THE ROAD TO HELL

Mike Abominator at MDF 2011 - (photo - Brian Pattison)

Gravehill have captured and bottled the essence of GT era death metal. To say they kicked our asses is an understatement. It's our pleasure to have Gravehill a part of this year's A Day Of Death 2012, now let's get down to the rotten soil with vocalist Mike Abominator!

GT - How did you and the other members of Gravehill first come together to start the band?

Mike - Gravehill started in 2000 with Thorgrimm, original bass player/singer Mike Apokalypse and original guitar player Bastard Demon. I would actually show up to their practices and hang out and party with the guys since they were all old friends of mine, I think Thorgrimm and I have known each other for over 23 years. Those guys got together and were playing this crazy ass old school black thrashing death metal and I fuckin loved it! NO ONE was playing this style, ESPECIALLY in America. That original project fell apart and everyone went on their own separate ways by the next year. I always thought “what a waste of a great band”. 

Then Thorgrimm and I decided to start up the exact same type of band come the end of 2006. It was my idea to use the name Gravehill. But I had to get the OK of my friend and original singer Mike Apokalypse. He gave me his blessing and we moved forward. Some might think it was lame to do that, but I guess it was my goal to be in a band like Gravehill anyways, something that I have always wanted to do. Blame ME for that. Then we actually grabbed musicians from some other local bands to get started and we got together and got the death noise rolling out of hell. We had a trifecta of younger guys to join the ranks at first with KK Reaper being the first guitarist we asked to join us. 

Then we snagged Bodybag for the 2^nd guitar. KK didn’t work out and Zyklon A (who called himself Vorgoloth at the time, hahaha what a fag) was in another band that we were sharing a studio with. He was also recording a demo for us at this studio as well. So we grabbed him for the 2^nd guitar at this point. I was playing bass at first for most of 2007 as we shaped our sound and wrote songs. Then we had a friend named Behemoth that we asked to join us and play bass for us, so I could concentrate on vocals and terrorizing the crowd. Confused yet? Haha. Well, to clarify, the early line up that started playing our first shows was:  Myself on Vocals, Bodybag on guitar, Zyklon on guitar, Behemoth on bass and Thorgrimm on drums. But shit has changed over the last few years as J Corpsemolester has joined on bass in 2008 and Matt Hellfiend has joined on 2^nd guitar in 2010. 

GT - What were you early shows like?

Mike - Those early shows will always be something special. We had our first show at an outdoor venue that I used to promote at, and it was all “friend” bands that played (most of the bands that were on the bill aren’t even around anymore!) Then we did a west coast tour with our friends in Splatterhouse that was killer! Even though both shows in Washington State got cancelled, we had some great times and made our mark I feel. We also got to open for Enslaved at a big theater in our home area right after we got back from that first short tour. I remember coming out on the stage to our first “big crowd” at that show and the more mainstream kids in the front row were like “WHAT THE FUCK?!?!” They saw this pissed off bald guy covered in blood, giving them the death stare. Hahahaha That was fun man! Funny enough that show was on Corpsemolester’s birthday! He wasn’t even in the band yet, he was just a good friend at that time. Most people would just stand and stare at the spectacle that we had going on. 

I mean, bands had used leather, spikes and blood before. But it wasn’t something that was a normal thing. It was used more with black metal bands I guess. But we had a totally FUCK YOU attitude, and still do. And we played really ugly, simple and caveman death metal that was based in 1985 (again… STILL DO!) So that set us apart. We came to fucking kill. It was a war to us and we had a chip on our shoulder! STILL DO! Bahahahaha.

During soundcheck at MDF 2011 - (photo - Brian Pattison)

GT - Growing up as a metalhead was there a particular band/song/moment that grabbed you and made you realize that you had to be a death metal front man?

Mike -  There were certain events that changed my life. Like the first time hearing Sabbath, Priest and Kiss. The first time I saw an Iron Maiden album cover. That then led to the next phase. I think what really got me was the Venom footage of “Witching Hour” on the Ultimate Revenge 1. The way that video knocked me in the brain just changed me forever. I loved Slayer and Exodus on there too, but Venom was the band that I would fuck me up real good. Then when I started going to shows and live performances, seeing some legendary sets by the bands that I loved helped to shape me. 

I started out as a guitar player. I then moved over to bass and back and forth for a bit. I really didn’t start as a front man until much later on, just a few years ago. But I wasn’t just influenced by just singers or guitar/bass players. I just loved the whole band performance and wanted to be a part of it. It just so happened that I ended up doing what I did in certain bands to be involved in some way. I got pretty good at playing, but I hit a wall at some point. I also got lazy. So I figured, “I can just be a fucking front man and talk shit, terrorize the crowd!” hahahaha.

The bands that really changed me when I saw them live back in the day where the classic sets by Metallica, Slayer, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Kiss, Rush, Motorhead, Kreator, Destruction, Celtic Frost, Sepultura, Dark Angel, Sadus, Obituary, Autopsy, Morbid Angel, Napalm Death, Entombed, Dismember and the tons of other bands that I forgot. Sabbath, Priest and Kiss got me started. Venom would be the band that made me want to PLAY in a band. Slayer was the band that drove me even further with the total aggression and terror. Napalm Death was the band that took THAT even further. And then my favorites like Hellhammer, Discharge, Autopsy, Bathory, Sodom and others finalized the deal.

Gravehill at MDF 2011 - (photo - Brian Pattison)

GT - What vocalists inspired you?

