Devil's Horns Zine

Disentomb-The Decaying Light album review and interview. This absolute killing brutal death metal force is now in their tenth year and shows no signs of slowing down with their third album The Decaying Light. It has been five years since their flawless album Misery. Prepare for your face to be caved in by this release. This album is certainly darker than their previous releases and whilst no sense of calm exists even remotely on this release, the album production-wise just doesn’t hit the gradient to which it should be at. The album is not flat, but just needs more punch to match the overall upscaling of aggression on this release. But I simply solved this problem by just amplifying the album be it a severe turn of the volume knob or applying an audiophile equalizer. And this album demands to be pumped loud regardless. As per the previous release, the guitar-work is first class and whilst not flooring you with originality-it smothers you with it’s technical execution. Bas...

Grief Ritual-Life is a Phase EP review. This writer loves a great dark and brooding band that offers fucked-up sounds and is a challenging listen. Anything that is dissonant and on the fringe is a great thing. Grief Ritual, an absolute solid blackened hardcore band from South West England really deliver the goods with this 5 track classic release. FFO: Converge, Dragged into Sunlight and Cursed. The vocals are shouty and angry and the guitar magic weaves a web of both intrigue and head thrashing greatness. Opener Recidivist really sets the dark embrace of this release; raw, yet subtle buildups and audio plummets that keep you on your toes; I mean who doesn't love a great WTF? moment in music. The darkness just builds even more as we shift into the epicness of second track, Paroxysm . Whatever radioactive and psychoactive substance is flowing in the water in the U.K.; I dig it-because similarily like Dragged into Sunlight; any calming hugs quickly descends into psyc...

Vicious Circle- From the Vault album review by Mark Jenkins. Unless you have been living under a mountain size boulder, you know Vicious Circle are Australia's longest-running Hardcore band and have been producing amazing music since 1983. This is a band that has never been stagnant and whilst never moving with any trends, they have expanded their solid foundation with increased heaviness over time, but always in an outstanding way. Pretty much a definitive catalog for any hardcore/punk/metal fan. And now they(well almost two months ago, dearest apologies we have been swamped by reviews/releases) released this killer collection of lost gems including pretty much the best damn hardcore cover versions period. And there ain't boring cover songs of shit that is overplayed; here's the hit list: Black Flag, Discharge, Ramones,Crumbsuckers and Bad Brains to name a few. Plus sweet covers of more obscure gems like Terveet Kadet (Finnish HC, seriously google them...

Dead Already-On a Hook album review by Mark Jenkins. Do you dig catchy and frantic US- 80's hardcore from the West Coast, well you have found your nirvana(not the band, fuck grunge!). Well crafted and angry, yet moody punk rock with a definite hat tip to the likes of Circle Jerks, D.I., Adolescents and even touches of Lagwagon/Jawbreaker. Yes, damn impressive by a mile. This is a stunning debut album and tbh this type of brilliance takes a band years and multiple albums to define their sound. They are very clear in their sound and goals. The vocals would definitely be defined as an acquired taste; personally, I think they match this type of genre perfectly and is sharply balanced by cleverly written songs with fantastic structure and the whole 14 tracks never let up. It's more punk than hardcore, but hey that was the whole 80's west coast tone anyway. The album is never boring, but some tracks tend to sound very similar, which may have been remedied b...

Vulvodynia-Mob Justice review by Mark Jenkins. Crushing is a highly overused word in metal reviews, but there is literally no other word to describe this absolute demon of an album. Pig squeals, hectic riffs and blasty drums...oh yes, this writer is a happy camper. Vulvodynia is from South Africa and for a band who have only been kicking for 5 years; they really are at the top of their game. And whilst they are clearly a brutal death band; like in the beatdown and slam genres; tbh there are more shit bands than quality acts. And on this album, there is a sheer solid quality from front to back. This band simply destroys its opponents. It is like they have taken an extreme music formula and made it their own. The buildups are mind-blowingly enchanting, then the breakdowns throw you into a pool of piranhas. The guitar work is so intricate, yet it is so abrasive. I was overwhelmed by how nasty (although the production was world-class, no question) the entire album sounds bu...

Inherence-The Entrails of Human Desire (EP) review by Mark Jenkins. Brazil has a brutal habit of crafting beautifully exhilarating heavy music. Inherence is an absolute testament to this principle. Their initial release "Dogma" was abrasive, but not groundbreaking by any means. "The Entrails of Human Desire" however sets the conquerers flag in the battlefield.  Four tracks only, but the best and heaviest four tracks of the year. Deeply sits as a seismic cocktail of Hardcore and Death Metal, but not some lame arse hipster Deathcore wankfest. The nasty vocals will entrap you, but oh man wait for the riffs. We here at Devil's Horns Zine love the riffs that drill into your skull after one listen. The production throughout is absolutely on point and showcases the band's brilliance. Take opener " God of Nothing ", it is beyond essential; but don't play in your commute to work-YOU WILL END UP DRIVING OVER ANYONE IN YOUR WAY-THAT'S A W...

  Laterne By Berlin Atonal, Friday 21 st June, Mac2 @Dark Mofo. Review by Mark Jenkins. Indeed what a mesmerizing night of electronic and performance art all in one. Again Mac2 presented itself as one of Australia’s best venues and Laterne is one of those events that you never know or can assume any predictable flow for the evening. This is a phenomenal thing of course and what the true believers seek from Dark Mofo. Due to time constraints, the writer missed Hatam the opening act due to other commitments, but I heard that her set was pretty much the perfect mix of experimental synth and hard arsed beats. So I was quite disappointed, but as always you cannot possibly see everything at this great festival. Second Woman is a fantastic act that comes from pop, shoegaze and IDM tangents; but results in a breathtaking and tasty soundtrack of dub, ambient and quirky techno if you will. Their set was an enduring enigma, you had some entirely catching and groove-driven tr...

Author and Punisher,20th June 2019 Dark Mofo review by Mark Jenkins This was the second Dark Mofo session of the famed noise creator Tristian Shone; in the overwhelming form known as Author and Punisher. His delivery of brutal industrial metal fused with doom and drone genres is divine because it is made by machines and circuitry he has designed himself. It's a splendid show to watch because despite being the one-man show; it is captivatingly vicious to witness.  The support act was the Australian electronic act Rebel Yell, where dark, industrial acid electro was the main persuasion. The music was astounding heavy and catchy, but the vocals less so. It certainly had a large audience appeal, but not for this writer. To me the vocal mix really was offputting; it came out of the sound system like some gothic electronic fused acts from the 80's/90's we purposely forgot about. Just not my bag at all, as an instrumental act it would have been more pleasing. But I think i...