A progressive death metal act from Reading, PA, Subterranean Lava Dragon merges members from Black Crown Initiate and Minarchist into a new act that seems ripe with premise. After all, both acts provided nothing less than top tier work in this particular subgenre of metal. Interestingly enough, this trio of vocalist Connor McNamee, bassist Nick Shaw, and guitarist/vocalist Ethan McKenna actually started this music over a decade ago, and it’s finally seeing fruition and release.
While one can grab some immediate enjoyment from The Great Architect, it’s a lot to take in at once. While it’s a pretty digestible 43-minutes, that’s divided by only six songs. It doesn’t take much math to deduce that each track is chock-full of complex instrumentation with all but two of the cuts exceeding six minutes each. That said, the title track sits as the shortest at just shy of five minutes, and is the most approachable to start with. It’s still full of mind-boggling melodies and prog fireworks, and what makes it work (much like the other tracks) is that there’s still a distinct heaviness to it. McNamee’s growls merge with the massive riffs. The slowdown in the track’s second half is almost doomy in its weight. On the opposite end, you have the nearly twelve minute “Bleed the Throne,” which never once loses steam. From crushingly heavy passages to soaring melodic moments, it keeps the listener fixated as it weaves its story through many tempos and dynamics. It’s also got plenty of soloing across the board that never really goes into overkill territory.
What’s also nice about The Great Architect is how each player gets to shine. While some groups get bogged down with putting the attention on the guitarwork, it’s just one piece here. McKenna does a fantastic job with keeping the progressive guitar melodies and riffs quite intriguing and complex (not to mention the solos), but it’s nice to see the wealth shared. His clean vocals absolutely soar at the right moments. Shaw’s basswork is a consistent joy, with a dominant sound within the mix and even allowing the opportunity for bass solos. McNamee’s growls sound menacing, and when contrasting with McKenna’s cleans, it makes for a interesting contrast that isn’t held to the same predictable usage that occasionally plagues extreme metal.
A fantastic new band to reference within the progressive death metal community, one has to hope that The Great Architect doesn’t go unnoticed. As a definite passion project that was fifteen years in the making, Subterranean Lava Dragon are a name to watch if you enjoy extreme metal on the more proggy side of the scene.
New Los Angeles act The Dark are set to unleash their self-titled debut EP later this month. Their sound is unique, with nods to everything from metalcore to nu metal to ’90s industrial, to simply name a few. There’s notable moody atmospheres, intertwined electronics, and some blunt heaviness all wrapped together in this exciting sound. We spoke with vocalist Craig Johns Jr. to hear some of the history of the band, what his production work has aided with in The Dark’s sound, social media efforts, aspirations about future live shows, and much more.
Dead Rhetoric: How are things in California at the moment?
Craig Johns Jr: Not very good. I’m personally situated in a place where I am okay, but a lot of friends have lost their homes and things are definitely stressful right now. Hopefully it will get better in the next couple of weeks. It’s a lot. LA is built from a lot of strong people and passionate people. I’ve seen a lot of people donating and delivering them. Everyone is working really hard. I hope it’s fixed soon, it’s a terrible tragedy for everyone. It’s devastating so I hope we learn from this and I’m proud of everyone for coming together.
Dead Rhetoric: How did The Dark come about?
Johns: The Dark started as a writing project about two years ago. Alan [Ashby] had reached out to me to work on some music in the realm of video game and movie scores, and then little by little it got heavier and it sort of turned into a metal band. Then we had the talk about whether we should go ahead and make it a band. So we did. We spent the first couple years writing tons of songs, then throwing almost all of them out. Then the search for a label began and finding members to play drums and bass. It was really just writing music for a while until we decided to take that leap and make it a real thing. We really came together in a very serious way in the summer of last year, so less than a year ago.
Dead Rhetoric: So what were those sort of initial influences? You said there was more of a video game and movie score kind of feel to start.
Johns: He [Ashby] had been playing a video game, Cyberpunk, which had a lot of more techno/industrial feels to it. He was very inspired by that. I’ve always been very into nu metal and industrial metal. So there’s a bit of that, as well as movie scores combined with him playing in metal bands for quite some time. I’ve been producing metal for a long time, so we combined in a unique way, to make the band what it is. ‘90s metal for sure, movie scores, a lot of electronic stuff – those are the influences.
Dead Rhetoric: There’s some notable ‘90s nu metal and industrial elements that you can hear creeping into the band. What do you like about that particular sound?
Johns: I don’t know if it’s something about the sound. I just kind of grew up on it. My mom was into heavier stuff growing up and I spent a lot of time in the day care in the personal training gym where she worked, and they played a lot of Limp Bizkit, Deftones, Slipknot, and Linkin Park. I just grew up on that stuff, and I think that whatever you listened to in your formative years kind of carries into your adulthood. It hits a sweet spot for you. I’ve written all kinds of stuff, but that’s the sound that gets me the most excited. There’s also so much room for exploration.
