Interview With Brandon Mitchell (Swallowed By Apathy) 2

Just a few months ago Brandon Mitchell had moved away and left Swallowed By Apathy behind. The other member (Kevin) credited for writing on Dysgenesis picked up the pieces after Brandon left and was going to continue the project. Just days ago things took a sudden turn when Brandon decided to take the band name back and sever his involvement with Kevin. In this interview we get Brandon's side of the story and get some new info on what is to come in the near future from Swallowed By Apathy.

Foul Feast: There seems to be a disagreement in terms of how much input Kevin had in the writing process of Dysgenesis. Give us your side of the story.

Mitchell: It's simple. I wrote the record while living in Newark, 3 hours away from where Kevin lives. I sent him the tunes to work on his bass parts until I could get up there to track in his studio. Other than that he wrote the lyrics to "Journeyman of the Lucid" and "Cynical Transparency". As far as vocal melodies for those two go, I came up with them myself. While he did program the drums on "Dysgenesis", I was there to translate what drum parts I thought would fit because I play drums myself and wanted to make sure it wasn't impossible to achieve for live shows.

FF: What caused the sudden change of heart? Why not take the band name with you when you first split ways with Kevin?

Mitchell: Well, when I told Kevin I needed to home with my family he flipped out. I was under the impression we would put Swallowed By Apathy to rest for awhile. Out of respect for him I didn't want to just kick him out and take shit elsewhere, I figured it was only fair. Later on he decides to get this childish attitude and say "I'm doing it without you." His tone of voice was basically like "fuck you". I mean this was minutes before I went home. I don't know if being rude to me made him feel manly or what but I'm not one to be talked down to. His father basically made me leave immediately and although I payed for half of the discs I wasn't allowed to take my cut. I financed the mixing entirely out of my pocket as well as other things we needed for the band. I had a job while living up there and Kevin made to effort to follow up on his applications. Working long days were stressful but I still came home energized and ready to rehearse. Kevin always had an excuse as to why he didn't want to practice. It seemed as if rehearsing the same song over and over got old to him. I have a lot of live experience so I wanted to get everything as tight as possible. Kevin had never been in a band in his life before Swallowed By Apathy and live shows didn't seem to be a priority. To me giving the audience my best is everything. Swallowed By Apathy isn't meant to be a studio project. I formed it with the goal of playing live and that is what I intend to do. If you must know about my change of heart, it was losing my Grandmother to cancer on Thanksgiving. It's changed the way that I view everything now and the only reason I didn't take Swallowed By Apathy back sooner is out of respect for Rob and Conor (who isn't with the band anymore). I worked too hard to have someone take it away and get the glory for my blood, sweat, and tears.

FF: Will you be using any of the material that was written when Kevin was still a part of the band on the upcoming release?

Mitchell: After the record was finished I immediately began to write because I am always full of ideas but Kevin didn't want to work with me. What I had worked on before I left Cleveland was constructed purely by me. I got some good material out of that time frame but the stuff I have been working on since I came back home is more evolved.

FF: How do you feel about Kevin's new project Aethereal Inception? Do you wish him the best in his future endeavors?

Mitchell: I was unaware until you had mentioned it. He still has yet to restore my admin rights on the original Facebook page so fuck him. I don't wish him any luck but at the same time I don't wish him harm. I more or less just don't give a shit one way or another. I'm thinking about my band at the moment.

FF: Are you and Kevin still on good terms after all of this?

Mitchell: Nope.

FF: Has a new line-up been considered yet?

Mitchell: A new line-up is already in order. Josh Chilcote is our new guitarist and we back as far as Junior High School. He was actually the first drummer of Swallowed By Apathy and did session work on our 2010 demo. Him and Steven (our new drummer) also play in Vultaria which is a death/thrash band that I was with for almost 2 years. I released 2 EP's with them and I'm looking to have Vultaria play with Swallowed By Apathy any chance that I get because they are insane live. Josh is normally a front-man so for this it's kinda new to see him focusing purely on guitar. He also played bass for the band Only Flesh who are currently label-mates with Goatwhore on Rotten Records. The guy has a wicked stage presence, a professional attitude, and live experience out the ass. Not to mention he knows how to have a good time. Steven is without a doubt the most talented drummer I have ever worked with and I'm willing to bet ever will. He's a blast beat machine and soaks up new techniques like a sponge. He's a really diverse musician and I'm looking to bring his black metal influence into the band a bit. I guess the real "new" guy is Ryan Boggs. He is handling bass duties and is levels ahead of anything Kevin could do with the genre. I hate watching Ryan play because he actually shits on most guitarists I've played with and he uses his fingers. lol

FF: You've been in bands previously in that area, any chance we may see some of the people you have worked with before in Swallowed By Apathy?

Mitchell: haha! This question has already been answered but yes. You will be seeing them! As a matter of fact we are getting ready to do a photo shoot so you can actually see them.

FF: How is the new stuff going to differ from what we heard on Dysgenesis?

Mitchell: More clean vocals! I'm not going to sugar coat it. lol Most bands say, "Oh it's going to be the heaviest thing we've ever done." or something really cliche. It's going to be the most melodic thing we've done yet. It's going to be musically much heavier and very dark at times. But I have a lot of ability as a singer that needs to be displayed on this record. It's not going to be a massive departure from what we've already done. It's just going to be a logical step forward and I'm making it a bit more progressive. The catchy choruses will be there as always. The record is going to be called, "The Oracle of Disarray" and some song titles are, "Death Will Pave Our Way", "Trinity", "Unworldly Entity", "Mark My Words" and "The Imminent Question". I just gave away a good amount of info on that but I can tell you there will be no instrumentals, covers, or filler tracks. It's all going to be full songs and I'm shooting to have about 13 tracks recorded between now and late 2012. Expect an early 2013 release! We're hitting the studio in January to record a new single so keep your eye and ears out for that! Also we will be playing live a lot in 2011! We'll have some hometown shows as well as shows in surrounding states so who knows, maybe we'll be in your area.

FF: Do you plan on keeping Chris Clancy involved in the project at all in the future?

Mitchell: This time around we are recording in our hometown with a guy by the name of Joe Wahl at his home studio. He has the tools to mix and master our record just fine as well as a degree in music recording. We'll be in good hands! haha I love what Chris did with the first record but I wanna try something different this time around.

FF: Any final thoughts?

Mitchell: http://www.facebook.com/swallowedbyapathy is our new Facebook page!!! "Unlike" the old one and "like" the current link because that's where all the current and up to date info is. Oh and keep supporting FoulFeast because he's got tasty reviews and cool info on unsigned metal acts. Hopefully this covers everything!

Psychopathic Daze- Psychopathic Daze

Psychopathic Daze is a metalcore/groove metal band from Chicago. Don't let those tags scare you away, these guys actually show a solid amount of potential on this debut full-length. Blending the crushing moments commonly seen in the groove metal genre with some of the better attributes of metalcore proves to be a successful combination for Psychopathic Daze.

The album is very groove oriented for the most part, that being said the album is also pack full of melody and gives a fairly diverse selection of song structures to keep things interesting enough. The guitar tone is a tad flat for my taste but it isn't distracting enough to throw the album off much. One thing that makes this album standout a bit is it's production. Unlike many bands playing this style with an extremely polished sound, these guys take a different approach with production that is much more raw than the average. Whether this was due to their budget or done on purpose it still makes for a breath of fresh air when compared to the stagnant, overproduced, albums of many bands playing this style today.

The vocals consist mostly of pissed off, mid-ranged screams. The harsh vocals are great but a little more variation wouldn't hurt. Occasionally some clean vocals will make an appearance and although it is rare, when they do show up they are delivered in an excellent manner. One track that seems to stand out the most on this album is "Declaration". This song is a monstrous, mosh pit inducing anthem. It puts all the positive things Psychopathic Daze has going for them on display in a short, four minute time frame. If you are going to test the waters to see if this is something you'd enjoy "Declaration" would certainly be the best place to start.

