Grave Miasma – Exalted Emanation

Does old-school British Death Metal with a dark and eerie Incantation “vibe” sound like your kind of thing? Are you a fan of morbid and dark music that will take you on a journey to the deepest, darkest depths of your own mind? Well then, I’ve got something for you, ya creepy deranged bastard.



Grave Miasma are a bunch of OSDM maniacs from London who clearly pay no attention to what’s going on in the world of so-called “Death Metal” these days and just crank out the old shit the way they like it. They started off back in ’02 as Goat Molestör, with a slightly more black metal orientated sound, before later becoming Grave Miasma.

“Exalted Emanation” is technically an EP, but the production and length make it feel like a full length album. Upon listening to this, you can tell this is a band that’s taken their time to put together something great. They’ve set themselves a standard here.

The songs on this release are deeply drenched in a thick and evil atmosphere comparable to early 90’s DM acts such as Incantation, Profanatica and even black metal bands such as Blasphemy and the like. I’d say they’re up there with newer DM bands such as Witchrist, Vasaeleth and Sanguis Imperem to name a few. This is also a pretty varied release considering the style on offer here.

The songs flow together so well that I can’t pinpoint any stand-out tracks, but in a way that’s the beauty of a record such as this. It’s one of those releases where you have no choice but to put the CD in the player, vinyl under the stylus, cabbage in your bum or tape in the player and let the beast possess you from beginning to end. It’s solid and consistent all the way through.

What to expect: a dark and crushing guitar/bass tone that will cave your skull in, intelligible yet harsh and menacing vocals, killer drumming and an atmosphere that seeps throughout the whole EP and deep into your very soul. This record will possess you.

True old-school death fukking metal. 5/5

BUY IT: www.thecoffinsslave.com

Rubbish Mob Interview

Rubbish Mob are a gang of true Aussie battlers from the bush in Western Australia. They've been cranking out the metal for over 20 years now. Here's the resulting damage from a chat I had with their vocalist, Sir Insult-A-Lot!



Wayde:
Greetings Sir Insult-A-Lot ya filthy rotten bastard! How's life out there in the bush tonight? Let's hear a bit of background info about Rubbish Mob shall we? Who's in the band? What do you guys play? How long have you been around? How did ya get started up?

Sir Insult-A-Lot:
G'Day battler. Cheers for the bloody opportunity for a interview direct from the bush to invade the main lands haha.
Life is tough, hard at times and desolate but that's the way we live up here. Working, hunting, Fishing, Cars & Rock and Roll.
Not much rest for a bastard haha but tonight is a quiet one. Rubbish Mob goes back a long way, to the 80's.

Johnny, Massive and I formed a Thrash metal band named The Mob back in 1985 When we were around 16. We recorded two demos in 1986 and 1987 and we only played a couple of gigs. Not much opportunity to gig up here in Broome/Darby/Darwin areas back then & even now. We had the worst equipment and sound haha. Imagine slayer's Show no mercy album tape left in the sun for a week or 2 then playing that in your hi-fi, that's what we sounded like haha.

There was no metal at all locally we had to wait til we visited relatives in the main cities to visit record shops and buy what we could. We just loved Heavy Metal, Punk & Rock n Roll, We wanted to just go crazy and try make our own rotten sounds hahahaa. The Mob finished in 1989, Then Johnny & I moved towards Perth in the early 90's and we formed another Thrash/Punk band Named Rubbish. This was a barmy time, We recorded 2 demos & 2 ep's and played some decent gigs, Lots of attitude, alcohol and sheilas haha.

After about 10 years of mayhem Johnny & I decided to end Rubbish and go back to our bush community, Back to basic bush life for us. We grew tired of the city life and society. Then the urge returned to do some more musical mayhem, So we decided to start a new band named Rubbish Mob and play some new and old songs again, Pure rotten thrash metal punk and roll.

The band features the 3 original Mob members and 2 new members which are mates for a long time anyway.
Sir Insult-a-lot - Vocals
Johnny Psyclops - Guitar
Mahatma Cote - Guitar
Massive Mini Skip - Bass
Soggy Mac-Arson - Drums

All members live different towns so we hardly rehearse and record now. We get together for the odd gig, rehearsal and recording at least once a year.
We recorded Arsehole metal demo in 2006 and Up in the block hole demo in 2010.

Wayde:
Wow, Rubbish Mob sure has a lot of history!
Let's talk a bit more about the band. What influences (musical and otherwise) go into creating a Rubbish Mob song? How do you achieve your dirty metal/punk sound?

Sir Insult-A-Lot:
Stacks of fuel for the Rubbish Mob machine. All of us listen to the same tremendous stuff like The Beast (has arrived), Frank Zappa, Political Asylum, Venom, Motorhead, Destruction, Sodom, The Outcasts, Potential Threat, GBH, Discharge, Misfits, Black Sabbath, Goanna, The Syracuse Penetrators etc Punk, Thrash, Metal Mania.

Johnny comes up with all the riffs and most of the music, Soggy, Johnny & I do the lyrics. With the help of the net we can just email ideas to each other now and work out ideas. Also send CDs in the mail to each other as well.

Sound is filthy & rotten probably because we have very bad and old equipment and recording gear haha. But that's the way we like it. The next demo might have a slight improvement in the sound department haha.

Our bush culture, political mongrels, greed, death, society, Perversions and everything else that bad is also an influence. We keep our minds wide open.

Wayde:
Bit of everything, eh?
Now, I know absolutely nothing about metal over there in W.A., is there much of a "scene"? What bands tearing it up over there do you think stand out? Are there any particular bands I should keep a look out for?

Sir Insult-A-Lot:
Yeah listening to just one genre of music is just silly and boring really.
Ok brother, the W.A scene or whatever you want to call it is split up in 2. The north (being where we are) or the south where Perth is mainly. The south has way more action and interesting bands over the years like Black Alice, Black Steel, Angus McDeth, Trilogy, Saracen, Street Thunder, Project X, Cremator, Nighthawks, Demon Shades and many more. Up here in the north mainly Darwin there's bugger, all way too many new age bands that just don't appeal to me. Some bands I like are Explosive Lords, Back Alley Murder and Disgrace, there's more gigs on at least and more venues.

More people around up here now so that means more music fans but I don't think many of them know any of the old classic stuff. So there's more of everything but the quality and ancient aggression bands & gigs is a bit lacking still. I think it's slowly getting better and better every year which is good. Some of the rock bands still kick around here that's cool. Check those bands out I mentioned, a lot of them are good shit.


Wayde:
Will do mate, thanks for the recommendations!
I noticed two members of Rubbish Mob are Aboriginal, which seems rather uncommon in metal. Do you know if there are many other bands out there which feature Aboriginal members (aside from the obvious one, Alchemist)?

Sir Insult-A-Lot:
I didn't even know Alchemist had Aboriginal members myself, haha, that's cool. Yeah Johnny and Massive have Aboriginal blood in them. They are proud aboriginals and have been in a lot of trouble over the years with idiots. Yeah it's uncommon but that's expected I guess. It's hard for many to get into this stuff over here as there's not much opportunity etc. Many communities still have no computers or technology. You just have to be in the right spot at the right time up in this country. It's a shame, hopefully things will improve one day. Some Aboriginals stick to tradition, some will move forward and give things a go when given the chance.

I definitely see more Aboriginals into metal now and music in general then say 20 years ago, but still it isn't much compared to the white fellas. Not many hard bands feature aboriginals in them that I know, Street thunder and Nighthawks have Aboriginals in them. There will be more no doubt.



Wayde:
Onto the subject of your recently released demo "Up in the Block Hole" (which is a fuckin' great time, by the way!). What has the response been to the demo itself, as well as the cover art work featuring a naked vagina and arse hole? What has it been like working with Graveyard Shift Records? Do you feel they are helping you to get your music out to a wider audience?

Sir Insult-A-Lot:
The name was stolen from a Warwick Todd book with the same name haha. We love that bloke! The demo response has been generally very good, the cover is more of a piss-take joke on all the bad metal covers these days I see and the standards of living. Sort of feels like everyone is trying to fuck you in the block hole. The image suits the ugly sound and pisses people off that's for sure. A lot of the hardcore metal heads won't touch it or listen to it because they think it's childish haha that's great stuff.