Metal in general is so diverse. I think that being able to play so much with the electronic space and the industrial space – there is so much impact you don’t really get in a lot of other kinds of metal or other types of electronic music. There can be such dynamics with it by just cutting things out or bringing things in. You can be really creative with the layers. I feel like it just feels like there is an epicness that is unique to the industrial side of things.
Dead Rhetoric: On the production side of things, have you taken anything you have worked with as a producer and applied it with The Dark, or things that you specifically didn’t want to work with?
Johns: I don’t know, I do have a bit of disco stuff I want to play. There is a very delicate balance between the organic and synthetic elements in that genre. You want to have a lot of very real sounding section with the guitars and horns, but you also want to have these electronic drums or synthesizers. To get it all to blend is something you learn. I think I used a lot of that in The Dark. I am constantly trying to blend what is a guitar and what is a synth. Or what is a real drum kit and what’s a machine. I think we exist in that gray area for the listener, not necessarily picking out sort of what is what, but how it all sounds together. I think keeping people in that space – the balance between what is real and what is not, and emphasizing the mood and impact over a particular tone or sound. I incorporated a lot of that, which I learned from disco.
Just to avoid it, I think there is a lot of formula out there, and I think I avoided a lot of that. Sometimes we use a lot of that, but it’s more like, ‘let’s just double this chorus, because that’s what everyone does and it just makes sense.’ So sure. But do I want to do that? When you have a new band, you have a new opportunity to do whatever you want and set your own template. There’s no need to just do what you have always done because you haven’t done anything. So I am careful to not do the obvious thing all the time.
Dead Rhetoric: Related to that, what do you feel you have to offer the average listener that helps you to stand out?
Johns: I think that it’s more of what we don’t have. We don’t have a lot of the obvious stuff, like the classic chorus sound a lot of groups have. We don’t have a big one-liner breakdown a lot of bands have. Nothing wrong with those things, but there are other bands that have really honed them and there’s no point in coming in and trying to do something that someone else has already done and are known for. I think that when someone listens to us, it’s not a metalcore band. It’s not that – it’s it’s own thing. It’s heavily electronic and you have so much dynamic between the push and pull of completely empty space and the overwhelmingly full and dense. If you are listening to us and you like us, it’s because it’s like watching a sci-fi movie but it’s like a band. There’s something very dense about that.
Dead Rhetoric: So do you feel there’s a lot of crossover potential outside of the metal market that you can appeal to? I know you have been getting played on Octane already.
Johns: I hope so. I definitely see the band as growing into a space that’s just not the metalcore scene. I hope that we aren’t stuck there. I want to see the band grow into more of a bigger, rock space. Theres always subgenres and you can chop things up however you want, like is it this type of metal or that type? But at the end of the day it’s all metal, it’s all rock. I think that I try to make it so the melodies are approachable for everyone. If you listen to really heavy stuff, there are some super heavy parts – screaming and breakdowns and all that. But I don’t think the band overall feels like something you can only listen to if you are into that sort of stuff. I want it to be approachable for everyone. But also, unique. It’s it’s own thing that a lot of people can get into.
Dead Rhetoric: A good chunk of the EP is already available for listeners. How do you feel the band has been received so far?
Johns: I think it’s way better than I thought it was going to be [laughs]. I thought that it would take a while to grow. We have so much growing to do – we are still brand new and small. But it was cool, our first song just had a bit more of a moment than I expected. I expected nothing, and there was a little bit of a pop, and it was a wonderful surprise. “Slip Away” has been received so well by radio and playlisting. It’s better than I could have imagined. We’ve been shocked and grateful and excited. So the pressure is on to continue to fuel that fire, and not let it be a flash in the pan. We are doing everything we possibly can every day to keep it going. We have a lot of people to thank for that. People on TikTok who made reviews, people on Spotify who put it on a playlist, and the amazing people at Octane who just genuinely like it a lot and want to keep playing it. You can’t ask for that. We are stoked and grateful. We want to keep everyone happy and want to keep them listening.
Dead Rhetoric: With the room for growth, is there anything that you can think of that you think would be a cool idea to expand upon? Any thoughts as to how you want to grow?
Johns: No, not like in a weird way. We don’t want to break into doing movie scores or anything like that yet. We are a new band, and until everyone has heard of us, I don’t think we can stop pushing. I want to be the biggest band in the world, and I don’t think you can set your goal anything short of that if you really believe in something. I think I just want everyone to check us out. It’s going to take some time.
Dead Rhetoric: How important is the social media piece in getting exposure for a new band? A lot of bands shy away from it, but do you think there is a certain amount of relevance to play the social media game and have it work in your favor?
Johns: Yeah, I think it’s a necessary evil. I don’t know if I want to say it’s a necessary evil – I don’t know if it’s really evil at all. I can be. There’s a lot of people who hate doing social media, and I get that. I think a lot of people have been pressured by a lot of other artists who had success in one pocket, to do what they did or some marketing person is telling them they need to make one post a day singing in your bedroom. That’s not necessarily true. I think it’s different for everybody. Who your band is, what your genre is, and what your personal vibe is. We treat social media like more of a gallery. We post our videos and songs on there. We aren’t trying to have people relate to us, or be cute with it. Here’s what we do, here’s what we sound like and look like, and we help people like it. That’s just who we are. I spend all day making stuff in a studio and I just post it.
