[Evertrapped]-Under The Deep

Hellstorm Recordz
2015

Formed in 2007, [Evertrapped] is a five-piece melodic death metal band from Montreal, Québec that lists the likes of of Death, Unearth, Machine Head, Scar Symmetry, Soilwork, In Flames, and Arch Enemy as their primary influences. The forthcoming "Under The Deep" is this group's latest recording and third overall full-length album since first issuing "Tales from the Supermax" way back in 2010. Every bit as technical and skilled as some of their listed influences (most certainly later day Death!), [Evertrapped] excels at their craft with "Under the Deep" offering a full-fledged assault on the senses that is absolutely stone-cold BRUTAL! And between you and me friends such aggression and overt hostility is a welcome sight sound when all you want to do is check out of this crazy world for awhile and decompress! Despite the fact that this album would just as soon tear your face straight off as have to deal with any pleasantries(!), "Under The Deeps" is exquisitely melodic and even slightly progressive! It's a fine balancing act, but the five members of [Evertrapped] walk that alarmingly thin line like champs! All of that is fine as blood red wine, but what happens when you take into account the brief traditional heavy metal teases that come with the band's third album here? Well, let's just say that it pushes matters OVER THE FREAKING TOP and in the process of doing that dirty deed it turns "Under The Deep" into a slam dunk death fest that rattled these old bones of mine and made me dive back into the pit for another go! As far as everything else goes? Lyrically/theme-wise it's all about the madness and the above album art does a fair job of representing the ghostly appeal of this gut-stomping release. As good as the all the music is (and it is bad-ass!) I can't help but feel as if "Under The Deep" wouldn't work as well as it does without the grizzly sounds of James Brookes. I mean what's killer death metal without a killer lead vocalist? That's where James comes into play and he handles the mic like he's wielding a blazing chainsaw! His voice cuts the listener in half and makes this album all the more powerful and ultimately intimidating! With a great supporting cast in position and songs that are well-drawn and structurally-strong (and not to mention legitimately clever!), James Brookes is able to breath fire into the individual tracks thus making this spring magically to life! Let's now move from James to the album's overall sound. From a production standpoint there is seemingly nothing amiss here with everything fitting together nicely. Not that the album is overly glossy or anything. This is death metal after all! It's merely a case where a album's production enhances the musical delivery without taking anything away from the brute force narrative. To put it into simpler terms there's nothing here to find fault with. Let me repeat that. There is NOTHING about "Under The Deep" to hate. Nothing. This is simply great music. That means fans of top-tier (slightly-progressive & highly-technical) melodic death metal should find plenty to love about this upcoming release. If that's a tag that you proudly like to where then you should go and pre-order the album by heading here.

Harriers - Volte​|​Face

Self-Release/Independent
2015

I don't know about the rest of you, but I just love that cover! It snagged, tagged and bagged me before I even knew what the holy heck was happening and all I remember thinking at the end of the abduction was "I sure hope that the music is halfway as decent as this grim reaper cover art suggest!". Thankfully for Montréal, Québec's Harriers (https://www.facebook.com/harriersmtl) their brand-spanking new album does a bang-up job of showing off crossover/hardcore thrash at it's meanest and with the throaty voice of Bine Robusto leading the way this street-legit outfit SHREDS it's way into your eardrums before blowing chunks out of your old grey matter! Sure it's all a bit bloody and raw (or at least undercooked) and yes, at times it does blur together like a wall of metallic noise waiting to topple down and crush the life out of you. No one is going to debate that. For what it is though and for what it represents an album like "Volte​|​Face" will likely appeal to fans of underground metal and those friendly folks who are a bit "older" like I am and who fondly remember ordering cassette demos out of the pages of Metal Maniacs and photocopied fanzines. That is the built-in crowd for rugged crossover types like this so if that describes you in the least then why not check out this the following link? 

