Headshot Music Industrial - Metal - Electronic - Alternative JIssue 3 uly 13th 2020
Headshot Music Issue 3 Index Pages 4 and 5 EBM / Industrial News Reviews: EBM/Industrial : Pages 6 and 7 Dreaming In Spanda - Where The East Merges With The West Retaliate of Anger - Relic Metal Reviews Pages 8 to 19 Adversarius - In Nomine Draconis Inferni Arrogant Destruktor - No Fucking Mercy Devilʹs Bargain - Visions Engu�uralment Cephaloslamectomy - Glam Not Slam Grešnici - Iz katapulta Hitman - Stories We Tell Nobody - Atmosfear The Projec�onist - The Stench of Amalthia Vomituri�on - A Le�over Zebadiah Crowe - Host Rider
Editorial This is the bit where I tell you about all the good shit in the mag and what’s coming up in the future… or in my case, how I couldn’t sleep last night, so I went downstairs to watch tv and then one of our serial killer cats brought in a live rodent and then let it loose in the room. So I locked her in the roomwith the mouse, but by 3am, I had to go to bed and there were no dead bodies…. Fast forward to 7.30am and my sleepy carcass went to look for dead things and I then found a dead bird, well what was le� of it. And as I got closer to inspect it, I stood on a dead mouse. Saf’s (Saffron) the serial killer had struck again. We had a dead bird yesterday morning as well. Anyway… I’m knackered, so here’s the newmag. I had to make a couple of last minute changes, because I’m too asleep to finish off a feature, so I added a couple more reviews. And I am going to explore a new op�on during the week, where I can embed videos into the pages… so Issue 4 might be even shinier… we’ll see. Hopefully, in next weeks mag there will be a UK Metal scene report and the week a�er, some interviews… depends on howmany dead animals I have to remove from the house this week Cheers Steve If you would like to include a promo for possible review/interview, please email us at: headshotmusic@mailbox.org Please note, we do not review albums from Spo�fy or Bandcamp streams, or via You Tube Ghost Wave Radio: h�ps://www.facebook.com/GhostWaveRadio/ Headshot Metal: h�ps://www.facebook.com/HeadshotMetalUK/ Headshot Music: h�ps://www.facebook.com/HeadshotMusicUK/ Dark Side of Metal: h�ps://www.facebook.com/DSOMDoncaster/ Black Angel Gathering: h�ps://www.facebook.com/blackangelgathering Mixcloud: h�ps://www.mixcloud.com/ghostwaveradio/
N E W S Biohacker Single Biohacker should have their new album out in a couple of weeks, and as a teaser for Ar�ficial Realignment, check out the new single via Bandcamp… and it’s the first Biohacker track to feature Tu�y Hacker doing vocals… and he does a surprisingly good job h�ps://biohacker.bandcamp.com/track/slave-2 Negant Single Negant consists of three veterans from the Danish industrial EBM scene, namely Jens B. Petersen (ManMindMachine, Bi�er Distrust, Eisenwolf, ex-Neotek), John R. Mirland (Mirland, Am Tierpark, M73, Mirland/Larsen, Bi�er Distrust, Eisenwolf) and Tommy B-Kuhlmann (ManMindMachine, Bi�er Distrust, In Absen�a, Eisenwolf). Negant is currently working on their second album ‘REJECT!’ to be released in 2020. Watch out - there are zombies everywhere! Negant's new single is a sarcas�c comment on our modern consumer society as well as an effec�ve floorfiller. Release date: July 18, 2020 (Negant Bandcamp and all other digital pla�orms): h�ps://negant.bandcamp.com/ New show coming soon, from DJ Sco� Durand “Something special is coming. I can't wait to reveal this mix, it's going to be something very special! 20 tracks, some classics, some obscure, all bangers! From Belgium to Germany to France! Some of my all �me favorite early industrial and New Beat tracks plus a couple of my all �me favorite Razormaid remixes! I decided to do an all vinyl set for this 1st episode and it will not disappoint!” Coming soon at: www.mixcloud.com/sco�durand
Ambassador21 Single The Belarus duo have a new single en�tled Heroin III Heresy and you can download it for free on Bandcamp. It’s a new song from their upcoming “Art Off. Destroy” album h�ps://ambassador21.bandcamp.com/track/heroin-iii-heresy Machine Man Records The US label is busy as usual… with the new Decent News Remix album, Monolith Remixed and a new split release from Decent News with Chrome Corpse h�ps://decentnews.bandcamp.com/ And from Varicella, there’s a new remix: The World is Dying (...and Jason Stealth Doesn't Give A Fuck Remix) as well as the EP, New Born Slave… you can get both via: h�ps://varicella.bandcamp.com/ h�ps://www.facebook.com/machinemanrecords/ Russian Dark Community Compila�on This will probably be your last change for the next one: Release date of the next compila�on from Russian Dark Community: 25.07.20 You can par�cipate if you are required to: 1) Track WAV format 2) Links to your project in social networks (Facebook, bandcamp, etc.) Genres: #ЕBM #Industrial #Aggrotech #DarkElectro #Synthpop #Futurepop Visit h�ps://www.facebook.com/rdarkcom/ for more details, contact details etc…
