Prepare to get thrashed by this pulverizing Jacksonville, Florida-based band, bringing to you a healthy dosage of Death and Thrash Metal to free you from the frustrations and anxieties of this world pandemic.
Are you desperate for a healthy dosage of Death and Thrash Metal to free you from the frustrations and anxieties of this world pandemic? That’s exactly what vocalist Kyle Sweeny, guitarist Chase Moody, bassist Ruben Madrigal an drummer Nate Boulter, collectively known as Jacksonville, Florida-based outfit Corrupted Saint, have to offer you in their brand new EP entitled Mutilated Before the Masses, the follow-up to their previous demos Lung Full of Blood (2017) and Spiritual Warfare (2018) and the EP Burning in a Rotting World, released in 2019. An abrasive gut punch of scathing death and thrash reminiscent of great bands like Demolition Hammer, Devastation, Exhorder, Solstice and Num Skull, among others, Corrupted Saint bring sheer rage and aggression in Mutilated Before the Masses, all spiced up by the first-class recording by Jim Ross, the classy mixing and mastering by JB van der Wal (Hewwetover Studio), and the kick-ass cover art by Karl Dahmer. What else can you ask for this Christmas, right?
The slashing riffs by Chase will pierce your ears mercilessly in the opening tune Tomb of the Tyrant, clearly inspired by the golden, thrashing years of bands like Nuclear Assault and Exodus, and with Kyle sounding demented on vocals while Nate blasts his drums in great fashion. After such awesome start, there’s no time to breathe as the quartet invites us all to slam into the circle pit to the sound of the frantic and furious Death and Thrash Metal beast Forced to the Gallows, where Ruben and Nate go berserk with their respective bass punches and beats while Kyle vociferates in an even more demonic manner; followed by Process of Elimination, a Slayer-infused thrashing extravaganza with Chase firing razor-edged riffs and solos and with Ruben nicely accompanying his guitar buddy with his rumbling bass, while Kyle roars so rabidly it will surely make Tom Araya proud of him. Last but not least, presenting elements from Technical Death Metal and even Black Metal thoroughly added to their core devastating sound, Embalmed Alive keeps the EP at a high level of rage and gore, with Kyle’s demonic growls and Chase’s infernal riffage haunting our damned souls until the very end.
As mentioned, Corrupted Saint might have the perfect medication for your boredom and sadness during this infernal pandemic, bringing to your ears a short but extremely fast, fun and vibrant feast of classic Thrash and Death Metal in Mutilated Before the Masses. Having said that, don’t forget to show your support to those up-and-coming Florida thrashers by following them on Facebook, by subscribing to their YouTube channel and, above all that, by purchasing such demented EP from their own BandCamp page, from the Raw Skull Recordz’s BandCamp page or webstore, from the Redefining Darkness Records’ webstore, and sooner than later from Apple Music. As Christmas is just around the corner, and as 2020 has been nothing but a big pile of excrement, at least we have bands like Corrupted Saint to entertain us all, providing the perfect soundtrack for the most thrashing holidays you can think of.
Best moments of the album: Forced to the Gallows and Process of Elimination.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2020 Raw Skull Recordz/ Redefining Darkness Records
Track listing 1. Tomb of the Tyrant 3:19
2. Forced to the Gallows 4:49
3. Process of Elimination 3:30
4. Embalmed Alive 5:38
Band members Kyle Sweeny – vocals
Chase Moody – lead guitars
Ruben Madrigal – bass
Nate Boulter – drums
Drawing upon ancient mythology while at the same time looking at the current state of the world, this newborn multi-cultural metal act is ready to attack armed with the fusion of melody and fury from their debut release.
Combining the melodic approach and broad appeal of Metallica with the ferocity and thematic invention of Sepultura, Basingstoke, UK-based Power/Thrash Metal outfit Helestios is ready to conquer the world of heavy music with their debut album titled Your Pain Tastes Good, a reminder of how metal stays true to itself and its fans, reflecting the reality of life and urging people to think for themselves and move forward positively. Formed in early 2020 by Henrijs Leja on vocals and guitar, Stelios Aggelis on lead guitar, Agnis Aldiņš on bass and Ian den Boer on drums, all skillful musicians hailing from Latvia, Greece and Netherlands, Helestios are both the power and the fury we need to inspire us, with their new album offering our ears both traditional metal riffing and melodic structure as well as more aggressive and atmospheric tones, and with its lyrics drawing upon ancient mythology while at the same time looking at the state of the world around us right now.
Wicked vocalizations and the slashing riffs by Henrijs and Stelios ignite Helestios’ metal machine in Sacrifice, blending the fury of the Groove Metal by Lamb of God with the Power Metal by bands like Gamma Ray and Primal Fear, whereas Black Storm, a churning sea of riffs and tales told in the ancient mythologies of Syria and Egypt, sounds and feels as modern as the opening track with Ian dictating the rhythm with his classic beats accompanied by the thunderous bass by Agnis and the deep roars by Henrijs, keeping the album at a high level of animosity and rage. And let’s keep banging our heads together with those four metallers in Downgraded World, presenting another amazing job done by the band’s guitar duo with their incendiary riffs and solos and all spiced up by the powerful vocal performance by Henrijs; and Back to Where it Starts offers us all more of their solid fusion of Thrash and Power Metal, albeit not as exciting as its predecessors. It still showcases a great work done by the stringed trio with their venomous riffage and rumbling bass, though.
The title-track Your Pain Tastes Good begins in an ominous manner before exploding into another round of Helestios’ infuriated metal music, again bringing forward a nice mix of harsh growls and clean vocals while Ian adds tons of progressiveness and intricacy to the music with his beats. Then it’s time for a metal onslaught spearheaded by the flammable guitars by Henrijs an Stelios in All Attack, a modern-day Thrash Metal extravaganza with hints of Death and Groove Metal written in support of the Belorussian people who have spent recent months fighting to overthrow what many see as one of the last tyrannies of Europe. Put differently, it can’t get any heavier nor darker than this, I might say. And the quartet continues to slam their instruments in great fashion in You Are Free, where its headbanging rhythm is nicely boosted by Ian’s massive drums while also bringing forward very melodic lines exploding from their guitars and vocals. And last but not least, hypnotizing guitars kick off their final breath of Thrash Metal entitled Return to Baalbek, with Henrijs sounding truly demonic on vocals, therefore resulting in the perfect soundtrack for slamming into the circle pit in an amazing hybrid of sheer aggressiveness and soulful melodies.
In a nutshell, although Helestios might be a brand new name in the metal community, each band member know exactly what they are doing in Your Pain Tastes Good, sounding as polished, professional, focused and aggressive as any of the big names of the Thrash and Power Metal scene. Hence, don’t forget to show this talented, multi-cultural metal act your support by following them on Facebook and on Instagram, by subscribing to their YouTube channel, by streaming more of their powerful music on Spotify, and by grabbing your copy of their top-notch debut album from different locations sooner than you can say the word “pain”. Helestios’ fusion of melody and fury will surely please all fans of Heavy Metal in general, leaving us eager for more of their thrilling creations and, of course, putting a huge smile on our faces for knowing underground metal music in the UK is alive and kicking as usual.
Best moments of the album: Sacrifice, All Attack and Return to Baalbek.
Worst moments of the album:Back to Where it Starts.
