Maryland Deathfest 2016 Announces Venom, Samael, Exciter and The Haunted

Posted on June 26, 2015 by News Team

In a post to Facebook today Maryland Deathfest announced their first 30 bands for the 2016 event, taking place from May 26-29^th, once again held at the Edison Lot, Rams Head Live, Baltimore Soundstage. Among the notable first wave of bands announced are Venom, Samael, Exciter, The Haunted, Hail of Bullets, Mitochondrian, Disgourge, Desrtoyer 666, Saturnalia Temple, Grusome, Jungle Rot, Sinister, Severe Tourture, Wormed and many more. Samel will be playing a special Ceremony of Opposites set.

From Facebook

Here we go again!

MDF XIV
MDF 26-29, 2016
Edison Lot, Rams Head Live, Baltimore Soundstage

30 bands confirmed for MDF XIV:

Auroch (Canada)
Bongripper
Bongzilla
Denouncement Pyre (Australia)
Deströyer 666
Disgorge
Exciter
Gruesome
Haemorrhage (Spain)
Hail of Bullets (Netherlands)
The Haunted (Sweden)
Jungle Rot
Khold (Norway)
Lord Belial (Sweden)
Malignant Tumour (Czech Republic)
Mitochondrion (Canada)
Nocturnal Graves (Australia)
Phobocosm (Canada)
Putrid Pile
Samael (Switzerland) – “Ceremony of Opposites” set
Saturnalia Temple (Sweden)
Severe Torture (Netherlands)
Sinister (Netherlands)
Svartidauði (Iceland)
Svarttjern (Norway)
Thulcandra (Germany)
Tulus (Norway)
Venom (UK)
Visceral Disgorge
Wormed (Spain)

Here we go again!MDF XIV, MDF 26-29, 2016 Edison Lot, Rams Head Live, Baltimore Soundstage 30 bands confirmed for MDF…

Posted by Maryland Deathfest on Friday, June 26, 2015

A limited amount of 4 Day passes will be on sale at 12 Noon EST until they sell out. Tickets can be bought at this link:

Fortarock: Part II Live at Nijmegen, NL

Posted on June 11, 2015 by News Team

Crowd at Fortarock, photo by Susanne A. Maathuis

Exodus, photo by Susanne A. Maathuis

Exodus are known for their fast paced and high energy live shows, and this was no exception. The musical equivalent of a kick in the teeth and a moshpit that left many bruised and battered finally give the bloodthirsty thrash fans in the audience what they were thirsty for all day. And while the summer sun-scorched the pit and the aggressive assault of sound infected the crowd, singer Steve Souza reminds them that while he loves the violence, pick one another up.

Lamb of God, photo by Susanne A. Maathuis

Lamb of God are known to be utterly brutal, a reputation they keep on this warm June day in Nijmegen. They’re also an experienced and excellent festival band, pulling crowd from all over the fest. The shops and stalls at the other side of the field are pretty much deserted as the band take the stage and fling their groove metal into the sweltering sun. The heat really picked up, leading vocalist Randy Blythe to douse his head in water several times, but didn’t deter the high energy show the band gives. Blythe also made a small comment about pit etiquette, reminding the whirling crowd we’re all in this together. All in all an excellent and thunderous performance.

Clutch, photo by Susanne A. Maathuis

Now it’s time, I finally get to see Clutch live. After cancelling part of their summer tour last year, the American stoner-rock band finally visit our continent again. And boy do they deliver. All of them are incredible musicians, and the crisp quality of the soundmix is incredible for an outdoor fest. They get a metal crowd to shake some booty to their bluesy, groovy psychedelic rock with Zappa-esque lyrics. And while most of the band has little stage presence, the focus pulled by their excellent front man, Neil Fallon, means they’re interesting and fun to watch, if you’re not to busy getting your groove on to the excellent timing and swung of the drummer, Jean-Paul Gaster.

Epica, photo by Susanne A. Maathuis

After a quick bite to eat of one of the many stands that little the festival terrain, we head over to the main stage to see Epica. They honor their name by the stage setup they tote out and definitely know how to rock the pyro. Add to that the excellent vocal condition Simone Simmons is in today (something that can sometimes be a bit of an issue with the band) and the incredibly tight and larger than life show, this is an excellent show. It’s also good to see every member of the band getting involved in cheering the crowd on, who lap up the hand gestures and clapping that even their keyboard player joins in with. It’s small wonder they got awarded an export award a day prior for selling most records outside of our own small speck on the map.

