…Crucifation” is a straight up neck wrecker and if the band doesn’t play it live on their summer tour, then I don’t know my business. Another gem was “Tension” due to its atmosphere and evil feel. Meanwhile “Everything I Hate About You” and “Toxic” sound very Slayer-esque. Is this bad? Hell, no!! These just happen to be the tunes I’ve banged my head most to. “Two Fists” will give you two black eyes and a bloody lip, all before 9 a.m. and “From Hell…
…standout, the commercial as hell chorus sure to go down a storm when aired live. Grin Cynic probably has the biggest appeal to those who like the commercial side of post-grunge, bluesy oriented hard rock, or music that just has this down to earth emphasis that can go down well in a packed bar as easily as a larger, diverse festival for thousands. Glad to see them back on the scene, maybe this second go around could launch them into another level o…
…usicianship emphasizes easy on the ear hooks to grab the listener immediately, branching off into aspects of cultural/folk-like charm for the beginning sequence of “My Forever Endeavour” while producing heavier, darker strains during “The Aftermath of Life” that seesaw into drama-filled musical components that border on the commercial side to a key uplifting choral payoff. Unafraid to deliver the faster double kick burst or lay back into a dream-l…
…vals as well – we will be on tour from April to mid-June. Then back home a bit, hopefully back on tour in September or October, something like that. We are going to be busy. Nothing is planned in North America, but we are really trying to make it happen. Touring in the US is extremely expensive, because of visas, flights, and all the politics behind things. We will make it happen, eventually, and when we do some (gigs) over there, we will make sur…
…make it easier or harder to come up with new material? Tägtgren: It actually makes it a bit easier. To just be spontaneous when you write. I have no boundaries or frames I should stay inside. It’s like it always has been for the last 25 years. It’s my own little ego trip to learn productions with other musical instruments and ways of thinking. But it’s tricky, coming from a metal dude. It takes a while, and then you have to figure things out, lik…
…ar and vocal strains throughout “Fragile Dreams”, this creates heightened awareness that listeners can expect a bit more diversity this go around. Do not fear that these musicians have steered totally off the familiar In Flames meets Trivium or Lamb of God path – “Despise Your God” will rip flesh from the bone, as will the murky, slow builder “Before the Dawn”. The counterpoint measures, immaculate riff precision, plus tasty lead breaks courtesy o…
…Damnation,” itself being the most doom oriented track on offer. It’s acutely orchestrated, applying many chunks of visceral death crunchiness, and a layer of blackened aura. Multiple time changes keep the listener guessing, smashing away slowly with precision. Tracks like “Incinerated Evil” in the majority go full throttle, while “Bound to the Funeral Pyre” methodically plods forth, representing the band’s most doom adjacent and atmospheric compo…
…up. You hear the opening band playing, but over the top all you hear is, ‘Warlord…Warlord’. There was a look between us that was twofold. This is awesome, and also – what took them so long? It was the culmination. This is what it must be like to play in Iron Maiden every night. They just love you. It’s an indescribable feeling. Dead Rhetoric: In the early 80s, Warlord tried their best to separate themselves from the scene that was going on – bein…
…pture listeners long-term? Freyberg: Music is more important to me personally. Lyrics are also important, but in a different way. If the lyrics are totally off, it won’t work for me. Lyrics are more of a challenge, luckily Tommy is doing a lot of these and is good at those. My concerns are more on the musical end. There are some common subjects, personal growth or personal self-battle, transformation and what not. Dead Rhetoric: Was it an easy dec…
…d” and the title track to heights of passion, the former also containing a bit more playful personal tidbits in laughter or lower register twists that could enhance deeper engagement. Even when the rhythms and double kick work possesses that crunchier or more extreme muscle (prevalent within “Requiem”) or the male growls sprout up from Johan Husgafvel (“Take a Stand” or during the melodeath sequence on “Heed the Call”), the performances never wave…
…po/groove map. Certain titles speak for themselves like “Garth, Let My Family Go” that includes some neat guitar harmony action or the S.O.D. meets GWAR-like barrage for “The Hash Slinging Slasher” – but do not mistake their sense of humor for sacrificing quality on the musical side of things. Much like current favorites Municipal Waste or Toxic Holocaust, the production plus tones very much in your face to maximize the effect that you’ll feel whe…
…e technical, in reality the whole umbrella of metal has influenced me greatly. I’m probably leaving out some significant players. Those had the biggest impact on my playing. Amarin: When it comes to Esodic, we are all involved in other projects, but thrash/death metal, one of the first albums that comes to my mind is Enemy of God – Kreator, I really love that. I think about that album when I write. Exodus- Tempo of the Damned. Some of the early Me…
…Bay: Yes. I’m careful with brand new topics or new directions. It’s not only about the lyrical side, it’s also about the musical side because you are always criticized about always doing the same shit, it would be nice if you change a little bit the direction of Freedom Call. And I’m totally convinced to say – no. Freedom Call is Freedom Call – and if you are longing to listen to different music, then listen to a different band. Where there is Fr…
…e vocals from keyboardist Yamaha Reface (supported with growls/semi-spoken bit from guitarist/Ebow player Ian Arkley encompass a mix of bard-like, folk-oriented charm next to darker growls and mysterious, haunting whispers. The arrangements vary from the direct, compact offerings for “When You Look Back” or the relatively faster, peppier “Another Light” to much more maudlin, epic tracks such as opener “The Liar and the Fool” or “The Last Lullaby”…