https://harriersmtl.bandcamp.com/

Hollow-Mordrake

Self-Release/Independent
2014

Montreal's Hollow (the symphonic black metal one and not the now defunct thrash metal version) offer up their full-length debut album with "Mordrake". Serving as the predecessor to their 2010 EP, "Cynoptic Eschaton", "Mordrake" (due to be released on the 30th of this month) is the sound of a band that knows fully well what they are capable and then not only doubles the task at hand, but triples it! Having already shared the stage with such heavyweights as Marduk, Suffocation, The Agonist, Sword, Jungle Rot, TYR, Aborted and even Canadian legends Voïvod, Hollow are now primed to conquer the world of studio recordings thanks to this fifty minutes or so long, wake and shake the dead collection of extreme material know as "Mordrake". Produced by Kevin Jardine (Slaves on Dope) and co-produced by Dan Lauzon (Entropy) and the band members themselves (Mott-vocals, Cadaver-guitar, Snow – bass and Blaac-drums) "Mordrake" is absolutely brilliant as a debut-album! The songs on "Mordrake" betray this band's (musical) maturity as each and every track here seems to have been painstakingly crafted so that no minor detail has been overlooked! The skill-level of Mott notwithstanding, it's the music, between the hash marks, that is this band's true strength. Subtle, cleverly placed notes demonstrate the clear-cut effort that went into this release and it's all the more impressive when you take into account this little note that came pasted along with the promo:  Hollow's "Mordrake" was recorded "without the use of any triggers, midi or copy/paste editing, the album features true-to-life performances". How about that?  Amazingly that's not something you come across every day. Especially in regards to a symphonic black metal release! "Mordrake", as precise and detail-oriented as it is (Cadaver's guitar playing is stunning!), is a real album with no studio tricks/slight of hand maneuvers! Instead this brave and bold outfit did it all on their own making a release like this one (one which soaks up the sun while it partakes in adventure after adventure-not just through the fields of black metal, symphonic metal, melodic death metal and even progressive death metal(!), but by way of traveling in new directions such as taking a jog through the valley of classic heavy metal!) all the more satisfying and filling! More and more I find myself falling in love with beautifully assembled/creative black metal like this (even at it's bleakest which is something that could and should be said about Hollow's delivery!), performed with razor blade like precision (technically speaking) as it savagely stabs at the listener (emotionally speaking) with material that is at it's core equally fierce and frightening as well as freeing! Destined to be looked at as one of the defining moments of Hollow's career, "Mordrake" comes across as a must-have addition to the collection of any self-respecting black metal fan! 

https://www.facebook.com/hollowcanada

Interview with MUTANK's Stephen "Steve-out" Reynolds

Left to Right, Steven "Steve-in" Breen (Rhythm Guitar), Ahmed "On-Meds" Saad (Drums), Stephen "Steve-out" Reynolds (Bass and Vocals), Liam "Lee" Hinchey (Lead Guitar)

Having just reviewed MUTANK's latest release, "M.E.C.H. Metal", YESTERDAY (April 17th, 2014!) I managed to pull off an interview with the band's bassist/vocalist, Stephen "Steve-out" Reynolds! I have to give a huge shout out to Stephen for his prompt insanely quick response and I'd just like to say that I wish more musicians and/or bands were this responsive/approachable* and if you are looking for a up and coming band to throw some support behind then I highly recommend this Montreal four-piece! You can read my review of their speed metal/thrash metal-infused crossover album below (which I HIGHLY recommend to all metalheads!!!!!) and if MUTANK happens to play anywhere near you then by all means check this lot out! From the sounds of things you will not be disappointed as this act comes across as one which can and will back up the strength of their studio work on the live stage!

 
 
Andy (A)-Could you give us a brief run-down on whose who in MUTANK?