Venom, photo by Susanne A. Maathuis

You don’t go to a Venom gig to hear excellent musicianship. You go for the show. Pyro, insanity and a hell of a lot of energy, even some good musicianship from guitars and drums, however the bass is all over the place. Does this matter? Hell no! Venom is about frothing at the mouth and gleefully smashing your first into someone’s face, who then grins at you and returns the favor. Oh and fire! Though it seems vocalist and bassist Chronos had forgotten about the timing of the pyro, and set his own hair on fire briefly, but even that cannot stop this juggernaut of a band as the violent fun must always continue!

Slipknot, photo by Susanne A. Maathuis

As dusk sets in and the last golden rays of sunlight hit the main stage, Slipknot get their show on the road. This is a whole different league to anything we’ve seen today, with flying and turning mini-stages for the percussionists, the masks, extra lights, and more. And what about the music you ask? You can love or hate Slipknot, but they are all good musicians, with an incredibly eye for detail and showmanship, that doesn’t in any way strip away from the musical quality of the show. The switches between clean vocals and grunts by front man Corey Taylor are tight and impressive and for an hour and a half the band has the entire grounds captivated. This is much more than a gig, this is a music based circus act, that brings you up and down whenever the band feels like it. A fitting end to an excellent day of this reputable fest.

Slipknot, photo by Susanne A. Maathuis

Slightly sun-burned and quite satisfied the visitors and me leave the festival grounds to the buses, on our trek home. Fortarock, we thank you.

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WORDS AND PHOTO BY SUSANNE A. MAATHUIS

Bullet For My Valentine Shoot New Video, Venom Due This August

Posted on June 7, 2015 by News Team

In a post to their Instagram account, Welsh neo-thrashers Bullet For My Valentine shared a photo from a high-production shoot for a new music video, possibly ‘No Way Out’. The bands’ new album Venom (RCA Records) is due on August 14^th.

After an exhausting day shooting a new music video yesterday we’re back in the studio hard at it rehearing for radio 1s day of rock next week. No rest for the wicked. #bfmv5 #Venom #NoWayOut

A photo posted by Bullet For My Valentine (@bfmvofficial) on Jun 6, 2015 at 11:40am PDT

Satan’s Wrath – Die Evil

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Steve Tovey

Say the words ‘black/thrash’ and the images are instant; bullet belts, leather, re-heated Venom riffs and a slightly worrying pre-occupation with witches, necrophilia, the devil and his merry pals. Greece’s Satan’s Wrath is no exception. They heartily embrace all the clichés of this dirty genre and probably view musical progression like an invitation to a Christian poetry reading. However, they are blessed (by Satan, naturally) with a fiendish musical talent and with third album Die Evil (Metal Blade) have pretty much recorded an unofficial soundtrack to Hammer Horror classic The Devil Rides Out if it were ever to be re-made with Fenriz as the director.

Led by former Electric Wizard bassist Tas Danazoglou, a man with more facial tattoos than Britain has Lib Dem MP’s, Satan’s Wrath, as previously mentioned, deal in serrated blackened thrash riffs that race along like bats out of hell, gruff, barked vocals aided by a liberal dose of reverb, and the belief that metal became irrelevant when more than a dozen people became aware of Bulldozer’s existence. However, they have cast their yellow eyes a few years further back than the mid 80s as demonstrated by the strong NWOBHM influence captured throughout Die Evil, ensuring things don’t get too one dimensional. This is best demonstrated on ‘Coffinlust’, which shamelessly recycles the riff to ‘Two Minutes to Midnight’. Of course, it’s catchier than the common cold.

Whether it’s the frequent over-the-top guitar solos that erupt like grasping hands from a shallow grave, the rampant, galloping riffs on the likes of ‘Raised on Sabbaths’ and ‘Satanic War’ that defy you not to headbang and claw the air like a 14 year old kid who’s just discovered Slayer, or the goofy, trashy horror vibes that just don’t stop being old, Satan’s Wrath may be a one trick pony, but they’re one that gives one hell of a kick. Forget progress, just stick on Die Evil and submit to Satan. It’s the only way.

