Metal Bulletin Zine #55 www.metalbulletin.blogspot.com September 2015 www.twitter.com/MetalBulletinZn www.fuglymaniacs.com (issues online, videos, …) five bands from Washington state: Bell Witch Rhine Fallen Angels The Devils of Loudun A Flourishing Scourge Dehydrated Steel Raiser Mangog Junkyard Lipstick Deiphago free metal music Let Them Hang Amorite InnerDarkness Inner Silence Oblitus — about 37 minutes. In 2012 the first album, Metal Bulletin Zine “Longing,” was released, a work that lasts P.O. Box 1339 about one hour and seven minutes. Said Lake Stevens WA 98258 USA album is six tracks and you can hear the complete recording at Bandcamp, and is www.facebook.com/pages/The-Metal-Bulletin-paper- recommended to listeners that are really into zine funeral death doom. For instance, the first Metal Bulletin Zine #1-20: (2006-2009): Wisconsin song “Balls (of Flesh)” is over 21 minutes. It is #21-26: (2009-2010): Texas #27(2010)--now; best that you settle down, or let the music Washington state settle you down, calm your body down and All album reviews, news, updates below are let it take you on the journey, in slow motion. by MMB, unless stated otherwise. Heavy, slow and atmosphere is of the highest -— importance, an exploration of slow sounds. metal programs (these are Pacific Times) In 2015 they have a new album called Mosh Pit (Madison, WI): Monday night 9:30pm- “Four Phantoms” on Profound Lore Records. 12am WORT 89.9 fm www.wortfm.org The new album is another monument of about one hour and six minutes, divided into Sweet Nightmares (Houston, TX): Thursday four parts. These doomsters have begun to hit night 9pm-12am KPFT 90.1 fm www.kpft.org pay dirt as a band and the new album is the evidence of that. Forget the fast life of the city Excuse All the Blood (Olympia, WA): Friday for a while and take it slow, away from school, night 11pm-1am www.kaosradio.org work, stress and traffic. www.profoundlorerecords.com Metal Shop (Seattle, WA): Saturday 11pm- www.bellwitchdoom.blogspot.com 3am KISW 99.9fm www.kisw.com www.bellwitch.bandcamp.com — www.facebook.com/BellWitchDoom bands from Washington state www.twitter.com/bellwitchdoom Bell Witch Rhine Bell Witch is a doom band with two people: Watch out for the outlaws of extreme metal: Dylan Desmond: bass/vocals Rhine. They will steal your horse and steal your Adrian Guerra: drums/vocals wagon. Prepare yourself by learning how to prevent this theft by listening to the Rhine album “Duality” (2014) on Bandcamp. These mavericks of prog/extreme metal started in Seattle in 2011. On the album, apparently, the gambler Gabriel Tachell does everything, making the album a project of a lone ranger, but which now is a full group of high sierra bandidos. Facebook says that this is the band: Metal Archives says that the band started in the gambler Gabriel Tachell - guitar/vocals 2010 and gives three works as the the dealer Alex Smolin - guitar discography, starting with the “Bell Witch” the joker Carlos Delgado - drums demo from 2011, a four-song recording of the smoker James Porter - bass have the chops to play thrash. These Fallen Angels have a new album in 2015 and there are quite a few positives to notice. On one hand, the band kidnapped or blackmailed Michael Rosen to produce the album. Rosen is a name that thrashers will recognize due to his work with Death Angel/The Organization, Bonded by Blood, Flotsam and Jetsam, Sadus, Lääz Rockit, Forbidden, Testament, Vio-lence, Vicious Rumors and other bands. The music sounds, more or less, like extreme metal with prog elements, or if you will, prog of an extreme metal heritage. Whether it’s death metal or black metal that you hear, it’s tempered with prog guitar or prog structures. The music is a bit overwhelming at first. Here and there, the music is turned upside down with segments and pieces of experimental The album is carefully aimed at the sounds, pushing for idiosyncrasies in the sound. thrash audience, the people that demand They don’t sound really, really absurdly that the guitar players have riffs, hooks and strange now, just loud, abrasive and solos. This band will drop guitar work at your somewhat experimental. They sound like feet at any given time of the day because extreme metal, but their followers could be in that is what they do. The solo may be a shred for a shock next album because this band will piece or it may have a bit of melody. likely increase the maverick factor by ten, and Regardless, it is made with love, love of metal we are all going to be dazed and confused, and love of guitar. For instance, the