…alf favorite “Mother of All”, one of the heavier cuts on here marrying the best of 90s period Savatage with acts like GTR, FM, and other well established AOR-oriented bands from the 80s. With future live gigs planned in Spain, A Neverending John’s Dream through Coming Back to Paradise have established a debut effort rich in melodic hard rock/metal tradition, delivering catchy songs that stay in your brain for quite a while. An act to watch if you…
…etting, definitely. “Desolation’s Harp” concludes the opening salvo of fast-as-fuck drumming and soaring dynamics anchored by Paparo’s unreal vocal performance. Joel Moore, Inter Arma’s newest and (hopefully) permanent bass player, makes his dexterous presence known with the title track and breather “Endless Grey”, as Trey Dalton and Steven Russell solo the shit out of their axes. “Gardens in the Dark” is Mike Paparo’s most memorable vocals to dat…
…of stuff in the middle there for everyone. But reemerging is so great! But yeah, we are trying to get things going, so there’s lots on the horizon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V97-IxNPaoM&pp=ygUHc3VsZHVzaw%3D%3D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-uw2lFaMek&pp=ygUHc3VsZHVzaw%3D%3D Suldusk on Facebook Suldusk on Instagram…
…g or stinky or something. Dead Rhetoric: Could you also talk about the pink-theme for the “Best of Me” video? Was there any sort of intent to it, since it’s not something you regularly see in heavier music? Mitch: The intention with “Best of Me” was to represent being a depressed person and not feeling comfortable with how the world appears sometimes. We thought of Instagram and all the fake shit there. Wouldn’t it be cool to represent this fake w…
…irlwind movements. Most of the songs clock in at a respectable four to five-minute timeframe, while the lone epic “No Solace From Above” at almost nine-minutes illustrates the band’s expansive outlook, featuring piano and distant talk-oriented vocal parts next to some penetrating doom riffs that pick up momentum to crush souls, the deathly lacerations of singer Heval Bozarslan channeling the best aspects of Necrophobic, Dissection, and Unanimated….
…any long-time fans. The modern, explosive approach that Ingested have fine-tuned continues to power the way forward. Opening cut “Paragon of Purity” embodies that groove-friendly spirit, with pulverizing riffs and subtle melodies elevating the band’s sound into one that can hit like a sledgehammer yet still leave you aware of all of the details inside it. It’s a fantastic opener, and the tracks that follow it up (“Endless Machine” and “Where No L…
…hy I keep saying I’m really proud of this album. For me, vocally, it’s the best one for me. Dead Rhetoric: So is there anything else that makes you feel that it’s your best work so far? Siirala: It’s the combination of knowing my instrument better now. I know my strengths and weaknesses – I know some things I can’t do as well, but there are others I’m really good at. It’s bringing that to the table in a more knowing way. So that I can do justice t…
…he gallop-fueled opener “Knights of Terror”, the pace floating between semi-thrash meets standard mid-tempo power overtones. Mike Benetatos and Jon Hasselbrink as guitarists understand the need of interspersing clean, adventurous guitar lines next to their normal crunchy power chord machinery they implement in every song – aspects of King Diamond / Mercyful Fate float in for “Curse of Creation” while the stop/start double barrel rhythms within “Wo…
…ect to push Disbelief through the best possibly channels, handling the ever-changing music industry as best as possible? Jäger: I think they work very professionally, and they work very fast. I’m satisfied with their work. I hope they do a lot of promotion for the new album; they give all kinds of possibilities. It’s the last album on the contract, it was a three-album contract. I hope we can go on with the label in the future, but I won’t make a…
…er. The diversity of attack between straight ahead fast bashers and the mid-tempo machine gun-like precision present in the riff styles of the Dennis/Leda tandem keeps the head whirling action on point. Many will be hard pressed not to lose their collective minds to the triplet chugging in “Mental Disorder” which has that Grip Inc. meets Bay Area charm, while youthful angst fuels “Ilwast”. Small interludes of gunfire/bombing and military soundtrac…
…orchestration process for this album? Joensen: That was incredible. When I write the music for Týr, I write it in a very classical way. I write the notes, so when the time comes to make the orchestrations, I send the audio and the notes to the guy who makes it, Lars Winther, so he can start. He doesn’t have to make notations as he would for other artists, I’m sure most bands don’t. I tend to incorporate the classical parts properly into our music,…
Connecticut-based metalcore act Boundaries have had two previous full-length efforts under their belts, but it seems the best was yet to come in their case. Their third album, Death is Little More, the group takes some influence and nods from the early heavy-hitters of the scene and injects a bleak and aggressive modern twist that puts them into more unsettling and dark waters than many of their current peers. In short, the type of effort that sh…
…e a busy life; Vicinity is both a social outlet and a reprieve from the day-to-day life. Dead Rhetoric: What’s on the horizon for Vicinity over the next year or so to support the new album? Are there any other side bands/projects that you’d also like to mention here? Kim-Marius: We started rehearsing to a release gig, May 24th here in Trondheim. We will play the entire album and some older songs as well; it will be an undertaking. Hopefully we wil…
…forming thing – we want to be active musicians and probably not make another album until 2025, let’s see what happens. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-w-hbeDD1Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh1tQeDubYU Hammer King on Facebook…
…ns likam further ingrained them in the metal lexicon, and it would be a six-year wait for their return. During said time, three of the members dropped an EP for their death metal project Goresquad, and lead singer Jón Aldará was part of one of the very best albums of 2021 via Iotunn’s Across All Worlds. Nevertheless, we’re glad Hamferð have returned with Men Gu​ð​s hond er sterk. Conceptually, the album tells the story of a famous whaling catastro…
