some-  kind  of
strong black metal influence. You've seen it  for  yourself,  release
after  release  being  described  (not  without   good   reason)   as
"death/black," or "black death metal" or something similar. Not  that
I mind; on the contrary the majority (I stress  majority)  have  been
very worthy albums. However, it's still nice to  see  a  band  emerge
from Sweden without a hint of much black metal connection.  Decameron
is one such band, and they play distinctly Swedish death metal  which
reminds me a lot of Merciless (_Unbound_) with perhaps a little  more
melodic DM influence from the likes  of  Dark  Tranquillity.  On  the
whole, the music is pretty enjoyable. Tempo changes  and  melody  are
abundant, yet the sound retains relative brutality and aggression. As
mentioned, there are a lot of similarities  to  (the  now  disbanded)
Merciless, with kind of a death/thrash sound at times and vocals that
are neither death nor black, but instead more of a controlled scream.
As a side note, this album weighs in at a lengthy 62 minutes,  almost
twice the length of your average Swedish release. This album has  its
highs, especially the second and last tracks, as well as  many  parts
in the other songs, and the solos are very well played and  wonderful
sounding. On the other hand, the low moments are few and far between,
and I can't see any real reason -not- to recommend this CD.


Earth Crisis - _Gamorrah's Season Ends_  (Victory, November 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (2 out of 10)

Can someone please get me a dictionary or a translator? What the fuck
is up with this? I am totally baffled and not  impressed  with  Earth
Crisis' latest effort, _Gamorrah's Season Ends_. Drenched in loud and
stomp-like hardcore riffs and grooves  comes  an  over  abundance  of
incoherent  lyrics  about  society  and  the  band's  "straight-edge"
beliefs. Nothing makes sense  as  it  is  one  big  long  mumble  and
screams. Nothing against the band's beliefs but  guys...  the  music?
What is up with this? I have heard that a lot  of  other  people  and
fans of the band are not happy with this release. I am one  of  them.
What went wrong? I dunno. I mean the band has had a  following  since
their debut album, _All Out War_ (1992  on  Conviction  Records)  and
onto signing with  Victory  Records  (_Firestorm_,  1993  and  1995's
_Destroy the Machines_) where they continued to gain  lots  of  press
and exposure. I guess times change and bands lose their creativity or
something. Who knows? All I know is that _GSE_ will not be played  on
my CD player again anytime soon.


Einherjer - _Dragons of the North _  (Napalm Records, November 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (8 out of 10)

Okay, all ye lovers of good, stout Viking metal, it's time  to  raise
your ale-horns and drink to the release  of  Einherjer's  full-length
debut. (But take care, lest ye get mead in your mighty beard!) I must
confess that I've never been real big on the whole Viking thing - but
I  must  also  report  that  this  CD  contains  some  really  great,
original-sounding   metal   music.   Einherjer   deals   mostly    in
folk-inspired  stop-start  guitar  riffs   played   on   top   of   a
hard-driving, mid-paced rhythmic foundation and embellished with  the
occasional melodious bass line or tasteful keyboard jingle. On  songs
like the title track and the excellent "Slaget Ved  Hartsfjord",  the
results are memorable and impressive - cool lead riffing  weaving  in
and out of a thick fabric of hard beats, crunchy rhythm  guitar,  and
growling bass.  "Slaget..."  is  devilishly,  elegantly  catchy,  yet
possesses a very sharp sonic edge. The same  can  be  said  for  many
other tracks  on  the  disk,  especially  "Forever  Empire"  and  the
entrancing "Dreamstorm" (a song sure to mightily  please  anyone  who
really likes Enslaved's  less  furious  stuff).  Cool  riffs  abound.
Vocals are raspy but generally clear. The  production  is  clear  and
fairly punchy, with all instruments showing up nicely in the mix. All
in all, a great release by a very talented band,  playing  a  potent,
decidedly non-trendy style of metal. 


Endura - _Liber Leviathan_  (Aesthetic Death Records, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski  (8 out of 10)

Despite popping into the "dark ambient" scene only a short while ago,
Endura have released 3 works in a year's time,  and  3  of  the  more
mature and interesting  ambient  albums  to  date,  no  less.  _Liber
Leviathan_ replaces the more gothic  stylings  and  semi-conventional
song structures of its 2 predecessors  (most  notably  _Black  Eden_,
released on the amazing Red Stream label) for  a  sparser  sound.  At
times, _LL_ borders on new age - somewhat in the  vein  of  Tangerine
Dream - yet retains the decrepit ambiance  and  occult  underpinnings
shared by the previous material. A more ethnic sound can be  detected
throughout, as Endura have also stopped their reliance  on  symphonic
keyboards, in favor of more diverse  instrumentation.  The  keyboards
take  on  a  more  swirling  and  whimsical  feel  than  before.  The
"leviathan" influence  manifests  itself  through  the  distinctively
oceanic feelings that each song  invokes  -  particularly  the  final
track, "Ctulhu Fhtagn", which manipulates sonar waves taken from  the
US Navy Oceanographic Research Survey. This results in Endura's  most
soothing and meditative work to date; truly  a  fine  album  to  play
before falling into a state of slumber.


Excelsis - _A Dark Noel_  (Projekt Records, November 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (6 out of 10)

Christmas time is here and the folks at Projekt Records have  decided
to make it  darker  and  more  tranquil  for  us  with  this  15-song
compilation CD. _Excelsis: A Dark Noel_ is  a  collection  of  tracks
from various artists who work with the Projekt label: Black Tape  for
a Blue Girl, Love Spirals Downwards, Thanatos, and many  more.  While
the album seems to radiate an intense ethereal  feeling  and  focuses
steadily on a gothic angle to such Christmas classics as  "The  First
Noel" (by Thanatos), "O Holy Night" (by Eva O), "The  Little  Drummer
Boy" (by Sorrow) and "Jingle Bells" (by Loveliescrushing), there also
seems to be an eerie dark feeling surfacing here too. An amalgamation
of both beauty and darkness that'll keep you at bay till  the  bitter
end, but at the same time leave you wondering what is waiting for you
there. Not for every metaller but something that  could  be  seen  as
almost therapeutic, to calm the soul, while we wait for  the  heavier
records to surface in early 1997.


Faction Zero - _Liberation_  AND  Maximum Penalty - _Independent_
(IJT (idjit) Records, November 1996)  (6 out of 10)
by: Adrian Bromley

This is the first time I have ever done this  in  a  review:  talking
about two CDs in the  same  review.  Why?  I  felt  that  both  these
hardcore-based bands (who are  on  the  same  label)  are  very  much
similar to one another. While Faction Zero's _Liberation_ may take on
a stronger hardcore element  than  Maximum  Penalty's  _Independent_,
they both seem to flow within the boundaries of being more than  just
adequate songwriters and HC bands in general. Both bands  sound  good
and rely heavily on melody to take the reigns  of  the  hard  grooves
they dwell into with both release.  Faction  Zero  delivers  strongly
with "Come Full Circle", "Choices" and "The Next War", while  Maximum
Penalty shows off their wares with the hard-hitting  "Justice  Paid",
"Face Value", and "... So God Help Me" - plus the band's debut  album
has six live songs recorded at New York club landmark CBGB's. Another
thing that I like about these two hardcore bands is that they  manage
to keep the energy going, no real drop-off points  on  either  album.
While these bands  may  be  in  their  early,  developing  stages  of
growing, I am pretty sure that both  of  these  bands  will  be  more
successful in the HC scene. It is just a matter of time... they  have
the goods though.


Floodgate - _Penalty_  (Roadrunner Records, October 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (7 out of 10)

I really wanted to write  this  off  as  a  Corrosion  of  Conformity
rip-off band. I almost did...  almost.  Floodgate's  debut  _Penalty_
(much like CoC or even Fu Manchu) is deep in its Black Sabbath  roots
and coated with that clear and crisp Southern guitar  playing  style.
_Penalty_ has a lot  to  offer  with  singer/guitarist  Kyle  Thomas'
ability to lead the band through multiple song styles and the  actual
sound of _Penalty_ is in its  own  right  amazing.  Clear  and  slick
production work makes it an even more enjoyable listen each time out.
Also, there is nothing cooler to hear than a band with a real  strong
and potent groove. Floodgate finds that groove at multiple  intervals
throughout the release (i.e. "Through My Days  Into  My  Nights"  and
"Whole"). The rumor has it also that Thomas was  indeed  the  man  to
take over the reigns when singer  Karl  Agell  was  booted  from  CoC
(before Pepper Keenan took over) - I can see that. So as much as this
record sounds like CoC at times,  this  New  Orleans  group  has  got
something special in their music and  sound  that  sets  them  apart.
Check out tracks: "Shivering", "Imitation Salvation", and "Black With
Sin."


Helheim - _Fenris_ MCD  (Necropolis Records, October 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel  (8 out of 10)

Helheim are black metal with hints at industrial, from  Norway.  That
said, this MCD is quality musical enjoyment with a lot of high points
to it. Kicking in with a  menacing  (albeit  not  entirely  original)
guitar riff, the first thing you'll probably notice about Helheim are
the vocals. Far from your typical black metal vocals, these are  kind
of a shrieking shout for the most part. When I first  heard  them,  I
immediately thought back to Edge of Sanity's _The  Spectral  Sorrows_
on the track "Feeding the Charlatan" where Dread does the vocals.  If
you've heard that (and if you haven't, go and buy it now) then you'll
know what to expect. As for the rest of the  music,  it's  fast-paced
(for the most part) black metal with, like I  said,  some  industrial
parts. Don't get  me  wrong,  it's  nowhere  near  as  industrial  or
programmed as the latest, for example, Samael CD, just that there are
a few parts where there's a definite influence  from  the  industrial
spectrum of things, especially in the strange  drum/synth  interludes
in the first track, "Syndens Makt", and the mechanical grind of a lot
of the fourth song, "Fimbulvinter". As mentioned,  there  is  use  of
keys, though not in the usual majestic,  Arcturus-style  sound;  it's
more of a deep, billowing effect, put to  best  use,  again,  in  the
fourth track. Helheim managed to put out something fairly original in
the convoluted BM scene, which is itself to be  commended,  but  they
also put out something original and -good-, which doubles the value.


