Archive for the ‘Frontpage Feature’ Category

Well, another year. Another late year rush to get staff picks together, which is a lot like herding cats. Another year of rotating staff members. Another year of departed metal icons. But despite of all that, another year of seemingly endless awesome metal. Its seems like each year is always better than the last with a mix of old acts returning, newcomers bringing the thunder and of course the perennials and old reliables. Sit back and feast your eyes on this years cream of the crop according to the staff here at Teethofthedivine.com. And of course feel free discuss, dissect and discredit, but more importantly tell us your picks, good and bad of 2011.

Listen, do we really need another interview with Glen Benton ranting about how much he hates Christians as well as his ex-wife? Or Trey Azagthoth calling out fans that don’t like his music as fake fans? Well, how about a (first) interview with an independent, local (at least to me) artist who has released 5 albums in 2011 alone? A young man I decided to meet up with while on a business trip in his neck of the woods and interview him after hearing a number of his albums and being impressed by them. That man is Adam Kalmbach, the lone spirit behind Jute Gyte. And when I met Adam I was a little shocked when you consider the nasty and abrasive nature of albums like Old Ways, Verstiegenheit and his latest effort, Impermanance. Well, spoken, intelligent, unassuming and critically knowledgeable about music, I should be glad the racket he produces is so vitriolic as this Jekyll and Hyde effect would be a terrible thing if it manifested itself outside of his music. A one man black metal act that has Burzum, Leviathan and Xasthur level potential that you all should get to know… please meet Adan Kalmbach AKA Jute Gyte.

From Blabbermouth.net: David Gold, a founding member of the Ontario, Canada-based black and doom metal band WOODS OF YPRES, was killed last night (Thursday, December 22) in an accident near Barrie, Ontario. He was 31 years old. A memorial service is tentatively scheduled to be held in Gold‘s hometown of Sault Ste. Marie on December […]

With so many deathcore, melodic death metal and old school death metal bands releasing new records recently, it makes listening to a new, normal, straight-up extreme death metal record refreshing—which usually isn’t the case. Amidst the soulful and lush tunes of acts like Arch Enemy and Insomnium, the brutal breakdowns of Suicide Silence and All Shall Perish, and the traditional onslaughts of Vader and Decapitated, hearing some crushing and no-frills-yet-modern-sounding death metal from Swe—melo-death—den is truly surprising.Introducing: As You Drown. This death metal quintet may still be wet behind the ears, but they sure play fast and hard like Behemoth—minus the blasphemous lyrical theme, elaborate costumes and occasional illegal stage antics of course. As with many other bands, As You Drown don’t just look up to Behemoth. They worship the traditional death metal veterans as well (as you will see later on in this interview).It’s no wonder then that their music is a face-flaying aural concoction of mini-gun drumming, killer riffs and pissed off vokills. In my first feature for this site, I spoke with frontman Henrik Blomqvist to find out more about their latest giant-rodent-themed record, their tour experiences with legendary bands, and Ikea meatballs among other things.

New Jersey’s Symphony X have been churning out album after album of top-quality neoclassical prog metal for almost two decades. 2011’s Iconoclast, which takes on a heavier, grinding-gears mechanized theme, still sees Symphony X at the tip-top of their game. Guitar virtuoso Michael Romeo spoke to Teeth of the Divine recently about his role in constructing and molding the band’s most solid album to date.

Christmas (or other non denominational festival) is early here at Teeth of the Divine and playing the role of old Saint Nick is Germany’s own FDA Rekotz — home to the likes of German legends Blood and DEAD, as well as releasing the debut from Entrails. Through our divine holiday spirit, the label is offering 18, yes, 18 CDs to 3 lucky readers.

Having the utmost respect for what guitarist, keyboardist, and composer Nicolas van Dyk has done with Redemption since debuting with 2003’s self-titled album (followed by knocking one out of the prog metal park with 2005’s The Fullness of Time) and deep gratitude for what the music has meant to me personally, it was with great sadness that I heard the news of his cancer diagnoses a few years ago. At the time, the rare from form of blood cancer with which Nick had been diagnosed was said to be incurable. Fast forward to 2011 and Nick is a man renewed, having faced down his disease and for all intents and purposes conquered it with the help of a doctor in Bart Barlogie that took conventional wisdom and flushed it down the toilet. Van Dyk took the experience of that fierce, emotionally-draining fight and channeled it into his most powerful set of lyrics to go with what may be Redemption’s most aggressive and deeply emotional musical effort to date in This Mortal Coil. At once metaphorical and introspective, This Mortal Coil is musically complex and undeniably heavy, yet as melodically accessible as anything the group has ever released.

When it comes down to the new Megadeth album TH1RT3EN, there’s one thing people can agree on: At least it’s not ‘Lulu’. Click on to read our review of Mega Dave’s latest opus.

We here at Teeth of the Divine (dot com) love giving people stuff. Especially if its someone else’s stuff. Or Herpes. So, those fine folks and Listenable Records and Clawhammer PR have been kind enough to donate eight (8) CDs to two lucky winners. What CDs you ask? Well how about the latest albums from Listenable artists Sarah Jezebel Deva, Tornado, Tormented and Serpentcult??? Let’s rock’n’roll!

