Ola Lindgren Releases Three Songs From GREY HEAVENS Solo Project

Ola Lindgren, the vocalist/guitarist of Swedish death metal pioneers GRAVE, released three songs from his GREY HEAVENS solo project. The three songs are "Primitvs", "Abandoned Quest" and "Grey Heavens".

A project years in the making, GREY HEAVENS explores other sides of extreme music that Lindgren says would not fit into the GRAVE catalog. "This is a more dark and experimental side of my musicality and shows a different approach to metal than just the straight forward death metal that has been my main inspiration and which has resulted in the eight GRAVE albums in the past 21 years."

In a new posting about the new songs, Lindgren said, "Finally I got everything together and mixed:) The drums for this promo are programmed, everything else is played/screamed and recorded/mixed by me during the past months."

You can listen to the new songs here.

If you've never heard GRAVE'S debut album Into the Grave, we encourage you to check it out. Into the Grave perfectly exemplified the Swedish death metal sound of the early 90's by offering a thick production with the vintage Sunlight Studio guitar sound. That album was voiced by Jorgen Sandstrom, who was later replaced on vocals by guitarist Ola Lindgren. It is a death metal classic!

Interview with Dave Sherman from EARTHRIDE

Dave Sherman is essentially royalty in the Doom capital of the world, Maryland. He is the former bass player for Spirit Caravan where he also shared vocal duties with Wino. Sherman started EARTHRIDE as a side project but it quickly blossomed into a full time gig once Spirit Caravan split.

We took a few moments with Sherman to find out what he and the band have been up to, what’s going on with the new album and where we can catch EARTHRIDE live next.

The Core: What is EARTHRIDE up to these days?

Dave Sherman: We’ve been trying to write new material for our brand new record, titled Something Wicked. We’ve got seven songs down and we’d like to write three or four more. I think we have Chris Kozlowski to engineer it. (Editors note: Chris Kozlowski was the producer on the legendary EARTHRIDE album Taming of the Demons).


The Core: I see you have some dates in Ohio, Indiana and D.C., do you have any other dates planned?

Sherman: We’re playing Stoner Hands Of Doom and in Baltimore on June 5th at the Sidebar. We’re trying to lay low to focus on writing new songs.

The Core: It’s been a couple of years since Vampire Circus came out, do you have any plans for a new album? Care to provide any insight on what fans can expect?

Sherman: Something Wicked is like a mixture of Taming of the Demons and Vampire Circus, we might even add a couple of special guests.


The Core: How does your music affect you and the world around you?

Sherman: Music is my life’s blood.

The Core: Any plans to have Land-o-Smiles do anymore repressings of your classic albums?

Sherman: I don’t think so, but we might put it on iTunes.


The Core: What do you think of all these new metal bands emerging from Maryland, do they pay you proper respect?

Sherman: Yeah, everybody’s big time friends in Maryland. We all get along. We borrowed Admiral Browning’s bass player to play at Templars of Doom when our bass player Rob Hampshire wasn’t able to go due to a previous commitment.


The Core: Any last words?

Sherman: Take care of yourself and everybody else.



Thanks Sherman! We really look forward to the new album!

Just a reminder to help these bands out by attending gigs, buying their records and merchandise...spread the word!

You can pick up EARTHRIDE T-shirt from Real Deal Merchandise here

All That Is Heavy also has a couple CDs and a picture disc in stock that you can buy here

Video: Black Pyramid - And The Gods Made War/Visions of Gehenna

Watch it here:

RHINO Interview with Javier Gálvez

Something incredibly heavy and ominous is happening in Spain. Something thunderous that’s ready to trample you to death. Something that wants to blow your ears out and show you that Spain has risen and is ready to conquer the world again. That something is called RHINO, a Stoner/Doom/Thrash band and they have released a mind-numbingly fantastic record on Arctic Music Group/7th Gate records, and they are ready for conquest.

Neutronium Core took some time with Javier “Javi” Gálvez, RHINO's lead singer/guitar player, to talk to us about the band’s latest album Dead Throne Monarch. We found out what got him playing in the first place and he even drops some knowledge on the next album.

The Core: How did RHINO come together?

Javi Gálvez: Our drummer Julen Gil and I had been trying to play together for a while. It finally happened in December of 2004, when we played our first rehearsal. It took so long because both of us were involved in other bands at the time. We released our demo Name the Horn Bearer in 2006 after playing our asses off in the live circuit of our area. Our bassist, Sergio Robles, came in right after we finished recording our first album Breed The Chosen One in 2007. Since then, we have played with a ton of bands, including Moho, Gorefest, Taint, One Man Army and the Undead Quartet, Warchetype, Hate and Entombed, to name a few. We ended up signing with Arctic Music Group and released our second LP Dead Throne Monarch.


The Core: What makes RHINO different than other bands coming out of Spain?

Javi: Well, I think that we are different from the rest because nobody does what we do, simple as that. We mix rock with death metal, grunge, thrash (at least that’s what people say ha ha!)…We like to play heavy and crushing music but it still has a melody with great vocal lines. Today, everybody is screaming, making noise, riff after riff or playing doom drone, making as much noise as possible. So we came in, started playing brutal rock with choruses and hooks…that really has people going “what the fuck!?!”