I haven't moved much of the demo around my self I leave that to the Label. We came in contact with the label because one of the band members has family in Melbourne and they know the Graveyard Shift mob, how lucky is that? So, that's how that connection and friendship started a couple of years ago. They have worked well for us, a tremendous effort, very grateful to them. Our demo is all over the world now, haha, which would never have been possible in the old days, they know what they’re doing. Easily our most successful release so far in our musical bush journey haha, a world tour is not far off? Haha!

Wayde:
Seeing as you guys have been playing this type of music for over 20 years, surely you must have some killer stories from your metal trek through the bush, or even some memorable and/or funny stories relating to general bush community life, do you have any you would like to share?

Sir Insult-A-Lot:
Haha there are many. Always pub fights in this side of the country, One time many years ago Massive just enjoying his smoke and amber juice at the pub bar and then this rough truckie bastard comes in and is fuming yelling out fucking abbos this and that. Everyone is ignoring him, Then this rough bastard looks at massive and goes what do you think of these fucking abbos? Massive replied in his usual smooth manner "I'm a Aborigine, what do you think of that?" Truckie then says "I think you're a piece of shit" Massive threw his glass at the pig and absolutely belted the shit out of him in this pub brawl. Blood and broken bones everywhere! Massive just drank the drop punt's beer and walked out like nothing happen haha, Lucky there was no screws around. That truckie has never returned I don't think haha.

Yeah our cars have broken down in the bush before that's a pain in the arse. Have to sit and wait till someone finds you, we've waited up to 3 days once before. Actually the bush community isn't that much different to any other small towns over Australia it's just a bit more primitive here, that's all. Some town folk pushing wheelbarrows of slabs around, utes with 20 people on it, cars with no doors driving around sometimes, you might find that strange but it's normal up here. Getting chased by crocs isn't fun either we've all stared death in the face more then once, even wrestled a croc myself.

We have supermarkets up here now, so hunting is only for special occasions these days. We’re only starting to get street lights put in now haha.

Being a metal head was hard up here in the old days we used to get shit hanged on us all the time. We've had chairs and beer glasses thrown at us at gigs in the old days haha before brawling with the idiots in the crowd. A funny moment at a gig we've done awhile ago is when we brang a barbie onto the stage and I just started cooking some roo while I was singing haha.

Doing a gig at a local tip back in the 90's was a thrill haha jumping around in all the shit and junk. We annoy everyone with our filthy sound up here haha!

I have to write a book one day about it, so many funnies over the years.



Wayde:
Thanks for sharing those killer stories mate! Classic stuff, haha.
So now that you're getting more attention thanks to the Graveyard Shift crew, what's next for Rubbish Mob? Any future releases planned? What about gigs? Merchandise? I'd dig some Rubbish Mob thongs hahaha!

Sir Insult-A-Lot:
Haha, yeah thongs and g-strings would be great for the fans and family. We record another demo sometime soon and some crazy bands want to do split releases with us, so expect some extra filth to be released in the future. Maybe we'll do a compilation of the 80's and 90's recordings one day as well that would be cool.

We have a rare gig on April 22 in Darwin with some crazy bands like street thunder, explosive lords and back alley murder. Expect a night of filth and aggression.

Graveyard shift is making some badges for us soon, maybe we'll have some shirts out one day with a giant arsehole on the front, wouldn't that be great? Haha.

The national dumping shit on Australia tour has to happen sometime in the future haha, prepare for the worst!

So yeah expect to be annoyed with our shit even more in the future no doubt about it!


Wayde:
Great stuff mate. Best of luck to you and the guys!
I'd like to thank you for doing this interview, I really enjoyed our chat! Is there anything else you would like to say to me or the people who read this?

Sir Insult-A-Lot:
Cheers to you brother for giving us a chance to speak, we raise our beers to you. Keep up the support and work.

Yeah support our filthy sound you bastards, don't be scared of the cover you wimps, listen to the music. Any interest contact us at sewerpit@hotmail.com and the label contact is graveyardshift@hotmail.com

Look after your arseholes, The councils and government want to fuck you over. Keep on fighting them!

Guard your beers & meat we will invade the sewage cities in the future. All hell let loose by the soldiers from the bush.

Cheerio!

Perdition Temple - Edict of the Antichrist Elect

Angelcorpse fan? Morbid Angel fan? If so, you’ll be excited to know that two former Angelcorpse members (Gene Palubicki and Terry “Warhead” Eleftheriou) have picked up where Angelcorpse left off in 2009 and released a bat shit insane Morbid Angel worshipping album that stands a cut above most other bands who kneel at the altar of madness.

Perdition Temple is 2-piece that truly stands out in these times of “new-old school death metal”. Imagine this; swirling “Altars of Madness” inspired riffs, well thought out lyrics, intense and technical drumming and beastly vocals (while no Pete Helmkamp, Gene can roar with the best of them). “Edict of the Antichrist Elect” is an album that will wreck your neck non-stop from start to finish.

There is a lot to like about this album. The guitar tone is pure old-school death metal darkness and works well with the bass to create a feeling of desperation and insanity. The drumming is extremely intense and really pushes the songs along, Terry is very talented at what he does.

The axe work on this album is definitely a high point and should please any of you guitar nerds out there. Technical (in the good, non-wankery way) riffs and solos are to be found all over the place here and it’s no secret that Gene really knows his way around his instrument of choice.

Every single song on here is great, however, towards the middle of the album it gets a bit of the old “one long song” syndrome happening and it seems like the boys are running out of ideas for a while there.This is rectified later on, though, so don’t expect to get bored or find yourself reaching for the skip button.

This is another one of those albums where it’s hard to choose a favourite or stand out track. “Genocide Evocation” is a fantastic opening track that sets the tone for the whole album and definitely deserves a mention here, as do the songs “In the name of a Newborn Tyrant” and “Spearhead of the Conquering”, although it is in between these two tracks that the album seems to get a bit of the aforementioned “one long song” syndrome going on.

As I mentioned earlier, this band sounds a LOT like “Altars of Madness” era Morbid Angel jamming with Angelcorpse, so don’t pick this up expecting something entirely fresh and new, but don’t expect it to be a throwback or a tribute either. Whack it in the CD player or under the stylus and bang your fucking head to some great death metal!

3.5/5

BUY IT: http://www.osmoseproductions.com/liste/?srt=1&lng=2&stringa=perdition+temple&fmt=0&search=GO!

Trench Hell - Southern Cross Ripper

Trench Hell is a 3-piece old-school Heavy/Thrash/Speed metal band in the style of Motorhead and Running Wild with heavy Hellhammer influences. It’s an odd melting pot of styles that seems to work very well for the band. Their EP “Southern Cross Ripper” was unleashed back in 2008.

The band is spread around between the NSW central coast and Canberra, Australia. It’s three members have been involved with a lot of underground Australian acts including Kill For Satan, Psychrist, Shackles, Gospel of the Horns, Urgrund and Nocturnal Graves (not to mention the guitarist, Hexx, was also a live member for Toxic Holocaust).

If this info doesn’t get your panties wet then stop reading now.

These guys certainly don’t muck around, the first intro “Night Stalker” starts off with a straightforward fist pumping riff that straight away made me think “FUCK YEAH, MOTORHEAD!”. The guitar tone is great, you can hear the bass and there’s no triggered drum poofter shit going on here.

Track 2 “Southern Cross Ripper” continues the vibe the intro gave off with thumping bass, catchy as hell riffs, a good drum sound and those Tom Warrior vs. Lemmy title fight vocals. There’s also a killer solo about halfway through. Basically this song is everything good old fashion ‘eavy fookin’ mehtul should be!

Now for “Armoured Fist”. Seriously though, do I even need to discuss this one? What’s not to love about a song called ARMOURED FIST? Needless to say, it kicks in with a fast riff that’ll have you nodding your head straight away. Just another straightforward fun as hell metal song! The way heavy metal damn well should be.

“Morbid Crimes” again punches you in the face and instantly has you banging your head, although I would consider it to be my least favourite track on the EP (in saying that, it’s not a weak track at all, just not as great as the others in my opinion). Basically it’s consistently energetic and has a straightforward feeling drenched in an old-school Hellhammer styled atmosphere.

“Last Rites” is the longest track on the EP. With more variety in the pace, what sounds like some bitch getting raped in the back ground and a much more sinister vibe than the other songs on offer here, this is my favourite of the release. It has a very morbid vibe that is unmatched by the other tracks.

