Recenze/review - SANCTIFYING RITUAL - Sanctifying Ritual (2020)

SANCTIFYING RITUAL - Sanctifying Ritual
CD 2020, Iron Bonehead Productions

for english please scroll down

Potkal jsem uprostřed noci dívku celou od krve. Vyděšená, opuštěná, prokletá. Utekla z nějakého šíleného rituálu. Vyprávěla mi o postavách v kápích, o oltáři pokrytém mrtvými zvířaty. O strachu a bolesti. O modlitbách, jejichž slova se bojíte normálně vyslovit. Strávila dlouhé dny zavřená v kobce a o hladu neviděla ani malý kousek světla. Ztratila naději. Šílená sekta pomýlených maniaků se schovávala za přívětivou tvář. Věřit zlu je přeci tak lákavé.

Němečtí death metalisté SANCTIFYING RITUAL jakoby z podobných rituálů vzešli. Zkažení a prokletí hrají nechutně znějící smrtící kov. Připomíná nádobu, do které se zachytává krev obětí. Shnilé melodie, zběsilé tempo a zvuk, nahraný snad ve starých katakombách. Tihle maniaci moc dobře ví, o čem je pravé peklo. Není divu, své zkušenosti sbírali ve smečkách jako NOCTURNAL WITCH, DIVISION SPEED. 

Skladby na "Sanctifying Ritual" jsou plné jedu a absolutně zkažených melodií. Stačí se podívat jenom na obal a hned budete vědět, o čem deska pojednává. Ano, o záhrobí, o tajných rituálech, o opuštěných chodbách podsvětí, kde i vzduch je černý. Nemá cenu kapelu k někomu přirovnávat, názor si jistě uděláte sami podle ukázek. Budete přeneseni do starých časů, kdy se mísil death metal s blackem i thrashem. Nejdůležitější byla špína a temnota. SANCTIFYING RITUAL umí vytvořit atmosféru srovnatelnou snad opravdu jen s rituály plnými smrti. Němci jsou na svém dlouhohrajícím debutu ortodoxní, nihilističtí, dokáží navodit pocit absolutního zmaru a beznaděje. Po celou dobu poslechu se budete pohybovat pouze ve stínu. Budete najednou dívkou, která utekla z náruče šílených zvrhlíků. Znázornit hudbou zlobu a nenávist není lehké. Němci to umí na výbornou. Tohle album by nemělo chybět ve sbírce všech prokletých. Taky máte pocit, že nemrtví každou chvíli ožijí? Tak potom jste zde správně. Tahle deska totiž hoří čistým plamenem. Blasfemie lidské mysli! Inferno!

Asphyx says:

I met a girl covered in blood in the middle of the night. Frightened, abandoned, cursed. She escaped some crazy ritual. She told me about the persons in the hoods, about the altar covered with dead animals. About fear and pain. About prayers whose words you are afraid to say normally. She spent long days locked in a dungeon, not seeing a single bit of light and she was hungry. She lost hope. A mad sect of misguided maniacs hid behind the friendly faces. It is so tempting to believe in evil.

The German death metalists SANCTIFYING RITUAL seem to be born from similar rituals. Depraved and cursed they play hideously-sounding death metal. It resembles a vessel where the victims' blood is collected. Rotten melodies, frantic tempo and sound recorded perhaps in old catacombs. These maniacs know very well what the real hell is about. No wonder they gathered their experience in bands like NOCTURNAL WITCH, DIVISION SPEED.

The songs on "Sanctifying Ritual" are full of poison and absolutely spoiled melodies. Just look at the cover art and you will immediately know what the record is about. Yes, about the grave, about secret rituals, about the abandoned corridors of the underworld, where even the air is black. It is not worth comparing the band to someone, you will certainly make your own opinion according to the songs. You will be transferred to the old days, when death metal was mixed with black and thrash. The most important thing was dirt and darkness. SANCTIFYING RITUAL can create an atmosphere comparable perhaps only to rituals full of death. The Germans are orthodox, nihilistic on their full-length debut, they can evoke a feeling of absolute frustration and hopelessness. You will only move in the shade during the whole listening of this album. You will suddenly be a girl who escaped from the arms of mad perverts. It is not easy to depict anger and hatred with music. The Germans can do it very well. This album should not be missing in the collection of all the damned. Do you also feel that the undead come to life at any moment? Then you are on the right place. This record is burning with a pure flame. Blasphemy of the human mind! Hell!

