One of the latest examples of how the metal genre is creatively opening some borders, Vana is a New Zealand-based singer who has gained a notable following on social media platforms such as Twitch and TikTok. She has released a number of singles since 2022, and Trial & Terror is her newest EP and compiles some of her recent singles from 2024 along with one brand new song. Merging together a multitude of influences and sounds, Vana has created something that seems to transcend genre boundaries in the most entertaining way possible.
The six songs that make up Trial & Terror each hit some different beats, but all coming in hard under the modern metal tag. “Ragdoll” starts things off with flirtatious electronics, near-industrial pounding, and moments of chaotic merger between pop, metal, and rock elements. Vana’s vocals move between nightmarish screams to childish nursery rhyme delivery and hits stops at almost every imaginable place between. “Beg!” continues down similarly moody and sensual routes, cranking up the mystique and cranking it up from brooding below the surface to bubbling up to the surface, leading to a chorus that easily sinks its claws into the listener. “Harlequin!” moves in more creepy, carnival direction to start, later implementing more pop-elements and perverting them into sinister hooks as it builds up to a tumultuous boil of bizarre elements.
“Playboi” takes the biggest swerve, with hip hop beats and upbeat dance elements colliding with moments of wall-of-sound industrial rhythms and downtuned riffs swirled together with unhinged screams and a brutal breakdown. The only non-single track, “Noxious,” weaponizes the driving industrial elements with a futuristic hammering of massive riffs, and couples it with arguably the EP’s strongest, pop-driven chorus. The EP ends by cranking up it’s sex appeal to the highest levels, with a queer take on the biblical forbidden fruit tale. An electronically laced, visceral cut that feels as heavy on the riffs as it does electronics – all with Vana leading the way with confident, sensual singing and feral screams providing perhaps the strongest evidence of how she can blend multiple genres together and come out with something that feels unique and fresh.
Trial & Terror is a unique vision of alternative pop/metal that twists and slithers it’s way into something greater than the sum of its parts. It borders on the psychotic at times, in it’s attempt to overwhelm your senses in the best possible ways, and comes together as something full of charismatic energy, potent sex appeal, and visceral heaviness. Vana is onto something that has a wide variety of appeal, particularly to an audience that looks beyond simple genre boundaries.
Another early entry in the European heavy metal brigade, French act Mystery Blue originally hit the scene in 1978 – releasing a series of demos and two albums during the 1980s before fading away in 1989. Returning to the scene in the mid-90s, only guitarist Frenzy Philippon remains from those original days. The ninth studio album Night Demon illustrates a sound that continues to parade a classic, traditional metal template with soaring, dramatic vocal lines, catchy/pounding rhythms, as well as solid, in the pocket tempos with the right fluctuation for speedy or transitional elevation of excitement.
Foundational components like anthem-style power chords carry the hook workload, as a slower, marching composition like the title track contains instant appeal qualities – allowing the bass / drum passages of Julien Ted Weibel and Vince Koehler to shine in the verses as Nathalie Geyer drives her vocal melodies to heights normally reserved for seasoned veterans like Ronnie James Dio or Rob Halford (check out the glass shattering final note of the song). Powerful “Painkiller”-esque drumming gets “Pandemic Metal Virus” off to a resounding start, the riffs tasty while the pace shifts across fist banging to conventional metal landscapes – the guitar work between Francis and fellow guitarist Erik Lothaire delightful, especially when building out the dual harmony licks. Although “Where Metal Rules” seems to open as a tranquil, piano-oriented ballad, once again the quintet shift gears into more of a mid-tempo Accept arrangement, the lyrics depicting the social chemistry, beer imbibing, and friendships built enjoy heavy metal at our favorite clubs live.
“Undertakers” is tough as steel – the supplementary guest vocal support of Andreas Babuschkin perfect next to Nathalie’s multi-octave projection as the music becomes one titanic force to crush listeners under its sonic avalanche. Beyond the twelve original tracks, the record ends with Mystery Blue taking on another Accept staple in “Restless and Wild” – the vocal snarl and gallop-oriented main riff still in place, but unfortunately the lack of strong backing vocals renders their version a few steps below the potency that the original executes. Another drawback for consistent playback lies in the production realm. There are times where the drum tone has a bit more of that digital / typewriter-like presence that flattens the impact of certain songs, where this scribe feels that maybe a more on the floor, natural vibe could have been beneficial to the final sound.
Mystery Blue possess a lot of the tools necessary to captivate followers of traditional heavy metal – you just wish the consistency, and tenacity, would reach a touch higher on Night Demon than they achieve. Ardent old-timers will don their leather or battle-vest denim and enjoy this most.