Overall Psychopathic Daze have delivered a decent debut full-length. I'll be the first to say I'm not the biggest fan of this style of music, but I actually found myself enjoying most of the material here. It's safe to say that if Psychopathic Daze can make it onto my extremely short list of modern metalcore bands I enjoy, that this will most likely fit nicely in the collection of people who actually listen to the style religiously. If you are a fan of groove metal or metalcore this album is definitely worth picking up. For those like me who aren't huge fans, give it a listen anyway. Who knows, you might dig it.

Fell

Fell is the latest film from director/effects guru Marcus Koch. Rather than serving up another fun onslaught of vicious kills and gore like his previous film he took the more psychological approach this time around. Fell has a little bit of everything going for it. It is very artsy at times but it never gets too self indulgent.

Our main character Bill is really going through a difficult time in his life. He's being pumped full of prescription drugs and is creeping slowly down the path to full blown insanity. Everything is falling apart right in front of him and his delusional mind is certainly not helping matters. Though things may seem bad enough they really take a turn for the worst when he awakens to discover a dead body in his bathtub. Bill doesn't remember much about the previous night and he believes it is just a random girl he snagged up at a club. He turns to his best friend for help when he meets his wits end and much to his surprise he isn't too frightened.

The atmosphere in this movie is extremely thick. From start to finish the feeling of claustrophobia is very prominent. Bill is confined in a house that is torturing his psyche every waking moment and as the audience you can sympathize with his mental unraveling. Going into this expecting a straight up horror film may be a little disappointing to some. While the movie does have a very creepy, odd vibe going for it this isn't your typical horror flick, it delves deep into the very real horrors of someone's mind withering away. The blood is very minimal and is never over the top when it makes an appearance. There are also a few nice shots, the best examples of this would be the camera lingering above the bathtub and Bill laying on the kitchen floor on his radio. Moments like this add to the already gigantic atmosphere the film possesses.

Fell is an outstanding film. It may not be for everyone, but those with a taste for this sort of thing will without a doubt be pleased. All in all Fell never really misses it's mark, it takes a depressing, downtrodden atmosphere and runs with it. Given the vast amount of difference between this film and his last (100 Tears), a jump this big in style is a huge risk for an independent filmmaker. Luckily in Koch's case it really pays off. This is the perfect testament that Koch isn't just a one trick pony and opens more opportunities in the future to dive deeper into more story/atmosphere driven films.

Interview with Wilhelm Lindh (The Gardnerz)

The Gardnerz just recently had their debut full-length The System of Nature released via Abyss Records. The album definitely makes The Gardnerz a standout act in a style that is all too often filled with dull, uninspired music. Here we talk to guitarist Wilhem Lindh about the album, the history of the band, and what the future holds.

 Foul Feast: Tell us a little about how The Gardnerz came about.

Wilhelm Lindh: It all started in the summer of 2008 when I came home from a stint in Florida where I had been studying for a semester. Since I had not played guitar seriously for six months, I had to get the poison out. I got in contact with and old girlfriend about starting a band playing something similar to old katatonia but with a more death metal touch. The idea was to have female vocals but that didn't pan out. And after searching for about a year for another female vocalist I gave up that idea and went with a dude. And since then I have had some different members. But since I joined forces with Francisco Martín on bass and Niclas Ankarbranth on vocals I have had a solid foundation. The drummer situation has been the tricky part, on the system of nature Joan Pablo Donoso played session drums and now we are working with Vedran Bencic as our new drummer.

FF: I'm sure you get this often, but what is the meaning behind the band name?

Wilhelm Lindh: You are correct, that question arises often, but that is sort of the point. The main idea came from pre Socratic philosopher Epicurus, who talked about how all you need to be happy in life is a garden, some good friends and simple food. He also talked about how it is virtue to live a simple life. He was a very interesting guy. So from him I got "The Gardeners", but I thought that sounded a bit prententious and also there were many bands with that name. And also if you googled it you got something like 9 million hits. So I dropped on e and changed the s for a z for good measure. We have gotten a lot of shit for the z but I like it, it is a reminder that you shouldn't take everything to seriously. I guess I should point out that the z is taken from Swedish dance music, think mellow country music with really cheesy lyrics. In those bands it is commonplace to replace the s with a z.  Take a listen to this kick ass band http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGGum5OP_zo&feature=related!

FF: The album was mixed by Dan Swanö, how did you guys get into contact with him?

Wilhelm Lindh: Actually the album was mastered by Mr. Swanö. our bass player Francisco had been in contact with him for some reason that I don't remember but he had asked if it would be possible for him to master the album, and he said yes. So I emailed him and set it up. I must say that it was a real pleasure to work with him, he did it really fast and the result was killer.  

FF: When did writing for The System of Nature begin?

Wilhelm Lindh: It started in the summer of 2008, that was how I started the band, just writing songs. My idea was to do a demo in the fall of 2008, but since I didn't have the members I just kept writing. When Francisco joined the band he insisted that we should do a full length album instead of a demo. So that is what we did.  

FF: Did the writing process seem to flow naturally?

Wilhelm Lindh: Yeah I think so, with this band my idea was to do whatever came to my mind. Since I have always felt a bit limited in my previous bands, having had members who not wanted to do the same thing as I or had the ability to play some of my riffs. So just having myself in the band while I wrote most of these songs, I could do precisely what I wanted. And I wrote a few riffs to as exercises, writing stuff I couldn't play so I had to practice and get better. And now with the guys I have in the band I can continue doing it since I know that they can handle whatever I throw at them.

FF: How did your deal with Abyss Records come about?

Wilhelm Lindh: Dan from Abyss records wrote me after finding us on myspace. We were talking with him and another label and we decided to go with Abyss since they had better distros and such. Dan is a really great guy as well so I'm glad we went with Abyss.

FF: The sound displayed on your debut manages to maintain an aggressive feel that is typically lost when blending death metal with doom. Was this something you set out to do or did it just come naturally?

Wilhelm Lindh: Well as I wrote earlier the idea was to mix our style with female vocals, since in my mind most metal bands that have a female as a vocalist have a tendency to be really polished and kind of lame (as for most music these days). I felt that I wanted to do something dirtier, and when I had to give up that idea and go with a male vocalist (not that I'm disappointed about it, Nicke is a amazing singer and a great dude) I just kept it the same way. So Answer your question I would say it was a natural thing.

FF: What influences you most musically?

Wilhelm Lindh: As for bands the top bands are Katatonia, Bolt Thrower, Acheron, Broken Hope, Death, old Nile. I wanted to do slow and heavy stuff but to try to not do it the same as most people do it, you know a few slow power chords and the just riding those chords. I like allot of brutal bands but I have always prefer when the drumming is more down tempo. So I wanted to have some fast riffs but with a more groove oriented and doomy tempo on the drums.

FF: re there any reoccuring lyrical themes on the album?

Wilhelm Lindh: There are a few songs that are antireligious, and the rest are me venting various things that annoy me or that I think should be more talked about. We have songs about: our consumption crazed society, Sweden's sordid part in the field of racial biology, tabloid journalism.

FF: Do all of the members of The Gardnerz have previous experience in metal bands?

Wilhelm Lindh: Yes we have all played in a few metal bands, we are in or have been in Toxodeth, Tristitia, Kanatran, Vandöd, Pandemonium, Insomnis, Savage Harmony. There are more to mention, but my memory lets me down.

FF: Are there any tracks on The System of Nature that stick out to you the most?

Wilhelm Lindh: The first one I wrote was The art of suffering, so that one for sure, I also really like how that one came together, I think everyone added some killer stuff to it. Maybe it's time also turned out really good, good mix of harmony and brutality. Confusion as well, I really like the vocals on that one, and my clean guitar solo is one of my highlights.