I’m not spending all day chatting on TikTok. That’s not who I am and I don’t want to fake it. It would feel really ingenuine. But I love making art and I love showing it to people. We treat it as a gallery of what we do. I think the important thing is just getting your art in front of someone, so we do post constantly on Reels and TikTok. We try to get creative and repurpose – as long as something is going out almost every day, I’m happy about it. If you do like this genre, if you could like our band, then hopefully we have popped out in front of you. So just making an effort to do that. It’s overwhelming, social media. We just try to make cool stuff and post it.
Dead Rhetoric: You had your first live show last month? What goals do you have for the band in the live setting moving ahead? What would you like to achieve as a band with them, other than the obvious growth?
Johns: I’ve always hoped that our live show could sort of exceed the norm. I have had this dream that our live show is more of a 3-dimensional experience than just playing our songs really loud. I want to start playing with things like lighting and atmosphere, and other kinds of activation senses…even playing something like smell. I want to make it so when you go to the live show, your friend is like, “Have you done this before?” not just “Have you seen them?” I want an intense experience. We already play our shows super, super dark…not just because we are called The Dark, but I think it’s more intense that way. When there are no lights, there are no lights. It’s unnerving.
We think it’s cool to go in and have your adrenaline a bit high and be in the pitch black in between songs. It feels a bit more like an adrenaline rush than just having someone play loud. That’s great, but I hope that it becomes…I don’t know, I’d really like to change the game with that and really fuck shit up, but again. When you are a small band with a small budget, it’s hard to accomplish that. But I have a dream of making it a very one of a kind experience someday.
Dead Rhetoric: Do you feel that heavier music has been making more of a mainstream comeback?
Johns: I don’t know. I feel like when I was younger, it was huge. Maybe it was just where I was at. Nu metal went on to be more of a mainstream thing. Then in the 2000s, the Rise Records scene was getting pretty big. A lot of people who knew those bands and it was pretty cool. I think it has taken quite a huge dive. In the past 5-10 years it feels like things have started to die, but it’s starting to come back now. Gojira playing the Olympics was huge! That was really sick. It seems like it is coming back strong, but we are still on the climb up, so I’m excited to see how big it gets. But if you are structured in movies again, you are starting to see bigger shows again. Warped Tour coming back is huge. I think that all things combined, I think it’s coming back but we haven’t hit the peak yet. I’m hoping the peak is soon.
Dead Rhetoric: The band is called The Dark, and there’s a lot of stuff in there about the dark side of human nature. What’s appealing about that in terms of making a sound around it?
Johns: When I am making music, I think I am very visual with it. I’m not sure if it’s full on synesthesia but I feel like a lot of those sounds feel like those spaces to me. When I am chasing a certain objective, or a verse/chorus, and I have an idea about how I want it to sound, it feels very much like I can see these spaces or see the color of the art. I think that I am trying to make things sound how they really feel to me.
A lot of times it’s the same thing with what I am singing about. When I am singing about something cold and distant, I don’t just want the words to be that, but the part should sound that way. So I go to great lengths to get certain sounds and flavors that really reflect what I am talking about, so that it feels very connected. It was more of a theme of this, lyrically, before it became the name of the band. We had a song called “The Dark,” and it became the name of the band. That song later changed names and is now one of the ones that is not out yet on the EP.
Dead Rhetoric: You have those five songs on the EP, do you have more written that you are working towards with future releases?
Johns: Yeah, we are working every day on something. We have already started working on the record for after the EP. I have no idea when that will be out or even start to release it. But we don’t just stop writing because there is and EP coming out. As soon as it was done, we kept writing songs and now that will be a record. But yeah, Alan is always sending me demos and I’m always producing them. We are always working, always. It’s what we literally like to do, like playing sports or watching TV. We just like to work on stuff. So I do it all the time. There’s a bunch of stuff I have already written that is just sick.
Dead Rhetoric: A cool thing I have seen with some other Arising Empire bands is that the singles keep coming out, and eventually there’s an album announcement. But it keeps the music in people’s attention span longer that way, with the lead-up.
Johns: Yeah, if it was up to me, we would just release a song every 6-8 weeks forever. I don’t know if we need to have things packaged. I guess creatively, you can categorize things like when we wrote this EP we were in this headspace and this sort of sound. Then here is our pocket for when we were writing this album, and it feels like an album. It makes sense to have those things, even if we are in a singles-driven culture now. I like the idea of having the albums for categorization, or collections of different times of writing things. But as far as releasing things, I’d just release things constantly, forever if I could. It’s awesome, and I like making stuff. I don’t like not putting stuff out, just because we have to wait. The album comes out, you can’t just drop a new song a month later. You have to give it a bit. But I would if I could. I enjoy it, and I don’t want to stop writing or producing stuff.