The final track “Infernal Screaming” is a faster “speed-metalish” number that brings forth a definite early Running Wild influence in the instruments. An excellent choice to finish things up with.

All in all, if you’re a fan of Hellhammer, Motorhead, and filthy sounding old-school heavy metal in general, I would highly recommend skipping over to www.thecoffinsslave.com and buying this directly from the guitarist himself, you won't regret it.

4.5/5

BUY IT: www.thecoffinsslave.com

Excoriate - On Pestilent Winds...

“Unique” seems to be a term that gets tossed around a lot these days, especially when discussing music. It’s the kind of word that you really have to take with a grain of salt, especially within an oversaturated genre such as Death Metal. If I were to tell you there was an old-school sounding DM band formed in the 2000’s that DIDN’T sound like any other specific band, would you believe me? Probably not. Excoriate is that band.

Excoriate was a band consisting of old-school metal maniacs from Germany. “On Pestilent Winds…” was the only full length they recorded before breaking up in 2006 (it was actually released posthumously in January 2009).

When I say this band is unique, I don’t mean they’re reinventing the wheel or anything like that! There are obvious influences lurking within this bands filthy brand of OSDM. The most prominent influences I’ve noticed in their sound are Asphyx, (early) Sepultura (who’s song “Mayhem” they cover on the album), Hellhammer and Possessed.

Now, let’s get into a bit of detail about the sound. The guitars here reek of that old-school “chainsaw” tone with an air of morbid atmosphere in the way they’re played, the guitar really sets a mood on this record. Bass is audible and fits in with the guitar sound I just described, not much else to say about it really, it just adds that certain “thickness” to the atmosphere, like a good bass sound should. The drumming is tight and works well for the different sections within each song. Vocals sound like Lemmy and Jeff Beccerra having a fist fight about who’s manlier.

The songs on here certainly don’t follow any specific formula unless you count “sound as morbid and old-school as possible” as a formula. For a release that reeks of so many ODSM influences, it’s really refreshing to hear songs with a good amount of variety and originality, and this is what sets Excoriate above the rest of the pack.

I’m not going to go deeply into describing what each song sounds like on this record, as I feel it’s one of those old-school metal releases that needs to be experienced for oneself. This may be straight up “Old-School Death Metal”, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Basically, if you’re a DM fan who needs to hear something suffocating and evil that doesn’t follow any trends or copy any of the legends yet still sounds like it was recorded in the early 90’s, get your filthy mits on this!

5/5 This is definitely one of the most original Death Metal albums I’ve had the (dis)pleasure of hearing.

BUY IT: www.thecoffinsslave.com

Diabolical Demon Director Interview

Diabolical Demon Director (DDD) are a three piece thrash metal band from Melbourne, Victoria. They've been consistently putting out demos and EP's since 2007. These guys are true underground maniacs who put everything they have into supporting heavy metal. I caught up with their frontman Jeff for this interview.



Wayde:
Evening Deathjustice! How’s your day been down there in Hellbourne?
Let’s kick this interview off with a bit of background info on Diabolical Demon Director if ya don’t mind, mate. Just the general stuff like who’s in the band, what you’ve released so far, what style you guys play etc. etc., just to give the readers an idea what you’re all about!

Deathjustice:
G'Day Mate!! Yesterday and today so far, has been sailing along a ripper. I was supposed to be in the bush this weekend but instead got drunk at the Stormbane dungeon, lots of damage hahaha. Now I listen to some Zebarges from France, classic shit!

Alright mate, Diabolical Demon Director is a ugly thrash metal band that doesn't give a shit what's going on around them and dwells under the underground. DDD was formed by me back in mid 2001 when I was 18 still in high school. I just wanted to create a mix of the 2 best bands for me Black Sabbath and Destruction, I still follow this today. Struggled with finding committed thrashers and shit, got to remember thrash and heavy metal wasn't really popular back than as it is now. So we didn't record a official demo and didn't play any gigs, we just remained a garage band before 2007.
Since 2007 the line up has been Death Justice on guitar and vocals, Necrohammer on the bass and Death Angel on the drums. We've played 3 gigs hahahaha all in 2009 and released 9 poisons over the rotten earth.

2007 As darkness hit rehearsal cd
2008 Hour of the black demons demo cd
2008 The death sentence demo tape
2009 Inside the cistern demo cd
2009 The demon chamber EP cd
2010 The demo dungeon 2008-2009 compilation tape
2010 Rehearsal in a grave tape
2010 Under the underground promo cd
2010 Surrounded by evil EP cd

Wayde:
Aside from Black Sabbath and Destruction, I also hear a lot of early Bathory, early Sodom and Vomitor in DDD's sound. Are there any other less obvious influences and elements that go into making a DDD song?

Deathjustice:
Yeah man all those rippers are very influential, especially Vomitor. When I randomly brought “Bleeding The Priest” from a distro early 2003 it changed everything, The speakers changed me walls from white to black before eyes hahaha.
Ah we listen to heaps of shit, I listen to stuff like John Carpenter soundtracks, Tangerine dream, Old Computer game music, Hardcore punk etc just as much as Metal. Lots of NWOBHM, Heavy metal over the years like Gaskin, Ritual, Millennium, Brocas Helm, Manilla Road etc... Pretty much the only shit we don't listen to is modern death/black metal, grind, rap and pop music. There's also a lot of influences outside of music as well of course.

Wayde:
Cool stuff mate! Variety is always great.
Have you or any of the other members been involved with any other bands in the past, what about now? Or is it just DDD all the way for you guys (and girl)?



Deathjustice:
Hahaha who would want a arsehole like me in their band? Only Death Angel has been in another band before DDD. 2005-2007 She was in a band called Howling Furies which did Thrash and Heavy metal covers. They played 2 gigs I think and wrote 1 original song, I was at their first gig, it was a classic!
Otherwise I've written some songs, riffs and lyrics for other underground bands here & overseas over the years & done guest vocals. They really want the bestial Barry White voice hahahaha. I've been asked to join and try out for a couple of other bands over the years, most notable being Nocturnal Graves early 2007 but my axe was too ugly and loose hahaha. After Gravey I got some more offers but turned ‘em all down, Only DDD is real!

Wayde:
So what's it like living down in the dirty south, Hellbourne? Do you get to go to many metal gigs? Is there a decent "scene" around there? I know there are plenty of quality bands down there but are there any my readers and I might be missing out on?

Deathjustice:
Expensive is the first thing that comes to mind hahaha. Lots of dickheads, slags and poofs around annoying me hahaha, I want out of here to be honest.
As for gigs depends what you like and listen too, for me none of the bands I like play live hardly at all and it's been pretty boring last few years to be honest. Too many boring bands around, the same bands always play and a lot of the fans are just social sheep.
A lot of the Death/Black metal bands are boring and it's like watching concrete dry hahaha (need nocturnal graves to come back). The thrash part of the live circuit here isn't very good, if you like Pantera/Petallica/new Slayer there is heaps of that crap for ya. Heavy metal the same, just too many modern sounding bands, Doom metal far too boring. Ask someone else you probably get a different answer, but that's how I feel.
Of course there are a few bands I respect even though I don't like their music. Basically shit gets praised but the real good stuff doesn't, it's the same old story.
Some bands that stand out for me are Stormbane, Dire Fate, Maniaxe, Johnny Touch, Doomed Beast, Wurm, Ion Drive, XXSeX, Bengal Tigers, Barbarion, Impious Baptism, Ancient Evil and probably some more I can't remember etc.



Wayde:
So there's not too much going on down there these days? I always thought there was more happening down there!
Seeing as you've been gigging around for a while now, surely you've had some awesome and not-so-awesome experiences during DDD's "career", got any you'd like to share?