8.0/10

Satan’s Wrath on Facebook

JAMES CONWAY

Sigh – Graveward

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Steve Tovey

At this point, what do you really have to say about Sigh? After being approached in 1990 by Euronymous to be the only Japanese band on his Deathlike Silences Productions label, they proceeded to spend twenty five years releasing experimental, varied, frequently genuinely eccentric albums that have now spelled out their name almost three times. With the exception of 2005’s Gallows Gallery (Candlelight) – which they’ve since admitted wasn’t really recorded with banned WWII sonic weaponry – “Black Metal” in some form has always been part of their sound, but the exact style has often changed wildly between albums.

This time around, the guiding theme seems to be a combination of rawness, progressiveness and symphonic majesty that calls to mind Venom playing Yes songs with Bal-Sagoth’s keyboardist, and works an awful lot better than you might be expecting from that description. The core of the album is a raw, savage but rocking “Black” Metal built on simple catchy riffs and Mirai’s always recognisable acid rasp, but one of the things that makes Sigh so successful is that they don’t simply litter their Metal core with extraneous garnish as so many of their “experimental” peers are content to do. Electronics, progressive and symphonic arrangements and even Pop song-writing is woven meaningfully into the tracks, creating an album which is both sinisterly understated and gloriously savage. In the context of their previous albums, the best comparison would be the band from Scorn Defeat (DSP) playing the songs from Gallows Gallery, but once again they have created something new.

I suspect that this review is largely unnecessary – by this point most listeners have already decided whether Sigh are any of their business or not, and if they are you’ll be listening to this album whatever I say. If you’ve somehow managed to avoid them until now, however, Graveward (Candlelight) is a strong, distinctive album with its own character and some genuinely excellent songwriting and works well as both an introduction to one of the most genuinely interesting metal bands of the last twenty years and an album in its own right.

8.0/10

Sigh on Facebook

RICHIE HR

Unrest – Grindcore

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Steve Tovey

There is a certain confidence to naming your album after an entire style of music, particularly if the band are playing an already well-established genre. Taking the same tactic as Venom did with Black Metal (Neat) over 20 years ago, Unrest emerge onto the market with their debut album Grindcore (Unspeakable Axe). While Venom may have been appearing during the first wave of black metal, more influential to the genre than being a part of what black metal itself became, Unrest plant their music unquestionably in the realms of grind.

With the band containing members of Woe, TrenchRot and Crypt Sermon, the Philadelphia trio are already boasting some serious pedigree. 9 years in the making, Grindcore frantically charges through 26 minutes of chaotic guitars and duel vocal lines to produce a polished tribute to masters of the genre, Nasum. Despite the bands obvious shared love, Grindcore offers memorable tracks including the ceaseless vocals in ‘Protest Culture’, while ‘Inaction’ is stomping aggression, alongside the raw simplicity of the opening bass riff to ‘Nothing (That’s All You Have To Give)’.

While taking such a bold stance on their album name, Unrest risked seeming arrogant if they hadn’t pulled off their sound. While there are elements of Nasum’s formula streaking across the album, there is a healthy dose of other elements thrown in to give this release some serious punch in its own right. Grindcore might not be the defining album that Black Metal was, but any serious grind fan should still give this album the chance to take a solid boot to their eardrums.

7.0/10

Unrest on Facebook

CAITLIN SMITH

Venom – From The Very Depths

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Steve Tovey

From The Very Depths (Spinefarm), the fourteenth entry in the Venom canon, sees Cronos and company delving into the roots of underground punk and heavy metal, resulting in some satisfyingly atavistic blasts of noise. No squeaky clean production values are present to water down or blight the impact of the crunchy thrash riffage and relentless aggression present here.

Cronos’ spiteful delivery on ‘Temptation’ exemplifies what Venom have always been about; a gritty, go for the throat approach which requires little deviation from their original blueprint of crust covered heavy metal. ‘The Death Of Rock N’ Roll’ sounds like recent Darkthrone covering Mötorhead and with only one number on the album exceeding the five minute mark, things are kept nice and concise, as is the rough-shot blast of first single ‘Long Haired Punks’. The tongue in cheek old school hokum may not work for actual black metal fans but these japing Geordies were never ‘grim’ or ‘kvlt’ to begin with; luckily Cronos appears aware of the ridiculousness of his lyrics as he barks on the former “Line up the Marshall stacks! We’re killing King Creole!” while axeman Rage churns out some pumping speed metal riffage. ‘Evil Law’ rides a crushing mid-paced ostinato but overt repetition certainly kills its momentum, and the wah injected ‘Smoke’ is a questionable entry.

