The formula of Ginevra may be simple – the execution par excellence. Assemble some seasoned musicians in the melodic hard rock, metal, and AOR fields and allow them to create a new outfit that has stellar songwriting plus magnificent performances at the heart of a record. Featuring vocalist Kristian Fyhr (Seventh Crystal), guitarist Magnus Karlsson (Primal Fear), bassist Jimmy Jay (H.E.A.T.) and drummer Magnus Ulfstedt (Nordic Union, ex-Eclipse), the debut album We Belong to the Stars in 2022 impressed a lot of fans out of the gate – leading to this sophomore outing Beyond Tomorrow. These eleven tracks embrace a Nordic-sounding melodic hard rock/metal foundation, although exhibiting a bit more heaviness when necessary to establish themselves slightly different from the pack.
The keyboard presence often sits side by side to the guitar action – filling the sonic landscape in swaths of AOR-like tranquil beauty. Especially evident in the tradeoffs between Fyhr and Karlsson with some twin guitar harmonies that lead into a crunchy, mid-tempo groovy musical hook for “True North”, where Kristian’s glorious voice shines like a bright beacon surrounded by a plethora of multi-tracked background choir-like melodies. Propulsive rhythm section work carries the opening instrumental sequence and verses that make “Let Freedom Ring” another stellar composition, similar to the greatest efforts of Pretty Maids and Masterplan. It’s not as easy as one thinks to create compelling commercial hooks in such a way that captivate listeners through every pass – but that’s what you’ll hear in toe-tapping tracks like “Beat the Devil” (the gang vocals volley next to this 80s Kansas meets Eclipse musical wellspring) and highway ready “Higher”. Intertwining clean passages next to uplifting electric chord progressions, “Echoes of the Lonely” has that extra epic aura in certain vocal parts that fuse brilliantly next to the steady supply of arena rock, upper register melodies. Never fear that Magnus also knows when to rip out a shred-fueled lead break next to his thoughtful main songwriting duties – injecting the metal / heroic axe licks in all the ideal places.
The track record of Frontiers Music when it comes to these projects like Ginevra showcases more winning hands than losers. Beyond Tomorrow allows the quartet to once again develop material that crosses numerous melodic hard rock/metal styles in a tasteful manner – the results of which should be well received from plenty of followers.
Getting albums for review is crazy, y’all. I mean, a label or PR firm actually wants to hear what thoughts you might have, be they good or well, not so much. I’ve been so fortunate to do these for well over a decade now, with no plans to stop in the near future. And sometimes we get records months before release. When that happens, oh man am I happy. Such is the case with Throne and their new disc That Who Sat Upon Him, Was Death. I’ve been sitting upon this beast of a metal disc since January, like an asp guarding the Lost Ark.
Upon pressing play (for the first of many, many listens) I was all in. I mean I was ready to take out a second mortgage just to get these guys to play my next birthday gig! Nathan Barnes (rhythm guitar & vocals) and Tim Kenefic (lead guitars) bring the riff hammer down on heads that are not only unsuspecting, but destined for concussions. Then there’s the rhythm section of Kollin Perpignani (drums) and Leslie Drake (bass) who take a track like “Upon Deathless Winds” and make it their insane business to melt it much like the T-1000’s liquid metal in Terminator 2! Fuckin’ Hell, this song destroys!!
“Behold Impurity” comes for you with great vengeance and furious anger, while opener “Disentombed” and subsequent follow-up tune “To Breathe the Unknown” are like two sides of the same coin, equal parts chaos and mayhem. Guess what? I am here for it! As if the preceding tunes hadn’t already rained down blood and flames, closer “Where Angels Cower In Fear” comes in to gut you sonically like a fish, just for good measures. At day’s end That Who Sat Upon Him, Was Death is a fantastic album from Throne. You should get this one in you with a quickness!!
These days we have plenty of metallic hardcore-oriented thrash piping into our ears. Probably thanks to the success of Power Trip, we have newer artists that intertwine two (or more) heavy genres to distinguish themselves in the crossover pack. The Bay Area in Oakland is home to Doomsday, previously receiving kudos for their energetic take on this style from yours truly on their 2022 Depictions of Chaos EP. A subsequent self-titled EP hit the streets in 2023 that included the band’s take on “Trapped Under Ice” from Metallica – which leads us to this debut album Never Known Peace. Pared down to a five-piece, you can expect another merge of hard-hitting tracks that seesaw between hardcore and thrash – containing a fierce vocal presence as well as proper half-time breakdowns guaranteed to cause mayhem in the pit.