Deathjustice:
Hahaha, like I said it depends what you listen to and what you wanna see, I want fucking real thrash and heavy metal and there's nothing on offer on the live circuit here in Melbourne for me, only on recordings. So to me there's not much going on and time is better spent with other activities. Yeah there are gigs on all the time, sometimes 6 metal gigs in one night hahaha, metal heads everywhere. Doesn't really mean shit though in the end does it when none of the bands move you.
Hahahaha yeah we've done 4 national tours and 2 Europe tours and south American stroll as well, so that's 3 gigs in 10 years hahaha. We never get asked for gigs. We have no Pantera influences and all my riffs are retarded so everyone hates us and doesn't care hahaha. We had around 70-80 bangers at our first gig on a 45 degree day back in early 2009. That was cool, city was in meltdown with power cuts but really it was just us taking all the power on the stage hahaha. Lots of thrashing and headbanging it was great, a vid of this show is on utube. The worst one was the last gig we played in August 2009 outside of Melbourne east of the state. Not one thrasher in the crowd hahaha, it was like alien music to them hahahaa. That was an experience I won't forget hahahaa.
So it's been almost 2 years since our last show, with new mates and support we'll do another gig or 2 in the second half of this year. We're bloody hungry for some live action, more thrashing rage upon the stage is needed here.



Wayde:
If I recall correctly, I believe your ladyfriend runs a distro, Graveyard Shift Records, what can you tell us about that?

Deathjustice:
Yeah mate I help out on the side, it's just so we can offload some of the trades. I'll let the demon speak for her self...

DeathAngel:
G'day mate, Death Angel here. Yep that's correct... well I used to do all the work in the beginning, but since committing to doing some arts projects of recent I've had DJ help me out a lot, but I own the distro and call the shots so to speak. Well, so far I've done four releases, two of them are the DDD EPs, I also collaborated with some overseas labels to release the Xanadoo/Wolves of Tchernobyl split CD "We sold our Souls to Thrash your Bones" and the latest vile offering being WA's Rubbish Mob 'Up in the Block Hole' cassette tape. I do some trading overseas to get in some stock that varies from the other distros in Australia. No point in stocking what other places already got and I prefer distributing unrepresented bands. You should be able to find Graveyard Shift Records on facebook search, or anyone interested in the releases or other stock can shoot me an email at graveyardshiftlabel@hotmail.com

Wayde:
Thanks for the slice of info DeathAngel! It sounds like you guys take a unique approach to running a distro, which is pretty cool!

I would like to thank you (and you too DA) for doing this interview, Deathjustice. It's been a pleasure! Have you any last words for myself and the readers out there in internet land mate?

Deathjustice:
Cheers mate and no worries, always a ripper to do any interview. Cheers for even asking us hahahaa, I owe ya a beer. This is only the second webzine intie we've done.
We still have some copies of our latest EP CD "Surrounded by Evil" Still available, also badges, patches and some small size knights of the demon shirt left. Contact diabolical_demon_director@hotmail.com if you want to get contaminated with our shit or want to trade.
2 split releases should be out some time this year with some ripper overseas bands like Oath (italy), Fornication (canada) & Skullface (greece) check those metal ragers out! yeah!!!!!
If things go our way we'll do a couple of gigs later in the year and record our debut album "Bound in Lucifer's Chains" that will be a pearler! 95% of the material on it was written in 2004/2005 hahaha. Your speakers and bed will melt!
We're on the network poof sites look us up and we'll stroll up on the screen right before your eyes haha. Look up graveyard shift as well ya bastards.
Keep up the good work mate, Salutes & Thrashing rage in the Desert of Hades!

Drünken Bastards – Horns of the Wasted

Ah, booze and thrash metal, are there many better combinations in life than this? Well, throw a bit of black metal and old-school hardcore/crust punk in the mix and you have Hungarian maniacs Drünken Bastards. Man, what a delicious cocktail this is!

The album starts off with a sample/intro thing called “Nuclear Era” which sets a mood of intensity that the guys keep up throughout the album. The first actual song “Toxic Patrol” shows that these guys really don’t fuck around. It’s straight into the high-speed riffs, speedy drums and intense hardcore and thrash influenced vocals that are hard to compare.

The intensity is kept up throughout this whole album, but there are also a few comedic moments thrown in. The guitar sound reminds me of black/thrash bands such as Toxic Holocaust, Abigail and Trench Hell to name a few, played with a punk rock attitude at hyper speeds, you’ll also find some obvious “Motorhead moments” in there. The drums have D-beats and “thrash beats” for the most part, which keep things moving at a booze-fueled furious pace that rarely slows down. The bass isn’t very audible, but it definitely is there once you pay enough attention.

This album doesn’t really have any “stand-out” tracks, but what can you expect from a straightforward face ripper that clocks in at just under 20mins? This is the kind of album you chuck on when you want to bang your head, forget about everything else in your life and just not think. Even the two covers (“Destroy the Factory” by Eat My Fuk and “Prophecy Of The Evening Star” by Barbatos) fit the mood and intensity of the other songs so well that I didn’t even realize they were covers until I read the track listing a bit closer!

In a nutshell: this is a great slab of wicked sick thrash and you should buy it right now.

4/5

BUY IT: www.thecoffinsslave.com

Trial Interview

Trial are an upcoming traditional heavy metal outfit hailing from Sweden. Thanks to Shannon Hush from The Coffins Slave (www.thecoffinsslave.com) I was able to conduct a very informative interview with their drummer, M. Svensson.







Wayde:
Hails M. Svensson! How is life over in Sweden right now?
As I don't actually know much about Trial, could you please give me a quick run-down of who you guys are and what you're all about musically?

M. Svensson:
It's quite alright over here, though a bit hung-over!
TRIAL is fairly new on the map, so I don’t blame you. We started rehearsing together back in 2007, but due to troubles with members back and forth we didn’t actually record anything until 2010 & that is when we finally managed to record our demo. TRIAL today consists of:

Alexander Ellström
Andreas Johnsson
Andréas Olsson
Martin Svensson
Linus Johansson

All of us listen to quite different things within the rock & metal scene, but Heavy Metal is the one thing we all have in common so it came natural for us in this formation to play Heavy Metal. It's hard to put words on your own music, but of course we are in some way influenced by all the great bands from the past, it's hard to not be. Anyone who says they are not, are lying, but it's not like we're sitting at home thinking "hey, that Witch Cross riff is great, we should do something similar to that". It's in our blood more or less.

Wayde:
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard of your band before? What would you tell them your influences were in writing the songs on your demo?

M. Svensson:
Imagine if early Iron Maiden made sweet love to Mercyful Fate who got pregnant with a child bearing horns.
That child would then be the entity of TRIAL. Of course we have a lot of other influences but those two are the most "obvious". The demo contains songs that were written during a long period of time, and therefore it's hard to name direct influences. A lot of it is subconscious and musical influences can be anything between for example CCR and Captain Beyond to Dissection and Deathspell Omega.



Wayde:
Such an interesting mix of influence, style and taste should get anyone interested in Trial!
Recently there seems to be a "resurgence" of traditional heavy metal with bands such as In Solitude, Portrait, Grand Magus, Enforcer and Helvetets Port to name a few, as well as a large amount of "new old-school death metal" bands such as Tribulation, Bastard Priest, Kaamos, Repugnant and many more popping up all over the place. What are your thoughts on these two "movements"? How do you think these bands compare to the older bands who've been around since the late 80's/early 90's? And what newer bands do you enjoy listening to?

M. Svensson:
I actually like almost all of the bands that you wrote here, and there are a lot more new bands that are great, to name a few more Swedish bands I would say RAM, Ensnared, Necrovation, Morbid Insulter & Vornth. Other new bands I enjoy are Ascension, Teitanblood, Proclamation, The Devil’s Blood, Dead Congregation, Grave Desecrator, Jex Thoth & the list can go on and on and on to be honest. This proves that music does not have to be old to be good, but of course, the greatness of all the classic ones will almost in every case outshine these newer acts in terms of stage shows and record sales, but they emerged in a time when heavy metal was something popular, today I don’t think it is in the same way. It has become more of an underground movement, but who knows; maybe we’ll se a new golden era of this whole genre. I believe that is it's not that "healthy" for you neither as a musician or a listener to be so close-minded that you only listen to old heavy metal. About these so called "movements" I have not much to say. Sure, there has been a lot of new Heavy Metal acts rising from Sweden lately, but I think that one has to remember that because you play what you have a need to do, you don't necessarily become part of a trend. It is unfortunately inevitable for us to be compared to these bands, since we share a lot of common parameters, although every band has their own charm.

Wayde:
It's always great speaking to a fellow open minded metal fan! You've got excellent taste my friend.
From what I understand, you chose to release your debut demo on an Australian label, The Coffins Slave (www.thecoffinsslave.com). What made you choose to go with them instead of a Swedish Label, and what has it been like working with Shannon? The man puts a LOT of hard work into everything he does!