Ildjarn - _Forest Poetry_  (Napalm Records/Norse League, 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (7 out of 10)

Wow. This stuff is so unbelievably  primitive,  raw,  and  malicious,
that it makes Darkthrone sound like the Sisters  of  Mercy!  If  some
anti-social, prehistoric shaman bought a cheap  electric  guitar  and
played -very- loud black  metal  while  pissed  off  and  wigging  on
psychoactive drugs, the  result  would  probably  sound  a  lot  like
_Forest Poetry_. But you  know  what?  I  actually  mean  that  as  a
compliment, because I actually think this  is  pretty  damn  cool.  I
mean, this stuff is just -so- antithetical to accepted ideas of  what
counts as "good music," and it takes primal  energy  and  crudity  to
-such- an extreme, that  it  makes  for  fascinating  listening.  The
product of one man alone (Ildjarn himself), it's 22 short  tracks  of
twisted,  simplistic  power  in  which  weirdly  distorted   chainsaw
riffing, booming bass, rudimentary drum-bashing, and vicious scowling
vocals come together for an all-out assault on cleanliness and quiet.
As with other projects of this type, the result  can  make  for  very
interesting listening, once you get used to the  totally  wacked  out
sound. (Great packaging, too.) Other black metal  bands  are  big  on
mood, right? Well, check out Ildjarn, and hear the atmosphere that an
unrelenting maelstrom of primitivity can summon up.


Karma to Burn - _Karma to Burn_  (Roadrunner, January 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (5 out of 10)

Much like the Pist*On record (see review below), four-piece Karma  to
Burn are easily more comfortable with  sticking  to  a  rough  &  raw
approach when it comes to material. The music is heavy and  there  is
melody, but there really is no set pattern for the  band  to  follow.
With an aggressive guitar-oriented sound and an approach of weirdness
and creativity a la Tool, Karma to Burn's debut album  on  Roadrunner
has both positive and negative aspects flowing from it. The  positive
points are that the music is rather cool and trippy at times, and  is
accompanied by a strong kick of intensity, but the negative aspect is
that the band seems to lose the listener  most  of  the  record  with
their weird musical interludes and song structures. While  there  are
strong  songs  like  "(Waltz  of  the)  Playboy  Pallbearers",   "Mt.
Penetrator", and a cool Joy Division cover, "Twenty Four  Hours",  on
the debut album, it isn't a bad release, but nothing that would be on
the top of my list to recommend to someone.


Kampfar - _Kampfar_  (Season of Mist, October 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel  (8 out of 10)

This self-titled MCD is Kampfar's first release, and shows a  lot  of
promise for the future of this Norwegian viking black metal band. Not
particularly "black" so to speak, Kampfar have an extremely majestic,
cold, atmospheric sound (though without the heavy  use  of  keyboards
and  overt  atmospheric  sections  like  countrymates  Arcturus   and
Gehenna). The lyrics are, unfortunately, not included in  the  sparse
packaging, but the drawing of a viking and  terrific  photographs  of
(presumably) Norwegian landscapes of vast forests and freezing  white
icebergs which adorn  the  sleeve  are  enough  to  tip  one  off  to
Kampfar's lyrical content and ideas. In addition, the song titles are
all in Norwegian so the lyrics would figure to follow suit. The album
has a grand, full production,  especially  in  the  drum  department.
During the mid-paced parts (the majority of the CD), the drums have a
huge, echoing sound which overtakes the rest of the music. Throughout
the  rest  of  the  three-track  opus,  clean,  "Storm"-like  vocals,
acoustics, small use  of  keyboards  (except  for  the  keyboard  and
bass-only third  track),  typical  black  metal  vocals  (similar  to
Garm's), and the occasional fast  section  prevail.  Overall,  for  a
debut MCD, Kampfar have pulled off quite an album,  and  I'm  looking
forward with anticipation to their followup.


Laibach - _Jesus Christ Superstar_  (Mute Records, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski  (8 out of 10)

Throughout the past 15 years, Laibach have proven to be  one  of  the
most experimental industrial band in  a  genre  possessing  countless
risk takers. Thus, _JCS_ is quite a massive surprise, despite  coming
from a band that consistently releases surprising albums. While  each
album has gotten progressively  more  accessible  over  the  past  15
years, no Laibach fan could truly expect this:  an  industrial  metal
album!?! Yep, Laibach have made a passe  jump  onto  the  overcrowded
industrial metal band  wagon,  resulting  in  their  most  mainstream
effort to date. Luckily, this is also one of their best.  For  _JCS_,
Laibach have adopted stereotypically thrashy,  although  refreshingly
grating,  guitars  and  a  conventional  verse-chorus-verse   lyrical
pattern. The lyrics themselves are a stereotype of the sub-genre; all
are religious oriented, and range from satirical (or should  that  be
self-contradictory? With Laibach, you never  can  tell)  to  mindless
blasphemies. The two cover  songs,  "The  Cross"  and  "Jesus  Christ
Superstar" continue with these  religious  themes;  both  are  fairly
conservative efforts, especially in comparison to previous covers. As
with all Laibach albums, _JCS_ is a step above all others in whatever
sub-genre they decide to dabble in; the  patented  Laibachian  choirs
and overblown symphonic elements are all here, adding a melodic,  and
quite mystical, dimension that no other  industrial  metal  band  can
match. Fans of this style will be well advised to pick this  one  up;
if Laibach fans look at it with an open eye, they  should  eventually
be pleased - although I hope that Laibach  don't  delve  any  farther
into this direction.


Mastiphal - _For a Glory of All Evil Spirits, Rise for Victory_
by: Brian Meloon  (7 out of 10)  (Baron, 1996)

Mastiphal hail from Poland, and play a black metal style that  sounds
kind of like a mix of Arcturus (see CoC #12) and  Accursed  (see  CoC
#11). The approach  is  similar  to  both  bands,  but  perhaps  less
synth-dominated. Unfortunately, it's not as diverse, interesting,  or
well-played as Arcturus, but  at  least  it  beats  Accursed  on  all
counts. The production is decent, but sounds a little  faded  due  to
the overly trebly drums. Vocals are standard fare raspy  black  metal
style, and the guitar work is  usually  pretty  straightforward.  The
keyboard parts are usually minimalist, preferring to  just  emphasize
parts of the riff structures, or play  simple  single-note  melodies.
Occasionally though, they are rather involved, especially  the  piano
parts. Due to a lack of diversity  and  an  unfortunate  sparsity  of
different riffs, the songs tend to drag a bit too,  but  not  to  the
point of being completely boring. I guess  I'd  hesitantly  recommend
this to fans of Arcturus, but don't expect it to be great.


Morgana Lefay - _Maleficium_  (Black Mark, November 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (6 out of 10)

Right out of the books next to the band name Savatage and their  opus
_Streets: A Rock Opera_  comes  Swedish  progressive/power  metallers
Morgana Lefay and their fourth release, _Maleficium_. The music,  the
sound,  the  vocals  and  even  the  musical  arrangements  are  very
Savatage-ish. But, once we get past that,  this  is  Morgana  Lefay's
release and it actual is quite good. Not being a big fan of the  band
in the past, I felt something click here with  _Maleficium_,  whether
it be the well thought out musical arrangements  of  any  of  the  14
tracks or just the sheer musical experience and  know-how  that  went
into carving each tune. There seems to be a  sense  of  concentration
that went into creating _Maleficium's_  music,  and  that  makes  the
material worth listening too. Most of the  songs  are  lengthy  ones,
five minutes plus, but the length of the songs are a  needed  element
of Morgana Lefay to capture the ideals and concepts, even the  themes
running throughout the record. Standouts: "The Source of Pain", title
track, "Witches Garden",  and  "Where  Fallen  Angels  Rule".  Alert!
Anyone into really dramatic, progressive metal like Savatage or  Iced
Earth, check this out.


Necromicon - _Realm of Silence_  (Impure Creations Records, 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (7 out of 10)

If fast black metal is what you crave, then look no further than this
speedy sextet's well-produced debut. _RoS_  features  some  ferocious
music, played with uncommon skill and blessed with a  great  mix  and
clear,  sharp  production.  Style-wise,  Necromicon   is   especially
comparable to Swordmaster, in that they write  four-  to  five-minute
songs built around cool, razor-sharp riffs underpinned by thundering,
whirlwind percussion (with plenty of double bass drumming in  parts).
Lead vocals are done in the standard  black  metal  style,  with  the
occasional blood-curdling shriek (and I mean -shriek-) thrown in  for
good measure. Keyboards are used more or less  sparingly.  "Gates  of
Grief" and "The Hated One" blast, stomp, and gallop madly  along  and
sound  just  killer  -  especially  in  the  latter  song's   totally
unpredictable leap from crazed black metal surf  riffing  to  blazing
soloing over choppy rhythm guitars and  rocking  backbeat!  (Gosh,  I
sure hope this is not too upsetting to the more "true"  among  us...)
But despite moments like these, the album as a whole  has  a  certain
by-the-numbers feel to it. The great playing and production make  for
quite enjoyable listening, but most of the songs are  long  on  style
and short on memorable musical substance. It's  cool-sounding  stuff,
for sure, but it really isn't very original at all, so it  lacks  the
artistic impact of the genre's more imaginative acts.


Niden Div. 187 - _Towards Judgement_  (Necropolis, October 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel  (8 out of 10)

No atmospheric synth intro. No folk-influenced  acoustic  breaks.  No
majestic female vocals. Just straight, brutal, lightning-speed  black
death metal from Sweden. According to the Necropolis web  page,  "The
release is a complete FUCK OFF to the politically correct system that
enslaves society and the metal scene." And  it's  difficult  to  deny
them. Niden Div. 187 is just no-nonsense, no frills, aggressive metal
played at breakneck speeds. This  stuff  can  virtually  cause  brain
damage if played too loudly for too long. Vocalist Henke Forss  takes
a break from his main commitment, Dawn, long enough  to  perform  the
vocals on this short MCD, and they are  his  characteristic  tortured
but subdued scream. The guitars aren't anything spectacular but  they
get the job done, with the usual Swedish sound to them, a bit similar
to Marduk in that respect. The drums are the best part of this album,
as  they  are  extremely  fast  and  extremely  -tight-,  and  placed
perfectly in the mix. If you woke up this morning with a yearning for
something that totally scorned all of today's trends, -and- will bust
your speakers, this is your ticket.


