Devil's Horns Zine

  Brace for Impact-Cogitate album. FFO: Killer Aggressive Hardcore with some ripping metallic tone/beatdown vibes. 1054 records continue their solid form with another solid release. This album is a straightforward and hard-edged hardcore ripper. Band Bio : Brace For Impact was formed in February 2021. They started up just jamming & hanging out then started writing songs and got the itch again. None of the guys had been together since 2006-2007 but they all had been friends and in bands together going back to 2000. Dave Steele, Carl & Travis were all in Not Without Resistance (On The Attack Records) while Ed & Dave Mayersky were in Final Stand Dave Steele, Ed & Dave Mayersky then were together in Forever Means Goodbye (FWH Records) Travis is also currently in Belvebuth while Ed & Dave Mayesrsky currently play in Endbringer All bands have been fairly successful in their own right having toured with & played with bands such as Hatebreed, E-Town Concrete, Sworn ...

Nicolas Cage Fighter – The Bones That Grew From Pain album review. FFO: Thrashy, Death Metal/Hardcore with perfect delivery. Yet another album of the year that is Australian. This band destroys every time they play live and the genres that fuel their style float my fucking boat majorly. This sounds like Hatebreed and even Mindsnare having a brawl with Slipknot/Psycroptic. The foundation is absolutely hardcore, but the riffs, guitar tone, and vocals are very Death metal with tons of Thrash. And this is so refreshing because I am personally sick of all these ordinary-sounding metalcore/beatdown bands that are currently flooding the Australian music scene for the last five years or so. It's literally like; can you possibly not all copy each other; with exceptions to the rule with newish killer bands like Dregg, Speed, and these legends.  This is a killer album that sounds loud/dynamic and lively. The 36 minutes it takes up goes by very quickly and the fare on display is aggressive wit...

The Dying Song & Dying A Little Inside: A Slipknot Single & Video Analysis By M H Thomson Wednesday July 20th 2022 Gone! Gone, it seems are the days of slick and clever song titles from Slipknot. Fun and witty portmanteau such as “Disasterpiece” or “Sarcastrophe” are now naught but a fading memory. The title of what is to be the second single off their upcoming seventh studio album is the incomprehensibly unimaginative “The Dying Song (Time To Sing)”. A title with all the allure and intrigue of a mediocre deep cut from a decades old Marilyn Manson record. ‘Tis rather a disastrous start for what is actually quite an agreeable tune. Mine, much like most people’s first listening of the song was via the music video they released this morning on YouTube, so lets start there shall we. The clip begins on an unpromising note with a very blingy mirrored rendition of the famous Slipknot S logo appearing. I think a call from Snoop Dogg is on the bands’ collective horizon, he wants his Jew...

Antarctic Winds, Abandoned Cars and an Aluminum Monster: A Gonzo Gig Review M H Thomson Saturday, July 16th, 2022 Cloudless days are always the coldest, as there is nothing to trap in what little heat the sun provides this time of year. Couple that with a brutal Antarctic wind and all of a sudden Melbourne feels like Reykjavik, albeit during an Icelandic summer. As I exited the seemingly obligatory silver Toyota Camry and bid the Uber driver farewell I was struck by this icy development. I somehow managed to roll and light a cigarette without all my smoking paraphernalia blowing away in the stiff and frosty breeze. Arriving at 2:30pm proved a little early as I was presented with a closed and empty Gasometer Hotel. Not a sign of life anywhere on the premises, or as far as one can tell from peering through the windows. “Strange” I thought to myself as the Gasometer has a 2pm opening time listed on Google. Having said that Google has proven not to be the most reliable of sources for openi...

  Amon Amarth interview with Ted (Bass) on their new album, touring, and more! Get your Viking on!. I had the pleasure of chatting to one of the best modern metal bands around Amon Amarth by talking to Ted, their incredible bass player. We discussed: -the new album -how it came about and the return of solid death metal sounds on this release -how important classic bands we got into as teenagers influence our future music style -excitement to be playing again -favourite tracks on this album -how the band keep things fresh after 12 albums -how nordic culture, history and mythology shape the songs -the new videos for this album -highs and lows of their career -how Amon Amarth personify the perfect intersection of art and music -and more He was super relaxed and open for a decent chat, cannot wait for them to tour Australia again and for the new album to drop in a few weeks. We have the review coming up soon!. Until then listen to this interview (apologies Zoom cut the final 20 secs ou...