Mike - I like attitude and power as a combination. The first person that scared the shit out of me was Ozzy. Then he became my idol. Yeah, he didn’t have the muscles of Conan, the strength of Superman or the cool stuff of Batman, but he would end up killing all of them regardless! Hahahaha. With the way that I worshipped my original “BIG 3” I would also dig Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. And of course Halford had those pipes of madness. Dianno and Dickenson would also become my next idols. But it was Cronos, Lemmy and Bon Scott who I would eventually really get into as far as attitude. They just had that “FUCK OFF!” look and were total bad ass motherfuckers on stage. They had the voice AND the attitude. They ruled the crowd. You HAVE to be a bad ass to front a metal band, in so many ways. THOSE guys were! And some of them that are still alive still ARE bad asses. Once I heard the next wave of the heavy shit, of course I liked Evil Chuck, Kam Lee, Chris Reifert, Lee Dorrian, Tom Angelripper, Quorthon, Tom G., Jeff Possessed, Mille Kreator, Scott Carlson and LG Entombed.

GT - As you've played shows across the USA, have you noticed any regional differences in crowds?

Mike - Crazy and raging metal heads are pretty much the same all over this earth. Some cities have more people, and even crazier fans. And surprisingly, it has NOTHING to do with the size of the city. SOMETIMES, bigger cities have smaller crowds and “metal heads” either don’t show up, or are kind of spoiled to have so much going on in that city. 

Some of our best shows have been in smaller cities like Dekalb, Illinois, San Antonio, Texas and Portland, Oregon. Even a place like Cheyenne, Wyoming has some of the coolest and best metal heads around. BUT, as an example, a huge city like Chicago also is one of the best places for metal and has some of the best metal heads! And even in places like New York and our home area of Los Angeles, we have had great shows and there are some crazy ass metal heads there as well. In the end, we are all one big happy, smelly and dysfunctional family. It really doesn’t matter where ya come from. 

So far, metal heads from Indianapolis to New Jersey to Seattle to San Diego to Kansas City to Baltimore and more places all over have all been the same! The numbers of them might change from time to time. But as long as we can have a front row of head bangers, some diving from the stage and everyone else going crazy in the place we are playing, Gravehill is one happy fucking band! It can be 10 people or 10,000 people, we will bring the fucking death!

at MDF 2011 - (photo - Brian Pattison)

GT - Is there any one show/event from the time surrounding the release of your first album that stands out in your memory?

Mike - There was a big fest that we played right around the recording of our debut album. It was the California Metal Fest and it was at a big and major theater in our home base of Anaheim, California. It was a HUGE event for that year. We had to sell presale tickets for the event to be a part of it, and pay those dues. We had been doing the recording over at Trench Studios in Corona, California with our good friend John Haddad. He runs the studio out of his house. And we had friends coming over to get tickets from us at the house and the anticipation was pretty big for us on this fest. I mean it  was a huge event. Now the recording of that album was a big haze of partying and playing death metal for hours! Hahahaha. But we spoke often about the fest and it was always on our minds. Once the day of came, it was time and we got to the venue bright and early that Saturday. This fest was to be headlined by Carcass and also had Suffocation, Exodus, Repulsion, Samael, Toxic Holocaust, Decrepit Birth, and tons of others. There would be about 2500-3000 people there I would say and it was a packed venue. We did play early when not everyone was there, but we played for about 900 people. It was the largest crowd that we ever played for at that time. We did make MANY new friends and fans at that show as well. Since there were also “metal core” and “death core” bands playing, I had to talk a lot of shit during our set. But for the most part, the people liked our set.

GT - Was the release of "When All Roads Lead to Hell" purposely planned to be released just prior to MDF 2011?

Mike - YES! We knew it would work out very well for us if we could manage to get this fucking album out by May 20^th, and more importantly, in time for MDF. It was the #1 PRIORITY to do that. And thanks to Ryan Butler our Engineer and friend, and Matt at Dark Descent, as well as Rob and Rhett being able to take time off and trek out to Arizona to get shit done with Ryan, it came out on time for our plans. When you can make your mark at a festival of the caliber of MDF and get some stuff out there, it is a positive thing for the band obviously. There isn’t a bigger fest in the U.S. of THIS type of underground gathering. So to be able to hit so many metal heads was key for us. We might seem dumb, but we ain’t no dummies! Bahahahaaha.

at MDF 2011 - (photo - Brian Pattison)

GT - On the subject of MDF 2011 - 90+ degrees, in direct sunlight, decked out in full leather jacket and covered in blood - how the hell did you not pass out on stage there?

Mike - You know what, I’m not going to lie, it SUCKED in that way. It was HOT! I mean it was suffocating. Sunday at the time that we played was THE WORST heat of the weekend. But you know what, those fans payed A LOT of money to be there. And there are some classic bands and sets jamming and taking place. So we HAD to give our all to get through that one. And I know those fans don’t want to hear any whining and crying about ANYTHING. So I had to try and put a positive and funny spin on this situation. Plus, all of those people were in the same boat with us! They were all hot and sweaty and hung over. We tried to bring them out of it a little. I saw our good friends out there banging away. I saw some new fans banging away. I also saw those who think we are cheese dicks smirk at us and talk their shit, whisper in their buddies ear while we were playing, hahaha, that’s fine as well. We really don’t give a fuck. I saw posts after that had quite a few people saying, “I didn’t like that band at first, I thought they were dicks and over rated, but they changed my mind during that MDF fest!” And THAT’S a cool fucking thing. We did some talking with our music at that  point. Anyways, I got off track there. After we played that set, it was time to die. I felt bad for our friend Brian from New Jersey, he was standing right in front of the stairs leading down to the back stage area, and I was like “GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY!” bahahaha. Also the guys from Malignant Tumor were also back there telling us “good set” and we tried not to ignore them, but we were so burned out and fucking tired at that point. My girlfriend poured ice cold water all over me and I must have pounded 4 of those waters within minutes myself. It took me about 15-20 minutes to recover from that set. Being old and fat also sucks! Bahahahaha. But it was worth every ounce of energy and blood that we put into it!