Tracklist:

01. (Tales of the) Sinister Appearances (05:55)

02. Into Obscure Abyss (04:51)

03. Curse of Evil (04:45)

04. Obsessed by Gore (04:08)

05. Carved in Rotten Remains (03:39)

06. Stained with Rotten Blood (05:52)

07. Throne of Evil Atrocity (04:09)

08. Mankind Devastation (04:29)

09. Abominable Death Rebels (03:28)

https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com/album/sanctifying-ritual-s-t

https://ironbonehead.de/

Interview - THE SCUM - We play some putrid old school Death metal from the depths of Colombia.

Interview by: Jakub Asphyx for Deadly Storm

Interview answered by: Jose Ospina - Vocals, The Scum.

Correction and style: Camilo Muñoz - Wild Noise Productions. 

Recenze/review - THE SCUM - Dead Eyes (2020):

https://www.deadlystormzine.com/2020/05/recenzereview-scum-dead-eyes-2020.html

Ave THE SCUM! I have not found the interview with your band in Czech anywhere. Could you please introduce THE SCUM to Czech metal fans? Who are today’s THE SCUM? 

Hi Jakub!!! So many thanks for this interview!!!! In this moment the players in The Scum are guitarists Santiago de los Rios and Checho Gallego. Julian Lopez in the bass, Mauricio Aristizabal on drums and me, José Ospina doing vocals. Together we play some putrid old school Death metal from the depths of Colombia, South America.

I have received your newish record EP „Dead Eyes“ for review from the label Wild Noise Productions and I am really delighted! I was waiting for good gravedigger handwriting, however, I did not expect that it cut me into pieces so much. How was the album created? How exactly THE SCUM writes the music? 

It’s great that you appreciate our work. The two tracks in our newish EP were taken from a bunch of songs that we are writing since 2018 when our first album “Ashen“ was released, the idea was to make songs in a traditional way with verses, choruses, etc. And to write the most direct, brutal and catchy riffs that we can. Normally we begin with some cool riffs (Normally Santiago writes them), then we build the songs during our rehearsals with the ideas of all the musicians.

The sound of the record is also really great. It is dark, cold and harsh at the same time. In which studio did you record the new album? Did you have a chance to say/argue something to your producer regarding the resulting sound?

The EP was recorded in a studio located in our hometown Manizales named Rock Manizales, the songs were mixed by the legendary producer Tomas Skogsberg at Sunlight Studios in Stockholm Sweden and the mastering was done by the renowned musician and producer Andy Classen at Stage one studio en Germany. All that we have to Tomas and Andy is acknowledgment for their excellent work. It’s been really awesome for a band like us to have the opportunity to work with people that have construed the history of Death Metal in the world.

Could you reveal us who is the author of lyrics and what is their background? Where do you take your inspiration for topics in the lyrics? 

The lyrics are made by me and I take inspiration mainly in horror cinema and literature. All of us in The Scum are really horror fans mostly of the horror movies made in the last 40 years of the 20th century. Although we have to recognize that in recent times are appearing great horror movies in different parts of the world. Other source of inspiration are some weird and twisted nightmares that assault me sometimes.

You have always had the amazing cover arts. Is it very important for you, how the whole album, booklet, cover looks like? Who is the author of the cover of new album EP „Dead Eyes“? I really like his work. How was this cooperation formed? 

The artist that worked with us in our last two releases is Yan Sek from Indonesia, we have the opportunity to work with him from the moment he contacted us and show us some of his work.It was very good! We really liked his art because has some influences from the Oriental horror movies imaginary and some simplicity that we think fits very well with the aesthetical intentions of our music. We think that the art of our releases must say something to the real metalhead about the kind of band that we are.

When I revealed to my friends that I am going to make an interview with you, everybody recommend me to ask, how the underground in your country works? Czech Republic is a small country; we have only a few death metal bands, which are really great. How do you perceive your scene? Do the fans go on concerts, to buy merchandise? Do the bands support each other? 

The extreme metal scene in Colombia is one of the best in South America concerning about quality and quantity of bands. The scene has getting better as a good amount of foreign bands have visited us lately, but I seriously think that the culture of buying the material of the bands and the sales of tickets for concerts of local talents could be much better, anyway, exists a solid group of die hard metal heads that are disposed to support the work of the colombian bands.