At fourteen tracks, this opus feels fleshed out in places with the elaborate intros of ‘Eruptus’ and ‘Ouverture’ adding nothing to proceedings, but luckily the album adopts a ‘play it straight’ ethos and is, for the most part, shorn of the modern influences or ham-fisted experimentation which has made their recent outings rather ponderous.

Creating menacing vicious heavy metal is what Venom is about and any deviation from this simple formula feels unnatural and forced. All the elements of the bands classic sound has been recalled in what may be the current line up’s finest work since the late nineties, although if you are looking for material of a quality akin to Black Metal or Welcome To Hell (Neat) then you will be found wanting.

A decent, if unspectacular, entry that preaches to the converted.

7.0/10

Venom on Facebook

ROSS BAKER

Under the Surface – Underground Bands Spotlight

Posted on December 24, 2014 by News Team

This month’s Under the Surface has us travelling from our friends in the great north, Canada to the comfortable confines of Boston all the way down to North Carolina and finally making our last stop across the world in New Zealand. This of course is all in the pursuit of the latest and greatest in unsigned or undiscovered metal music.

We begin with one man wrecking crew Justin Chorley and his latest musical endeavor, Hirsute. Still Waiting is melodic doom metal of the highest order. It’s a bit baffling that there can be an act of this caliber that hasn’t already been nabbed by Relapse or Southern Lord. And this isn’t just fanboy hyperbole. Chorley singlehandedly may have brewed up the depressing lovechild of Opeth and Paradise Lost. Not unlike Deafheaven’s Sunbather, the key to Still Waiting is how it casts light and shade. In order to really appreciate the storm and soul-crushing riffs you need the quiet, introspective moments of songs like ‘Sang the Bird from its Cage’ and the title-track. But don’t take my word for it. Find Hirsute on bandcamp and see for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

9/10

Hirsute on Bandcamp

From one man’s metallic vision we move to another’s in Pyramids on Mars. The instrumental brainchild of Hamilton Ontario’s Kevin Estrella, Pyramids on Mars focuses more on melodies and very clean/technical guitar passages. With no singing and drums only there to keep time, Estrella’s shredding is truly the marquee event here. When he shreds, he shreds. It’s the stuff that the John Petrucci hideous t-shirt crowd loves as evidenced on ‘Descending Saturn.’ But when we don’t have an abundance of fancy fret work and are only left with the thin sounding programmed drums and synths that’s when Pyramids on Mars starts to lose momentum. Come for Estrella’s axe skills, but he’s yet to find a reason for you to stay.

5/10

Pyramids on Mars on iTunes

Following the more progressive metal route are Boston’s own, Chronologist. In the wake of Periphery and djent fever sweeping across all local markets it’s beyond gratifying and exciting to hear a new collective that isn’t just aping Meshuggah palm-muting and calling themselves “progressive” like every other band at the Palladium these days. It’s unclear if Chronologist will continue to move forward without a vocalist, but it’s working for them. Songs like ‘Bazooka’ and ‘San Juan’ have enough dynamics and intricate guitar work that it eliminates the need for singing. Going instrumental is something even more established prog-metal acts should consider (looking at you Dream Theater). To be around for barely over a year and have an instrumental Demo be better than most of your peer’s LPs is a strong start. Keep up the fine work, gentlemen.

8/10

Chronologist on Bandcamp

All Hell’s The Devil’s Work is the kind of LP that sounds like it was released 30 years ago, conceived after many brews and bong rips. Down to the production and riffs, it’s an album that reeks of Venom and Hellhammer, yet it’s a power trio from Asheville, North Carolina. If you have a fine appreciation for early 80s metal particularly the darker side of the British Wave of Heavy Metal you can have some fun with The Devil’s Work. When it finds its pace it alternates between Show No Mercy and Orgasmatron. Which is awesome but when it teeters off it has a hard time figuring out if it’s an homage or if it’s just dated. Especially since today there are many young bands like Skeletonwitch and Toxic Holocaust who balance an old-school sound without sounding rehashed. Here for every rager like ‘The Reaper’s Touch’ you have to deal with a dud like ‘Firewalker.’ Dang shame that it’s inconsistent, but there’s enough thrash on The Devil’s Work to warrant still wearing your bullet belt.