song which is surely what this band wants. Once a “Mortis Ex Machina” makes it obvious that band starts down the misty mountain high they have spent time thinking about how to sierra hop, there’s usually no going back to make the solos work, as it is an example of the “regular” or “normal” metal. This game of catchy songs that the band writes. cards could get wild. Keep your eyes on the Fallen Angels sounds as excited about dealer. You gotta know when to hold them, these songs as they would like the audience know when to fold them. to be. In other words, their enthusiasm is www.rhine.bandcamp.com contagious. You can hear the 80s influence, www.facebook.com/rhinemetal but the album sounds like thrash in 2015, traditional thrash. The band has every reason Fallen Angels: World in Decay to feel great about this album. They even (Cyberdyne Records) have done something that very few metal Fallen Angels preach the gospel of traditional bands, and something that almost no thrash thrash metal and they practice what they bands know how to do: the bass guitar is very preach. At this congregation of thrash they audible on the album. You might react like impress upon you the importance of playing this: “Oh, so, that’s what the bass actually your instruments well and showing that you sounds like in a metal album, eh?!” That’s a 3 very nice touch on the part of the band and I of sounds: assume that they asked Michael Rosen to help them out on this matter and Mr. Rosen “From Seattle, located in the heart of the rain did help them and you can hear the drenched, frozen wastes of the Pacific difference. Northwest, comes The Devils of Loudun. A six- This is Fallen Angels in 2015. The band man melodic death metal outfit named from began in 2002. Metal Archives says that the a tale of religious fanaticism and demonic band had a demo in 2004 and another one in possession in 17th century France. Formed in 2005, and the first album “Rise from the Ashes” the Summer of 2009, the band quickly gained is from 2008. The second album “Engines of ground in the non-existent Washington Oppression” is from 2010. It looks like the band underground metal scene by destroying (and perhaps hit a few snags along the way to the barfing at) every possible show that has been third album, but the band is back. You have thrown at them. Drawing from influences to give credit to the band for the which spread across a wide musical spectrum perseverance and for the new album. I’m sure The Devils of Loudun's ever-evolving sound it has not been easy going five years between could be considered a combination of albums, but what a great come back this is. Scandinavian melodic death metal, Let’s hope that metal people in the Seattle symphonic power metal and American death and Washington and Pacific Northwest area metal topped with hearty serving of classical respond to the band’s calling for thrash. If you and video game influenced melodies. With are loyal to thrash, and you would like to hear the band recently finished up recording and a Seattle area band that plays thrash in 2015, releasing their first official EP titled “Entering this band will gladly show you what they do. Oblivion,” you can be sure to see them live, www.fallenangelsthrashband.com playing at local broken-down metal venues www.facebook.com/pages/Fallen-Angels- for pitchers of beer and on their upcoming Thrash-Band/336737539688752 West Coast tour in the Summer of 2015.” www.twitter.com/FallenAngelsThr The Devils of Loudun: Entering Oblivion The Devils of Loudun have been getting out their name in the Seattle region. In 2015 things are becoming clearer. The band is now ready to show the world who they are with a brand new EP in 2015 called “Entering Oblivion.” The band plays a hybrid of neoclassical symphonic melodic black/death/power metal, with early Children of Bodom and also Kalmah as general reference points, if you want to know the musical parameters at work. The Devils of Loudun underline something This new EP “Entering Oblivion” is some 18 important about metal music in 2015 in the minutes of music that pulls the curtain Seattle area: metal bands are doing a wide completely and we now hear in full display variety of sounds, going in different directions. where the band is going: they want to make On ReverbNation the band has the following great metal music, and they do not care if bio, which helps to illustrate the convergence they break a few rules in the process. They 4 stubbornly refuse to limit themselves to a because prog bands usually do not embrace genre or a style.