The Core: What is the scene like over in Spain? Is it different than other countries in Europe that you have played in?

Javi: On one side you have the underground doom scene I was talking about before; on the other, the same old rancid and boring heavy metal, with ridiculous bands, which usually sing in Spanish, and most of them are copycats of other international acts. Of course, there are plenty of underground Death Metal and Grindcore acts. I think it’s pretty much the same with other countries in Europe, on the surface you have a lot of crap but beneath all of that, there are some really great bands.


The Core: How do you get your chunky, in your face, want to rip your throat out tone?

Javi: We have no unique tricks or special effects or whatever the crap many of the other bands use. We tune in A and play with attitude, which is one of the most important ingredients that you have to have in your band if you don’t want to suck! We like to make it simple, direct, slow, sometimes not so slow, brutal and kill everybody with our music!


The Core: You have some pretty varied influences; we want to know who made you want to pick up a guitar and rock?

Javi: Since I was a little kid I was always playing rock and metal, thanks to my older brother, who also played guitar and bought records like AC/DC’s Let There Be Rock, KISS’ Rock and Roll Over, the first Van Halen and the first Black Sabbath records. When I got a little older, I discovered Thrash and went crazy with the Death Metal wave that came in the late 80s from Florida. Some of my all time favorite bands are Malevolent Creation, Death, Cannibal Corpse and Bolt Thrower.

Beyond that, the rest of the band and I listen to so many types of music to and don’t just stay in the extreme metal side of things; We like to listen to Glenn Hughes, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, Glenn Danzig, Hall and Oates, Soundgarden. We don’t close doors to great music.


The Core: Will we ever get a chance to see RHINO in the states? Any plans to play outside of Spain at this point?

Javi: We would love to play in the States man! To be on an American label like Arctic Music Group is a total triumph for us, so playing there would be amazing. We’re just waiting for offers to play anywhere.

The Core: Will Dead Throne Monarch be available on vinyl?

Javi: We would like to see it released on double vinyl, because the fucker is 70 minutes long! But it seems like nobody cares or wants to put their money in that. Again, we’re waiting for offers, we have been approached by some labels but haven’t had the success we need to make it happen yet.


The Core: Anything else?

Javi: So far, our last record is having great reviews everywhere so we hope to make some new fans, both in the States and Europe, and get the band to the next level. Our third LP is almost written so we’re looking forward to recording it in late 2009/early 2010. It will terrorize the masses with crushing and apocalyptic funeral hymns!


Damn Javi, tell it like it is man! Thanks for rocking our world, we really appreciate your time and look forward to the new album!

Let’s see what we can do to get a label to make Javi (and our) dream of the double vinyl release of Dead Throne Monarch happen. Start yelling at whoever will listen, posting in forums, and dropping emails to your favorite record labels!

You can pick up Dead Throne Monarch here

And don’t forget to check out RHINO at their MySpace page here

New (Old) Tracks from SNAIL Out Now!!!

Our new favorite Stoner Rock band SNAIL has posted some new (old) tracks on their MySpace Page. Why are we calling these new (old) tracks you might ask? Well for most of you they will be new tracks that you have never heard before, but for those lucky few who have the original S/T release that came out in 1993 on Big Deal Records will recognize that the tracks posted include Confessions, Full-Acid, Intuition and O.D. off that very album. This means that a good majority of the debut is now posted online

Also, we heard that SNAIL will be on tour on the left-coast this summer with LEGENDARY Psych/Stoner band NEBULA. Once we get the dates we will let you know. Also, we will keep you posted on when the new SNAIL album hits the streets.

Swing by and check out SNAIL if you haven't. They are well worth the listen. There is still a good chance that they still have free stickers available. Make sure to drop them a note asking. Spread the word and help out this fantastic band!

In case you missed the two previous links, you can find the SNAIL page here

"Precious Metal" — Decibel's Hall of Fame Anthology

Neutronium Core are big fans of Decibel magazine, and the monthly Hall of Fame section is must-read material. On July 15th, Da Capo Press will release the Decibel Hall of Fame anthology titled Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces.

Twenty four Hall of Fame pieces that have been published in Decibel over the past five years have been selected, but these are not reprinted as published. According to Decibel, they have "expanded the shit out of them."

Edited by Albert Mudrian—Editor-in-Chief of Decibel magazine—Precious Metal will "take you inside the recording studios where the most intense heavy metal albums of all time were created, providing background on the savage guitar sounds and bloodcurdling screams that have defined a musical genre."

Mudrian has also put together a special BONUS Hall of Fame that will only be available in the book. Hint: it’s not Neurosis.

