…the studio, everything for me I need to make sure that what I can bring in lyrically is the best stuff I can do. And also, I don’t want it to be too wordy. It has to be something I can sing about. I come at it from an honest perspective – stuff that’s happened to me, happened to friends of mine, or witnessed. If I’m going to do it, it needs to be the best I can bring to the table. You have to sing those songs all the time. If I’m not feeling it, i…
…ho like melodic black metal with a dose of death metal, while Leiþa generally is a bit more of a downtrodden and hypnotic offering, though if you dive into each discography, every album is its own varying monstrosity. Non Est Deus, being Noise’s longest running venture, first surfaced in 2018 with The Last Supper, and has subsequently gotten bolder and more direct with each album. Last year’s Impious was a nasty, yet at times almost brightly optim…
…areer as a band, there have been certain territories you’ve yet to play in live – especially surprising would be North America. Have you had offers from the USA/Canada, and what circumstances would have to take place to get a tour or festival appearance going on for this area of the world? Swinkels: It’s a weird thing, because we have been doing Legion of the Damned since 2005, now over 18 years we have not had one offer from the USA. We have a lo…
…that way. I have tentative plans for some videos and other content. Also, I plan to start playing live shows as soon as I can complete the band line up. Yes, I’ll keep working on new material. I plan to put out at least one album per year going forward. Honestly, I’m not sure how my sound/writing will evolve, but I hope that the quality of my production, mixing, and mastering will continue to improve. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYvlqMI_Mb4 h…
…hat this show was easily close to, if not already sold out. This was actually our first time at the legendary Jannus Live – after living in Florida for over 7 years – and it was immediately clear this is a great place to see a show. Overall, there are great sight lines (as long as you don’t get stuck behind the tree that is a landmark for the venue), plenty of bar areas and even fresh pizza! Mentioning the tree, if it’s not obvious, this is an out…
…didn’t say it was for Celine Dion. When I came to the studio, it went really well. Suddenly they said, oh by the way – this is for the album by Celine Dion. I was so nervous in one second! (laughs). She’s a superstar. It was really great; it was a good memory. The song went to number one in Europe for many, many weeks. I also play with other artists, name Swedish artists recorded live in the studio and some live shows. I mostly end up doing pop/r…
…early hard rock angle to “Say a Prayer With 7 Bullets” that’s irresistible to bounce along to. Metal Church wouldn’t carry on if they didn’t have something important to say and execute material worthy of its namesake. Congregation of Annihilation contains thoroughly enjoyable songwriting and all-around excellent performances, especially for those who love the standard power meets thrash with bluesy overtones these gentlemen deliver time and time…
…ditional platform here. The bluesy-driven chord progressions match seamlessly to the mid-range delivery Mark uses for his vocals, adding some keyboard strains next to sinister twin guitar action to make “Force of Nature” a front half standout, the lengthier lead break run taking on Rainbow-esque (Dio-period) symbolism. An energetic Joe Fawcett as second guitarist provides some modern electricity for “Crooked Cross”, one of the heavier Trespass tra…
…get older, everybody gets more responsibilities in terms of mortgage, family, that sort of stuff. It’s logistically harder or more complicated now to make all the touring work. Back in the day when we were kids, things were quite easy – you just booked a gig, and you were there. Everybody dropped everything to run off and do it. People have a lot more responsibilities now, and it seems harder now after COVID. People are in a bit of a financial cr…
…versatility positions these songs in the requisite dynamic space, especially for those who miss the peak periods of appeal during the late 90’s through early 2000’s. The narrative sequences resonate as if watching theater of the mind unfold before your eyes – Mike’s range able to hit multi-octave registers like the greats of old, including some earth-shattering falsettos, while the music explores all angels of epic power metal, sometimes evoking…
…I’m not going to listen to them” kind of attitude. Spreitzer:Yes, definitely. When Devildriver started, Dez really had to get away from Coal Chamber. He was known as Dez from Coal Chamber. They were heavy into makeup. They had a particular style going on, that all of a sudden in the early 2000s, had become a dirty word. Nu metal wasn’t cool anymore and no one wanted to be affiliated with it in any sort of way. Now it seems to be coming back and p…
…w we play, and vision of our live sound made the recording process incredibly painless. We certainly got the beautiful tone we needed in the Power Station New England and Studio Wormwood. Dead Rhetoric: This album marks your debut recording for the band. Your drum prowess is plainly evident, as your parts of the album are very powerful, with a lot of versatility. What elements have you been able to bring to the band that have pushed the music forw…
…some doom-like harmony accents to convey the atmospheric despair present in the main riffs. If it isn’t broken, don’t go tinkering around with the formula. It’s as if Vomitory just stepped back into a comfort zone, sifted through the best riffs available creatively, and positioned All Heads Are Gonna Roll into a rally cry that these veterans can still maintain aggressive, European style death with speed/accuracy to deliver another high-quality pl…
…precision devices for eliciting expansive effects. Travis Ryan is undoubtedly one of the most broadly expressive extreme vocalists to have graced our thick skulls. “The Insignificants” will rip your face off and simultaneously lull you into a sense of acceptance; such is the venom that spurts from the maw of the Terrasite. Just as you have settled into this new paradigm and accept your fate, the closing track “Just Another Body” comes with hints o…