Since you're an international act signed to an Australian label, I have to ask; What are your thoughts on Australian metal? What bands have you heard? What ones do you like?



M. Svensson:
Actually, we released it ourselves on a simple CD-r at first, which is not really the appropriate way to do it. Shannon then got a copy and apparently liked what he heard, so he re-released it unto a proper format. We chose to work with TCS mainly because we know that Shannon has put out a lot of great own releases before, and have full trust in that he will do the same with us. He seems to have great connections and respect in the underground scene, and therefore the choice was not hard at all. We simply think he can help us get a lot further in our career. All these things compensate for the 10 hour time difference...

Australian metal is rising for sure, I'm actually not too familiar with that many older acts except for the obvious Deströyer 666 and Sadistik Exekution. But newer bands like Nocturnal Graves, Destruktor, Trench Hell, Ignivomous and Impious Baptism are all acts that I think are fantastic.

Wayde:
While we’re on the subject of the demo, I would like to ask you what went into the recording process? What studio did you use? How did you get certain elements of your sound? Any details you can provide would be great.
I would also like to know anything you can share about the Government funding for musicians in Sweden. I’ve been told that the Government over there will provide a certain amount of money for tours, studio time, help with getting stuff released, and so forth.

M. Svensson:
We recorded it in our rehearsal place, with a friend of ours as sound engineer. He actually had never recorded this kind of music before, so with that in mind I think it turned out great, though the vocals might be a bit too low. We had, as earlier said, played together as a band for quite a while when we recorded the demo, so as soon as we had found our vocalist we tried to record it as soon as possible. On our upcoming album we will put a lot more effort into getting the right sound and vibe, and we will therefore record it in a proper studio this time.

We get some financial help with paying our rehearsal place, but that's it actually. You can get help to get gigs and record in a studio, but that's more for the bands that are not that advanced yet. Most of these gigs are just music competitions, and we wish not to participate in that kind of events. Music is a form of art, not a sport. You can't compete in it.

Wayde:
Are you or any of the other band members involved creatively in any other projects at the moment, be it metal or otherwise? What have you done musically in the past? Is Trial the first band any of you have played in?

M. Svensson:
Some of us are involved in other bands besides Trial and we've all been playing in bands before this, but I would like to leave those dead and undead projects nameless for now so that people focus on Trial when reading this interview, but lets just say that we've been making noise before and we will continue on doing that whether it's in Trial or not. This is by far the band that we all have been putting most heart and commitment into and it will without a doubt stay that way.

Wayde:
It's good to hear how focused you guys are on Trial. That's the kind of commitment that separates the good bands from the not so good bands!

So now that your demo has been unleashed, what are your future plans for Trial? Any plans for live shows or a tour? Are you working on new material, perhaps an EP or full length?

M. Svensson:
As for now we have never played live with this band due to various reasons. We are looking at doing some gigs in the near future and are always open to suggestions, but at the moment we want to remain focused on the recording of our upcoming full-length album, which will be recorded during the next couple of weeks. This is just the very beginning of our journey into an uncertain future but the shape of a temple is rising in the yonder, soon you will see it too.

Wayde:
Well then, it looks like I'll be keeping an ear out for what comes next!

I would like to thank you kindly for taking the time to do this interview, I really enjoyed our conversation and hope to hear from you in the future.

As is the norm in my interviews, you have the last word my friend. Are there any final thoughts you would like to share?

M. Svensson:
Thanks to you for helping us spread the word. On behalf of Trial I would also like to give a special thanks to Shannon Hush and TCS for the support we get from him! For the latest news and info regarding Trial check out www.myspace.com/trialheavymetal
If anyone wishes to contact us, just e-mail to trialheavymetal@gmail.com

"Within the circle of truth and far away..."



www.thecoffinsslave.com

Sabretung Double Trouble Feature!

Sabretung are a young up and coming thrash metal band from Newcastle, Australia. I had nice little talk with their frontman Doug about what the guys have been up to leading up to and concluding with the recent release of their debut full length "Conquest"



Wayde:
Good afternoon Doug! I understand Sabretung have been gigging around a bit and working hard to get your full length “Conquest” out, but I really don’t know too much else about you fellas! Would you mind giving myself and my readers the skinny on Sabretung? Who’s in the band, what type of metal you play, how you got started and how long you’ve been active so far?

Doug:
I'm guitars and vocals, and there's Yates on Drums, Ty on bass and Dan on guitars as well.

We play aggressive thrash metal in the vein of Kreator and Sepultura.

I began to form the band in 2005 and we started gigging in 2006.

Wayde:
What are the bands' main influences, and what do you listen to in general?

Doug:
Each member of the band has very different inspirations to each other and honestly not much of it is thrash at all.

For me personally my favourite acts are Judas Priest and Slayer, but I've also been listening to some not so brutal death metal recently too like Morbid Angel and Morgoth.

Wayde:
Cool stuff mate. What's the scene like up there in Newcastle? Do you play many shows? Are there any bands we should know about from the area aside from Sabretung?

Doug:
In Newcastle you can play to a larger crowd than Sydney, but you do need to make sure that you secure a good local head liner, like us hahaha.

We try to play no more than once a month as it can really spread the crowds thin if you play more often than that.

Other great Newcastle acts are Cerebral Contortion and War Faction.

Wayde:
I'll definitely keep an ear out for those two bands.
You released your first EP, entitled "The Price Is Pain" back in October 2006 but have been pretty "dormant", so to speak, since then up until recently when you finally released your debut album "Conquest" just this month (7/March/2011). Why did it take so long for you to release more material? How has Sabretungs' sound "matured" over the couple of years in between each release?

Doug:
Being dormant release wise wasn't by choice, but by finance. In fact, tracking for “Conquest” began in mid 2009 and it hasn't been until now that we have been able to get it out there.

The Price is Pain came about very early in our journey as a band and we still hadn't quite identified what we wanted to play. It has much more melodic elements to it than what we do now.

Wayde:
Have/are you or any of the other guys in Sabretung played with any other bands before, metal or otherwise? If so, what were/are they and will/did they release anything?

Doug:
I did some muck around high school stuff as did Ty; separately. Yates I know played in Hanz Blixx and Abstraction and Sabretung is Dans' first band.

Wayde:
What are some of the bands you have shared the stage with over the years? And what was your experience like playing with these bands?

Doug:
We've played with The Amenta, Daysend, Lord and Frankenbok and they were quite approachable.

When we played with Paul Dianno it was get off the stage and keep out of the way.



Wayde:
Back to the subject of “Conquest”, I noticed you have a paid download option and are also including a download for people who order a physical copy of “Conquest” through your website so they can hear the album before they receive it in the mail. I think this is a fantastic idea, what is your opinion on marketing your band on the internet? Do you feel that having a cheaper option to download the album ($4.50 for a download, $15.00 for a CD) will persuade more people to buy the release instead of pirating it? And do you think it will allow Sabretung to get their name out there to a broader audience?

Doug:
The added bonus of this download is that you can choose your format; mp3, FLAC etc... plus it's cheaper than iTunes.

I see downloading as the modern equivalent of tape trading. True fans will make the effort to buy the real album and support you.

Wayde:
I'm with ya there mate, totally agree!
What have some of the ups and downs of Sabretungs "career" so far? Got any funny or memorable stories that you would like to share?

Doug:
Getting to play at the Newcastle Civic Theatre was a big highlight for us. We've got the three songs we performed up on youtube too. You can see how excited we were, hahaha!
The downer was we hired cheap wireless units and it impacted the sound of the guitars in a negative way.

Wayde:
Now that Sabretung has unleashed "Conquest" upon the world, what's next for you guys? Do you have any shows or tours coming up? Any plans for merchandise? What about future releases, have you been working on new material?

Doug:
We have shows in Newcastle and Sydney coming up and are keen to get down to Canberra as well as interstate if we can find promoters prepared to pay up front guarantees.

We are definitely looking into other merchandising options like patches and stubby coolers.

We are working on new material for a new release (EP or Album) that will come out hopefully before the year is out.

Wayde:
Exciting stuff, mate. I'll definitely have to grab a stubby cooler if you put 'em out!
Thanks a lot for taking the time to do this interview. Any last words?