FF: How has the album been recieved thus far?

Wilhelm Lindh: It has mainly gotten good responses, allot of people has given it really good feedback. And since we have got it officially released is a big pat on the back for me.  

FF: Do you guys gig often?

Wilhelm Lindh: We have never played live with this band. Since we didn't have a drummer for a long time we couldn't play live. But now when we have Vedran we are trying to set up some shows, but that is not the easiest thing to do. But hopefully we will do some shows next year.

FF: Has there been any thought put into the next release yet?

Wilhelm Lindh: Yes we are planning to put out a ep next year, we have ten songs written but we thought it would be better to do an ep. And the new songs are keeping with the same style as for the system, some might be bit slower and longer but, if you liked the system you will like the new songs as well.

FF: Any final thoughts?

Wilhelm Lindh: Thanks for this interview! And for those of you who haven't heard us head over to www.thegardnerz.com were you can listen to the entire album.
Cheers
Wilhelm

Resurgency/Desolator split

This split brings two up and coming old school death metal bands together courtesy of Hellthrasher Productions. Desolator and Resurgency are both in their early stages and have yet to release full-lengths. Both bands play old school death metal but it is evident that they aren't just carbon copies of one another. This split is a superb testament to the fact that the old school is still alive and kicking. Clocking in at just over thirty minutes this gives the audience just enough of a taste to have them eagerly awaiting more.

First up is Resurgency, from Athens, Greece. Their side consists of the four tracks from their debut demo Dark Revival. Influences from bands like Resurrection, Morbid Angel, and Malevolent Creation can be spotted upon first listen. While these influences may be easy to spot at times Resurgency still have a few little quirks that set them apart from the pack. These guys cater a bit more to the catchy side of things as opposed to the band joining them on this album. Riffs featured on tracks like "Psychosis" give the vibe that an impending doom is about to be thrust down upon you. During Resurgency's four tracks there are a few solos thrown into the mix. These prove to be simple but effective to say the least. The bass is pretty dominant here, creating a decent balance between a chunky and thin sound. The production here also seems to be a tad cleaner than Desolator's.

Next up is Desolator hailing from Sweden. Their end of the split completely consists of new material, and it's great to hear that these guys have improved since Gravefeast. Their section starts off with a spoken word intro that is sort of reminscent of something you would hear on Embalmed Existence. Definitely a sinister way to kick off the slab of death metal that is about to tear you to pieces. Right when "Mass Human Pyre" kicks off this much becomes evident, Desolator are in top form and have really locked in their sound. Armed with the filthy Swedish guitar tone and riffs that will never leave your memory these guys certainly brought their A game. Everything Desolator puts out has this ancient atmosphere going for it, and it just simply works. All the way down to the killer bass section in "Feeding Frenzy" these guys show their solid songwriting ability from start to finish.

Overall this split is everything one would want it to be. Old school death metal done right, no frills, just an all around memorable effort from both bands. Going into this split I had high expectations for the Desolator side. Those expectations were met and then some. Gravefeast was one of the best demos of 2010 without a doubt and hearing a follow-up just as strong is promising. This also put Resurgency on my radar and has me kicking myself for not checking out their material sooner. Keep an eye out for both of these bands because they certainly have the potential to put out some excellent material in the near future. Fans of death metal should make this a mandatory listen.

Various Artists- Rebellious Damnation Theories Compilation

Rebellious Damnation Theories is an online exclusive compilation featuring many bands from extreme metal/punk scenes all over the world. Featuring twenty five artists of various styles you are sure to find something here to your liking. All of this is packed into just over an hour of what will be new territory for most metalheads. Like all compilations there are a few duds here, or just tracks that simply don't sit right, but the final product still brings quite a few mosh worthy moments.

The compilation opens up with the monstrous Jugga from Nepal. Their track "Vultures Will Feed" proves to be the perfect way to open the compilation. It comes in, beats the listener down and flees from the scene of the crime. There are plenty of excellent tracks to be found here. One example would definitely be Dementia from Pakistan, a band that plays a healthy blend of thrash/groove metal. These guys have a very professional sound going for them and have fairly developed writing skills. Not long after Dementia's track you have the polar opposite Bvlghvm. Also hailing from Pakistan these dudes pack one heavy as hell punch with their brand of filthy, hate-filled sludge. There are also a few familiar faces to the website that we have covered before. Bands like Sledgehammer Autopsy, Death Inquisition, and Foreskin hold their own up against all the other bands crammed onto this thing.

Naturally, given the fact that the bands are from completely different regions of the world and have completely different recording situations, the sound quality varies a great deal from track to track. This may throw some listeners off but after taking some time to get used to it you adjust and it is barely noticeable. Unfortunately the production value of bands like Chillar Killer and Masturbate take most of the impact out of their music. Playing goregrind with such a flat sound just doesn't workout well, it lacks the punchy tone that this style of music thrives for. Due to this little problem a few tracks towards the middle sort of slow down the pace of the comp.

Overall Rebellious Damnation Theories is sure to introduce anyone who listens to some solid, new bands. These compilation covers touches all the major extreme subgenres. Death, thrash, black metal, crust, sludge, crossover, hardcore, groove, it's all here at one point of another. Definitely worth getting if you're a fan of metal or punk in general. There is a gigantic slew of bands out there just waiting to be heard, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Amputation Spree- Three/Inferno EP

Amputation Spree is a one man brutal death metal band from North Carolina. We've covered all this projects releases in the past and have heard them grow consistently over such a short period of time. Having only been around since 2010 this marks their third EP and they even managed to squeeze a split in between all of that. Even though it seems just like a blink of an eye since their last EP, the material here does not falter in anyway. In fact, it does quite the opposite.

With each release Amputation Spree's sound seems to get more epic. This EP is no different, it takes everything heard previously on Terminal Velocity and takes it to a completely new level. The tracks here just seem more focused overall. The way they are written just seems to flow much more naturally than on previous releases. The brutality the project has had in the past is still in attendance. "The Whore of Babylon" has a section that slams your brain to mush, reinstating that the music hasn't been watered down, it has just evolved. Every track actually features a moment like this, it is made certain that Amputation Spree hasn't completely abandoned it's roots.

The experimentation gets taken a couple steps further on the track "The Age of Reason". It all starts out normal, blasting your eardrums senseless for the first thirty seconds or so, and then out of nowhere things stop and everything changes so rapidly it is almost hard to digest at first. The song bounces back and forth quite a bit and never really sticks to one thing for too long. Showing off some electronic experimentation this track is definitely the most interesting of the bunch. It is clear when listening to this that if Amputation Spree ever had a comfort zone in the first place it is long gone at this point.

"Messiah" has such a gigantic sound. Built around an extremely simple structure it is honestly surprising how well this seven minute track holds up. Hands down the heaviest track that Amputation Spree has putout thus far and possibly the most infectious. This track also brings to my attention how well the drum programming works for this release. Typically if something doesn't feature a live drummer it gets on my nerves after a few listens. With that being said, in this EP's case it may actually work as a positive thing. The robotic feeling the drums give off works almost perfectly with the sound created on this release.

Overall Three/Inferno displays Amputation Spree making all the right moves. Continuing to build on the solid foundation of previous efforts there is absolutely nothing to complain about here. The sound on this EP may be an extremely different animal when compared to what we heard on Addicted to Beheading Children, but if you dig deep enough some elements are still intact. Fans of brutal death metal that aren't afraid of a little experimentation being thrown in the mix NEED this. Even those who don't typically journey into the world of slam will find this EP to be an intriguing listen to say the least. Give it a listen, you won't be disappointed.

Girls Nite Out (AKA Scaremaker)

Girls Nite Out is a horror flick that was made during the heyday of slashers. It is directed by Robert Debeul and to this day is still his only feature film (aside from a TV movie he did around this time). Originally sporting an enticing trailer that made it appear this film would feature tits galore I'm sure many people who watched when it came out were very disappointed. This flick is squeaky clean in the regard of nudity, but I digress, onto the story.