GT - What was your personal highlight of MDF 2011?

Mike - VOIVOD was so special for me. They sounded like they did in the late 80s, the last time that they REALLY kicked ass. Their later stuff is cool, but they were never the same after their prime era. But their set was CLASSIC, one of the BEST since they were always one of my favorite bands growing up. CIANIDE took the fest for me though. They were always and under rated favorite of mine and death metal legends. To be able to also make friends with them over the last couple of years is awesome! But the way they played songs off every album they did and threw in other classics was just perfect! They were CRUSHING! So Cianide was #1 and Voivod was #1a. Other highlights included DOOM, NUCLEAR ASSAULT, KYLESA, EXHUMED, MALIGNANT TUMOR, TRAGEDY, AURA NOIR and some others that I can’t think of. 

at MDF 2011 - (photo - Brian Pattison)

GT -  Any chance of an east coast tour in 2012?

Mike - You know what Brian, I will NEVER say the word……… CAN’T SAY IT! But a U.S. East Coast tour is not in our plans for 2012. As much as we would LOVE to do such a tour, I doubt it will work itself out for 2012. We did a DIY tour in 2010 and lost our asses, so we just can’t do that again. NOW that being said, who knows what will come up! Things change and we might end up doing a larger scale tour with a bigger band. We are even picky about that type of stuff. It is not out of the question for us to head out to the east coast and do 3 shows over a weekend, like a quick trip out, something like that. It makes much more sense to do that. But we shall see how it all unfolds next year. I will tell you this, we have some of our greatest fans and friends over there on the east coast, and we want to come back out again to kill for you all! We will keep everyone posted with the latest news on this topic. We really need to hit other places that we haven’t been to yet like the South and Florida as well. But everything has to fall into place and work out for that to happen. NEVER say never as I said. If it was up to us, we would visit our East Coast Horde once a year! WE FUCKING LOVE YOU MANIACS!

Flyer for A Day of Death 2012, one of only two east coast dates in 2012 for Gravehill

GT - How did you get involved with Metal Maniacs Online?

Mike - Well, I used to do a little blog on my personal myspace page (remember THAT site? Haha) and I would talk about new bands that I enjoyed. It was a total rip off of the BAND OF THE WEEK thing that Fenriz of Darkthrone did, haha. But I felt the same as he did and wanted to spread some good music to people. I went on to help out a couple of friends with their websites and magazines and I interviewed Mark Riddick for one of them. Well Mark mentioned to me that his twin brother Mike also was the boss of Metal Maniacs now. Unfortunately the print magazine ended and now it was strictly online. But Mark mentioned that Mike was looking for contributors, and suggested that I contact him. So I did and the rest is history. Mike let’s me do WHATEVER I want to do and just let’s me do my thing. I don’t feel comfortable with just reviewing everything that every shitty label puts out there. I also don’t feel comfortable with doing interviews with just any band/artist. I want to be a FAN, so that it comes out killer. Some people just don’t talk all that much, some people LOVE to talk, and that is fine in both areas. But the fact that Mike lets me do my thing and cover what I want to cover is HUGE. 

GT - You seem to have a real fondness for the old death metal scene in your writings. You wrote that great piece on Glorious Times and recently did a great piece on the notorious Richard C and Wild Rags. Can readers expect more pieces on the old days?

Mike - Fuck yeah Brian! I was there man. I started getting deeply involved in the underground in 1987. I started writing letters to bands and zines and corresponding with them. I also started really getting more and more underground releases at Wild Rags Records and other local stores that carried anything that was over the top and brutal. What you and Alan had put together was amazing! I felt that the Glorious Times book needed to get out there to the masses and be seen! 

The piece on Richard I felt also needed to be seen. It was MY story from MY perspective. And you can bet your ass there will be more articles on the old days! Hahahaha. My perspective right now is a combination of a love for the old school AND the new school. My passion gives me a “bird’s eye view” of our scene and it includes great memories of the old days, as well as a hunger to find killer new music. I think that combination works well together with what I do. I have a respect for both the old guard AND the newer warriors. Of course, the old days were so exciting and it was the birth of an era! It will NEVER be the same, with that same feeling. It’s like a new love. But when metal is in your heart and soul, like it is for many of us, it NEVER goes away.

 And there are a few new bands that come out and blow all of us old farts away! It is ignorant of me to put down someone, just because of their age. I WAS THERE ONCE! And some of these kids remind me of myself back in the day. It is also ignorant to not help to “pass the torch” and let the next generation take over. I guess I have also tried to embrace this new technology and be positive about it. I will tell you this; smart phones have SAVED MY ASS on tour quite a few times lately. And things like google maps and social networking sites have also helped out so much! So it’s also lame to say “FUCK ALL THIS NEW SHIT!” hahahaha. But Brian, the old days are something that is set in time and history. It was groundbreaking and an insane time on top of it all.

 How fucking crazy were all of us to be a part of this? Without guys like you, Alan Moses, Ed Farshtey, Joe Pupo and the other maniacs that did zines back then, some of those bands wouldn’t get as far as they did. To me, you guys that did the zines were just as important as those who were in bands, that same passion was there. I mean, ask ANYONE that was in Slayer Mag how honored they were to get in there! Or even Uniforce! Mark was already influential with his scene even before he got known in Impetigo. And those old, classic and forgotten bands that I cover also deserve some due. There are always reasons why bands break up and disappear off the face of the earth. It doesn’t mean that they weren’t good! Some of them are just as good if not better than the famous ones we all love!