Highlights Include:

• Ozzy Osbourne’s devastating departure from Black Sabbath—and their reinvention with Heaven and Hell, which captured a new generation of metal fans.
• The quick rise and fall of Diamond Head, whose proto-thrash classic Lightning to the Nations (a one-week recording demo) catapulted them into the pantheon.
• Sleep’s 52-minute one-track release, Jerusalem, and the 1.316-second song “You Suffer” that earned Napalm Death a world record.
• A double arrest for Emperor—the guitarist for arson, the drummer for murder—that threatened the completion of In the Nightside Eclipse.
• The grotesque, taboo-shattering lyrics of Cannibal Corpse—and the shocking Tomb of the Mutilated cover art that decimated the limits of zombie pornography.

Delving deep into the bands’ diverse influences—ranging from the usual suspects like Led Zeppelin to Wagnerian opera (Kyuss) and reggae (Napalm Death)—Precious Metal celebrates the legacy of their landmark albums and amplifies the risks taken along the way. Albert Mudrian is the Editor-in-Chief of Decibel magazine and the author of the cult classic Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore. He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces
August 1, 2009
$18.95
Paperback Original
368 Pages
Music
ISBN: 978-0-306-81806-6
Pre-order Here

The Most Hardcore Metal Musicians, in Their Own Words…

“I guess I was never a real Satanist—it was just a pose.”
—Nicke Andersson Entombed, Left Hand Path

“It felt so good to play live—it felt like you were killing somebody.”
—Joesh Homme Kyuss, Welcome to Sky Valley

“The blood, the guts and the gore—that’s what it’s all about.”
—Bob Rusay Cannibal Corpse, Tomb of the Mutilated

“Everything’s an experiment, you know? That’s the beauty of art.”
—David Vincent Morbid Angel, Altars of Madness

“Eyehategod was started as a way to piss people off. All the heavy music around here was fast, thrashy stuff, so Eyehategod slowed it down as much as possible…And it worked, man. People fuckin’ hated ’em.”
—Brian Patton Eyehategod, Take as Needed for Pain

“[There were songs about] making dog food out of humans…I just thought it was turning things upside down.”
—Michael Amott Carcass, Necroticism

“We rehearsed in the dark, so we could play the songs without looking, which is fucking stupid.”
—Mikael Akerfeldt Opeth, Orchid

“Every stereo I’ve seen has a volume knob, but for some reason, people seem to demand that their records be obscenely loud.”
—Kurt Ballou Converge, Jane Doe

“You can be as pretentious as you want if you’re growling lyrics…You could be the death metal Poet Laureate if you wanted to.”
—Nick Holmes Paradise Lost, Gothic

“When I eventually got sobered up, which was three years later, I listened to Heaven and Hell, and, to this day, I cannot remember doing some of the songs. I can’t remember what studio it was. I can’t remember playing it at all. I have no memory.”
—Bill Ward Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell

New Moss Album Available Now

Extreme Doom (not Drone Doom) band MOSS, from Southampton in the U.K., third full-length album Tombs of the Blind Drugged is now available from Rise Above Records. MOSS claims that they "return to a more primitive, vintage sound" with Tombs.

According the Moss' MySpace page, Metal Blade will be issuing the album in the U.S. They also stated that a 10" gatefold version of the release will be out in the next couple of weeks.

Here is the track listing:

1. Skeletal Keys (12.28)
2. Tombs Of The Blind Drugged (10.51)
3. Eternal Return (11.17)
4. Maimed And Slaughtered (5.53) * Bonus Track

You can buy Tombs of the Blind Drugged here

Full U.S. Clutch tour announced by Baroness

While Clutch provided some insight earlier this week on it's upcoming U.S. tour in support of the new album Strange Cousins from the West. Today, Baroness broke the news of the entire tour.

Here are the dates and locations:

07/09/09 Cincinnati, OH United States Bogarts
w/ Clutch, Lionize

07/10/09 Detroit, MI United States The Fillmore Detroit
w/ Clutch, Lionize

07/11/09 Chicago, IL United States Kuma's 4th Anniversary Block Party
FREE show w/ Clutch, Lionize as part of Kuma's 4th Anniversary. At 2900 West Belmont Ave in Chicago.

