Sunday 31 July 2011

The Obscene - The Torment Of Sinners

Pest Records 2011

1.The Storm To Come 2.Embrace Oblivion 3.Grim Discovery 4.Beyond The Hold of God
5.Skiprat Jane 6.The Final Silence
Bonus Tracks 7.P.S.A.S 8.Destroying The Heavens 9.The Man The Martyr
10.Cirlcle Of Despair 11.And The Rivers Ran Black

The United Kingdom underground metal scene is home to many great extreme (death & black) metal bands such as Hecate Enthroned and Venom. However, they’re not the only bands that have they’re home in the British underground. The Obscene, who keep death metal old school, are another band on the rise in the underground and their recent EP “The Torment Of Sinners” is just another step to the top for them.
”The Storm To Come”, aptly named, is the introduction to the EP. The use of sound effects throughout it, until the guitars and drum appear, leaves the listener on the edge of their seats – In a similar fashion to an extremely terrifying horror film. The guitars and drums are certainly old school in their composition. “The Storm To Come” finishes with what sounds to be the mutilated scream of a woman being stabbed, which introduces the second track “Embrace Oblivion”. The terrifying and violent concoction of vocals, guitars and drums greets the listener brutally at the beginning. The guitars are raw and just bursting with energy and the drum work is precise to the beat, brutal and intelligent. ”Grim Discovery” is composed of a voiceover which is a man speaking of bashing in a woman’s head – Can’t get any more violent than that unless you add in some raw, untamed death metal riffage which is exactly what The Obscene do, adding to the aggression and shock-value of the track. Beginning in a similar fashion to “Embrace Oblivion” is the slow yet heavy track entitled “Beyond The Hold Of God”. Some of the guitar sections seem to be choppy and lacking consistency though the listener can certainly feel the anger of the music – Which is a great thing for the hardcore fans of death metal. The drums are most impressive, more impressive the beast-like vocals. ”Skiprat Jane” begins with a voiceover of a female asking to borrow a body. The guitar riff that follows is just savage whilst the drums are on the verge of being Wall of China falling on a skull heavy! The vocals are pretty much bloodthirsty and hateful.
The Obscene - The Final Silence

Incorrectly named, “The Final Silence” comes shredding next – Bringing blissful death metal styled loudness with it. The scream, before the growls, sounds a tad like the ones found on a Venom record. The riffs are ingenious, mixing well with the hard-bitten drums, which sound to be doing a lot of the work in some sections. The vocals have a more beasty and demonic sound as well.
The last five tracks of the EP are bonus tracks, which can be found on the “Destroying the Heavens” EP from when the band went under a different name. The first of these bonus tracks is “P. S. A. S”. The guitars and drums certainly sound raw and unrefined, a good trait indeed. The vocals, on the other hand, sound more akin to black metal as opposed to death metal. The softer and clean section is certainly not what the listener would expect to find on this track – Fortunately it doesn’t last long before the track turns heavy again. “Destroying The Heavens” begins slow and clean, disappointingly. Though the blood-curdling scream signals for a change in weight and tempo for the track. The riffs and drums are barbaric and the vocals sound feral. “The Man, The Martyr” brings the anger and savagery straight from the beginning. The music seems more fiery and rage-fuelled and the vocals are frenzied, much like a berserker. “Circle Of Despair” is different sounding as it seems to be more classic rock orientated, rather than death metal – though the vocals do keep a certain death metal dynamic to the track. The EP finishes with “And The Rivers Ran Black”, a track whose intro sounds slightly Gorgoroth inspired. The vocals are still raw and feral, whilst the music is savage, barbaric and bloodthirsty – A true death metal combination.
You really couldn’t ask for a better track to finish the EP with. ”The Torment Of Sinners” might sound like a line out of the bible but the EP is far from biblical. The riffs and drum work would have Satan himself leaving a brown streak in his boxers and the vocals would give any demon a run for their money. Production wise, the songs are raw and aggressive – Perfect for the old school style of The Obscene. Despite the clean and slow guitar sections, “The Torment Of Sinners” is an interesting and entertaining EP, that’s not just for Hallowe’en, a jewel in Britain’s underground metal scene.
4 out of 5

Thanks to Nico from Valkyrian Music for this review


Saturday 30 July 2011

Dawn Of Chaos Interview

North East bruisers Dawn of Chaos shared their thoughts on music, gigs and the UK scene in general. Here's what vocalist Paul had to say....