Gravehill at MDF 2011 - (photo - Brian Pattison)

GT - Any final comments?

Mike - Brian my brother, I want to thank you so much for this! Keep up the killer work and I will see you sooner than later I hope! THANK YOU AGAIN ALSO FOR THE GLORIOUS TIMES BOOK! ARGHHHHH! THE BEST EVER!!!!!!!!! Now to the Horde, or maybe some who don’t know about Gravehill or my work on Metal Maniacs.com, don’t be scared and come check us out! For now go to Gravehill on Facebook for band info and merchandise links. And over at MetalManiacs.com you can see some killer articles by ME! Hahahaha. You never know, you might find a band or album that you will like! HAILS OF HELLFIRE! 

 

 

CUNTSCUMB

Interview with Bonez Poley, vocalist for the southern Ontario metal band Cuntscumb.

Cuntscumb at the 2011 Niagara Metalfest

GT - Who came up with the name Cuntscumb?

Bonez - I did, back in highschool. I had this all-girl “band”, but it was a joke. We could barely play instruments and we didn’t have any original songs. I envisioned us becoming a crust punk band but nothing ever came of it. Then when Callum Labonte and I started jamming, the first song we wrote together was “Jizzrag”, and I knew that we were what Cuntscumb was supposed to sound like.

GT - How long has the band been together?

Bonez - Callum and I started jamming around 3 years ago. It took awhile to find a solid line-up and there’s been a few changes since. Our current roster has been steady for about a year. (Ryan Mattie (Killbat)- guitar, Rod Standish- bass, Kyle Foy- drums, and myself on vox.)

Cuntscumb at the 2011 Niagara Metalfest

GT - Cuntscumb is just as much a visual band as they are a musical band. was it hard to convince the guys to go along with the image/theatrics?

Bonez - Good question! It seems generally we’re all pretty stoked on the theatrical aspect, but everyone has somewhere they draw the line, whereas I’m always wanting to push it as far as possible. I used to have to bribe Callum to wear a bondage harness, though oddly he was all about rocking the adult diapers! When Kyle joined, he showed up to his first gig with us dressed completely in drag, all on of his own volition. I knew then that he was a perfect fit.

GT - Do you ever worry about being pigeon-holed as a novelty act?

Bonez - I don’t worry too much. I realize there’s only a certain type of people who will actually “get” what we’re doing, and at the end of the day it’s about having fun and not pleasing everyone blah blah, haha. But yeah, I think a lot of people don’t know what to make of us at first. Especially when we’re playing a venue with a less than ideal sound system where you can’t really make out everything that’s going on. I also think our stage show can distract from our sound. I’ve been told by people who didn’t dig us at first that they gained appreciation after paying more attention to the music. I’m hoping once our full-length comes out it will give more people a chance to hear us they way we’re supposed to sound and realize that there’s more to us than gimmicks and antics. But at the end of the day, gimmicks and antics are hilarious and a blast and that’s definitely a huge part of us too.

Cuntscumb at the 2011 Niagara Metalfest

GT - You've played many shows between Niagara Falls and Toronto, have you ever played beyond those areas?

Bonez - If you count London and Oshawa beyond those areas? Haha. We actually have a pretty good following in Oshawa and love playing there. (Shout out to Liam Wilson of Gutterslime Productions!) But no, we haven’t strayed out of Southern Ontario just yet. Hoping to get across Canada in 2012 in the wake of our pending album release… and then the world!

GT - How did the deal with SFM come about?

Bonez - Keegan Khaos (head of SFM) booked us a few times in Toronto. He dug what we were doing and appreciated our DIY ethic so he approached me about releasing our album. I love Keegan and love a lot of bands on SFM so of course I was stoked! And, seriously: Skull. Fucking. Metal.

Cuntscumb at the 2011 Niagara Metalfest

GT - When can we expect the full length to be released?

Bonez - Soon!! We are going into the studio shortly with Ethan Rising producing us, and it will be released through Skull Fucking Metal! Skull. Fucking. Metal!!!!

GT - Any chance of any dates south of the border?

Bonez - Currently at least 2 of the 4 of us are banned from the good ol’ US of A, but we are working on that. Hope to get it sorted out in the next couple of years, so stay tuned!

GT - Cuntscumb is a band that really needs to be seen to be fully appreciated, are there any plans to release a live dvd?

Bonez - Haven’t really thought about it. I guess it could happen down the road, but as with most heavy bands I’d say experiencing the raw energy is an important part of the show, and doesn’t translate well to film. So I guess you’re best off just getting your ass to Canada to come see us! You can crash at my place.

OF SPITTING FROTH AND BILES

Sam Biles at A Day of Death 2011 (photo - Maga Sanchez)

Some thoughts on the Glorious Times era by none other than the hoochimomma himself, Mr Sam Biles (Hideous Mangleus/Goblin/Tejas Death Squad).

The first thing I would say about the “Glorious Times” is that if you didn’t live through them, you can never truly understand what it was to be a part of them or to have witnessed them. I don’t mean that in a negative way at all, but I am just stating  a fact. And the reason being is that so many things have changed since then. The advent of the internet, the ever growing phenomena that is Heavy Metal, Thrash and Grind music that now has spawned thousands of bands where there used to be few; the merging and popularization of many of the cultures that spawned these types of music like Punk, Rock, Thrash, etc. 