Stephen "Steve-out" Reynolds (SR)-First we got Steven "Steve-in" Breen. This motherfucker is a rhythm machine, always on point with his riffage so long as he's got a few wobbly pops in 'im. Most solid guitarist and solid dude I've ever played in a band with. He's the main proponent of any punk influence you hear in the tunes. He once punched his own dick because he got mad at it. 
Next up is Ahmed "On-Meds" Saad. He's been compared to late 80's Lars Ulrich which is fine by him as he's the biggest Metallica fan I know. He only really picked up drumming when we started the band and the progress he's made is indescribable, people often don't believe me when I tell them that because we only started this thing less than a year ago. He's the sober one and "secretly" wishes he were a guitarist.
Liam "Lee" Hinchey is a mean motherfucker who I have been playing in bands with for a long time. He shreds like Satan on a surfboard and doesn't take "slow" for an answer. He joined after the first album was written so expect some crazy shit of his to appear on the next offering. He's also in a death metal group called Crosstitution, be sure to check them out!
Lastly there is I, Stephen "Steve-out" Reynolds. I play bass and do vocals. My favorite pass times are playing frisbee, long walks on the beach and getting inebriated with MUTANK followed by puking up the contents of my stomach into a pentagram drawn on the floor and reading omens in the pizza chunks. Renowned sesquipedalianist, I write the lyrics and do a lot of the artwork too! 
There are a lot of other people who do a lot of shit for MUTANK that I wish I could mention here but I don't want the whole interview to be just this question so, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! TANK MU! A-Certainly this won't be the first time (or for that matter likely the last LOL!) that you've been asked about the name, but let's get it out of the way first and foremost! What's in a name? Especially one as cool as MUTANK?

SR-MUTANK is a portmanteau of the words "mutant" and "tank". I came up with it while I was taking a dump at work. It's just got a ring to it, you know? I texted it to Steve-in along with a pile of other names and he mentioned it back to me a few days later and I was like "What the fuck is that?". The rest is history.

A-Give us a brief bio on MUTANK if you would please?
SR-It all started with me trying desperately to get in the band "Wetmetal" which contained my buddies Mike Molloy (former MUTANK guitarist) and Steve-in. The project was coming to an end so instead we started writing our own shit and began looking for a drummer. After trying out a few pretentious numb-skulls we found On-Meds (this was around April/May of 2013). Dude knew exactly where we were coming from with the tunes, and was very chill but professional. From there we started jamming flat out and things started to flow... and QUICK. After a couple of months we got offered a show we couldn't refuse, and, even though we didn't have a set, we said yes. We pushed ourselves to write what is now the first album just so we could play that show. Soon after Molloy decided to move away so we brought in our good buddy Lee who added to the insanity that was MUTANK with his unique play style (particularly his solos!). Since then it's been a roller-coaster ride from hell! Soon after our first show we rushed into the studio with our new guitarist and recorded "M.E.C.H. Metal". Currently we're just trying to stay alive and write our next album! 
A-"M.E.C.H. Metal" is just your latest and greatest correct?
SR-Well, if by "greatest" you mean "only" then yes. I'm personally very satisfied with everything about this album, along with the history and the process of making it. We've still got a lot of riffs on the back burner and a lot more shit to scream in peoples faces. All these factors combined mean you should have some new MUTANK jams to bash your skull to by the end of this year!


A-Any story behind the "M.E.C.H. Metal" title? 
SR-Well, M.E.C.H. Metal means "Middle East Coast Heavy Metal". Despite being based out of Montreal, our drummer is out of the Middle East and the rest of the members hail from the East Coast of Canada. We put em together and it sounded cool. Voila!


A-Fave tracks of the moments  from "M.E.C.H. Metal"?
SR-Jeez, that's a tough one. I think the track "MUTANK" is my favorite at the moment. Some of the songs on the record I wrote when I was much younger and some are brand new material. The song MUTANK is a good mix of these two styles with riffs stripped from songs I wrote when I was 16 mixed with some new stuff inspired directly by my buddies Mike Molloy and Steve-in. The lyrics are a resounding statement of discontent and disconnection from the general bullshit of everyday life that I think a lot of people can relate to. It's all summed up with a big "FUCK IT, WE'RE MUTANK". I'll give "Heavy Hand of the Doomsday Clock" honorable mention as I get goosebumps every time I hear it. 