07/12/09 Sauget, IL United States Pops
w/ Clutch, Lionize

07/14/09 Dallas, TX United States House of Blues
w/ Clutch, Lionize

07/15/09 Houston, TX United States House of Blues
w/ Clutch, Lionize

07/17/09 Albuquerque, NM United States Sunshine Theater
w/ Clutch, Lionize

07/18/09 Tempe, AZ United States Marquee Theater
w/ Clutch, Lionize

07/19/09 Las Vegas, NV United States House of Blues Las Vegas
w/ Clutch, Lionize

07/20/09 San Diego, CA United States Cane's
w/ Clutch, Lionize

07/21/09 Los Angeles, CA United States House Of Blues L.A.
w/ Clutch, Lionize

07/22/09 San Francisco, CA United States The Regency Center
w/ Clutch, Lionize

07/23/09 Seattle, WA United States King Cat Theater
w/ Clutch, Lionize

07/25/09 Spokane, WA United States Knitting Factory
w/ Clutch, Lionize

07/26/09 Missoula, MT United States Wilma Theater
w/ Clutch, Lionize

07/27/09 Boise, ID United States Knitting Factory
w/ Clutch, Lionize

07/28/09 Portland, OR United States Crystal Ballroom
w/ Clutch, Lionize

07/29/09 Vancouver, BC Canada Commodore Ballroom
w/ Clutch, Lionize

07/31/09 Calgary, AB Canada The Flames Center
w/ Clutch, Lionize

08/01/09 Edmonton, AB Canada Edmonton Events Center
w/ Clutch, Lionize

08/02/09 Saskatoon, SK Canada Odeon Event Center
w/ Clutch, Lionize

08/03/09 Winnipeg, MB Canada Garrick Center
w/ Clutch, Lionize

08/05/09 Minneapolis, MN United States First Ave
w/ Clutch, Lionize

08/06/09 Milwaukee, WI United States Eagles Ballroom
w/ Clutch, Lionize

08/07/09 Cleveland, OH United States House of Blues
w/ Clutch, Lionize

08/08/09 Baltimore, MD United States Sonar
w/ Clutch, Lionize

New SUFFOCATION Song Available for Streaming

Legendary New York death metallers SUFFOCATION added "Cataclysmic Purification", a new track form their forthcoming album Blood Oath to their MySpace page for streaming. The new album is being released by Nuclear Blast Records on July 3, 2009 in Europe and July 14, 2009 in North America. This will mark SUFFOCATION’s 20th anniversary as a band.

Blood Oath will be available in three exclusive formats in North American. In addition to the standard retail version, there will be a mail-order edition available exclusively through the Nuclear Blast USA web store, and a digital version through iTunes (more info on the digital release here).

Blood Oath regular North American track listing:

1. Blood Oath
2. Dismal Dream
3. Pray For Forgiveness
4. Images Of Purgatory
5. Cataclysmic Purification
6. Mental Hemorrhage
7. Come Hell Or High Priest
8. Undeserving
9. Provoking The Disturbed
10. Marital Decimation
11. Pray For Forgiveness (Instrumental version)
12. Dismal Dream (Rough mix un-mastered)

Limited Edition Blood Red Mail-Order Version:
(Available exclusively through the Nuclear Blast USA web store)

1. Blood Oath
2. Dismal Dream
3. Pray For Forgiveness
4. Images Of Purgatory
5. Cataclysmic Purification
6. Mental Hemorrhage
7. Come Hell Or High Priest
8. Undeserving
9. Provoking The Disturbed
10. Marital Decimation
11. Blood Oath (Instrumental version)
12. Cataclysmic Purification (Rough mix un-mastered)

Also includes: Red jewel case, limited-edition shirt, trading cards (featuring all five members), poster autographed by the band, exclusive red SUFFOCATION bag to house all of these items listed above.

SUFFOCATION will be hitting the road as part of the Summer Slaughter ’09 tour.

Rising Stars: SNAIL – Stoner/Psych/Doom from Seattle

Today we are introducing a brand new section to Neutronium Core called “Rising Stars.” We will be using Rising Stars to bring your attention to bands that you most likely haven’t heard of, but really need to check out as we feel these bands have what it takes.

Many bands often come to an end far too soon, well before they really get the chance to truly make it. One prime example would be Kyuss, a band that had all of the goods to make it big in the music industry. Sadly Kyuss broke up back in 1995 for several different reasons and never really enjoyed the success that they deserved when they were still a cohesive unit. Today, it seems like everyone who enjoys Stoner/Desert Rock points to Kyuss as the high-water mark when it came to defining the genre. Take a look at any forum dedicated to Stoner/Desert rock and you will find many calls for the group to get back together and for good reason, they rocked it! Big time.

Rarely do bands that flew under the radar give us a second chance to enjoy them, case in point – SNAIL. SNAIL formed back in the early 90s and put out a self-titled album and an EP called All Channels Are Open. They were a powerful three-piece unit consisting of singer/guitarist Mark Johnson, drummer Marty Dodson and bassist Matt Lynch. When they had completed writing material for their sophomore release, the band succumbed to a lack of success and the rock ‘n roll lifestyle and sadly called it quits.


At the beginning of last year a remarkable thing happened, Johnson, Dodson and Lynch decided to give it a second shot and get that second album recorded and out into circulation. This time around the trio added a long time friend, Eric Clausen (guitar), as a fourth member to round out the band’s sound. SNAIL went back into the studio and recorded the long-lost album, that they have titled Blood, on their own dime and began shopping it around. As luck would have it, they landed with the legendary Stoner/Doom label MeteorCity who will be distributing the album within the next two months or so.

We conducted an interview with founding member and Mark Johnson, the lead singer/guitarist to pick his brain about what happened, what they are up to and find out more about SNAIL in general.

The Core: You just signed with MeteorCity, how did you get on their radar?

Mark Johnson: We sent them a demo. We recorded the latest album Blood on our own in summer/fall of 2008 with the goal of finally recording tunes we had written before we broke up. We had initially thought that we would self-release the album for free but as interest grew we realized that, if we wanted to get wider distribution for the album, we would need a record label's help. We sent out a bunch of demos and were contacted by Dan from MeteorCity who was interested in releasing the album. Of course we were very excited because StonerRock.com is the Stoner/Doom center of the universe. Plus Dan really seems to care about the artists. So after some short negotiations we signed with them.