Dead Rhetoric: What are your other plans for 2025?
Johns: We have our show on February 23 in Los Angeles at The Echo. We are super excited for it. It’s our first headline show. We have some really awesome openers for it. Kent Osborne and Chino. It’s going to be super sick. The tickets are up at our website. We have a few other shows and other things that I can’t give out details on, but they will be spread out throughout the year and the EP comes out in February and hopefully we will be touring our asses off. I want to be playing as many shows as possible. Then just cooking on the record. It’s a busy year already. We are shooting another music video in a few hours! We are constantly doing something and working our asses off. Putting out content, putting out songs and playing shows, getting ready for whatever comes next.
If one thing can be said for Jinjer, it’s that things haven’t exactly been easy for the Ukrainian band. They worked and worked to breakthrough, something that didn’t happen instantly with the release of King of Everything. The most recent and urgent challenge has been the Russian occupancy of their homeland, with the band having to be granted permission to continue touring from the government and become ambassadors. What effect has this had on the music? Well, intentional or not, Duél comes across as some of the most aggressive music from the modern act to date.
“Tantrum” instantly sets the tone for Duél as it’s opener. Exploding out of the gates with blastbeats and chaotic, complex riffing, it makes a statement of aggression. Not to say that the band’s longstanding groovy emphasis doesn’t show up, with more melodic moments featuring Eugene Abdukhanov’s basswork and vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk’s cleans don’t appear, but the intensity of the band at their most visceral is immediately notable. Later cut “Fast Draw” thrashes forward with dire urgency and breakneck speed. Shmayluk’s roars hit some masterful lows as the music comes into groove territory, and the music does not relent. “Hedonist” takes the dark aggression and channels it more into heavy grooves and murky atmosphere, and “Rogue” rolls out the fury with djenty chugs and progressive noodling.
But for all the aggressive energy present on the album, it’s far from one note. There’s still plenty of room for experimentation. “Tumbleweed” has an almost stoner doom feel to it’s riffing and melodies, standing as one of the most unique sounding songs the band has done. The emotive “Someone’s Daughter” switches between groovy and atmospheric melodies as it builds up to a breaking point. The title track works as a closing display of proggy melodies and tempo shifts between the melodic and heavy, showcasing all of the band’s continued evolution in one track.
While in some regards, what Jinjer is somewhat more predictable in their extremities between melodic and heavy clashes, its the space between that is most important. They prove themselves to be still hungry to develop and up the dynamics, whether it’s through being more progressive, intense, or in melody. They’ve put the time in to find a niche that is their own, and they continue to cultivate and expand that sound. Duél sees them standing tall, surmounting the challenges around them and continuing to up the sonic ante, proving themselves to be more than worthy of the hype.
Frontman for the dark rock/gothic act Lord of the Lost, Chris Harms has been riding high off some earned successes in recent years as his group has gained more attention at the global level. Thus laying some of the groundwork for his first solo effort, 1980. Given the title and artwork, it’s not too hard to see where Harms’ influences are showing into that decade’s synth pop and new wave experimentation. Something that’s a perfect fit for his quickly identifiable baritone vocals.
Those who have a soft spot for synthwave or ’80s new wave are going to have their day made when they hear 1980. Harms’ vocals are the centerpoint for each track, but the playful and/or dark and driving synths are bound to fight for your attention at every corner. There’s a touch of metallic and gothic influences only in the sometimes dark tone of the electronics, and his lower vocal register. It’s a fantastic throwback, and the way each track sets it up makes it fun to see where it will go. Opener and single “I Love You” entices the listener with it’s big synth and vocal hooks that sit on the danceable side of things, sure to bring a smile to ’80s nostalgia fans faces as they sing along. The same can be said for the rousing “She Called Me Diaval,” which offers driving synths that all but move in neon colors as Harms croons above it all.
But it’s not all bright, neon rainbows, and the album shifts into darker directions as well. “Past Pain” carries a distinctly goth-y flavor with it’s dark, striking synth beats and similarly gloomy approach by Harms. Closer “May This Be Your Last Battlefield” hits similar reflective notes, but in an even more ballad-y and pensive way. “Somewhere Between Heaven and Armageddon” offers something between the two extremes, with a combo of bigger hooks with a darker vibe overall. Something that “Madonna of the Night” seems to revel in, with it’s big pulsating synths and soaring chorus that also features Sven Friedrich in a great duet.
Big synth-driven and goth-y sounds await you on Chris Harms solo debut. Sure to appeal to ’80s synth fans as well as the Lord of the Lost crowd, it’s a surefire winner that gives Harms a different playground to sing through, and one that’s just as solid a fit as his main gig. 1980 is a fun, nostalgic trip with charismatic vocals that lead the way with plenty of dark charm.