Doug:
Support your local metal gigs, even if you're not a fan of the bands, your patronage encourages the venue to keep hosting events.



Into “Beneath the Remains” and “Arise” era Sepultura? Into Bay Area thrash metal? Then you’ll definitely be a fan of what Sabretung have to offer!

The album opens up with the track “Suicide Terror” which pretty much sets the mood from the get go. What we have here is straightforward, no fucking about, old-school thrash metal. Neckbreaking and catchy riffs, speedy drumming and shouty-Max Cavalera style vocals are what these boys from Newcastle have in store.

Every song on this album is catchy and full of catchy hooks and riffs to keep any thrasher happy, and I mean, could you really ask for more from a band such as this?

All of the songs here pretty much hold up a similar standard, which isn’t really a bad thing. There’s a lot of cool ideas in some of the tracks; some great soloing, interesting slower sections, as well as a few “groove” orientated sections (the none-boring kind of groove), catchy as hell choruses, intense “gang” vocal parts and a genuine attitude here. You can tell this band is a bunch of mates having a good time cranking out the jams.

These guy’s clearly aren’t going to change the world with their brand of old-school thrash metal, but what they will do, is cause you to bang your head along to their chugging riffs and slam a few beers down while destroying your mothers’ basement.

I couldn’t really choose any stand-out songs here, but my personal favourites would probably be “Bloodlust” and the closing track “Eliminate the Weak”. I would definitely recommend “Conquest” to anyone looking for some good friendly violent thrash to chuck on at their next BBQ and crank up to 11 with no hesitation.

Generic? No. Formulaic? Maybe, but it’s not a bad thing.

3.5/5

BUY IT here: http://sabretung.bandcamp.com/

Bastard Priest - Under the Hammer of Destruction

What do you get when you mix old-school Swedish Death Metal such as Entombed, Nihilist, Dismember and Grave with D-Beat style crust/hardcore punk such as Discharge, Doom and Wolfbrigade? If you answered "Bastard Priest" then you’re absolutely correct! This two-piece from Sweden is one of those rare bands you come across that does everything right.

These guys have one of the best guitar tones I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing, and their drum sound is unreal. The vocals are more in the crust punk style with a strong hint of death metal “grunting”, the styles mix together really well here.

The first track of this album “Blasphemy From Hell” grabs you by the short and curlies right from the get go! It starts off punky and aggressive, leading into a slower riff/solo/whatever section that kicks all kinds of arse, eventually speeding up again and kicking more kinds of arse! The track closes off with a church bell rising, which for some stupid reason fits in just fine.
Track 2, probably my personal favourite off the album “Visions of Doom” gives off an old-school death/thrash vibe at the start, reminding me of early Sodom and Sepultura (which is no surprise considering the Seps had a lot of punk influences for a death/thrash band). This song is just menacing and apocalyptic.
The third song “Evil Pain” is a shorter, more straightforward and punkier song. Good riffs, great drumming, insane vocals. No complaints from this punter!
“Total Mutilation” kicks in with some really cool drumming leading into a slow section with some epic guitar parts and the occasional grunt which then leads into another short and sweet punky death metal tune that varies between slow and fast parts. It also features an awesome guitar solo!
“Power of Death” brings to mind late 80’s old-school death thrashing madness! Picture early Sepultura and Nihilist having a drunken jam. It’s also catchier than the clap in a seedy bar room full of hookers.
The intro to Chock sounds straight out of a horror movie, really slow, filthy and dirging! This is the instrumental track of the album, it shows that these guys really know what they’re doing and aren’t fucking about.
Next up is the title track, which begins with a very short apocalyptic intro before the riffs and drums kick in and grab you by the pubic hairs again! This is a damn good track that really represents what these guys are all about. The cool instrumental/solo section is a definite highlight.
From Beyond is a straightforward death Metal ripper! Very evil, very enjoyable. Not much to say about it, really, it’s just a killer track that’ll get your head banging.
The next one “Merciless Insane Death” really shows off Inventor’s guitar skills and is filled with excellent riffs. The vocals also really shine through here, pure madness radiates in that voice. Nothing bad to say about this one.
Time for the final original song on this release “Graveyard Sacrifice”, and what a way to close off an album! It holds up to the standard of all the other songs here and pummels your head in with excellent drummer, crazy riffs and those MENACING vocals!
The last song is a cover of a band called Bombanfall. In a nutshell: I’ve never heard of Bombanfall in my life before hearing this cover, but this cover makes me want to check them out.

So all in all, this is a great release that I simply have nothing negative to say about. I’m very glad to have this as part of my small vinyl collection and urge all you metalpunk maniacs out there to buy this album.

5/5

BUY IT:

http://www.bloodharvest.se/

Interview with Shannon Hush (Trench Hell, The Coffins Slave Distribution)

Shannon Hush (A.K.A Hushy) is the guitarist in Trench Hell and the man behind The Coffins Slave (www.thecoffinsslave.com), an underground metal distributor. He's been around the block in the Australian metal scene a few times and has played with some legendary acts. I managed to get the chance to chat in depth with him about music, The Coffins Slave and a few other topics.





Wayde:
Afternoon Hushy, how is this dreary Autumn day treating you? For those out there who don't know of Trench Hell, would you mind giving us a brief background on the band? Who's in Trench Hell? What style of Metal do you play? What are your main influences? How did you get started up? What has the band been doing recently?

Hushy:
Busy as a cat burying shit mate, things are pretty hectic around here. Autumn already? Fuckin’ hell! Well, we started in 2004 when I lived in Brisbane and our first demo was released in early 2005, after that we released a MLP "Southern Cross Ripper" in 2008 I think it was, then a split 7" with Aussie maniacs Assaulter.

2005 - Alcoholic Disaster Demo Cassette
2005 - Alcoholic Disaster 7"
2006 - Alcoholic Disaster Pic 7"
2008 - "Southern Cross Ripper" MCD
2008 - "Southern Cross Ripper" MLP
2009 - "Sadistic Messiah" 7" Split with Assaulter
2010 - "Southern Cross Ripper" Pro Cassette

Current members are Kel - Vokills and Studio Drums, Iron Bass and Backing vokills and myself on the Axe. and (Kev European Session Drummer) I also write an construct all the music so anything you don't like, I'm the man to blame haha,

The style is Heavy Metal with a touch of Speed / Thrash and Heavy rock. Think of Motorhead beats the shit out of Running Wild, The vokills are a full fist fight between Lemmy and Tom G Warrior.

Main influences vary from time to time. Mostly serial killers and horror, Violence and so on, Music wise I listen to a lot of Razor, Early Metallica, Motorhead , NWOBHM and so on.. I guess I got started with it because I wanted to do something with the shit I was writing. I had been writing it for a while and once I dragged Kel into the studio to do drums and vokills it all went from there. Of late I have been just writing new stuff for the album.. We are not an active band so much... We have our fist Australian show coming up in June at EVIL INVADERS III, so that will be interesting, Its kinda weird touring the whole of Europe before playing in your own country.. But I guess Australia deserves that on some level.

Wayde:
Thanks for that background info mate! I'm pretty sure anyone who reads this will know everything there is to know!
I understand you have also recently started up a distro called The Coffins Slave, what can you tell us about that?

Hushy:
Well not everything, haha, Yeah well I have been trading and selling heavy metal for a lot of years so I decided to do this full swing since no one else in Australia was having a good crack at it. Pretty much the final straw was seeing all the markets at festivals in Europe and realizing how fucking shit it is to find metal in Australia unless it’s signed to Nuclear Blast. Lets face the facts though, there are not a lot of maniacs down-under that buy the shit I order but once word gets around about certain releases people normally get of their arse and grab a copy, I try to get in a lot of new shit that people have not heard because I'm sick of people saying, man, I wish bands release shit like this these days or, fuck the metal released these days is shit!, Well its far from the truth! Just check out bands like, In Solitude, Hellish Crossfire, Christian Mistress, Bloody Sign, Children of Technology, Grave Miasma, Portrait, Hellbringer, the list goes on for fucking days, there is A LOT of quality Heavy Metal, Doom, Thrash Speed you name it! I guess I’m slitting my own throat doing this these days considering most people download, But there a still enough Vinyl collectors here to be able to import it.