Dreaming In Spanda - Where The East Merges With The West (Haxyn Records) Review by Steve Thomas-Green I find instrumental bands quite hard going, I have to confess. Usually, I enjoy the music, but am le� feeling that it would be so much be�er with vocals, or even a few spoken word passages… and that’s the case here as well. The �tle of the album gives the game away for this release as it is shrouded in Eastern flavours, which really do elevate the music. Throw in some mys�cal sounding chants and the founda�ons are very solid indeed. The sec�ons with the Eastern influences are also the most enjoyable parts of the album, but as with most albums of this kind, the music, by itself, cannot prop up the rest of the album. And that’s a shame, really. Because there is genuinely nothing to complain about, in terms of quality. The sound is powerful, the �me changes and overall structure of the songs are good. It just needs something to glue it altogether… like vocals. But if you make music and you can’t get a vocalist, I guess you’re le� with the crea�ve itch that needs to be fulfilled, and you make what you can, to the best of your ability. Maybe in the future there will be a remix version of this album, because it has a stack of good quali�es and they deserve to be in the spotlight… and at the moment, it does need some outside help. h�ps://haxynrecords.bandcamp.com/ h�ps://dreaminginspanda.bandcamp.com/album/where-the-east-merges-with-the-west
Retaliate of Anger - Relic (Machine Man Records) Review by Steve Thomas-Green I’m a big fan of Josh Lamison’s Retaliate of Anger, but I s�ll have no idea how to describe the music he makes. Generally, it feels like a clenched fist, borne out of frustra�on, just ready to explode with power and energy, mixed in with a disharmonic form of melody. A lot of the music on the debut, 2018’s Final Echo was catchy, but in a messed up distorted kind of way… and that theme con�nues here with album number 2, Relic. And although the feel is similar, musically, this has taken quite a few leaps forward, with a load more textures woven into the sound and again, it s�ll sounds pissed off, contorted with rage etc… but the off-kilter melodies are a lot stronger, as are the pulsa�ng beats. So to add to the EBM, the Industrial and the Glitch influences, this does have a slightly dancier edge to it, albeit in a very dark format with the lyrics, “Die Motherfucker Die” snarled over the top of a very catchy beat. But the beat is so strong, I think this would go down really well in a Goth/EBM club se�ng. I’m also going to start my next radio show with it (the song is actually called Destroyer, Shelter) Elsewhere, the lords of bad taste, Decent News are immortalised in Decent News Is My Favorite Boyband, and things get a li�le too personal (I’m presuming) for the 2 parter, Cumbomb… which I don’t have the lyrics for, thankfully. So Retaliate of Anger are back: bigger, badder and be�er than ever… And this baby is out at the end of the month and it comes very highly recommended h�ps://www.facebook.com/destroyeris/
Adversarius - In Nomine Draconis Inferni (Void Wanderer Produc�ons / War Produc�ons) Review by Miloš Šebalj It is interes�ng to note howmost of the Dutch bands seems to cooperate with their local labels. OK, Void Wanderer gets more and more support from Portuguese War Produc�ons, but it is s�ll a label from the Netherlands. Might be that their bands cannot break through the borders. But I sincerely doubt it. It’s now a couple of years since I’ve gained trust from a couple of Dutch publishers, and one thing is obvious by now. They are all doing one hell of a job releasing and promo�ng their domes�c bands. Whether there is a special bond between them, some mutual agreement, support and understanding is beyond my knowledge. Whatever the case may be, it results in a giant load of (at the very least) promising names hailing from the nether regions of Europe. Some of them have already achieved a wider, interna�onal acknowledgement. Some of them, like Adversarius, have yet to go out and conquer. This is a young band, spawned just five years ago and I have a pleasure of listening to their debut full length. Just a couple of months ago they have released a song off the album on a split release with another Dutch act, Doodswens. Released on another Dutch label, Zwaertgevegt. What I want to say, and I’m saying it right at the beginning, is just go ahead and dig through the Netherlands’ black metal scene. Now, off to music… Another thing that has become characteris�c for black metal bands from the Netherlands is their lenience towards Scandinavia. There would be nothing weird with that fact (as most of the world looks up to the north), if there wasn’t for the apparent strive to take a couple of influences and fuse them together. So does Adversarius too. They are mostly looking towards Sweden. High-pitched lead guitar dominated throughout. Watain’s rabid way of dealing with faster parts is evident source of inspira�on. On the other hand, most of the melodic