Returning for their first new album since 2019’s Black Anima, Lacuna Coil are now on the doorstep of releasing follow-up Sleepless Empire. A long-standing act in the modern metal scene, and one that has made steps to grow along the way, coming from their more purely gothic roots and embracing new paths along the way without dissolving their identity, Lacuna Coil have kept their sound fresh. We caught up with vocalist Andrea Ferro to discuss the impacts from COVID-19, the influence of Comalies XX back in 2022, the core sound of Lacuna Coil, and even what he has gained as a member through the years.
Dead Rhetoric: Looking back at it, how did the COVID-19 pandemic impact Lacuna Coil?
Andrea Ferro: We never thought we would experience something like that. In the beginning it was obviously scary because, especially for older people that were dying, we were worrying about our dear family members who were older and more at risk. But we got lucky with that, and no one got really bad with it. For us, it was definitely weird to be home for 2 years. We have never been home for such a long time because of the touring schedule and recording cycle. So it wasn’t that bad, to be experiencing being at home and being able to play guitar and video games and watching TV shows. Financially, it wasn’t a disaster. Yes we did miss a lot of money from touring. But we got lucky with a couple of things, and with the support of the fans and merchandise. I worked hard on bureaucratic things in order to get money from institutions, and even some money from Facebook from the band.
So financially it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. We made it through without too many problems. But it was definitely not a creative time for us. We did not feel any creativity. We felt blank. Normally, we collect a lot of experiences from touring around the world, exchanging cultures and seeing friends that you only see on tour, and spending time around and visiting new places. We didn’t feel ready to record a new album after the pandemic. It took us some time to focus and start feeling the right vibe. We toured a bit before and we rejoined a bit of what we had before.
Dead Rhetoric: So was there anything during that touring before the album that stuck with you and kind of helped with writing Sleepless Empire?
Ferro: Maybe the fact that before we started working on the new record, we worked on a remake of our classic record Comalies celebrating the 20th anniversary in 2022. So we went back and deconstructed the original to re-evaluate the arrangements. So listening to how we were doing things 20 years before, that helped and sort of unconsciously influenced some of the arrangements we have on the new record. So the record does sound different for sure. A lot of people who have heard it say that in some ways, it does resemble certain atmospheres from back in the day of Lacuna Coil. So maybe that influenced the process, but definitely the title and name of the record came from an observation of reality post-COVID.
It’s not specifically a critique, because we are living the same as the younger generation: always on the phone and always connected with the internet, social media, streaming services, etc. All of those things, we felt that society is a huge empire with all of these possibilities that you can reach very quickly. But on the other hand, it’s overwhelming for a lot of people. We are on the phone even at night, so we are sleepless in this huge empire right now. That was the main idea behind it. It’s not a concept album strictly, in that every song touches that topic, it’s more of an overall picture. When we normally start writing, we start with a title and an image. That really helps Marco [Coti Zelati], our bass player, who is our main songwriter, to start writing.
Dead Rhetoric: What else do you think defines Sleepless Empire as a Lacuna Coil album?
Ferro: I think there are mostly two kinds of bands, generally speaking. There are the types of bands that make their formula over and over, always great…like AC/DC, Iron Maiden, or even Disturbed. They have a formula that works really well and they make slight changes to it and it works great for them. There are other bands that need something a little bit different, to spice it up, or to contaminate somewhere else. We are more of that kind of band. Even though we don’t completely change every record. We change a little bit and introduce different influences we collect along the way, some are heavier and sometimes softer. We are open to be influenced by different things. This record is more dark because of those atmospheres from the past maybe. There’s a lot of raw energy I think, in some of the heaviest songs. We always have a couple of songs that are a little different, like “I Wish You Were Dead,” which is more melodic and easy going, with more sarcastic lyrics. Also songs like “Sleep Paralysis,” which is more of a slow burn and atmospheric song compared to the others. So I think that’s the main difference with previous records. It’s moving forward a little bit.
Dead Rhetoric: So what are the parts of Lacuna Coil that are going to come through, no matter the direction that inspiration comes from?
Ferro: I think there are three elements that describe our music. There’s the metal, for the heavy parts. There’s rock music for the big choruses and melodies. Then there is the dark. It’s more about the atmosphere and the way we make arrangements. I think those three elements play around in our music, no matter what. There’s also the duality of Cristina and my vocals. That’s part of the balance of the music, I think. So we have the two voices, Marco making the directions and the arrangements, it will always be Lacuna Coil. Sometimes it’s more heavy, sometimes it’s more rock, and sometimes more dark, but the same ingredients are there just balanced in a slightly different way. Those elements will always define us, and they have defined our last 10 albums.
It’s something we had the good fortune of being able to develop in the first three records, because we grew up in a world that was still giving bands the chance to do three records before they made some commercial success. You were not rushed to immediately release a record and become a big name. We were fortunate that in our era, you still had time to grow and develop, and to get away from your influences as a starting band – developing a more personal style.