Sam Biles & the Tejas Death Squad at A Day of Death 2011 (photo - Maga Sanchez)

When Hideous Mangleus started we were just playing music in the style of our heroes like The Accused, The Misfits, Cryptic Slaughter, Slayer, Death, etc and locally bands like Doomwatch, Necropolis, Eviction, Dream Death, etc. But soon after our inception, once we started recording some stuff and playing shows we met local bands like Chaotic Plague, who were also somewhat new, but had already recorded their “Bloodslime” demo and were actively tape trading and sharing ads with people and bands from all over, like Deceased, Revenant, Immolation, Exmortis, etc. So once we got our demo recorded they started distributing our ads in their mail, and next thing we knew fellow music fans and bands were writing us from all over the world.

Gig flyers of course were the standard stationary most people used in a time when typewriter and audio cassettes ruled mightier than the computer and mediafire.

Although the internet is an amazing tool, which surely has made it possible for bands to be heard all over the world, and for information to pass seamlessly across international boundaries within minutes; I will say I, like many older members of the underground family, really miss the intimacy of snail mail. I mean, I cannot tell you how amazing some of the little pictures were that were scrawled all over these letters. Decapitated heads, Dismembered Carnage, Zombie Nightmares; People really took their time, and their appreciation and adoration for underground music just bled from every orifice. Surely, these feelings are still very much alive today, but the tactile abrasiveness is somehow missing.

When I think of how much great music came out towards the end of the eighties and the beginning of the nineties, it boggles the mind. I mean, I am not sure even where to start. Of course labels like Earache, Peaceville, Nuclear Blast, Roadrunner, etc were putting out records that are regarded now as timeless classics, but beyond that there was a barrage of demos from the four corners of the world through tape trading which introduced new styles of music to the largely late-teens newly formed network of music maniacs that now called itself “The Underground.”

Sam introducing Derketa at their first ever gig on Jan. 15, 2011 (photo -  Brian Pattison)

It was all brand new. And it wasn’t sure where it was heading, but it didn’t care because it lived in the moment. As for Hideous (Mangleus), we didn’t have a clue we were playing “Grindcore” at first. We were just playing the style of music we loved. We called ourselves “Horror-Core” which has since taken on a “Rap” connotation. All we did was skateboard, watch horror films and play/listen to music. For us there just wasn’t anything else. And as I started to mention earlier, we soon got to play and meet other music fanatics turned musicians like Exit-13, Chaotic Plague, Bathym, Rottevore, NunSlaughter, Deceased, Phlegm, Incantation, Mortician, Baphomet, etc. Each band had a very unique sound and was doing something very original, sure we all had some of the same influences, but we had different ones too and it spelled for an avalanche of creativity.

Sam and friends at A Day of Death 2011 (photo - Maga Sanchez)

I do not have words to say how special this time was or how special the friendships are that came from it; but I can say twenty years now removed, that these friendships and feelings are still strong. And as I meet the younger members of the Underground and feel their passion and excitement for the music, I can assure you it will never die! Hail Underground! Hail Death Metal! Hail Grindcore!

Hail Old Skool!

Sam Biles

 

Reviews

REVIEWS BY MIKE ABOMINATOR 

(GRAVEHILL & METAL MANIACS)

WATER TORTURE "SELF TITLED".

Here we have band with no guitars. Just bass, drums, vox and effects. I do miss that chainsaw sound of a good guitar with these guys. But it is still good here. It is power violence fury that reminds me of old Man is the Bastard. Maybe even a little bit of Crossed Out and a little bit of Spazz at times. It's fucking heavy regardless. I prefer this stuff more straight forward like Hoglust and Inerds. But this is still good. The song "Enslaved" is pretty impressive, even though it has the standard start/stop-slow/fast dynamics that a million other power violence songs have, it is damn good. But I do find myself wishing there was a guitar running over the top of this noise. It would make it  that much better. This would be a must for fans of MITB. I could do without some of the electronics. Reminds me too much of GASP (puke!) hahaha. This is a solid release though. Good stuff!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bOkjz7LRvY

SA SANCTUARY "ABANDON IN PLACE". BUTCHERED RECORDS.

This one goes all the way back to 2001. Not usually my cup of blood, but it is cool. It's thrashy/traditional heavy metal. Reminds me of Nevermore. These guys might not be the total rippers that Nevermore are but they can also play the fuck out of their instruments. It might also be a little more straight forward. For the time, back in 2001, this was rare. There was so much "nu metal" going around, this must have been a great thing to hear to some ears back then. They were called Sanctuary, but added the SA for San Antonio (where they are from) because of the confusion with the original Sanctuary (ironic since they are influenced by Nevermore! haha) But this is mostly mid paced, thrashy stuff going on. There are some acoustic passages and some cool riffs thrown in here. There are 10 songs on here. There might be some stuff that sounds like Pantera to some, I don't know, I'm kind of out of touch with this kind of stuff. But it  has a modern American heavy metal sound for that time of 2001. I remember quite a few bands sounding like this back then in the underground. It's better than the other stuff that people THOUGHT was metal back then!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7nrhGMa28w

HOGLUST "SUPPORT HATE" EP.

Crushing and brutal power violence here. This band attacks! They knock down the door and kick your whole family's asses! Killer dual vox. One guy sounds like he listens to Infest all day and power lifts while pounding red bulls. The young lady sounds like she is going to cut her boyfriends dick off and shove it in his mouth. They are both PISSED so watch the fuck out. The music is totally punnishing, heavy, and destroys. The fast as fuck vocal trade offs on "Relentless Voices" is pretty impressive. Another band that would fit on one of those classic bills. These fuckers might just steal the show too. Or destroy the place at the very least. The pace on here is usually fast and ripping. Even when Hoglust slows it down, they are pissed the fuck off and it seems that they will explode with speedy blasts at any time. Pretty godamn brutal stuff. Bad assery of power violence mayhem that any fan of full on aggressive and fast music will love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti1FuYVlmZY

INERDS "CHOICE CUTS". (These tracks are from a split release with the band Coworkers.)