pieces induce a strong connota�on with Dissec�on. Even the ideological stream of Adversarius’ crea�on goes along the similar route as Jon did. On the other side of the ‘black metal border’ one can easily note some of that chilling sharpness of early Darkthrone. Even some of that par�cular eerie feeling of “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas” glides in here and there. I would also like to add some of that Emperor’s musical prowess into the mix. Without the use of keyboards, or the elaborate arranging. But “In Nomine Draconis Inferni” mostly s�cks to the Swedish line. And does so with style. A�er a number of listening sessions, this record absolutely grew on me. The first thing that really got to my ear is the bass guitar. Almost like the man behind it was the leader of the band. Or the main composer. There’s a whole lot of spectacular passages which are s�cking out of the record. It makes for a dis�nct touch that li�s the album to an en�rely different level. Along with it, the drums seem to be without a pa�ern whatsoever, allowing for a highly dynamic song structures. They might be a bit under-produced, but audible enough in spite of a bit ‘foggy’ sound. I would also prefer a stronger vocal presence. I don’t think it is the problemwith the vocal performance, as it is convincing enough. There just needs to be more of them in the overall soundscape. While at vocals, I must commend the chants in “Musmahhu”, as they sit and fit into the track perfectly. When summarizing “In Nomine Draconis Inferni” one cannot but look at the cover art which is done brilliantly. If it was just si�ng at the CD shop it would certainly make me pick it up. Even if I didn’t know what was the album all about. Though it gives a pre�y clear picture of the content behind. Thus I got myself another Dutch strongpoint. Album a�er album, I make a stronger connec�on with their scene. At this point, my ears are fixed to what comes out of there. Definitely one of the more potent countries when it comes to black metal nowadays. Adversarius proves my point once again. h�ps://www.facebook.com/Adversarius.BlackMetal/
Arrogant Destruktor - No Fucking Mercy (Void Wanderer Produc�ons) Review by Miloš Šebalj On a day like this I’m really glad I don’t have a word count quota to fulfill. At least I don’t think I have. Do I? Not because it’s scorching hot here. I’m used to ge�ng stuck to the table while wri�ng with all the sweat pouring out of me. The thing is that there is not much to actually write about the new Arrogant Destruktor record. I’m dealing with an absolutely old school band here. A bit of thinking outside the box here and there is evident but those are just a couple of fragments. S�ll, the weirdest thing about this album is that the band is Bri�sh. Birmingham instead of Bergen. Never thought the English have such a primeval sense of music. Perhaps I’m forge�ng some bands. Or maybe the spotlight never stood on the island long enough for me to catch a glimpse. Anyway… I might have given you a clue above. If that wasn’t enough, just read the band’s name again. Then the album �tle. Now tell me what comes to mind? Yes, black metal. Scandinavian kind, to be exact. With just the right amount of thrash metal to make it interes�ng. Some punk glides through as well. For a change, one can look at the nowadays Darkthrone for influences. Though surely the English are familiar enough with their old works too. Other influences range from Carpathian Forest and Bathory in those faster, more bes�al parts, to Immortal with the freezing atmosphere. Sure, Aura Noir or early Sodom can come to mind in the thrash lenient moments. Gorgoroth is in there somewhere too. I’m not naming anyone anymore. Pick out the other names yourselves. Let me tell you what stands out on this otherwise completely old school record. The keyboards first and foremost. You read it correctly! Using keyboards on such a sharp sounding album could have been a terrible mistake. For the close-minded metalheads it probably is anyway. However, they are not omnipresent. When used, they have a subtle effect. Except in track number 2, “Midnight Graves”, that has a completely keyboard driven part. Even then it doesn’t ruin anything as it serves a purpose of pain�ng a more precise picture of…Well, a midnight grave. Most of “No Fucking Mercy” is ‘untainted’ by them, but keyboards s�ll make a significant por�on on it. As opposed to mul�tude of bands going for the old school sound (and look, for that ma�er), Arrogant Destruktor has evolved much further with arranging their tracks. Even if the simplicity of individual pieces remains the driving force of “No Fucking Mercy”, this puzzle goes far beyond the expected. OK, there are moments when the band displays more instrumental skill. And those moments also stand out. The closing “Dominion Ex�nguished” proves the point. But it is in pu�ng all those pieces together that Arrogant Destruktor displays their mastery in full. The typical black metal ‘buzzing’ is used here to some extent but it doesn’t go on forever. It is skillfully combined with more moving parts. There is no room for banging your head mindlessly. And yes, banging your head is what you will do while going through the album. It is with the intersec�ons that the band will create a much more memorable record. Somehow I managed to make this one quite a long review. Must be something in this album that made it so. Even if the mere men�on of something prevalently old school might turn people heads away from “No Fucking Mercy”, I would suggest you try it. It is more than a metal history lesson. An homage, but an honest one. Certainly a band to look out for. h�ps://www.facebook.com/arrogantdestruktor/