So, who’s in the band and who does what?
The band consists of myself (Paul Hartburn) on vocals, Daniel Jones on bass and backing vocals, Dan Rochester and Ross Oliver on guitars and Ian Finley on drums.
Lyrically, what are the bands inspirations?
Lyrically we are in a bit of a transition phase and this is highlighted on the album. The earlier written tracks on the album such as 'Force-Fed Embryonic Slurry' and 'Butchered by Retards' lyrics primarily consist of comedy gore style lyrics in the vein of bands such as Gorerotted. However, the newer material whilst still having some sort of gore (it’s now more of a medical/anatomical perspective) I have used it to talk about real life events. One day I had an epiphany (so to speak) and realized that there is nothing more shocking than humans themselves, so I’ve started talking about real life events and atrocities in which human beings carry out such as Josef Fritzl, The Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields of Cambodia and so on. Since Ian joined the band he has also contributed towards the lyrics. I can’t speak for Ian but from my perspective his themes seem to consist of a more futuristic approach of how machines will take over the world and use man as fuel.

Musically, where do you guys draw influence from?
I would say individually this will probably vary but to give a brief scope of bands I would say we are highly influenced by US death metal bands such as Death, Morbid Angel, Suffocation, Deicide, Hate Eternal, Cannibal Corpse, Nile, Immolation as well as other death metal acts such as early Cryptopsy, Decapitated, Vader and much more.

You have just released a promo as a teaser for your forthcoming full length CD. How has this been received? When is the new CD due to be released?
Overall, the promo has been received very well. The majority of press has been positive and within the DM scene from fans and peers it has been warmly accepted. It needs to be remembered though that promo is just that, a promotional piece of material to show case to everyone the newer side to the band and our new direction with the new members. If interested you can download this promo for free via our website www.dawnofchaos.co.uk
The north east of England is producing some quality bands at the moment, what are your thoughts on the bands emerging from the north east?
I think what is most pleasing about the young bands emerging is they are not following a trend and are paying homage to old-school death metal and thrash, etc. Bands like Cyborg, Vortex, are more than likely twenty years too young to have heard of bands like Death or Onslaught yet instead of being force-fed shite from the commercial masses they are checking out old school quality metal and that is always pleasing to see.

You guys are active giggers, what is a DOC gig typically like?
An intense, energetic, death metal performance played from the heart. Whilst we are serious about the music, we like to have fun and a laugh with the crowd as that’s what metal is about…… having fun.

What is the bands career highlight to date?
As we are trying to promote this line-up of the band as a separate entity to the old line-up I will just focus on highlights we have done since 2010. So far the main highlights for the band are doing a full UK tour with Insision, playing Leeds Deathfest alongside bands such as Immolation, Negura Bunget, etc and playing our first gig outside the UK at Gothenburg Deathfest.

There seems to be gigs everywhere these days, what are your thoughts on the UK gig scene at the moment?
In all honest opinion, I think the UK gig scene is poor at the moment. It’s the same old cliché of people only going to see there friends bands. When I was 16 and first going to gigs I would go to any show just to see live music and I think a lot of people have lost the passion of enjoying live music. This could be down to a number of things such as the recession, access to music via the internet but unsigned shows to be honest aren’t that expensive. Our country is clearly failing in comparison to the shows put on in Europe.

Band wise, the UK is currently producing some absolute monsters, what are your highlights, who are you guys into?
I’m really looking forward to seeing Theoktony again when they get back up and running. Other UK bands that I’m really into are Neuroma, Dead Beyond Buried, Cancerous Womb, Amputated, Dam but to name just a few.

Merch is always popular, what does DOC have for sale and how / where can we get hold of it?
We have two t-shirt designs and a handful of old EP’s and a split we did with Neuroma available via
http://dawnofchaos.bigcartel.com . Due to the CDs being for sale consisting of material we did with the old line-up, once they are sold out we will not be printing them again.

Thanks once again for speaking with us. Any last words you wish to share with our readers?
Thanks to everyone who has supported us over the years and I hope you continue to do so. Keep checking our website for updates of what is going on with the album and the band. I know the album has been a few years in the making but thankfully I now feel like we have got the line-up and material to be able to do an album justice.





