…ssist Mike Roberts) and Italy (guitarists Aldo Lonobile and Luca Birotto, drummer Marco Sacchetto), beyond the numerous guest solo spots from members of Exmortus, Paladin, Archer Nation, and Aldo himself. Take thyself on a journey into 80s landscapes – magical fantasy churning as guitars glide, bass pulsates, and thunderous drums collide while James’ superior control of all low to high pitches mesmerizes in all ten tracks. Where things differ from…
…d inspired bit of power metal fantasy with a scorching modern edge. The chorus here is pretty, but still wants to make you raise a fist in the air and sing along with it. “Cloudreader” carries a more playful tone as it slowly builds itself up with spine-tingling vocals – a poignant solo later on is truly the cherry on top for such a magical sounding track. The appropriately titled “Fairytale” is a striking ballad that hits some similar notes in it…
…erybody in the band and around the band, we have always loved experiencing new cultures and new people. The whole regimen of the day – load in, soundcheck, everything. We are good with the routine of it. We have all been on tour enough that when we go on tour, everyone enjoys it. That’s always been a part of our seamless line. It speaks to where we are at. Now, if we didn’t have the urge to go out there live and make these connections live, and po…
…e reviewed every album with no intention of stopping anytime soon! On this new disc Against the Winds (February 9, Frontiers Music) the band sounds different, yet the same. With Castronovo still firmly in the driver’s seat, things are a wee bit different these days. Where once was Jack Blades and Doug Aldrich (bass and guitar) we now have Jeff Pilson (Foreigner, ex-Dokken) and Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, ex-Night Ranger). The same instruments, but…
…at, we are starting the European tour with Dragonforce and Amaranthe. Then its time to prepare for summer festivals, and hopefully a really nice tour in autumn…maybe even two. We are trying to see if we can make it work. But we have a lot of shows coming up, the new album comes out in February, and a lot of music videos after that. There’s a lot going on! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7t9SspFWKA&pp=ygUNaW5mZWN0ZWQgcmFpbg%3D%3D https://www.youtu…
…nt today as they were in previous decades. Occasional twin guitar circular runs gain support from a beefy bass underpinning – check out the instrumental opening sequence for “Burn Pit” that has a lot of early Testament qualities before chugging along at a slightly above mid-paced arrangement, where the shouted gang chorus garners infectious overtones beyond the neoclassical, melodic to shred lead break section. Machine gun sequences where all part…
…nd where we always wanted to be. We opened the door to a new chapter and a new world with this new album. From there on, we can do so many interesting things in the future. People might start taking us more seriously as musicians, in general, and not just the genre of thrash. Maybe they will see that these guys did their homework, they know how to play the blues, how to sing a grungy, hard rock chorus. I was always a fan of bands that did stuff li…
…ans. Distant effects, reverb, keyboard spots all get ample use (but not overuse), as the stars of the show remain the guitars, bass, drums, and death vocals. The cover art also is a sight to behold – picturesque with hundreds of images to pour through, analyze, and absorb. Petrification pay homage to a time period that’s not necessarily referenced as often these days in the death metal landscape. Sever Sacred Light achieves a certain level of depr…
…us plenty of vicious vocals with group gang chants in all the key verse/chorus passages. First off, it’s hard not to notice the raspy, tactile delivery of vocalist Larry Lethal throughout these songs. He has the right grasp of European finesse next to Bay Area / East Coast bite to crossover in a Schmier meets Bobby Blitz or Chuck Billy manner for winning tracks like “The Spawning” or blitzkrieg power monster “Bringing Back the Dead”. At other time…
…at regard. But obviously, when it came to the vocals, he opened up a whole new world for us, not just in terms of more clean singing, but a whole lot of other registers, toned screams, good old growls, and raspy black metal vocals as well. Thanks to him, we were finally able to explore new directions and make more room for the vocals to shine, and thus not having to rely on guitar melodies all the time. Maganto: Danny’s impressive vocal range and…
Glorious times for this veteran U.K. metal entourage in Saxon. Their profile has never been bigger in all parts of the globe – even gaining a chance to tour stateside with Judas Priest when Thunderbolt was released, as well as developing a couple of inspiration-related records (Inspirations and More Inspirations) showcasing different influences of their childhood. The trend continues with Hell, Fire and Damnation, which explains it why snagged ou…
…sy) given the anti-hero holding weapons with animals poking out in the background – yet the musical contents showcase Dymytry as an impressive quintet for those that love commercial-oriented modern metal. Five Angry Men isn’t necessary breaking the mold – more so keeping in line with a sound that may have developed stateside but is gaining traction into a worldwide buzz. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufCnj0alDf8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S…
…I started playing drums when I was thirteen. My dad also started out as a drummer; he had some old drum stuff in the garage that I thought looked cool. And then I got my own drum kit. It has never been about any other type of music for me, it just went from heavier rock to death metal. That’s the brief history about my musical upbringing. Dead Rhetoric: Did you have any formal training or lessons on the drums through school? Johansson: No private…
…contains neoclassical measures next to some Enforcer meets Hammerfall-like runs, the rhythm section of bassist Cade Gardner and drummer Mike Thomas up to the challenge in foundational support. A nod to commercial melodic hard rock appears in specific riffs or chorus work – “Heavy Metal” one of those rally cry numbers sure to induce gang audience participation, be it vocally or hurtling oneself stage diving, head banging with abandon. Then there’s…
…etic energy that the urgent chiptune-esque synths would have you believe. Drum battery, crunchy riffs, and a swirl of pleasing voices all fight for the landscape, and it all equates to a fantastic song that soars high. While other alt idols have this particular sound as well, there’s something special about how it all comes together here in a headbanging, danceable fury. (Schrodinger’s Dog official website/Schrodinger’s Dog on X) https://www.youtu…