  Too Gross-Better Late Than Dead album. FFO: Tough as Nails Old School Hardcore. This is one of my fave genres, Old School Hardcore that is angry, caveman-like, and no mess no fuss. There is nothing fancy here, just big hardcore chunky riffs and attitude. Like I stated this is basic hardcore with a real beatdown style but it is done really well. Here's ya history lesson: TOO GROSS was founded in October 2011 as a side project from various European Hardcore bands & released their debut EP via Good Life Recordings in 2012. They then recorded this full-length originally set to be titled “The Last Great Disgrace” ….. Unfortunately, the computer was destroyed at that time and all recording tracks were gone so with only the raw mix left the album never saw the light of day ….. until now !!!! Aptly renamed "Better Late Than Dead" here is this classic hardcore album that was thought to be lost. You can tell this band is made up of veterans of the scene as the guitar work is ...

  Ghostsmoker-Grief Ep review. FFO: Bleak and Gritty blackened doom. This is wild because initially with such a cliche name (sorry, but it is so true for this genre) you would expect the usual dullness of a regular doom band. But no; this release has accomplished thick, forbidding gloomy soundscapes that will hold your interest. And I make that statement because I am a huge fan of Christbait and every doom/sludge metal band has to be intriguing and non-cookie cutter for me to even listen more than twice. Thank fuck these metalheads can produce the goods. This is four tracks of hostile and grim doom and it never moves into stoned hipster shit that is dominating so many scenes. Astral Realm is a dirty mofo of an opening track with that psycho buildup which is full of intrigue and then the black metal meets horror movie vocals cut right through the explosive sludgy violence. It takes your doom metal basics and makes them sound deeper. This EP has lyrical themes of loss and trauma and...

  Outright-Keep You Warm album review. FFO Amazing modern and intelligent Metallic Hardcore. Outright has been kicking for over 12 years and really is a force in intelligent hardcore. Tons of bands can write raging tracks but lack the lyrics and ethos to make the critical difference. Like a huge difference, that makes me put tons of bands to the side, even metal bands. Keep You Warm is a raging classic and one of the best modern hardcore albums I have heard for years. And the added touches and influences on their second album are outstanding and refreshing. The album is ten tracks of uncompromising clever hardcore with a well-placed melodic touch that balances out the competing metallic hardcore influence. Also, I dig the newish harmonising vocals on some tracks, and it's never too much the same as the gruff vocals, it's just some additional and intriguing toppings on a very multi-layered cake. Throughout this album, the same as every one of their previous releases are well th...

  Wretch-Survival of the Rotten album review. FFO: Abrasive grind/hardcore/death metal. This flesh-ripping album drops next week and I just love how Aussie metal is way better than its overseas counterparts over the last few years. Survival of the Rotten is a raging classic album that doesn't disappoint. Here's the release info and background from the label: Recorded by the legendary Tom Sigal at Def Wolf Studios in Sydney at the height of the COVID pandemic, Survival of the Rotten is the fourth release from Wretch - the first since the 2015 album Tirades. Their most diverse offering yet, Survival of the Rotten explores new territory with varied influences ranging from sludge and hardcore to traditional grind. It’s a harsh, unrelenting message of hate delivered with a patented Wretch tongue-in-cheek smirk. Downtuned Records will debut the band on 12” vinyl. Tracks have been mastered specifically for the vinyl format, and this limited first pressing of 150 copies is pressed on ...

  Remains-Grind 'til Death album review and interview with the legendary Tone Bone. FFO: Dynamic and crushing Grind....argh!!!!!!. Remains is a supergroup of sorts if you want to categorise and build the hype in a hipster style. But to the old heads and dedicated fans of extreme metal, we see this as a sick arse group of blokes we know from back in the day, who are absolutely killing it. The foundation of this band is definitely skilled heads who know what the fuck they are doing. And it effectively takes all of their vast skills and produces the album you have always wanted to hear, plus non-shoddy recording skills that just amp the hell out of all instruments and vocals. So it is a well-written album that sounds like the savage beast it should be. We are talking about an Australian instant Grind classic. Very broadly (and for more info, just don't be a dickhead and simply listen to the interview below from the vocal king himself, Sir Tony) this is an album of fast and crushin...

  Dark Mofo 2022 review. Behold the Darkness, for it is great!!. Kim Gordon, Borderlands 1, Triumph of Death, Spiritualized and Cate Le Bon. Well, what a joy to be back at Australia's best arts/music festival. Did it deliver? of course in bucketloads and was everything perfect; well just like in life; no!. But if you particularly take away the shackles of the last few years with COVID-19/lockdowns/homeschooling etc; it was a great break from normality. The crew at Dark Mofo are very much dedicated to running professional events and giving you way more than you expect. I was at this festival for four days and loved it.  Night 1-Borderlands 1 and Triumph of Death(at Hymns to the Dead) Borderlands 1 This writer is a huge fan of weird arse music, noise and quirky electronica as well as being an utter metalhead/hardcore punk devotee. Borderlands always is that perfectly uncanny mix of art meets audio. Mac 2 is a huge room/venue and the sound system seems more suited to the style of...