The Core: Snail has an amazingly heavy, fuzzy but groovy sound, what bands do you cite as your main influences and what is your inspiration?

Mark Johnson: I would say our main influences for the blood album are Black Sabbath, the Melvins, Pink Floyd, My Bloody Valentine and to a lesser extent Iggy Pop and the Velvet Underground. For the psychedelic elements we draw from early Pink Floyd and early Psychic TV. We are inspired by great rock n roll bands - we're all total rock fans and we love to sample from the rich history of rock for ideas. Personally I'm inspired by compassion and you'll find a compassionate subtext in many of our tunes.

The Core: When can we get our grubby paws on Blood?

Mark Johnson: The release date has not been set yet but the album is currently being duplicated so I would guess within a month or two. We'll announce it on our MySpace page and I'm sure Dan will send out notification so sign up for the StonerRock.com newsletter.

The Core: How do you get your amazing tone?

Mark Johnson: We used a variety of tube amps on Blood but generally speaking we get tone by turning the amp all the way up. With one of the amps it really sounded like a fuzz box but I assure you that there is only one fuzz track on the entire album; on the tune "committed." We used Laney and Orange amps as well as a secret tube amp that gets that shredded sound. :)


The Core: Any plans for a tour to support Blood?

Mark Johnson: So far we are trying for a west coast tour of the U.S. with either Nebula or Fu Manchu, who are our close friends. No dates yet, but probably in the fall.

The Core: You originally formed in 1992, but as you put it, succumbed to the "sex, drugs and Rock 'n Roll", how is your sound different today than it was back then?

Mark Johnson: I'd say that the Blood album is pretty faithful to our sound back then because most of the tunes were written back then. The exceptions are "Mental Models" and "Via/Penny Dreadful" which were written in 2008 and reflect our move to an even heavier sound. Currently we're working on finishing up our next album and I can tell you it’s much heavier than Blood. Our goal has always been to try to get heavier with every album. So our current stuff is partially influenced by post-Sabbath Ozzy and Dio as well as Sleep from the Dopesmoker era.

The Core: Any chance Blood will be available on vinyl?

Mark Johnson: Yes. MeteorCity suggested that at the outset and also expressed interest in re-releasing our first album on vinyl as well. Stay tuned.

The Core: Anything else?

Mark Johnson: Yes. Please support marijuana decriminalization and legalization. Our prisons in the U.S. are full of innocent pot smokers and dealers who are unjustly imprisoned and educated in violence and crime. They are being forced into a world of violence, murder and survival that transforms many of them into hardcore criminals.

Thank you Mark! We truly wish you and SNAIL nothing but the best. We will see you when you swing through the Bay Area!

If you are into any kind of Stoner/Doom rock, SNAIL is going to rock your world. Please take the time to listen to SNAIL on their MySpace page, which you can find here

We will keep you up-to-date on when the album will be released. SNAIL has said that the first album and the EP will also be reissued, so make sure to keep an eye out for that. Once we find out if they are touring with Fu Manchu or Nebula (WE HOPE BOTH!!!), we will post the tour dates. We will also provide a full review when Blood hits the streets.

Remember to support Indie music with your dollars. We need bands like SNAIL to stick it out for the long haul this time!

The County Medical Examiners Interview

Dr. Morton Fairbanks of The County Medical Examiners took some time before hitting the stage with General Surgery last night to talk with Neutronium Core. He was joined by good friend Dr. Carlsson, guitarist from General Surgery (both pictured right).

In their own words, The County Medical Examiners formed in 2001 as a Carcass tribute band. Their goal is to respectfully continue the same early sound Carcass created in the mid-to-late ‘80s.

The Core: What have you been listening to lately?

Dr. Morton Fairbanks: I’ve been listening to the latest Lymphatic Phlegm and the new General Surgery a lot, as well as the new Agoraphobic Nosebleed.

The Core: In your clinical opinion, how is Grindcore looking these days?

Dr. Morton Fairbanks: I think the scene is only getting better. There are so many new, younger fans; more people than ever are listening to extreme metal right now.

The Core: How did it feel on stage?

Dr. Morton Fairbanks: Jamming with General Surgery was a high point. Joining one of my favorite bands to play one of my favorite songs—it doesn’t get any better. It’s given me a taste for the performance side of music, and made me consider playing some shows.

The Core: Is there any chance that a new TCME record is coming?

Dr. Morton Fairbanks: Yes, fresh material is being worked on now...

The Core: YES!

Dr. Morton Fairbanks joined the band in a brutal rendition of Slithering Maceration Of Ulcerous Facial Tissue, a goregrind classic from General Surgery's album Necrology.

Show Report: General Surgery, Ghoul, Decrepit Birth, and a special surprise

Last night, Swedish death metal legends and goregrind surgeons General Surgery laid waste at the Blue Lagoon in Santa Cruz, CA. with fellow grind thrashers Decrepit Birth and Ghoul.