Dead Rhetoric: I think the way that you summed up the parts that make up Lacuna Coil is very cool. Some bands are very specific, and I think your broader answer speaks to the fact that there are different elements in each album. You have wider parameters to play in.
Ferro: We try. We need to keep doing this, we need to be stimulated and to feel a certain freshness that sometimes we get from the younger bands. It’s true that they don’t have the same experiences that we have had, but they have an energy that we can’t have. That moment has passed for us, that we are the fresh new thing and very naive maybe, but we had the energy of people who are out to discover the world. It’s important for us to keep listening to the younger bands because we can take that energy from them, this freshness that we cannot have, because of time passing and collecting experiences and being more mature.
Dead Rhetoric: How do you feel that Lacuna Coil has allowed you to grow as a person?
Ferro: We have done a career that we never thought was possible when we first started, especially coming from Milan, Italy. It’s not really a rock and roll heaven [laughs]. There’s not much history with Italian rock or metal bands, singing in English, making international careers when we started in the ‘90s. There weren’t many examples to follow. In Germany, you have bands since the ‘80s that made rock history like Scorpions or Kreator or Rammstein. There are a lot of bands that made a name for themselves internationally. The same for Scandinavia, England, and America, obviously. Italy is more known for traditional/operatic singing or folkish stuff. So for us, to have a career like this has been beyond expectation.
For me personally, to get to travel the world and see places I only dreamed of. To see cultures, it allows you to grow as a person and understand that there are different traditions, ways of thinking, and philosophies. I still learn every time. Every time I go to Japan or China, for example, you see a very different culture than Italy. America is different but it is still sort of similar in a way. The same with South America, it’s mostly similar. Japan is an entirely different world. Especially the first time we went there in the early 2000s. There were very few people speaking in English, there were no signs in any Western traditional alphabet, only in traditional Japanese signs. So it was very different culturally. So you learn a lot. You learn your vision is very limited as you grow up, as much as it can be democratic and open, it’s different. So it’s great. I think the greatest gift is to know people around the world and to have friends all over the place.
There’s also the legacy you create with your songs. That’s more important than how many records you sell and how much money you make. Obviously everyone likes to make money, we aren’t against it [laughs]. But the legacy is more valuable after. When we are gone, the only thing left is our legacy and our exchange of energy with the people. That’s the greatest result and what fulfills you the most I think.
Dead Rhetoric: It’s almost 20 years since Karmacode. What do you remember about making that album?
Ferro: It was the first one after we really grew up as a band. Comalies was the one that really set the name of Lacuna Coil internationally, especially in North America. Radio and a lot of things came that we didn’t expect. That record went 100 bigger than any of the ones we had done before. It became the best selling record of the label at the time. It was a big change in our name and our possibilities for touring, recording, and budget. Karmacode was the first record after we achieved all of that step in our career. So there was a bit of pressure, especially from the outside, in order to go even further up the level with the singles and all that. So it was a lot of pressure, but we tried to not overthink the record too much.
On the other hand, it was also the first record where the digital was coming in. The digital world was coming. Napster was starting with downloads. Our first single from the record was “Our Truth,” and we released it in a ‘fake file’ online, where you would download it and it was actually white noise. It was an experiment we did to see how many people would download it, so we could understand how it was working. In one week we had like 3 million downloads. It was unbelievable. Then we really understood how the world was changing and how fast it could change. We were shifting into a new era of music business. So it was an important record for us. Not only did we become more aware of our possibilities as a band at that level, but we also understood where we were starting to go in the future.
Dead Rhetoric: You mentioned the time off touring during COVID. Then you jumped right back into it. How do you handle life on the road as you get older?
Ferro: We are still enjoying the touring side of things. But we try not to burn ourselves out. We have done 3-6 months on the road, touring America without going back to Europe. We have done that, because it was different times and we needed to build the name of the band. We don’t have to play every city in the world now. We have done that, so we try to have more of a balance with life at home versus life on the road. When albums come out, like now, we need to tour. It’s new. COVID made it even longer between tours, so we need to go to North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, so it’s going to be a lot of touring this year. It’s an album release year. But we try to not burn ourselves out. We want to be able to enjoy it.
I think nowadays we appreciate the fact that we can go to a city in the world and people go out and see us. We appreciate it even more. When you are younger, it’s just another show and tour. You don’t stop and think, “wow, people in LA came to check us out and we are from Milan.” Now we appreciate it more, we can understand we have been doing this for 20-25 years and we can still do it. We can still sell out in LA or New York or Tokyo, and that’s amazing! We enjoy it even more with the passing of time. But we try to schedule it more reasonably.
Dead Rhetoric: Do you see different generations of fans at shows at this point?
Ferro: We have a lot of different generations at the shows, and different types of people as well. One thing we noticed, especially after COVID, is that there are people older than us coming to the show. Like, 60 and older. I asked them, since it’s usually people our age and younger, but there are regularly people there older [than us]. They said, during COVID they were at home and searching Spotify and it suggested other bands they might like, so they found us and they have money, and they might not be working as much. So they come to the show, and once the lights have turned off, they are just a part of a crowd. They aren’t that 65 year old guy, they can just be part of the crowd and scream and sing and move. They normally wouldn’t go to a rock bar and be with people 30 years younger, but at the show, the distance gets erased – it doesn’t matter if you are old or young, male or female, or whatever. You are just part of the crowd, so why not? They can do something just like anyone else.