Pike - _Lack of Judgement_  (Black Mark, November 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (2 out of 10)

Not too keen on this release after multiple listens. I can't get past
the screaming grunts and I find the crossover sound the band delivers
of hardcore meets funk and punk rather lame. The band attempts to  be
hard and "on the edge" throughout, and in reality it seems a bit  too
planned for me. I like bands that experiment with  different  sounds,
but I think Pike may have tried too hard to be  different.  Sometimes
being too different or creative  has  its  drawbacks.  Someone  needs
better blueprints next time. 


Pist*On - _Number One_  (Fierce Records, November 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (8 out of 10)

New York's  Pist*On's  debut  album  (produced  by  Type  O  Negative
keyboardist, Josh Silver) is  a  hard-edged  collection  of  soothing
melodies and turbulent guitar riffs.  From  the  opener  of  "Parole"
through potent songs as "Grey  Flap",  "Eight  Sides",  and  "Electra
Complex", the band seems to create an honest and raw take on  keeping
a consistent groove on _Number One_. Much  like  the  rough  and  raw
guitar styles of Corrosion of Conformity or Only Living Witness,  the
band's material seems to stay clear (as  much  as  possible)  from  a
slick production and focus more on delivering  a  solid  blow  rather
than a comfortable  guitar  riff.  Singer  Henry  Font  has  quite  a
versatile voice and with the help of Josh Silver  (who  produced  the
last two Type O efforts) guiding him and the band, the band was  able
to produce a debut album worth listening too. For  those  that  enjoy
music with melody, yet ample on might and integrity with  each  song,
you'll dig this one. 


Poison - _Poison's Greatest Hits 1986-1996_  (Capitol, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon  (0 out of 10)

You didn't seriously expect this to get anything  above  a  zero  did
you? (You probably didn't expect it to even be here, but...)  Anyway,
this is the same Poison that gave us such crap in the 80s as  "Fallen
Angel", "I Want Action", "Nothing but a  Good  Time",  and  "Unskinny
Bop". There are songs from all five of their albums  (only  one  from
_Native Tongue_) and two featuring Blues Saraceno on guitar, both  of
which were previously unreleased. Unfortunately, none  of  the  songs
are even in the slightest bit listenable. Avoid this like the  plague
(as if you didn't already know that).


Various - _Beneath the Icy Floe: A Projekt Sampler V.4_
by: Adam Wasylyk  (9 out of 10)  (September 1996, Projekt Records)

Listening to the 13 bands/16 tracks on this  compilation,  I  learned
that  I  had  been  missing  some  truly  great  gothic  music.   The
compilation being put out as  a  sampling  of  the  first  decade  of
Projekt music, it also showcases the numerous talented bands that are
on the label. Graceful and soulful keyboards are on a  lot  of  these
tracks, with great  female  vocals  and  enchanting  acoustic  guitar
passages. Bands like Arcanta, Thanatos, Bleak and Black  Tape  for  a
Blue Girl are great, while  Love  Spirals  Downwards  and  especially
Lydia are simply wondrous!! Very rarely was there a track  not  worth
hearing, every track seem to compliment the others. With more than 70
minutes of quality and dark music, if your just getting  into  gothic
music and don't know where to start I heavily suggest you start here.


Summoning - _Dol Guldur_  (Napalm Records, December 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (10 out of 10)

I have basically worshipped  this  band  since  last  year's  amazing
_Minas Morgul_, in which Protector  and  Silenius  (who  is  also  in
Abigor) abandoned the raw black metal of their debut and pioneered  a
unique,       mesmerizing        style        of        epic-ambient,
blackened-medieval-metallic music. These guys  weave  together  sonic
tapestries in which it's impossible to tell where the  gripping  song
leaves off and  the  enthralling  soundscape  begins.  As  on  _Minas
Morgul_, the writings of Tolkien provide the imaginative backdrop  to
the music, which is dominated by multiple layers of synthesizers  and
hard, mid-paced beats. Beefy and distorted guitar tones also take  up
a chunk of the mix, as do expressive and eerie  black  metal  vocals.
Like guitar and voice, the synths are quite organic in tone,  usually
approximating the sounds of distant, echoing horns  or  strings,  yet
with  an  unmistakably  unearthly   vibe.   Carefully   layered   and
beautifully produced,  guitar,  synth,  and  voice  are  anchored  by
programmed percussion that doesn't really  sound  canned,  especially
thanks to the frequent use of beats suggesting tribal ceremonies  and
military marches. On songs like the awesome "Khazad  Dum",  Summoning
build layer upon layer in consecutive steps, so that what begins as a
simple series of notes is embellished,  bit  by  bit,  with  distinct
series of cool, imaginative tones, until there are five,  six,  seven
separate layers to the sound,  all  woven  splendidly  together.  The
music tends to be slow, with no fast parts at all, but the  sound  is
so  textured  and  rich  that  listening  remains   action-packed   -
especially if you let your imagination just go with the  sonic  flow.
Check out the haunting melody line of "Kor", the  chilling  bells  of
"Wyrmvater Glaurung", the stirring "Nightshade Forests", and look for
an eight-minute animated  (!)  video  from  the  band  soon.  Highest
recommendation.


Swans - _Soundtracks for the Blind_  (Young God Records, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski  (8 out of 10)

My readers, please do not view this as  a  plea  simply  intended  to
arouse sympathy, but how can I attempt to properly review this album,
particularly considering CoC's admittedly minute spatial constraints?
_Soundtracks for the Blind_ is no mere album; this is a two-disc, two
and a half hour monster. Departing from their recent hybrid  of  folk
and "experimental"  rock,  the  Swans  have  rebounded  from  several
utterly mediocre albums to create this, their most diverse effort  to
date. Each song is vastly different from the previous track.  Despite
the apparent diversity and juxtaposition of live and  studio  tracks,
the songs retain a similar mood and sound, evading incoherence. Hints
of guitars, both acoustic and electric, are sprinkled throughout, but
_Soundtracks..._ relies on a  suffocating,  keyboard-driven  ambiance
and various collected sounds to create a horrifying vision,  suffused
with anger and melancholy. The vocals of band mastermind Michael Gira
are, as always, the perfect match for the music,  even  if  they  are
used a bit too sparingly; his emotional wails and gothic  vocals  can
send shivers down the listener's spine. As  always,  his  lyrics  are
mocking, and representative of the darkest side of  human  existence;
the various forms of submissiveness are his popular theme  throughout
_Soundtracks_ (BTW, his book, entitled _The  Consumer_,  is  worth  a
read). Unfortunately, Gira's female counterpart, Jarboe,  once  again
rears her obtrusive head. Her three compositions all sound undeniably
out of place, particularly "Volcano", which is destroyed by a  cheesy
hip-hop beat in the background.  Also,  the  more  restrained  studio
version of "YRP", the  highlight  of  _Die  Tur  Ist  Zu_,  an  album
released earlier this year in preparation  for  _Soundtracks_,  lacks
the haunting cries that Jarboe wailed on its  predecessor,  and  thus
falls somewhat flat. Still, these are only 4 out of  26  tracks;  not
much irreparable harm is done. My only  other  complaint  is  a  most
lamentable one; this is the Swans final studio  album.  A  shame,  as
this is their best album since  1986's  _Greed_,  and  showcases  the
musical direction that  the  band  should  have  followed  after  the
aforementioned album.


Thy Serpent - _Forests of Witchery_  (Spinefarm Records, 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (5 out of 10)

This is being marketed as black metal, which is about as accurate  as
calling Anthrax a death metal band.  The  front  cover  features  the
typical "northern forest" photo, and the back showcases  yet  another
corpse-painted, pencil-necked geek posing with  a  snake  -  but  the
music is awful easy on the ears. Come on, guys: quit  sucking  up  to
the trend and just be honest,  okay?  You're  a  metal  band.  Though
containing  gothic  atmosphere,  needlessly  long  songs,  and  raspy
vocals, this is still heavy metal all the way - slap-happy rock beats
and "hot licks" included. Actually, it's not quite  -that-  bad,  but
it's a far cry from metallic extremity.  Anyway,  let's  give  credit
where credit is due: opener "Flowers of Witchery Abloom"  is  a  real
cool song, clean guitars and  stirring  keys  combining  to  generate
strong feeling and tangible momentum. "Traveler  of  Unknown  Plains"
and "Like a Funeral Veil of Melancholy" have their moments  too,  but
most of the music on this very well-produced  release  is  just  sort
of... there. If you like metal that has just a -little- bit of  power
and just a -little- bit of edge, then Thy Serpent are definitely your
thing.


Unpure - _Coldland_  (Napalm Records, November 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (8 out of 10)

All right! Kolgrim and Hrasvelg are back, and this time they're  less
pure than ever! Celestial Pain guitarists John and Vic have teamed up
with Sweden's premier purveyors of moonlit  goat-lust  for  ten  more
tracks of catchy, simplistic, and very  chilly  nocturnal  metal.  In
addition to being less pure than before (which the  hilarious  "Horny
Goats" amply demonstrates), they also claim to be "Blacker than Ever"
on one track - and they have definitely become catchier and even much
thrashier at times. The thing that makes  Unpure  so  cool  is  their
unswerving allegiance to stone  simplicity  in  riffing.  There's  no
"epic"  black  metal  emoting,  no  sappy  melody,  no  death   metal
technicality - just cold, crude, infectious riffs that stomp  out  of
your speakers looking to kick your ass. The way-fun  "Count  Dracula"
and "Frozen" are prime examples, but the album is chock full of them.
There are a number of old school styles on display this time, with  a
couple of thrash and heavy metal pounders written by Hrasvelg  nicely
complementing Kolgrim's more blackened contributions. (The guys  swap
vocal duties as well, which  adds  further  variety  to  their  basic
sound.) Usually fun, always frosty, and even funny from time to time,
_Coldland_ is a very cool revival of the old and  unrefined  ways  of
true underground metal.


Vision of Disorder - _Vision of Disorder_ (Roadrunner, November 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (9 out of 10)

Just the sheer intensity of the opening track's music ("Element")  or
singer/growler Tom William's first screams sets  the  tone  for  this
loud and truly stunning debut by this Long Island quintet. Vision  of
Disorder's debut is all  about  power  within  their  music  and  the
ability to be able to channel emotions  into  one  powerful  punch  -
something they have done with this release. Several times... over and
over. The mixing of hardcore and death metal really  set  them  apart
from most young bands nowadays and William's lyrics are so  real  and
honest that this record's material not only serves as  a  deliverance
of intensity but allows William's words on life and society  to  take
the spotlight too. A vigorous collection of material captivates  this
record, most notably  "Through  My  Eyes",  "Ways  To  Destroy  One's
Ambition", and "Zone Zero". I basically was blown away by the  band's
three-song sampler last issue and this full-length record just has me
floored too. "Powerful" is the best word used to describe this record.