Friday 29 July 2011

Northern Terror - Embracing Satan

Pure Blue Distribution 2011

1.Nonasturma (intro) 2. Serpents Rise 3.Erotic Mantra of Fragile Flesh 4.Embracing Satan 5.Evocation For Leviathan 6.Sands Of Vengeance 7.Through Lucifer’s Eyes
Another cd with another eerie sampled into (Nonasturma), I’m not sure it should have really been included on the cd as it has no impact and is a little half hearted. First ‘real’ track, ‘Serpents Rise’ blasts in with a very industrial feel, repetitive thrashy riffs arranged around simplistic drum patterns which are repeated many times throughout the track. There’s not a lot of substance to the track as the same riffs are used over and again. Vocals patterns are also very repetitive, gnarly growled vocals used alongside almost ‘spoken’ vocals. ‘Erotic Mantra of Fragile Flesh’ is similar in structure, although the industrial edge to the previous track is not as prevalent on this track. One surprise was the use of clean vocals, which didn’t really fit with the song, feeling somewhat out of place and assumingly used to add some variety. The songs are very melodic in places, maybe a little too melodic as certain sections sound ‘nice’, especially when guitar leads are introduced. Title track ‘Embracing Satan’ is very similar to the previous tracks but with an added progressive edge, NT are obviously accomplished musicians and work their instruments well here. There are moments of all out blast, but they don’t really ‘threaten’ at all or add much to the song. As has happened before, I have read the song titles and studied the artwork before pressing play and was expecting something completely different to what actually came from the speakers. Maybe it was narrow minded of me to expect hate filled Black Metal, but the imagery and song titles just doesn’t fit the music being played (some might argue they don’t have). Something just isn’t gelling and the songs begin to sit uncomfortably, venturing into an almost gothic feel and losing momentum. Keyboards are used selectively throughout the cd, but they do begin to feel out of place and having a ‘spacey, techno’ feel they never really accompany the music to full effect. The spoken vocal passages take over the last track ‘Through Lucifer’s Eyes’ completely, the track peters out into nothing. With a band name such as Northern Terror I really was expecting more, the song titles really got my attention, but unfortunately the end product didn’t live up to the ‘hype’ (created by myself). All of the instruments are very well played, with a great production, but NT seem to have a lot of influences outside extreme metal which they are trying to incorporate in to their sound, which is ultimately too much and not extreme. Definitely one for the more open minded, but there’s nothing to terrorize the listener.
5.5 / 10

Wednesday 27 July 2011

Necro Ritual - Nerthus' Demise

Kangling Records - 2011

1.Warpen Waelgifru 2.Warcry 3.Pagan Might
4. Severing The Throats of The Voiceless Christain Scum 5.The Passing of The September Moon
6.Call of The Nocturnal Army 7.Beyond The Sword
8.Nerthus' Demise (Lament For The Fallen Angland)

Opening up with an eerie windswept into, I was expecting first track ‘Warcry’ to open up in an inferno of unholy blast beats and scathing guitars – I couldn’t have been more wrong with my expectations. Instead, the track is introduced in a relatively gentle manner, melodic black metal riffs sweeping back and forth, creating a bleak and blackened atmosphere. The tempo to the opening track remains slow, venturing to mid-paced temporarily, then returning to the slow melodic and mournful tempo. Variety is added to the vocals, using the high pitched ‘black metal’ screams drenched in reverb as well as guttural death metal growling. There is a good mix between the two styles, each complementing the other well. There are also some ‘spoken’ passages which help add more variety to the song.
Second track ‘Pagan Might’ sees the band upping the tempo, moving into a more familiar brutal black metal style, blast beats used sparingly, but effectively (some of the faster sections reminiscent of Marduk). The riffing remains melodic and very memorable and as with the previous tracks creates a very bleak and haunting atmosphere. The melodic guitar solo near the end of the track works extremely well, never losing the black metal feel of the song, retaining a sense of despair’. ‘Severing The Throats Of The Voiceless Christian Scum’ and ‘The Passing Of The September Moon’ are very similar in their structures, based around harsh, yet melodic black metal riffing with the tempo dipping from slow tortured sections, to all out blasting, then returning to the slower tempo. The changes in tempo work well, never allowing the songs to become one dimensional as can be the case with a lot of black metal. The remaining tracks don’t offer us anything new from the formula already shown on the opening tracks, but they don’t need to as the formula NR are sticking to works well. The band is producing some quality melodic black metal with real passion and atmosphere.
This release should appeal to a lot of BM fans as the band mix differing styles of the genre; melody, harshness, depressive and brutal, there’s a lot on offer! This cd will also be a good introduction to BM for those that have never heard it but are considering treading the left hand path. ‘Beyond The Sword’ stands out against the other tracks. Some of the riffing is so catchy, instantly memorable, melodic yet harsh, definitely one to throw the horns to whilst denouncing everything pure \m/ Recommended.
7.5 / 10