…retch his technique into extreme pastures) and the subsequent crunchy, half-time pit moving Nevermore-ish angle, and you have the makings of a certain Dialith staple for years to come. Returning to Andy LaRocque (King Diamond) for mixing/mastering duties as well as a continuance on the art front for Marta Sokolowska (together since their 2019 Extinction Six record), Dialith excels in providing the greatest value for final product even as a self-re…
…s of the depth the songs all have and the highs/lows in it. I think we are writing for ourselves and no one else, and no one is directing what we write. We stay true to ourselves and there’s no direction from the label or anyone supporting us. That was one of the things that when we got signed, we had great discussions about what we wanted to do, and what we saw and how we had to do it. There’s no decisions on what and how we would write, which is…
…nd of Illusions”, crunchy modern anthem “Dead Man’s Eyes”, or guitar heroic-oriented “Justice Will Be Mine” – it’s evident that these gentlemen strive to give listeners the best riffs, arrangements, and memorable parts/melodies to latch onto from initial listen to subsequent exposure well down the road. Peavy’s voice continues to have that spitting, venomous nature in forceful, commanding form – using minimal effects to just grab you by the throat…
…hat they like or to be recommended to us by Spotify or any other streaming service based on what they already listen to, is priceless. It’s the next best thing to having a friend recommend a good band. Much like having to promote yourself on social media, it is a necessary evil that we do begrudgingly whilst accepting that it is our best means of connecting to our listeners and promoting shows, etc. Unfortunately, I think it is here to stay at lea…
…h a mix of Blind Guardian/Rage-like energy next to comfortable early Maiden-ish charm. At other times the heavier down-picking nature along with progressive twists in unexpected places reaches into the back catalog of Iced Earth (circa Night of the Stormrider) or even Bay Area thrash – allowing singer Svenja Rohmann to stretch her sultry voice into various rock/metal tones. Her bluesy touch intensifies the groove-laden “Crossroads” while additiona…
…from Rosellini, bombastic and fantasy-driven atmosphere, and plenty of fist-to-the-sky riffing that is sure to rally fans of the genre. We took a few minutes to talk to Rosellini to see what defines this fresh act, as well as a broad discussion of nerd culture items such as video games, cosplay, and fantasy itself. Dead Rhetoric: You are in Alterium with some members of Kalidia, do you feel like you are continuing the essence of that band, in some…
…musician I can be, and it’s only possible when you are surrounded with the best of the best. Dead Rhetoric: What would you consider some of the special highlights of the band at this point in your career? Specific albums, tours, shows, festival appearances where you knew you were making more of an impact with your music? Hernando: I really would like to say that this album may be our best to date – and even Roland Grapow agrees with that. I think…
…. Returning to the new record is “Veil of Penitence” and all of its tremolo-laden sword-clashing glory. “Vessel of Suffering” serves as a tornado of riffs and atmospheric fervor to close the main portion of Hulder’s set. An encore follows with a cover of Absu’s “Descent to Acheron (Evolving Into the Progression of Woe)” that more than gives proper tribute to the original, as well as giving a fitting sendoff to what was a performance for the ages….
…remes to an unsurprising level of fervent execution. There’s plenty of full-on brutality available for those who desire a pummeling – “Quasi-Sentient” and “Mysterium Tremendum” exemplify Hideous Divinity at their most punishing. “More than Many, Never One” provides a taste of the discordant in its enrapturing aura, whereas closer “Leben Ohne Feuer” ends on an authoritative, grim note by virtue of unnerving builds that explode into apexes of raucou…
…breaks unfolding next to multi-octave low to upper register vocals in the best King Diamond-esque tradition for standout track “The Thief’s Candle”. Katte and Max Povver showcase numerous licks, tricks, rhythms and harmony situations that captivate, with that classic meets neoclassical touch that Iron Maiden or early NWOBHM followers devour – one listen to their work in “The Baleful Baron” or the title cut attests to their killer abilities. Sombe…
…It evolved to be it’s own thing. Dead Rhetoric: Defiance is the third full-length for the group. How did the songwriting and recording sessions go for this set of material – and where do you see the biggest differences in this album compared to Despondent Death from 2015 and the follow-up Abhorrent Disease released in 2019? Perez: Defiance was written in a very different way. First of all, the pandemic happened, so everyone had the time to work o…
…me and again. The main vocal presence from Frank Urschler has more of a mid-range folk-ish nature to his verses, the unison choirs keep the choruses easily attainable for even the most fearful audience singers of the world. Most will be hard pressed not to be screaming / vocalizing to the key hooks for “Altar of Illusions” or the Blind Guardian-esque “Empty Shell” (think Tales from the Twilight World-era here), the former alluring musically on its…
…erence Holler is probably best known through the metal community for his 31-year stint in the outfit he co-founded Eldritch – a power/progressive metal outfit of which classic albums like El Niño all the way through 2021’s EoS thrilled this scribe to no end. Leaving in 2022, this solo venture Holler explores more of his classic rock, AOR, and 70s/80s influences for this debut album Reborn. The results are quite inspiring, especially for those who…
…vocal melodies and arrangements came, we realized that this is a pretty pop-oriented song. We had started writing songs for the album and the songs were already sounding more experimental, so we decided to roll with it.” “Lyrically, it is about people in power tearing us apart and watching us destroy ourselves. I don’t know why but I get this image of Jack Palance in Tango & Cash sitting in his leather chair, looking at 50 TV’s, just waiting to pu…
…the live show. With the pop samples, the really high energy. As far as the best shows we’ve done… Moate: What sticks out most in my mind is the best shows on the last tour we did. They are most recent in mind – Chicago, Portland, Maine, Detroit. Dead Rhetoric: You also have a special color-scheme going on with your merchandise – can you discuss the thought process behind this? Selfish: We don’t have anything specific as far as what we want to do w…