You may know when the circular groove parts are coming, and yet they never fail to cause incessant foot stomps, hair windmills, or body smashing antics. Stop/ start thrash riffs may get the proceedings started on the gallop heavy “The Outlaw”, but the supplementary venomous roar from Charlie D., gang background support, and savage double kick, half-time transition sustain mandatory interest, the final sequence reminiscent of early S.O.D. Tight downpicking as well as crazy lead breaks from Ryan Calaveras and Robert ‘Big Rob’ DeLorenzi make “Killing Fields” a hard hitting effort in the vein of early Metallica or Slayer pushed through a Nuclear Assault meets Enforced template – all in under two minutes. The pace of the record contains ideal variety – a track like “Everyday War” sure to be a back half favorite, it’s mid-tempo chugging foundation racing to two-step high gear during the lead spotlight tradeoffs before returning to that crossover seamlessness that spits nails and shatters glass. Seeking out Zach Ohren (All Shall Perish, Exmortus, Machine Head) for recording, mixing, and mastering duties ensures a lively sound, the performances captured in such a way that you can feel the live energy bursting through.
Never Know Peace takes the spirit of early thrash, hardcore, and punk ethics to solid heights of appeal in the current marketplace. Doomsday could start a newer revolution from the Bay Area, so get in while you can, sweat out all your daily frustrations to come out renewed, reinvigorated, and ready to conquer the world.
Swiss melodic hard rock / metal band Gotthard probably is one of the most well-accepted bands in their style within their home country, mainland Europe, and other territories outside of North America. They’ve been releasing albums since 1992, headlining in arena-level venues while achieving number one chart status. Their 14th studio album Stereo Crush continues to supply listeners with a variety of catchy songs, some classic in texture while others venture into more modern elements – yet unmistakable to the band’s ethos in connecting to their audience. We reached out to vocalist Nic Maeder to learn more about the new record, the differences between the three primary songwriters, what it was like to replace the late Steve Lee, career highlights, future touring expectations, and advice for younger musicians.
Dead Rhetoric: Stereo Crush is the 14th studio album for Gotthard. How did the songwriting and recording sessions go for this set of material – and where do you see this record sitting in the discography of the group in terms of what you wanted to achieve?
Nic Maeder: I guess it’s got a sort of freshness to it. We haven’t made an album in five years. Prior to that we would make an album, then get in a cycle of album, tour, album, tour. COVID-19 came along, as it did for everyone else, and it was the first time we kind of had a break. We were signed with Sony Music at the time, and we finished with our contract, so we were free. We didn’t have a deal, and we didn’t have any kind of pressure. We had the itch to make an album. Probably the reason why there’s so much freshness.
There are a lot of different styles on this album. It’s very varied, and it’s quite heavy as well, but in a fresh way. I think it’s good for the times in 2025.
Dead Rhetoric: Do you feel like the extra down time because of the pandemic allowed you guys to dig a little deeper into the details of this record?
Maeder: Not necessarily. The detail stuff comes into play with the three main songwriters, we have very different musical tastes. Until we are all really happy with a (song), it takes a while. We started writing this stuff in mid-2023. By the time we decided, let’s make an album – we had a lot of songs, I think over twenty songs. We really picked which ones are going to fit the best on this album. We got quite picky with those details, going into the songs. There is a certain aspect I felt, we have already so many albums out, we have been around for quite some time, so I don’t know how many more (albums) we can make. In a lot of ways, we could keep playing, and in this day and age, we probably don’t need to do another album. It’s going to be very hard even to fit new songs into a set, because there are so many songs over the years that the fans have expected to see live. We will do it, somehow.
When you are thinking about ‘what if this is the possibility that this could be the last album’ – I’ve always felt like I want to get in and make sure everything is the best we can make it. We started in 2023, we had time to look at some of the songs, and those changed drastically. And some songs didn’t even make the record at all. But we recorded all of them, we recorded more than what is on the album. Which means those songs will probably come out at some point as well.
Dead Rhetoric: Considering the group has three primary songwriters, how would you assess the versatility and differences between each musician when it comes to their approach to developing a song? Do you sense a uniqueness in your songwriting philosophy and approach compared to Leo and Freddy?
Maeder: Yeah, I guess we all have our styles. It’s hard to explain. I tend to be a little more, for lack of a better word, modern. I tend to be melodic, and try to get out of the usual patterns, the usual vocal lines and things to move around a little bit. Which you can hear that in a song like “Burning Bridges”. I tend to push the boundaries a bit there with the melodies. Leo is more on the classic side so he’s going to reign things back in. We get a good compromise there. Musically I tend to be quite complicated, actually. A little too complicated. Freddy is very musical – he also will tend to simplify things. He will tell me he knows what’s going on there, but let’s try and make it a little bit easier to listen to. (laughs). I get these jazz things in there. Leo is more the real classic guy with a classic riff, real meat and potatoes. It’s the combination that works quite well, and it takes quite a bit of time between the three of us to get things right. To where we are actually happy.
Dead Rhetoric: Does that also present a bit of a challenge to decide what singles are going to be chosen off each album?
Maeder: Always. We all have different ideas. The person who wrote the song is always going to hold onto their ideas. We usually do a voting system, which also involves the record company and the management as well. At the end of the day, if they are really keen on pushing certain songs, if they are motivated, we listen to them. And in the end, we were pretty close, I think everyone was fairly happy with the choices there.
Dead Rhetoric: The band over the years has tackled a lot of favorite covers to make them your own. How did the idea to cover The Beatles “Drive My Car” come about – as it seems you made things a little heavier and more modern with your approach?