Released in 2020 Independent
Track listing 1. Sacrifice 4:46
2. Black Storm 3:08
3. Downgraded World 4:05
4. Back to Where it Starts 3:39
5. Your Pain Tastes Good 5:45
6. All Attack 3:57
7. You Are Free 3:44
8. Return to Baalbek 5:11
Band members
Henrijs Leja – vocals, guitar
Stelios Aggelis – lead guitar
Agnis Aldiņš – bass
Ian den Boer – drums
Join those Teutonic thrashers in their quest for heavy music to the sound of their sophomore album, bringing to our ears a collection of rebellious anthems inspired by the glory of the 80’s and 90’s.
Ready to kill in the name of old school Bay Area Thrash, a Daisbach and Sinsheim, Germany-based horde formed in 2012 that goes by the straightforward name of War Agenda has just unleashed upon humanity their sophomore album, titled Propaganda, a rebellious ode to 80’s and 90’s thrash in the vein of Exodus, Slayer, Testament and Kreator, among others. Featuring an insurgent artwork by Mal Semmens Art, Propaganda has everything a diehard fan of classic Thrash Metal can ask for, from its austere lyrics to raspy vocals and smashing drums, showcasing all the talent of one of the band’s masterminds Ingo on the guitars together with his loyal henchman Hamdi on drums and newcomers Mostafa Troll on vocals, Raafat on the guitar and Marcel on bass. In other words, simply put on your best mask and join those Teutonic thrashers in their quest for heavy music, slamming into the pit and raising your horns to the sound of their visceral creations.
In the intro Sounds of Oppression we’re treated to serene and melancholic acoustic guitars, but of course darkly oppressive, exploding into the title-track Propaganda, where the metallic bass by Marcel will smash your head while Mostafa begins his Bobby Blitz-inspired vocal attack in an old school Bay Area Thrash extravaganza with the band’s own Teutonic twist, perfect for igniting the album’s endless circle pit vibe. Then blending the Speed Metal of Megadeth with the insanity of the early days of Exodus, Ingo and Raafat slash their stringed axes in great fashion firing ass-kicking riffs and solos nonstop in Plan B, a song that will inspire you to bang your head in the name of thrash, followed by Human Race, an acid “tribute” to our rotten society, with Hamdi pounding his drums accompanied by the strident riffage by the band’s guitar duo, spearheaded by Mostafa’s manic declamation of the song’s austere lyrics. And more of their no shenanigans Thrash Metal comes in the form of United in Hypocrisy, a headbanging tune showcasing crushing beats and strident riffs, recommended for slamming into the pit while enjoying a cold beer; whereas Marcel brings forward obscure bass lines in the bold Silence of Justice, before morphing into another feast of classic thrashing sounds the likes of Obituary, Nuclear Assault and Exodus, presenting Ingo and Raafat’s riffage in total sync with Mostafa’s raspy gnarls.
Heavy-as-hell and menacing from the very first second, the quintet brings forth the violent Apartheid, a lesson in 80’s Thrash Metal where Hamdi goes berserk with his wicked beats and fills from start to finish, and it’s time for total anarchy and chaos with the thunderous Chaos Invasion, blending their trademark Thrash Metal with modern-day Groove Metal thanks to the fulminating sounds blasted by Marcel and Hamdi with their unstoppable bass and drums. Then let’s head into the battlefield together with War Agenda in the frantic War of Nations, with Ingo and Raafat taking the lead with their razor-edged riffs while Mostafa vociferates and roars like a true thrashing beast in an awesome display of German Thrash Metal for fans of Kreator. In Killer Disease, despite its dark and venomous feel, the music is not as inspiring as its predecessors, sounding a bit generic I might say. Mostafa continues to bark rabidly while Hamdi smashes his drums with tons of precision, though, and closing such austere album we have Child of Dreams, showcasing a delicate intro before exploding into their classic thrashing sonority where Ingo and Raafat are on fire with their wicked solos, ending the album in a pensive and rebellious way .
You can enjoy Propaganda in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course in order to keep supporting underground Thrash Metal you should purchase the album from the band’s own BandCamp page, from the Great Dane Records’ BandCamp or webstore, from Season of Mist, from Amazon or from Discogs, keeping the band more than inspired to destroy everything that crosses their path with their thrashing music for many years to come. In addition, don’t forget to also follow War Agenda on Facebook, and whenever this never-ending, shitty pandemic is finally over, I’m sure you’ll be the first to know where you can slam into the pit like a true Thrash Metal lover to the music crafted by this talented and ruthless German squad, just the way we all like it in the most rebellious music style in Heavy Metal.
Best moments of the album: Propaganda, Human Race and War of Nations.
Worst moments of the album:Killer Disease.
Released in 2020 Great Dane Records
Track listing 1. Sounds of Oppression 2:10
2. Propaganda 4:03
3. Plan B 4:20
4. Human Race 5:31
5. United in Hypocrisy 3:27
6. Silence of Justice 4:49
7. Apartheid 4:08
8. Chaos Invasion 3:20
9. War of Nations 3:46
10. Killer Disease 4:39
11. Child of Dreams 5:24
Band members Mostafa Troll – vocals
Ingo – guitars
Raafat – guitars
Marcel – bass
Hamdi – drums
A merciless Vancouver-based Death and Thrash Metal unity is ready to strike us all once again with their newest opus, representing four years of solid work ethic and unwillingness to compromise even in the slightest.
What’s in a name? Everything. And Vancouver, Canada-based Death/Thrash Metal unity Without Mercy certainly stays true to its name. Ruthless and menacing, these Canadian metal titans have cultivated a fusion of death and thrash, a sound that shows off the band’s respect for and dedication to both genres since their inception in 2004, being highly recommended for fans of the fulminating music by Cattle Decapitation, Meshuggah, Whitechapel and Pantera, among others. Now in 2020, the band comprised of Alex Friis on vocals, DJ Temple on the guitars, Ryan Loewen on bass and Matt Helie on drums is ready to strike once again with their sophomore full-length effort Seismic, representing four years of solid work ethic and unwillingness to compromise even in the slightest. Produced by DJ Temple himself, mixed and mastered by Dave Otero at Flatline Audio, displaying a venomous artwork by Canadian artist Brayden Eshuis, and featuring very special guests Jeff Loomis (Arch Enemy, Nevermore) and Chris Broderick (Act of Defiance, Megadeth, Jag Panzer), Seismic will go straight for your jugular, offering you the most visceral fusion of Death, Thrash and Groove Metal you can think of.
With guest Jeff Loomis blasting one of his trademark, incendiary guitar solos, Thunderbird is an explosion of Thrash and Groove Metal the likes of Lamb of God and Meshuggah where Matt is bestial with his blast beats while Alex sounds like a rabid creature on vocals, and continuing their path of progressiveness, heaviness and rage, DJ Temple fires razor-edged riffs supported by the rumbling bass by Ryan in Abysmal, highly recommended for fans of Progressive Death and Thrash Metal. What DJ Temple does with his axe in the next song, titled Left Alone, is truly impressive, resulting in a lesson in intricacy and violence accompanied by his infuriated band members, and the final sound couldn’t have been more demented and sharper than what it already is; whereas Alex’s deranged roars and gnarls will penetrate deep inside your mind in Wiindigo, while Matt and Ryan make sure the earth trembles to the sound of their respective beats and bass jabs in another solid fusion of modern-day Death and Groove Metal.