December Moon - _Source of Origin_  (Spinefarm Records, 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (7 out of 10)

Despite what you would naturally  expect,  given  the  name  of  this
two-man band and its members'  previous  connection  with  Cradle  of
Filth, this is not really black metal. There's  a  definite  hint  of
blackness to the sound at times, and the vocals are for the most part
high-pitched and raspy, but musically, this duo  bows  to  no  trend.
Instead, they pay homage to the old gods, composing enjoyable, fairly
traditional metal which defies easy labeling but respects  foreboding
atmospheres, power, and weight. (Still, this is not merely another of
those tributes to 80s bands that  have  become  quite  the  trend  of
late.) Instrumental "Exaltation of Power" begins  the  album  like  a
somber roll of thunder. "You Can't Bless the Damned"  continues,  and
sets the standard for the rest of the CD: songs which favor mid-paced
galloping  over  the  occasional  fast  charge,  and  nicely  arrange
numerous riffs, verse patterns, and moody synthesizer washes. On this
track and "The Apparition of Mother Earth", they weld  cool  riff  to
cool riff and make some  powerful  and  captivating  music.  (On  the
latter song, vocalist Rob unexpectedly lets loose the way-high  notes
and  gives  King  Diamond  a  run  for   his   money.)   Still,   the
keyboard-based "Winter Sunset" and  "Black  Millennium"  put  a  real
damper on things, and the songs I haven't mentioned  generally  prove
less interesting than their counterparts.  Also,  I  think  the  band
would sound -much- heavier if the vocals didn't dominate the  mix  so
much. This CD contains some cool songs,  and  I  think  Rob  and  Was
demonstrate the potential to do  something  killer,  but  this  isn't
quite it.


December Wolves - _Til Ten Years_  (Hammerheart Prod., August 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel  (8 out of 10)

Okay, when most of us think of a bastion of fast melodic black metal,
Massachusetts isn't exactly the first place that pops into our minds.
It's not exactly the cold, desolate frostland  which  usually  spawns
such acts. However, once you take a listen to _Til  Ten  Years_,  the
location of the band will  be  the  furthest  thing  from  your  mind
(except for maybe wondering how something this good emerged from  the
same place as "Cheers"). December Wolves  play  a  style  of  melodic
black metal with keyboards and occasional female vocals, along with a
couple of acoustic flourishes here and there,  which  makes  for  not
only very consistent but also extremely  interesting  listening.  You
won't get bored while enjoying this disc. The vein in which they play
is reminiscent of the Norwegian style in its speed and  majesty,  but
there's some intangible element that identifies them as American,  on
which I can't quite put my finger. The  vocals  are  typically  black
metal, and the drums  aren't  anything  extraordinary  (though  still
proficient), but it's the guitar work  that  stands  out  most  here.
Sometimes backed  by  a  simple  keyboard  melody,  the  guitars  are
definitely the dominating instrument  in  the  mix  and  create  some
awesome melodies, the best ones usually coming during  the  mid-paced
sections of the songs. December Wolves might not  be  able  to  stand
next to the best Scandinavian acts, but as  far  as  American  BM  is
concerned, they are without equal.

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

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

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


Agony - _Apocalyptic Dawning_  (12-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (****-)

Montreal's Agony on this album-length  demo  play  some  better  than
average death metal  which  is  full  of  blast  beats  and  chugging
guitars, and along with that showcase a slower/more technical side to
their music. The vocals are your standard high and low/growl  vocals,
while  the  guitars  occasionally  exhibit  a  more  technical   side
(particularly in the soloing) but on  average  are  played  fast  and
heavy.  Songs  like  "Cyberpsychosis",  "Orbital  Hide-Out",   "After
Death/Eviscerated Pig", and the title track are  played  convincingly
but at different times during the demo, things started to  sound  the
same. There are a few cool moments on _Apocalyptic Dawning_ but  what
I thought was especially cool is the song "Outro" which is a cover of
"Toccata and Fugue" by classical music composer J.-S Bach. It's  most
likely that you've heard this song, as it's in almost  every  Dracula
movie ever made. After hearing it, I immediately  thought  that  this
could very well have been played by the talented band The Great  Kat.
Good production and layout (with lyrics), there is some quality death
metal here and is recommended.

Contact: E.S.T Management, 755 Muir, Suite #205
         Saint-Laurent, Que., H4L-5G9, CANADA


Ataxia - _The Forgotten_  (6-track demo)
by: Brian Meloon  (***--)

These guys from VA say they're trying to fill a  void  in  the  music
scene of "intelligent melodic thrash  written  to  be  both  brutally
heavy and musically complex." The music is  90s-style  chunky  metal,
but I wouldn't really call it either  brutally  heavy  nor  musically
complex. I also don't think the tag "melodic" is deserved,  at  least
not with the same connotation that it carries for the  melodic  death
metal bands. Some of the vocals (lead and backing) are  melodic,  but
the music doesn't emphasize  melody.  The  "thrash"  label  does  fit
though, at least in the 90s sense of the term. It's  well  done,  but
doesn't really stand out in any (positive) aspect, ending  up  pretty
average. The singer is what I really don't like about this demo.  His
voice is melodic at times, and sort of  gruff  and  less  melodic  at
others. I can't really figure out what I don't like about him, but he
just sort of irritates me. I think it's a combination  of  his  voice
and the vocal melodies that he chooses. Making matters worse is  that
fact that he sings with a lot of conviction, which comes off sounding
corny when he says things like "I know I'll never be free, my  prison
has no key." Musically, it's good though, with  some  nice  drumming,
and  some  tight  playing.  Overall,  I'd  say  it's  a  good   demo,
professional enough in its approach, but not really doing  enough  to
stand out from the pack. 

Contact: ATAXIA, c/o Scott Andrews
         247-21 Colonnade Dr., Charlottesville, VA, 22903, USA
         email: sha3u@virginia.edu
         WWW: http://maven.ee.virginia.edu/ataxia.html


Carnal Sickness - _Blood Disrepulsion_  (6-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (***--)

Death/grind enthusiasts Carnal Sickness from Woodbridge, Ontario play
early Carcass-influenced music that is actually  mildly  entertaining
to listen  to.  Songs  like  the  gurgling  intro  "Manifestation  of
Corporeal Putriscine", "Necrophilic Incest in B flat",  and  "Buckets
of  Festering  Foetal  Abortions"  have  the  low/high  vocals,   the
occasional grinding bass, the fast snare  blasts  and  speedy  double
bass. It's basically what you've come to expect from any  death/grind
band. The production here isn't  as  terrible  as  I  had  originally
thought, as it never gets too muddy but there is a lot  of  room  for
improvement. The band should also experiment more  to  come  up  with
their own sound as they after awhile sound like any of the  countless
bands you or I have heard. If you're into Blood Duster/early Carcass,
then Carnal Sickness you will surely like.

Contact: CARNAL SICKNESS, c/o Fabio Chirco
         138 Bourbon St, Woodbridge, Ont., L4L-6Y9, CANADA


Curb - _Curb_  (7-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (***--)

Just by checking out the cover art, song titles, and  of  course  the
band's name, I concluded that this  was  just  another  hardcore/punk
band.  Putting  it  on,  I  was  astonished  to  find  it's  actually
death/black metal! Vocals influenced by Carcass and any  black  metal
vocalist,  they  at  times  shifted  in  sound  which   kept   things
interesting. The music for the most part  is  mid-to-slow-paced  with
the majority having little speed. There are some blast beat parts but
the guitars had precedence in the final mix which left them  sounding
weak. Production isn't very good and needs improvement. I give credit
to Curb for not trying to cash in on the  death/black  metal  imagery
and trying to survive on the music alone (this is  proved  by  having
song titles like "Mend", "37th Triangle", "Blanket", and "Out"). They
have my eternal respect.

Contact: CURB, P.O. Box 16452, Indianapolis, IN, 46216, USA
         email: curb@iquest.net


De Ros - _Ad Dei Gloriam_  (14-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley  (***--)

Hailing from Brazil, this trio, led by guitarist Marco  DeRos,  is  a
rather gifted bunch of musicians who rely a lot on crafty guitar work
and strong and creative song structures in their music.  Just  listen
to any of the fourteen songs found on the band's debut album, _Ad Dei
Gloriam_, and you will see the ingenuity and craftsmanship that  goes
into each song, i.e. "La  Leyenda  Del  Brujo",  "Taste  of  Poison",
"Swing From Hell", and "Naturally Petrified". The music mainly  falls
into the hard rock/progressive musical category and that is  where  I
think a lot of the band's fans would generate from. Fans  that  enjoy
work from Queensryche, Yngwie  Malmsteem,  and  maybe  even  Savatage
would get into this music. Note:  there  are  no  lyrics  here,  just
music. While just under 40 minutes, _ADG_ is quite a good  listen  if
you feel like letting the band take you away into  their  imaginative
world for a little while.
 
Contact: Marco De Ros, Rua Coronel Flores 507 - Apt. 14
         Caxias do Sul RS, BRAZIL 95034-060
         email: deros@visao.com.br 


Eve of Mourning - _A Dark Serenade_  (3-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley  (***--)

This four-piece gothic/doom metal band hails from Staten Island,  New
York. The band's  three-song  demo  is  well-produced,  flowing  with
angel-like violins and haunting  guitar  styles  that  help  showcase
atmospheric realms of creativity that shout  out  comparisons  to  My
Dying Bride or maybe Anathema, but still manage to incorporate a doom
metal sound with the growling vocals and thick guitar tones. There is
also a gothic element to the  band's  sound  as  well.  The  thing  I
enjoyed most about this demo was that Eve of Mourning seemed to  have
worked real hard to produce a very vision-like sound and  image  with
their music. The music releases many  emotions  and  that  caters  to
one's imagination when hearing it. The downside of this demo tape  is
that while the three songs included ("Drown  Me  To  Infinity",  "You
Know Nothing", and my fave, "Numb") are well executed, it seems  that
we, the listener, are really not being given an honest  look  (or  in
this case, listen) to what the band really can do.  The  numbers  are
lengthy and the sounds are very similar and I felt that the  lack  of
versatility of material on the demo tape seemed to keep the  band  in
one frame of sound. I'm eager to hear what the band  can  do  with  a
lengthier demo tape, but besides  my  quirks,  I  feel  that  Eve  of
Mourning have got an interesting sound worth looking out for.

