Hex Morbidity - Evangelical

Hex Morbidity is a two-piece black/death/thrash outfit hailing from the UK. On “Evangelical”, the band offers 3 songs filled with various different sounds of extreme metal. The opening riff of “Oblivious To All” immediately displays the brilliant thrash influence the band has. This sound comes straight from the clutches of Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, and other like-minded early first wave of black metal bands. The only real complaint with this track is that it clocks in at only 2 minutes. Just when it feels like it is really getting going, the song ends. Luckily, however, the next track, “Make Them Suffer” is equally enjoyable. The track displays Hex Morbidity’s black and death metal influences, as the riffs take the form of both evil tremolo-picked sections, and heavier chugging riffs. This song also really displays the excellent vocals of Jarod Lawley. He has a traditional raspy scream, but it is never ear-piercing, nor is it drowned out by bad production. In fact, the production is pretty much perfect for this style of music. It is raw and muddy, much like Venom or Celtic Frost, but it doesn’t reach the awful levels that many second wave black metal bands would get to. This allows all of the riffs to be heard clearly, while still conjuring the appropriate atmosphere. One bigger surprise of this release is it never gets all that fast. It is up-tempo overall, but “Evangelical” never reaches the frantic pacing that was all common in black metal in the 90’s. This works in the band’s favour, as it prevents all of the songs from blending together. Ultimately, “Evangelical” is a very solid release by a young band in a genre I’m not overly fond of. Well worth hearing, as I can assure you that this band will go on to do great things!  

Be sure to check out and like Hex Morbidity on Facebook!

Highlights

"Oblivious To All"

"Make Them Suffer"

Final Rating

3.9/5 or 78%. 

Written by Scott 

Gorguts - Colored Sands

It seems like the number of metal fans that followed the progression of liking traditional heavy metal, to thrash, to death metal is dwindling, and instead are replaced by legions of fans who started with other, more extreme styles of metal. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this, but as I listen to Gorguts’ “Colored Sands”, and see the opinions of many others, it is clear that I’m just out of touch with a considerable portion of the metal world. The reason why “Considered Dead” is, and will always be Gorguts’ best record is because it brings an unearthly amount of headbangable riffs. “Obscura” showed the band taking a different path towards far more technical and progressive boundaries, which is a theme that is only continued on “Colored Sands”.

“Colored Sands” opens with “Le Toit du Monde”, and nearly the entire sound of the album is immediately revealed on this one song. There are lengthy, swirling melodies that float over top of Luc Lemay’s still brutal vocals. These sounds dominate the majority of the record and are my biggest issue with it. The songs are completely directionless. They go on and on, without any semblance of attention to songwriting. There’s not a moment on this record is easy to recall. When you combine this frenzy of confusion with a playing time of 62 minutes, it sort of leaves you scratching your head. Why release this much music when all of it is so difficult to get into? It’s complete overkill, and makes the record more unappealing.

At this point, I’m definitely being a bit harsh on “Colored Sands”. The second song, “An Ocean of Wisdom”, immediately reveals the best part of the album: pure Immolation worship. When there are riffs, they are heavy, dissonant, and complex. These riffs alone are worth the price of admission, and aside from the aforementioned opener, as well as the exotically influenced interlude, “The Battle of Chamdo”, they are present on every track. In general, they tend to make use of chords and intervals that provide an uneasy feeling as those notes wait to be resolved (but ultimately aren't). 

It should be mentioned that “Colored Sands” is not a bad album. It is clear that this record is worlds apart from 4^th or 5^th tier albums from other genres. Unfortunately, it is somewhat in opposition to my tastes. It's still good enough for me to enjoy and listen to, but it just meanders around too much to get consistent rotation in my playlist. Nevertheless, all fans of metal should hear this album simply because it is a unique release in the metal world.

Be sure to check out and like Gorguts on Facebook!

Highlights

"An Ocean of Wisdom"

Final Rating

3.5/5 or 70%. 

Written by Scott 

Tankard Interview

This next interview is with one of Germany's greatest thrash bands: Tankard! There is no better time to have talked to this great band because yesterday they were announced to play Maryland Deathfest in 2014! Note that this interview was conducted prior to their confirmation, and they now are confirmed for the festival. Grab a beer, and read on!

SFM: Hey guys! I want to start by going back to the Beastival festival earlier this year where Tankard, Kreator, Sodom, and Destruction all played as the Big 4 of German Thrash. What was it like to bring those four great bands together? Is it likely that this will happen again?