Monday 25 July 2011

Gore - Green Around The Gills


1.       Smashed To Pieces By Falling Faeces 2. Ebola Goruguay 3.Blackpool Pleasure Bitch 4.Rage Gauge 5.Pyropractor 6.Stabruary 14th

An older release from 2004, Gore’s (aka Goruguay) ‘Green Around The Gills’ is definitely worth reviewing and highlighting the band’s efforts. Although this cd was released some years ago now, it has a very upto date sound, its release date being irrelevant. It could have been produced yesterday judging by the tracks on offer. As soon as the play button is pressed it is instantly obvious that Gore worship at the altar of Macabre, only slightly less ‘nursery rhyme’ sounding. Opening track ’Smashed to Pieces By Falling Faeces’ is an all-out death metal affair, the Macabre influence present, but not at the forefront of the sound.
 It’s only when track two ‘Ebola Goruguay’ opens up that truly things become Macabre-esque and the rest of the tracks follow the same structure and sound. There's a kind of 'hill billy' sound to the songs with the added 'nursery rhyme' approach. It’s a very niche and unique market that Gore are tapping into. With the Macabre sound and influence it’s kind of a marmite thing (you either love it or hate it). I have to say, I really like it. It's hard to describe Gore's sound without mentioning Macabre too much, but Macabre do have the ‘Murder Metal’ tag all to themselves and no one else has really tried to tap into this market for fear of being accused of copying them and not emulating what Macabre are doing. But, where Gore succeed is that yes, there is a heavy dose of Macabre to their sound, but there is also more to them. Intelligent song structures, memorable songs, very well played death metal with an excellent production. Gore don’t suffer the sometimes ‘very annoying high pitched vocals thing’ that puts a lot of listeners off Macabre, the band use more of a raspy vocal than a high pitched scream. Complemented by guttural backing vocals, it is the vocals that really bring the songs to life.  Add to that the quality of the guitar riffs which are all first rate, very catchy and very well played; these songs are guaranteed to get the old noodle nodding.
Each and every track is a highlight and it’s really refreshing to hear a band creating this style of music (albeit seven years ago) who’s name isn’t Macabre! Being an e.p. there are only 6 songs on offer, which is a shame as typical song length is around the two minute mark which means the e.p. just isn’t long enough. When it’s as enjoyable as this to listen to, you really want more tracks to listen to. Hopefully Gore will release something soon, because if their new material is anywhere near as good as this, it will be very well received. Unique to the UK scene, a good listen and recommended (even though it’s an old release).
7/10

