Devil's Horns Zine

Nailed Down are as hard as their name suggest. Nailed Down is a 5 piece beatdown band reigning from the gritty Central Valley of California. Formed in mid 2017, Nailed Down has already started to stamp a name for themselves in the California hardcore scene and abroad. With influences ranging from bands like No Zodiac and Lifeless to classics such as Slayer and Bulldoze, Nailed Down has brought a familiar heavy beatdown sound while mixing up what is traditional to California's heavy music scene.Brutal and nasty as hell.

Devil's Horns caught up with Nick, their singer.

1.) Could give me a brief history of your band, it’s name and what releases you have?

Nailed Down was formed in 2017. The majority of us played in a local band together a few years prior and then a couple of those members formed another band with our guitarist Gio when our old band broke up. We had a few talks about starting another project, had a few jam sessions and then it kind of just went from there. Our band n…

Absolute double whammy today evil cvlt comrades, first up a interview with Spud from one of Hellburn's finest new bands; Munt and then a quick review of their sick new single.

1- Could give me a brief history of your band, it’s name and what releases you have?

Bands name is MUNT (MVNT). Originally started by myself (spud) as a bedroom project. I actually recorded our demo EP 'CAGE' about a year before we started doing anything live. Originally I recorded all the tracks myself in Melbourne and then had my old drummer from back home in Scotland track drums and send them over, then I had various friends in different bands come on board and do different guest parts.... But that had it's time and when we started practicing as live band in Melbourne I felt it was better to re record it as a demo of how the band was sounding with the new members.

The music has developed a lot over that time as well and we recently released a new single called “STRIGES” which is a much more a…

This latest instalment of Don't Label Me focuses on America's freshest and most on point new label Upstate Records. Flatout amazing releases and fantastic peeps as illustrated by this great interview with Mario.

1-What’s the history of your label and why did you start the label?

Mario: Kim and I started Upstate Records in December of 2017. The very first band we "signed" was Nailed Down (CA). Nick and I hit it off right from the get go. Nick was a great help with getting Volume I off the ground. From there, we have been on the move ever since. I wanted to start a label basically because I wanted to offer something different to hardcore and metal bands looking for label support. Also, I wanted to bring back physical releases with a nice layout, lyrics in the booklet, liner notes, shout-outs, etc. I want to put out as professional of a package as possible for the bands and their fans. Digital downloads feel so distant and impersonal. I want to bring back that intimate…

Don’t Label Me is a label spotlight in an interview format that looks at quality labels, home and abroad. Let’s kick it off with Peter from the mighty force that is 1054 records.


1-What’s the history of your label and why did you start the label?
I can’t take credit for actually starting 1054 Records myself …. it was launched by Choppaz (Rust Proof / Crowned Kings) originally so that Crowned Kings had a label to put out their album “Forked Road” back in 2015. I came on board with Choppaz around mid-2015 to start up and run the Distro service (www.1054.bigcartel.com) where I now stock releases from all over the globe as well as homegrown artists.
I then started looking for opportunities to sign up some international acts to help get us noticed more overseas and build the brand in general, the first of which was Brazilian powerhouse Worst with the split 7” with Rust Proof which was a great success & really started to get the brand out there internationally.
2-What’s the story behind …

Inherence-Dogma reviewed by Mark J.

Inherence are a new band from Sao Paolo, Brazil & "Dogma" is their brutal debut full length release containing 10 crushing tracks combining Death Metal styled brutality with the groove & aggression of Hardcore. So if you like razor sharp riffs, heaps of blasting double kicks & some violent vocals you are sure to dig this album!. I was lucky enough to hear this pre-release and it’s damn impressive.

In their own words, here’s what Inherence describe their name and purpose: "The name of the band states the relation between music and the urge for change in personal, social and political aspects, that are factors considered to be inherent to us. We make music because we deliver a constructive message to the people."