When it comes to serving up an organic blackened death metal style, there’s plenty to enjoy in the discography of German band The Spirit. You’ll hear elements of progressive rock sitting next to this aural extreme assault – combining influences from multiple decades. The latest album Songs Against Humanity possesses this authenticity you rarely hear from bands in the current scene – as guitarist, bassist, vocalist and main songwriter Matthias Trautes explains at length during our talk. You’ll learn more about the stylistic differences in the new album compared to their last record, his critical take on his own songwriting, concerns over social media and political corruption that have worsened humanity over the last ten to fifteen years, thoughts on AOP Records and the band Rush, plus honest views on the state of the extreme metal scene today in his eyes plus future plans.
Dead Rhetoric: What are some of your earliest memories surrounding music growing up in childhood? At what point did you start listening to heavier forms of music – and eventually gain the desire to pick up an instrument and start performing in your own bands?
Matthias Trautes: I can’t name you one moment – but it was the music that was in my house. The music that my parents were listening to. One of the memories I have is Pink Floyd, because my dad is a huge Pink Floyd fan, so there was always Pink Floyd running in the house. Especially on Sundays in the car, there was always Pink Floyd. With the heavy stuff, there was not one moment. Like many other people, I have an older brother, so whatever he was listening to, I was listening to. When he started enjoying punk, I ended up going in the punk direction. When he went into metal, I went into metal as well. It can be something good to have an older sibling – not always, but especially when it’s a brother it can be something good.
Picking the guitar up, on New Year’s Eve in 2000. We have a channel in Germany, and they have a show on New Year’s Eve called Pop Around the Clock and they play 24 hours of live shows. This was long before YouTube, and I wanted to record an AC/DC show. I thought they were cool music, so I recorded this on a VHS tape. And then before that there was Deep Purple – so they were showing a lot of hard rock shows. I recorded that as well. I watched AC/DC once, and the Deep Purple show around at least one hundred times. It looked like it was one of the last shows with Ritchie Blackmore, and it’s awesome. This show changed my life completely – I fell in love with the band. Especially with what he could do with the guitar, and I wanted to play guitar, this was something for me.
Dead Rhetoric: Did you take any formal lessons or basically just pick things up by ear?
Trautes: I had some lessons in the beginning. I know the basics. In this case, I was always the worst musician in the band when it comes to theory. Our drummer, he’s a drum teacher – Stanley Robertson, our live guitarist, he’s a guitar teacher. In the past we also had one of the best bassists in Europe, Linus Klausenitzer. They will talk about stuff, and I have no idea what they were talking about – I just grab the guitar and play. I’m not interested in the rest. It’s strange when you talk to someone like Linus – he couldn’t understand how I write the music. I hear the melody in my head – and I can’t understand how he is writing music not with feeling, it’s just like mathematics. That’s a very big difference in how you can write music.
Dead Rhetoric: Do you believe this helps The Spirit stand out as a group, because you don’t think as much from technique or theory but writing more from a feeling and emotional standpoint?
Trautes: It doesn’t matter if you know theory or not, but emotions are important. I don’t know if we stick out but what I try to do with the music is not to use a single weak riff. Especially when you have time pressure and the studio time is coming close, if you are not done with the songwriting, don’t just take this riff because of the time pressure. You spend hours every day on things, and sometimes you can’t get forward for inspiration. Don’t take just anything because you want to continue. Just wait until good stuff comes, and then continue. It can be quite hard. That’s the main point I think why we have strong songs. Especially in the case of the guitar work.
Dead Rhetoric: Is it harder to be self-critical of your own creativity – to say this is not good enough to try harder again?
Trautes: That’s just a learning process. When you’ve recorded a bunch of albums, you know how it works. You are getting better to not lean into the temptation. Now, this makes a difference between a good record and a great record. These times when you say no, just continue and wait until something better comes. I don’t save riffs on my phone or the computer – I just work on the song that I’m working on right now. You can get lazy by taking other riffs and I don’t think that’s good for the songwriting process.
Dead Rhetoric: Songs Against Humanity is the fourth studio album for The Spirit. How did you see this set of material developing as far as the songwriting and recording sessions went? And where does this record sit in the discography of the group in terms of differences or similarities to previous output?
Trautes: With the previous album, Of Clarity and Galactic Structures, we went into more (of a) experimental rock direction. With this record, I didn’t want to do this anymore. There are still elements of this style in there, but it’s not the main focus. Here I wanted to write good riffs, good songs, catchy ones, more straightforward and in your face. It is a bit easier and more accessible than the previous one. I love prog music when I’m listening to it the hundredth time like a Tool record, I still hear something new. That’s what I wanted to do with the last record.
Dead Rhetoric: Were there any songs on this record that were harder to develop from the demo stage to what we hear on the final recordings?
Trautes: No, not really. What I usually don’t do is when I am done with a song, I don’t change anything anymore. Because if you continuously change stuff, usually you make it worse. I know a lot of people that do this, the song is actually done, and they change stuff here and there. “Death Is My Salvation” was the first song I wrote for this album, the longest track on the album and I was never 100% happy with it. One year later, when most of the other album was done, I started working on it again. I had a bit more distance to it – and I had to see what annoys me, what wasn’t 100% complete to me. I changed a few things – I sent things to Manuel, and we met together in the rehearsal room the next day, and he thought the song was okay. I said now the song is really good. It was exactly what we needed to change. This time it benefitted the song, and I am happy it ended this way.