Girls Nite Out follows a group of college students taking part in their annual scavenger hunt hosted by the campus radio station. Unfortunately there is a cold blooded killer on the loose. Armed with blades for fingers and dressed as the mascot for the school (a wide-eyed bear), this mysterious murderer is looking to create a body count and cleanse the campus of all the "whores". As everything unfolds, the radio station DJ begins getting odd calls from Yogi dropping some hints regarding the murders.

The killer sporting a bear costume originally sounded extremely hilarious to me. After my first viewing I was actually fairly surprised at how well it worked. I won't say it didn't make for a few laughs at first but went the murders start taking place it makes for a badass slasher. Literally mauling victims with its handy blade fingers in a few scenes. This unique Krueger/Grizzly hybrid makes for one of the most memorable killers to come out of the 80's slasher genre to say the least. There aren't a ridiculous amount of kills but when they do come up they are executed well.

The cast is made up of fun dimwits for the most part. Hal Holbrook has a decent sized role in the film playing the security officer, he does a solid job with his part as usual and I was pretty surprised to see him pop up. Many other slasher fans will recognize Lauren-Marie Taylor (Vickie from Friday the 13th Part 2). Girls Nite Out is very slow moving the first thirty minutes or so. The cast being young and fun helps out a bit but their shenanigans are only entertaining for so long. Around the thirty minute mark I was actually considering shutting it off but luckily right around that time it began to pick up. When the film does pick up there is plenty of fun to be had. The film gains a sort of gritty tone mixed in with the comic relief of the students and it makes for an interesting watch.

The first section of the film does do a good job creating a solid lineup of possible suspects. It also sets up various subplots and for the most part these end up going nowhere. The first thirty minutes could've easily been cut into a ten minute segment, because little to no character development takes place during it. The film has a pretty decent twist ending that most people seem to complain about. I thought it worked in it's own right. Don't expect a twist of Pieces proportions but it was good enough for me.

Overall Girls Nite Out is a nice little hidden slasher flick. While it may have a slow first half it more than makes up for it later on. It has a couple of nice touches that you don't normally see in your run of the mill slasher flick. Fans of the old school 80's slasher films should get a kick out of this. It isn't the best of its kind but it could easily be called underrated. So if you've watched all of the "essential" slashers and are looking for something a bit more obscure Girls Nite Out will prove to be a fitting watch. You can find this one pretty cheap on DVD in the Bloody Schoolgirls boxset from Shriek Show, definitely worth picking up.

The Gardnerz- The System of Nature

The Gardnerz is a four piece death/doom band from Sweden. All four members have pretty solid backgrounds in the extreme metal scene. The group formed back in 2008 but this marks their first release together. The first thing about The Gardnerz that will grab your attention is their ability to incorporate doom elements but still pack a mean death metal bite. Many bands playing death/doom these days lose that impact and most of the time it makes for a dull, uninspired sounding record. Luckily that isn't the case on The System of Nature. This clocks in at one hour and has you on the edge of your seat for every second of it. Not a dull moment is in attendance, even with the lengthy playtime it still manages to leave you wanting more.

The sheer amount of amazing riffs on this release is astounding to say the least. Enchanting melodies are abundant and hard hitting riffs run rampant on every track. Tracks change direction out of the blue in a very cohesive manner making for an absolutely enthralling listen. The writing is very strong throughout and the structures vary a great deal, rather than just switching things up the same way every track in a desperate attempt to sound "edgy". Occasional "softer" moments like the intro to "Incident" really do an excellent job at spicing up the flow of the album. Said clean moments mesh with the distortion quite nicely, and during the few moments where the two clash amazing things occur (see "Confusion").

The vocal approach used on this album is much more menacing than what you'd normally hear from the average death/doom band. Ranging from gutturals to sinister screams there is a decent enough variety to keep things interesting. The production is very polished and even. On most occasions squeaky clean production bugs me but on The System of Nature it fits the sound like a glove. Having a big name like Dan Swanö handling the mastering on the album certainly isn't a con either.

Overall The Gardnerz are playing a brand of death/doom that will even appeal to those who aren't typically fans of the genre. The System of Nature is an extremely successful debut. In fact, it is possibly the best debut of the year. There is an endless amount of memorable moments to be found here and the replay value is beyond through the roof. Sure to be found somewhere on most top 20 of 2011 lists this is certainly an album you're not going to want to miss. The Gardnerz has definitely set the bar high, it will be interesting to see what their next move will be. Get.

Entormus- Promo One

Entormus is a one man black metal project from Gainesville, Texas. Texas has become one of the best locations for US black metal, claiming great acts like Absu and Teratism. Having formed in 2010, Entormus is fairly new to the scene to say the least. This is the first release from the band and it flourishes some good ideas within its thirteen minute run-time.

Essentially the tracks on this promo show three completely different sides of Entormus. None of the three songs are bad by any means but some standout more than others. Given this is a promo it's good way to go about showing the amount versatility the band is capable of incorporating into their sound. Featuring a pretty straightforward black metal track ("Even the Mighty Fall"), a track almost radio friendly in terms of structure ("All that we Get"), and a final track that closes things off perfectly to say the least, it would be a lie to say that Entormus isn't doing their best to put out quality material.

Embracing the laid back sound that has previously been perfected by bands like Summoning in the past, "Desert Infernus" proves to be the highlight of this promo. Starting off slow and building up with a certain grace that gives the listener a feeling of pure nirvana. This is where Entormus leaves their impression. Unlike many other bands that give off this sort of vibe, Entormus throws the listener for a loop and comes back with a hard hitting groovy closing for an otherwise calm, relaxing track. The contrast works well and ends up making the track all the more entertaining.

The guitar playing is a bit simplistic and focuses more on building an atmosphere and instilling emotion more than anything else. That being said catchy riffs are still thrown into the mix as often as possible. The vocals vary a little bit throughout. Consisting mostly of gravely screams and throaty growls. The vocal performance is solid for the most part, but on the track "All that we Get" they come across as very forced. Luckily this isn't a problem on the other two tracks but it definitely takes some of the impact out of that particular song.

Overall this promo is a nice sample of what is to come from Entormus. Though each track may not be as memorable as the last Entormus still leaves a lasting impression. Considering this is Entormus's first effort it is fairly impressive. Featuring one track that will definitely be stored in my memory for awhile and has already been revisited an endless amount of times. Fans of the genre should be able to find something to their liking here. Hopefully we will see more material from Entormus soon. Hearing more in the vain of "Desert Infernus" would be superb to say the least. Worth a listen.

Interview with Dave Gregor (Morta Skuld, 9MM Solution)

We are pleased to post our latest interview with Dave Gregor, former vocalist/guitarist of death metal veterans Morta Skuld! After a long period of inactivity Morta Skuld have released a compilation of their demos through Relapse Records and Gregor is looking to get back into the heavy side of music. In this interview we discuss a little of Morta Skuld's history, the demo compilation, and what Gregor's future holds in terms of music.

Foul Feast: How did you guys get into talks with Relapse about the compilation?

Dave Gregor: Well we didn't, my lawyer (Eric Greif)  was at Relapse and mentioned what we were doing and they agreed to release it.

FF: With the recent compilation getting some attention is there any chance we may see a new Morta Skuld tour or possibly new material?

Gregor: Right now it's early in the game and we really can't say. We all have commitments and jobs, it's not easy to leave a job that pays your rent and bills and child support or home payments. I'd like to see some new material and J and I have been talking about  using some songs we wrote that were never recorded, but again too early to tell.

FF: When you guys were putting out these original demos were there many other extreme metal bands or any kind of scene to speak of in the Milwaukee area?

Gregor: Oh hell yeah, the scene had some great local acts tearing it up. We all felt that something cool was happening and that we might be part of something big so to speak, in our local area.