According to blabbermouth.net, veteran Swedish death metallers Dismember have called it a day in a statement issued by bassist Tobias Cristiansson; “After 23 years, DISMEMBER have now decided to quit. We wish to thank all our fans for your support.” Dismember, one of the founding fathers of the Swedish death metal scene, have been one […]

APMD (All Pigs Must Die) is a band committed to uncompromising sonic warfare. Its sound and lyrics assault the listener in a fury of blackened death filled anthems.” Yep, I lifted that straight from the band’s Facebook page, thinking it a perfectly apt description of the aural terror inflicted upon the listener by All Pigs Must Die. One of a growing number of bands that blend gnarly death, d-beaten crust, and vicious hardcore in a way that is somehow fresh and exciting, APMD swoops in like an elite commando unit, executing its mission with deadly efficiency, leaving as quickly as they arrived, and with not a soul left alive in its wake. That’s what is in store for you with each and every spin of Southern Lord full-length debut God is War. Featuring members of Bloodhorse, The Hope Conspiracy, and Converge, this is one band does not – in the most direct way I can put it – fuck around. Adam Wentworth provides the debriefing.

What’s this? A new giveaway? That’s right, folks and what a giveaway it is! We’ve got no other than one of rock and roll’s legends and shock rock originators on board: Mr. ALICE COOPER! The man of horror has just released his latest album ‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’ and to celebrate the occasion—and the fact that it’s a great record—we’re giving away two copies of the album on CD format. But that’s not all as one of the copies is signed by Alice Cooper! So come on up and take part in Teeth of the Divine’s ALICE COOPER horror madness!

With album number 3, Maledictus Eris, Denmark’s Svartsot have continued their consistent enjoyable take on folk laced death metal. However, rather than frolicking synths and fruity jigs, Svartsot deliver folk metal with a bearded, burly presence that’s as much Amon Amarth than anything else. But what makes the consistency surprising is the band turn over and the fact that guitarist Cris Frederiksen is the only remaining member from the debut, Ravenes Saga. So I visited with Cris to get a little more insight in the band’s new line-up, as well as some details on the new album.

This year Tuska Open Air was relocated from the middle of Helsinki to a new location. Just a five minute ride away to former energy hub, Suvilahti. The scenery had shifted from a dusty city park to pure industrial concrete jungle. With scorching heat and some 30,000 metalheads crammed together, Tuska Open Air’s three-day metallic meal, headlined by Morbid Angel, Devin Townsend and Amon Amarth, could’ve been the onset of the apocalypse. Was it?

Goddammit! Yeah, the summer vacation is over and it’s time to return back to the routines; work, natural disasters, war, famine and whatever else plagues y/our mundane lives from 9 to 5. Luckily for you, Underworld Records have hooked us to provide you with an opportunity to make your fall play out on with a positive note: Three bands. Six CDs. Two lucky winners. We’ve got SLIME IN THE CURRENT, we’ve got KILLGASM and we’ve got EXCOMMUNICATED CDs ready to go.

I’m thinking this is the third interview I’ve done with Billy Nocera of Razorback records over a time span of what must be approaching 10 years, maybe eight. Heck, I don’t remember precisely, but I know that up until now I hadn’t interviewed him for Teeth of the Divine. Given some changes in Billy’s life on both the domestic and label fronts, it seemed a good time to check in with this long-time lurker of the underground. In this installment of the, uh, Razorback interview series Billy talks about the label’s doomier end, his marriage to Vanessa and their relocation to Kentucky, the world of underground distribution, and various other Boar-ing topics. If you’ve any interest in acts like Wooden Stake, Fester, Crypticus, Hooded Menace, Mausoleum, Church of Misery, Coffins, Blizaro, Revolting, Scaremaker, Mausoleum, Decrepitaph, and Fondlecorpse (to name a handful), then you should probably take the plunge and read on. Have horror will travel. Can you dig it? The grave I mean.

One of those “old and forgotten Eastern European jewels“ that I Hate Records has been mining as of late, the rediscovered, repackaged, and reissued Let Draka/Flight of the Dragon from the Czech Republic’s Drakar nearly defies classication. Progressive thrash? Sort of. Quirky metal? You’ve just gotten in warmer. Creative music? Let’s go with that one. Vocalist/guitarist, founder, and visionary Ivan Sekyra takes us back to beginning, moves us through the middle, fast forwards to 2011 and tells the tale of a small Swedish label reissuing a little known album – in two-disc format for English and Czech speakers alike – from a killer cult Czech band . Read on; you just might learn something.

That ominous rumble you’re hearing in the distance is not a thunderstorm forming somewhere in the east. It’s the sound of CIANIDE’s Gods of Death moving steadily toward you. If you’re a friend, chances are you’ll survive the arrival. Foe? Forget about it; assume the position and starting kissing your ass goodbye. The long-running Chicago outfit has been leaving bruises and abrasions with every release unleashed, but the ugly death marches and rotten speed-kills of Gods of Death (Hells Headbangers) will in all likelihood be the one to inflict the most damage on unsuspecting listeners, in some cases lethally. Vocalist/bassist Mike Perum offers some pointers that will help you prepare for the impending carnage. Pay attention; your life depends on it.