Ugly and raw raging death punk is what we have here. Right up my bloody alley. The vocals are fucking pissed off. It sounds like there are 2 singers, and one is fucking pissed and the other is fucking livid. Pounding d-beats lead the charge for the most part, but the band can get slow and heavy, as well as faster banging with the best of them. Some nice sludge parts mix well with some blasting grindcore at times. Like Bestower, Inerds have a big power violence influence as well. I'm not very familiar with either band, but I hear that they share members. All 6 songs on this release are killer, but I think I like the closer "Humans Being" the most. It blends all of the styles and elements, as far as speeds go, very well. Like most of the stuff in this genre, the songs are short and to the point. But that is fine, it just ends so quickly. One of the dudes in Agoraphobic Nosebleed runs this Grindcore Karaoke label that I will have to keep my eyes and ears on. Killer stuff!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OKrZT_dXMU

COMBAT NOISE "FRONTLINE OFFENSIVE FORCE". SEVARED/BUTCHERED/OLD CEMETERY RECORDS.

Wow! A death metal/grind band from Cuba?!?!?!?! CRAZY! It HAS to be very difficult to pull this off down there. Immediatley have so much respect for bands and artists that do this from countries like that. You would have to ride under the radar in a sense. They have even been around since 1996! Anyways, these guys remind me of Deicide a little bit. They have that brutal Florida death metal sound of the era of the mid 90s with Brutallity and Monstrosity also coming to mind. These guys can play very well too. Some cool riffs and solos going on. The pace is all over with ripping grind parts and mid paced banging. There are some slower parts with guitar solos running over the top of them. This stuff attacks and punches you in the face. This usually isn't what I listen to as far as death metal, but these guys have conviction and heart behind this death noise. You also have to have balls to play music like this in Cuba. The lyrical concepts and song themes are all about war, and there are some cool lyrics going on. If you like that Floridian style of death metal, you will like Combat Noise. This is played very well and I would like to hear what this band can get going in the future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc5fcGSilOM

INERDS "STONEWALL" EP.

More punked out and grinding punk/power violence shit from these Buffalo, NY maniacs. There is a good range of paces that are all over the place. I think this release is even MORE power violence influenced than the "Choice Cuts" release. But if you were a fan of that one, you will love this. Once again, all of the 6 songs are strong ragers, but the highlights for me are the doom dirge of the closer "Bloody Knees", the 10 seconds of "Inerds", and the opener "She Beast". I'm not familiar with most of the NEW power violence stuff, but being around during the original days, I can see Inerds playing some of those legendary shows of yore.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Lby01zZDIE

 RITUAL QUARANTINE DEMO

 This is a 3 song demo that is also a collectable, limited edition small format CD that is like 4 inches big. Pretty cool shit! It's also a short fucker at 3 songs. This band is from Buffalo and has a death metal/hard core thing going form them. It is NOT that awful metal core shit that is so popular. This is good stuff. There are a couple of "break downs" on the songs, but all in all it is good stuff. The dual high/low vox are cool. There are total death influences, as well as some punk rock type stuff on the 2nd song (or first song break, not sure, I don't have much info on the insert.) It has some good skank/d-beat stuff and some faster ripping stuff. I can't really think of a comparrison, but fans of crossover or the crust punk stuff will for sure dig it. This was so limited, not sure if it is available anymore, but keep an eye and ear out for this band!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dTAJN2uFqo

 GRAVE DESCENT 2011 DEMO

Here is some old timers from the Buffalo, New York death metal scene getting together and slaying forth that familiar east coast style of death terror. A lot of those bands in the areas of Buffalo, New York City, New Jersey, Long Island and the other areas close by had this sound made famous by the likes of Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation. Jack Owen plays guitar on this recording. Also, Rich and Dennis from Tirant Sin, and Mike from Leviathan are also in this band. Tirant Sin and Leviathan are old school bands that had members of Cannibal Corpse and Malevolent Creation, among others, in them. Anyways, Grave Descent has that crushing and brutal style of the older Cannibal Corpse stuff. This is very well played and delivered with deadly precision. Any fan of that style of death metal that is catchy and heavy will like this band. There are 5 songs on here. "Feast of the Dammed" being a highlight for me. It has a total ripping pace that shreds all in sight. There is some killer death metal going on here! If you like that East Coast/American style, you will want to get this now! TOP NOTCH death metal. I think these guys will be signed soon! If they aren't, well labels, WHAT THE FUCK IS TAKING YOU SO LONG?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73TLeDZHoG8

BESTOWER SELF TITLED.

Short songs, straight to the point punked out grind/hard core madness here by Buffalo, NY's Bestower. Lots of killer d-beats and angry screamed/shouted growls for any fan of grinding REAL hard core. The guitars are heavy as well. The band is loose and raw, yet the music is tight as fuck, if that makes any sense. The way they deliver the songs, in such a controlled AND chaotic way really stands out. There is a power violence influence through out this release as well, especially when the band slows it down a bit on a song like "The Question Nobody's Asking". Then there is an all out assault of fast, ripping stuff like the next song "Because That's How They Want It". The variation between the slower chugs and prods and the fast, relentless stuff reminds me of the classic power violence sound. Th vocals fit everything just perfect, as the singer sounds pissed off and tortured with life. THAT is how the vocals SHOULD sound with this stuff. We are all soldiers of death noise and Bestower are one of the new recruits working their way up the battle ladder. This is a kick fucking ass release!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5s8ic1BtZo

CHECK OUT MIKE'S WORK IN THE ALMIGHTY GRAVEHILL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDOJpx9SlCU

BUFFALO DEATH RETURNS

Seplophile at the Funeral Home (photo - Brian Pattison)

A side effect of releasing our book, GT was quite hopeful, would be a shot of adrenalin to the system of a once great underground scene. A couple years on from the dust of the book's publishing having settled, it would appear that the medicine is working with the Buffalo NY scene starting to bubble again with more people becoming active, more shows happening (many of them standing outside the now set parameters of other gigs) and more bands stepping up to the plate with genuine quality music. GT brings you another interview which was destined for the return of Chainsaw Abortions zine, this time with Buffalo death band SEPLOPHILE!

