…title track, “Spider on the World”, was a song that goes back to the early 2000’s, 2001-02, I think. It was written by my brother Eli – as are most of our songs, written by one member of the band, usually the guitarists – and then I will add the lyrics, the vocal melodies on top of an almost finished demo. The drummer and bass player add their own little flavoring to that as far as the rhythm section goes. That’s generally the way – the guitarist…
…before finally starting his own act for A Neverending John’s Dream back in 2022. Rounding out the lineup as a quartet (joined by guitarist David Vidal, bassist Paul E. Schuster, and keyboardist Xavier Miro), Coming Back to Paradise is the debut album, a throwback melodic hard rock/metal outing that contains a lot of catchy hooks that may remind most listeners of music from the 80s and 90s. Drawing from experiences of the human condition, music, a…
…looking at booking a European tour, and Napalm has been great in all of that. Just getting the album out and touring for the album and we have nearly finished the next album. We keep writing, I think we have like two more tracks and we are done. It won’t be such a long time between albums. 2019 to 2024 – there was a lot 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 l…
…omething. 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 world by having a…
…A short-lived reunion in 1997 did not last – putting the group to bed until 2015 with a fresh lineup. They’ve made up for lost time in these past nine years – Mourninghoul is the fifth studio album, delivering another platter of furious melodic, blackened death metal similar to what you’ve come to know and love from a lot of the Scandinavian breed. Combining the aggression of classic death metal and the vital extreme nature of black metal while tw…
…lenty of punch to it. Their second album for Metal Blade Records, following 2022’s Ashes Lie Still, the act has mounted an impressive discography over the years that documents their changes from more deathcore and slam roots into something that more or less blurs that line that separates between them. The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams continues that trend for Ingested, though in ways that won’t be too surprising for any long-time fans. The mo…
…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…
…ey have the proper understanding and respect 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…
…e 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 should bring in those who have been teetering on…
…nt for it. We booked him for a session gig a long time ago in the autumn of 2022, and after that we realized that he ought to be the singer. It was all for the best, Erling did a good thing with changing things up but also keeping the elements of our sound intact. Dead Rhetoric: Now that the album is done, where do you see this new record sitting in the discography of Vicinity compared to the previous albums? Kim-Marius: I think it’s definitely ou…
…e agreed. It worked out that way. We combined what complimented each other best – the bonus versions have one where you only hear him, one where you hear only me. The video will be out soon. There will be between 300-600 people every night, most places are packed or almost sold out. It’s the best chance for us so far to play in front of a selected audience that is into our brand of music to present ourselves in a powerful 45-minute set to hopefull…
…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 Guðs hond er sterk. Conceptually, the album tells the story of a famous whaling catastrophe that occurred in the town of Sandvík in 1915. Two boats ultimately sank, with 14 crew members lost, while the village watched in horror from the coast. A story that has long…
…previous bands. I was trying to count the other day, and I’ve written over 200 songs. I feel like I am getting to the stage – it took time. I wasn’t naturally gifted to be this amazing songwriter. It meant taking time and practicing. You have to grind and work hard. Sometimes you have to look at all the bands out there working hard that just don’t get noticed. I think you have to be honest about that too. Not everyone band is big as they should b…
…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 and not let go on highlight cuts such as “Shadow World” or “Under a Black Crown”. The songs of Li…
…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 least for a while longer. Dead Rhetoric: I’m always curious as to what kind o…
…playing about twenty shows/festivals when venues finally opened back up in 2022-23. Which makes this debut album Arson even more seasoned than most first full-lengths – road testing can tighten up parts, extend others, or just cause musicians to develop laser beam focus on what main components work best for their style. The energy is palpable throughout the eight tracks – sitting firmly in the classic power camp where influences pull from the spe…
…een playing World of Warcraft for a long time. I think its coming up on its 20th anniversary this year. I’ve been playing for probably 18 years. Games like Skyrim and those I really like. But I’m also a fan of trading card games like Magic: The Gathering. It’s one of my favorites. I played for over 10 years, but not anymore on a professional level because it requires a lot of money to play it competitively. But I’m really enjoying playing with my…
…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…
…others is a well-planned touch, showcasing many purviews with some of the best acts currently going. Hulder really does represent black metal in a pure form – honoring the trailblazers that came before, while at the same time traversing their own trail for a new generation (and the old folks like yours truly) to embrace. Many of the best aspects of this counter-culture style of music were successfully showcased, and all who witnessed will not be…
…creativity within death metal. Hideous Divinity are an amalgamation of the best parts of technical and brutal death metal, and along with a knack for forward thinking songwriting, have resulted in forming a sound that few have been able to match. Four albums and an EP later, they’re of the most respected bands in their most beloved styling. With the recent trend mentioned earlier of a few dreadfully tiresome acts gaining notoriety for making Wish….