Maeder: Yeah. “Drive My Car”, we recorded that and did a demo version of that back in 2022. It was a while ago we did this, but we never released it. Actually, when we were giving the whole list of songs to the producer, Charlie, as demos, to listen to and decide what’s going to make the record – that song was actually on there. Leo must have put it on the list, the others had no idea. When Charlie came to the studio, he thought that we really should put that one on the record. We hadn’t thought of that, but I’m glad we did as it turned out to be a great cover, I think. It’s really fun to play as well.
Dead Rhetoric: Did you have any worries or apprehensions regarding your acceptance in Gotthard given the tragic circumstances behind the loss of Steve Lee? When did you know that things were going to be comfortable in both the studio and the stage for you?
Maeder: It took quite some time. You have to remember in Switzerland, Gotthard is mainstream, and we are a very big band here. Steve Lee was very famous, and really loved. When he died, his death was heavily covered with the major media. Of course, the new guy coming in, that was hugely covered by the media, I went from one measure to the next. I was on the news every day, it was insane. The first couple of years, I couldn’t go to the supermarket without being recognized, it was quite intense. I didn’t expect that. And of course, the expectations were huge. It took a while for me to find my feet, really there.
We were really lucky that the fans, they were very encouraging. They call it the Gotthard family. Everyone believes in us, and they wanted the band to continue and to succeed. At the end of the day, they decide – you can do the best that you can, but the fans decide. Luckily, they accepted me – and not only accepted me, but really encouraged me along. It took me, I’d say, a few years to really feel 100% comfortable and that it’s my band, and that I’m an integral part of this group.
Dead Rhetoric: Where do you see the state of the heavy music scene and industry today? What challenges do you believe are the biggest for Gotthard to overcome this deep into your career?
Maeder: The hard rock and metal world is still quite big, alive and kicking. In Europe in particular, it’s incredible. There are so many festivals in Europe – most of them all hard rock/metal festivals. It may not be the trendiest thing on the radio. There are a lot of rock radio stations here, and they are doing good things as well. As you know, vinyl is coming back, and I guess I hear cassettes are coming back as well. Which is fantastic. The state of guitar-based music is still very much alive, I think. I’m not worried about that.
The challenges are always going to be, technology. Musicians in general – when cassettes changed, things changed, then CD’s, MP3’s. Everything, we always seem to be bearing the brunt of it, you know (laughs). As creators, actually. There are still some issues there with regards to songwriting, royalties, things like that. In a lot of ways, the writers are not being paid in the way that they should be. It’s always the way in most fields where creators are never the ones that reap all the benefits from their creations. We are lucky that people want to see us play live, people want to get out and see us. And there are lots of shows, lots of old bands that are coming back again, even in the pop world. The basic thing is people really love to go out and see shows. It’s working well – that’s one aspect that AI won’t take away from us, yet.
Dead Rhetoric: What would you consider some of your own career personal highlights when it comes to your musical career – either within Gotthard or other bands/ projects, where you knew you were making an impact on the world through your talents?
Maeder: There has been many. One of the things that’s crazy to see is your name tattooed on people’s bodies. I’ve seen some Gotthard ones, but I’ve seen some others with my name on them. I thought it was very interesting. We are lucky with social media that the fans can directly talk to us, and some of the stories I’ve heard. People have gone through some really difficult times and things, heard our album(s) and said they’ve really helped us get through things. Of course, for us we are sitting here writing the songs and doing our thing, but when that song takes a certain journey and has a particular significance to help people get through whatever they may be going through, it’s amazing. People use some of our songs at weddings, things like this, it’s just like wow. You write a song, and once it’s out it takes on a life of it’s own. A few years later you are on stage and the whole audience is singing your song back to you, it’s crazy to me and I still get amazed by that.
Highlights – opening for the Rolling Stones and getting the chance to play in front of 80,000 people. This was a definite highlight. We run into bands that we’ve admired, and you get the chance to get to know these musicians. A lot of these bands I grew up loving, I’m now friends with them now. That’s amazing to have this kind of community.
Dead Rhetoric: You have some killer tours lined up across Europe with Y&T and Krokus among others. What are your expectations for these shows, and how does it feel playing with such legendary groups as these two acts?
Maeder: Yes, it’s great. Krokus, we know them very well, and we’ve done a lot of shows with them before. Y&T, a legendary band. I don’t know the guys personally, but always when you are touring with a band, you get to really know the guys quite well. So, I’m looking forward to making some new friends. I think it’s a great bill; they should be fun shows. I’m really happy that we are doing them in the spring too, getting out of the whole winter thing. We always tour in the winter, so I’m very happy to be touring in the spring for a change.
Dead Rhetoric: As you said, it must be a big challenge to figure out an ideal set list with fourteen albums now to choose from. Does it feel better to have five albums under your belt yourself to add a bit more of your material to the mix?