…bigger band. We are in the process of trying to find our identity as this new band. Just looking at what we are doing, seeing what works and what we can plan – we have found our own sound and we are continuing to do that with the new record and develop it more in the future. On a personal level, we really grew as a band in the last year in being on tour together and spending time together. It’s this whole Hiraes identity, and I feel really good a…
…latter containing some interesting left-field nuances between the tremolo runs, blast beat sections, or supplementary fierce screams next to the Warrel Dane-esque main melodic delivery of vocalist Lars F. Larsen. Throughout the record, you get the sense that these gentlemen felt the need to tackle emotions in a much more raw, aggressive manner – channeling the atmosphere of tumultuous times into this explosive combustion of energy that’s hard to…
…a very personal entry from songwriter and founder Laurent Chaulet – an at times punchy piece that conveys a bevy of emotions. A soul-sapping chorus hits like a punch to the gut, with Chaulet painfully screaming “It’s in my head, It’s in my head they say, The ghosts of the brave, Concealed in blue pain.” Further emphasis is provided by stirring leads and haunting clean guitars, rounding out to a hell of a standout. Meanwhile, “Borrowed Skin” is th…
…tarist Christoph [Wieczorek], they actually have been in touch because sometimes Christoph sometimes does mastering for some songs. So after some talking, they just came to the idea of why the two bands hadn’t done anything before. So they decided on this idea. So there was some brainstorming and a songwriting session that came about, and instead of just doing a vocalist feature, everyone decided that it would be cool if we did a full band collabo…
…at we have to change what we are doing, we are going to have to adapt to a new world. I think the only thing we can do is just carry on. Dead Rhetoric: What’s left to accomplish in your twilight years on this earth – either within the field of music, or in your own personal world? Byford: Bucket list, I don’t know. I don’t have a lot left on my bucket list, but I’d like to probably go traveling, just go anywhere nice. Dead Rhetoric: What’s on the…
…elodic nuances are what keep your ears glued to it for its almost 7-minute runtime. A step up in all ways from their already enjoyable debut, Hiraes really nails the melodic death metal sound on Dormant. They keep the strongest assets of the genre at the forefront while pushing the sound and production up to the current day standards. It’s ‘blaze of glory’ melodeath, but with just enough somber introspection to shake up the dynamic to keep you on…
…specific, a lot of people should be able to relate to in every part of the world. We are writing new stuff. I want to make a new album. This era of Advocacy, we have made it – now we want to develop our sound, more power metal vibes, we have some black metal vibes. We know that we push boundaries – we want to play some of this stuff live to figure out what we are as a band live. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1mk1ecnXpA https://www.youtube.com/w…
…lly I found it very hard to get through the first few times. That’s why my rule is never to write a single word until I’ve listened to an album three times front to back. There are records I hated, then wound up loving on that all-important third spin. Actually, the music found here sounded very much like a tape I would have purchased at Record Collection, my favorite place in high school. The manager Neil used to hook us up with albums before str…
…mic literature. I got into brewing into the pandemic – people were making bread, I decided to make liquid bread. That stems from an interest in artisanal beers, micro-brews. I’m not a heavy drinker, but I do enjoy a really good stout. Or a good pilsner. It’s slow though. When I got into guitar, maybe it was the energy of youth, I’d be obsessed and was practicing six days a week, eight hours a day. Brewing is more of doing it whenever I can type of…
…ughout the pandemic, lending towards a range of ups and downs. Opener “The World Breathes with Me” is exactly this; vibrantly layered with crunchy guitars and luminous melodies, topped off via Jim Grey’s smooth delivery. A heavier track that ranges a bevy of themes and feelings, and frankly, a better start there couldn’t have been. “Golem” quickens the pace, with Grey utilizing lower volume spoken word vocalizations and screams that are a new elem…
…– it’s incredibly fun to listen along with. The plodding grooves of “Outer Worlds” and the chorus is a definite ‘sing-a-long,’ though admittedly “In My Dreams” takes the award for the strongest ‘sing-a-long’ with it’s ballad-y approach and potent use of Erica Ohlsson’s charismatic vocals. Those interested in the high-energy driving tempo showcases the band is known for should be quite happy as well. “Cyberdome” is an all-out romp of energy and fun…
…thing in my musical career. Getting to write, record, perform and tour the world with three of my best friends who also happened to be amazingly talented and like-minded individuals shapes me into the person I am today. Dead Rhetoric: What’s on the horizon for anything related to Domination Campaign, Psycroptic or other band/side activities over the next year or so? Peppiatt: Hopefully we should be looking at doing some shows to follow up the rele…
…sed to learn he’s the only guitar player in the group. Because quite a few times the links are beefier than expected. My favorite track is without a doubt “Dead Fall”. This number takes off at a gallop and never lets up. Elsewhere “Thulsa Doom” invites you on a slow yet epic journey not for the faint of heart, and that is in no way a bad thing. Closer “Live to Die” ticks all the metal boxes and will have many heads a-banging for sure. All told The…
…d in their sophisticated skills, weaving in tasty low licks or heads down drumming pertinent to the song on hand. Whether cruising in comfortable, highway altitude for “There’s Something in Roswell” all the way to hitting upper octane gear on “Fire and Steel”, rest assured these gentlemen possess adequate knowledge in key hooks, constructing material that gets even the distant festival attendees shouting or screaming along to the material. The sub…
…– otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to budget his team and him out from New York. We were really lucky that happened. And we love Lorenzo as well – he has done some cool stuff for Mastodon, Deftones. We always wanted to do something animated, and he really loves the song “The Endless Road Home”. That worked out – we are very happy with the way both of (the videos) turned out. They are my favorite videos we’ve done so far. Dead Rhetoric: How wou…