Dead Rhetoric: The cover art from Eliran Kantor is another striking piece – your second time working with this famed artist. What’s the process like from inception to the final cover we see – and what do you enjoy most about his skills that benefit The Spirit in expressing the visual aspects of your music?
Trautes: He has a very specific style that he is doing. You can immediately tell if it’s cover work that’s done by him, no one looks like the style that he has. He is working with a lot of bands, but there are many artworks from different bands that always look the same. I want to stand out a little bit. He is a great artist and it’s easy to work with him. I give him nothing specific, but I tell him what I don’t want – some vague ideas, and he is doing his magic. There is not so much (input) from my side. I give him some input that I wanted things a bit brighter this time – the last (album) was quite dark, which fit with the overall lyrical theme of the album. The music this time is more in your face, so I wanted the cover art to reflect that. I wanted brighter colors, and when you see the album artwork you say yes, he did that.
Dead Rhetoric: What do you enjoy most regarding the extreme metal style that you express through this band? Are there specific aspects on the lyrical and musical front that are essential components to make The Spirit special and different?
Trautes: I don’t think anything in our music or the lyrics in general makes us special or different. Nowadays there are way too many bands – especially when you look at the over 55 years of the genre since the first Black Sabbath record. There is too much stuff out there. Lyrics – we like to talk about two topics. The universe and what is going on out there, I’m interested in astronomy and all this kind of stuff. The other topic is the human scum here on planet Earth. It’s like the two topics that you never run out of input. We all know there are two things are infinite – the universe and human stupidity. Those two will deliver forever enough lyrics for me to write stuff for The Spirit.
Dead Rhetoric: How would you assess The Spirit in terms of live performances that may differ from what people hear on your records? What have been some of the standout or more memorable moments to date when it comes to your live shows over the years?
Trautes: When it’s a good live show, when we have a proper sound, and a good audience, there’s always another layer on top of it compared to the studio albums. There are these emotions, sending energy back and forth to the audience, that’s quite important for us. It gives another layer to the music. We try to be as close to the studio sound as possible, of course there are a lot of things that can happen in a small venue with a shitty PA. I’m really happy that people tell us that we sound live like we do on the record, and that we get as close to the sound as the records.
Memorable shows – the first things that come to my mind are not good memories, you know? We just played four album release shows – we played in Stuttgart, the first show in a very small venue, but it was sold out weeks before. The sound on stage was not good at all, but the audience was wild, there was such a great energy there. When the people go nuts, you get more into a punk rock mode to give people a good time and give the people what they want. There are good shows, there are shows you go through. A lot of things can happen. We just announced the Bloodstock Festival in the UK, that will be our biggest show we’ve ever played next year, I’m really looking forward to that.
Dead Rhetoric: You mentioned in a recent interview I saw online the fact that in your opinion many changes have occurred in the Western world over the past ten to fifteen years that have created a lot of turmoil and strife across humanity. What do you think are some of the significant factors that have taken place that cause you to worry about the state of the world we are currently dealing with?
Trautes: There are way, way too many reasons for this. The first two that come to mind – social media, which makes the people dumber and dumber, and puts them against each other in a way that is quite terrifying. And another thing is especially in the Western World, politicians are corrupt as fuck nowadays. When they point the fingers at countries like Russia, China, we are on the same way here. We are on the same path that other countries have been ten years ago. When I look here in Germany, there are criminals in our government. And nothing happens. They do stuff that makes them criminals, but the thing is nobody has to fear any consequences. Everyone is doing what they want. If I worked in a company and did a bad job, then I get fired. And when I get out and do a crime, I should be punished. And the same rules should be there for politicians as well.
In general, for people on the streets, people get stabbed out there and people get free the same night. Law and order are completely out of control here. These are the first things that come to my mind. Politicians would know their consequences if they did their job right. We would have completely different governments. It doesn’t matter which party – left right, up down, black or white – they are all together. If nobody gets punished, then they can all benefit from things. I see this more and more every day. Then after a ten-year break you look back and you see how it was back then – people think it could be worse. I can think about the time when things were different, and people go – damn, what’s happened here? At a larger scale – everything is different. Everyone realizes the big changes that have occurred. I see quite a bleak future.
Dead Rhetoric: How do you feel about AOP Records as a label and how they work with The Spirit in terms of their efforts to expand the following of the band?