Olaf: Hi Scott! Olaf here - the drummer from the bunch of clowns.

It was funny as always when we meet some of the other bands. We usually have different tour schedules so it was not easy for the promoter to find the dates for this event. Same for the future.

SFM: You guys have had a lot of success playing festivals in Europe, but you have fans all over the world. Will we ever see Tankard ever come over to North America?

Olaf: We did a show in Minneapolis in 2006 and actually we think about doing one in Baltimore next year but that's not confirmed so I can't promise that we will do that. (And maybe I'm not allowed to tell you that??)

SFM: The most recent Tankard record, “A Girl Called Cerveza” was a great addition to your discography. After this long, do you find it easy to write albums because you have been doing it for so long? Or is it difficult because you don’t want to repeat yourself?

Olaf: It is difficult but we are fine with it. If somebody comes up with words like " you repeat yourself" I always answer " No we just go back to the roots"

SFM: This album also featured the legendary Doro Pesch on “The Metal Ladyboy”. What was it like to work with her in the studio?

Olaf: Sadly I have to tell you that we usually enter the studio with a complete preproduction in our hands. That means that I'm going there without the other guys. Just me and a headphone with the pilot tracks. After recording the drums I'm out of the business so I can't tell you who did whatever with Doro or not...

SFM: With so many albums out, how do you guys go about selecting a live setlist, particularly at festivals where you have a limited amount of time?

Olaf: We always try to do a mix between old stuff and some new tracks but it doesn't matter what we put on the list or remove - Somebody will always be disapointed cause we didn't do song X or Y.

SFM: Are there any Tankard albums that you feel are underappreciated, either by fans or in your setlists?

Olaf: Maybe "The Tankard" from 1995 deserves more attention but who am I to dictate that to the fans?

SFM: Since 1998, Tankard has released a new album every 2 years. Does this mean we can expect to see the next Tankard album in 2014?

Olaf: Good news for all of you. The studio is booked and we just started with songwriting....

SFM: What can fans expect from a new Tankard record? Will there be any more guest performances like Doro’s?

Olaf: It's a little to early to say something about that cause we just started with the new material.

SFM: Let’s move on to Tankard’s favourite topic: beer! After this many years, how do you come up with original lyrics about beer?

Olaf: It's easy cause it's for real. We like it a lot and that's why we always have to tell something about it. On the other hand most people forget that we also have some serious lyrics on every record as well.

Maybe it's our own fault that we always get reduced to this beer thing but I think it's more true than doing songs about sacrifice a virgin or running thrue the woods with swords and bows in the hand or fighting against dragons.

SFM: What would you say to a fan such as myself who doesn’t drink any alcohol? 

Olaf: You have my full respect but in our case I can say that drinking beer was helpfull to see half of the world. 

SFM: Any last words for the fans? 

Olaf: Cheers for now and have a good time !

SFM: Be sure to check out and like Tankard on Facebook!

Diamond Plate Interview

SFM: Hey guys! Before we get to the new record, let’s start by talking about some of the changes in the band. Matt, you are the new bassist and vocalist for Diamond Plate. How did you get this opportunity, and how are you enjoying being with the band?

Matt: I went to high school with Mario and he introduced me to the band. So far, it's been the highlight of my short life. 

SFM: Earlier this year, guitarist Mario Cianci left the band. Konrad, do you prefer being the only guitar player live, or are you guys looking for another guitarist?

Konrad: Everyone in the band now is in it for the same reason - to create music. Because of that, the music the three of us create is more powerful than it has ever been. The power trio format gives everyone their own space and freedom musically. 

SFM: “Pulse” came out in North America on August 20th, and is a fantastic release. Congratulations guys! How has the reception been so far?

Jim: From what we've seen the reviews have been really positive online. Touring will really help getting the album out there.

Konrad: People are connecting with the new songs a lot more than with the debut. We focused a lot more on the songs than ever before and creating an album that people can experience from start to finish.

SFM: The first thing I noticed about the album is how eclectic it is. “Pulse” can’t be described as easily as a lot of other releases because there is so much diversity. Was this diversity one of the goals in writing the new record?

Jim: It wasn't really a goal, we just have a ton of different influences that naturally came out on this record. A lot has happened in the past few years and we had a lot to say as well.

Konrad: Most of the songs were inspired from jamming, and all of them contain us playing what we feel. We weren't aiming to be 'different' or 'diverse' - we wanted to create an album that takes the listener on a journey so naturally it has to have that diversity. 