Maeder: That’s the thing. There are so many songs. We try to put as many songs as we can from all the albums. The list is quite big. It does pose a challenge. Every album that I’ve made so far, we are always putting one or two songs from those records – and we try to keep things fairly well balanced. This new one will be a challenge to get a few new (songs) in there. Maybe we will do some different set lists, so we are not playing the same songs for different nights. We start rehearsing the set list in a few weeks and we will see. We will rehearse the whole new album and see which ones are best live – of course the singles we will have to play. You try to put a show together that’s a little bit different, I guess.
Dead Rhetoric: How do you define success these days? Has the definition changed from when you started as a musician to what you’ve been able to achieve today?
Maeder: For me, success is to be able to make a living from music. As a full-time job, to be able to make music from your own songs. This is success to me. Any artist, to be able to live from your art is huge success. It doesn’t mean being a multi-millionaire flying around in private jets (laughs). As long as you can make a living from your art, then you are winning.
Dead Rhetoric: Did you feel like you went through a big adjustment period upon moving to Switzerland from your life in Australia?
Maeder: Not so much living in Switzerland. I’ve lived here, as I grew up here because I’m half Swiss. Even though I spent more time in Australia. I started to come back to Europe, every summer I was coming back more and more. With the work that we were doing with Gotthard for the first few years, we could have lived anywhere. It was so focused; we were not really home that much. The touring, South America, Japan, there was always lots of stuff. When we were home, there was a lot of press, television shows, stuff to do, it would not have mattered where I was living.
Dead Rhetoric: Has it always been frustrating to not tour North America considering your long history as a band?
Maeder: No. Perhaps for the other guys when they started in the first few years, they may have felt frustrated. I came into a band that was already like this – to me, it’s very good already if you can be successful. We can tour and make a living in certain territories. It would be fantastic to be successful in the USA and I would love that, but you know, you can’t have it all. We have a lot of fans there as well. I would love to tour there once.
Dead Rhetoric: Do people ever seek you out for advice regarding music, the business, or other aspects of life? And if so, what words of wisdom or ideas do you try to impart on them?
Maeder: Yes. Recently I just filmed a television show, a whole season of a television series here in Switzerland. It’s called Sing My Song – I don’t think you guys have this in America. Seven artists live together and sing each other’s songs, a little bit like a Big Brother situation, sitting together on a couch. One of us will go off and sing another song. A lot of the artists were really young, and many of them were newcomers. I got asked a lot of questions there. The question that came up quite a few times was ‘if you were twenty years old now again, what advice would you give yourself?’. Just keep doing what you are doing. Don’t listen to all the negativity around – you don’t want to be around people that tell you that you can’t do it. And don’t worry so much – you still have a lot of time. Because you always have this feeling in your early twenties or mid-twenties that things aren’t happening, I’m getting old. You have so much time (laughs), don’t worry, relax.
Dead Rhetoric: What’s on the bucket list for Gotthard to accomplish and achieve over the coming years? Are there places you would like to play that you haven’t been able to reach yet?
Maeder: Good question. Yeah, I actually would really love to do a North American tour, one time. That is kind of on the bucket list. And there are some odd ones out there too. We got asked to play India, we got asked to play China, sort of these things that haven’t happened yet. That could be good as well.
Rarely do you find the kind of productivity in the current scene that this New York/ Pennsylvania band Severed Angel has issued in the past three years. Their debut self-titled album hit the market in May 2023 (reviewed by this scribe for this very site), followed a year later by the sophomore outing Skyward. Now ten months later, When Eternity Ends becomes the third full-length for the symphonic, melodic heavy metal band – taking their sound into further expansion as far as cinematic or catchier textures in one aspect, while being more refined and focused in others.
An immediate standout would be the emphasis on guitarist Alex Repetti’s higher register vocal melodies – which can be very similar to what you expect from acts like Styx or Blind Guardian. The layering of his harmonies makes “Cry Out to the World” an early favorite, the calmer, intro guitar lines next to the gothic-tinged keyboard parts of Marc Muchnik setting the stage for the upbeat, driving nature of subsequent musical elements. Aspects of extreme / modern metal come into play for “In My Skin”, the fusion of choirs, darker growls/screams, as well as a semi rap-oriented sequence that mirrors a quick hitting drum tempo certainly illustrates the band’s wider songwriting approach to prove risk taking measures could pay dividends to long-term appeal. The under three-minute “Shed” has a progressive twist as the riffs shift between natural power and higher BPM measures, the symphonic textures alluring next to Alex’s alternative melodies while the lead break from Lou Mavs checks all the boxes for shred-like arpeggio sweeps. Drummer Wayne Noon displays equal aspects of rhythm foundations next to some energetic, intricate transitions and fill work during another spotlight track “Like Lightning” – a bright, harmony-fueled chorus shimmers next to a killer, half-time monster riff transition where more aggressive vocals should galvanize the audiences in a live setting.
They often say by a third album you establish your benchmark traits instead of being influenced purely from your heroes. When Eternity Ends does this for Severed Angel – representing a melodic heavy metal quintet that is equally modern as it is progressive and symphonic, which should be very alluring to grab a wider fanbase.