FF: What caused Morta Skuld to quit putting out material after Surface?

Gregor: We went on the road to support that record and are drummer at the time was having his first kid and his first home. And after our opening night for Slayer we went to FL and when we got there, he got sick and just slept, we took him to the hospital and got him good and full of liquids and he just refused to play. Even two songs and he just wouldn't do it. We came home lost label and everything. We still wrote after that in hopes of bouncing back.

FF: Was there any Morta Skuld material written post Surface that never got released?

Gregor: Yeah about 3-4 songs and they were geared with a Morbid Angel type of  sound.

FF: How do you feel about the current state of metal? Do you think the scene is stronger than it was in the early/mid 90's or do you feel it has been cheapened by the Internet?

Gregor: I think it is at it's  weakest form, it's not about the music at all and the business could care less about the bands and their evolution. How can they continue and make good music and sustain the way of life to bring new music to life. I don't feel the Internet is the issue, it's people, they know to not steal music or to buy it.

FF: You recently put out a great video for the track "Prolong the Agony". Was this the first video ever done for a Morta Skuld track?

Gregor: Yes it was and after 21 years of the song being out too, I didn't really know what to do, I have been a guitar player in 9mm Solution for the last 8 years, so it was strange and now that I know the song again I wish the whole band could have filmed with me. But at that time there wasn't a line up at all.

FF: Were the demo recordings cleaned up at all for the compilation?

Gregor: Indeed they were, Jef cleaned up and we just re-mastered the rest. But I feel the original demo's still sounded good. But the outcome does sound a lot better.

FF: Is 9MM Solution still active?

Gregor: I'm sad to say no, the band broke up after a festival show in our home town. We had put out two albums and did a tour. Just like MS we took each other for granted and let the differences get between us.

FF: What can we expect to see musically from you in the future?

Gregor: I'm not sure but it will be heavy that is for sure, maybe some new MS stuff, and if 9mm ever would happen again that would be fine by me. However I'm finding my way home with the MS project.

FF: Any final thoughts?

Gregor: For sure, please support your bands go by there Cd's and go to the shows, we didn't build this by itself or ourselves, it was and always will be the FANS, thank you for this interview and go buy the album people, Cheers.

100 Tears

100 Tears is a killer clown flick directed by Marcus Koch. This was the first film Koch had directed in nearly a decade and he pulls it off like he has been doing it his whole life. It's not like Koch had stepped away from the horror scene since his last movie Rot. He has been credited doing amazing special effects in quite a few films. He wore many hats in the making of this movie and the hard work has definitely paid off considering this has become somewhat of a modern cult classic for fans of the genre. Highly sought after by gorehounds due to its overwhelming amount hacks, slashes and stomps, 100 Tears puts all other killer clown movies to shame.

100 Tears follows a killer clown named Gurdy that is known as the "Teardrop Killer" to the general public. He gains this moniker due to his habit of leaving tears of blood behind at the scenes of his many murders. He is still on the loose and causing chaos in the area and our two main characters (Mark and Jennifer) see it as the perfect opportunity to put themselves back on the map with their careers in journalism. After doing a little bit of digging around and chasing a midget, the story behind Gurdy's murderous ways unfolds. Soon after a couple of unexpected twists come along and it all ends in a climatic bloodbath.

As usual Marcus's special effects are top notch. The gore is served up in heavy doses and not one effect looks half assed. He is easily one of the best effects artists of this generation and this film is just further proof of that. The kills throughout the movie are executed with a great deal of intensity. For the most part they aren't the most inventive, relying heavily on decapitations and hacks. This doesn't work against the film too much though, because while these may be kills we've seen before the sheer vicious feeling more than makes up for it. Deaths like the decapitation at the top of the stair case come across as flawless because Koch knew how long to let the scene go. Seeing Gurdy towering above the wheelchair comes across just as iconic as Leatherface slamming his big metal door in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

The casting for this film is excellent. Scream queen Raine Brown plays role that is very out of the norm for her. She pulls it off well and gives one of her best performances to date. The joking nature between Joe Davison and Georgia Chris works as solid comic relief. There seems to be a real chemistry between the two and I couldn't imagine anyone else playing their roles. Jack Amos does a phenomenal job playing the bruting Gurdy. He plays the role perfectly and whenever a killer clown is mentioned his character immediately comes to mind. Rather than being a bright clown covered in glowing colors, Gurdy is dressed in dull clown rags and is armed with an intimidating, emotionless face. Small touches like this really add to the creepy factor. While the colorful, joking clowns in many other movies don't come across as scary, Gurdy just seems like someone you'd want to keep your distance from even on a good day.

Overall 100 Tears is one of the modern greats when it comes to low budget horror cinema. Even those of you who aren't big on low budget movies should give this a watch. It really doesn't have a "cheap" feel to it and is actually driven by a solid story along with surprisingly good acting from everyone. It's packed with plenty of splatter to please the gorehounds and has enough plot to please average movie watchers. Marcus Koch is definitely someone to keep an eye on. This movie proves that Koch isn't just an effects guru, while this flick does rely on quite a few effects it also shows off some pretty damn good directing. Highly recommended, find a way to get your hands on it.

Thirst Of Revenge- Annihilation Of Races

Thirst Of Revenge is a one man brutal death metal band from Spain. Some may be familiar with Carlos Mejias from the first two Human Mincer albums (on which he took on vocal duties). This is the second Thirst Of Revenge full-length since the projects inception back in 2006. Originally in 1999, the project was named Cerebral Torture but due to the other band Carlos was involved with no material ever surfaced. The album clocks in at around thirty minutes. Ultimately the perfect runtime for a brutal death metal album.

Essentially Annihilation Of Races is a concept album about the end of the world, or the human race that is. The story basically opens up with some mysterious sightings and it becomes evident the aliens are among us. They visit and begin experimenting on humans. Eventually they find a way to blend their blood with ours and form a hybrid alien to wipe-out the human race whilst going undetected to the untrained eye. The lyrics are very simple but the concept comes across well and it actually makes for an interesting story. Considering the fact that these lyrics were translated to English for the album it is fairly surprising that nothing got lost in translation.

The pace of the album is very fast for the most part. This makes certain sections start to blend together at times. Luckily this doesn't happen often enough to be a large detriment to the albums overall replay value. The riffs don't really come off as memorable but they have impact while listening. Tremolo riffs are dished out in large amounts along with pummeling grooves. Nothing overly technical but it is far from a constant chug-fest.

The vocals mainly consist of gutturals. An occasional scream in thrown in the mix to spice things up a bit, but the vocal approach is extremely primitive all around. The drum machine works much better on this release than it has in the past. They sound more convincing all around. On the previous EP they were far too high in the mix and almost made it a chore to listen to. Here, while they are still fast and intense they fade more into the background and it is easy to focus on the other aspects of the music.

Overall Annihilation Of Races is a decent record. There isn't really anything groundbreaking going on here but it is enough to keep ones interest. In terms of more recent brutal death metal releases this one falls somewhere near the top of the stack. There is plenty of room here for improvement, but considering the endless number of low rent, one man brutal death bands out there this is quite the breath of fresh air. Brutal death fans should give this one a listen, you're going to get what you expect. No frills, barbaric one man blasting brutality.

Without Waves- Scab Platter

Without Waves is a four piece metal band from Chicago. With an album title like Scab Platter it wouldn't be a stretch for someone to assume this is some sort of pornogrind/goregrind band, if that is what you are in search of you will be majorly disappointed. The members have all played music with one another for years and started the project in hopes to make natural experimental music. They blend various styles together in order to create a unique sound all of their own and manage to keep it cohesive for the most part. This being a feat in itself they have already fought half of the battle. Clocking in at a brief twenty five minutes, Without Waves has your attention for just long enough to leave a lasting impression.