Contact: EVE OF MOURNING, c/o Mike Montalbano "Attn: Eve of Mourning"
         76 Kingdom Ave., Staten Island, NY, 10312, USA
         email: bounty34@aol.com


Martyr - _Ostrogoth_  (3-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (****-)

ANOTHER band from Montreal, Martyr's demo _Ostrogoth_ is more on  the
technical side of death metal rather than focusing on blinding  speed
and blazing guitars. The band also featuring clean male vocals (which
aren't that impressive), the bulk of the music on  the  three  tracks
("Prototype", "Ars Nova" and the  title  track)  is  slow-paced  with
intricate guitaring and drums. It also sounds  like  there's  an  80s
metal influence in some of the songs (particularly in the first track
"Prototype"). The vocal style is rough/gruff but not as low  as  your
standard death metal outfit which  I  felt  is  a  good  decision  to
accompany this sort of music. Releasing an  independent  album  early
next year, I look  forward  to  hearing  their  future  work  (to  be
hopefully reviewed in a future issue).

Contact: MARTYR, 459 Julien
         Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Que., G8T-6X2, Canada


Murder 1 - _Murder 1_  (7-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (*----)

One of my pet peeves in reviewing demos is if the inside of the  tape
insert is blank, that the band fails to include a bio. Not only  does
this leave me in the dark about the band's history/location, etc, but
it also reflects onto the band  negatively.  I  mean,  even  if  it's
hand-written, that's at least something! Well, to be frank  I  didn't
really care in the case of Murder 1, as they play  sloppy  metal/punk
with cliche lyrics (those that I could decipher,  of  course).  Songs
like "Homicide", "Born to Lose", and "Fuck Conformity" are laughable,
especially the choruses. The vocals rarely  had  any  viciousness  to
them, for the most part sounded whiney. Of the seven tracks on  this,
two are played live. "Your the One", the first live track is the best
song on the demo. I enjoyed a full 10 seconds of it  as  there  is  a
great distorted/grinding bass solo which accounts for almost  all  of
the "*" rating. Murder 1, as evidenced by that track  sound  so  much
better live than they do in the studio. If they could somehow harness
their energy from their concerts for the recording studio  then  this
band may be salvageable yet.

Contact: These boneheads don't have an address on the tape insert (as
         I said, it's blank).  Good  work  guys.  You  could  call  a
         hotline for the band, the phone number  is  (201)  751-2113.
         Don't worry, you shouldn't have any problem getting through.


NDE - _Falling_  (11-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (***--)

Ohio's  NDE  (which  stands  for  Near  Death  Experience)  on  their
self-produced CD play heavily  Pantera-influenced  metal  with  heavy
riffs and the occasional thrash beat. Their guitar  sound  very  much
reminded me of Righteous Pigs' in terms of  their  production  sound,
while the actual riffing reminded me of Pantera (the opening riff  of
"Angry Song" reeks of them!). The vocals by Bob Reinard sound like  a
harsher Phil Anselmo which are accompanied by  the  very  rare  death
growl. The songs "Stench" and "No Tomorrow" were my  favorites  while
most of the other tracks sounded too much  like  someone  else  other
than NDE. The CD layout is very professional, done  as  well  as  any
indie  label  could  do.  Having  played  with  bands  like   Crisis,
Incantation, Stuck Mojo and Cannibal Corpse, it shows that  the  band
have worked on getting their name out to metal fans  in  their  area.
Now it's time that NDE work on writing  more  original  material,  as
what is evidenced on _Falling_ sounds too close  to  a  thrash  metal
version of Pantera.

Contact: NDE, P.O. Box 2297, Streetsboro, OH, 44241, USA


Neuropath - _Desert of Excruciation_  (3-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk  (***--)

I have been hearing some great music out of Australia as of late. The
Psychorockmenstrualgrindporn of Blood Duster (see review in  #13  and
my interview in #14) and a band called Sulkus (demo  review  in  #13;
the band have recently signed to Zandrah Records and will have  a  CD
out early next year) come to mind. However, Neuropath don't have  the
same  power  as  the  aforementioned  bands  do.  The  5-piece   play
death/grind with no  real  inventiveness  or  creativity,  it's  more
straight-ahead  blasting  and  heavy  Suffocation-like  riffing   and
lower-range vocals. The music on _DoE_ isn't bad,  but  after  you've
heard it a thousand times, it becomes nothing special. There are some
better moments but they are far and few between. Production is  quite
good and some money was put into the layout  for  the  demo  (glossy,
band photo, lyrics).  A  low  three  rating  on  my  part,  but  some
death/grind fans could get some enjoyable moments out of this. For  a
copy of this demo, send $5US to the contact address below.

Contact: NEUROPATH, c/o Daniel Stubbs
         1 Beaumont Cres., Bayview, NSW-2104, AUSTRALIA


Pleasure Void - _Demo 1996_  (3-track demo)
by: Brian Meloon  (**---)

This isn't really a metal demo, it's more of a hard rock thing,  with
a retro-70s influence, and some similarities to Marble, due mostly to
the lead (female) singer's voice. It's also pretty strange, with some
free-form   sounding   structures   in   places,   and   a    general
weirdness/goofiness that permeates  it.  That's  a  good  thing,  but
doesn't really help this enough to impress me. The playing isn't very
tight at times, sounds cheap at others, and it seems to be mixed  too
loud, so it distorts in places.  There's  also  too  much  of  a  70s
influence for my taste, especially when ripping  off  the  main  riff
from that stupid "Low Rider" song in "Perfect Mess". On the  positive
side, it is a competent offering from a band with a  good  vision  of
their own unique style. It's just too bad that their  vision  doesn't
coincide with mine. 
 
Contact: PLEASURE VOID, P.O. Box 40133
         Rochester, NY, 14604, USA

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

You've asked for it, and now you've got it. Classic  Carnage  is  the
one and only place to find all your  favorite  albums  of  yesteryear
reviewed from today's point of view. This section will  be  appearing
sporadically in Chronicles of Chaos,  gracing  our  special  editions
exclusively.


Bathory - _The Return..._  (Combat Records, 1985)
by: Steve Hoeltzel

When this mighty slab of darkness and ill will was  first  unleashed,
my 16-year-old self borrowed Mom's car and drove  it  to  a  shop  50
miles away, just to score a copy. Back then, Bathory was shrouded  in
almost total mystery (no names, no photos, no interviews) and rumored
to be the sickest, heaviest  band  on  the  planet.  _The  Return..._
earned that description in '85, and it's still right  up  there  with
the best black metal around today. With the exception of  an  amazing
intro and one song about sex (the quaintly  titled  "Bestial  Lust"),
it's full-throttle Satanic mayhem  all  the  way,  with  great,  sick
vocals, a tangible feel of wildness and  primitivity,  and  a  guitar
sound as thick and vile as the stench of decay. The bass  is  booming
and WAY low in tone, and the drumming is adequate, though  not  quite
up to today's blast-fest standards. All in all,  the  sound  is  just
killer for black metal: raw and distorted, but with a serious  bottom
end that most recent releases sadly lack. "Revelation of Doom" begins
the album like a slowly opening sonic portal  to  Hell.  Then  "Total
Destruction" stomps in - mean, simplistic riffing leading up  to  the
greatest metal chorus ever: "Woe to you...  Earth  and  Sea...  TOTAL
DESTRUCTION!"  Too  cool!  "Born  for  Burning"  features  a  rocking
metallic riff and pulses forward with pounding beats, while "Wind  of
Mayhem" picks up the pace and deepens  the  darkness  of  the  sound.
Other great tracks include "Son of the Damned", the brutal  "Sadist",
"Reap of Evil", and more. This smokes  everything  else  Bathory  has
done, and it leaves a lot of newer black metal in the dust as well. 


Destruction - _Infernal Overkill_  (Steam Hammer, 1985)
by: Steve Hoeltzel

This is probably the most wicked, blackened speed metal album ever to
be released (with _Torment in Fire_  by  Sacrifice  running  a  close
second), and back when it came out, I would've been tempted  to  give
it a ten. I liked it better than  Slayer  back  then,  and  with  the
possible exception of _Haunting the Chapel_, I still do. For insanely
complicated speed riffing and that crucial evil vibe, this stuff just
can't be beat. Yeah, Kreator  kicked  serious  ass  on  _Pleasure  to
Kill_, and Deathrow just ripped it up on _Raging Steel_, but on  this
release, Destruction destroyed them all. "Bestial Invasion"  features
the  craziest,  fastest  riffs  that  the  80s  ever  produced,   and
"Invincible Force" and "Death Trap" take 80s-style chainsaw guitar to
a whole  new  level.  It's  definitely  Mike's  mad  mastery  of  the
fretboard that makes this an incredible album:  the  riffs  just  saw
their way right into your brain. Schmier's sneers  at  the  mike  are
cool, too, if occasionally  a  bit  squeaky,  but  his  bass  playing
doesn't really stand out. Tommy gives his kit a  real  good  beating,
and the overall production is solid by underground metal standards. I
like all eight songs, though some are definitely better than  others.
And for what it's worth, I think that this platter  stands  head  and
shoulders above all the other releases by the band. Great stuff,  and
very enjoyable still.