Saturday 23 July 2011

Trifixion - A Utopia For The Damned


Pathologically Explicit Recordings - 2011

1.The Human Construct (Intro) 2.Fucked In Guttural Vortex 3.Delta 9 Messiah 4. In Nomine Patris 5. Bloodshot Porn 6.Showered In Glass In A World Of Shit 7. Serphant And The Rainbow 8. Whore Goddess 9. The Last Apocalypse 10. Freedom Of The Maladjusted.
Opening up with ‘The Human Construct’ which is an into track, samples from films are used effectively to create an eerie atmosphere. A clichéd way to introduce a cd, but its metal, we like it! ‘Fucked In Guttural Vortex’ is then unleashed, punching you full force in the face. This is brutal death metal played flawlessly. Obviously influenced by American death metal, it’s a very modern sound but with definite old school influences. There’s also a technical element to Trifixion’s arsenal, dual leads are supported by blasting drums in this track and they work really well. The technical passage almost has a progressive edge to it, but don’t let the word ‘progressive’ put you off, cos if brutal as fuck death metal is your thing, Trifixion will be right up your street! ‘Delta 9 Messiah’ slows the pace a little for the first twenty seconds of the track, but we then return to some really intricate, yet brutal riffing, again all backed up by some amazing drum work. The pace becomes unrelenting throughout this track, skipping from one crazed section to another, different time signatures used to great effect to give the song its ‘crazed’ feel.
The production is excellent, bass heavy as you would expect for a band in this genre. Clear and precise guitars lead the way, the rhythm section being evident in the amazing drum sound, the kick drums thundering along adding to the overall heaviness of the cd. When listening to this I am reminded of bands that have emerged from Greece such as Inveracity and Mass Infection who are both heavily influenced by the U.S Death Metal scene, yet still sound European. Trifixion do not sound ‘British’ if that makes sense, I’ve not heard a band from the UK sound like this before, which is actually a very good thing. It now shows we are capable of producing bands that can match, if not better the leaders in the genre such as the afore mentioned from Greece. ‘Bloodshot Porn’ is a track that stands out for me, it starts out with a great old school feel, groove inspired riffs following a mid-paced structure which then blasts the fuck out of the speakers. Technical and frenzied, the pace is then dropped slightly, no breakdowns or slam here though, just heavy as hell death metal riffing. ‘Showered In Glass In A World Full Of Shit’ also stands out, due to the variety of the track, all of Trifixions influences on show here, mixing the old school with the modern to create a monstrous track, Giuseppe’s vocals bellowing a guttural torrent of abuse, molesting your ears, it’s all good stuff!
‘Whore Goddess’ also shows off the bands old school influence, pinch harmonics a plenty, reminding me of Incantation, but as with all the tracks, the modern element to Trifixion’s sound is soon unleashed in an amazing deluge of awe-inspiring death metal. ‘Freedom Of The Maladjusted’ offered up an interesting surprise – a piano interlude! Strangely enough it didn’t sound out of place as the bands progressive edge accompanied the interlude. I’m not surprised these guys are signed to Pathologically Explicit Recordings, it is really professionally executed brutal death metal, technical, precise, old school but predominantly modern in its overall feel, it’s not hard to like this disc at all. This cd is very highly recommended, for me, a leader in the UK scene.
9/10

Tuesday 19 July 2011

Regurgitate Life - Promo 2011

Self Released 2011

1.The Tempter 2. Diminish In The Shadow Of The Superior One

Currently a one man 'band' but with plans to add more members, Sammy Urwin, the man behind Regurgitate Life has released this promo which contains two tracks of solid death metal. There’s definitely an undercurrent of 'old-school' to these tracks, especially in the vocal delivery and the guitar riffing. It very hard to 'judge' a band basing your opinion on only two tracks though, theres never really enough time to get a feel for what RL is creating musically. However, the fact that there is one man behind these tracks is impressive, creating straight for the throat death metal, no frills, no real surprises, the way death metal is meant to be I guess! First track 'The Tempter' is a good solid death metal song, dipping from mid-paced rumble to crazed blast sections all topped with Sammy's Guttural roar. It is the vocals that gives this track that old-school feel, somehow reminding me of old school swedish death metal bands. However, it is the second track 'Diminish In The Shadow Of The Superior One' that impresses more, some variation is added to the vocals, guitars and overall song structure that definitely keeps the listener engaged. There’s also a melodic guitar interlude which works well.
 Unfortunately I'm not a fan of drum machines and these tracks reaffirm my dislike for them, the kick drum sound and 'feel' is so clinical and precise and way too high in the mix that you find yourself focusing on them too much and missing everything else the songs have to offer. Add to this that the vocals are way too high in the mix and I cant help feeling that Sammy has let the songs down with a poor mix, which is unfortunate, because behind the vocals and drums, there is some excellent death metal riffing. The guitars are just lost in the mix and you have to listen really hard to find them. If Sammy is looking to boost the ranks of RL with more musicians, it can only improve the overall appeal of the band and will bring the songs to life, especially with a drummer rather than a machine. Having said that, I am still really impressed with that fact that one man has created these tracks and has the balls to showcase them live.
Worth checking out. 6.5/10

Saturday 16 July 2011

Laceration - Promo 2011

Promo 2011 - Self Released
1. Traumatic Insemination 2. Gorging on Putrid Orifices 3. Human Tikka Masala