Dead Rhetoric: Finally, what’s planned for the rest of 2025?
Ferro: Mostly touring. We just shot a video a few days ago that will come out around the time of the release, probably around the 11th or 12th of February. We are going to do a lot of touring this year because we need to promote the album, and there will be a lot of press and signings, things like that. But we also don’t want to stop our other collaborations. We also very nerdy and we have a lot of stuff with comics and board/video games, and movies. So there are a lot of collaborations for that as well. There are more surprises to come!
Amongst the progressive death metal genre, there’s a lot of bland material going around. Much of it on the tech side of things, with bands deciding that the need to out-tech each other outweighs the need to write a brutal, heavy, and most importantly, memorable song. On a random look at some upcoming releases, the ominous and gory cover of Crowned in Corpses caught this scribe’s eye and gave it a closer look. Pathogenic’s first album in over five years, the reborn Boston act proved to be a surprisingly excellent one that demanded full attention for it’s expansive thoughts on death metal.
It’s hard to really give Pathogenic a straight ‘classification,’ and that’s fantastic news. There’s some modern sounding grooves and emphasis on massive riffs throughout, while still delivering absolutely punishing and devastating energy, nuanced musicianship and prowess, and just the right amount of melody. The opening cut and single, “Mass Grave Memory,” showcases much of the band’s good sides. Earworming grooves and melodies, a potent intensity, and some gentle bits of melody to generate a track that sucks the listener in, all without turning into a techy mess. “The New Rot” ups the proggy/tech factor a bit from the opener, but it’s done in a playful way that melds well with the modern groovy bits and gives them more diversity to play off of.
The middle of the album gives us the 7-minute “Fragments,” which proves to be a true gem in the band’s arsenal. It’s a tightly focused track despite the extended playtime, allowing some of the most progressive elements to be fleshed out without being excessive, with the sound going so far as to include some tasteful clean vocals without making it seemed forced or ‘trendy.’ Instead, some floaty, clean bits give it an almost psychedelic vibe, augmented by keys for added ethereal notes. All of this while still bringing a heavy backdrop at times that offers aggression without feeling jarring. Closer “Silicon Regime” also benefits from the extended runtime, though delivering a more visceral experience that feels layered and gripping. That said, they can also hone in on pure devastation, with the short title cut serving up urgent riffs upon urgent riffs in a tantalizing mix of heaviness and memorability.
Crowned in Corpses works because it has a firm grasp in creating an aggressive death metal album that’s enriched by progressive song structures and catchy melodies. It walks a tight balance that many seasoned acts just can’t seem to master. Those seeking death metal that is riff-forward without overdoing it, and tapering the melodies just right should have a killer time with Pathogenic’s latest.
Shingeki is a Japanese alt-idol group that formed back in 2017. Featuring no less than 6 vocalists: 3 clean singers, a rapper, a screamer, and a shouter, and 7 “manipulators” it’s a massive conglomeration. As it could be expected from just the vocal contributions alone, Shingeki has a unique sound, something they have striven for since their beginnings – with their own biography stating they wanted to sound different than other idols, bands, and DJs. RAGNARØCK2 is their second full-length album, and following RAGNARØCK before it in 2020, compiles the group’s singles into one release, making it a more friendly access point to newcomers.
Shingeki is nothing if not heavy. While some may not be as hip to the massive doses of rap, EDM, electronics, and even jazz that they add to their unique version of metalcore, there’s no denying how visceral the group can sound when they want to. “World Breaker” contains some devastating breakdowns and screams (augmented by electronics at times) that all but shake the ground, and the ability to stop on a dime, switch to a more hip hop moment and swing into more jpop flavored segments almost gives them a nod or two to Broken by the Scream in their transitions. “Bad Cake” takes some punk attitude, blastbeats, trip and hip hop, and swirls it into a chaotic and aggressive blender that’s as hook-y as it is heavy. “Shinsoukyoku:Inferno” delivers some of the most corrosive metallic content to be found, even elegantly ramping up to a catchy clean vocal chorus before returning to drum battery and caustic screams. A later melodic break only showcases a more striking diversity before diving into an electronically-driven breakdown.
The electronically laced “Noctiluca” serves as a more melodic number, even if it laces some sections with background screams and offers some guitar and keyboard melodies that wouldn’t sound out of place on a melodeath record. The basement jazz intro to “Shinsoukyoku:AbsoluteZero” brings some sonic vengeance later, but the shifts between these sections and the pummeling riffs and screams serve as a delight to see how things can move unpredictably ahead. While the unpredictability might pull some in, it’s not a distraction either – hearing how the group mergers the high number of different vocals and instruments into something that feels more than the sum of it’s varied parts.