Dio - _Holy Diver_ (Warner Brothers, 1983)
by: Adrian Bromley

Powerful. Awesome. Breathtaking. 1983's _Holy Diver_  was  the  debut
album for Ronnie James Dio  (Black  Sabbath/Rainbow/Elf)  as  a  solo
artist, and quite  the  impressive  one  at  that.  Overflowing  with
monstrous  guitar  riffs  (thanks  to  Vivian  Campbell)  and   truly
mindblowing vocals by Dio himself, _HD_ was laced with  some  of  the
most classic musical arrangements that we have seen in years.  Still,
after more than a decade since its release, the  music  still  stands
tall and firm. The thing that helped market Dio at that time, a  year
in  which  both  Michael  Jackson's  _Thriller_  and  Def   Leppard's
_Pyromania_  were  breaking  big  (oddly,  Campbell  is  now  in  Def
Leppard), was his use of satanic images and his fantasy-esque  lyrics
and visions. His album arrived at a time when metal was  about  speed
and big productions and he (like  Iron  Maiden)  took  the  music  to
another realm in which the listener could not only be in awe  of  the
music but learn from the tales that they would tell or  write  about.
Though his solo career  has  been  long  and  lasting  through  seven
releases (his  latest  release  being  _Angry  Machines_,  on  Mayhem
Records), sadly he has not been able to meet the  same  momentum  and
stride with his music that he  did  with  _HD_.  Choice  cuts:  "Holy
Diver", "Don't Talk to Strangers", "Straight Through the  Heart"  and
the gripping "Rainbow in the Dark". Every metaller  should  at  least
have THIS album in their collection.


Entombed - _Left Hand Path_ (Earache Records, 1989)
by: Drew Schinzel

Before Entombed arrived on the scene, the Swedish death  metal  scene
as we know it today was not much to  talk  about.  Sure,  there  were
bands  here  and  there  (perhaps  most  notably  was  Nihilist,  the
predecessor of Entombed), but Entombed, and their  debut  _Left  Hand
Path_ broke things wide open. Gaining worldwide recognition for their
low-tuned guitars, thick production, and guttural vocals, nothing new
in their own respects, but taken to  a  form  never  before  reached,
Entombed quickly became huge in the death  scene  and  influenced  an
entire generation of bands. One of the first albums  to  feature  the
trademark "Sunlight Studio"  sound  (produced  by  Tomas  Skogsberg),
_LHP_ remains one of the most brutal,  yet  still  well-arranged  and
listenable albums of all time. The production helps to make this  one
shine, with  the  aforementioned  "fuzzy"  guitar  tone  of  Sunlight
Studio, but in addition to resonation of the vocals  and  drums,  the
growls and tortured screams of L.G. Petrov simply rule. When compared
to the rest of Entombed's catalog, the only one that even comes close
is _Clandestine_, a classic in  its  own  right.  After  hearing  the
change in _Wolverine Blues_, and the band's evident direction towards
a more mainstream rock sound, you'd better savor _Left Hand Path_ all
you can, because there's  virtually  no  chance  that  Entombed  will
return to the days of old.


Iron Maiden - _Somewhere in Time_ (EMI, 1985)
by: Adrian Bromley

Whether _Somewhere in Time_ is the most popular (or one of  the  most
popular) Iron Maiden releases has never really been decided by  fans,
but the truth is _SIT_ probably has  one  of  the  most  recognizable
Maiden songs to date: "Wasted Years". Much  like  a  concept  record,
_SIT_'s main focus is on the role of the traveler,  the  wanderer  or
the gypsy. Ideals that we can somehow find in all of us. Aided by the
most detailed Iron Maiden cover ever (Derek Riggs' masterpiece) _SIT_
explores the melodic, dramatic, and story-telling  abilities  of  the
band i.e. "Heaven Can  Wait",  "Stranger  in  a  Strange  Land",  and
"Alexander the Great". The thing that stands out most with  _SIT_  is
the creativity and thought that went into the album. There  seems  to
have been a strong emphasis on detail as both music  and  songwriting
are expertly assembled, with Harris providing some  memorable  lyrics
and the dual axemanship of Adrian Smith and Dave  Murray  on  guitars
wailing away. Not a classic record, in the sense  of  superbness,  as
either _Piece of Mind_ (1983) or 1981's _Killers_ are, but definitely
one of the most imaginative eras of Maiden and their music.


Megadeth - _Rust in Peace_  (Capitol Records, 1990)
by: Drew Schinzel

A perfect 10 out of 10 may, in some people's minds, be a  little  bit
too high a score to bestow upon this landmark in metal history.  But,
after further review (and countless hours of listening), I've decided
that _Rust in Peace_ is worthy, without question. Not only because of
its musical significance, but also because it marked a turning  point
in my personal musical taste. Before I picked  up  _RiP_  on  impulse
from someone's suggestion, I had no musical identity. Sure, I'd buy a
CD every now and then,  but  I  never  really  stayed  close  to  any
particular genre. But, after hearing it for the first  time  in  1994
(!),  there  was  no  looking  back.  _Rust  in  Peace_,   with   its
jaw-dropping leads from guitar virtuoso Marty Friedman, angry,  often
political,  lyrics  from  Dave  Mustaine,  and  overall  feeling   of
aggression, may never be matched by any other release in  its  genre.
Although not particularly  fast  (a  main  facet  of  thrash),  _RiP_
maintains its aggression instead through the vicious riffing  evident
throughout and snarling vocals ripping through each line:  one  thing
_RiP_ is definitely not lacking is passion and sincerity. How does it
hold up to Megadeth's current releases? There's  no  question  in  my
mind that _Rust in Peace_ is not only their best album to that point,
but also will never be surpassed by anything they will  ever  unleash
again.


Overkill - _The Years of Decay_  (Megaforce/Atlantic, 1989)
by: Adrian Bromley

New York thrash/metal band Overkill may be one of  the  most  popular
thrash bands to surface in metal, and have had  a  long  and  durable
career so far, having celebrated their tenth anniversary in 1995. The
combined grind & groove of the band, lightning fast  drum  beats  and
singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth's high pitched  screams/vocals  helped
separate the band from the rest of the pack, allowing them  to  break
away from coming off as a "clone" thrash/metal band of  the  mid-80s.
From the opening chords of "Time to Kill" through "I Hate", onto  the
eerie "Who Tends the  Fire"  and  title  track,  Overkill's  combined
thrust of speed and machine-gun guitar riffs tears at us like a rabid
dog. Lashing out with powerful jolts of adrenaline, _TYoD_ helped put
the band in  the  spotlight  with  such  hits  as  "Elimination"  and
"Playing With Spiders/Skullcrusher". This album radiates speed,  wild
mood swings and strength - all wrapped into one ball of  energy.  For
fans of  90s  thrash  metal  like  Machine  Head  (_Burn  My  Eyes_),
Hostility (_Brick_) or Meliah  Rage's  newest  _Death  Valley  Dream_
(though they surfaced in 1989  during  Overkill's  domination),  this
album or even 1991's brilliant _Horrorscope_ is worth  checking  out.
Sorry to say, but it wasn't  just  fellow  New  Yorkers  Anthrax  who
helped mold and expand thrash metal into the mainstream. Overkill was
there too. Blitz's vocals on "Who Tends the  Fire"  or  "Elimination"
would be a selling point for me. Hard-hitting to say the least. Bring
body protection.


Sodom - _Obsessed by Cruelty_  (Steam Hammer, 1986)
by: Steve Hoeltzel

If you'd like to see where Euronymous got the  name  for  his  record
label, listen to this album's first track. (And if you want  to  know
where he got his nickname, read some Hellhammer lyrics.) This release
is not in quite the same musical league as the other  titans  of  the
80s speed/thrash scene  in  Europe,  although  Sodom  did  eventually
progress to the level of -great- thrash on their subsequent  _Expurse
of Sodomy_ EP and _Persecution Mania_ long-player.  _Obsessed..._  is
basically crude proto-black metal, though, and it's just not as heavy
as the Bathory and Celtic Frost stuff that was out at the same  time.
And Possessed, who released their debut in '85, make these guys sound
like total amateurs. Still, I do really like  several  songs  on  the
album, especially the weird, speedy "Proselytism Real" and the gloomy
title track. "Equinox" and opener "Deathlike Silence" are also  quite
enjoyable. The album is slightly marred by a thin guitar tone; still,
the weird string sound does add a certain air of  creepiness  to  the
material. Angel Ripper's vocals are biting, upper-mid  range  snarls,
and the drumming of Witchhunter gives real backbone to the  songs.  I
definitely think this record is cool, because it's  undeniably  eerie
and energetic, and there isn't anything else that sounds  quite  like
it. There is a lot of stuff that sounds better, though. 


Candlemass - _Epicus Doomicus Metallicus_
by: Andrew Lewandowski  (Black Dragon/Leviathan Records, 1986)

When doom metal is successfully pulled off, it usually is my favorite
form of metal. Unfortunately, good doom metal can be hard to come by.
Possibly the sub-genre's shining moment occurred 10 years  ago,  with
the  release of _Epicus  Doomicus  Metallicus_  by  Candlemass.  This
contains the two elements needed to create an  excellent  doom  metal
album: heavy riffs that never cease to be  memorable,  and  sorrowful
vocals. Both elements can be found in surplus  in  this  album;  each
minute is amazingly depressing, yet never sacrifices musicianship  in
sake of melancholy. Johan Lanquist has one of the  better  voices  to
ever grace a metal album; he possesses a powerful vocal range akin to
traditional NWOBHM vocalists, yet sounds as if each word was his last
before dying. Unfortunately, this was to be his only album  with  the
band. Following his departure,  Candlemass'  quality  proportionately
degenerated. Their later material was all above average, yet far from
the status of "classic" attained with this album. No matter, as _EDM_
proved to be the definitive doom metal album, and one  in  which  the
title is certainly indicative of the musical quality.


Slayer - _Hell Awaits_  (Metal Blade, 1985)
by: Gino Filicetti

This was the absolute last Slayer  album  I  bought  to  complete  my
collection of all the works of my favorite band. Up  until  I  bought
it, I had heard nothing about this release  other  than  it  existed.
However, after I obtained it, I couldn't  believe  this  album  could
become as overshadowed as it is. This album is probably Slayer's most
violent album ever. Forget the speed  factor  of  _Reign  in  Blood_,
_Hell Awaits_ has the most brutal  lyrics  ever  to  grace  a  Slayer
release. The title track, with its slow and brooding  beginning,  has
constantly been used as the opening song on many a Slayer tour. Other
killer songs here include "At Dawn They  Sleep",  "Kill  Again",  and
"Hardening of the Arteries". If this  is  missing  from  your  Slayer
collection, I urge you to do yourself a favor and GET IT!