Devilʹs Bargain - Visions (Independent) Review by Ivona Bogner 1. Sewer Rats 2. Endless Fight 3. No Return 4. Devil’s Bargain 5. Sign of the Times 6. Your Disposal 7. Symphony of Silence I was born in the twen�eth century, when people were buying vinyl, audio casse�es, CDs... Today, the bands are mostly sending links that horrifies me. Links lead to drop box, we transfer, Spo�fy... Download the file, unzip the file and realize you got nothing! This �me, I was pleasantly surprised... Rare, but really rare, as an endangered species are the bands that know what the promo material means: band photos, booklet, lyrics, credits, mp3, wav... Belgium showed it is not all about the finest chocolate, but the organized bands who know what the promo�on means. Well done! "Visions" is the second full length for Belgium Devilʹs Bargain, formed in 2013. The second album and the second independent release. I believe in the XXI century it really does not ma�er if you have a label behind. Only the quality ma�ers and Devilʹs Bargain has it. For all of you who have no idea Devilʹs Bargain is an extremely bad deal, with a terrible price to pay, which someone considers accep�ng because they can see no other way out of a truly horrible situa�on. At least, that is what is wri�en in my dic�onary. Devilʹs Bargain’s second album brought some personal changes. Besides personal changes, it seems, at least for me, that they changed a course. Compared to their previous release, "Deal with the Devil", that, in my opinion was closer to progressive rock, "Visions" is the finest heavy metal of XXI century. From the start, it is obvious that Arthur sings higher, much higher than Davy. But s�ll, I miss bit of ac�on, bit of aggression in his performance.
The album concept perfectly fits the current situa�on. At the moment when the world is figh�ng with the Coronavirus, Devilʹs Bargain chooses to focus lyric on the end of the world. "Visions" is the collec�on of songs that Devilʹs Bargain sees as a vision of a world a�er its collapse. As every other story, this one has the main character: the woman whose visions brought her at the stake. And here my imagina�on blossoms! While I was reading the lyrics, what I liked is possibility to create my own vision. Reading those lyrics, I was unrolling the movie in my head, and the woman I have men�oned I have place in the Middle Ages. She is young, she is rebellious, she is open minded, intelligent, misunderstood and ahead of her �me. I will name her clairvoyant here. Maybe my interpreta�on of lyrics will be total opposite from the bandʹs, but the beauty here lies in that freedom that listener has to develop own story concept. Persecu�on, prosecu�on, inquisi�on, execute them all!, brings some heaviness to the atmosphere in the first song ʺSewer Ratsʺ which is just an introduc�on to her visions. The second one, ʺEndless Fightʺ, is kind of my autobiographical song. I see myself in an endless ba�le I am trying to win over than 40 years living in the country with no perspec�ve at all, country that kills my individuality, my willing to live, but s�ll, deep inside there is a hope, there is the spite that drives me. If we con�nue analyzing lyrics, actually visions of our heroine, than ʺNo Returnʺ can be described as ʺEndless Fightʺ turned upside down. Young woman leads us to rela�onships. Here I see her coun�ng her last hours somewhere in the dungeon ques�oning her past, in my opinion rela�onship with the people in general. The same people who she considered being her friends and who betrayed her. ʺSign of the Timesʺ I can picture as the situa�on we are all in in past fewmonths, faces with something we don’t know, we don’t understand, feeling angry and hopeless, but instead suppor�ng each other, we argue, we fight, we scream... In ʺYou’re Disposalʺ a child is si�ng in the room, playing careless, while being cri�cized for future ignorance, unconcern, wrong decisions… ʺSymphony of Silenceʺ shows me our lady and her final moments on this world. All she sees is relief, freedom, leaving this world where she does not belong. Here my story ends. As I already wrote, my interpreta�on might be the opposite of what the band envisioned, but I think the beauty of this album lies right there, leaving the space for the listener