Trautes: When we left Nuclear Blast, we had quite a few options – even some well-known labels. I prefer to be a big band on a small label then a small band on a big label. When you are a small band on a big label, you are just a number, you know. Of course it has benefits – you can reach more people. With a small label, it’s more personal. The owner of AOP Records became a very close personal friend of mine. Especially now with this release we talk almost every day on the phone. I don’t know if we would have become much bigger if we had stayed with a bigger label. There are benefits on big labels but also in some parts they are not that good. What is important for you, and what is better for the band? I didn’t regret it for a single day that we signed with AOP Records. We made a new contract with them; the old contract was done, and I signed a new (one) because why change a winning system.
The music industry, most people are lazy, wrong. To find people you can trust and rely on, that’s the most important thing. When you have people like this, hold tight to them, because you can’t do it alone.
Dead Rhetoric: I know that you love the band, Rush. What do you enjoy most about their sound, have you ever gotten the chance to take in a show live during their career, and what would you say are one or two essential albums that motivate you most from their discography?
Trautes: I can’t tell what it is in Rush. There is so much – if you compare the first three records and then look at the change they did with 2112. Up to Moving Pictures, then the 80s albums they went completely nuts into the synth sounds and electric drum kits. The quality of the music in general – it’s outstanding. I saw them twice – in Frankfurt on their last European tour. And in 2011, the Time Machine tour, when they played the whole Moving Pictures album and then some other cuts afterwards. It was my top three concerts of all time. The sound – when these three musicians without backing tracks can create a wall of sound, it’s incredible. They played for over three hours. One of the greatest bands that has every existed. They were an awesome live band.
When Neil passed away, I was very sad. It’s always sad when musicians die from bands you love. In this case, that was a tough one.
Dead Rhetoric: How do you see the state of extreme metal music in today’s global scene? What aspects excite you, and what changes (if any) would you like to make for the greater good of all parties involved?
Trautes: That’s a tough question for me. I’m not into the extreme metal scene nowadays. I may be a bit bored. That’s why I started The Spirit. I wasn’t happy with the albums coming out. There are still good records coming out, but I miss the number of high-quality albums that are coming out. In the 90s what came out in black and death metal, it was crazy. Just name one year, and I can tell you twenty great albums that came out. Nowadays, everything sounds the same, a copy of a copy. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We don’t do that either. There are not many bands that come to my mind that have something completely new. Children of Bodom did something – their first album was something that no one else had heard before. It becomes more difficult to come up with something new. Just make something good, a good record – it can be a straight forward heavy metal record in the vein of Iron Maiden, or a death metal record in the vein of Bolt Thrower. It just needs good songs, an honest sound, and feeling.
That’s what I’m missing, completely. There are albums coming out, maybe I’m just a grumpy older dude. I hope this will change; I would like it to be different, but I know this will not change anymore. Not with the amount of stuff that is coming out every day.
Dead Rhetoric: What’s on the horizon for anything related to The Spirit (or other musical activities) over the next year or so to support the new album?
Trautes: The same as always. Play as many live shows as we can. We have more announcements coming forward, more tours and festivals to come. We are not a social media band, we don’t have a circus on stage, it’s just about the music for us. We gain new fans when we play live, and that’s the most important thing for us. We want to play live as much as possible and bring the music to the people.
Rapidly gaining worldwide recognition after their second album, last year’s Reborn Superstar, HANABIE. have been sprinkling in new singles since then among stops from the touring circuit, two of which have made their way onto their new EP, Bucchigiri Tokyo. A five song EP (six if you count the short ‘bonus’ track) with a central concept centering on Japanese culture, it represents the next evolution of HANABIE., and one that should justly continue to propel them forward to the front of the scene.
Opening with the title track, the first thing that sticks out is how riff-centered it is. A buzzing, thick line of riffing leads the way, with the electronic portion of the band’s sound taking a backseat (in comparison to some of their more recent material). It results in the song having a visceral edge to it, and it feels custom-made to put into the band’s live repertoire, elevating itself with a very catchy yet still stomping chorus featuring Matsuri’s clean vocals. “Metamorphose!” continues the mostly guitar-centric approach with galloping thrash tempos, only slightly slowing down for a more bouncy chorus that utilizes both Yukina and Matsuri in a way that allows them to play off each other effectively. The first song that was debuted from the EP, “OTAKU Lovely Densetsu” ramps up more of an electronic presence than the songs before it, and brings a mixture of what has made HANABIE. such a memorable group. The riffs (and frantic drumming) hit hard, the energy swings from snarling to soaring, and the overall vibe is that one that draws the listener in with how fun it is.
“GAMBLER” offers a few moments of restraint with it’s opening, but don’t expect it to last for long. The music does carry a unique and an almost traditional Japanese feel at times that’s carried by the guitarwork until it gradually escalates. The chorus also sits on the more melodic side of things, giving Matsuri her finest chance to shine vocally, and it’s still packed with heavy, rolling grooves that pick up to thrashing territory as Yukina drops some menacing roars. The end of the track has an effective repeated riff that is bound to leave listeners with a sore neck. Arguably the most upbeat song on the EP, “Ito Okashi My Type,” cranks up some of the electronics and sampling a bit, capturing that more energetic and playful feeling that HANABIE. can weaponize on a moment’s notice. The hooks are massive, with danceable grooves and melodies colliding with frantic heaviness in the best possible way, while Yukina fires off everything from rapid-fire rap vocals to screams.