So Dogma is a crazed death metal inspired hardcore record that holds strong throughout it’s ten solid tracks. The band is so far away from knuckle dragging basic metallic hardcore. Each track had surprising me…

Built for Battle-Killing the Dream reviewed by Mark J.
First the history lesson via their bio:
"Built For Battle is a hardcore band hailing from the forever "prominent hardcore/metal scene" of upstate New York. Forming in late summer of 2011, Built For Battle's members have been a shining part of upstate New York's local music scene for well over a decade. We write songs that we feel will demand uncontrollable movement on the floor in front of us" said Farrell in an interview. With influence ranging from hardcore monsters, such as Blood For Blood and MadBall to thrash and metal routes such as Nuclear Assault and Testament, Built For Battle has seemed to find a medium which collaborates all of its influences and certainly puts them to good use. "


My take: Accurate as hell. This album is easily a top ten contender for 2018. It brings to mind the heaviness of Sworn Enemy with the best of NYHC, but a solid thrash metal influence in every track. The album …

Words Of Concrete-Negative Vibes reviewed by Mark J. Dresden’s heaviest and hardest are back with a hostile (is that a triple H attack?) release that genuinely crept up on me from the first track. Not only does this album really go for the jugular, it has an esoteric and underlying almost hip hop or beat driven vibe throughout. While I definitely get a buzz off the beatdown genre, this is a cut above most artists in that field. Take the title track, it has groove and abrasive guitar structure as well as a fantastic well though-out and solid rhythm base. Vocals are A grade crazy and ferocious, but executed in a exceptionally accurate style on every track. Does it have a touch of Malevolence (Sheffield’s finest Beat Down Hardcore kings) about the album?, well indeed as their vocalist guests on a solid track here but only in terms of delievering a completely unadulterated masterpiece. This release is fantastically impressive and original, no scrawny songs here; a definitive 5 out of 5 s…

Septic Tank-Rotting Civilisation reviewed by Mark. J.
Lee Dorian is a metal god. Napalm Death, Cathedral and now this gem of a band. Septic Tank has been a side project for over 20 years and this has only been released recently. This is a beautifully unoriginal and complete raw worship of bands that have influenced many genres and subgenres. This uncomplicated release rips through tracks that bow to the altars of Discharge, GISM, Celtic Frost, Cryptic Slaughter and associated greats. It was like a classic mix tape of the masters. Every track is killer, but I back flipped over the grim and doomy greatness of Death Vase, punk harshness with Treasurers of Disease and Social Media Whore. 5 out of 5 grotty crust patches.
Treasurers of Disease
And seriously, how amazing is the artwork.

Thronetorcher-Eden’s Poison EP reviewed by Mark J. Hardcore should draw you in and make you want to dance hard or at the very least break shit. Thronetorcher do this in spades. Heavy riffs-check, breakdowns-hell yes and abrasive, cutting throats vocals-in spades. Hailing from Canada, these nasty fuckers deliver their fantastic and nasty ep via BDHW on May 25th2018. What I dig about these cats is they really deliver hard, catchy Slayer Reign In Blood riffs and a truckload of groove. 5 tracks of pure metallic hardcore goodness with total quality in every track; personally my favourites were: King of Disease and Depths of Despair (nice death metal style vocals near end of this gem!).
It’s a clear 5 out of 5 Whiskey shots for me.  Pre order this via https://www.bdhw-shop.com/en/preorder.html?limit=all Check out the title track:  Eden's Poison

Devil’s Horns will not be backward in moving forward. We will bring you genuine and original content that simply cuts through the rhetoric. We are assembling the greatest and most skilled of team members and we will crush you with our interviews, reviews, columns and anything else we decide to do. Proposed so far is as follows:


-Don’t Label Me: a snapshot of labels across the world we dig -Album, EP and digital release reviews -Gig reviews -Interviews -and other heinous ideas/projects.
Devil’s Horns needs writers/photographers and creatives. Drop us a line via email or hit up our Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DevilsHornsZine/

Heavy, Grim,Nasty as Hell. That's Devil's Horns. An aggressive online zine focusing on heavy tunes; be it metal,punk,hardcore,crust or doom etc.

My name is Mark J.,
I was the chief metal/hardcore writer and occasional photographer for Ragged Press, an successful online zine which focused on punk, DIY music and culture etc. Unfortunately as of October 2018, this zine will cease to be. I have interviewed the heavyweight likes of Napalm Death,Mayhem,Destruction, Suicidal Tendencies, Arch Enemy as well as many local and overseas talents.

But as evil always prevails and stench rises, I have created Devil's Horns as a brutal monument to heavy,gritty music and culture.