do develop own story. When I do have physical release, what I like the most? Read the booklet, and somehow always the credits were the most interested to me. I must admit, this is the first digital album I received, that includes booklet, so I have to write a few words about it. Cover art is simple: two gold skulls with band logo in between and album �tle. White le�ers in different fonts, with accent on red I in Visions. Maybe not the luckiest solu�on, not the most effec�ve, but... Of course, the lyrics, few band photos... They have bought me as a fan, so I am curious to find out what the future holds for the band. Overall, album has the great structure, a nostalgic overtone, good produc�on, great concept, poe�c moment, great melodies, pleasant vocal interpreta�on, melodic riffs and great solos. Highly recommended! h�ps://www.facebook.com/DevilsBargainBand/
Engu�uralment Cephaloslamectomy - Glam Not Slam (Gore House Produc�ons) Review by Steve Thomas-Green I would like to point out that I do have a sense of humour. One of my favourite shows this year has been the The Righteous Gemstones (I know it was out last year in the US, but not un�l 2020 here in the UK) So I do like stupid shit. But when it comes to comedy in Metal… I’m not really a fan. I even think Spinal Tap is crap. And although this is part parody, in nature, to these untrained ears, it’s just track a�er track of slamming, brutal as fuck, Death Metal. The only bits of humour I’m ge�ng are from the song �tles, which admi�edly, are very clever. Pour Some Pitriffs On Me, which parodies Def Leppard and the Toto pisstake, I Bless The Slams Down In Africa are the best and the likes of Kiss and Skid Row get taken care of too. Whereas someone like S.O.D. can appeal to Thrash fans and Metal fans in general, despite this being well produced and expertly played, it’ll only appeal to fans of the more brutal elements of Metal. Which, fromwhere I’m si�ng, is a waste of talent, because as I men�oned, this does sound really good (in terms of execu�on and produc�on). I’m sure fans of brutalslammingheavyasfuckdeathmetalwithacomedytwist will love it, but to me, it all sounds the same. Sorry. www.facebook.com/812wiggerslamkrew h�ps://gorehouseproduc�ons.com
Grešnici - Iz katapulta (RnR Records) Review by Miloš Šebalj Old �mers from Belgrade, Serbia are back with the new album. The fourth one of their career spanning way back to 1983. Not too much for that �me frame. Furthermore, Grešnici (The Sinners) weren’t too ac�ve between the releases either. Hence the lack of a stronger reputa�on, even amongst their countrymen. Perhaps the ever ac�ve people behind RnR Records might help in that regard, by pushing the band to promote their new record as much as possible. In the mean�me, Grešnici have put out seven new songs. Well, not quite new as some of them were released as singles as far back as 2013. Seems like these five guys really need a strong jumpstart. Having heard the previous albums, I can conclude Grešnici still keep to their style. Recognizable style, I might add. Imagine hearing Deep Purple finesse surrounding AC/DC sharpness. Dilute that with some British punk rock. The Clash maybe. Dead Kennedys are also a good suggestion, if you’re leaning across the ocean. As an excerpt you can turn your ears to “Balkanski rat” track which goes along the more epic lines. Led Zeppelin comes to my mind. The song starts with a quote from the scripture, leading you into a simple, yet strong parole against the current poli�cal trends. Hard punk rock? Just a guess... Not quite an easy one to label. But it sounds interesting, you must admit. Putting the labelling aside, is „Iz katapulta“ („From the catapult“) worth checking out? It depends really. I’m at a loss. First of all, if you’re not familiar with Serbian language, you will lose the lyrical side. Not that it carries some deep messages or verses you haven’t seen before. They mostly revolve around social cri�cism and love. But they are an equal part of Grešnici’s expression. On the musical side, I must admit there’s not that much novelty you will not have expected. The album covers the basics of all the genres numbered above. And follows along those lines, never straying le� or right. It is a decent album, executed correctly, but it most definitely failed to impress. The record leaves a mediocre feel a�er listening. Though it is fairly simplified and easy to remember, I think it is just as easy to forget about it completely. The albumwas probably intended to the older genera�ons who worship this sort of a sound. To those who cannot get enough of it. Brilliant present to them. I’m just not sure “Iz katapulta” is the record that will grant themwider audiences. h�ps://www.facebook.com/Gresnici/ h�ps://www.facebook.com/RnRRecordsTMM/
