The long-standing Japanese act, literally, as the Guiness World Record holders for “Long Running Rock Band with the Same Musicians (female),” Scandal makes a short but sweet return following last year’s latest full-length Luminous, in the form of Love, Spark, Joy. An effectively named EP to say the least, given the sounds that emanate from it over the course of these four tracks, even with one of them being a cover track. While it’s a short 14-minutes in length, it’s never lacking in fun.
Opening with “Terra Boy,” there’s nothing but funky riffing and a soaring dance-able chorus to sink your teeth into. It’s such a fun and upbeat track, augmented by it’s driving tempo and thoroughly playful melodies that compel you to move along with the music. It leads into the swinging and melodic “どうかしてるって [Must Be Out of My Mind],” which elevates the infectious nature of the music with it’s clapping moments and Haruna’s catchy vocalwork on the chorus. The way the guitar melody pulls you in is one of the song’s strongest features, and again features this festive tone that feels like it’s meant to be a fantastic live cut. The last of the new original songs is “Soundly,” which takes the energy down a bit from the opening rocking feel of the first two songs, but Tomomi’s basswork gently rumbles in the background, and Haruna’s graceful vocals stand out for their elegant passion and grace as the song’s chorus swells. The last song is a cover of the classic, “Oh, Pretty Woman,” by Roy Orbison. It fits nicely into the EP’s tone, even if it’s played a bit straight for the most part. But notably, the drumming from Rina stands out quite a bit, from it’s pounding tone, giving the song a more modern energy.
Scandal have been doing their thing for 16 years at this point. If you are in the mood for some fun, engaging, and upbeat rock, Scandal have this down to a science. Love, Spark, Joy is bound to leave you with a smile and seeking out more of their music. Thankfully for anyone new to the fold, there’s an extensive discography to indulge in, as we await the group’s first US run in three years this June.
When it comes to progressive, melodic death metal in New England, a steady force that has been plying their trade since the early 2010’s is Boston-based outfit Aversed. Through a series of EPs and their Impermanent full-length they’ve garnered respect for their stellar songwriting and versatility – impressing live audiences across this territory while stretching out across other parts of the US and Canada when possible. Their latest effort Erasure of Color expands horizons once again – enough for us to reach out to guitarist Sungwoo Jeong who was happy to bring us up to date on the vocalist change that took place during the pandemic, the growth of the band, signing with M-Theory Audio, special video memories related to cold/warm weather, thoughts on the metal scene locally and internationally, plus what’s in store for the band down the line.
Dead Rhetoric: Erasure of Color is the latest studio album for Aversed. Can you bring us up to speed on how the band handled the COVID-19 pandemic period as far as moving forward from your previous Impermanent record in 2021 as well as subsequent vocalist change with Haydee leaving and Sarah becoming your new singer?
Sungwoo Jeong: A very good question. If I can explain this as simply as possible. At the peak of the pandemic, when we were all in lockdown, July of 2020 – Haydee told us personally, privately, that ‘this band isn’t for her anymore. I know that we have an album out in six months.’ She was going to stay with the band through the promo cycle, complete the music videos, etc. She wanted us to know that after the album was out, that was it for her. She did it in a very professional manner. We knew we needed to find a vocalist.
During the pandemic I was writing – I’m literally always writing, every other day. The Erasure of Color songwriting, it was always there. It never stopped or started – it just existed. When the lockdown started to be lifted, we got all together including Haydee – we got coffee together, and it was a positive thing. I asked her if she knew any singers out there, if she could help us out. She said she would reach out to some people. And coincidently a day later, I got an ad from Sarah Hartman. I had never heard of her before, but I could see that she was a singer. I kept that in the back of my mind.
In September 2020 I reached out to her, asked if she wanted to audition for this band. She actually rejected me the first time. I thought she was in on this, but I guess not. She told me it wasn’t in the cards yet. I asked her if I could ask her again in six months – she said sure. I asked her again, and she decided to give it a shot. That’s how things happened.
Dead Rhetoric: The band would release two singles in 2022 with “Every Hill a Tomb” and “Death Lullaby” – how do you feel the response was to these two songs, and were they always intended to be stand-alone singles instead of in the running to appear on the new record?
Jeong: Those are the first two songs with Sarah. Those songs came out six months after she joined – she joined in September 2021, and we released the first one “Every Hill a Tomb” in February of 2022. The goal with those two songs was to let the world as in our scene because we are a pretty small band, and still are, know that we are not slowing down. Here are two songs, and it was a sneak peak for Erasure of Color. Just to let the world know we just got a singer, our production will still continue. We announced Sarah as our vocalist six months after Impermanent came out. We didn’t want people to wait too much longer to hear material with Sarah – we were eager to release new music, even though they are stand-alone singles and DIY. We wanted to prove that we were not slowing down.
They were intended to be stand alone singles, and the response was good. They didn’t get massive promotion like a record label would give, but we still play those songs all the time. People recognize those songs to be strong, truly Aversed songs. We are not any different as a band just because we have a new singer. The Aversed DNA is still there.