A-Now, the album is epic, but what should people expect out of a live MUTANK show?
SR-A shit-ton of energy, pits, loudness, blood, fast fucking music, terrible jokes in between songs and a bunch of ugly dudes running around the stage like they're on PCP.

A-Who are some of the bands that you've shared the stage with so far and who would be on your dream bill?

SR-We haven't got many big names under our belts, hopefully that changes soon. Our first show was with Lich King which was really fucking cool. I really hope we get to play with Municipal Waste at some point! Suicidal Tendencies would be another dream come true, one of the best live sets I've ever seen. Odd Future is another personal one, they have crazy pits and it would make for a really radical show. It's obvious to say "The Big Four" but honestly I hope those guys retire soon to make room for the new generation of scum-dumplings.
 
A-Any favorite shows so far that spring to mind?
SR-Days of our Lives.

A-LOL! OK, what's the one thing that MUTANK must have backstage at all of their shows?
SR-A backstage would be nice. After that, cold beer, warm beer and ice tea!

A-Changing gears some here, but from the sound of it you guys are fans of old school speed metal and thrash as well as crossover eh?

SR-We've all got very varied musical tastes but the place we are succinct is in regard to no-nonsense, l.a.f. in your face crossover-thrash metal. That being said, a lot of other influences work their way into songs in places you may not necessarily expect or notice. We're not happy just dong what our predecessors did and living up to the thrash stereotype, although we will always remain true to our thrash roots!

A-Verses time! Metallica vs. Megadeth. Who really slays the beast?
SR-Depends on the era and who in MUTANK you ask. I'm Megadeth all the way. They are the reason I play music, without Megadeth there would be no MUTANK, but the same could be said for Metallica. A-OK then, D.R.I, C.O.C. or S.O.D? Who comes out on your top? Whose the best of the best?
SR-I would imagine the band would be united in saying "D.R.I.". Me and Steve-in are jamming that shit out constantly. I don't wanna say whose better or worse because that's hard to define and I don't usually like to pick favorites, but come on, where do you think "crossover" came from!?
A-Slayer or Anthrax?
SR-Megadeth. 

A-LOL!
 
SR-Seriously, this one is hard for me to decide. I would personally say Anthrax, but I know at least half the band if not all of them would go with Slayer. To each their own. I don't think it's such an easy comparison.

 A-If you could be on any tribute album whose would it be?
SR-Probably Suicidal Tendencies, if they ever get around to the suicide part. MUICIDAL! 
A-So true! Stephen, are there any other bands from your area that our readers should check out?
SR-Warsenal, Chemical Way, Powered by Death, Venomenon and the list goes on. The thrash scene here in Montreal is really growing, it's an exciting time!  Also, anyone into death metal should check out Lee's other band "Crosstitution"! 
A-Warsenal totally shreds! I'll have to check out the others though as I'm not familiar with the names. But anyway, let's say that MUTANK actually conquers the world. What now?

SR-Our music would probably turn to shit, seems to happen when any band becomes hugely successful. I would shave my head and sing about my "Dharma Eye" a lot, appoint an ostrich as the President of the United states, sleep in a garbage bag full of chicken fingers and pay terminally ill children to have fist fights for my entertainment. Honestly, I think no matter what happens I'll end up in a basement somewhere writing riffs without a dime to my name, no teeth in my head, and body-sized pillow as a wife.