Ardent historians of the metal landscape may remember this California heavy/speed metal act Predator. Probably best known for having one of the worst record covers in history for their debut album Easy Prey in 1986, the group would fade away into obscurity until recently. Now back with their second full-length for Unsafe Space, the duo of Frank Forray (guitars, bass) and Jeff Prentice (vocals, guitars, drum programming) aim to please with a decent cocktail of classic riffs that have more steps in the past while also advancing the production values / tones to possibly gain a modern audience.
Obvious lyrical / social commentary insights lean towards the fight for democracy on “N.L.M.” (“No Lives Matter”) where Jeff spits forth the key tag line ‘democracy is toast’, media manipulation through internet means on “A New Civil War”, as well expected war strife amongst political leaders within “Violent Objection”. The main hooks sit in a conventional mid-tempo groove to slightly speed/thrash-oriented riff parade, very easily digestible next to Jeff’s very potent, melodic vocal delivery. The crunchy opener “Saviors” next to the blitzkrieg barnburner “Raping the Population” serve a one-two combination that should get most listeners adequately warmed up, the two-piece injecting the instrumental sections with some tasty lead breaks and harmony tricks. A surprising power metal version of “California Dreaming” (from the Mamas and the Papas) contains plenty of the multi-part choir passages that made the song a hit, the layers of guitars adding a classical touch to really stand out as a killer reinterpretation of a non-metal track.
The finale “The Crow Upon the Cross” as the longest cut (almost 5 minutes) features a doom-oriented pacing, traversing old Candlemass and Black Sabbath in terms of the atmosphere, deliberately slower guitar chords and note bends, as well as Jeff’s soulful register that seems even stronger than his work almost 40 years ago before kicking into high gear two-thirds of the way through this arrangement. A minor disappointment lies in the drum programming. It’s not bad – you just wonder how a human drummer would have been able to add more vitality (and unpredictability) to the rhythm section parts. The fiery eagle on the cover may also seem similar to what one would expect from a Primal Fear album – but it definitely blows away the stalker-ish creep factor that made Easy Prey a tad cringeworthy.
When looking at the twelve tracks for Unsafe Space as a whole, Predator plays best to their power/speed metal strengths on this effort – creating an album that will appease the faithful and possibly bring some new recruits to the fold. One hopes that the third album won’t take until 2064 to hit our ears.
A new blacked death metal act in the upstate New York area is that of Fleshspoil, though it’d be remiss to not mention that these three players have been involved in the metal scene for a very long time. We have guitarist/vocalist Jeff Andrews and drummer Mike Van Dyne, both most recently of The Final Sleep (as well as numerous previous projects) as well as bassist Dan Saltzman (Illucinus). But to also leave the band in the ‘blackened death metal’ tag would be an extreme injustice considering the widely varied influences present on their debut, The Beginning of the End.
With six tracks totaling 37 minutes, each of the songs takes their own journey through a mix of metal subgenres, truth be told. Opener “Bleed Through this Life” takes little time to showcase the band’s varied prowess at hand. Beginning with some eerie and blackened melodies and working up a slow build with ear-grabbing melodies, it eventually escalates into some blasts and more raging death metal. It provides some bludgeoning riffs as the tempo eases and they pelt the listener with them as the tempos swing back and forth, until a more macabre doomy downswing slows the band to a devastatingly, lumbering halt. It’s a fantastic transition that allows them to later bring back the eerie melodies from the opening in a cleaner fashion. It’s these big shifts, never jarring or ‘out of left field,’ that gives the album this spark of intrigue, and they take full use of their extended runtimes.
“Skies Turn to Graves” follows next and continues to paint a wide color palette within the extreme zone. Some nods to Andrews and Van Dyne’s The Final Sleep come in here with a clean vocal segment that feels like a bit of euphoria amongst the more brutal terrain. A fantastic melodic moment that does as much instrumentally as it does vocally. The contrast with the battering death metal makes for a frantic clash, particularly when the band builds up into more frenetic sections with blasting drums and bellowing growls. “Fleshspoil” thrives off of an addictive rush of militant drumwork and devastating riffs, even though it relents to some beautiful melodies around the midpoint. But if one track stands up as being all about the riff, it’s this one. “A Frail Demise” also works out some glorious high speed melodies and has them mix it up with more punishing mid-tempo crushing riffs, and even flirts with a small amount of power metal. To end things, “Born into Despair” puts it back into doomier and gloomier territory, putting the melodies at the forefront, and avoiding that steamrolling heaviness they achieve at times, giving the song a more pensive/reflective tone that allows you to take in where the album has come from.
Fleshspoil absolutely knock it out of the park for their first effort. This is far from run of the mill extreme death metal, but more of a thought-provoking effort that rewards listeners who are willing to take the time to indulge the band on their metallic journey. If you want a thrilling mixture of black, death, doom and beyond, The Beginning of the End thoroughly delivers. It’s devastating, but also keeps you on your toes in the best way.