The fretwork on the album is most definitely the highlight. It is clear when listening that these guys have been playing for a long time and are well rounded in their influence. The playing ranges from fairly simple, almost radio friendly tracks ("The Way To Crash & Burn" and "Dhyana") to frantic tracks filled with a certain amount of rage that rivals Dillinger Escape Plan. Even during the albums most technical moments each note is plucked with the utmost precision. The band also shows off their already matured songwriting skills, maintaining a sense of direction without losing their overall intensity.

Vocal style vary quite a bit throughout. The track "Dhyana" that consists entirely of clean vocals and they are surprisingly well executed. Unlike many metal bands that just throw in cleans for the sake of variation Cwan actually has a decent voice. Harsh vocals are used pretty often and he mainly sticks to mid-ranged screams/growls. Even though the harsh vocals don't branch out much there is still a fair amount of vocal diversity on the album, enough to keep your interest to say the least.

The instrumental track "Sativa Sunrise" is hands-down one of the best instrumentals of 2011. Easily matching the instrumental beauty that was featured on Scale the Summit's "Carving Desert Canyons". These guys finally show of their niche for writing excellent music and truly let the music speak for itself. The main gripe to be had about Scab Platter lies in its length. The album is less than thirty minutes long. Essentially Scab Platter only consists of five actual songs, an intro, and two interludes. With the style being played here that goes by at what appears to be the blink of an eye. There is certainly room for more material here, they could double the length of this release and they still wouldn't be overstaying their welcome. There is also a little bit of an issue with the overall flow of the album. While the tracks themselves are cohesive, some tracks don't lead into others so well.

Overall Scab Platter is an extremely good debut. These guys definitely have something to work with here. There is still some room for improvement, but given the fact that this is the bands first release they have plenty of time to workout the kinks. Hopefully we will see another release from Without Waves soon expanding on the already solid sound they have established here. Fans of metal in general with a bit of an experimental sound should give this a listen.

Living With Disfigurement- Thrill To The Terror Of Death

Living In Disfigurement is a three piece death metal band from Britain. They classify their music as "sickening old school gore metal" which proves to be a pretty fitting term to say the least. This is the bands first release since their debut demo in 2006. Clocking in at just under twenty minutes it still only offers up a small taste of what Living With Disfigurement is all about, but it is enough to get the point across.

You know you're in for a good time when you pop in a CD and the first thing you hear is a clip from a Hershell Gordon Lewis flick. The Wizard Of Gore sample kicks off "The Dissemination Of Human Suffering", a track that features lyrics that confront our vicious obsession with violence. Apparently Living With Disfigurement is catering to what the people want because the rest of the lyrics are drenched in gory detail.

The guitar playing on the album is solid throughout. Catchy tremolo picked riffs run thick along with the company of plenty infectious grooves. Each track features a solo that is crafted with a certain level of fret mastery that leads me to believe Spengler is a perfectionist. Also fitting in miraculously with the songs these solos prove to be one of the highlights of the EP. The band does an excellent job blending the old school vibe with their own modern twist. The pace tends to change quite a bit on each track. While a good portion of the time they are blazing a trail in your ear canal they will occasional slow things down and show some off some of their Autopsy influence.

The bass is audible the entire duration of the record. For the most part it just follows along with the guitar parts. Nonetheless it thickens up the sound a great deal. On "Grotesque Side Effects" it plays a vital role and hits particularly hard, easily making it the heaviest track of the bunch. The vocals alternate between shrill highs and bellowing gutturals. Throughout the short length of this release a healthy amount of both styles is used. The way they are delivered is very reminiscent of something you'd expect from Exhumed. The vocals fit perfectly with the music Living With Disfigurement is churning out.

Overall Living With Disfigurement have captured a sound that is impossible not to dig. It may be fairly simple but it is delivered in a way that keeps you coming back for more again and again. Due to the fact that Thrill To The Terror Of Death is only eighteen minutes long it definitely leaves you with your mouth watering, begging for more. Fans of Exhumed, Carcass, and bands alike will dig this without a doubt. Living With Disfigurement isn't reinventing the wheel by any means, but they're using the old one and rolling over the competition with it. This EP will do a good job tiding you over until Living With Disfigurement drop their next slab of greatness. Get it.

Venereal Messiah- Bleeding The Humans

Venereal Messiah is a brutal death/goregrind band based in New York. The band has been around since 2005 and have released a few demos and splits during their time together. The band features Barret Amiss II, the owner of the very prolific death/grind label Sevared Records, on vocals. This release features eight tracks and clocks in at just under twenty minutes. Though the album may be short plenty of time is given for Venereal Messiah to get their blunt point across.

Unlike many bands of this nature Venereal Messiah doesn't just hide behind a wall of noisy, half assed grooves. There are plenty of heavy grooves to be had on Bleeding the Humans but they rarely come across as half assed. The guitar tone featured here is kind of detrimental to the overall sound, it just seems kind of flat most of the time. Adding some thickness to it would help give the riffs more impact in the future. Luckily the lack of power in tone is made up at times with catchiness (see the repetitive but effective "Oral-Fistula Transmission").

One thing that is unique about Venereal Messiah is that they feature a dual bass assault. Getting audible bass is a rare occurrence in the first place, having two different bassists plucking away is almost unheard of. Bass heavy tracks like "Gynacide" definitely come across as a breath of fresh air when they make an appearance. With the bass being so high in the mix the way they mesh with the guitars is almost reminiscent of early One Step Beyond (though they are worlds apart in style). The lack of power in the guitar tone is pretty much completely redeemed by the fat, creeping bass lines that are so prevalent in the overall sound.

The vocals are made up mostly of guttural burps and gurgles. These are the type of spews that are sure to trigger violent flashbacks to your last case of explosive diarrhea (in a good way of course). There is a major lack in variation but fans of the genre should be used to that at this point. That being said an occasional more traditional growl is thrown into the mix keeping things from growing entirely stale in the vocal department.

Overall Venereal Messiah has a solid chunk of brutal death on their hands with Bleeding the Humans. This is far from being groundbreaking by any means but they deliver the goods and fans of the genre will be more than pleased. If you find yourself enjoying most of the stuff Sevared puts out this will most likely sit nicely in your collection. This is a band that is worth keeping an eye on, they show quite a bit of potential here and with some minor tweaks they could definitely put out an excellent, punishing release.

Xenomorph- Empyreal Regimes Discography

Xenomorph is a technical death metal band from Nebraska. They formed back in 1990 and released a demo and one full-length within their five years together. Sadly there discography only consists of an hour of material, but with that being said the stuff they recorded was, and still is, amazing. Named after the creature from the Alien series and sporting that very same creature on the album cover Empyreal Regimes is proof that astounding metal gems can be found in the most unexpected places.

The tracks on Empyreal Regimes are longer winded than your average death metal track, easily breaking six minutes the majority of the time. Xenomorph has a decent amount of technicality going for them, at times resembling a more controlled version of Disincarnate. The song structures vary greatly on each track and it helps the album maintain an element of surprise throughout. The sheer amount of twists and turns they managed to fit in such a short amount of time is stunning. For example "Subspecies" is trotting along sounding like a typical death metal track and then about four minutes in all hell breaks loose in a chaotic display of awesome drum patterns and odd timing.

The vocalist sticks to one style for the most part. He barks out his wicked snarl and it simply fits perfectly with the atmosphere of the album. The drumming is fairly intricate just like everything else on the album. Sections similar to the previously mentioned moment on "Subspecies" are enough to leave the listener in awe. Switching up tempos very frequently there is no time to get bored with any aspect of this release.

Also featured on this disc is the bands 1993 demo titled Subspecies. It consists of three tracks featuring a younger and slightly less mature sounding Xenomorph. The production on these tracks is very raw as to be expected with a demo from that era. Even on these tracks there is an extreme sense of variety. It just doesn't go on as seamlessly as the material that was including on Empyreal Regime. Even with these minor flaws the band still sounds leaps and bounds better than many bands did in their demo era.