A-Parting shots? I give you free use of the mic for good or bad! The last word is yours!
SR-Listen to MUTANK every day and tell 10 friends about MUTANK or you will get stampeded by rhinos! This shit happened to a buddy of mine just because he went on vacation with his metal hating girlfriend and didn't get his daily dose of MUTANK. Now he's in intensive care! Please, go download our "pay what you like" album M.E.C.H. Metal (mutankthrash.bandcamp.com) and be sure to donate hundreds of dollars to help pay for his hospital bills. Make sure to like us on Facebook (facebook.com/bonebrainsnotdemolishers) so you can get constant updates on his condition! Please direct any "get well soon" messages to mutankmail@gmail.com! MU TANK IT WON'T HAPPEN TO YOU! SO DID HE!


Review of the awesome "M.E.C.H. Metal":
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=Mutank-M.E.C.H.+Metal

*I will not name any names, but there a few bands that I've been trying like crazy just to figure out how to PAY FOR their album in order to review it with NO RESPONSE WHATSOEVER! And I'm talking about dozens of inquests through messages on Facebook, postings on Facebook, etc. If that is how you treat people who want to buy your merchandise then that speaks volumes about your attitudes toward the listening public!

Mutank-M.E.C.H. Metal

Self-Release/Independent
2014

Everything about this release from the band name to the album title and subsequent cover art just spells out "metal" doesn't it? And sure enough this Montreal-based four-piece are metal. It just so happens that it's more along the lines of SPEED metal with some tasty crossover thrown in for all the rads, rockers, punks and bangers who remember the glory days when all the best bands had abbreviated handles that meant something (D.R.I., C.O.C., S.O.D., M.O.D., M.D.C., etc). For comparisons sake it's more that first one (D.R.I.) when they had morphed into more of a thrash metal act along with influences ranging from (later-day) Suicidal Tendencies to the "Big Four" ("Heavy Hands of the Doomsday Clock" sounding for all the world like a punk-worthy Megadeth!). Why it's only just now that I'm hearing about this mosh metal bunch is a question I have no good answer for, but this latest release from Mutank, which was released this past February, needs to be shared with all as it's just too damn sexy cool to be kept hidden under wrap! Oh, and did I mention that you can pick up this cool 8-track release on cassette tape? No? Well, I am now so what exactly are you waiting for? Snag and bag "M.E.C.H. Metal" and all will be good with your soul....

http://mutankthrash.bandcamp.com/

Dark Century-Murder Motel

Self-Release/Independent
2014

Melting pot metal is what Montreal-based Dark Century churns out on album number two. Active since 2000, with the cleverly-titled "Days of the Mosh" appearing in 2008, and fronted by Leather King (Fearsome, Sacrifycia, ex-Sunseth, Fried Pope, Krushem, ex-Erimha, ex-Metal University), who replaced "The Throat" as lead vocalist(!), Dark Century ensures that the listening public is treated to nothing short of full-blown CHAOS and DESTRUCTION on "Murder Motel". Call it "modern metal" if you must, but for the sake of clarity it's a smattering of this (death metal) and that (raw street thrash) only with this bunch it's all held tightly in place thanks to barb-wire wrapped hardcore and grind! And boy is it ever UGLY! Beautifully ugly that is! Fast & frenzied death metal drumming collides with hardcore-tinged (demonic) grind vocals while thrash metal's (chewed up and spit out) harsh underbelly is exposed thanks to Erik Fernet-Evans' throat slashing leads! It's all good, (un)clean fun from the startling moments of opener "In Our Veins" (a cut that jumps from the shadows like a meat-cleaver madman!!!!) until "Gore on my Snare" rolls you up in a body bag at the end! And with cuts like the zombie-themed "Dead Birds" and "Mosh Test Dummies" (love the title guys!) keeping the party hopping in-between "In Our Veins" and "Gore on my Snare" it's hard not to walk away with a smile on your face when it's all said and done!   