I am old metal dog, who listen to metal music more than 30 years. The time has so changed during these years. We have an internet, young fans only download mp3 and sometimes I really miss „the old good times“. How do you perceive the changes in music, at concerts etc.? Did you have to change an approach as a band? 

I am a real old fart!!!! Hahaha The same as you, I have more of 30 years listening to metal and I lived the different eras that our scene has passed, since the tape trading of the old days, the old vinyls, the cds, the mp3 and streaming music in internet and now your majesty the vinyl again!!! I think that the new generations have so many facilities to get the music and that situation make that the old mysticism about the physical material decreases making that the young fellows don't appreciate sometimes the real value of the music... Or maybe I just became an old grumpy man!! Anyway we are fully aware of the present situation and we are pushing really hard to open with the band in all the new internet possibilities.

Do you remember who created the THE SCUM logo? Recently we talked about the best death metal logos with my friends in the pub. Besides of we were drunk, the result of this discussion was that we could not decide which logos are the best. I was voting for yours! 

Thanks for your vote man!!!! The logo was made by a designer from Manizales Named Xiomara Valencia. And the idea was to have a logo inspired by those of the classic death metal bands. We love the logos in the old fashioned way like the ones of Death, Benediction, Entombed, Dismember, Obituary, etc. We think the logos must be brutal but legibles!!!

And what about the THE SCUM and concerts? How difficult is for you to organize the tour? Do you prefer to play in Colombia or do you want to go also abroad? I know, everything is about the money, but I still think, the live shows are bringing to the bands more and more fans.

We really love to play live!! We have in Colombia a model of public rock festivals made with money of the government and we’ve played in some of them opening for bands as Pungent Stench, The Haunted, Ripper Owens etc. Also we had the chance to play with Destruction in their last tour here and made a little tour in Ecuador but one of our main goals it’s definitely touring in Europe and The USA. We hope that this could be possible in two or three years considering the pandemic situation and it’s consequences. It would be simply great to play in Czech Republic someday!!!!

Thank you for the interview and I wish you a lot of sold CDs, hundreds of crazy fans and tons of great ideas. 

Thanks to you Jakub for this interview and the review that you made of our EP “Dead Eyes” It’s an honour to be featured in Deadly Storm, alongside so many great bands that you interview now and in the past. Cheers to all the readers and Death metal fans from THE SCUM! 

Recenze/review - THE SCUM - Dead Eyes (2020):

https://www.deadlystormzine.com/2020/05/recenzereview-scum-dead-eyes-2020.html

https://www.thescum.co/
https://www.facebook.com/thescummusic/ 
https://twitter.com/thescumband 
https://www.facebook.com/wildnoiseprods/

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
sledujte nás na sociálních sítích - follow us on the social media:

instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/deadlystormzine/

facebook:
https://cs-cz.facebook.com/deadlstormzine
https://cs-cz.facebook.com/JakubAsphyx
https://www.facebook.com/groups/DEADLY.STORM.PROMOTION/

twitter:
https://twitter.com/deadlystormzine
https://twitter.com/jakubasphyx

tumlbr:
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/deadlystormzine

Recenze/review - VERTHEBRAL - Abysmal Decay (2020)

VERTHEBRAL - Abysmal Decay
CD 2020, Transcending Obscurity Records

for english please scroll down

Zlo nejde jen tak zničit. Má příliš hluboké kořeny. Krvavé kořeny. Uvědomuji si to často na místech, kde se stal nějaký zlý čin. Na popravištích, na starých pohřebištích, kde jsou pochovány ostatky obětí. Jakoby na mě dýchla temnota, zamlžila můj obličej do nepropustné tmy. Vše umocňuje pokaždé dobrý death metal. Tentokrát vás zvu na daleký výlet do Paraguaye, kde se znovu probudila bestie se jménem VERTHEBRAL.

Cesty, jakými se ke mě death metal dostává, jsou mnohdy složité a zajímavé. Kupříkladu téhle smečky jsem si všiml poprvé, když moje kolegyně Duzl dělala rozhovor s kytaristou Danielem. Jejich tehdejší album "Regeneration" (2017) mě zaujalo natolik, že jsem jej dlouhý čas protáčel ve svém přehrávači. Smrdělo totiž sírou a smrtí. Novinka "Abysmal Decay" plynule navazuje na předchozí desku a je neméně shnilá. Posuďte sami.