Rotting Christ - _Passage to Arcturo_  (Unisound Records, 1991)
by: Andrew Lewandowski

As with most musical sub-genres, modern black metal's early  pioneers
set a lofty precedent, which most of the newer bands  have  been  too
uncreative or consumed with evil imagery to match. Rotting Christ are
one of these pioneers, as their _Passage to  Arcturo_  album  remains
the best example of a synthesis between elements of traditional - ie,
doomy - and mid-paced death metal. Despite an uninspiring  production
- a mediocrity which  is  heartfelt,  as  opposed  to  the  contrived
attempts   at   evilness   spewed   forth   by   their   Scandinavian
contemporaries - _PtA_ is still their  strongest  overall  effort  to
date, and lay the foundation for what  became  the  productive  Greek
black metal scene. The unique riffing patterns, melancholic  acoustic
guitar, and mystical keyboard passages - the latter was laid down  by
Morbid, later known as M.D. Daoloth, of Necromantia fame - influenced
numerous followers. Not even their most  ambitious  moment  could  be
kept sacred: on _Athenian Echoes_, Nightfall adds  a  similar  tribal
percussion break as to the one that  Rotting  Christ  manipulates  to
culminate "Forest of N'Gai". Even if you were dismayed by the  tamer,
albeit far easier to locate, _Triarchy of  the  Lost  Lovers_,  _PtA_
should be on the shopping list of any fan of black,  doom,  or  death
metal; especially the Unisound reissue, which features two live bonus
tracks, both displaying the band's more aggressive tendencies.


Venom - _Welcome to Hell_  (Neat Records, 1981)
by: Gino Filicetti

Nothing gets more classic than this, the  first  Venom  album  to  be
unleashed upon the unsuspecting hordes of heavy  metal  fans.  Forget
the NWOBHM, these brits blow the entire movement  out  of  the  water
with their satanic lyrics, and cutthroat musical style. Just  imagine
the kind of reaction that an album which depicts a pentagram with the
image of the goat's head inscribed in it would cause in  1981.  These
guys are truly the fathers of all black metal, having even coined the
term with  their  second  release  entitled  _Black  Metal_.  Instant
classics are tunes like "Welcome to Hell",  "Witching  Hour",  "Angel
Dust", and "One Thousand Days in Sodom". If you've never heard of the
name Venom, then you are truly  missing  out  on  some  of  the  best
classic metal around. Although the production is raw, that's the  way
the band wanted it, to showcase their true energy and vigor.

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


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


               A   F E A R F U L   F R E A K - F E S T 
               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
          Fear Factory with Kilgore Smudge and Carped Tunnel
           November 25, 1996 at Tramps in New York City, NY
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     After a whirlwind three-day visit to the "Big Apple"  -  not  to
mention a grueling 15-band,  12-hour  Deathstock  III  show  the  day
before - Chronicles of Chaos contributor/writer Adam  Wasylyk  and  I
finished off our trip to NYC in  pure  loud  fashion  by  seeing  Los
Angeles metallers Fear Factory play a  sold-out  show  at  local  bar
Tramps.
     Tramps was packed and the crowd was waiting in anticipation  for
the arrival of the Los Angeles death  metal  quintet.  Following  the
hilarious cover/rip-off of the Los Del Rio hit  song  "Macarena"  (an
unknown band came over the loudspeaker sounding a lot  like  Brujeria
doing "Marijuana"), FF took the stage and for almost 75 minutes  held
the crowd by their balls. Rippin' through loud and abrasive  versions
of songs off 1995's _Demanufacture_ LP, most notably the title track,
"New Breed", "Self  Bias  Resistor",  and  "Pisschrist",  and  singer
Burton C. Bell fueled the mosh pit with every growl. It was intensity
at LEVEL 10. I must say, I have seen FF five times to date  and  this
was one of their best shows I have seen. Period.
     The band also played the cool  Agnostic  Front  cover  of  "Your
Mistake" (found on the _Demanufacture_ Digi-Pak) and ended  the  show
with a blistering  and  explosive  three-song  encore  of  "Replica",
"Martyr", and the ever-popular "Scapegoat". Impressive,  to  say  the
least.
     Opening the show was  a  promising  hardcore/metal  outfit  from
Providence, Rhode Island called Kilgore Smudge. Mixing  hard  driving
beats and a serious metallic edge, the band  won  over  many  of  the
fans. I personally dug the Mike Patton (Faith No More)  meets  Burton
C. Bell vocals of the singer. Throw in hardcore elements and you  got
a solid opening act. Oh yeah...  a  crappy  blues/hardcore/rock  band
called Carped Tunnel opened. Hehehehe... they should  be  grateful  I
even mentioned their name. I didn't find one  thing  about  the  band
likeable. Oh well...
     Anyway, it was a blast to see FF play one of  their  last  shows
before they head into the studios to finish up work on  the  re-mixed
version of _Demanufacture_ songs called  _Remanufacture_  (much  like
what they did with _Fear Is the Mindkiller_) and to  start  on  their
third effort due out in the summer time. The wait is gonna kill me.
     To end: A big THANKS has to go out  to  both  Adam  and  my  IRC
(#metal) buddies Pook and Knitten for hooking up with us  at  the  FF
show and for taking us to the bus station (to  catch  our  bus  home)
after the show. Thanks... even though it was the  wrong  station  you
dropped us off at. What do we know? We live in  the  small  and  safe
Toronto. But the bottom line is: New York rocks and we shall return. 

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

                   T H E   D A Y   O F   D E A T H 
                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
            CoC Visits the NYC Deathstock at The Wetlands
                           by: Adam Wasylyk

     Ironically,  Adrian  Bromley  and  I  experienced  death  before
arriving at  the  Wetlands  for  this  year's  Deathstock.  Taking  a
greyhound from Toronto to NYC, during the 10-hour voyage, I  couldn't
find ONE comfortable position to sleep or  rest  in.  We  experienced
death yet again when we arrived at around 6 AM to a large, unfamiliar
town carrying our luggage around for the entire day. With all of that
out of the way, we were then ready to experience  true  death:  metal
that is, at the third annual Deathstock.
     With 12 bands on the bill for this year's show, it was to  be  a
true endurance test. The band list  wasn't  completely  known  to  me
until the day of the show, which I  found  out  who  was  playing  by
reading a posted ad. Some scheduled bands to play but were  to  later
cancel  were  Samael  (to  be  part  of   the   headlining   Cannibal
Corpse/Immolation tour), Incantation, Acheron, and Ancient (who I was
told were busted at the border for drug possession).
     Beforehand Adrian and I met some people whom we had first met on
the IRC (Internet Relay Chat) on the #metal channel.  After  a  large
lunch and shortly  after  2  PM,  we  entered  the  Wetlands  to  see
Connecticut's Curse already well into their set. Having seen the band
during the summer (at the Milwaukee Metal Fest), their set  consisted
of corpse-painted black metal which fell on the mediocre  set.  Being
the first band on the day, the crowd was thin, as the majority of the
later 400+ crowd wouldn't arrive for some time to come.
     To  follow  was  Evoken  who  played  a  rather  boring  set  of
doom/death. The drumming was slow and hardly ever reached a mid-paced
speed,  which  in  a  concert  setting  doesn't  work  for  me.   The
keyboardist onstage unfortunately  couldn't  help  as  the  band  was
"doomed"  from  the  start.  Cheap  jokes  aside,   Evoken   were   a
disappointment. New Jersey's Mortal  Decay  woke  me  up  with  their
death/grind set, which I would experience  yet  again  later  in  the
show. Never letting up, they exemplified pure aggression  and  speed.
Looking back, Mortal Decay played one of the best sets of the  night,
Adrian firmly agreeing with me.
     Next up were Unisound recording artists Insatanity, who put on a
good set of fairly brutal death metal. Yet another band I had seen at
the Milwaukee Metal Fest, they were as good as I remembered them,  of
course here the  sound  was  much  better.  New  York's  Asphyxiation
followed and played a set of average death metal that  couldn't  take
my attention away from the many vendors on-hand selling their  wares.
They came across as dull, but they did have their moments.  Hellbound
were next and to be honest I don't remember a whole lot about them. I
remember that Sepultura's "Troops of Doom" was their  last  song  and
was covered well, but their original material wasn't very interesting
to me. I was at this point truly hoping for better things to come.
     Events quickly turned around when Dying Fetus  took  the  stage.
The Pulverizer Records act played a great set  of  death/grind  which
held my interest throughout the nine or so  songs  they  played.  The
drumming was insane, while the bass and guitar vocalists were  great.
One of them took care of the mid-range vocals while  the  other  sang
the very low growly vocals, the  two  complimented  each  other  very
well. Playing songs off their  CD  _Purification  through  Violence_,
Dying Fetus could not be denied on this night.
     Formed in late 1995 after the break-up of Order from Chaos  (who
also played a past Deathstock), Angel Corpse played  a  good  set  of
Bathory/Possessed-influenced  death  metal,  as  evidenced  on  their
recently released debut CD for Osmose Productions called  _Hammer  of
Gods_. Decked up in studs and bullet belts, the drumming  rarely  let
up from its mid-paced speed during the band's 45-minute set.  At  the
end of their last song, bassist/vocalist Pete  Helmkamp,  reminiscent
of his OfC days, did some fire-breathing and then threw the lit baton
into the crowd. A good visual set with good music to go along with it.
     Norwegian  black  metal  alert!  I  had  originally  heard  that
Mysticum had canceled weeks prior to the  show  but  that  morning  I
learned that they indeed would be playing. After  about  a  20-minute
wait with repeated calls from the DJ for the band to take the  stage,
the Norwegian boys entered upon the stage and set up their gear.  For
those who don't know, the band use a drum machine in  concert,  which
noticeably had some onlookers confused.  Technical  problems  delayed
things further but eventually the band did start into their set. With
the guitars completely off-time with the drums, the sound coming from
the three-piece was horrible. It sounded like a  jam  session  rather
than actual music. After the first song the guitarist left the stage,
to presumably help the sound guy with the drum machine as it ended up
that the band couldn't hear it. The band started up again,  with  the
drums loud and blazing while the singer looked truly  possessed/crazy
shrieking into the microphone. I recognized the song "Kingdom  Comes"
by the keyboards as they, along with  the  drums,  were  being  piped
through the speakers. After only six or seven  songs,  Mysticum  left
the stage, despite the crowd's cries for  more.  I  could  tell  they
wanted to play longer too, after traveling such a  long  distance  to
play. Mysticum, for those interested, have a full-length CD  on  Full
Moon Productions called _In the Streams of Inferno_, which should  be
out now.
     Immolation, the first band on the headlining  tour,  graced  the
stage to the applause of the audience. Playing a  moderately  charged
set of death metal while playing a  good  variety  of  material  from
their records, Adrian thought they played a good set but I felt  they
had more bark than bite. Unfortunately, at around 11:45  that  night,
during newly-signed-to-Relapse-Records Brutal Truth's set, Adrian and
I had to leave, to catch our ride back to Long Island where  we  were
staying. All I saw was Kevin Sharp in his cowboy hat from outside the
venue and all I heard was the band playing material off  their  _Kill
Trend Suicide_ EP.
     Looking back on this year, I was very fortunate to have gone  to
some great shows. The Toronto Death  Fest  had  some  great  Canadian
talent,  the  Milwaukee  Metal  Fest  had  some  great  American  and
international talent and the NY Deathstock  had  some  great  NY  and
surrounding area talent. Having met some cool people and hearing some
great music, I may just make NYC part of my itinerary for next year.