We're also releasing bands and have a few things on our roster! We just released TRIAL from Sweden's Demo Cassette and its just about sold out now after being released for a week, Hell it was only 100 but better than a slap in the nuts.We're also re releasing RENEGADE - "Total Armageddon" + Demo on Vinyl and CD, and a few other things from Spectral Birth/Incubus, Black Jesus and so on;

TCSC0001 - TRIAL - 2011 Demo OUT NOW
TCSCD0001 - RENEGADE - Total armageddon + 1985 Demo (CD Soon)
TCSLP0001 - RENEGADE - Total armageddon + 1985 Demo (LP Soon)
TCSCD0002 - BLACK JESUS - s/t MCD (SOON)
TCSLP0002 - SPECTRAL BIRTH - RAZE 1990 Demo (LP)
TCSCD0003 - SPECTRAL BIRTH - RAZE 1990 Demo (CD) With Bonus 1988 demo "The Turbulence" and Incubus "Sinful Dreams" 1987 demo.
www.thecoffinsslave.com


Wayde:
It's really great to see someone with such passion for the music having a good crack at distributing quality old-school metal these days, it seems as if a lot of the fans don't have that die-hard passion anymore, which is what kills metal in the long run.
While on the subject of the Coffins Slave, I'm really looking forward to the festival you've been working your arse off to put together "Evil Invaders III". It has to be one of the best festivals Australia has ever seen, the line up is killer! Is there anything you would like to share regarding the fest?

Hushy:
This is very true..

Evil Invaders is a festival I have done in 2006 and 2007 but due to lack of support from punters and venues we shut it down, this year I have put sooooo much fucking time into it! But it has been worth it because it sold out 3 months before the show! And I'm so glad that happened, People have been emailing us "How can we get in" "We missed out on tickets" and all that, but they thought it wouldn't sell out so they got sacked! This festival is so cheap at $29.80 for TWO NIGHTS!!! I don’t know how people couldn't have just gone out and grabbed their tickets straight away because now it makes me look like an arsehole when my friends say "but I don't have a ticket". Sorry, but nothing I can do once the venue is at capacity! Anyway point to the story is, maybe next year people will pay more attention and get their ticket early.

Also we have not put out the official statement yet but heres some news for you about the festival. Taipan had to pull out due to their drummer having to go over seas. They have now been replaced by KILL FOR SATAN! so get that up ya goat! We're disappointed that Taipan had to pull out, but hey, this shit happens.



Wayde:
It's a shame so many people have to miss out, I'm glad you were able to hold one until payday for me or I might have also missed out!
I don't see why anybody would wait around to get a ticket at this amazing price! It really is unfortunate that Taipan had to pull out, but Kill For Satan will fit in on the bill perfectly!

You seem to be a bit of an unsung "legend" in the Australian metal scene having played in bands such as Gospel of the Horns, Nocturnal Graves, Urgrund, Toxic Holocaust (as a live member) and others. What has your general experience been like, being involved in so many great bands within Australia's heavy metal hierarchy

Hushy:
I agree totally mate! Don't worry, I'm still holding a few peoples tickets, haha. This will be good for Kill For Satan as they are also about to unleash their new full-length Album through other Aussie label maniacs Obsidian Records.

Far from it mate I'm a Legend in fishing and that’s about it hahaha. Having played in those bands does not make me and different from the next heavy metal maniac. Of course, people think they know who you are when in fact they don't at all, and people have some strong opinions that they like to share, but like any person should, I take it on the chin and over all don't give two shits about what people think. Being in all those bands, I learned a hell of a lot about this country and its "heavy metal" punters and bands.... one of the biggest problems in Australian Heavy Metal is bands are just trying to hard to impress people with press statements "We're this"…", we're that" instead of just doing their thing. If they spent more time writing and recording some good music and not running around on the internet saying they are the next big thing to come out, when in fact they suck and have nothing to add to anything. I don't really know what else to say about that question, of course there are ups and downs in my past but over all... I don't care, the "I don't give a fuck" attitude goes a long way. Trench Hell has never played in this country for a reason! We decided to play through Ireland, NL, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Germany and some of the best heavy metal festivals along side some historic bands!!! Just because we knew if we played here no one would pay attention, I mean, let’s face it we sell bugger all records here in our home country, maybe a 5th of what we sell in America and Europe, so what's the point? The purpose of playing Evil Invaders was to kinda say "yes, we do exist". But who cares, Australia is a weird place, and let me add a horrible place to be in a band. Why do I keep doing it? Because it’s always been about recording music I like, and not "bowing down" so others like it. I still enjoy writing and recording, so until that changes we will be here. haha.

Wayde:
Spoken like a true die-hard. I can tell that you are extremely passionate about what you do, unlike a lot of these "fakes" and "posers" out there!

While on the subject; as you know, I recently interviewed Luke Bennett of Hellbringer and during the interview he stated how he dislikes the local scene down in Canberra which has lead to some negative backlash and slander from other Canberra bands and fans. What are your thoughts on this situation and others like it where you have people crying out "arrogant rockstar bastard!" and getting ridiculously offended over something so small as another mans' opinion?

Hushy:
Well I have read this interview from Luke, and there is nothing wrong with it? And what's there to like in the Canberra "Scene"? NOTHING happens there!! And thats a fact, I used to live there in the 90's and it was ok then, but now, you can be lucky if a half century turn up to your show. This goes back to what I was saying earlier, if you can't handle the fact that some people don't like your band then put your guitar down and fuck off! I mean for fucks sake! Luke was not going out of his way to shame people or whatever, or hardly was he acting like a "Rockstar" he was simply stating the truth! I know of two active bands in Canberra, Hellbringer and Kill for Satan, well, and Wardom but one member lives in Adelaide. These are three bands I like, but anyway my point is... these people need to harden the fuck up and stop paying attention to what other people think! Just because they play in what they call "A metal Band" doesn't instantly mean that Luke, You, myself or any member of the public will like these bands. I don't like bands just because they have distorted guitars and fast drums! It’s way more than just having a "Heavy Sound".Some people think Heavy metal is this big band of brothers and sisters that all happily live together in this big fairy kingdom full of cup cakes and chocolate milk.It’s far from the case! So my comment to that is simply “Get over it.” Besides, Who were the bands saying this?



Wayde:
My thoughts exactly, these people and bands just don’t “get it”! I’m not sure who the bands or people were, as they, like the pussies they are, used the anonymity of the internet to hide their identities!

Now, moving on from such an ugly subject! What is next for Trench Hell and The Coffins Slave? Have you announced any more upcoming shows, merchandise or releases?


Hushy:
What’s the point of complaining if someone doesn't like their band? I mean, what are they going to do? Force feed you until you like it? It’s just stupid.

Well, as I said, I’m just writing to record our Full-Length album "Sadist Strike" We will have new T-shirts and Merch at the Evil invaders show, we might also have a live LP coming out from our European tour. But that depends on some stuff. Everything works pretty slow here. At the moment just rehearsals for Evil Invaders and writing for the album…

With the Coffins Slave, We're about to put the Renegade to Press, New LP stock coming in from, Rotting Christ, Samael, Katatonia, Pentagram, Witchrist, Diocletian, Negative Plane, Hellbringer, and loads more!!! We are also distributers for Brazilian points so we have "Only Death is Real" - Hellhammer/Celtic Frost hardcover MASSIVE book, Hellbent for cooking cook book, with submissions from bands like, Trench Hell, Shackles, Sadistik Exekution, Accept, Mayhem,Judas Priest, Sepultura and so on, and the KILLER Swedish death metal book, going right into the depths of Swedish death metal demos and bands! a really great book!! We also have our stock at the walk in shop at REPRESSED RECORDS in Newtown Sydney 356 King Street, Newtown 2042 (02) 9557 6237 www.thecoffinsslave.com

Wayde:
Exactly, people need to learn how to take a bit of criticism, be it positive OR negative, these days!

Sounds like you're gonna be kept VERY busy over the coming months! It's good to see a distro that keeps things exciting.

Are you, or any other members of Trench Hell involved in any other projects currently? What have the other members done in the past musically, metal or otherwise?