Bassist/vocalist Jon Necromancer, drummer Joe Warlord, and guitarist Carcass Chris are veterans of the Chicago metal scene who knew exactly what they wanted to do when the self-titled debut from Bones was recorded. Screw pretension, fuck marathon studio sessions, and to hell with anything that isn’t made from a vocal, a bass line, a guitar riff, and drum beat. A power trio on multiple levels Bones brings it hard from note one, grooves it up, breaks it down to its bare essence, and kicks a ridiculous amount of ass in the process. Since all are ex-members of defunct Chicago legends Usurper, vagaries of that sound are present. But even more prominent is a bludgeoning, raw, and righteously rockin’ vibe that fuses the styles of bands like Master, Venom, and vintage-era Motorhead in a way that is 100 percent Bones. Jon Necromancer breaks it down even further for us. [DISCLAIMER: This interview, as well as the album review, was written before Bones became a client of ClawHammer PR, so don’t think for a moment that there is some insidious connection between the two.]

Color me blown away, bowled over, and knocked flat on my back by Running out of Daylight, the sophomore album from international metal outfit The Living Fields! Chicago-based, but inclusive of a vocalist in Jonathan Higgs (Monsterworks) that lives in London (and who has never met the other members) and a Canadian drummer (Chad Walls) that’s done time in death dealers Lecherous Nocturne and Brodequin (among others), the story of this band of brilliants is as interesting as the music is ridiculously good. Guitarist/bassist/composer Jason Muxlow (Earthen Grave) is the ring leader and the newest TLF Syndicate member is guitarist Samu Rahn. Progressive doom is the workable description, provided you realize that it there is more at work here. Masterful incorporation of strings (violins, cello, etc), epic arrangements, memorable melodies, tons of riff crunch, and the impacting versatility of Higgs’ vocals begins to tell the full story. You just need to buy the damn thing; that is, if you’re at all interested in owning one of the best metal albums of 2011. Perhaps the view from native New Zealander and London resident Higgs will paint you a clearer picture.

Looking at the SAUNA OPEN AIR line-up is like taking a DeLorean for a spin; it’s a rad time machine back to the ‘80s. Or what else would you call a festival that gathers acts like Accept, Ozzy, Saxon, Doro, Helloween and Judas Priest together? Whatever it is, SAUNA OPEN AIR’s metalgrounds were filled with prowling headbangers―old and relatively young―craving for pure Heavy Metal.

It has been nearly two weeks since returning home from Hellfest and I am still trying to wrap my mind around everything I experienced in just a few short days. Such an amazing whirlwind of music,places and most importantly, all the fantastic people we met from all over the globe! The combination of all these things made for a trip that we will never forget. For the majority of the planet, taking a seven hour plane ride, fifteen hour bus ride and venturing into a completely foreign world, where you speak absolutely zilch of the spoken language, may seem like a disaster in the making,but when you are crammed on said bus with fifty other stark-raving mad metal maniacs, it didn’t seem nearly as preposterous! Add to that the thoughts of the endless streams of the glorious music that awaited us in the remote town of Clisson, France and all in attendance were giggling like goons.

With the release of their third album, Scotland’s Alestorm have not only continued with the metallic shanties about all things Pirate-y, but they’ve upped the ante of their scope and grandiosity. As Black Sails at Midnight Improved upon Captain Morgan’s Revenge, so has Back Through Time also improved; bigger, more raucous fun and more metal, Back Through Time shows Alestorm as consistent as any folk act in the scene today. Oh and you want epic? How about Vikings battling Pirates (“Back Through Time”) and the return of the mighty Leviathan in an eight minute black metal styled track (“Death Throes of the Terror Squid”)? I visited with scallywag Chris Bowes to find out even more about one of my very favorite current bands and one of my favorite albums of 2011.

Roger “Rogga” Johansson (Bone Gnawer, Demiurg, The Grotesquery, Ribspreader, Paganizer, etc) is at it again! The multi-instrumentalist, composer, death metal warrior, and affable Swede, is pleased as punch with In Grisly Rapture, the excellent new album of catchy, horror-choked death metal from the Revolting trio. And he damn well should be! Everything from the music to the lyrics to the artwork is first rate and will surely end up one of my favorite death metal albums of 2011. Rogga breaks it down for us.

A stalwart of the Chicago doom/death metal scene for over a decade, Novembers Doom raised some eyebrows with their last 2 albums; 2007s The Novella Reservoir and 2009s Into Nights Infernal Requiem. The band injected more pure and aggressive death metal into their melancholy laced sound, with surprisingly brutal results. However with their latest release, Aphotic, the band appears to have returned to their doomier, sadder and more tempered releases of their first 5 albums. So while casually Facebook chatting with Novembers Doom drummer and fellow metalreview.com writer Sasha Horn a full fledged interview sort of evolved. And here is the subsequent impromptu result….