The EP closes with a ‘bonus’ surprise, giving drummer Chika the spotlight, much in the same fashion that “ME, The Ultimate Invader of the Universe” did for bassist Hettsu. A swirling, electronic-laden trip with dance beats and sounds floating around Chika’s vocals (including a chanted spelling out of her beloved “ice cream”), “Guilty Time” is nothing if a not a thoroughly entertaining send-off that will likely stick in your head at the end of a listening session as much as the other tracks.
HANABIE. continue to evolve their unique and genre-mashing friendly take on heavy music and explore new directions while maintaining their core essence. Bucchigiri Tokyo reinforces the idea that the band is onto something fresh and innovative, and they have the drive to make a name for themselves in the global circuit. Tired of the same ole thing? Let HANABIE. win you over with their slurry of explosive metalcore riffing, vicious roars, jpop and anime-inspired melodies, all laced with danceable modern electronics. Explosive mayhem at its most kawaii.
There’s something to be said for a frequent release schedule in the current here today, gone tomorrow music industry – especially if you have the talent, ambition, and ability to issue quality material. Such is the case for Chicago, Illinois-area outfit Necronomicon Ex Mortis. The Mother of Death as the latest five-song EP comes hot on the heels of this past summer’s fine You and Your Friends Are Dead: Game Over EP, showcasing the quintet’s diverse approach to melodic death metal that infuses elements of thrash, shred / technical prowess, as well as old school aspects taken to a modern edge.
Opener “Trick Or Treat” wastes no time in obliteration mode as far as the twin melodic guitar riffs and thunderous double kick plus entertaining fill spots, the transitional sequences providing ample opportunity for a sick, sophisticated lead break before the charging riff parade returns. These gentlemen always figure out a way to intertwine American style death with some Scandinavian flair – yet injecting key melodic runs that seep back to classic Priest/Maiden-like tricks as you’ll hear during the otherwise fairly frantic highlight “Infestation”. The instrumental “Itchy Tasty” gives off an old Resident Evil – horror vibe, where the bass and guitar work allure the aural landscape in this jazzy, progressive state of mind while also calming emotional before the final track “Salem’s Lot” ends the record in chugging death metal form, the raspy vocals conjuring up scenes from the infamous Stephen King novel (and movie adaptation) that stands up as well today as it did during its late 70s origins. Many will get a bit of a blackened meets Edge of Sanity vibe during the speedier sections of this arrangement, while the leads from Manuel Barbara will floor the schooled axe players of the metal brigade.
The intersection of acts like The Black Dahlia Murder, At the Gates, and Arsis next to those technical, thrash, and old school influences puts Necronomicon Ex Mortis in great position to capture a wide array of followers, underground or above. Keeping on a solid release schedule with four EP’s over the past two years, The Mother of Death could vault the band into the eyes of record label executives who can sense a buzz swirling about though this five-piece.
Amongst the first wave of the heavier Danish thrash/death metal brigade of the late 80s/early 90s, Konkhra released two acclaimed demos plus their Stranded EP before the debut album Sexual Affective Disorder hit the streets in 1993. Although the band’s productivity crawled to a decade-long halt between 2009’s Nothing Is Sacred and 2019’s Alpha and the Omega releases due to a series of lineup changes, we’ve now arrived at the eighth studio full-length for Sad Plight of Lucifer with the classic quartet in alignment. After significant spins, the eleven tracks traverse a bit of a modern, groove-like punch next to the natural death/thrash tendencies that have been ever-present in the foundation of their style.
Much like brethren such as Sepultura or Machine Head, the crushing riffs along with occasional swirling vocal effects give songs like “Seven Plagues” and “Magick” a current angst that younger metalheads could gravitate toward – yet main components when it comes to the performances and tones still accentuate a seasoned ferocity that’s razor sharp. When the group wants to hit the accelerator in double bass fury, you can’t go wrong with a shape-shifting cut like “Nothing Can Save You” – drummer Johnny Nielsen balancing his fleet feet capabilities next to a solid, mid-tempo groove underpinning and classic fill supplementation that should keep heads banging relentlessly. Most long-timers will enjoy the death tremolo-intensity beyond the savage bends and guitar twists of “Artificial Sun” – as vocalist / guitarist Anders Lundemark sinks his teeth into those measured words like a possessed growler on the hunt for new prey. The problem over the course of this 46-minute playtime is a lack of standout, memorable songs – even when the atmosphere or tempos change, there’s the natural sameness quality that doesn’t rise to the level of superior acts that obviously influence the group (Testament, Carcass, Entombed, etc.). Small segments pique eyebrow curiosity – yet not enough to sustain subsequent, deeper dive involvement for most.
