Under the Church Ephyra TAOS Vanden Plas Cauterized (WA State
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www.metalbulletin.blogspot.com Washington state, U.S. November 6th, 2015 (no.1 in November) www.twitter.com/MetalBulletinZn www.facebook.com/The-Metal-Bulletin-paper-zine-238441519609213 Under the Church Ephyra TAOS Vanden Plas Cauterized (WA state) Night Viper --Excuse All the Blood metal show’s Seamus top bands of all time --news & updates: Pessimist, Un (Washington state), Shadowkiller, Necrocosm, Obscene Entity --free metal music: Lifeproof, Oceans of Flesh, Nydeshka, Aberathiedeus, Ice Sword, Vilkun, Diabolic Storm, Consilium, Stealclaw, Sepulchre, Asarhaddon, Delphos, Them Vultures, Lord Gallows, White Bones, GutterSkull, Mattugur, Tyler Hutson www.fuglymaniacs.com (issues online, videos, …) — to be. Metal Bulletin Zine P.O. Box 1339 Lake Stevens WA 98258 USA Metal Bulletin Zine #1-20: (2006-2009): Wisconsin #21-26: (2009-2010): Texas #27(2010)--now; Washington state All album reviews, news, updates below are by MMB, unless stated otherwise. -— metal programs (these are Pacific Times) Mosh Pit (Madison, WI): Monday night 9:30pm- 12am WORT 89.9 fm www.wortfm.org The Sweet Nightmares (Houston, TX): Thursday night 9pm-12am KPFT 90.1 fm www.kpft.org themes are violent and horror-driven. Unsophisticated by design, the songs will Excuse All the Blood (Olympia, WA): Friday impress by sheer old school charm of primal night 11pm-1am www.kaosradio.org death. Well, they will impress the people that use terms like “real death metal.” Everybody Metal Shop (Seattle, WA): Saturday 11pm- else will run away in disgust, which is how the 3am KISW 99.9fm www.kisw.com band wants it. Stay away, fakers, you are not — wanted on this land. “Get off my lawn, Under the Church whippersnappers!”, says Under the Church. www.pulverised.bandcamp.com Rabid Armageddon www.facebook.com/UnderTheChurch Pulverised Records release: 30 October 2015 Ephyra They did not like what they were hearing as Along The Path “death metal.” Every time they would read Bakerteam Records about a “death metal” band, they would listen to the music and they would wonder release: 20 November 2015 why anyone would call that “death metal.” Somewhere between power metal, folk Since when did emocore, hardcore and metal, and extreme metal the band is carving metalcore become “death metal”?! Really, up its own territory, marking it as they go who can blame these old men? Under the along. This is the band’s second album, which Church was formed by Erik and Lars from the comes after the 2013 album “Journey.” The old Swedish death metal band Nirvana 2002. band rejects ideas for songs that are not There’s no two ways about it, it’s how they instantly memorable and that’s why the understand death metal. They cut their teeth album hits the ground running and works on the founders of the genre in the 80s, such tirelessly to convince you to mosh or to party as Death, Master, Repulsion, Carcass and like every day is Oktoberfest. My goodness, Autopsy. That old death metal sounded ugly, those German crowds will eat this up! The cavernous and barbaric. Politically and vocals consist of a two-voice mode of musically incorrect, this band also sounds just melodic, traditional singing, which is backed as horrible, the way that death metal is meant up with growling. The growling is present throughout the album, and it’s there as an important contrast of the various elements of chaos, the necro and the cave. the uptempo, melodic band. Depending on a particular moment, you will hear some very folky segments or some “melodic death metal” vibes or symphonic clouds or huge sing-along choruses that call you out to rise and bang your head. The band has a made a professional recording, with a clear production that allows the songs to be heard in full. These French people are out of their minds. You might wonder why the French black metal bands are such lunatics. Black metal is disgusting because the world is disgusting and that’s the way TAOS sees the world. Nothing makes sense to them and they don’t even bother. It’s black metal, it’s sick and neurotic. Be grateful for TAOS. Expect ugliness and the lunatic fringe of black metal. I don’t have a link to the new music yet, but go here and What would happen if folk metal, power begin the process of losing your mind. metal and extreme metal got together for an www.facebook.com/thearrivalofsatan?fref=ts Oktoberfest party or for a Lord of the Rings booking: [email protected] marathon or just a normal Wacken mud party? The answer is Ephyra. www.facebook.com/Ephyra-official- review by Matt Spall, Man of Much 338459249511535/ Metal www.twitter.com/EphyraBand www.ephyra.it Artist: Vanden