GT: Seplophile formed in 2010 by veteran members of various Buffalo based bands. Give us a brief background of what went into Seplophile and what brought you all together?

    Greg: The band was formed in early January 2010 initially by Al and myself, a few weeks later we added Shawn to the mix on bass, then about a month after that Matt joined the band on second guitar, and then Colin joined up in June of that year of vocals. Al and myself had been in a band years before (From This Day, Shawn was in that band as well but after I was long gone) after I had left in 2004 they continued until the summer of 2009. By that time I (as well as Matt) were in our second stints in Herod, after I had done a couple years in Sons of Azrael. We (Herod) had some downtime planned as the other guitarist, and lead vocalist, Jesse entered fatherhood for the first time, during that downtime Al and I decided to start a death metal band. We had been in bands in the past that had definite death metal elements, but we had wanted to start a band with the dominant influence/sound being death metal. The initial songs pretty much wrote themselves, even if they were a bit one dimensional, but I think if the desire to create is there, writing is never a problem. One demo, a bunch of shows and songs later, and a full length in the works, and that about brings us up to speed.

    GT:  The band burst onto the Buffalo scene with a choice slot opening for Malevolent Creation. Did  you expect the gigs to come so fast and furious during the bands infancy?

Greg:  Absolutely not. There had been a drought in extreme metal in Buffalo for quite sometime, and even the bands that were around and killing it, were mostly overlooked or lumped in with the local hardcore scene, as that was the dominant scene in Buffalo for a very long time. Shows for really any type of metal were sparse, and we had initially anticipated playing maybe 2-4 times a year locally, getting out of town if the opportunity was right as well. Very low expectations. After that Malevolent Creation show, all of a sudden, shows started appearing out of nowhere. The quality of the local bands, the Funeral Home, and yourself are a big reason for that. Needless to say, we eclipsed our 2-4 show max about 2 months after that Malevolent show.

Seplophile at Club Infinity (photo - Brian Pattison)

   GT: I once overheard you tell someone that you write most of your riffs on an acoustic guitar. What     made you go with that unusual route for writing death metal riffs?

Greg: I have an acoustic guitar at home, I love playing it, and with most of my gear at our rehearsal space, the acoustic is the best, most convenient option. Not to mention, if a death metal riff sounds killer on an acoustic, it'll sound even better ripping through my amp full blast with proper distortion.

  GT:  Does the band write songs as a collective unit or do you tend to write songs individually then bring them to rehearsal and do any tweaking there?

 

Greg:  A lot of the initial Seplophile material was kinda prepared either by Matt or myself individually with Al. There was some collaboration obviously between Matt and myself, but I think it was good for Matt and I to prepare material on our own with our first batch of songs, just to kind of get an idea as to how each of us would interperet death metal. Because of that, I feel collaboration is more apt to happen for the next batch of songs, as we know kinda how each other writes this type of music. It helps sometimes to have a few different cooks in the kitchen so to speak, if i had written all the material, we'd be a very one dimensional, fast death metal band. With Matt and myself writing, we're a very three dimensional, multi-speed death metal band, haha.

Shawn

    GT:  You have a deep love for power metal acts such as Helloween. How much do those power metal  acts influence the riffs you write for Seplophile?

Greg:  In a way, anything I, or we, listen to influences Seplophile, even if it's a sign of where not to go. But yeah, I'd say that style of metal influences us. Matt and myself are huge fans of classic heavy metal, and if you dissect a lot of our material you'll see it's (for the most part) very traditionally arranged, a la verse/chorus/verse/bridge/chorus, that's definitely derived from our classic metal sensibilities. I think that's important to have, i love music that has strong structure and meat on the bone to sink your teeth into. There's nothing wrong with having simple, or "catchy" song structures in death metal. That being said, we're also not afraid to riff it up and use the abilities we've attained over the years as musicians. We will never be technical just to be techincal, nor will we be simple just to be "old school". Everything we play has a purpose and we follow no codes or rules that aren't self imposed. We are a death metal band, plain and simple, and if you listen to us it's my opinion that you'll hear bits and pieces of everything that's created the death metal "sound" from 1985 (or whenever someone else thinks it started) until today.

    Colin

GT:  This summer Seplophile will finally begin venturing outside of WNY for shows. Why has it taken so long for you to begin doing out of town shows?

Greg: Well we had played a show in Rochester in October of 2011 with Decrepit Birth and Decapitated, but other than that the reason why we haven't gone out so much is because of scheduling. Lame as it may be, we ain't kids anymore, and job and family scheduling does make going out of town a little more complicated and difficult. We've all done our time in the past as far as road slavery is concerned, (we all spent the majority of our 20's broke haha) and family and paying bills are a higher priority at this point in our lives. In order to tour "right", you gotta hit it hard and for a long time, time which we don't really have anymore. The number of shows I've played in the last 9 years outweighs my recorded output by a lot and I'd rather stay home, and practice our craft and improve ourselves as a band, and get some more recordings out there. At this point in my life the creation of the music is more important than the performing of it live, but we will continue to play out when we can, because we enjoy it, not because we have to.