Having been a part of the early death metal scene since the late 1980s, Benediction always had a way with keeping things brutal, yet varied. It’s an ethos that still reigns true even today in 2025, with their latest album, Ravage of Empires. Pure, glorious death metal that doesn’t rely on gimmicks or modern trimmings, just songwriting and energy. We caught up with vocalist Dave Ingram to get his thoughts on the album, following up 2020’s Scriptures, his work in podcasting, and what keeps him going in the genre this far into his life.
Dead Rhetoric: What’s the challenge of the follow-up to an album after not releasing an album in 12 years…22 years in your case?
Dave Ingram: The band gave me free reign, they had a lot of songs that were pre-recorded. They had the music to them [already]. I would sort of take them and there were about 30 songs. I chose ones that I felt comfortable with, lyrics that I had written that actually flowed into certain ones. I kept those in. Then I worked with Darren [Brookes], the guitarist, and we sort of changed some of the music around. I’d say, “maybe extend this part or that section, maybe make this section shorter or repeat this part.” That’s what we do when we work together now. I’m in Denmark and he’s in England. It’s all done with drum machines, so we can give the drummer Gio [Durst], who is in Italy, the music and say ‘now you can work on some drums.’
Also, with Scriptures, he had about three weeks to work on the drums. For this one he had 18 months, as long as we were writing it. So as soon as we finished a song, we handed it over to him as well, so he could really put more thought into the drums, and he has! You can totally tell! I don’t want to say we were rushing Scriptures, but we were definitely pushed for time. We still think it came out exceptionally well, and we are all very happy with it.
Dead Rhetoric: Was not having to rush somewhat due to COVID at the time?
Ingram: No, actually! We had written the album and recorded it in 2019. Then the pandemic hit, and we were stuck. We couldn’t do gigs and we couldn’t tour. Then there was the end of the first wave and I managed to fly to England, and Gio came from Italy, and we got the two videos made. So we managed to get all that. Then the second wave of COVID started and it was another two years. So we couldn’t do anything. That’s why it’s been a while. It’s been five years since Scriptures, and it’s really because of COVID. We are talking now about writing a new album already. We haven’t started. I want to talk to the guys. I was just with them last weekend, but we were rehearsing, and I didn’t want to cloud people’s minds with talking about new material. We have some gigs coming up pretty soon and we’ll get going with some ideas. It won’t be as long this time.
Dead Rhetoric: What do you feel makes Ravage of Empires special to you?
Ingram: I had one friend who heard it already, and they said the album is up and down. Not in quality, but in speed and tempo. There’s a lot of variety there. That is something we always try to put in. even back in the ‘90s when I was first in the band. We did try and do all that. I’m particularly proud of the lyrics. I got to spend so much more time on the lyrics. Some of the lyrics on Scriptures, I had already gotten them but hadn’t used them for any band. But I wanted to use them for Benediction. For example, “Stormcrow,” I had been planning to do with a band at some point, but I wasn’t sure which one. When Benediction came along, I decided that was the track to use it for. I am really proud of the lyrics because of the way they flow, and the content as well. It worked really well with the music that the guys wrote.
Dead Rhetoric: I know you are involved with a lot of bands. When you write something, do you delegate it to a specific band or do you keep them around and find a match for it, regardless of band?
Ingram: I get the question, but no. If I’m given an album of music I specifically write for them and I won’t write anything else. For example, when we were writing the Benediction album, I didn’t write for any of the other projects I’m in. I have a brand new one that I really want to work on called Sand Cadaver. I didn’t want to because I have been writing Benediction and I don’t want that overspill. I don’t want anything to come in.
When I write lyrics for Benediction, I’ll mention past songs or bring stuff in. Sometimes it will be little easter eggs you won’t get unless you know the material. That’s just fun and just for me. But no, when I am writing I keep it totally separate. I’m worried about spilling over. What I don’t want to do is spill Benediction into these other bands, because I think they should stand on their own. I don’t want Benediction to think that I am using their name to push another band either, because it’s not. I would never do that. I’m quite proud of keeping it separated.
Dead Rhetoric: You have been a staple in the death metal realm for decades. What keeps you passionate about it and be as involved as you are?
Ingram: Because I know I’m going to die soon [laughs]! No, but when you said I had been around for decades, I suddenly felt old [laughs]. To be honest, it’s a similar thing. It’s not about dying, it’s about being able to physically do this. I’ve got chronic arthritis, and doing things, not just tours, can be painful and take it’s toll. I have to be careful. I did my podcast, with my friend Pete, and we were just talking about this today. In the last couple of years, as long as he has known me, I have lost a lot of weight. It can be done over a period of time.
In the last three months, I have lost about 20 pounds…or 10 kilos for the Europeans. That’s 10 bags of sugar that I have been carrying around extra. It takes it’s toll! Just doing that has really helped me. I’ve been taking vitamins and things like that too, it all helps. Now I have extended my work life, not just my physical life, but the amount of time I am going to be able to do this. It’s fun, and I will be able to keep going, rather than just 3-4 years, maybe 13-14 years. It’s all good!
Dead Rhetoric: You were around in the early ‘90s when Benediction was taking off, along with much of the death metal scene. How do you view that time compared to today?