Plas TAOS (The Arrival Of Satan) Album Title: Chronicles Of The Passion Sodomy Terror Immortals: Netherworld II Osmose Productions Label: Frontiers Records release: 27 November 2015 Year Of Release: 2015 These people are just not right in the head. Something went wrong, really wrong in their Those familiar with my blog will know about life and they took a wrong turn, met the my admiration for Germany’s Vanden Plas. wrong people, went to the wrong places and During a career that has stretched over an they never came back. They have stayed in impressive 20-plus years and eight studio that headspace of postmodern black metal albums, I’m not convinced that Messrs of nihilism and worthlessness. Technology and Stephan Lill (guitars), Andy Kuntz (vocals), negativity, fury and ineptitude, self-hatred Andreas Lill (drums), Torsten Reichart (bass) and the loathing of all, black metal and and Günter Werno (keyboards), have 3 released anything short of brilliant. As a result, and a sureness of purpose that is quite rare they have to be considered to be one of the these days. Choirs, female vocals, intricate very best within the progressive metal genre. and subtly complex, Vanden Plas create a great mix of the challenging and the instantly It’s something of a treat then to be presented accessible. with another full length album, less than two years after their last, particularly when Vanden Plas are one of those bands that historically prefer quality over quantity and generally take several years to create new material. ‘Chronicles Of The Immortals: Netherworld II’, as the name suggests is the second and concluding part of a two-disc concept. I offered my thoughts on ‘Chronicles Of the Immortals: Netherworld’ at the time of its release, so if you’ve yet to check it out or if you want to put the following review into context, click here: ‘Chronicles Of the Immortals: Netherworld’. The first thing to say is that, stylistically, there’s very little difference between this record and With that very much in mind, I must admit that the last. But then, as they are intrinsically on a first, second and even third spin through, linked, that’s hardly surprising. What is equally I felt just a little underwhelmed. The first album unsurprising and will have readers shouting in this duo was so great right off the bat that I ‘broken record’ in my direction, is the was in danger of dismissing this record as unquestionable quality of the material on being, rather ineloquently ‘not as good’. I offer. cannot put my finger on why this was because I’m now more spins into this album As with the last album, the Kaiserslautern than I care to admit publically and it is quintet continue to work with German author nothing short of magnificent. It contains Wolfgang Hohlbein in an effort to bring his everything that fans of the band should want ‘Chronicles Of The Immortals’ novels to life via and have come to expect. There aren’t really the medium of music. But not just any music; in any surprises but then surprises and curveballs the hands of lesser musicians, this concept aren’t always necessary, not when the could have been rendered gutless, cheesy or standard fare is so palatable that’s for sure. half-hearted. Thanks to an increased love of the theatre within the Vanden Plas ranks and The rich orchestration that came to the fore an innate flair for the dramatic and beautifully in ‘Part I’ is present in abundance cinematic, the concept is brought to life here on ‘Part 2’. Günter Werno plays an beautifully and concluded in real polished absolute blinder, embellishing the music with style. This is nine tracks of superb melodic lush atmospheres and depth that just takes progressive metal, full of subtlety, bombast the breath away on several occasions. In fact, 4 to call the keys and synths an ‘embellishment’ humming any number of the tracks on the is both unfair and inaccurate. Unlike many record. bands of a similar ilk, the keys are not just present because that’s what you have to do if Part of the reason why the melodies work so you’re a prog band. At least that’s how it well is down to the strength, commitment and often feels. With Vanden Plas, the keys are an abilities of vocalist Andy Kuntz. Where other integral part of the compositions and weave vocalists go through the motions, Kuntz give it in and out to add grandeur or subtle nuances everything; he steps into character and that require great attention to notice. Just delivers his lines in his unique tones and listen to ‘Vision 16teen: Diabolica Comedia’ phrasings as if his life depends on it. Just check as the perfect example. The intro to the track out the chorus on ‘Vision 18teen: The Last is majestic and powerful whereas large parts Fight’.