Then it’s time for Chris Broderick to provide a sick guitar solo in Disinfect The Soul, a metal beast brought into being by this insane squad showcasing austere, in-your-face words barked by Alex (“Thank God there’s only one of you / I’m striving for a better form of survival / THE MEANS AREN’T AVAILABLE without the threat / I finally understand what could make a man run / Chasing my tail, I have it now / SO MUCH WORSE than first thought”), while in The Disaster the thrashing riffs and solos by DJ Temple are amplified by the crushing drums by Matt, or in other words, it’s a straightforward tune that will inspire you to slam into the circle pit like a maniac. Possessed brings forward another explosive round of their trademark music, feeling and sounding absolutely berserk from start to finish, and with Alex being once again demonic with his sick gnarls, presenting elements from the darkest forms of Death, Thrash and Groove Metal you can think of. I Break The Chain, the second to last blast of infernal metal music by Without Mercy, feels like a more deranged version of Gojira infused with the austerity of Cattle Decapitation, meaning it will hammer your heads mercilessly until the very end, before the band closes the album with Uprooted, presenting beautiful, darkly poetic lyrics “declaimed” by Alex (“To dream of the earth dying is nothing new / To watch in awe of its beauty is something I don’t do / To hold a dead bird in my hand and demand it sing / To hold a gift in my hand and not feel a thing”) while the music remains as acid and pulverizing as possible, spearheaded by DJ Temple’s scorching riffage and the always demented beats by Matt.
The Death and Thrash Metal landscapes might seem a bit too saturated for a lot of fans from all over the world, but let’s say Without Mercy managed to sound unique and fresh throughout Seismic, turning it into a must-listen to anyone who enjoys some well-engendered extreme music while at the same time loves to slam his or her cranial skull into a frantic mosh pit. Hence, you can show your support to those brave Canadian metallers by following them on Facebook and on Instagram, by subscribing to their YouTube channel, by listening to more of their infernal creations on Spotify, and specially by purchasing your copy of Seismic from their own BandCamp page (or simply click HERE for all locations where you can buy or stream the album). In the beginning of this review it was mentioned that the name of the band, Without Mercy, says it all about their music. Well, the same can be said about the album name, as this is a true headbanging, thrashing earthquake made in Canada that will leave you completely disoriented after all is said and done, exactly the way the band had in mind. Yes, my friends, there’s indeed a mission accomplished in the name of death and thrash here.
Best moments of the album: Left Alone, Possessed and Uprooted.
Worst moments of the album:Wiindigo.
Released in 2020 Bloodblast Distribution
Track listing 1. Thunderbird 4:53
2. Abysmal 5:42
3. Left Alone 4:00
4. Wiindigo 4:55
5. Disinfect The Soul 7:18
6. The Disaster 3:52
7. Possessed 4:04
8. I Break The Chain 4:44
9. Uprooted 4:58
Band members Alex Friis – vocals
DJ Temple – guitars
Ryan Loewen – bass
Matt Helie – drums
Guest musicians Jeff Loomis – guitar solo on “Thunderbird”
Chris Broderick – guitar solo on “Disinfect The Soul”
Bang your heads to the brutal display of classic and contemporary Death Metal blasted by this promising Belgian band in their debut album.
Forged in 2016 in the fires of Andenne, a Belgian municipality located in the Walloon province of Namur, BleedSkin are an up-and-coming band highly inspired by iconic names from the 80’s and 90’s the likes of Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, Behemoth, Dying Fetus and Aborted, among others, playing an old school, no bullshit style of Death Metal while singing about controversial topics such as dismemberment, butchery and annihilation. All that hard work and passion for heavy music has already led frontwoman Anouk Debecq, guitarists Benjamin Lefevre and Céline Mazay, bassist Rémy Adam and drummer Julien Vanhees to open for an array of bands including Exuviated, Debauchery and Blood Red Throne since their inception, culminating now in 2020 with the release of their debut effort Blood Reign, a brutal display of classic and contemporary Death Metal that will please all fans of the genre, recorded and mixed by Benoît Polomé at Noise Factory Studio and Soundwave Studio and embraced by a sinister artwork by Venezuelan artist Jesus Lhysta, better known under his moniker Rotted Artist.
A creepy, tribalistic and symphonic horror movie-inspired intro named Perverted Feelings sets the tone for the bestial devastation titled Eternal Hatred, where Benjamin and Céline begin slashing their axes while Anouk screams and roars deeply like an infernal entity, or in other words, this is a high-octane, classic Death Metal tune perfect for slamming into the circle pit, also bringing forward spot-on guitar solos and endless savagery. Once again inspired by renowned acts like Cannibal Corpse, Death and Morbid Angel, the band delivers Obsession, a great headbanging tune with Anouk once again showcasing all her she-wolf skills on vocals and where Julien hammers his drums without a single drop of mercy; and blending the ferocity of Death Metal with the speed of Thrash Metal the band offers us all No One Will Hear You, where Rémy and Julien will make your cranial skull tremble to the thunderous sound of their respective bass and drums. Then sounding as heavy as a stone crusher, it’s time for BleedSkin to pulverize our heads with Schizophrenia, with Benjamin and Céline yet again firing pure hatred from their guitars, and with guest Logan Dykens, the band’s former vocalist, bringing his share of dementia on backing vocals, whereas Point of No Return is an ode to the classic Death Metal sound from the 90’s and the 2000’s, with Anouk getting more and more demented on vocals as the music progresses without a single second of peace for our total delight.
Perversion of Mankind, which touches the complicated subject of pedophilia (and in order not to be censored, Anouk wrote it as if it were a children’s story where the monster is the pedophile), is another avalanche of incendiary riffs, blast beats and venomous vociferations brought forth by BleedSkin, while Silence Is Your Only Way, a song about sexism, violence against women, abortion and rape, is a demolishing composition where the music matches perfectly with the topics discussed (or maybe I should say barked) by Anouk in the lyrics, not to mention how unstoppable the band’s guitar duo sounds with their endless riffs and solos. Then more of their hellish growls and blast beats will penetrate deep inside your skin in The Dead Sale, feeling like Benjamin and Céline want to disintegrate their guitar strings due to the violence they apply to their riffage; followed by Innocent, the album’s second to last blast of classic Death Metal made in Belgium, where Benjamin is spot-on with his wicked guitar solo while Rémy doesn’t stop pounding his bass not even for a single second in a solid display of aggressiveness and rage. Lastly, how about more heaviness, anger and speed to properly close the album? That’s what they offer our metallic ears in Chaos Theory, where Anouk’s deranged, guttural roars are not recommended for the lighthearted, and with Julian dictating the pace with his demonic beats and fills.
BleedSkin’s debut full-length opus can be better appreciated in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course in order to show them your utmost support don’t forget to follow such promising band hailing from Belgium on Facebook and on Instagram, to subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their sick creations and official videos, and above all that, to click HERE and purchase or stream your favorite version of Blood Reign. As you might have already noticed, those Belgian metallers do not aim at reinventing Death Metal nor anything like that, having as their main goal keeping the fires of classic Death Metal burning bright in the underground and, consequently, offering us fans a very good reason for breaking our necks headbanging and slamming like maniacs. Well, in the end, what else can we ask for in first-class extreme music, right? And thanks to the girls an boys from BleedSkin, we can rest assured we’ll have a lot of fuel to burn into the circle pit to the sound of their visceral music for quite a while.