SFM: “Pulse” was the second record you did with Neil Kernon as producer. How did this experience differ from recording “Generation Why?”

Jim: It definitely took a lot longer to record, haha. 

Konrad: On this album we wanted to capture the live essence of the band, and that's why we ditched the click track and editing of modern recording. At the same time, we worked harder than ever to make everything perfect and Neil pushed us to make the album that we've always wanted to make. 

Matt: 'Pulse' has been my first professional recording experience ever. It was unlike anything I have ever done before. 

SFM: Tell us a bit about the decision to release “Walking Backwards” as the first song from the record. Was this the band’s decision, or Earache’s? 

Konrad: We always knew it would be the first song for people to hear from the new stuff. "Walking Backwards" is the opener for the album and we figured that's the best way to introduce 'Pulse' to people.

SFM: You guys will be going on tour soon with the legendary Death Angel (among other great bands). Death Angel is another band like yourselves that has a great deal of diversity within their music. What impact have they had on your songwriting, if any?

Konrad: We always respected Death Angel, because they were another band like us that was really young when they started. We're excited as hell to hit the road again, especially with those bands and with this being our first tour with Matt and 'Pulse.' 

  

SFM: After the Death Angel tour, what is next for Diamond Plate? Have you guys had any offers to do some of the European festivals for next year?

Jim: The plan is to tour nonstop, and we're definitely hoping to get to Europe. It's been a long time coming! 

SFM: The thrash resurgence of the past few years or so seems to be slowing down a bit (unfortunately). Have you guys noticed any differences in terms of turnout at shows, or merch sales or anything like that?

Konrad: We've always been the outsiders of that scene and have never wanted to fit into any trend. So the 'thrash resurgence' slowing down hasn't affected us at all. We've been writing and recording 'Pulse' for the past year, and we were completely focused on being ourselves and never once looked at what any other band was doing.

  

SFM: Do you have any last words for the fans out there? 

See you on the road, keep your ears (and minds) open! 

Be sure to check out and like Diamond Plate on Facebook!

Gama Bomb - The Terror Tapes

It has been four long years since Gama Bomb’s last offering, but they’ve returned in 2013 with their next offering of thrash: “The Terror Tapes”. The song titles and album artwork gave one thing away quickly: Gama Bomb wasn’t changing at all. Over the course of 36 minutes, these Irish thrashers deliver a relentless feast of riffs, speed, and aggression. Complimented by wacky lyrics, and a cartoonish singer, Gama Bomb know how to put out a record that sounds distinctively like it’s from 80’s. The only way you’ll even know that it is more recent is due to the modern production. The phrase “modern production” is usually code for having a loud and terrible sound, but that isn’t the case on “The Terror Tapes”. Rather, every instrument (except for the bass, as you might have guessed) is prominently featured, and doesn’t drown out any other instruments.

Everything is shaping up nicely for another fantastic Gama Bomb album, but now it comes down to the quality of the songs. “Citizen Brain” was the pinnacle of this sound. Every track was infectiously catchy, and delivered skull-impaling riffs. The next two albums (“The Terror Tapes” included) feature the latter, but not the former. There is no shortage of riffs here, as every track features so many riffs that many of them are indistinguishable from the ones that were just one track prior. This just leaves the memorability of these songs. As with other Gama Bomb albums, this quality is derived from the interplay of Philly Byrne’s comedic voice and the numerous gang vocal sections. Luckily, these parts are apparent on nearly every track. It is only a select number of songs, however, where these moments are as brilliant as they were in the past. Anthems like “Backwards Bible”, “We Started The Fire”, and “Terrorscope” are likely to become future classics, but most of the second half of “The Terror Tapes” is an exercise in redundancy. Quite a few songs are nothing we haven’t heard before, and, by this point in their career, really add nothing of value to the record.

It’s important to keep this in perspective, however. Gama Bomb is still one of the top bands of the scene, and unlike many other bands, they are still putting out extremely enjoyable thrash that has yet to wimp out on speed. Some bands dig themselves into a hole by creating brilliant work early in their career. Gama Bomb did that with “Citizen Brain”, and while this record may not match that prior album, it is still quality thrash.

Be sure to check out and like Gama Bomb on Facebook!

Highlights

"Backwards Bible"

"We Started The Fire"

"Terrorscope"

Final Rating

4.2/5 or 84%. 

Written by Scott