Sad Plight of Lucifer is another case for middle of the road death/thrash with modern groove aspects that keeps Konkhra safe in a crowded sea of artists fighting for limited disposal income especially next to younger, hungrier acts. Better luck next time.
The south of the United States is a hotbed for stoner and sludge varieties of doom metal, with heavyweights such as Crowbar, Mastodon, Eyehategod, and many others becoming groundbreakers in the realm of low and slow. That influence spreads through all corners of the globe, with recent years being incredibly strong with top quality worshippers of the almighty riff. Look no further than Los Angeles’ The Cimmerian for a heaping slice of heavy.
Having dropped two EPs in the last few years – Thrice Majestic in 2022 and Sword & Sorcery Vol. I in 2023 – the trio is preparing to slam down their debut full-length An Age Undreamed Of… on January 10 of 2025.
We’re proud to debut a track off of that forthcoming album, titled “Darkwolf” for your listening pleasure. Immediately, the listener is met with a burgeoning, sustained beast of a riff via axeman Dave Gein, with Dave Morales’ thumping percussive march driving the smouldering pace. Thankfully not on the predictable side, there’s a thrashy attitude present reminiscent of classic Exodus, while bassist/vocalist Nicolas Rocha bellows forth with a commanding, deep roar ala Kirk Windstein. The varied tempos move from plodding and gargantuan to quick and hard-hitting, giving plenty to sink one’s gnarled teeth into.
States Rocha about the track: “Borrowing its name from the eponymous hero straight out of Ralph Bakshi’s 1983 visual opus Fire & Ice, this thrash-laden track evokes not just the rush of battle but also the weight of consequence and of course, the joy of victory!”
Turn up your listening apparatus of choice and prepare to be steamrolled:
As mentioned, An Age Undreamed Of… will come barreling your way on January 10, 2025 via Bandcamp and streaming to follow in short order. Physical copies will be available in multiple formats – CDs via the band’s own Hyborian Rage Records and colored vinyl via Black Voodoo Records.
The Cimmerian is:
Bass/vocals: Nicolas Rocha
Guitars: David Gein
Drums: David Morales
Active since 2011, Los Angeles, California’s Thrown Into Exile have made the most of their opportunities to gain traction as a DIY metal outfit. Between the opportunities to open locally for acts like At the Gates and Orbit Culture plus perform at major festivals across the USA and Mexico (including a full run on the official Mayhem Festival tour with Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, and Mastodon), they’ve release two full-length albums. Their latest EP offering Passageways takes on the styles of melodic death/thrash with a groove/modern sensibility, while lyrically chronicles grief, loss, and the process that comes through dealing with these heavy aspects of life.
We got the opportunity to chat with guitarist Mario Rubio about his early childhood music memories that led to his love of the guitar, why Passageways is the most mature offering to date, video shoot memories in the wind for “Desolation”, live show highlights including major lessons learned on their Mayhem Festival run, challenges they face as a DIY band, hobbies including prized vinyl possessions, and what’s in store for the future of the group.
Dead Rhetoric: What can you tell me about some of your earliest childhood memories surrounding music growing up? At what point did you start listening to heavier forms of music – and eventually want to play an instrument to start performing in your own bands?
Mario Rubio: My earliest memory of music was an Elvis Presley cassette that my grandmother ended up getting me after I found it in the house. Fast forwarding to late elementary school to middle school, that’s when I wanted to start playing an instrument. As every kid, when you start discovering metal, you start discovering bands like Slipknot and Slayer. My first concert was in 2003, Slayer, Arch Enemy and Hatebreed. Obviously, you see that, you think a life-changing experience. I found my real calling, but what made me want to play the guitar is when I discovered Cowboys From Hell by Pantera. I remember vividly when I was in middle school, I got that record and a Kiss – Greatest Hits compilation, those two records went hand in hand for me to get serious about playing the guitar. That was also one of Dimebag’s greatest influences, being Ace Frehley, that was a weird little side note about Kiss and Pantera there.
Dead Rhetoric: Did you have the support of your family when it came to getting an instrument and learning the guitar? Or did you woodshed on your own learning by ear and picking things up yourself?
Rubio: Definitely had to learn things by ear. As far as the emotional support, I had that from my family. My grandmother was instrumental in telling me to go for it, especially if it feels right. Help on learning the instrument itself, I had to figure things out on my own. Learning things by ear, watching videos.
Dead Rhetoric: Passageways is the latest EP release for Thrown into Exile. What can you tell us about the recording and songwriting sessions for this set of material? How do you see this release in terms of style and content compared to your previous albums Safe Inside and Illusion of Control?