Hitman - Stories We Tell (Music Studio Mašina 23) Review by Miloš Šebalj Believe it or not, I was a kid once too. I know, I have a hard �me believing it too. But I was. And I knew next to nothing about music. It was right around the �me that I got to discover the myth and magic of distorted electric guitar. I could barely name five bands on a global level. For me, Metallica was a band with four albums. The four that I could find in my local music shop. At that �me they already had seven. I didn’t get Iron Maiden at all. Their “Virtual XI” created a mystery in my mind. Why were they so popular with albums like that? Anything they recorded prior to it was non-existent for me. Guns ‘n’ Roses were demigods. Pantera was the epitome of extreme metal and definitely too loud and aggressive for my taste. Li�le did I know… By the way, all the releases I could get my hands on were bootleg tapes sold in selected music shops and on the public market. Obviously, I needed a tutor. Now, for the next part of the story, you need to know it was the very end of the previous century. Also, I was in the elementary school. In my class there was only a couple of metalheads. And there was this one kid who was into hardcore punk. Their tastes intersected a bit, but the new guy was an en�cing prize for the members of both teams. Thus began something which could be described as a fight between angels and demons for a fresh soul. Mine, of course. Hold on, let me flip the record… Dropping of countless names I could hardly remember, mix tapes, posters, rare music magazines… To make ma�ers even more complicated, my English teacher stepped into the game. I was literally bombarded from all sides. Young and naïve as I was, and immensely curious, I took the middle stream, looking at all sides at the same �me. All the �me. But the hardcore kid had an ace up his sleeve. He took me to a punk dedicated store called “Chandoo”. Aside of the two 7 Seconds CDs (also bootlegged), recommended by the guy at the store, my friend men�oned a local band. It was probably the first �me I even thought about somebody in my country making music I was just ge�ng into. The band’s name was Hitman and they had just released their first full album on tape. As my allowance was spent, I got back to the store later that month to pick up the tape. Recommenda�on was a big thing before internet came into play. Not something one could so easily ignore.
Pause, to flip it again. A piece of trivia pointed to me a couple of days later was that the very same guy selling music (and other fan requisites) at “Chan-doo” was also Hitman’s singer. Aca “Choice”, nicknamed a�er his previous band Definite Choice. My first touch with actual, original piece of music was as mesmerizing as it was confusing. Band photos, enormous thanks list… Also, lyrics were not a ma�er of my personal understanding or guessing. However, there were three songs without lyrics. I had no idea booklet was sugges�ng these were covers. It took me a while to figure it out. Who knows howmuch longer it would take me if one of these wasn’t a Definite Choice cover. That one gave it away. “F. U. R.” is s�ll my absolute favorite when it comes to this album. Not so much for its music but the lyrics and the message it conveys. Its full �tle is “Friendship, Unity, Respect”. Excuse me while I find the tape. Other bands covered were Slapshot and Cro-Mags. That should be enough to give you an idea what Hitman sounded like. US styled hardcore punk basically. You know the drill. Tough guitars, hard-hi�ng drums, raging bass grunts and shouts from the bo�om of the heart. Not to forget the group singalongs in those epic choruses. Memorable too. And meaningful lyrics full of simple, yet effec�ve messages. Nothing all that special, some would say. Hundreds of albums like this exist worldwide. There’s one thing I can say for sure. Those people have yet to hear “Stories we tell”. This is a monumental record, even if I put the obvious sen�mental values aside. Furthermore, a�er more than two decades the album has go�en its vinyl version. It’s limited to just 200 copies, so act very fast! There won’t be too much chances to get it. Especially since the band has split up eight years ago. Flipping the tape this �me… For the very end, I will try to present the rest of Hitman legacy. In short, a year a�er the debut album, Hitman came out with its follow-up. “…What about the flame we used to feel…” came out at the end of 1999, while the country was s�ll recovering from NATO bombing. Next year the boys decided to bring both albums together. For the first �me on CD, “Stories we tell about the flame we used to feel” gave all Hitman had to give for the years to follow. Dry spell, discography-wise, ended with a split with Bulgarian front runners Last Hope in 2004. S�ll, it took Hitman six more years to complete their final output, “Overstand”. And two more un�l they called it quits. In style, as deserved. Selling almost twice the capacity of “Gun Club” in Belgrade. That’s how deep of an impact they had on the local scene. There are videos of that gig online. Absolute chaos. And one of the best shows your friendly reviewer has witnessed. Despite the fact somebody broke my glasses during the intro. Yes, it’s a fact. Somebody stage-dived during Édith Piaf’s “Non, je ne regre�e rien”, pu�ng a knee right to my glasses. Not that I minded. Or cared at all. Oh, the goosebumps when the intro started. Translate it to English, you will get what I mean. I would like to dedicate this narra�ve to Milorad “Vige” Vignjević, the original Hitman and Definite Choice bass player, who passed away this March. Though he did not get to see this vinyl (or this review), it stands as one more proof that what he did, along with a couple of his friends, decades ago, really moved people. And still does! Rest in peace Vige! h�ps://www.facebook.com/mashina23/