7/10

All Hell on Bandcamp

Lastly we have the new 7” Burn the Witch EP from Southern California’s enigmatic Son of Man. Since they refuse to play shows the only thing we can really determine based on their limited output is that they are angry and also have appear to have an affinity for metallic hardcore. Unlike All Hell, Son of Man is balancing some tried and tested genres (thrash, hardcore, doom) without sounding like you’ve heard it before. It hammers its point home quickly in similar fashion to Black Breath and leaves you wanting more. Actually it would have been nice if this was a proper LP with even more pummeling and properly timed breakdowns.

8/10

Son of Man on the web

HANSEL LOPEZ

Soulburn – The Suffocating Darkness

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Steve Tovey

While anyone with a passing interest in Death Metal will most likely own a copy of Asphyx’s 1991 classic debut album The Rack only the most devoted of fans will have kept track of the various break-ups and splits the band has endured since then. For the uninitiated, Soulburn were formed by ex-Asphyx alumni Bob Bagchus and Eric Daniels in 1997 along with Pentacle singer Wanns Gubbels to record Feeding on Angels after their parent band disbanded. Rebranding themselves as Asphyx didn’t prevent them from splitting again in 2000. Reuniting again last year, the latest incarnation of the band have decided to once again indulge their love for Bathory and Venom along with old school Doom and Death Metal. Thankfully their long awaited sophomore record The Suffocating Darkness (all Century Media) is worth the wait.

After a cheesy faux-Satanic intro, the grim, mid-paced riffing of ‘Under the Rise of a Red Moon’ and ‘The Mirror Void’ are suitably diabolic reminders that the members know how to wield power with atmosphere, with the thrashy breakout of the latter especially raising the hackles with its primal energy. With a variety of styles competing for attention and the members seemingly unbothered over which camp to pitch their tent in, we are left with a set of thoroughly enjoyable metal workouts that should raise the horns from fans of all the aforementioned genres. The guitar tone in particular is dense and all-consuming, giving the likes of black/death hybrid ‘Hymn of the Forsaken II’ a menacing feel while the drawn-out, apocalyptic horror of ‘I Do Not Bleed From Your Crown of Thorns’ is Doom/Death at its most crushing.

Given the history of the band, it doesn’t take a cynic to wonder how long Soulburn will be around. But if the strength of the material on The Suffocating Darkness is an indication of things to come, it would be wise to keep an eye on these Dutch masters.

7.5/10

Soulburn on Facebook

JAMES CONWAY

Venom Performing On 70000 Tons Of Metal Cruise

Posted on November 28, 2014 by newsteam

Veteran UK Metal Icons Venom have confirmed their slot on the upcoming 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise, on its voyage from Florida to Jamaica in January 2015. They will play two sets on board, as one will focus on greatest hits and the other will be an Exclusive Live World Premiere of their forthcoming new album From the Very Depths.

VENOM will join the 60 band roster of 70000TONS OF METAL 2015,
including Alestorm, Amorphis, Annihilator, Apocalyptica, Arch Enemy,
Artillery, Behemoth, Blind Guardian, Cannibal Corpse, Crucified
Barbara, D.A.D., Einherjer, Ensiferum, Equilibrium, God Dethroned,
Grave Digger, Heathen, In Extremo, Kataklysm, Korpiklaani, Lake Of
Tears, Michael Schenker’s Temple Of Rock, Municipal Waste, Napalm
Death, Origin, Primal Fear, Tank, Therion, Threshold, Triosphere and
Xentrix.

70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal
Cruise, will sail Thursday, January 22, 2015 aboard the Royal
Caribbean “Liberty Of The Seas” from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to
Ocho Rios, Jamaica and will not return you to the real world until
Monday, January 26, 2015.

There are very few tickets remaining, prices start at US$666 plus
US$333 taxes and fees per person and include all on-board
entertainment, non-alcoholic and non-carbonated beverages, all meals
in the dining rooms, most on-board restaurants and even 24 room
service!

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