Al

    GT:  When I offered you the chance to be Kam Lee's backing band for A Day of Death 2011 you quickly jumped on it, but just as quickly learned that Matt would be unable to play the show. How hard was it for Seplophile as a band to learn all of "From Beyond", teach Tony Lorenzo the Seplophile set list and still fit in normal rehearsals with Matt during the first half of 2011?

   

Greg: Very. Life's a journey and a lesson, and if I had that over again, in retrospect, I can see what could've been done differently to make that an easier process. It's was probably most unfair to Tony, who had to learn 18 songs he either had never really heard before, or was only vaguely familiar with. He was a champ though, stepped up big time for us, and played the shit out of those songs. I definitely think the Seplophile set suffered as a result of my insistence of placing more emphasis on learning the Massacre material, because let's face it, there was no one there strictly to see lil' old Seplophile play 3rd on a fest full of underground metal legends like Deceased, Insanity, Rottrevore, and Kam Lee. As a headliner, we had an obligation to learn the Massacre tunes as best as we can to make sure we didn't make Kam look shitty, or you look stupid for picking us as his backing band. I think we succeeded in not letting either of those happen.

    GT:  When I gave you the call on July 13 (2011) to let you know Kam was with me and we were on our way to rehearsal did you feel any apprehension/nerves?

 Greg: Some nerves, no apprehension. Apprehension leads to doubt, doubt kills confidence, and no confidence leads to shitty performances.

Day 2 of Kam Lee rehearsals (photo - Brian Pattison)

   GT:  Those two rehearsals with Kam seemed to go pretty well. He seemed to fit right in with the band like he belonged there and not at all like an outsider. Were you happy with those rehearsals?

Greg: Absolutely, I looked at it like this: We were a band for 3 days, we had 2 days to be a tight for the 3rd day, we had little time to fuck around, but like a true band, we did find some time to have some fun amongst the business. We cleared through a couple cases of beer, shot some shit and got to know Kam a little, which was cool. We wanted Kam to be comfortable and at ease with this room full of strangers that he was going to headline a fest with in 2 days. Us being fairly easy going dudes I think Kam was able to drop his guard quick, hang out, drink a few beers, and rattle our walls with "wipe-outs". It was a great time and Kam's a cool guy. You saw me smiling, it was total genuine fun.

    GT:  When the time came for you guys and Kam to take the stage, did you feel any added pressure of  knowing that the old schoolers in the crowd who had seen Massacre in '91 would be watching you with a very critical eye? Despite a minor flub or two were you happy with the bands performance that night?

  

Greg: Actually I wasn't worried about old schoolers watching us. I knew that as long as we did our job, they would get into it. Billing be damned, I went out there with the attitude of: "I'm in Massacre for one night, I have to perform these songs as if I've written them". Shawn, Tony, and myself were not gonna stand up there like scared kids in the shadow of an underground legend. We are dudes who've spent a lot of time on stages, we know what it takes to put on a good show, and we acted accordingly. Any flubs we had I thought were like you said, minor, and more of a result of either over enthusiasm or monitor troubles. Except for "Skulls", that was just lack of preparation as we had just learned it the last rehearsal before the show, haha.

Kam and Greg at A Day of Death 2011 (photo - Brian Pattison)

    GT:  Seplophile has been known to cover Cannibal Corpse's "Skull Full of Maggots" live, yet when given the opportunity to play the song in the presence of two original Cannibal Corpse members you chose not to, even though Alex was hoping you would. You had an opportunity to play it and perhaps even get one or both of them to join you for it, yet you declined, why did you chose to pass on playing it especially knowing you may never be given another chance to play it in their presence?

   

   Greg: Well we hadn't played the song in like 7 months, and we didn't think it was the right place for something like that, would've felt crass. It was a charity event, and to me it would've seemed like we were trying to get a "Cannibal seal of approval" by either playing that song or having those dudes play it with us. I wouldn't want anyone to think we were playing this show for any other reason than for the reason everyone else was playing it, to help out our friend. I'll take a seal of approval from Cannibal Corpse any other day of the week, just not that day. As you know, we did a Voivod cover instead (Tribal Convictions) as that's a band that we love and Tony loves too.

 GT: You are currently in the studio recording your debut full length. How has the recording gone so far?

Greg: Recording has gone well, all we have left to do is record bass, vocals, and lead guitars and we'll be done. It's been 2 and half years in the making and we're pretty excited to finish it up. The vocals, rhythm guitars and drums were recorded by Scott Nadolinski, bass and leads are being recorded by our other guitarist Matt.

Kam Lee band after A Day of Death 2011 (photo - Brian Pattison)

    GT:  Besides the show June 23 show in Cleveland, do you have any other out of town shows lined up or in the process of being lined up?

 Greg:  We're also playing the Sevared Records "Brutality Reigns 2" fest in Rochester on June 22nd, besides that and Cleveland the next day, we have nothing planned for out of town until at least the fall. I'm getting hitched and need some time to lock down the family aspect of my life for a bit before I can worry about hitting the highway again.

    GT: Any final comments?

 Greg: Thanks for the support now, in the past, and hopefully in the future Brian. You're one of the reason's Buffalo's had a bit of a resurgence for metal, and it's appreciated by all of it's practitioners who know what's up. Also, readers, keep an eye out for our debut album "Mesonoxian", it should be finished by the end of May, stay tuned to our Facebook page for updates.