Best moments of the album: Eternal Hatred, Schizophrenia and Silence Is Your Only Way.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2020 Independent
Track listing 1. Perverted Feelings 1:51
2. Eternal Hatred 3:18
3. Obsession 3:19
4. No One Will Hear You 3:44
5. Schizophrenia 3:33
6. Point of No Return 4:03
7. Perversion of Mankind 3:33
8. Silence Is Your Only Way 3:55
9. The Dead Sale 3:18
10. Innocent 4:02
11. Chaos Theory 4:03
Band members Anouk Debecq – vocals
Benjamin Lefevre – lead guitars
Céline Mazay – guitars
Rémy Adam – bass
Julien Vanhees – drums
Guest musician Logan Dykens – backing vocals on “Schizophrenia”, “Silence Is Your Only Way”, “The Dead Sale” and “Innocent”
A sensational concept album based on Quadrivium embraced by a fusion of Thrash, Groove and Progressive Metal, masterfully crafted by the best Brazilian metal band of all time.
In case you’re form another dimension and haven’t listened to Quadrayet, let me tell you that the fifteenth studio effort by Brazilian Thrash/Groove Metal titans Sepultura is much more than just another metal album. With a concept based on Quadrivium, which are the four subjects or arts (namely arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy), taught after teaching the trivium, Quadra, meaning “four ways” from Latin, is a 12-track album divided into four sections of three songs each. The first being Thrash Metal songs based on the classic Sepultura sound; the second section is inspired by the groove-percussion oriented sound the band explored in Roots; the third part has more progressive songs inspired by the track Iceberg Dancesfrom Machine Messiah, albeit not all are instrumental tracks; and side four features slow-paced and melodic tracks similar to the song Machine Messiah. Add to that the undeniable talent by the band’s four horsemen Derrick Green on vocals, Andreas Kisser on the guitars, Paulo Jr. on bass and Eloy Casagrande on drums, and there you have the band’s most successful record since 1998’s Against.
Recorded and produced by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden, and featuring a bold artwork by Christiano Menezes from Darkside Books revolving around the meaning of the number four, Quadra is also the Portuguese term for sports court. “We all come from different Quadras. The countries, all nations with their borders and traditions; culture, religions, laws, education and a set of rules where life takes place. Our personalities, what we believe, how we live, how we build societies and relationships, all depends on these set of rules that we grew up with. Concepts of creation, gods, death and ethics. Money, we are enslaved by this concept. Who’s poor and who’s rich, that’s how we measure people and material goods. Regardless of your Quadra you need money to survive, the prime rule to play this game called life. Hence the coin. The coin is forged with the senator skull, who represents the set of rules and laws we live by; the world map on his head delimiting the borders of all nations, imaginary lines separating people by concepts of race and the sacred,” explained Andreas about the concept behind the album art.
Tribal beats and futuristic sounds ignite the brutal and groovy Isolation, an old school Thrash Metal chant with Sepultura’s unique twist, where Derrick already tells us all this album is going to be fantastic through his enraged roars, whereas Means to an End is another ass-kicking, trademark creation by the quartet with the talented Eloy bringing tons of progressiveness and fury to the musicality, while Paulo continues to be precise and groovy as usual on bass. And there’s no sign of slowing down in Last Time, where Derrick and Eloy represent the brutality in the music while Andreas showcases his infinite talent as a shredder as well as with his fantastic solos; and adding primeval elements and beats from the band’s cultural background it’s time for one more round of savagery and groove united in the name of metal in Capital Enslavement, with Andreas slashing his strings beautifully accompanied by the unstoppable Eloy on drums. Back to a more traditional sound blending Thrash, Groove and Progressive Metal, Andreas, Paulo and Eloy generate a bold and reverberating atmosphere in Ali, sounding beyond perfect for Derrick to fire his beastly growls.
Raging Void is a mid-tempo, neck-breaking tune led by Eloy and his pounding drums where Derrick is effectively supported by all backing vocals, while Andreas keep stunning us all with his whimsical guitar. Then a sensational acoustic intro by Andreas sets the stage for an austere and multi-layered metal feast entitled Guardians of Earth (which has one of the best and most touching official videos of the past decade), with all choirs and orchestrations making the whole song even more impactful and thrilling; followed by The Pentagram, bringing to our ears a classic Death Metal sonority infused with endless progressiveness and rage. Furthermore, Andreas is superb on the guitars as usual, while Paulo brings the groove with his minimalist but precise bass jabs, resulting in an excellent instrumental composition. After that we have Autem, uniting the past, present and perhaps the future of Sepultura by alternating between old school thrashing moments and the obscurity and hatred from Death and even Black Metal. Needless to say, Eloy and Andreas are in absolute sync throughout the entire song, and after the brief but beautiful acoustic intermission Quadra, it’s time for a darker, more introspective side of Derek in Agony of Defeat, where once again all background choirs and orchestrations bring a touch of finesse to the overall result, albeit not as majestic as the rest of the album, though. And last but not least, the delicate, sexy vocals by guest Emmily Barreto make a superb paradox with the raspy growls by Derrick in Fear, Pain, Chaos, Suffering, with the music sounding grim, melodic and vibrant form start to finish, or in other words, a great composition showcasing the band’s endless creativity and passion for heavy music.
After all is said and done, it’s more than fair to give such amazing album of heavy music four of our rating skulls, especially as the album revolves around the various meaning of the number four, right? In addition, in case you haven’t done so yet, I recommend you follow the best and most influential band of the Brazilian metal scene of all time on Facebook and on Instagram, subscribe to their official YouTube channel for more of their unique and heavy-as-hell songs and videos, and of course purchase or stream Quadra by clicking HERE. When Derrick was asked during an interview with BraveWords “Which Sepultura album are you most proud of?”, he replied, “Definitely Quadra. It’s the latest album, and we really worked so hard on it. We have so many different elements from the past that have helped us get to here – where we are at right now. So, without a doubt in my mind, this is the strongest album that we’ve done together. And I’m extremely proud of it.” I guess we must all agree with Derrick that Quadra is hands down the most detailed, diverse and electrifying album of his era fronting Sepultura, raising the flag of Brazilian metal higher and higher for the delight of all of their loyal and diehard fans.
Best moments of the album: Isolation, Capital Enslavement, Guardians of Earth and Fear and Pain, Chaos, Suffering.
Worst moments of the album:Agony of Defeat.