Ingram: To make the comparison to day, back in the ‘90s there was zero internet. We couldn’t chat like this to start [Zoom]. You’d have to do a phone interview and a tape recorder going. But there’s that. Also back in the ‘90s, if you wanted to get a sample to fans, it was a cd in a magazine. Promotion was more magazines and label-oriented. Now bands can do a lot themselves. Bands should, and you can use the internet as a tool. But I’m preaching to the choir.
That’s the big difference. The quality of the equipment has grown. In the ‘90s, it was good, but it’s digital now and it’s crystal clear. Sometimes that is good, sometimes it’s bad. Analog recordings can sound far superior. That was what we were doing with Benediction in the early days. The tape to tape and reel to reel thing. They were fantastic, but having to splice them and make sure everything was okay, it’s so much easier these days. Today, with Scriptures and Empires, it’s all digital. We are happy to have moved on with the tech.
Dead Rhetoric: You’ve done quite a bit of work with Rogga Johansson over the years. What’s your working relationship been like with him?
Ingram: I have had a lot going on in my personal life lately, and I spoke with him just the other day asking for a time out on things. But on a personal level, I think we have done about 11 albums together and a few guest spots together on other things. We have been working since 2012. That’s 13 years, and I have never met the guy! We have never been in the same room together. He has been in Sweden and I’ve been in Denmark. We do everything on the internet.
I don’t even think we have spoken, like you and I are doing now. We have just done it via email or messenger on Facebook. Stuff like that. He sends me music and I’ll put vocals on, and I always ask him if he is going to have a drummer or drum machine, which I prefer a drummer. Then I like to have the drums on first, so I can see where the fills are and fit the vocals along with them. It’s very easy to work with him. I loved the time that I could record at home, but I’ve moved since then. That’s the personal thing I was talking about, I got divorced. I’ll be recording by borrowing a studio from a friend of a friend, and getting stuff done that way.
Dead Rhetoric: Like you mentioned before, that’s the power of the internet right there!
Ingram: Exactly! That’s the way to look at it. During my down time, I’m doing my podcast, my Metal Breakfast Radio Show, there are still episodes available of that online. If you hunt them down you can find them. I have taken most of them down. Some of the comedy now would be inappropriate, so I got rid of them all. There are still a few up somewhere, but I’m trying to find them to get rid of them myself. But I’m going to bring the show back in the future. But it won’t be as coarse or obnoxious as it was. But yeah, when I was doing that, there were occasional times where someone would write and ask if I wanted to do some guest vocals. I’d do it. I get a lot of offers of that, still to this day. I’ve been so busy, so I haven’t been able to lately, as I have been focusing on Benediction and my personal stuff. But I’ll get back into it soon.
Dead Rhetoric: You’ve been involved in podcasting for quite some time, such as Metal Breakfast Radio, and the other you just mentioned [Old Men Howlin’ at the Moon], what do you like about doing it?
Ingram: Metal Breakfast Radio, it was comedy basically. We would listen to music, and while we listened to this music we hadn’t heard before we would rate it. A bit like a gong show. Something like Mystery Science Theater. We were a little obnoxious and we could be downright nasty after we had a few beers as well. We also drank while we did it. It was all in jest, but I think nowadays, people can be a little too sensitive so we aren’t going to bring it back in the same way. Some of the very obnoxious humor and pop culture references won’t be there. But besides that, it was fun. It was self-indulgent. I could make a playlist of songs that I felt were really important for me. I’d just talk a bit about them, and the other guys would make fun of it. They could bring theirs in, and we’d dance around a bit and make fun of whatever we played. It was fun.
The other show I did was Lambert’s Basement, which was about big band jazz. But those are available online, if people want to hear them. It was just me and my co host, a zombie goldfish. Yeah, you heard that right. It was just a bit of fun. But it’s big band jazz and another love of mine. I had to stop that show because I was getting busy with other bands I was involved with, as well as Metal Breakfast Radio. I stopped that one because of Benediction. Now I’m doing a podcast called Old Men Howlin’ at the Moon. My friend Pete does all the recording and editing and posting online. I basically have to repost the links when the shows go out. As well as being on the show to chat. It’s the easy part of podcasting. But it’s self-indulgent. That’s what draws me towards it. I’m talking about things I like and have affected me. I’m talking about music that is in my heart and I have carried with me. That’s what I love about podcasting.
Dead Rhetoric: There’s been more tweaks with death metal to make it modern and do different things. But do you feel that death metal is kind of timeless?
Ingram: That’s difficult to answer, because I listen to Benediction and older death metal, but I don’t listen to modern death metal at all. Maybe some friends bands, like Entrails, but not much modern death metal. I listen to a lot of stoner and desert rock. Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss, but I don’t listen to much death metal so it’s hard to make comparisons to the older and new stuff. There have been refinements and changes. I seem to see guys’ hair in bands getting shorter. What’s that all about? Then you go and lose your hair. I might be wearing a hat, but I’ve still got all mine.