Nobody - Atmosfear (Inverse Records) Review by Steve Thomas-Green This is one of those reviews with a “but”…. But for now we’ll start at the beginning Nobody is a Finnish one man band / project and the music of choice is acous�c Black Metal / Folk and the album is based around the manipula�on of people via religion. Atmosfear is the projects debut album. Sound wise, I absolutely love this. The gentle acous�cs ba�ling with the snarling Black Metal vocals work brilliantly. And the contras�ng styles make very fine bedfellows. And because the music is almost all acous�c guitars, there is a medieval feel to the album, something I always appreciate… there’s also a bit of Flamenco thrown into the mix as well, which also works well. So far so good…. The problem I have with this album is that the majority of the songs are too short. 17 tracks over 35 minutes, some are intro’s and interludes, but overall there are only 2 songs that make it over 3 minutes. So the end result feels unfinished, with the songs not having enough �me to develop into what I’d call proper songs… and that’s a very frustra�ng feeling. I love the concept, the sound, the feel of the album etc… but the song wri�ng needs a major overhaul. Even a mini albumwith 5 songs of 3 to 4 minutes dura�on would work be�er than a stream of 1 to 2 minute “snippets”. Very close, but no cigar or vaping product of your choice (if you’re s�ll da� enough to smoke) h�ps://www.facebook.com/nobodymetal/ h�ps://www.facebook.com/inverserecords/
The Projec�onist - The Stench of Amalthia (Moribund Records) Review by Miloš Šebalj OK, ‘the first ever black metal opera’ sounds way too preten�ous to me. Cannot really put my finger on it, but it may not be true. However, I have decided to trust the Canadians and treat this record as such. Even if this is the third album (if I understood correctly) following the storyline. Perhaps it can be called ‘act 3’ of the first black metal opera ever recorded. Just to men�on, this is the fi�h full length album overall in The Projec�onist’s career. Spanning just five years. Along with three split releases, an EP and a live album. Incredibly rich discography, you must agree. So, quan�ty or quality? Haven’t heard the previous records, but fromwhat is presented on “The Stench of Amalthia” the former takes a decisive advantage. One ques�on needs to be addressed right at the beginning. Why is this album even pronounced as an opera? What makes it an opera? A concept behind the lyrics? Hardly. A couple of different voices ac�ng out the characters of the story? I don’t think so. The samples that connect the tale throughout? Not a chance! Perhaps the musical theatricality? Sure, if there was any! Probably the correct answer to the first ques�on would be all of them together. But the last one is almost completely absent. Arrangements should be the key. Similar to what the master of metal theater, King Diamond does so perfectly. You have all, no doubt, heard Queensryche’s classic “Opera�on: Mindcrime”. It would also sit along well as an example of full blown theatrics. Listening to The Projec�onist, one does get a feeling they have tried to mimic them both. Unfortunately they have failed. But there is definitely an interes�ng story which makes “The Stench of Amalthia” a decent concept album. I say decent, as there is not much to the record that would make it excep�onal. The Projec�onist uses the basics of black metal to create their soundscape. Though dark melodies carry a por�on of the album, most of it is s�ll rela�vely raw. Lead guitar parts, which are capable of sliding into an occasional solo, are what makes for most of the interes�ng moments here. Some instrumental parts are taking me to some mid-career Behemoth, though mostly we are dealing with Scandinavian black metal in its finest tradi�on. While at that, the Canadians missed out on a chance for a be�er produc�on which would certainly breathe more ‘life’ into the sound of the record. This way, there is a hollow feeling surrounding the majority of the recording. Add to all of that the unconvincing shrieking vocals and you will get a fairly weak background to this story. By the way, the story itself is somewhat similar to “Them” by the King himself (no, not Elvis!). Though I can’t be a 100% sure since all I’ve got is a short plot line. In spite of all the influences I’ve men�oned above, I keep thinking of Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth (maybe even Emperor and the la�er Ihsahn’s works). And not as musical influences, as this is clearly far away from both their designs. I’m thinking how close both of them came to actually crea�ng a real black metal opera. Haven’t quite followed their careers as of late, so it is possible they actually did create one. If not, they are on the right track. The Projec�onist s�ll needs to learn. Perhaps it is a good idea to have some �me between the releases, so they can evaluate their efforts. h�ps://www.facebook.com/theprojec�onist666/