Released in 2020 Nuclear Blast
Track listing 1. Isolation 4:56
2. Means to an End 4:39
3. Last Time 4:27
4. Capital Enslavement 3:40
5. Ali 4:12
6. Raging Void 3:57
7. Guardians of Earth 5:11
8. The Pentagram 5:20
9. Autem 4:06
10. Quadra 0:46
11. Agony of Defeat 5:51
12. Fear, Pain, Chaos, Suffering 4:09
Alive in Brazil Digipack and Earbook bonus disc (recorded live at “Audio” in São Paulo, Brazil on June 20, 2015) 1. Choke 3:46
2. Convicted in Life 3:31
3. Sepulnation 4:41
4. Apes of God 3:22
5. Sepultura Under My Skin 3:45
6. Manipulation of Tragedy 4:19
7. The Vatican 6:34
8. Cut-Throat 2:55
Band members Derrick Green – lead vocals
Andreas Kisser – guitars
Paulo Jr. – bass
Eloy Casagrande – drums, percussion
Guest musicians Bruna Zenti – violin
Kadu Fernandes – percussion on “Capital Enslavement”
Renato Zanuto – keyboards, orchestrations on “Isolation”, “Means to an End”, “Capital Enslavement” and “Guardians of Earth”, choir arrangements
Francesco Ferrini – orchestrations on “Last Time” and “Fear, Pain, Chaos, Suffering”
Robertinho Rodrigues – acoustic bass
Chorus Mysticus – choir vocals
Jens Bogren – backing vocals
Paulo Cyrino – effects on “Ali”
Gunnar Misgeld – choir arrangements on “Isolation”, “Last Time”, “Guardians of Earth” and “Agony of Defeat”
Emmily Barreto – female vocals on “Fear, Pain, Chaos, Suffering”
Just one year after the release of their debut album, this German Melodic Heavy Metal outfit returns in full force with a worthy and stronger successor in every way.
Just one year after the release of Facing the Demon and after several successful club shows and festivals, the creative duo consisting of frontman Stefan Zörner and guitarist Carsten Sauter, together with guitarist Oskar Schmidt, bassist Didi Schenk and drummer Suat Gören, collectively known as Heilbronn, Germany-based Melodic Heavy Metal outfit Reternity, are back in full force with their sophomore album entitled A Test of Shadows, a worthy and stronger successor in every way. Produced in cooperation with Jonas Kümmerle at Analog Mixing Studio, A Test Of Shadows brings forward compact songs without unnecessary lengths, always spiced up by the melodic and expressive vocals of Stefan as well as the powerful and original riffs of Carsten, with a musical spectrum ranging from homages to the Speed and Thrash Metal scene of the blissful 80’s to heavy and danceable mid-tempo hymns and neck-breakers, resulting in a sound that should quickly grow on the heart of every friend of melodic, varied metal.
A creepy version to an excerpt from Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony NO. 9 in D Minor, OP. 125: IV. Finale: Presto – Allegro Assai – Rezitativo – Allegro Assai sets the stage for Sniper’s Death, where Suat begins crushing his drums in great fashion, offering Stefan all he needs to shine on vocals in a thrilling and heavy-as-hell Melodic Heavy Metal feast, also showcasing Thrash Metal-infused guitars. There’s more of their groovy and smashing riffs in This Is the End, courtesy of the band’s infernal guitar duo Carsten and Oskar supported by Didi’s rumbling bass, keeping the album at a high level of adrenaline and exhaling pure metal, and it’s interesting to see how the band has invested a lot more on the thrill and heaviness of classic Heavy Metal this time rather than the melody of their previous release as in My Crush, with Stefan doing a great job declaiming the song’s passionate lyrics. In the title-track A Test of Shadows, a very progressive and dark creation by Reternity, Carsten’s and Oskar’s riffage sounds as razor-edged as possible, with Suat dictating the pace with his intricate beats and fills. Needless to say, this should sound amazing when played live; and starting with elements from Groove Metal and from the heavier-than-usual rock blasted by Volbeat and Godsmack they offer us all A Grave Called Home, alternating between more introspective, serene moments and obscure, pounding guitars and drums.
Time to put the pedal to the metal once again in (We Were) the Gods, with Stefan’s precise vocal lines being amazingly supported by his bandmates’ backing vocals in a hybrid of classic Heavy Metal with contemporary Melodic Metal, not to mention Suat’s old school beats, and they keep hammering our heads with their fusion of harmony and aggressiveness in Falling Shadows, where Didi once again blasts metallic sounds form his bass while the band’s guitar duo offers our ears Iron Maiden-inspired riffs. In You’ll See the Sun they tried to sound a little bit more stoner or alternative than usual; however, it didn’t work as well as expected, with even Stefan’s vocals sounding uninspired and bland, feeling disconnected from the rest of such amazing album. Fortunately, in No Deeper Hole the boys get back to a more frantic and berserk mode thanks to the smashing drums by Suat and the always incendiary riffs and solos by Carsten and Oskar, and the sheer electricity flowing from all instruments will surely generate some nice circle pits during their live concerts. Lastly, obscure piano notes kick off the somber and melancholic Stranded, created in collaboration with Jazz musician Aljoscha Crema, by far the most personal of all songs where Stefan has another superb performance on vocals, putting a gentle and introspective ending to A Test Of Shadows.
In summary, if you consider yourself a diehard fan of melodic and classic Heavy Metal, I highly recommend you take a shot at A Test Of Shadows, first by streaming the album in full on YouTube and on Spotify, and then, even more important than that, by purchasing the album from your favorite retailer, including the MDD shop, Nuclear Blast, Apple Music and Amazon. Also, don’t forget to follow Reternity on Facebook for news, tour dates and other nice-to-know details about Stefan, Carsten & Co., as I’m more than sure those German metallers will keep embellishing the airwaves with their refined and extremely pleasant creations for many years to come, just like what they have to offer us in A Test Of Shadows, an album that explains why not only the big German bands like Scorpions and Helloween have conquered the world of heavy music, but also why the underground scene in Germany is by far one of the best in the entire world.
Best moments of the album: (We Were) the Gods, Falling Shadows and No Deeper Hole.
Worst moments of the album:You’ll See the Sun.
Released in 2020 Black Sunset
Track listing 1. Symphony NO. 9 in D Minor, OP. 125: IV. Finale: Presto – Allegro Assai – Rezitativo – Allegro Assai (Intro) 0:19
2. Sniper’s Death 4:08
3. This Is the End 3:21
4. My Crush 4:12
5. A Test of Shadows 4:29
6. A Grave Called Home 5:07
7. (We Were) the Gods 4:11
8. Falling Shadows 4:06
9. You’ll See the Sun 4:29
10. No Deeper Hole 2:47
11. Stranded 5:18
Band members Stefan Zörner – vocals
Carsten Sauter – guitars
Oskar Schmidt – guitars
Didi Schenk – bass
Suat Gören – drums
Guest musician Aljoscha Crema – piano on “Stranded”
Uniting the aggressiveness of Death Metal with the beauty of poetry, this promising Brazilian outfit is ready to conquer the world of heavy music with their thrilling debut EP.
Formed in 2017 in the city of Americana, a municipality located in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, aiming at uniting the aggressiveness of Death Metal with the beauty of poetry, the up-and-coming Melodic Death Metal outfit Póstuma (the Portuguese word for “posthumous”) have just released their debut EP entitled Moralis, presenting Greek mythology and philosophy as the album’s main themes together with a questioning about honor, virtue and perhaps an ode to art and tragedy, something that has been in search of balance since the beginning of times. Recorded, mixed and mastered at Estúdio Fuzza by Ricardo Biancarelli, Moralis is recommended for fans of the aggression blasted by bands such as At The Gates, Arch Enemy, Hipocrisy and In Flames, among several others, with its lyrics exalting the pursuit of knowledge and existentialism combined with Death and Thrash Metal influences, as well as writers and philosophers, resulting in a strong and deep sound carefully crafted by frontwoman Bia da Aldea, guitarists Júlio Alves and Rodrigo Batista, bassist Diego “Bob” Carmelo and drummer Murilo Pasqualino.