The gore doctors were on hand in blood-drenched labcoats to support their new album Corpus In Extremis: Analysing Necrocriticism. The house was full and the band were brutal.

General Surgery Playlist:

• If These Walls Could Talk / Fulguration
• Necronomics / Decededent Scarification Aesthetics / Restrained Remains
• Final Excarnation / Necrocriticism
• Exotoxic Septicity / Adnexal Mass / Virulent Corpus Dispersement
• Ichor / Idle Teratoma Core
• Plexus Necrosis
• Mortsafe Rupture / Deadhouse/ Slithering Maceration Of Ulcerous Facial Tissue
• Ambulance Chaser / Mattots in Your Coffin

General Surgery played the first dozen songs off their new album in order, and they sounded simply amazing. This is one band that must be seen live to be fully appreciated.

The big surprise of the evening was the guest appearance by none other than Dr. Morton Fairbanks of The County Medical Examiners!

Upon hitting the stage, Dr. Eriksson handed his bass to Dr. Fairbanks, and then dove into the crowd. Later, he commented on how great it was to watch the band play his favorite song—Slithering Maceration Of Ulcerous Facial Tissue.

Technical Death Metallers Decrepit Birth got the crowd worked up just prior to General Surgery taking the stage. Ghoul, who describe their sound as "A chainsaw grinding its way through your stupid head", closed the show with their unique form of Death/Thrash/Punk replete with full-headed and bloody head coverings. Ghoul played Splatterthrash, Bury the Hatchet, and were joined on stage by a giant killer robot for the song Rise! Killbot! Rise!.

Join Neutronium Core on MySpace

Neutronium Core is now on MySpace. Join us to check out our latest finds for all of your Doom, Stoner, Desert, Thrash, Black, Death, Grindcore METAL needs. Essentially anything related to the HEAVIEST MUSIC IN THE UNIVERSE!!!

You can find us at:
http://www.myspace.com/neutroniumcore

New Track from YOB

Eugene, Oregon's DOOM band, YOB, has released a new track from it's forthcoming album The Great Cessation called "Burning the Altar." This epic clocks in at just over 12:30.

The Great Cessation have five tracks and runs about 62 minutes according to YOB.

The titles include:

Burning The Altar
The Lie That Is Sin
Silence Of Heaven
Breathing From The Shallows
The Great Cessation

The tentative release date is for the album is late July.

Listen to the new track at YOB's MySpace page here

Review: Rhino - Dead Throne Monarch

Rhino, Dead Throne Monarch (2009)
Arctic Music Group
Format: CD

Dead Throne Monarch immediately opens by accosting the eardrums with the short, heavy grunts emanating from lead singer/guitarist Javier Galvez’s wicked windpipes. Immediately joined by Sergio Robles rumbling bass and Julen Gil’s thunderous skins, one quickly realizes that this album isn’t meant for a relaxed listening session—it’s here to completely trample and assault you.

This is Rhino’s second full-length album, and it’s not the stuff of dreams, but what nightmares are made of. Containing heavy influences across the entire spectrum of metal—grooving at times and kicking your ass to the pavement at others—it runs the full gamut, from slow lumbering beats and sluggishly slow guitars reminiscent of something found in an Electric Wizard epic, to fat groovy chords, chunky harmonics and deliberate rhythms that smack you around and brutalize your senses.

Galvez shows amazing range vocally throughout the album, moving from razor blade gargled heavy doom to actual melodic metallic crooning ala Chris Cornell when Soundgarden still mattered. He also brings a wicked axe that hacks and slashes with thick, chunky and aggressive chops. Robles bass is almost understated on most of Dead Throne Monarch as it meshes so well with the lead guitar and drums. Gil’s playing adds perfectly to the diversity of the album, delivering slow high-hat crashes accompanied by a snail’s pace beating that erupts at times to a full blown in your face thrashing double bass.

Yes, Dead Throne Monarch assaults, but it does slow down in parts, providing depth not found in most metal bands classified in the doom sub-genre. But even slowed, Rhino rarely loses stride; a majority of the time the album stirs deep emotions that make you want to hurt someone because Rhino’s hate, angst and rage are so palpable. The one sole exception is the acoustically based Wendigo, which really doesn’t seem to fit well with the rest of the album.

We can highly recommend Dead Throne Monarch to anyone who loves heavy, well done metal. From Doom/Stoner lovers to people more into Thrash—it really has something for everyone, and it doesn’t get lost in diversity, allowing almost everything to be enjoyed equally. This is truly some of the best Metal that Spain has to offer. It’s worth your hard earned jack and will leave you pumped.

RATING:



You can here clips of from Dead Throne Monarch at Rhino's MySpace page here

If you want to pick up a copy, swing by All That is Heavy here

COUGH and ELDER LPs - Available on May 22nd

RUN NOW and get your super limited edition vinyl copies of COUGH - Sigillum Luciferi and ELDER - S/T. Electric Earth has both of them available for pre-order and will ship them on May 22nd.

COUGH's Sigillum Luciferi is 2 LPs, heavy gatefold sleeve and Vinyl. It's limited to 500 copies.

