Devil's Horns Zine

  Distorta-A Devil in the Dust EP as reviewed by Mark Jenkins. A crushing metal powerhouse, all riffs and aggression, no bullshit. What a wicked independent release from Ballarat, a place known for so many brilliant heavy bands. The initial description made me expect a weak, old-school Manowar type of lame metal, but alas this is solid and frankly awesome. They mix the past with modern metal so perfectly. These high quality tracks will capture your attention from the first listen because this is well-crafted and superb metal at its best. Jump on the Distorta train asap, because this band are going places. First up, let me say even though I have no idea of the band's history or what previous bands the members were in, but the experience shows strongly. Every player is tuned in with the others, it is raw and energetic but shows a maturity in ability and songwriting skill. The overall sound is quite mixed in the best possible way, a few pressers and reviews go on about heavy metal-but...

  Mark Jenkins' review of the album Abyss of a Light Planet by Praïm Faya showcases an incredible blend of metalcore, hardcore, and post-metal. This fantastic band from France are a scintillating mix of metalcore, hardcore and post-metal. There are definitive sprinkles of death metal and black metal as well, making this a well-rounded extreme metal band. Praïm Faya is very much the band you need to pay attention to, as they stray from the generic path and this is an instant classic. Abyss of a Light Planet is their debut album, which completely builds on from their 2020 debut EP which was solid, but quite predictable and standard in terms of genre specific. This debut really plants the battle flag in the middle of the field and declares they have arrived.  They solidly present 11 tracks of super confident and competent metalcore that is less Lamb of God and more a head-nod to Walls of Jericho etc with balls-out riffs and a pronounced hardcore foundation. Guitarwork is sharp, a...

  Gig review: The Exploited brilliantly kicked off their Oz/NZ tour @Barwon Club, Geelong 9/11/2023 By Mark Jenkins. The excitement was palpable as the punk punters were eager to see this classic band pre-COVID and of course that fell on its arse. But it was worth the wait as so many people have stated three gigs into this tour that this is the best they have ever seen the band play. And I agree wholeheartedly, they blew me away. The aggression, tightness and professionalism were top-notch. Wattie is still one of the most entertaining front people around and he can still push himself so hard it beggars belief as evidenced by our interview recently the guy runs on pure passion and dedication to punk. The band are a tight unit and all feed off each other's energy. The Barwon Club is an old-school venue that has historically held so many classic gigs there.  The support band whose name I have forgotten as they were so non-memorable and full kudos to for them getting the support g...

  Adversity, Phoenixes and Potential Driving Music, A Naugrim Review: By M H Thomson   Metalcore and groove metal have long been subgenres of metal that I’ve cherished over the years, so you’d reckon that a metalcore band that throws some complex Lamb of God style riffs into the mix would be something I’d get right into, suffice it to say that is not the case with Naugrim. Unfortunately the Blue Mountains outfit's debut EP “Adversity” left me utterly perplexed, wondering just how on earth such a promising-sounding genre combination could be so banal.   All five of the EP’s tracks follow such similar tropes as to be, at times, indistinguishable from one another. A dizzying blend of complex and melodious guitar riffs, breakdowns, blast beats and very dry raspy vocal deliveries. Although similar, each track does have its own unique highlights peppered throughout. The first track “Destroyer” is a fast-paced groovy gut punch of a tune that introduces some vocalist Greg M...

  Black Metal, Stolen Wardrobes & Plastic Buckets, An Escarion Review: By M H Thomson Escarion is a 5 piece Melbournian progressive metal act and an interesting one at that. Whilst mixing elements of death and black metal into their sound is far from unusual for progressive bands, blending these elements so cohesively is quite a feat, and Escarion has mastered that with their most recent release. The track in question is titled “Towards a Futile Existence”.    The music video they released for it in September is rather simple but beautifully shot. Filmed at legendary Collingwood pub the Gasometer Hotel, it merely consists of footage of a live performance with the studio track dubbed over the top; unadulterated by cinematic tropes or a cutaway storyline, something a lot of bands, often quite unnecessarily, throw a fair bit of budget into these days. Beyond the on-stage and crowd shots all Escarion elected to add was a brief peek behind the curtain, depicting the ba...