Mire-Inward/Outward

Self-Release
2014

 
Two years in the making, and serving as the follow-up to the band's self-titled 2010 EP, Wire's ten-track debut album "Inward/Outward" had me hooked by it's second track, the heavenly heavy "Tyrannicide"! Produced by Mire, who self-describe their sound as "Hi-Energy Prog Rock" (with influences such as Tool, Deftones, A Perfect Circle, Pink Floyd, Isis, Nine Inch Nails, Pearl Jam, Porcupine Tree, Stone Temple Pilots, Soen, Rage Against The Machine, Soundgarden and Audioslave listed as source material), and one J.P. Nault "Inward/Outward" is a remarkable debut album for a band which has archived recognition as "Band of the Month" from the Quebec Punk Scene! Having shared the stage with the likes of Radio Radio, Courage My Love, Frozen Death, Shatters, Dogbus, Mordicus, Mak, Tiny Danza, Dead Citizen, Volume Collective, Far From Reality, Steinbock, Another Fallen Hero and Dance Over All this Montreal-based five-piece is fronted by J.P. Lachapelle and rounded out by guitarist/vocalist Dave Massicotte, guitarist/keyboardist Bruno Chouinard, bassist Robbie O'Brien and drummer Stephane Boileau. Besides the above-mentioned influences (especially the likes of Tool, Deftones, A Perfect Circle, Pink Floyd, Isis and Porcupine Tree) one can't help but pick up on bits and pieces of acts as diverse as Coldplay, Radiohead and even (later-day) Linkin Park! All of which should be looked at as a compliment as, despite the unassuming nature of their band name and album-cover, this progressive rock/heavy metal outfit has more then enough attitude to make a track like "Tyrannicide" sound legit while a more "commercial" number "Open Circle" could easily capture the attention modern rock radio listeners and catapult Wire all the way to the top! Helped out greatly by the powerful voice of lead singer J.P. Lachapelle, who, as far as rock front-man go, has the near-perfect blend of soulful-seduction, sexual charisma and street grit to cross the aisle between male and female listeners (something we've seen from Mick Jagger to Axl Rose!), Wire would benefit from a huge push and, if I was more a man of means and connections, this would be one outfit that I would invest in as (mark my words on this one friends) this act is going to be huge one day!

Kolony-"Echoes" Single

Self-Release/Independent
2014

With a full album slated for sometime in 2014, Montréal-based Kolony recently released the single "Echoes". Along with "Anthem", another single from their upcoming album titled "Sledge" with a decidedly modern heavy rock meets N.W.O.B.H.M. take on Metallica (if the Bay Area bunch was keen on folk metal that is!), "Echoes" carries itself rather nicely and points toward what will most-likely be a rather solid offering (if the album teaser posted below is anything to go by). Self-dubbed "melodic rock metal", which seems rather fitting given the solid footing of the hard-driving "Echoes", the band is fronted by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Reno and rounded out by lead guitarist/backing vocalist Maxxx, bassist/backing vocalist Myk and drummer Anthony. 

You can hear both "Echoes" and the band's other single "Anthem" in their entirety below (both of which are well-crafted examples of just how effective modern rock/heavy can be when played by a bunch of fun-loving guys drawing from all thing early eighties!) as well as get a sneak-peak at "Sledge", and album that (hopefully) I'll be able to secure for review!
 "Echoes"
http://kolony.bandcamp.com/ 