ELDER's S/T - comes with a heavy gatefold sleeve and vinyl. It's limited to 400 copies in black and 100 copies in a red/orange swirl.

Here are some images of the vinyl goodness supplied by Electric Earth:

Covers for COUGH - Sigillum Luciferi and ELDER - S/T

COUGH - Gatefold and Vinyl

ELDER - Super Limited Red/Orange Vinyl and Gatefold

OCEAN CHIEF Interview with Björn Andersson

Neutronium Core took some time with Ocean Chief guitarist Björn Andersson's to find out about the bands upcoming release. For those of you not in the know, Ocean Chief hails from Sweden and putting out some heavily Nordic Mythology and viking themed Doom/Sludge metal since 2001. We found out about the new album they are recording for Electric Earth and what to expect when it hits shelves in the next month or two.

The Core: How is the new album coming along? Being your third full-length album is it getting any easier or more difficult?

Björn Andersson: Good question… But the process of making new songs is the same as before. It’s been coming up with a bunch of good riffs along with some jamming to get the right feeling out of it. Quite simple I'd say!

The new songs are like the previous ones we have done, which were recorded during one weekend in our rehearsal room. Jocke and Tobbe have the skills to pull that off using the simplest of means. And that’s a good thing because we never want a clean, polished sound.

The one time we entered a "real" studio was when recording the TOR album back in 2004.

The Core: Have you decided on a name for the album yet?

Björn: Yep. It will be called Den Förste.

[The Core: I believe it means “The First” in English]

The Core: How has working with Electric Earth been treating you?

Björn: All good. He (Jelle of Electric Earth) is a fan of our work and we are fans of his. Teamwork and friendship among like-minded heavy souls can’t go wrong.

The Core: Any plans to release the new album on vinyl?

Björn: It's on VINYL ONLY! Perhaps there will be a reissue out on CD later on, only time will tell...

The Core: When will you be on tour to support the album? When are you going to come to the states?

Björn: No tour plans as we speak. We are lazy motherfuckers when it comes to that… One off shows here and there will do it for us, at least until next year.

Coming to the States would be cool, and we're totally up for it! But as I said, we need someone to pull our strings and get us there since we are quite unable to do it ourselves.

The Core: Any tracks that you are really digging on the new album that will blow us away?

Björn: Of course! There's 3 new songs on the album, and they are all sweet psychedelic DOOMED out stuff.

The 4th song we recorded is to be released as a split CD with Sweden’s DOMEDAG (which includes members of Runemagick). This will be THE NORTHERN LIGHTS part 2, which will be released by Aftermath Music in late 2009.

The Core: Anything else?

Björn: Thanks for your support and interest in OCEAN CHIEF! Check out the new LP when it's released, I’m sure old fans will like it and hopefully we'll get some new ones too!

We will keep you informed on when the album is expected to land and where you can pick up a copy. Thanks to Björn Andersson for his time.

If you want to check out the new track from Den Förste, swing by Ocean Chief's MySpace page here

You can also pick up TOR or the very limited split-LP with Kongh in the All That Is Heavy online store here

Black Pyramid Interview

Massachusetts' Doom band Black Pyramid's Andy Beresky (guitars, vocals) and Clay Neely (drums) took time out from kicking major ass to talk to Neutronium Core about the new album, plans for the tour and a few other things.

The Core: Congratulations on the new album, how has the response been?

Clay: Well, it leaked before it was released so that's my first taste of 21st century 'success'. It's only available through our label's record online distribution at the moment but so far we've been very happy that so many people have enjoyed it and had many kind words about the CD.

Andy: The response has been overwhelmingly positive, considering the "official" release date isn't until July 14th. You can only get the album at this point from Meteorcity's All That Is Heavy store, or from us directly at a show, but still, a good number of people have heard it and seem to be digging on it. Truthfully I was surprised and flattered by some of the comments and comparisons.

The Core: Any chance on touring beyond the North East to support the new album?

Andy: We're hoping in the fall to tour down the Northeast, and also the upper Midwest, plus we'll be playing the Stoner Hand of Doom festival in the fall, and we're really excited about traveling to Maryland for that one.

Clay: If the opportunity is right and there's a remote chance we won't dig ourselves into an insurmountable financial hole, we're up for touring anywhere.


The Core: It seems like the two biggest areas for new DOOM in the U.S. is in Massachusetts and Maryland, is it something in the water?

Andy: Well, the whole Maryland, DC, and Virginia area has always been a haven for great doom over the years. Mass may not be as much of a "doom capital", but it's not like there has ever been a real drought in quality doom and sludge. Grief and Warhorse were both from here, Planet Gemini has been recording quality Mass doom for awhile. Now you've got some newer bands like Elder and Bloodhorse making a name for themselves, and although we're tight with Elder and a lot of the rock and metal bands, you don't have that same sense of a tight scene that's similar to an extended family like you find around the DC area. Not yet anyways...

Clay: It's unfluoridated in my town, that's all I can tell you. Maybe that helps.

The Core: You are writing new material for the upcoming split with Old One, how did you get hooked up with them?