…o really bring it to the states. Maryland Death Fest for a while was the only one we had, and they didn’t really highlight a lot of traditional heavy metal bands that I wanted to see. You need to take notes from Europe, they know what they are doing over there. And that’s starting to happen here – I think Christian is doing a good job with Hell’s Heroes, we got to play the second one when it was a little smaller. What’s not to love about that? Dea…
…timed at the onset of the anime to catch more eyes of those who will casually gravitate towards the group as they have already released four additional songs through the currently airing episodes (all at this same, pristine level), Togeari is an excellent introduction to a group that’s sure to make some waves in the Japanese music scene as the year continues to progress. Togenashi Togeari is an exciting group that with an entity like Toei behind t…
…nt thing might’ve been that we’ve been very well prepared, so we could simply ‘deliver’ in the studio. This time it was all about work and therefore you’re focused more, I guess. Nevertheless, I kinda missed the little heavy metal holiday vibe a bit here and there. Loved it always! Dead Rhetoric: You shot videos for “Unhallowed & Forgotten” as well as “Realm of the Impaler” – the latter self-directed by you. What made these obvious choices for sin…
…to get you back into the groove for the heaviest track, “Vermilion Fog of War,” which rushes forward with urgency, yet knows how to maintain control and keep the listener’s attention with an attention to detail with playful melodies and plenty of dynamics to offset some of the punishing riffs that bring the song to a passionate conclusion. Finishing the album with instrumental splendor (and eventually bridging the album’s two parts) is “Transcend…
…quite a bit of bang to it, while also ending on a hopeful moment that really shines as the finale – urging the listener to quickly hit play and run through the album again. For those seeking some ragers, there’s no reason to feel slighted. Early cut “Death Grip” brings plenty of hardcore stomp and breakdown energy to the table, and “Light Years” contains some riffs that are groovy enough to roll away on their own. “Split” all but rumbles with fur…
…nes. Motörhead, Metallica, then you get to Pantera, Sepultura, and especially early Sepultura you are like ‘holy shit’. This is it! Napalm Death, Terrorizer – the first band that exposed me to death metal was Death. The album was Human, a friend of mine had it, we listened to it, we were reading the lyrics, and we were mind blown. I wanted to know more bands – it’s a natural progression to go from one band into the next band. I wanted to learn how…
…sta Sion: The series of EPs we decided on because Extinction Six was a really ambitious album, especially for a band that has no label backing, financing it all ourselves. We decided we wanted to keep the quality of work, but just to make it more feasible we did a series of EPs that will culminate in one full album at the end. This particular EP (had) no surprises. At this point we’ve been in the studio for three previous releases, so we kind of k…
…of Armageddon. The song features an insane solo that would sound otherworldly live via Matt Pike’s wall of amps a.k.a. Tonehenge. “Karanlik Yol”, which is Turkish for Dark Path, fully fleshes out Jeff Matz’ bağlama skills which he dutifully studied in previous years. It’s one of those rare instances where an instrumental track is an actual highlight of the record and not a filler. One can’t help but clap along to the music, shawarma and labneh opt…
…anyway. Everything has to be recorded, and if you have a bad day, especially vocally, there’s no second chance for you. It was cool that we had three sessions and good time management to record these songs. Gruber: It let us really focus on the songs themselves. Baumann: Yeah, if you have to just record three songs, you can 100% focus on each of the songs, as opposed to doing 10 at once and just knocking them all out. Dead Rhetoric: So do you fee…
…ing the more recent offerings – to keep the blazing spirit of heavy metal alive and kicking. Smartly mixing the setlist between the past and present provides vitality as the quintet delivers guitar-driven, melodic material with plenty of energy, captivating the audience to sing, shout, and clap along to all the key sequences. Ardent followers always rise to the classics such as “Gangland”, the galloping monster “Insanity”, as well as their blister…
…s, and I didn’t know what to think of it. In the end it made the cut, luckily Mark wrote some great lyrics to it. He was approaching it from the standpoint of looking at the world from the viewpoint of the monster itself, he doesn’t think of himself as a monster, he just wakes up one day on this guy’s operating table and he hasn’t done anything wrong, yet people are freaking out. I thought that was an interesting angle. “Ravages of Time” started w…
…ces around with a noise rock riff which I had the pleasure of experiencing live last year. Total earworm for days, no doubt.Drone rears its’ ugly head up with the record’s longest track “Bleeding Horizon”, as the band wrecks everything in their path like a gigantic molten lava slug engulfing everything in flames. Now, back to what Full of Hell does best, the grinding dissonance and bottled fury of the next four tracks. “Vomiting Glass” sounds exac…
…victims of 9/11 who got forgotten in the hoopla. A range of topics, “World War 4”is about World War 3, the dangers of nuclear proliferation. Dead Rhetoric: Do you believe that the traditional, classic, power, and thrash movements seem to be on a decent upswing as far as popularity not only in mainland spots like Europe, South America, and the Far East, but here in the United States as well? Especially given the interest in the latest records from…
…M, 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 enjoy this style that may be cult-like in appeal, yet still vibrant to those who clamor for more. https://www.youtube.com/wa…
…that doesn’t let up in its’ entire run time. This is gonna be a treat in a live setting, 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 o…
…, and the tremolo guitars. It also allowed for me to do my vocals a little bit more powerfully. It’s hard to produce those screams acoustically. I wanted the audience to feel them a bit more. It’s not as subdued. I love acoustic – I’m a sucker for folk music. Dark folk is my sweet spot, I love that. I will always go back to that. But it’s good to release the demons [laughs]. Dead Rhetoric: What did the formation of a full-band mean for Anthesis? H…