Filling every single space in the air with violence and harmony, the band kicks off the EP with the Arch Enemy-inspired Prometheus, where Bia showcases all her vocal potency right from the beginning as the amazing growler she is, while Murilo sounds like a stone crusher on drums. This is what I call a fantastic welcome card by Póstuma, followed by Minerva, where its poetically acid lyrics are roared by Bia (“Crushing an empire, just for desire / All life drained away / We just learn with pain / They make us discuss, we are numb / They manage our hate / Become misery slaves / So certain they beg for chaos / So modest they beg for chaos”) while the music sounds even more impactful than the opening tune due to the brutality blasted by her bandmates, with Júlio and Rodrigo firing venomous riffs from their guitars and, therefore, adding hints of Thrash and Black Metal to their already powerful sound. And Júlio and Rodrigo, supported by the insane bass punches by Diego, keep piercing our heads with their ass-kicking riffage and solos in the also demented Redemption, with Bia’s screams reaching a whole new level of insanity, whereas in the closing song Gaya the band’s guitar duo proves they’re never tired of slashing and shredding their stringed weapons, and together with Diego and Murilo they generate a massive and very melodic wall of sounds perfect for banging our heads in the name of classic and modern Death Metal.
Hopefully this never-ending coronavirus pandemic will not have a negative impact on the band’s plans for the future, especially because they had just released their fulminating debut EP when all this madness started, which means it’s up to us fans of heavy music to show Póstuma our support and encourage them to keep moving forward no matter what. Hence, I want to please ask you all to follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram, to stream Moralis in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, and above all that, to purchase a copy of the EP from their BandCamp page. As a matter of fact, why don’t you visit their BandCamp page and take a look at the lyrics for each one of the four songs of the EP? You’ll see the band is not kidding when they say they want to unite the beauty of poetry with metal music, and when you hit play on any of the songs simply close your eyes and let their amazing Melodic Death Metal flow through your mind and your soul.
Best moments of the album: Prometheus and Minerva.
Fire meets steel in the name of 80’s Heavy Metal in the debut opus by the new band of the unstoppable Canadian guitarist Jo Capitalicide.
Playing 80’s-inspired metal music with catchy choruses and shredding leads, Ottawa, Canada-based Heavy/Speed Metal unity Cannibal is the newest brainchild from the unrelenting guitarist Jo Capitalicide, who has offered us the new albums by Ice War and Expunged earlier this year, and who’s also behind Canadian speed metallers Aphrodite. Together with Gretchen Steel (Zex, Espionage) on vocals, B. Destroyer (Machine Messiah) on the guitar, Andy Lust on bass and Christ Disappointer on drums, Jo and his Cannibal are unleashing upon us their debut effort Fire Meets Steel, an ode to the golden years of metal recorded during the summer of 2020, mixed and mastered by Dez D’Outre-Tombe, and featuring an old school cover art by Spanish artist Raul Gonzalez and a classic chrome logo by Venezuelan artist Daniel Porta, everything brought into being in the best DIY way possible.
It’s time to embark on a frantic and metallic journey together with Cannibal in The Warlock, with Jo and B. Destroyer firing blazing riffs and solos while Christ Disappointer doesn’t disappoint at all with his Thrash Metal-fueled beats, while in Skulls And Wings the band offers our ears a Warlock-inspired sonority with Gretchen doing a very good job by adding her feminine touch to the raw sounds blasted by her bandmates. Needless to say, once again Jo and B. Destroyer are on absolute fire on the guitars, and speeding things up and sounding more melodic than before they bring forward Gates Of Hell, presenting a classic Heavy Metal sonority from the 80’s with no shenanigans, spiced up by a catchy chorus tailored for being sung along together with Cannibal on any rock pub, followed by On Your Feet, with Andy showing no mercy for his bass, blasting a metallic sound that will beautifully hammer our heads while Gretchen is effectively supported by her henchmen’s backing vocals in a very pleasant fusion of Heavy and Speed Metal.
The excellent title-track Fire Meets Steel is an ode to all of our metal heroes such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Saxon, with Jo, B. Destroyer and Andy making a flammable stringed triumvirate while Christ Disappointer dictates the song’s vibrant pace behind his drums. Then the galloping bass by Andy supported by Christ Disappointer’s old school beats provide Gretchen all she needs to shine with her trademark she-wolf vocals in After All, bringing to our ears more of their straightforward metal music, with Jo and B. Destroyer yet again slashing their strings in great fashion. Last but not least, ending the album the quintet blasts the also raw and dirty Catacombs Of Hell, not as inspiring as the rest of the album (despite its great name) but still very cohesive and detailed. In addition, Gretchen’s vocals are not as powerful either, but the whole song still has a lot of good moments like the band’s trademark fiery riffage.
In summary, Cannibal don’t want to reinvent the wheel (or maybe I should say reinvent the steel) with their debut album; quite the contrary, Jo and his bandmates simply want to pay a humble tribute to the glory of the 80’s and 90’s with their music, offering us fans of classic Heavy Metal a very good reason for banging our heads while enjoying a cold beer together with our closest friends. As a matter of fact, with a Manowar-ish name like Fire Meets Steel, I don’t think you were expecting anything modern or futuristic, right? Hence, don’t forget to pay them a visit on Facebook and to purchase Fire Meets Steel, which is also available for a full listen on YouTube, from their own BandCamp page, keeping the fires of Cannibal burning bright and, therefore, helping them forge their steel to the best shape of all, which is of course the shape of our beloved Heavy Metal.
Best moments of the album: The Warlock and Fire Meets Steel.
Worst moments of the album:Catacombs Of Hell.
Released in 2020 Independent
Track listing 1. The Warlock 3:42
2. Skulls And Wings 3:47
3. Gates Of Hell 3:15
4. On Your Feet 3:09
5. Fire Meets Steel 3:35
6. After All 3:44
7. Catacombs Of Hell 3:54
Band members Gretchen Steel – vocals
Jo Capitalicide – guitar
B. Destroyer – guitar
Andy Lust – bass
Christ Disappointer – drums
My dear metalheads, how about we celebrate SEVEN FUCKIN’ YEARS of The Headbanging Moose in great fashion with one of the most charismatic, hardworking and talented growlers of the current metal scene? Not only she will haunt your soul with her wicked screams and roars, but she’s also a stunning alternative model and a collaborator of one of the best metal magazines in her home country. I’m talking about the venomous she-wolf Rocío Vázquez, better known by her incendiary moniker Diva Satanica, the frontwoman for Spanish Melodic Death Metal band Bloodhunter and more recently for the international all-female Thrash Metal horde Nervosa, kicking some serious ass with her onstage performance and her beyond potent vocals wherever she goes. Are you ready to have Diva Satanica screaming like a beast right in your face on our humble tribute to such amazing exponent of the Spanish Extreme Metal scene?
Born on June 25, 1988 in La Coruña, Galícia, in the North-West of Spain, known as “the land of witches”, but currently residing in Madrid, the capital city of Spain, Diva Satanica is a lover of all kinds of music, but of course she nurtures a special, deep passion for Rock N’ Roll and almost all subgenres of Heavy Metal, especially the ones that suit her needs of talking about feelings. As mentioned by our unstoppable diva in one of her interviews, no one in her family enjoys metal music and in the beginning it was really hard for her to find friends with the same taste in music, but she managed to find her place in society as we can all witness now. In addition, although she said she was terrified the first time she listened to a Death Metal band, due to the fact she didn’t feel comfortable with melodic singing she decided to give growling a try, and well, we must all agree it was the best decision in her life, offering us all fans of heavy music the furious and thrilling creations brought forth by our diva together with her henchmen from Bloodhunter.