…musicians crave? Kummerer: That’s very hard to say. Both bands work entirely differently. Obscura is a touring band. For every album release we play between one hundred and fifty to two hundred concerts. Thulcandra is very different. We perform select dates. We did this North American tour simply because it was the right tour at the right time, but we will not become a band you see on every tour or every festival, this is not possible. The other…
…Blut Aus Nord immediately comes to mind as one of the best both historically and currently, along with a varied number of acts including The Great Old Ones, Svart Crown, Celeste,, Oranssi Pazuzu, Otargos, Viande, Decline of the I, and we could continue for a few more paragraphs. Hell, an album we just reviewed by Hasard is another recent mind-blowing discovery. There are many that certainly have also evaded our eardrums to some degree, which lead…
…ental note as “Celestial Wisdom” sets the universe ablaze, the guitars slowly fading into oblivion. The vocals of Alexander have a bit of that sadistic snarl meets pitchy screaming that could be a love it or leave it proposition for many (hear “Nightriders” for his full mid-range to glass shattering abilities) – while the full on ‘gang’ support during “’Till The Grave” leaves much to be desired as far as proper harmonization. The digital sprinkler…
…? Sutcliffe: Not really. There is a tradition with British movements. Usually only two or three bands go through to make it big, and I don’t really know why. I guess being bigger, more popular stateside is important. You think of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard. The trouble is, by making it a movement and having a window, pretty soon that window is going to close. Trespass – I really wish we had made an album in 1980. We…
…mental sections, the harmonization and speedy lead break tugging at every fiber of your being. The record could have benefitted from a little trimming – it’s not that these songs aren’t sharp or concise, but sixteen songs with an almost hour playback time can be a bit excessive when maybe twelve tracks would do. Nonetheless, those who seek out more modern metal that isn’t from the US will probably take a look into dEMOTIONAL with Scandinavian Afte…
…ore aesthetic beyond the obvious metal chops. The winter, ice, cold, frost lyrical themes differ from the conventional death fare as well – matching that darkness/despair that is a hallmark of this genre. Much like the thrash resurgence that took place a decade before, these are active times in death metal not only for legendary or legacy acts, but a ton of hungry upstarts willing to grind out what they can to prove that this style still has plent…
…is pretty low with no barrier, so not the best scenario to start with) awkwardly eating a helping of floor more than a few times. Gladly, it seems nobody was hurt, and continued to rage with seemingly limitless stamina. Midnight simply know how to bring unbridled enthusiasm and disgusting riffage, exemplified by long standing early works such as “Satanic Royalty” and “Lust Filth and Sleaze,” to more recent wrecking balls in “Fucking Speed and Dar…
…, background arrangements. Dead Rhetoric: Where do you like to come across lyrically for the group? Are you inspired from historical events of the past, books, movies – or also take from current and personal events to draw from when it comes to the content? Flo: All of the mentioned themes inspired us. I am a great history and movie fan, influenced by H.P. Lovecraft or Stephen King, also science fiction and horror movies from the past. Cat: If you…
…lucidate as a kid. The marriage of different types of art together was really, really important for me. When I was younger, I took up the piano – I’ve been playing that since I was nine. I started singing when I was a teenager, and I started singing a lot at my parents church. I would play piano and sing for three services every Sunday when I was 15 to 18. I would study classical music, I would sing opera, this is what you are going to do. I didn’…
…e sure that we had a lot of time for songwriting. All of a sudden, without warning, all the live shows were cancelled, and all our plans were in the toilet. It meant that we were all at home, writing music, and that ended up in us writing way too much music. In the end we demoed a total of twenty-seven songs for the new album, and we went through a long selection process of what songs we needed for the album, what songs will fit well together. In…
…st the massive discography Mystic Prophecy has already delivered, it’s another milestone to behold as these musicians stick to a proven formula, throwing little unexpected nuances to keep things fresh, hopefully adding a few more essential live highlights to the set lists in the end. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4JMwkFVtSA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdxLsLsC9t4 Mystic Prophecy on Facebook…
…g elements of Nevermore, Evergrey, and Arch Enemy in standout tracks like “Warrior” and “Green Fly”. Calmer, clean strains appear in small segments of “Declaration of Hate” before the thrash-oriented tempo takes command – Alessio Spini stellar in his measured verse approach as he rises up his multi-octave register deeper into the arrangement. Cultural guitar harmonies propel closer “Lies” – another shape shifting double kick-oriented effort that t…
…ival, that would be great. That’s what we need! We need to reenergize with live music, live festivals, being together and having fun. Feel like a part of the community. Dead Rhetoric: What’s in the works for Roadwolf over the next twelve months once the release is out? Valentin: We will try to play a lot of live shows. Because this is why we actually play in a band, to play live. We will see what the next step will be with Napalm Records, if there…
…od omen for the upcoming July 14th release of said full-length. The band’s lively stage presence is notable, as guitarist Rikard Ekberg and bassist Filip Stålberg energetically enticed the crowd to match their level of enthusiasm. Vocalist Madeleine Liljestam fronts the band with conviction and poise, utilizing her strong voice and stage presence to achieve a commanding grip on the audience. Drummer Jesper Sunnhagen is the rhythmic glue, giving El…