Hushy:
Always very busy mate! Always! haha

I’m in no other bands at the moment, maybe I will be after Evil Invaders, but I will let that evolve as it happens. Iron, our bass player as far as I know has only done Shackles and live member for Ghastly, he also does another thing called Convent Guilt. Maybe they will get around to recording a demo soon? Kel is also the drummer in Kill for Satan, and used to sing in the Canberra death metal band Psychrist. Thats about it, I think… Jarro who drummed on Southern Cross Ripper was in Destroyer 666, Hobbs Angel of Death, Nocturnal Graves and more bands that would fill this page three times over! Hahaha, everyone has always been involved in metal...

Wayde:
I’d like to thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview, as I know you’re a very busy man who barely has time to scratch his own balls! I appreciate it and enjoyed our conversation very much.
Do you have anything else you would like to say to myself or anyone who reads this?


Hushy:
Cheers Wayde,

Anyone who wants to buy some CD or records sift through the shop at www.thecoffinsslave.com band contact can be made via trench_hell@hotmail.com

Bludvera interview.

Bludvera are a five piece band from the UK who play an old-school style of straightforward, no bullshit Thrash Metal in the style of early Slayer and early Kreator. I had a nice lengthy talk with their frontman, Scott.



Wayde:
Mornin' Scott, how are you fairing on this fine day?
Lets get things started with a brief summary of Bludvera's history, for those who don't know anything about you guys yet, if you don't mind?

Scott:
Bludvera are a five piece Thrash Metal band from Liverpool, UK. We played Thrash Metal similar to bands on the German scene like Kreator and Destruction but also take influences from all Thrash Metal styles. We have a bit of everything in us which is great.

Wayde:
Who's in the band? And what would you say are your main influences? I personally hear a lot of Pleasure to Kill and early Destruction in your sound!

Scott:
Right there's Me (Scott) on Vocals, "Patto" and Mike on guitar who both share rhythm and lead duties. They are a major trait in our band as both members are talented as well as being shred guitarists. So it opens us up to pretty much everything and there's no limitations to what we can play really. Lui on Bass and Baz who has just joined us on drumming duties. We have only had two lineup changes and so far (Rhythm Guitarist and a Drummer) they have probably been for the best.

As for what our main influences are they'd have to be; Big Four, Testament, Exodus, Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, Exumer, Artillery and Toxik. Pretty much a wide range but once again we play a combined sound of Bay Area and Teutonic Thrash mainly focusing on the German side of things at the moment but we have fun playing everything.

Wayde:
That's a very interesting mix of influences, it definitely shows in your sound.
What releases do you have out so far? Are there any upcoming releases?

Scott:
We have one demo which is self titled and was not released on a physical format. It's free to download online (myspace/facebook/website) and it's also cool if you send it to your friends too. At the moment we're working on our second release which is definitely a step up in our sound as well as a progression as musicians. Which you'll probably be able to see in the music. I hope everyone enjoys it and we should be in the studio as soon as possible.

Wayde:
Why did you decide to only release the first demo as an online download? Will the next release have a hard copy?

Scott:
Basically the first demo was originally going to be distributed online and there was going to be a pressed version which had a cover of Metallica's Seek & Destroy (which you can listen to now on youtube) but pressing it costed money and when we got around to paying for it they slapped on a load of tax and shipping prices which wasn't in the original offer. So we just released it online. Now we've found/been offered a few distribution deals and when the EP is finally finished then we can make a decision on who has the best offer for it. So yes, it will be distributed on a physical format as well as some (hopefully) awesome artwork.

Wayde:
Excellent! I look forward to snapping up a copy.
Do you see releasing the first demo online as more of a positive thing for the band, as in, was it easier to get your name out there etc. by offering it online for free?


Scott:
Giving it away for free is pretty awesome. We've had people from all over the world get in touch with us and talk to us about how much they enjoyed the first demo. I guess it lets people sample you before they get the real deal. I kind of got inspired from Heavy Metal band Hospital of Death. We played a gig with them a long time a go and also hung out at a festival two years ago and they gave all their music away for free online and people still wanted to buy physical copies.

So my original idea for the demo was to give it away for free and also have physical copies. I don't know what will happen with the next release as someone will be distributing it and wanting to make something out of it but it will end up online eventually anyway...

Wayde:
I think releasing it online was/is a fantastic idea! Especially because every release eventually ends up available for free on the internet regardess.
Have/are you, or any other members of the band been involved with any other projects, metal or otherwise?

Scott:
Nope not really. We like to keep everyone focused on the band but however sometimes me and Patto mess around with ideas and make music of other genre's when we're bored but recently we've given birth to Doofus which is a Crossover band but we're not actually sure if it's going to be real yet. We've written some stuff and have loads of idea for gimmicks, covers and comical lyrics but I seriously don't know if we're going to do it and if we do, do it. It will be a joke, we'll be having fun and if it totally sucks it wouldn't matter anyway because at the end of the day we'd be doing it to get a laugh out of it. But yeah, no other serious side-projects.



Wayde:
So where abouts in the UK are you blokes from? What is the metal scene like there, are there any particular bands we should keep an ear out for?

Scott:
We're from Liverpool just like Carcass and The Beatles and a tone of other cool bands. The Metal scene in Liverpool I guess is pretty weak on the local side but is building up somewhat steadily the best place for Thrash in the North at the moment is Yorkshire. We play there frequently as it's only a 2 hour drive. We've been getting a lot of cool gigs in Liverpool lately (Death/Black/Grind) but at the moment the Thrash scene here is none existant. It consists of SSS (some might not consider them Thrash), us and perhaps another band.

As for keeping a look out for bands I'd have to say... Shrapnel (Norwich), Blood Sweat & Beer, Desolator (upcoming). All UK bands.

Wayde:
Sounds cool, I'll definitely keep my ear out for their names!
Have you got any memorable and/or funny stories and experiences from your career so far that you would like to share?

Scott:
A good story was when we were driving to a show in our van before we got the bus and we stole a park bench to put in the back so that we had somewhere to sit. The van turned really quickly and the bench jerked to the side and completely snapped. Another, we were driving back from playing a gig. Driving home on the motorway going really fast and our old drummer had his back against the double doors on the back of the van and they mustn't of been locked or something and the doors opened and he nearly fell out, we were all screaming and we grabbed him quickly and closed the doors. Pretty fucked up. That happened again a few months later, except this time a guitar head flew out the back of the van and broke. That sucked and that is why we padlocked the back doors closed but our new bus rules.

Wayde:
Whoa, that's some pretty intense yet funny stuff!
I understand that Bludvera has recently been opening up for some "bigger" bands, including but not limited to, Evile. Who else have you opened up for? What has the experience been like?

Scott:
This year we've had some pretty awesome experiences. Supported Evile thanks to Metal Hammer magazine and everybody who voted for us which made it a reality. Recently we've supported Bonded by Blood and Lazarus AD which again was just amazing and in a few months we've got Gama Bomb coming up. Last year we only got to support SSS, so this year's a progress already. I see new school bands in USA supporting way bigger names but those opportunities are very limited in the UK. As a pro though, our country is smaller meaning touring is a lot easier and playing more shows is easier too. That's pretty much what the scene's like. Being able to gig more but lacking the bigger opportunities.



Wayde:
So what is next for Bludvera? It seems that the world is at your feet right now, will there be any tours or festivals? What about merchandise and future plans for releases aside from the upcoming second demo?

Scott:
Next is we keep writing and try and move things a lot quicker. We seem to be the slowest band on this planet but yeah, we'll continue playing gigs around the UK. Once the next release is out we will obviously have some more T-Shirts printed and perhaps some more idea's for merchandise. Really thinking about giving away patches with the CD. Vinyl and Cassette are formats I've always liked so perhaps I will try and release our releases onto different formats for collectors. I'm just being crazy now.

We're in a competition similar to a battle of the bands. We don't normally do that kind of stuff but this one gives us a shot at Bloodstock Open Air Festival. Playing the same festival as Exodus, Kreator and Coroner would really be a dream but when there's dreams there's also reality. If we win our heat next Tuesday we go through to one of two semi-finals but if we don't then it's just better luck next year. We come back twice as strong and try and win it or finish higher than we did this year.

We'll keep writing music, keep enjoying what we do and playing as many shows in as many places as we possibly can.

As for future releases after the next release, who knows?

Wayde:
Looks like you're gonna be busy!
I would like to thank you for taking the time to do this interview, it's been a long time coming to get some Bluvera coverage on this site!
Any final words for myself or the readers?

Scott:
Keep listening to us and supporting us. Hopefully we'll play somewhere near you soon!

Thanks.