Overall Xenomorph's discography may only be made up of ten tracks, but this is ten tracks of some of the best death metal being churned out at that time. Easily rivaling many of the bands we consider "classic". Luckily their material is finally being made readily available and this chunk of Omaha made metal won't just fade into obscurity. Fans of old school and technical death metal will enjoy this due to the fact that it puts most of the competition to shame. It is one of the few albums that manages to maintain the old school sound while incorporating a great deal of technicality. It is a shame the band didn't release anything after their first full-length, they were certainly doing an amazing job mastering the style. Get it now.

Agga Interview

Here is an interview with the sole member of one man black/thrash metal band Agga. In this interview we discuss the future of Agga, mythology, and many other things. If you haven't already check out Agga's music here http://soundcloud.com/agga40

 Foul Feast: Is Agga the first musical project you've been involved with?

Lord of Babylon: It's the first serious project outside of random jams with various buddies. I've been making music for awhile, but a big portion of the material was sloppily made stuff on a Tascam 4 track recorder using pre programmed drum beats on a Casio keyboard. I'm slowly rerecording the older stuff I'm more fond of, Flight of Suhgurim is one example of this.

FF: Most of your music deals with Babylonian and various forms of mythology. Is this something you enjoy studying and learning about in your personal life as well?

Lord of Babylon: This is very much a part of my everyday life. I've always felt if one is going to use mythological themes for their lyrical subject matter there should be a real personal connection of some sort as well otherwise it's just bullshit. I started out in my teen years being into some basic Satanic stuff but once I read the Simon Necronomicon I found myself very much drawn to that way. Granted the Simon Necronomicon is an incomplete look into a far more complex Mesopotamian mythological pantheon it does provide one with tools to begin the work. From there I learned about Aleister Crowley and found the more work I did with the Necronomicon the more I understood Crowley's writings. In time I began to come upon more actual subject matter dealing with historical Mesopotamian lore and began cross referencing the historical/archeological information with what is in the Necronomicon and found this to be vital in fully understanding the various systems/pantheons from Mesopotamia. As far as I have found, all the mythologies/pantheons are interconnected on varying levels but to see those connections helps put the missing pieces in place. It is most definitely a work in progress but an enjoyable effort.

FF: How important is the atmosphere to you on an Agga release?

Lord of Babylon: Very important. I'll go and listen to many bands and when there isn't ANY atmosphere I tend to get bored quick. Most of the guys I used to jam with never really took into account atmosphere and were more concerned with "cool riffs" but not using those cool riffs to evoke something, a soundscape if you will. Creating an atmosphere isn't an easy endevour but I feel its worth the effort once you can effectively communicate something to the listener. Dont get me wrong, I LOVE the in your face metal stuff for its pure power but that can get old fast.

FF: Has your influence shifted much since the last Agga album?

Lord of Babylon: I have to say yes. I've found myself listening more to thrashy stuff the last year or so. As far as black metal is concerned, I find myself enjoying the thrashy stuff more than your overly symphonic "epic" stuff, ironically. I guess listening to the overly symphonic stuff for many years has finally caused me to get burned out on that sort of music. Like back in the day I'd listen to some Therion, Emperor and Tiamat non-stop but these days all 3 bore me to death and instead I'll jam me some Absu (Third Storm.. and The Sun of..) or Gehennah (Hardrocker) and stuff like that. Sure, there isn't alot of what one would typically consider "atmosphere" in that stuff but in my eyes I say there is tons of emotions going on. Its a more active emotional release than what one typically associates with atmosphere. Emotions are varied so to create atmosphere one must access all the expressions of emotions from its manic peaks to its depressive valleys.

FF: What can we expect to see in the future from Agga?

Lord of Babylon: Good question, hahaha. I kind of go where I'm supposed to go. Sorry for the totally cliched answer there but it's the truth. I will say this, I am in process of applying the mythological concepts to real world happenings in order to give more life to the lyrical concepts. I find mythology was just an in depth description of the society who created the particular mythos so trying to find its core principals and applying it to modern life can be an interesting working.

FF: How do you go about writing a song? Is there a certain instrument you always start with during the writing process?

Lord of Babylon: I typically start off with a very basic drum track that is separated into individual measures. Then I begin the guitar process, slowly constructing the rhythm section, two tracks for this. After this I construct the actual drum tracks (using another drum program) to fit with the rhythm section. Once I feel this has been done to satisfaction, in comes the bass lines, since I like to have the actual drum tracks in place before doing the bass lines. Lead guitars and vocals come in after all this dependent on their need at that part of the song. So in short it truly is constructing a song from the ground up. It's a really cool feeling seeing a song manifest from random riffs and sounds. This is what I mean by kind of going where the song is taking me rather than have a rigid plan in place.

FF: Do you ever plan on branching the project out a getting together a full line-up?

Lord of Babylon: I'd LOVE to eventually get a group of guys together to play live, but everyone seems to want to play brootul death metal or some form of Pantera/Shadows Fall boring commercial metal worship. Also, drummers are a pain in the fuckin ass, seriously! They seem to want to dictate too much of the goings on and it invariably turns into the drummer wanting to change things to some sort of progressive music angle. I've found drummers care less about atmosphere and more about playing complex shit to impress everyone. Yawnnnnn

FF: Are the any bands in your area playing a style that is even relatively similar?

Lord of Babylon: Nope, not that I know of at least. I really wish I was around back in the early 90's as Tampa isn't too far (2 and 1/2 hrs) away from me and I think things would be a bit different. All the local metal I've noticed around here is of the commercial metal variety or death core sort. This is why I concentrate my efforts online as the scene around here (Naples/Ft Myers) blows ass nuggets.

FF: Any final thoughts?

Lord of Babylon: Other than fuck poser metal and hail true underground metal that is full of passion, real anger, and other assorted real emotions... I can't think of anything. Perhaps goto http://soundcloud.com/agga40 and check out both the 2008 self titled album there and the 4 newest songs. Also thank you jugchord07 for the interview, I enjoyed it. It's weird being on this end of the interview, haha. Keep up the good work man and everyone, turn your back on the poser rockstar wannabe metal out there. Metal is a lifestyle, not a hipster trend!

The Afternoon Gentlemen- Pissedography

The Afternoon Gentlemen is a powerviolence band from the UK. This album is a compilation that features tracks from many of their previous splits and EP's. These guys are all about getting wasted and violent. Expect 38 tracks of pure, unadulterated chaos, all crammed into just under one hour of aural battery.

For the most part the songs here struggle to make it past the one minute mark. That is until towards the end which features the material from the Afterdoom EP. The final three songs on the disc all break one minute, in fact one of them breaks eight. When compared to the other material here the Afterdoom EP is something that definitely comes out of leftfield. It's obvious you're still hearing The Afternoon Gentlemen but rather than ripping through your ears at dangerous speeds they are trotting along at a turtles pace. These three tracks are riddled in sludge and prove that The Afternoon Gentlemen can be just as punishing using a different approach.

The riffs are very thrashy the majority of the time but there are also plenty of heavy grooves to keep things interesting. These mosh moments are sure to throw everyone in the area into an uproar. The style of powerviolence we see played here is very old school in a sense, having more in common with Spazz than newer acts like Magrudergrind. The variation of vocal styles used here is ridiculous. You've got some crazy piercing screams, gang chants, gutturals, yells, and the all too familiar Spazz "UGHSSS". This gives a slight upperhand when compared to many other modern powerviolence bands that typically stick to one or two approaches on each release.

Overall Pissedography is obviously a great way to get into The Afternoon Gentlemen. It features most of their material so far aside from live recordings and is still easy to sit back and listen to from start to finish. Even though the songs are from separate releases Pissedography still flows well as an album. Fans of powerviolence will definitely enjoy The Afternoon Gentlemen and fans of hardcore and grind shouldn't find it to be too huge leap either. Certainly one of the best powerviolence bands representing the UK right now. Get it.