In regards to Bloodhunter, the band started about a year before Diva Satanica joined them, more specifically in 2008 in La Coruña (but also currently based in Madrid), by the hands of sole founding member, guitarist and main songwriter Dani Arcos, also known as Fenris, to develop some demos that didn’t fit at his other bands at that time, even with a melodic singer in the beginning. It was after several changes in their lineup and concept when Diva Satanica finally joined the band, currently comprised of our metal lady and Fenris, of course, together with guitarist G. Starless, bassist Daniel Luces and drummer Marcelo Aires. However, she only started singing (and growling) for the band in 2012, after writing the lyrics for a few of their songs and joining their rehearsals, and according to Diva Satanica her bandmates had to be very patient with her in the beginning as she used to sing looking to the wall instead of looking to the band, but from that moment on things started to happen for them, culminating with the release of their debut demo The First Insurrection, in 2013.
It was just a matter of time until the release of their debut full-length opus, self-titled Bloodhunter, which came to light in 2014 and quickly made a huge impact on the local Spanish scene, gathering the attention of fans and critics not only in Spain but anywhere else in the world where high-quality Melodic Death Metal is appreciated. A couple of years later, in 2017, the band released their sophomore effort, titled The End of Faith, showcasing a huge evolution in terms of sound quality, creativity, violence and, above all, in Diva Satanica’s guttural vocals, presenting a much more demonic, piercing and thrilling side of our devilish banshee. Apart from their two studio albums, Bloodhunter also released a couple of singles through the years, those being Ages of Darkness, in 2014, which was featured on a compilation called Oráculo Magazine: From the Shadows Vol.I, and a very entertaining cover version for Helloween’s all-time classic I Want Out, in 2018, where Diva Satanica shares the vocal duties with Spanish vocalist and guitarist Leo Jiménez, known for his solo band and other projects such as Stravaganzza and Saratoga. In addition to that, Bloodhunter also offered us fans a few more amazing cover songs, with their version for Arch Enemy’s hit Bury Me an Angel, featured on a compilation called Hardcore Hits Cancer Vol. III in 2018, Death’s Crystal Mountain, and more recently their rendition for Cradle of Filth’s demolishing tune Gilded Cunt, showing all of our diva’s versatility and range as the fantastic Extreme Metal singer she is.
Apart from those albums, singles and cover songs, you can also have a blast with Diva Satanica and the boys in their excellent 2020 live album Live in Madrid, containing six amazing live versions recorded on March 19, 2019 at the now (unfortunately) defunct We Rock in Madrid, including Dying Sun, All These Souls Shall Serve… Forever!, and Bring me Horror. Furthermore, you can find other non-official live footage from Bloodhunter on YouTube, such as for example Ancestors Ov All Gods also live at We Rock, but in 2015, The Bloody Throne live at Mangualde Hard Metal Fest 2017, and Eyes Wide Open live at Le Club in La Coruña in 2018, among many, many others. However, if you prefer watching official videos with all the usual production, special effects and other shenanigans, you can bang your head to the songs All These Souls Shall Serve… Forever!, Dying Sun, Embrace the Dark Light and Let the Storm Come.
As we don’t have anything official yet with Diva Satanica fronting the thrashing girls from Nervosa except for a live chat done in June 2020 with the “four horsewomen”, Brazilian guitarist and founder Prika Amaral, Italian bassist Mia Wallace (The true Endless, Triumph of Death, Niryth, Abbath), Greek drummer Eleni Nota (Lightfold, Mask of Prospero, Simplefast) and of course our beloved Diva Satanica, let’s talk a little about her previous bands, projects and special appearances in an array of bands from the most diverse styles, starting with a band she fronted from 2015 until 2019, Spanish Progressive/Melodic Death Metal/Metalcore band Outreach. Despite her short stint with Outreach, she recorded with the band the full-length Ephemeral Existence and the single Insane Mind, both in 2019, showcasing all her range and potency throughout the entire album (which I highly recommended you take a listen at).
You’ll also be able to enjoy her she-wolf roars in the songs Nothing to Believe, from the 2018 album Misanthropy, by El Salvadorian Thrash/Death Metal band Apes of God; Mutiladora Genital, from Spanish Death Metal masters Aposento’s 2014 self-titled album; Darkness Within, from the 2018 album Purgatory, by Spanish Melodic Death Metal band Suru; doing additional vocals in the entire album Mesías, released in 2019 by Spanish Heavy Metal band Leo Jiménez; impersonating the one and only Baphomet in the 2019 album El Secreto de los Templarios, by Spanish Heavy Metal/Hard Rock band Legado de una Tragedia, together with soprano Nancy Catalina and Sara Grün from Hiranya (and you can enjoy this nice making of with an explanation as to why those three vocalists were chosen for the part); and last but not least, doing additional and choir vocals in the songs La Cantiga de las Brujas (check also this amazing live version of the same song) and El Séptimo Sello, from the 2019 album Ira Dei, by Spanish Celtic/Folk Metal institution Mägo de Oz.
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Such multi-talented metal diva would obviously have tons of distinguished influences in her style and career, and despite the fact that her moniker was clearly inspired by one of the best Arch Enemy songs of all time, Diva Satanica, and that most fans tried to label them as the Spanish version of Arch Enemy in the beginning, the members of Bloodhunter have many different influences in their musical careers, from Judas Priest to Behemoth and Death. When asked about her own personal favorites, Diva Satanica mentioned bands and artists the likes of Astarte, Eths, In This Moment, Skullfist, Behemoth, Axewound, Rotting Christ, Nightrage, Firewind and Lana del Rey, showing she enjoys any type of music, not only rock and metal, but also saying that it’s in Extreme Metal where she found her identity when singing. If you know Spanish and want to spend some time with Diva Satanica and her collection of metal and non-metal albums, you should definitely watch this video on YouTube, where she presents some of her favorite albums from bands and artists like Jimi Hendrix, Ramones, Bon Jovi, Guns N’ Roses, Skid Row, Alice In Chains, Firewind, Rotting Chirst, The Agonist and Eths. Regarding French metalcore band Eths, she mentioned in one of her interviews that the amazing Candice Clot, former frontwoman for what’s in my opinion one of the most underrated metal bands of all time, was essential in her decision to become an extreme music vocalist. In addition, you can enjoy Diva Satanica paying her own personal tribute to some of her biggest idols on her own YouTube channel, including her vocal performances of Septicflesh’s Prototype, Holy Moses’ Triggered, Behemoth’s Ov Fire And The Void, and a very unique version for Slayer’s darkest hit Raining Blood together with Spanish rock and metal cover band Femme Fractal.