Andy: Well, we were both on the most recent Stonerrock.com compilation, and both of our contributions seemed to have been appreciated, so when they asked us to do a split with them, it seemed like it would be a good fit. Splits are always a good thing, as both bands basically get automatic exposure to the others audience. With us and Old One, you've got two bands doing two totally different things, and yet the sounds are still pretty compatible.

The Core: Any insight on what the new material is about?

Andy: It's going to be two songs, one is more of a war metal number in the vein of "No Life King", but it has a bit more of an arrangement musically. Lyrically, it's called "Warswine", so you can pretty much guess what that one's all about. The second song is epic and complicated, it's got more of an old-school doom vibe to it, with some strange twists and turns. It's definitely the most experimental thing we've worked on up to this point.


The Core: How did you come up with the name Black Pyramid? Does it signify anything in particular?

Andy: Well, we needed a name, I had suggested The Eye In The Pyramid, then someone said "why not just Pyramid?" Then it became Black Pyramid, which does have a little more meaning to us. The suggestion of a pyramid refers to our sound: heavy, old, and monolithic. Adding the "black" to it references the more out there aspects of the band, the UFO and psychedelic connotations.


The Core: Will Meteorcity or Electric Earth be pressing any vinyl for your self-titled album? If so, when can we expect to see it?

Clay: Yes, Electric Earth will be releasing a double gatefold later on this summer. We're extremely excited to work with them again as they are an extremely proficient operation that has supported us from the get go. It's a bonus that we get to release our full length with them. Also, we have an extra vinyl only bonus track that will hopefully encourage some vinyl sales.

The Core: Anything else you want to discuss?

Andy: Just like to thank you for your support of the band, and for taking the time to help us out a bit. To everyone else out there, read books that make you think, listen to music that makes you deaf, and drink beer that makes you drunk; get away from this reality by creating your own...


A MAJOR thank you to Black Pyramid for taking the time to talk to us.

Find a way to go and see Black Pyramid live this summer when they come to your town.

Make sure to buy the new album and don't forget to pick up the Visions of Gehenna 7" (there are only 400 copies in the world and All That is Heavy has them in stock) so jump on over there and show Black Pyramid your support by buying something!

You can buy the full length self-titled album here

You can buy Visions of Gehenna here

When the vinyl comes out we are going to post a review, so stay tuned.

New Track from Ocean Chief

Swedish DOOM/Sludge band, Ocean Chief, has posted a new song to their MySpace page (click here) and a "sample".

We will assume that this yet to be named song is a snippet from the new album set to hit later this year.

This will be Ocean Chief's 3rd full-length album, which has yet to be titled, but will be available from Belgium's Electric Earth Records. The band also has two splits, one with RUNEMAGICK (on Aftermath) and one with KONGH (on Land O Smiles).

We will contact the band and see if we can extract some more information about the new album, maybe some insight on the new tracks and when they will be coming to the states!

Slayer Album Available on July 7th

According to KNAC, Columbia Records has confirmed July 7th as the release date for the new Slayer album.

Slayer released the first new track of their forthcoming album titled Psycopathy Red on April 18th for Record Store Day (pictured right). According to Slayer.net, the single was inspired by the grim tale of epic Russian serial murderer Andrei Chikatilo (aka the Rustov Ripper). The blood-red vinyl 7-inch disc—enclosed in a Russian police "evidence envelope"—was limited to 5,000 copies worldwide and is the band's first new music since 2006's Christ Illusion.

The yet to be titled album has all of the original and best Slayer line up (bassist/vocalist Tom Araya, guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, and drummer Dave Lombardo) who are busy recording it now in Los Angeles, CA.

Slayer are co-headlining the Mayhem Festival with Marilyn Manson starting July 10, and Neutronium Core will be there and will deliver a report of the show.

Candlemass - New Album - DEATH MAGIC DOOM - Out Now!

Swedish/Texan DOOM Metal legends CANDLEMASS latest album Death Magic Doom is out today in the U.S. and it has a bonus track specifically for the North American audience.

According to a posting by bassist and the main song writer for the band, Lief Edling, on their MySpace page:

"The songs are about immortality, depressions, demons, vampires, funerals and the almighty devil that we all know very well, hehe. I love the way we perform here.

Rob's singing and Lasse's [Lars Johansson, guitar] soloing are nothing but amazing!! The production is also outstanding! The name Death Magic Doom captures it perfectly! Great name! Love it! It is very suitable for an album of this magnitude AND it also describes what CANDLEMASS is about; Heavy, hard, epic, colossal metal!!!

I would say that Death Magic Doom is the best album we have done since Nightfall !! In all, nearly 50 minutes of bone-crushing and mind-blowing doom metal!!"

Here is the track list:

01. If I Ever Die
02. Hammer Of Doom
03. The Bleeding Baroness
04. Demon Of The Deep
05. House Of 1000 Voices
06. Dead Angel
07. Clouds Of Dementia
08. My Funeral Dreams
09. Lucifer Rising (U.S. Bonus Track)

You can buy the album from Nuclear Blast America here

You can also listen to the whole album streaming in high quality here