…g albums since arriving on the scene in 2010, their debut The Invocation in 2012 followed by Sanctimonious five years later for 2017. Additional imagery advocates the evil stance even more – from the band logo on through to the promo photos with candelabras, skulls, and members in various forms of corpse paint. Seven years have passed as we hear this third album Return of the Witchfinder, where the quintet pulls from both sides of the traditional…
…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 on music. Especially during 2020, we had a lot of time to do what we love, we got to develop everything way more, these riffs and songs into advanced music. We have been playing together for a…
…ngth, the band issued two EPs in that interim through Ready for Boarding in 2020 plus Strangle With Care in 2022. Bask in the natural prowess present in these nine tracks (shorter instrumentals “Morituri Te Salutant” and “A Mourning in August” open/close the record), followers of culturally motivating riffs, larger than life vocal choirs, as well as galloping, kick ass tempo work will find plenty to treasure here. The guitar interplay between Burk…
…ssive 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 seek broader horizons for the musicians that they love and cherish over the years. A reflective nature sweeps over the atmosphere of these t…
…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…
…d give them our full energy and vibe. We’ve got to play Psycho Las Vegas in 2022, that was a goal of ours almost since the onset of that festival. It was a massive goal, and when we got the call, we were floored. We had the best time. We’ve been locked in pretty heavily on the Northeast of the United States, it was a chance for us to get over to Las Vegas. Anytime we get the chance to play with the greats – back in March we played with Bongzilla,…
…have to answer with an unequivocal yes. True enough, the album is digested best as a whole in its just over one hour run time, telling a connecting story as intended. Within are moments of reserved tension such as the instrumental “…miast cichac szemraja…” and the bombastic yet hauntingly measured “The Fugue.” Defying keeps one guessing while not allowing their grip to loosen, ultimately resulting in a riveting listening experience. “The Acquainta…
…Then that’s where the magic happens, because we let them do what they are best at. We go there and just create these videos together. We are so happy we got to know these guys and work with them. I don’t know how they do it, but Kami always creates these looks that seem so cool. Dead Rhetoric: Starting off independently, why did you end up choosing to align with Napalm Records? Wolf: At some point we just couldn’t do it anymore by ourselves. The…
…ures and restrictions, I thought it was more depressing. Towards the end of 2021 into early 2022, it was depressing. That was a negative thing, I was feeling it. Early 2022 when things slowly started opening up, we jumped at every opportunity. And it snowballed from there. Everybody in the band felt similar feelings, we had to get out of the house. Dead Rhetoric: What has Gus G. learned about himself as a person and a player in your early 40s that…
When Italian power metal band Kalidia called it quits in 2022, it was quite a bummer for anyone who had been following them. Their potent mix of classic and more modern influences, along with Nicoletta Rosellini’s powerful vocals, made them a rising force. Thankfully, Rosellini decided to grab Kalidia drummer Dario Gozzi and live guitarist Paolo Campitelli to assemble a new act by the name of Alterium, along with members of Draconian and Altair….