Rebellious Damnation Theories- Free Online Compilation Download

DOWNLOAD: GET IT

Compilation featuring Crust, Grind, Thrash, Crossover, Hardcore, Sludge, Death/Black bands from the subcontinent and other areas (Indonesia, USA, etc). Releasing on Friday. Features the following bands:

Jugaa - Nepali Hardcore/Metalcore (https://www.facebook.com/jugaahc)

Bonecrushing Unity - Pakistani Hardcore/Crossover

Sangharsha - Nepali Hardcore/Metalcore (https://www.facebook.com/shoutatsangharsa)

Moron Crew - Indonesian Hardcore (https://www.facebook.com/moron.bhc)

Foreskin - Pakistani Hardcore/Crossover Thrash (https://www.facebook.com/foreskinband)

Pataca - Bulgarian Death/Thrash Metal (https://www.facebook.com/pages/PATACA/161422916730)

Dementia - Pakistani Thrash (https://www.facebook.com/dementiapk)

Tormentstorm - US Thrash Metal (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tormentstorm/108669639241457)

Nuclear Winter - Bangladeshi Crossover/Thrash (https://www.facebook.com/NuclearWinterBD)

Hedorah - US Sludge/Death (https://www.facebook.com/Hedorah)

Mysois - Pakistani Sludge/Doom (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Myosis/181688655204576)

Bvlghvm - Pakistani Sludge

Bruxism - US Grindcore (https://www.facebook.com/bruxismbs)

Abusive Father - US Grindcore (https://www.facebook.com/AbusiveFatherGrind)

Chillar Killer - Pakistani Noise/Grind

Ha5h on Death Drive - Pakistani Grindcore

Masturbate - Pakistani Goregrind

Gorified - Indian Goregrind/Death Metal (https://www.facebook.com/pages/GORIFIED/187325001570)

Multinational Corporations - Pakistani Death/Grind (https://www.facebook.com/multinationalcorporationspakistan)

Unholy Sermon - Sri Lankan Black/Death (https://www.facebook.com/unholysermon)

Necroticon - Pakistani Death Metal

Sledgehammer Autopsy - US Death Metal (https://www.facebook.com/Sledgehammer.Autopsy)

-------LIVE TRACKS--------

Death Inquisition - US Thrash Metal (https://www.facebook.com/deathinquisition)

Takatak - Pakistani Metalcore (https://www.facebook.com/IzTakatak)

Inside 2 Stoopid Triangles - Nepali Punk/Hardcore (https://www.facebook.com/inside2stoopidtriangles)

Free music on a comp filled with kickass bands. What more could you ask for? Check it out!

Ancient Obliteration- A Menacing Reality

Ancient Obliteration is a death-thrash band from Canada. The band formed back in 2006 and have a demo, EP, split, and live album under their belt. This is their first full-length to date and the wait pays off. Clocking in at a bit more than thirty minutes A Menacing Reality packs in more diversity than I initially expected. This isn't your run of the mill knuckle dragging thrash album, but Ancient Obliteration isn't out to reinvent the genre either. They have a few tricks up their sleeve and it makes for an all around enjoyable listen.

Upon first listen I wasn't quite sure what to think of A Menacing Reality. That being said, after a few listens the album really begins to click. The dirty guitar tone featured on the album fits Ancient Obliteration's overall sound perfectly. When intertwined with the punchy bass it makes for nice stomach churning grooves, this is most noticeable on tracks like "Lust For The Curse" and "Professor Of Black Magic". A good portion of the guitar playing just consists of simple, catchy riffs but the players do enough to show that they know how to handle their instruments. The bass adds a great deal of griminess to the overall sound, making each note heavier than the last and the guitar hits just as hard, almost to the point where it seems as though they are trading blows.

The production on A Menacing Reality allows Ancient Obliteration to pack twice the punch they did before. The past releases had a sound that was fairly flat. Don't expect this to have an extremely polished sound by any means, in fact, Ancient Obliteration is pretty much anything BUT polished. The production fits the loose playing on the record. At times it feels as though the music train is about to derail and cause an explosion of Michael Bay proportions. Luckily this never happens and Ancient Obliteration holds it together. This feeling adds an element of excitement to A Menacing Reality giving it an uncontrollable vibe.

The vocals here vary quite a bit. For the most part they switch between mid to low growls. At times clean vocals are used and they are typically delivered in a nonchalant manner. The cleans keep the listening experience fresh and fun and often come across as playful. Ancient Obliteration's lyrical themes tend to gravitate towards monsters and other odd subjects. The first track on the album "Radiated Overlords" is actually dedicated to the old school 50's B-movie THEM! With inspirations like that and songs with titles like "Giant Devilfish" what's not to love?

Overall A Menacing Reality is a solid release. Ancient Obliteration are definitely showing some improvement when compared to their previous releases. It seems each time they put something out there has been at least a slight tweak in their sound. Fans of death and/or thrash metal will be pleased with this album to say the least. Ancient Obliteration still has plenty of room for improvement, but considering this is their debut full-length it slays twice as much as I had expected. Give this one a listen.

Interview with Brandon Mitchell (ex-Swallowed By Apathy)

Brandon Mitchell just recently made the decision to part ways will Swallowed By Apathy shortly after the release of their debut full-length. In this interview we discuss why he left the band and where he is going from here.

Foul Feast: First off I'll address what is probably on everyones mind, what made you decide to leave Swallowed By Apathy?

Brandon Mitchell: I left Swallowed by Apathy simply because I was living 3 hours away from my closest friends and family. As much as I enjoyed the whole experience the distance had taken it's toll on me. I had not anticipated such an amazing following or response to the album and I will cherish every second that I spent in the band. It was my baby, I had the band formed before Kevin joined and I watched a small idea grow into a reality. After Kevin joined a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders and we worked as a team. I am happy that they will continue to carry on the legacy but I know that because of the fact I wrote 95% of the guitar parts and my vocal melodies it will have a different vibe. I can tell you from working with Kevin for a year and my time spent with Conor Sullivan that it will still be very solid and progressive musically. Conor fucking rips dude. lol After all I would expect nothing short of greatness from those two. Rob is an insane drummer and I think with him in the fold they will explore new territories. I have no regrets simply because we accomplished so much in little time. I need a little break from music but I will definitely be releasing stuff in the future. I want to make it but as of right now I need to be with family and friends.

FF: Are you happy with how Dysgenesis came out?

Brandon Mitchell: Oh absolutely, as an artist I feel that there are always ways to grow and improve so sure I may have done things differently but in the end we put it out and crafted it to be the best it could at that time. I'm thrilled by the support I have been shown and hope that people continue to support the band.

FF: Do you have any ideas of what you may do musically in the future?

Brandon Mitchell: Oh definitely, I got plans for the future. I can tell you I have always wanted to front a power metal band and fully intend on displaying my ability and range as a singer. I've been approached the past few days about getting involved with some new artists but at the moment I am taking a breather.

FF: Is there any chance of you and Kevin doing anymore music together?

Brandon Mitchell: Kevin and I are still on good terms so I would never say never but I think it's best we go our own ways and branch out with different people. I have learned a lot from him and I sure as hell influenced him so we will take what we learned and apply it to the future.

FF: What is going to happen to the material that was being written for Swallowed By Apathy that hasn't been released yet?

Brandon Mitchell: We'll considering I wrote everything on guitar and we haven't fully pieced anything together, I plan on working most of it into future projects as it is slightly more evolved and I am proud of it. It's good shit and when it gets released you will enjoy it. I am sure of that.

FF: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Brandon Mitchell: Just a big thanks to everyone who has supported me through everything and when I get back on my feet with material you will be the first to know.