Rubio: Realistically, if we are talking about sound-wise, things have definitely matured sound-wise. On Safe Inside, there was a bit of an identity issue with the music itself. When you are writing music in general, you are discovering what works for you and what doesn’t work for you. Same thing with Illusion of Control, although there were hints of where ideally I wanted things to go. Fast forward to Passageways, the recording process was a lot different. We had a lot more time with this, I could sit and analyze where we wanted to go with things musically. Lyrically it’s very dark in the sense of what it’s based around. The record deals with a lot of grief and loss. You could say it’s the five stages of grief with this release, a lot of personal stuff amongst the band and individual things personally that happened that led to the record sounding the way it does.
Dead Rhetoric: Was it a cathartic process to channel these experiences into maybe a positive outcome for the record?
Rubio: In a way of acceptance and understanding and being able to have an outlet to let this out, yes. Unfortunately, certain things happened, and the sad reality is, its life. It’s the proper way to allow yourself to process this. Different things to some degree we were able to heal, but other things you just can’t always completely heal from them.
Dead Rhetoric: You mention in the background information of this release that originally you were going to issue these songs as standalone singles, continuing the path you started over the past couple of years during the pandemic – but in the end released this as an EP. What factors came into play to change the mindset – and where do you stand in the ever-evolving music industry’s change when it comes to single releases versus EP’s/full-length albums these days?
Rubio: I think the reason we ended up going with an EP for this release is just because everything surrounding the writing process and what the lyrical content is. It made better sense for this to be its own thing. It encapsulates that mindset and what everything was during that writing process. It was a proper way of letting it all be what it is, and then continuing to move forward afterwards.
I think it’s more of an adaptation, learning, and rolling with the punches. Collectively, all of us as a whole – up until this year I’ve heard the term Tik Tok thing, maybe it’s a reflection of there being so much content, that our attention spans are very short. It’s few and far between where you are able to get and keep someone’s attention for 45 minutes to 60 minutes on a full-length release. When you do stand-alone singles, you are able to actually make an event out of (the release), keep pushing it non-stop. Which in a weird way goes back to the earlier days when people would work a single for months on end before you actually had the album release. Adapting to this mentality for a smaller band like Thrown Into Exile makes better sense to do. Try to captivate someone’s attention for five minutes or so, or an EP under 25 minutes. The smaller a band is, the shorter the attention span people are going to have for that band. You want to give your band a chance, as opposed to another major release for a major band on a bigger label.
Dead Rhetoric: Tell us about the video shoot for “Desolation” – what did you enjoy most about the treatment and storylines between the outdoor narrative scenes and performance footage? Any special stories to tell?
Rubio: It was extremely windy, funny enough, just like today in California. We drove out to the desert to film that video, about two and a half hours outside of California. The whole shoot itself was one big experience – it’s the first time we’ve spent that type of money into production as opposed to just doing a small performance piece. We poured a decent amount of money into the whole thing. We rented a snow machine, a bunch of stuff along with the creature that was created by the woman who created Corey Taylor from Slipknot’s new mask. It felt great to have a full-on team to come up with a treatment, and it was a full day for sure.
Dead Rhetoric: Your influences vary between numerous American and European acts across the modern metal, melodic death metal, and groove metal genres. What elements do you think are most necessary to make an ideal Thrown Into Exile composition – both on the musical and lyrical fronts?
Rubio: Lyrically it’s more just the reality of what life is and everything around it. Trying to tap into more the human condition, the skeletons of one’s closet and what really makes a person happy and sad – all of those rollercoasters of emotions. That’s where my output on that is lyrically. Visually I want to make things dark and moody. The music has to have some dark melodies and being able to tell a story musically while driving things home to have things make sense and be as cohesive as possible.
Dead Rhetoric: How would you describe the band’s outlook and philosophy when it comes to your live performances? What do you want the audience to take away – and what have been some of the more standout moments to the good or bad in the group’s career when it comes to playing live?
Rubio: As far as the band’s performances live, I would like to say that I think we are very high energy, very in your face. For the first time with the EP release show, we’ll be investing in some production, bringing a little more stuff into our live show to encapsulate the themes, the EP, the visual representation of the band to reflect the lyrical content and the music. Highlights – we’ve done a couple of shows with At the Gates, we did a couple of shows with Orbit Culture, and one of the biggest highlights was playing Ozzfest in 2017.
Dead Rhetoric: What was it like early in the band’s career to do the Mayhem Festival tour in 2013? What insight did that give you into how professional bands work on that kind of scale?
Rubio: It was more of being on schedule. Mind your P’s and Q’s when it comes to being a support band. Stay on time, do your soundcheck, get on and off stage when you are supposed to. Be respectful, put your head down and learn from the veterans. Learn from how the crew works, how the stage manager works around you, because they have been there long enough. You gain a lot, you want to try to absorb, learn, and take all these things in.
Dead Rhetoric: What are some the biggest challenges the group faces in making more of a footprint in the scene – both locally as well as nationally / internationally?
Rubio: There is no secret with this band that there have been numerous lineup changes. Having the stability with the band members, what the band is now and with the lineup that we currently have, there is the right chemistry and it’s the best lineup we’ve ever had.