Vomituri�on - A Le�over (Hammerheart Records) Review by Miloš Šebalj First of all, a sincere apology to Hammerheart Records. Somehow I managed to miss this promo when it came to me. So, two months a�er the release of this record, here I am in the a�empt to present it to the unsuspec�ng audience. Second of all, let me correct the info sheet you included in the promo package. This album might be lost and forgo�en, as it was originally released back in 1995. However, “close to being flawless” it is not. Which is probably why it was lost and forgo�en in the first place and the band dismantled shortly a�er its release. Next, “A Le�over” does lean heavily on the old school Swedish death metal. S�ll, it is not as old school as you present it. In light of the more recent development of the genre, one might even say Vomituri�on were ahead of their �me. Their version of death metal is o�en groovy. It contains a whole lot of breakdowns, typical for the period a whole decade a�er the band split up. Sure, there are also a lot of quite tasty riffs for fans of old Sweden. When I think about it, the band being actually Finnish might be the whole reason why they missed the point. Yet, there is not much that would get Vomituri�on close to their na�ve death metal scene. That sludgy atmosphere that surrounded their countrymen’s releases is present only in those slow, doomy parts. But, again, there are not much of those across the album. On the other hand, there’s an abundance of that famed American brutality running around. Combined with o�en melodic riffing, it does present an interes�ng mixture. Perhaps even slightly original from the perspec�ve of mid 90’s death metal. Vomituri�on certainly had an interes�ng idea, but failed at the execute it. Lack of memorable moments that should s�ck to the listener is the greatest flaw of “A Le�over”. In the same year when “Domina�on”, “Once upon the Cross”, “Symbolic”, “The Gallery”, “Massive Killing Capacity”, “Slaughter of the Soul” and other masterpieces were released, there was no room for a mediocre record as Vomituri�on’s. The one thing I can see that will turn the heads of poten�al buyers are the names behind the band. There’s the drummer of Wintersun (also currently in Nightwish) as the biggest name. Also current and past members of many more or less famous Finnish bands par�cipated in Vomituri�on. And I can honestly say it is a good thing they disbanded and went on with their careers. If you are a diehard fan of Nordic death metal, go for it. Otherwise save your money. h�ps://www.facebook.com/hammerheartrecords/
Zebadiah Crowe - Host Rider (Lore Breaker Records) Review by Steve Thomas-Green A quick search into the history of UK band Zebadiah Crowe, shows the two band members are also in Gilla Bruja… a band I reviewed way back in 2002. So although I may have some history with their other band, I really don’t know where to place this. It’s a bass heavy piece of filth. Like Venom tearing it up with the filthy biker rock of Zodiac Mindwarp or a demonic version of Motörhead taking PCP with a demented version of early VoiVod, jamming with a mar�al Industrial version of Ministry…. I even detect a bit of Bauhaus (possibly Dark Entries or Lagar�ja Nick) on Godblind And Des�tute Yep, it makes fuck all sense to me either. Zebadiah Crowe have created a huge wall of sound, and the wall is probably made of pig shit, or something equally as smelly. And the whole �me there is an element of melody, struggling to break free. The closest it gets to daylight is on The Neon Goat Of Crimson Grief, which compared to everything else here, is a real toe-tapper. Yet for all the noise and the filth, I really like this. This is most definitely the darkest thing that’s come my way in a long while, and it didn’t scare the cat away, who is sleeping about 2 feet from the speakers… so top marks for that too. This won’t appeal to everyone, but if you like it loud and dirty, this is well worth 26 minutes and 33 seconds of your �me h�ps://www.facebook.com/zebadiahcrowe/
Black Angel Gathering By DJ Marcel P h�ps://www.facebook.com/blackangelgathering/ It's like a history lesson for lovers of dark music There is a new Black Angel Gathering show every Tuesday, on Ghost Wave Radio www.mixcloud.com/GhostWaveRadio/
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