  New(ish) Releases: The Amenta, Suffocation, Go Ahead and Die, Starving Millions, and Aeons Abyss. All are exceptionally fucking awesome. These are the dog bollocks, concise short reviews of shit you need to buy now. Got it, now read, buy and thank me later fuckface. The Amenta-Plague of Locus. If you haven't heard this band, rather than curse you I encourage you to listen to all their releases and see them live. The uncompromising, awesome band that mixes genres and makes its own unique sound. A case in point is this new release of cover songs and the choices are wise and perfect for this masterful band.  I mean look at the listing: Intro "Sono l'Anticristo"(Diamanda Galas cover) "Asteroid" (Killing Joke cover) "Angry Chair" (Alice In Chains cover) "Plague Of Locus" "A Million Years" (Wolf Eyes cover) "Crystal Lakes" (Lord Kaos cover) "Rise" (Halo cover) "Totem" (Nazxul cover) "Black God...

PHANTASM-CONFLICT REALITY 7" (HARDCORE VICTIM) Phantasm's debut EP is one of my fave releases of the year, from Melbourne's glorious Hardcore Victim label, in fact featuring one of the CEOs (Crust Enforcement Officers, lol) Bernie who screams with vitriol and this is the best Australian punk/hardcore 7" EP in years. The four tracks slice your head off as expected in a cunning way. Musically it is a distorted mix of Japanese and Swedish old-school crust mixed with really acerbic vocals that definitely give equal head nods to greats like Vice Squad, Witch Hunt, Appalachian Terror Unit and also local legends Outright and more recent bands like Krimewatch. The production is dynamic and instantly forceful in the best way. The S/T track is the opener and the maddened tempo is perfectly balanced by some almost slower breakdown brilliance. The players are sharp as hell and the songwriting is spot on. Hence every track is an absolute anthem, Bernie's vocals often push agai...

  Interview with Ricky from Suffocation. Killer chat about the new album and all things Suffocation. Suffocation is one of those classic bands that set the tone and the standard for quality death metal. Finally Ricky despite touring with the band for ages, gets to be on record(literally ) for the recent classic album Hymns from the Apocrypha that dropped recently. It's absolute quality and testament to both the band's strong back catalogue and moving forward as a current band. We chatted about: -the abrasive level of the new album -the new elements on it -how he is pleased to be on an album after touring with the band for ages -how he joined the band, stepping into the role -the importance of the band -his skillset, vocal training and transition from drummer to singer -the massive skills evident in this band and the depth of the songwriting -the highlights and fave tracks from the new album -the opening video for this release -the creative process behind this album and some ban...

  Interview with Wattie from punk hardcore legends The Exploited. The influence this band had on bands is massive and personally, it was life-changing; it all started when a mate dubbed me their debut album, Punk's Not Dead and there was my transition from basic punk to the more extreme side of punk/hardcore. This would lead me into not only anarcho-punk bands but also crust and NY Hardcore. A genre-defining band who never rested on their foundations and you'll fucking love this ripper of an interview Wattie is funny as hell, inspiring and an all round top bloke. We chatted about: -the excitement to come back to our shores after various delays over the last few years -the hatred for politicians never eases off -how the lies and corruption of the government is an endless source of lyrics -a new album in the pipeworks -how the band were hated in the past for being extreme   -how the fans keep the band going and for the right reasons -the working-class authenticity of the ba...

An outstanding Interview with Paul from Vicious Circle By Mark Jenkins on the eve of their album launch for Split This Open.  Vicious Circle are one of the most legendary Australian hardcore bands to exist and a band that for many (along with Depression and Arm the Insane) was the gateway to punk/hardcore. For this writer, their 1985 outstanding album The Price of Progress changed my life as much as hearing international street-punk, anarcho-punk and New York hardcore bands. Multiple albums and tours have passed, but this band is still as important and as necessary as ever, the energy level of the music and its message remain strong. And the last few albums, particularly the latest album Split This Open is some of their best material ever. This is also an ingenious band that is sensational live and is future-focused, not a pastiche of past glories. So on the eve of the album launch, I had a comprehensive chat with their singer, Paul and it was lively, informative, insightful and g...