"Abysmal Decay" je zákeřným útokem ve stylu MORBID ANGEL, DEATH, OBITUARY, MALEVOLENT CREATION, KRISIUN, DEICIDE. Je také krvavým svědectvím o hlubokých kořenech. Tahle smečka má death metal v krvi, je hodně znát, že je baví hrát, toulat se po stejných místech jako já. Máme co do činění s ryzím, starodávným death metalem, který opravdu nejlépe vynikne na starých pohřebištích, ve smradlavých celách smrti. Plesnivé riffy, sóla, která se vám zadřou přímo pod kůži. Je sice jasné, že musíte mít pro poslech ty správné vlohy, ale to nic nemění na tom, že VERTHEBRAL nahráli skvělé stylové album. Pro mě je to také určité potvrzení, že já i kapela (a samozřejmě skvělý label Transcending Obscurity Records) máme stejný morbidní vkus pro muziku. Dočetl jsem se, že v Paraguayi se často zvedá silný vítr zvaný Scirocco. Kapela na mě působí stejným dojmem. Představte si staré katakomby s oltářem od krve. Najednou se rozrazí dveře a vítr zpřehází všechny kosti, které zde ležely od devadesátých let minulého století. Od doby, kdy se hrál podobný skvělý death metal, jako jej přinášejí VERTHEBRAL. Hroby byly otevřeny a krvavé kořeny vytrhnuté!

Asphyx says:

Evil cannot be destroyed. It has too deep roots. Bloody roots. I often realize this in places where something bad has happened. At execution sites, in old cemeteries where the remains of victims are buried. It was as if darkness was breathing on me, fogging my face in impenetrable darkness. Everything is always enhanced by good death metal. This time I invite you on a long trip to Paraguay, where a beast named VERTHEBRAL has woken up again.

The ways in which death metal reaches me are often complicated and interesting. For example, I noticed this band for the first time when my colleague Duzl was doing an interview with guitarist Daniel. Their then album "Regeneration" (2017) fascinated me so much that I spin it in my player for a long time. It smelled of sulphur and death. The new "Abysmal Decay" is a smooth continuation of the previous record and is no less rotten. Judge for yourself.

"Abysmal Decay" is an insidious attack in the style of MORBID ANGEL, DEATH, OBITUARY, MALEVOLENT CREATION, KRISIUN, DEICIDE. It is also a bloody testimony of deep roots. This band has death metal in their blood, they are enjoy playing, wandering around the same places as me. We are dealing with pure, ancient death metal, which really stands out best in old burial grounds, in stinky cells of death. Moldy riffs, solos that get stuck right under your skin. It's clear that you have to have the predispositions to listen in, but that doesn't change the fact that VERTHEBRAL recorded a great stylish album. For me, it's also a confirmation that me and the band (and of course the great label Transcending Obscurity Records) have the same morbid taste for music. I read that a strong wind called Scirocco often rises in Paraguay. The band makes the same impression on me. Imagine old catacombs with a blood altar. Suddenly the door slams open and the wind blows over all the bones that have been lying here since the 1990s. Ever since great death metal similar to VERTHEBRAL has been played. The graves were opened and the bloody roots were uprooted!

ABOUT VERTHEBRAL ON DEADLY STORM ZINE / O VERTHEBRAL NA DEADLY STORM ZINE:

Rozhovor - VERTHEBRAL - Život je příliš krátký na to, abyste ztráceli čas snahou změnit svět.

Interview - VERTHEBRAL - Life‘s too short to waste your time trying to change the world.

Line up -
Christian Rojas - Vocals/Bass
Daniel Larroza - Guitars
Alberto Flores - Guitars
Denis Viveros - Drums

Artwork by Marcos Miller (Mental Horror)
Layout by Turkka Rantanen (Paganizer, Demilich)

1. Ancient Legion
2. The Art of Perversion
3. Abysmal Decay
4. Isolation Room
5. Coronation of Envy
6. Absence of a God
7. Sweet Home Illusion
8. Obsidian Tears
9. My Dark Existence
10. Testimony of Hate

Verthebral Bandcamp
Verthebral Facebook
Transcending Obscurity Site
Transcending Obscurity Facebook