Dead Rhetoric: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received regarding your musical endeavors? And if other people come up to you asking for advice, what ideas or words of wisdom do you like to impart on them?
Rubio: It’s a marathon, not a sprint first of all. Bands that have overnight success are very few and far between. In the process, you have to come to terms with who you are as a musician and who you are as a person, and how that affects your output, your lyrical content, and the vision of the band- what makes you, you is what makes things unique as a band. You need a game plan and a solid identity, and the rest will follow. Songwriting will develop over time. Having people that are naturally talented as songwriters isn’t something you get overnight. You have to really work on that craft and hone it.
Sometimes there will be times where things are really great, and other times there will be low points. It’s better to have a good head on your shoulders to learn how to roll with the punches and keep moving forward. If you allow the outside world to dictate things – whether it’s other bands that are progressing further than your band, or things are changing, if you let the outside noise win, it can make you jaded or possibly jump on trends. You should stick to what makes you unique.
Dead Rhetoric: How do you feel about the state of the heavy metal industry on a global scale?
Rubio: I think heavy metal as a genre is progressing in a very good direction. The one thing we are noticing is there is a strong resurgence of death metal. Blood Incantation, Gatecreeper, Frozen Soul, Sanguisugabogg, and so forth. Those bands are cutting through, there is a death metal revival going on. Even the slam stuff like Peeling Flesh, extreme metal is still alive and well. It’s awesome to see. On the modern metal spectrum as well, Orbit Culture and Bleeding From Within, they are cutting through as well. Even Lorna Shore, metal is in a good spot. You can write extreme and heavy songs and not always rely on having that clean chorus or it’s not going to work. You don’t need to be so formulaic; you can just be yourself.
Dead Rhetoric: What sort of hobbies, interests, and passions do you like to engage in away from music when you have the free time and energy to do so?
Rubio: Vinyl – I collect vinyl but that is a big money pit. Especially if you are trying to hunt down whether its first pressing stuff, imports, or certain limited editions. That’s been one of my things – as much as I love video games I haven’t really had as much time to play video games. I do enjoy going down that rabbit hole, especially retro gaming. I have thought about getting into the collecting part of it.
Dead Rhetoric: What would you consider one or two of your most prized vinyl releases you own?
Rubio: Right now, I have an original Opeth – Ghost Reveries before the reissues started happening. I have the majority of the Slayer – Def Jam pressings. Most of them signed by three-fourths of the band. What else do I have on the pricey scale – the first Triptykon release Eparistera Daimones. That was about $200 I had to spend for that thing – and then after I bought it, a few months later Century Media ended up doing a re-issue of that, so I said great (laughs).
Dead Rhetoric: What’s on the agenda for activities over the next twelve months for the band? Will you continue to keep things DIY, or are you seeking out stronger label / management interest to expand things?
Rubio: I think it’s based on the moment. I have no problem doing things on my own, sending around releases, plugging our own things. If the right opportunity with the right label expresses interest, we will have the conversations. We will play a couple of dates with God Forbid, opening on their anniversary shows for Gone Forever. It’s the first time they will have played California in over twelve years. We have the Passageways EP release show in Los Angeles. December 3rd we are going to Mexico to play a show with Arch Enemy.
So here we are again, this time with Australian self-styled ‘death metal brutes’, Gutless and their brand-new album High Impact Violence. Active since 2018, the quartet has issued a demo, a split release with Calfornia’s Mortal Wound, as well as a live album before signing to Dark Descent Records – and the latest release is pretty much a brutalizing affair from start to finish.
Not that I’m complaining. Hell, I like my death metal filthy. I want to feel Return of the Jedi’s Rancor crushing bones and spilling blood, ya hear? And this starts with the very first and title track. I mean, talk about a strong opener! Now I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hear some serious Cannibal Corpse vibes in the band’s music. But guess what? That’s fine, because these guys bring ‘da ruckus in spades! Check “Beyond the Catacombs” for proof positive of this.
Vocalist/guitarist Tom Caldwell sounds like he just did several shots of gasoline, and ya know what? Gimme more, I say! “Scalpel Obsession” shows Caldwell and guitarist Allan Stacey trading riffs to bring the roof down on some unsuspecting heads while they try to dig out. “Avalanche of Viscera” is one of those tunes that shows off the bass playing and drum chops of Joe Steele and Ollie Ballantyne respectively, much to this guy’s delight while “Galvanized” only reaffirms the bands commitment to brutality.
“Gore God” had to be my favorite because, at 2:59 in length it just felt succinct, to the point, and down to business, so well done! Closing us out is “Viral Infection” and the tune sounds like the band had a meat grinder available. Just top-notch stuff! I am a big fan of Gutless. And I am loving this High Impact Violence record, I really am. Can’t wait to see what their future holds; only wish there was a way to catch them live!