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                  T O   H E A V E N   A N D   B A C K
                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                  Heavenwood live in Porto, Portugal
                           by: Pedro Azevedo

     Portugal is finally gaining some respect  in  the  metal  scene.
After the well-known Moonspell  from  Lisbon,  here  are  Heavenwood,
coming from the great city of Porto.  In  fact,  despite  Moonspell's
first full-length, _Wolfheart_, being one of my favourite  albums  of
all time,  Heavenwood's  debut,  _Diva_,  clearly  beats  Moonspell's
latest, _Irreligious_. And watching Heavenwood live makes  this  much
clearer. So who the hell are Heavenwood? Well,  they're  a  six-piece
band from Portugal's second biggest city,  Porto.  They  released  an
excellent demo tape which got them signed by Massacre, in which  they
set their style, combining some mid-paced doom, some  melodic  death,
some (little) goth, but always  dynamic  and  melodic.  Their  debut,
_Diva_, turned out to have a slightly softer,  almost  Crematory-like
sound than before. Still damn good, though. All  the  excellent  demo
tape songs were included.
     This concert was a warm-up show for their upcoming European tour
with Atrocity and excellent Swedish band In Flames.  Therefore,  this
was a small venue, not much publicity. Only  about  a  hundred  metal
maniacs gathered up to watch the show. The  room  was  full,  though.
Heavenwood were going to play  with  no  support  band,  so  everyone
expected them to play for about an hour... and they did.
     The place had some good atmosphere, dim lights with some torches
up front, and then the band showed up. After an atmospheric  keyboard
intro, they  teared  into  the  excellent  opening  riff  of  "Frozen
Images", a song which kind of reminds me of Paradise Lost. First, the
sound. Very loud drums, good. And the surprise... you could  actually
hear both guitars just perfect! The vocals also sounded very good, so
did the keyboards. Overall,  the  sound  was  excellent,  much,  much
better than I ever thought it would be.
     Well, after playing their opening song, and a very good one too,
they linked it to "Emotional Wound" (as in the CD), fading  from  one
into the other and actually blending the two. This being  one  of  my
favourite songs, it rocked. Well, so did all the others. Then, to  my
great surprise, they linked again to the third song. I  mean,  I  was
just blown away by these, three in a row! And  what  really  blew  me
away was that they played these three without one  single  mistake...
they played PERFECTLY!! Even the most difficult guitar  and  keyboard
parts came out great, just perfect.  The  live  vocals  sounded  very
good, and the new drummer was remarkably well blended  in  the  band,
and only made one small mistake.
     After this epic start,  they  paused  for  a  little  while  and
proceeded with the show, highlights  everywhere,  and  they  kept  on
playing perfect. One of  my  other  favourite  songs,  the  My  Dying
Bride-influenced  "Since  the  First  Smile",  came  out  melodically
perfect, and with that extra live power. The mosh pit  started  hard,
though not constant. They played the rest  of  the  album,  though  I
think they played "Judith Heavenwood", an absolute fan-favourite, for
a second time in the  end,  leaving  one  of  the  other  songs  out.
Nonetheless, it was just brilliant. They  just  sound  so  much  more
powerful live. And the remarkable thing is, they  sound  so  powerful
and yet keep all the melody CD-like!
     With this concert, Heavenwood have proven themselves as good as,
or even better, than Moonspell, especially live. The message here is,
go watch them if you can, 'cause they're great and so are In  Flames.
And give their CD, _Diva_, a listen if you can, too.  They  delivered
55 minutes of pure live metallic excellence. I  expect  a  very  good
future for this band.

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


   E X T R E M I T Y ,   C O N F O R M I T Y ,   I N T E G R I T Y
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          by: Steve Hoeltzel

     As you know if you read CoC, a  lot  of  powerful  and  original
music is coming out of today's extreme metal scene.  But  that's  not
what I want to talk about right now. No, right now I want to rag on a
couple of ways in which the scene just seems to be getting lamer  all
the time.
     The first and biggest problem is a major lack of originality  on
the part of the vast majority of bands. As we  all  know,  a  lot  of
bands who write absolutely great metallic music are  just  completely
unoriginal when it comes to image, lyrics, and so on. The  result  is
that way too much vital and  energetic  music  gets  bogged  down  in
cliches - worn-out ideas that lessen the music's  overall  impact  by
giving rise to that stale, "same-old-same-old" feel. Extreme metal is
supposed  to  be  rebellious  in  spirit,  right?  Well,  what's   so
rebellious about  conforming  to  the  same  set  of  conventions  as
everybody else? Same vocal style,  same  guitar  sound,  same  bloody
cover artists, same damn symmetrical logos. And where's  the  fucking
integrity in clinging to some tired  and  over-used  image  based  on
medieval religion and teenage horror movies, instead of being true to
your own experience and your own creativity? Which path  is  -really-
for those who are "true" - the  well-worn  and  comfortable  path  of
conformity, or the more difficult one of being original and  true  to
yourself?
     Of course,  we're  getting  into  some  thorny  territory  here,
because so many bands have decided to make the  extreme  metal  stage
into a platform for certain religious views. Still, it seems safe  to
say that most bands who sing the praises of you-know-who would  -not-
be doing that today if earlier, more original bands hadn't made  this
the hip, and sometimes profitable, thing to do. Nevertheless, if  the
members of some band really -are- sincere in their sonic  worship  of
some supernatural being, then they  do  not  deserve  to  be  labeled
unoriginal or conformist, since they are  being  true  to  what  they
believe. (Personally, though,  I'm  not  interested  in  bowing  down
before entities whose existence  I  have  no  proof  of  -  including
you-know-who.) Anyway, I think we all know that most bands  who  sing
about how excellent it would be  to  be  in  Hell,  or  who  purchase
magazine ads to inform us as to just how incredibly evil they  really
are,  are  probably  not  into  the  unholiness  business  with  100%
conviction. Those who are faking it, instead  of  making  art  that's
true to what they really believe, are the bands  who  deserve  to  be
ragged on.
     This brings me to my second big gripe. I am sick  and  tired  of
seeing bands try to cash in  on  the  black  metal  trend.  There  is
something very, very cool about the very best black metal - something
which stands to be totally ruined by the attempts of  these  pathetic
posers to gain some quick fame and fortune by copying the  bands  who
originated the style.
     It's not all the "Hail Satan" stuff that I find so cool. There's
some great (but over-used) imagery bound up with all that, and  I  do
respect those  who  are  sincere  in  their  religious  beliefs,  but
personally I'm just not a "Hail Satan" kind of  guy.  (I  also  think
that this idea of a black metal "war against Christianity" is  really
rather deluded, but that's a topic for another time.)
     Besides being wild and incredible music, the  best  black  metal
expresses a deep respect for nature  and  envisions  ways  of  living
which are much more spiritual,  much  more  natural,  and  much  less
fixated upon money than our own. (Of course, in the minds of  certain
individuals, this basic idea has become  confused  with  support  for
some incredibly stupid political positions - but that too is  another
subject.) For this reason, it is nauseating in the extreme to see all
these bands who are simply adopting the black metal image  -  totally
faking a genuine spiritual outlook - in  order  to  get  more  widely
known and to make more extreme metal bucks. That kind of  fakery  and
profiteering is completely and utterly false to the true black  metal
spirit, and bands who engage in it are self-serving trendies who  the
scene would be better off without.

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

Gino's Top 5

1. Chemical Brothers - _Exit Planet Dust_
2. The Nefilim - _Zoon_
3. Korn - _Life Is Peachy_
4. Monster Magnet - _Spine of God_
5. Carcass - _Wake Up and Smell the Carcass_

Adrian's Top 5

1. Soma - _The Inner Cinema_
2. Tchort - _Nightside Of Eden_
3. Pist On - _Number One_
4. Thug - _Monochrome_
5. Megadeth - _Rust In Peace_

Brian's Top 5

1. Cradle of Filth - _Dusk and Her Embrace_
2. Dawnbringer - _Sacrament_
3. Shinjuku Thief - _The Witch Hunter_
4. Mastiphal - _For a Glory of All Evil Spirits, Rise for Victory_
5. Mercury Rising - _Upon Deaf Ears_

Alain's Top 5

1. Quo Vadis - _Forever..._
2. Stuck Mojo - _Pigwalk_
3. Monstrosity - _Millennium_
4. Unanimated - _In the Forest of the Dreaming Dead_
5. Moonspell - _Irreligious_

Steve's Top 5

1. Summoning - _Dol Guldur_
2. Behemoth - _Grom_
3. Einherjer - _Dragons of the North_
4. Angel Corpse - _Hammer of Gods_
5. Old Man's Child - _Born of the Flickering_

Adam's Top 5

1.  Therion - _Theli_
2.  Dark Tranquillity - _Enter Suicidal Angels_
3.  Quo Vadis - _Forever..._
4.  Murder Corporation - _Blood Revolution 2050_
5.  Molested - _Stormvold_

Drew's Top 5

1. Altar - _Ego Art_
2. Carcass - _Swan Song_
3. Edge of Sanity - _Purgatory Afterglow_
4. Mork Gryning - _Tusen Ar Har Gatt_
5. Satyricon - _Nemesis Divina: The Conquering_

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

     Well, here we are people, the end of another issue of Chronicles
of Chaos, and the beginning of a brand new year. I want to  extend  a
hearty 'Cheers' to all our subscribers for sticking with  us  through
the past year, and to a great and prosperous 1997. Let's  make  it  a
year to remember, stay hard and never fold. -- Gino Filicetti

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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #16