No fancy intros, no acoustic passages to gently bring us into the first track – its all out frenzied blasting as soon as you hit the play button. We’re treated to U.S style brutal death metal mixed with slam! The opening riff to ‘Traumatic Insemination’ reminiscent of Suffocation style blasting, but then the vocals open up a super guttural barrage similar to Disgorge (U.S). The vocals however are varied, using differing styles of growls, changing from one to the other which works brilliantly, no high pitched black metal style screaming here, Laceration are way to brutal to use them! ‘Gorging On Putrid Orifices’ is another beast of a song. The technical ability of the band is flawless, each member showing great precision and ability whilst playing their instruments. The end section to this song is more brutal than anything I have heard from a UK band to date.
Last track ‘Human Tikka Masala’ starts off at a crawl, showing off the bands ‘slam’ element, but then normal service is resumed shortly thereafter, blasting into frenzied and sometimes technical riffing. For a promo, the production is first class, every instrument clear, the guitars are crystal clear (but heavy), backed up with a heavy as fuck bass making all three tracks effortlessly heavy! It’s a shame there are only 3 tracks to this promo, but understandable given the fact it is only a promo. If Laceration are using this to showcase themselves to labels, I’d be very surprised if the didn’t get a deal from this. Admittedly there are hundreds of bands playing this style, but Laceration are doing it so much better. The songs are unique and memorable which is a bonus for this style of extreme metal, which in itself should get them the recognition they well deserve!
Very highly recommended
9/10



Tuesday 12 July 2011

Gran Toucher Interview


So, which dirty bastard came up with the band name?
Edd: Morrish, our bassist came up with it before I even met him, let alone joined the band.
Morrish: Me after watching an old crimewatch episode.

For those unfamiliar with you guys, tell us more about the band.
Edd: Well I am the singer (if you want to call it that), our bassist is Morrish, our guitarist is Sam and our drummer is Jon. Unfortunately Jon has to leave us soon, which means Sam will be moving to drums (multi talented bastard) and we’ll be looking for a new guitarist. The band has existed in one form or another since late 2006, but in this line up only Morrish remains (very Napalm Death). They started out like groovy Goregrind, but that has nothing to do with what the band is now. We are a total Grindcore/Fast Hardcore/Sludge assault. The band only started gigging with the addition of myself and Sam at the start of 2010, and at that point we were well on our way to our current sound.
Morrish: Just four good looking men playing savage grindcore really.

Lyrically, what are the bands inspirations?
Edd: Earlier in the bands history it would have been gore/porn type shit, but I have zero interest in that. I write about fairly nihilistic stuff I guess. Mostly it’s about mortality or things being shitty like the media. There’s also a fair number of songs about the total destruction of the Earth and its inhabitants. So basically its whatever I’m preoccupied with at the time put into a fairly doomy setting. Threaded through with pitch-black humour. Laughing at our inevitable demise.
Morrish: edd better answer this one

Musically, where do you guys draw influence from?
Edd: Old school and current Grindcore and Powerviolence primarily. Bands like Napalm Death (early), Terrorizer (not the shameful reunion album), Repulsion, Fear of God, Brutal Truth, Agathocles, Dropdead, Siege, Weekend Nachos, Nasum, Rotten Sound, Lycanthropy, The Afternoon Gentlemen etc. We also really like D beat Hardcore like Discharge and the nastiest Sludge like Goatsblood.
Morrish: new and old grind/crust/powerviolence punk and hardcore bands.
How has the e.p. ‘Human Cull’ been received by people?
Edd: We’ve had a slew of good reviews for it (one of which was written by your good self), and people who’ve bought it off us have liked it. I’m pretty proud of it because we wanted to capture our live sound and I think we did a fairly good job of doing that. But yeah I think it’s gone down well. No one’s cornered me yet to tell me they hated it.
Morrish: had a great response, couldnt be happier, all round great feedback.

The e.p. was self-released, was this a conscious decision so that you have more control over the release?
Edd: It was down to both impetuousness and a desire to just get off our arses and do something. Had a label been interested in helping us out then we may have gone with that, but since we don’t have 1000‘likes’ on Facebook, nor are we a particularly photogenic bunch, unsurprisingly no one was gagging to front for a band with no recorded material yet. Perhaps this self-released record will show labels that we have something to offer, and if not who fucking cares, we’ll continue down the path of total DIY. In the end we love being a DIY band and networking with other extreme Hardcore and Metal bands round the country (or I should say world now).  The control issue I suppose is relevant in that if we had a label that wanted to influence us in any decisions (final sound/art etc) then we’d have told them to fuck off.