But yeah, it’s hard for me to say since I don’t listen to it. Maybe I should [laughs]. But the best one to ask about that would be Gio. He’s 40 so he’s old but not that old. Of the three old guys, I’m the youngest at 56. The other two guys are close to 60. But also, Nik [Sampson], our bass player, he would know more about that. Since stopping Metal Breakfast Radio, I haven’t listened to any new music that isn’t stoner rock. I still listen to the old proto-metal like Sabbath and Jethro Tull, I’m an old fuddy duddy, I’m literally an old man howling at the moon believe me.
Dead Rhetoric: I think you reach a point where you know what you like and that’s what you want to hear. I’m 44 so I’m starting to get to that point. Because of writing, I’m exposed to everything but I have an idea of what I want to hear outside of that.
Ingram: The worst thing is that you get set in your ways. You don’t want to hear anything else. You have enough to listen to. There are occasions that I get new stuff, but it’s stoner/desert rock. Or I will listen to a band I have been listening to for years and find out they have another band and they have 6-7 albums and I chase them down and add them to the collection. It’s not new, but it’s old. It’s how I get through. I do use some modern technology. But it’s not that modern. It’s an old iPod. I use one of those, because the new ones are like a phone. But that’s as modern as I get. My laptop is like 21 years old. I really need a new one…
Dead Rhetoric: You are a priest in the Church of Satan. How long have you been involved and what led you to that calling?
Ingram: My sister committed suicide and I had a very bad break. I was seeing a psychologist. They told me to make a list of all the books I never read and to read them. The first book on that list was The Satanic Bible. The reason I sometimes refrain from saying some of this, is because when you say that ‘I became a Satanist because I was seeing a psychologist,’ people tend to just put two and two together and are assholes about it. But no, it was because of reading that list, because I needed structure. I was going through some serious mental health issues and I needed structure in my life. His idea was to read. You give yourself some time to sit down calmly and that was the first book I read. It really resonated with me. That was 2003. Then it was 2008 when I finally joined. I wanted to do a lot more. Part of it is, ‘study, not worship,’ that’s one essence of Satanism, and I actually wanted to study. So it was a bit before I applied to join. I have met a bunch of great friends, some real movers and shakers, and some outstanding individuals.
Dead Rhetoric: What are your plans for the rest of 2025?
Ingram: We have some festival shows in Europe. There’s also a European tour for about three weeks. We are playing with Jungle Rot and Master. We also have three shows in America, all being well with the visas. I need to get in touch with Gio to tell us what to do next. But yeah, we have a bunch of festival shows and we get offers in all the time. We got one today for Australia and East Asia. So we are discussing it all the time. Who knows what will come up in the next year or so. We are also writing for another new album and will definitely get it started.
An amalgamation of US and UK influences, German heavy metal really took off during the 1980s thanks to the work of artists like Accept, Helloween, and Running Wild. It’s where these younger musicians Defender come from, cutting their teeth in this style since arriving on the scene in 2016. Their debut EP Rising High in 2018 set the stage for a “Beyond Darkness” single follow-up the next year, before becoming silent like numerous others in those plague-like pandemic years. Metalapolis Records heard potential in the band’s speedy, power metal foundation, hence we have a proper first full-length in Dying to Live.
Those who live for the unison, choir/gang-like choruses, uplifting vocal melodies, culturally enhanced guitar lines/riffs, as well as double kick-driven tempos should revel in the performances and atmosphere portrayed in these ten tracks. Dennis Bauer and Christoph Ott weave magical unison harmony axe parts while filling their main riff duties with the right aspects of power, speed, and finesse – taking songs like “Time For Freedom” (with its cooler Maiden-esque serene bass instrumental sequence from Fabian Bartl) and “Running Out of Time” into those heroic salvos fans clamor to savor. Certain sonic embellishments create that next level of supreme honor and valor – be it through triumphant keyboard spots, bells, or similar textures, but never deviating from the true traditional electricity pulsating in the main compositions. The energetic fill combinations next to the sheer tenacity on display for drummer Hannes Stengel pushes the opening title cut to mandatory set list staple status as well as the galloping passages throughout “Living Runaway” – while his restraint in the ballad “Neverland” proves he can maintain adequate, serviceable work mechanics when called for.
Dennis also doubles his role for Defender in the vocal capacity. He would not be considered an upper, eagle-high voice in that Dickinson, Dio, or Halford elite class – his delivery and abilities more in a Teutonic-oriented, working-class mid-range template similar to the work of Running Wild or early Helloween. Knowing the strengths to emphasize bigger than life choruses keep songs like “Survivor” and “Restless Power” chugging along in speed-like glory, where once again the fiery leads and musical foundations carry the workload for fist-waving glorious times. Clocking in at a more than satisfactory 43 minutes and change, the tones and production values also possess this natural 80s-like charm – allowing organic aspects to trump digital, glued to the grid final outcomes.
For this scribe’s first foray into Defender, Dying to Live is another high impact release that should keep the NWOTHM movement kicking to higher degrees – as well as fuel the desire for older artists to elevate their game on new studio records down the line.