As we’re talking about women in rock and metal, Diva Satanica complemented her thoughts by saying that apart from Candice Clot (and Diva Satanica even said that when Candice left Eths she was offered to audition, but she had to refuse it as she was barely 20 years old and had no means to travel nor the equipment to record with), she also loves the music by In This Moment, Jinjer and a Spanish underground band named Bones of Minerva, which I highly recommend you go check their music on their BandCamp page. In addition, she mentioned in one of her interviews that the song The Queen Beast is dedicated to Maria “Tristessa” Kolokouri from Greek Black Metal horde Astarte, one of her main influences and a good friend that sadly passed away in 2014 due to complications from leukemia, saying she was the first woman to create the first Black Metal band formed only by women, and we can easily see that beautiful tribute Diva Satanica paid to Tristessa in the song’s amazing lyrics (“Feel her wrath / She’s watching from the stars / Abstraction of life / The air, the nature, the skies are now her reign / The shades in darkened silverlights / The black flame burns! / The highest priestess arise”).
If you think it was easy for Diva Satanica to reach her current vocal style and growth as an Extreme Metal vocalist, she said her path so far has demanded (and will always demand) from her a lot of hard work, discipline and trial and error, acknowledging that she couldn’t sing properly on the band’s first album as she didn’t know exactly what she was doing nor she could sustain her vocals for long periods of time. It was only after watching several tutorials on YouTube , after consulting with different extreme music singers and after studying in detail the performances of all vocalists of the concerts she attended that she properly began shaping her voice, spending about two years improving her technique, even taking melodic singing classes at a given point in her life, and applying necessary warmup and diaphragm strengthening exercises to improve her performance. Then she said that because she started her “Extreme Vocal Lessons” to help other growlers to improve their vocals in the early stages of their careers, she ended up discovering different vocal types and ranges that she considered great choices to incorporate to her own style. If you want to take a peak at some of her videos where she gives important tips for growlers like her, you can watch this tutorial (also in Spanish) where she teaches how to do guttural and screaming vocals, and also this short lesson where she explains the difference between growls and screams versus grunts, pig squeals, shrieks and other vocalizations. One thing that is quite annoying to Diva Satanica is when people use gender to justify why women can’t growl, with her solution to that simply being inviting those people to watch Bloodhunter live, which in my opinion is indeed an amazing experience for the non-believers who will undoubtedly be stunned by her vicious roars.
When asked about the current metal scene in Galicia, where she comes from, and if her music and Death Metal are well-received by the people from that region in Northwest Spain, she said that although they’re a small community there are different styles that people tend to listen to the most from time to time. Around a decade ago, the Gothic scene was the most prevalent, switching to Alternative Metal and Metalcore in recent years. She also mentioned the importance of their own summer festival, Resurrection Fest, which started years ago as a small act but that it’s now one of the most important festival in Europe, proving the scene in Galicia is in excellent shape. As you might have noticed already, Diva Satanica loves performing on stage, and among her favorite songs to play live she mentioned some of her band’s most violent creations such as Let the Storm Come, Possessed by Myself and of course The Queen Beast, as already mentioned, as this song has a strong meaning for her and helps her add an extra amount of emotional feeling to her singing.
Not only an accomplished vocalist, Diva Satanica has also done some modeling in the past and contributed as a writer and journalist to a couple of magazines, including La Heavy, one of the biggest rock and metal publication in Spain, managed by the website Mariskal Rock. She said she started her modeling career a few years ago, but as she discovered a lot of people are interested in many different things other than art, she gave up and decided to focus on the metal scene, starting with a Greek webzine named Subexistance Music Production and then moving on to La Heavy. Apart from that, she’s also working towards a Degree as a Doctor in Nursery, and was a participant in the Spanish TV program La Voz (the Spanish version of The Voice) in 2017, surprising the coaches by screaming and growling instead of only doing clean vocals, being the first contestant to perform this type of singing. The international artist Juanes chose her to be part of his team, where she performed songs like Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams, Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger and Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance. There’s even an interview she gave to a guy named Juan Destroyer on Mariskal Rock TV where she talks about her participation on the show, and how she inspired Juanes to get back on doing a heavier kind of rock. Moreover, she always mentions that being on La Voz was one of the best experiences of her life without any doubt, saying that as she was the first even participant to do guttural, she got a lot of recognition from fans and bands from all over the world, with icons such as Michael Amott of Arch Enemy or Christos Antoniou of Septicflesh congratulating her for her amazing performance on the show.
Our dauntless diva also mentioned that there’s still a long road ahead of all musicians that dedicate their careers to more extreme styles of rock and metal, as there’s still a lot of prejudice everywhere (saying that even today in Madrid she has to cover her tattoos depending on the situation), but that it’s up to the musicians themselves to make their style more accepted by society, and that the more musicians bring their experience to light and defend their identity, the more the road will open up. As you can see, Diva Satanica is not only extremely talented and focused on her career, but she also has a strong opinion about the current state of the metal scene and about what any person needs to do to thrive in the music industry. Hence, you can check some extra interviews with this amazing Spanish she-wolf on YouTube, such as this one where she shares the latest update on both Bloodhunter and Nervosa, the current coronavirus pandemic situation and more, or this one to a show called “That Metal Interview with James”, recorded in June 2020, where she speaks of how she met Prika Amaral of Nervosa and how she was approached to join the Brazilian death metallers, about her experience being on the TV show La Voz, and about the future plans of both Bloodhunter and Nervosa regarding their musical direction for their next records. You’ll notice from all those interviews and from her music that Rocío Vázquez is more than just another vocalist; she’s a very humble and gentle human being, a hardworking musician, and a fulminating growler. Having said that, all that’s left to say is… ALL HAIL THE ONE AND ONLY DIVA SATANICA!
“Sometimes it’s not easy, sometimes you feel scared and things don’t go as you planned before, but you must keep on fighting to discover what you want in your life and who you are.” – Diva Satanica
Are you desperate for a healthy dosage of Death and Thrash Metal to free you from the frustrations and anxieties of this world pandemic? That’s exactly what vocalist Kyle Sweeny, guitarist Chase Moody, bassist Ruben Madrigal an drummer Nate Boulter, collectively known as Jacksonville, Florida-based outfit Corrupted Saint, have to offer you in their brand new EP entitled Mutilated Before the Masses, the follow-up to their previous demos Lung Full of Blood (2017) and Spiritual Warfare (2018) and the EP Burning in a Rotting World, released in 2019. An abrasive gut punch of scathing death and thrash reminiscent of great bands like Demolition Hammer, Devastation, Exhorder, Solstice and Num Skull, among others, Corrupted Saint bring sheer rage and aggression in Mutilated Before the Masses, all spiced up by the first-class recording by Jim Ross, the classy mixing and mastering by JB van der Wal (Hewwetover Studio), and the kick-ass cover art by Karl Dahmer. What else can you ask for this Christmas, right?
As mentioned, Corrupted Saint might have the perfect medication for your boredom and sadness during this infernal pandemic, bringing to your ears a short but extremely fast, fun and vibrant feast of classic Thrash and Death Metal in Mutilated Before the Masses. Having said that, don’t forget to show your support to those up-and-coming Florida thrashers by following them on Facebook, by subscribing to their YouTube channel and, above all that, by purchasing such demented EP from their own BandCamp page, from the Raw Skull Recordz’s BandCamp page or webstore, from the Redefining Darkness Records’ webstore, and sooner than later from Apple Music. As Christmas is just around the corner, and as 2020 has been nothing but a big pile of excrement, at least we have bands like Corrupted Saint to entertain us all, providing the perfect soundtrack for the most thrashing holidays you can think of.
THE HEADBANGING MOOSE 