What releases do you have planned for the future? Any plans for a full length cd?
Edd: There are plans for some splits. Nothing is concrete yet, so I won’t name names in case nothing happens with these bands and I get left holding my dick and looking like a twat on the internet. As far as a full length? Doubtful in the true sense of an album (half an hour), but I reckon a 15 – 20 minute cd/ 10” by this time next year would be a possibility. Anyway, we are probably gonna record a load of new stuff at the start of the autumn for said splits. And by a load I mean 10 – 15 minutes to be shared between two to three 7” records.
Morrish: more gigs, get to Leeds and other places, split with rash decision.
Do you guys actively gig and what is a GRAN TOUCHER gig typically like?
Edd: Yeah we gig a fair bit. Recent highlights have included a bunch of gigs with the excellent Cornish Hardcore Punk/Thrash band Rash Decision all around the West Country. Last year we had the honour of supporting the legendary Death/Thrasher’s Grave Desecrator who came over from Brazil, and this week we shared the stage with Black Breath from Seattle. On the horizon are more gigs in Cornwall and Bristol as well as an appearance at Blastonbury fest in Edinburgh. Live we are pretty aggressive. I tend to just go mental and throw myself about to the blasts and D beats. I would say its controlled chaos. We like to sound tight though, not just a wall of noise for the sake of it. Its brutal, chaotic, extremely fast and morbid Hardcore with a bit of humour threaded through it.
Morrish: we try to as much as our free time allows, me and Sam having full time jobs.

Is‘touching grans’ purely a fantasy or are you seasoned veterans of fondling GILFS?
Edd: Morrish fucking loves it. The name is probably quite misleading in that it’s kind of pornographic, but lyrically there’s none of that. It’s a good name though.
Morrish: just a fantasy I’m afraid

Thanks for speaking with us. Any last words you wish to share with our readers?
Edd: Well cheers to you, ‘cos without webzine/fanzine/anyone talking about this music it wouldn’t exist ‘cos no one would know it existed. Hang on does that make sense, it’s getting a bit chicken and egg? Anyway I may as well plug our ep (which is in CD format). If you look us up on facebook or Reverbnation you can buy it off us for £5 if you would like to. We are sort of looking for a label to re-issue it on vinyl, but we aren’t losing any sleep over that. Shout out to Merciless Precision and Rash Decision for playing loads of gigs with us. And to everyone who’s watched us play and bought a cd or a shirt.
Morrish: thanks to anyone who has checked us out, come to see us, bought shirt or ep or just generally been cool to us.
 
 
For more advice on romancing ladies in their autumn years visit the band at:



Saturday 9 July 2011

Revokation – The End Ablated

  The End Ablated - Self Released 2011

1. Shards Of Piety 2. What Was Therein Inhum'd
3. Unbound By The Infliction Of Abject Torment 4.Martyrdom 5. Defiled And Crucified

The first thing that got my attention about this CD was the production. Whilst being bass heavy, it is also crystal clear and very organic, really 'natural' sounding and not over produced. It's very easy for brutal music to be lost in a cesspool of mess, but Revokation don't suffer such a fate - I could actually feel my lungs rattling while I was listening to this. Revokation mix things up perfectly, U.S inspired death metal with splashes of black metal, its an awesome combination!! The BM sounding sections somehow sit perfectly in the death/grind madness. Not a combination you would expect to gel, but they do!! From grinding all out blast, to heavy break down sludge, to black metal harshness (the BM being used very sparingly), Revokation offer a mix that will have all extreme metal fans drooling, chomping at the bit for each and every track to continue and to not end. When music is this good is doesn't matter what a band are saying, its how they're saying it, and Revokation are saying it perfectly. Its just a shame this release isn't longer, only five tracks to tease us with – bring on a full length!!

These guys are a band that are obviously at the top of their game and are an example of how healthy the UK extreme metal scene currently is, each member of the band playing their instrument with ease and to great effect. This isn’t going to be an over complicated review, all I really need to say is that is its from the UK, its fucking really well played death/grind, its stands head and shoulders above many in the genre and it's a release that should be on your play list. Highly recommended
9 out of 10