"Anthem"
http://kolony.bandcamp.com/track/anthem

Album teaser:
http://kolony.bandcamp.com/track/kolony-sledge-album-teaser

Unbeing-Unbeing

BLK COQ Music

2013

Montreal, Quebec sure seems as if it's hiding a treasure trove of excellent metal bands. The latest one to emerge is instrumental act Unbeing. This one time self-release was originally issued back in 2011 and now it's seeing a vinyl re-release courteous of  BLK COQ Music. "Progressive" is one way to look at this metal act and it is sold as such. The thing is what's being served here on this self-titled release is more then merely "instrumental progressive metal". For one thing there are numerous tracks here that border on the heaviness of  power metal while other times Unbeing present passages that are overflowing with beautifully strange and intriguing avantgarde rock! So, putting these guys in a tiny box seems utterly unfair. There's much here to enjoy on this 40 minute plus LP and with each new listen you'll pick up things that you can't believe you missed out on. Sometimes dark and sorrowful and other times hopeful and optimistic this is a release which will allow your imagination to run wild all while keeping you grounded with it's hypnotic essence. If all of that wasn't enough it does get even better! These guys are awarded extra points as they pay tribute to the main man himself on the track "Chuck Norris" (oh yeah!). It's a small gesture of appreciation for one of Hollywood's coolest guys and it has helped the band's (so far) only album  earn an extra dose of publicity. While fan's are likely clamoring for new material (this album is two year's old after all) at least this LP re-release should help Unbeing get more word-of-mouth publicity which, in turn, should lead to new material sooner then later. And if and when that happens I'll be on the lookout as this LP, all 40 minutes or so of it, showcases a one of a kind band with loads of potential! 

The Unconscious Mind-Where Philosophers Fall

CDN Records
2013

The Unconscious Mind are a relatively new act that features Derelict guitarist Simon Cléroux within it's ranks.The band, who are said to hail from the "South Shore Of Montreal", first hit the scene with a 2009 demo, "Witness the Madness", before self-releasing this 10-track album back in 2012. CDN Records has picked up the physical distribution of  "Where Philosophers Fall" in the hopes that The Unconscious Mind can reach a broader audience. The album art alone should clue you in as far as what waits the listener with "Where Philosophers Fall". If you said black metal then you get a gold star! If you said black metal plus elements of death metal, progressive thrash and symphonic metals then give yourself two gold stars!!!! "Where Philosophers Fall", which updates tracks from the band's earlier demo and adds in six new tracks, features the utterly creepy vocals of one Louis-Paul Gauvreau. While his vocals might be perceived as simply atypical "black metal raspy-style singing" I picked up on a deeper, more disturbing quality to his voice that gives this album an atmospheric edge. Simply put his vocal performance gives The Unconscious Mind a much darker and evil essence then your bulk of black/death metal bands. In a way he reminded me of Hell's lead singer David Bower. It's not that he sounds like Bower or anything it's just that his vocal performance, in much the same way way as David Bowers, helps gives The Unconscious Mind this remarkably otherworldly/storyteller-like quality. The vocals help move the music along as if you're wrapped up in this unfolding nightmare. It's like you see yourself walking straight into hell and their is nothing you can do about it as you have lost all control of your own body! Joining him then for this midnight walk through madness is his brother Simon Gauvreau (bass), the aforementioned Simon Cléroux (who, in addition to playing guitar also handles backing vocals), and keyboardist Michael Racine. Meanwhile Charles-André Brodeur (of power metal band Kemilon) is credited as being (only) the band's live drummer so I'm honestly not sure if the band utilized a drummer on here or what? Not that it matters really as the album, which was mixed and mastered by Maxime Côté (Hands Of Despair, Catuvolcus), is as technically sound as they come. The band's sound has reportedly drawn favorable comparison's to the likes of Old Man's Child, Dimmu Borgir, and Immortal and I'd say that's fair enough. It's at least in the general ballpark sound-wise. But, while I don't necessarily disagree with those comparisons, The Unconscious Mind has already achieved a unique, stylistic, sound that takes the different extreme arts (black metal, death metal, progressive thrash, melodic death, etc.) and puts their own stamp on it. That stamp comes packaged with a modern sound and a modern production so, for those who might be looking for old-school black/death metal, be forewarned that this 10-track is not retro in nature. You can find out more about the band and the link below and, as I've said many times before, it's bands like this (who are not afraid to makes additions to black metal's trademark sound) that make me reevaluate my feelings on the genre. Purists would probably disagree and they have every right to, but for me black metal is more interesting and appealing when it gets it's hands all dirty by way of adventuring into new and uncharted areas. The Unconscious Mind might not be the first band to experiment with additional elements (like a mad scientist in a lab), but they are the new face of black metal and I for one welcome them with open arms!


http://theunconsciousmind.bandcamp.com/