Shingeki will likely not be a group for everyone. The sheer volume of different influences and sounds that they put into a single track is impressive and borders on the edge of controlled chaos. But for those seeking something that does venture outside of the norm in many ways, RAGNARØCK2 is an excellent place to discover this thrilling act.
Bursting upon the scene through their 2023 debut album The Conquest of Time, Swedish duo Century have a lot to live up to in their conventional heavy metal ways. Sign of the Storm as the follow-up features ten more energetic offerings that shine in classic glory – ideally putting forth the hooks, steel-eyed melodies, catchy riffs, and majestic vocals that we’ve all come to know and love about this genre. Staffan Tengnér and Leo Ekström Sollenmo as musicians cover all the bass, drums, guitars and vocals at high quality output levels – while also keeping the tones and production aspects self-contained as to deliver these tracks with the same might and spirit as their European/American brethren from those original days.
Opener “Sacrifice” starts things off with a bang – the first riff and drum rolls set to stun before the circular runs and pounding bass/drums captivate the aural landscape, Staffan’s mysterious vocal melodies mirror the fiery guitar lines. Wasting no time with superfluous parts to extend songs beyond necessary means, the occasional high pitch scream or US/NWOBHM-inspired lead break takes material like “Necromancer” or “No Time For Tomorrow” into that next level status, the feel of power/speed metal implicit in the intensity for the latter cut especially. Classical acoustic touches as well as a soothing, almost gothic-like voicing pushes the start of “The Chains of Hell” into a Manowar/Heavy Load direction once the electric instrumentation appears, the marching atmosphere at the forefront especially in terms of the rhythm section foundation.
Emphasis on the ideal riffs that just set your ears ablaze are paramount to the Century game plan. It’s hard to not be swept away by the mini-gallops next to fleet guitar runs that pop up throughout the title track – the shrieking, cultural textures, and calmer transition alluring to set up the next dynamic passage. On the second half of the record a bit of an adventurous tact comes up on “Possessed By the Night” – a steady double kick emphasis next to an uplifting riff attack reminds this scribe of those 1982-1985 US metal days where power, speed, and thrash collided into a traditional metal style that’s hard not to do neck damage long-term. The record closes on an exciting instrumental note for “Sorceress” – the layers of guitars and progressive rhythm section work a distant relative of what you may have heard from Iron Maiden when they released “Transylvania” or “Losfer Words”.
Century is one of those bands that understand the parameters of this style, execute their parts brilliantly, and get to the next song without the need for bombast or excess. Sign of the Storm keeps the excellence flowing, setting the stage for a fruitful, prosperous discography that any traditional metal follower needs in their collection.
Previously establishing themselves from 1994-2021 as Wolfen, the band would change names and styles a bit resurrecting as WarWolf. They’ve released two albums to date in Necropolis from 2022 and The Apocalyptic Waltz in 2023 – setting the stage for that all important third full-length for The Final Battle. The five-piece decided to record these ten tracks in more of an authentic manner, sans keyboards, samples, or auto-tuning to correct any mistakes. What you’ll hear is a mix of the group’s natural Teutonic traditional metal charm / finesse next to a bevy of soaring melodies and guitar work that rivals the classic Iron Maiden catalog, the collective sound primitive as if you were taking things in straight off the floor.
The guitar work from Frank J. Noras and Peter Müller sculpts itself in catchy riffs plus solid tradeoffs or harmony runs to capture a fist-waving, triumphant atmosphere. Check out the driving passages to “Burning Skies” or the acoustic to twin marching harmony possibilities that make “The Dark Emperor” standout cuts, expressing these axe players diverse skill sets – the latter featuring numerous instrumental sequences that will remind many of 1982-1984 era Iron Maiden. Thoughtful bass play courtesy of Florian Abegg amplifies the gallops or progressive nature to other songs – as “The Lycan Empire” illustrates early on. Occasionally the band sits in that mid-tempo anthem pocket that pushed Accept to major heights of popularity – “Blood & Ice” an ideal headbanger featuring those standard shout-a-long choruses that elevate audiences to their feet, screaming for more.
While the musical side of things contains plenty of might and muscle, where some people may be hit or miss in terms of really getting behind this material is in the vocal range of Andreas von Lipinski. It’s not that he lacks the pipes to hit some higher notes – there’s just a German-like personality aspect to specific melodies that he chooses that may be a touch more in the warble category (the lower register verses for the nine-minute plus title track the best example) than what one would expect from the Halford, Dickinson, or Dio class of singers. Thankfully the production values possess the right balance without pinning sounds to the grid or sounding too digital as to strip away the performances – which will make this record stand out in a modern scene where too many bands remain indistinguishable.
The Final Battle has a working-class approach that should allow WarWolf to garner some decent underground buzz – the upcoming European tour with Grave Digger and Victory a perfect chance to move more followers into their camp. An act to keep an eye on, especially if you miss 80’s-influenced heavy metal.