Dead Rhetoric: Now that the album is hitting the streets, how did the songwriting and recording process go for this set of material? Where did you want to take Aversed stylistically that may have been different or expanded on what you’ve achieved with your sound so far?
Jeong: As I said, the songwriting for Erasure of Color has always been existent. Years before Impermanent even came out. The songwriting is primarily me, and/or Jeff. When we are in a room together, we will bang out one to three songs together. It just happens naturally. When I am alone at home, I’m always writing. The songwriting started before COVID-19, me and Jeff sharing chemistry together with the guitar and drums, songs being formed in real time in a rehearsal room. That’s how that came about.
Stylistically, there will be similarities. With Erasure, there were new tones I wanted to achieve. I wanted a lot more low guitar tones with chug. I want more headbangable riffs. Some songs may be a little simpler, some songs may be a little more complex. Some songs may be more dissonant than Impermanent. I wanted to explore territories that we haven’t touched before. A lot more low-tuned chug guitars, and a lot more atmosphere.
Dead Rhetoric: Where did the band draw from lyrically this time around? Do you consider the subject matter and delivery as important as what you create from the musical side?
Jeong: Absolutely. There’s a lot more mourning on this album. A lot more subjects about losing a loved one: both romantically, friendships, death. In any sense of the word, loss. The lyrics I would describe as gothic – a lot of things that you would expect from gothic metal. How lyrics tend to come about, Jeff writes most of the lyrics, although Jeff and Sarah write things together. Jeff is a great metal lyricist. He likes talking about death a lot, he likes talking about suffering. It’s very metal.
Dead Rhetoric: Now Jeff also drums with Allegaeon. How are things with him sharing duties in both bands – have there been any conflicts to resolve with scheduling?
Jeong: Jeff has a pretty type A, alpha personality when it comes to time management. He’s addicted to staying busy. With that, he’s really good at managing time. He works a full-time job, he’s in a Metal Blade band, he’s in Aversed and occasional side projects here and there. Allegaeon, there has never once been a time conflict between the two bands. Obviously they are a lot busier band that Aversed is, but they are not a band that tours 250 shows a year. They do one or two major tours a year. There’s a lot of flexibility within that for the Aversed sphere. I’m a big fan of Allegaeon, so I have zero qualms if he has to prioritize things to their schedule. To me, that’s expected. We just try to work around that, and it has not been an issue in the slightest yet.
Dead Rhetoric: Tell us about the video shoots for “Cross to Bear” and “Lucid Decapitation”? What memories do you have surrounding the work behind those videos, do you enjoy the visual medium to use as a promotional vehicle to express more of the personalities of the band?
Jeong: I love music videos. I love watching other bands music videos, so I’m a fan first and foremost. For “Cross to Bear” I just remember we spent two twelve-hour days shooting that in November 2023. It was really cold. There are a lot of hours shooting scenes, but what I remember the most is the indoor scenes were shot in Sarah’s basement in Rhode Island. It’s extremely cold down there in November, so we bought this 70-inch fish tank. And we put a GoPro camera looking up view. We had to dunk Sarah’s face inside this cold fish tank for many minutes at a time to get the angle of her getting drowned by people. The next day we went to a lake, and Sarah brought a black dress. She had to pretend she was drowning in this lake for at least ten minutes. Those minutes probably felt like milliseconds to her. It was very cold – and I am glad I wasn’t the star of the show, as I like being warm (laughs). It was brutal and exhausting, but we are super patient.
For “Lucid Decapitation”, it was the polar opposite. We shot that in August 2023 at a warehouse in Nashville, Tennessee. That day was even worse, we woke up and had to fix our car while the music video was happening. We dropped off the band to the warehouse, dropped off the car at an auto shop, then we had to take an Uber back to the music video shoot. We then realized this place is 95 degrees and we didn’t bring any water with us – we are such dumbasses (laughs). We spent the next six hours being chronically dehydrated, shooting us doing the music video, but the good thing – we sweat a lot and that sweat shows in the music video. All in the name of metal!
Dead Rhetoric: How did Marco Barbieri and M-Theory Audio become interested in signing Aversed? How do you feel about being on this label given his knowledge and experience in the industry for decades?
Jeong: Marco – what a legend! The short story in how he got involved, when we played in March 2023 in Rochester, NY, some radio show, underground college radio guy, he came out and he is friends with Marco. He thought we were one of the best bands ever – this label might be interested in you. Shoot me an email and I’ll forward it to M-Theory. We did that just, and when our album was done we had our EPK ready for labels. We sent Marco the email, he was interested immediately. He gave us the terms, we amended some terms, and we had a number of Zoom meetings with Marco to gauge a feel for each other. Starting to build a relationship – he made it very clear to us that he’s a fan of music, first and foremost. He sees himself more in that way than as a business partner. He wanted to really help out the band. To me it was a no-brainer to work with him.
Months after we signed the contract, I made it out to Las Vegas. Got a beer with Marco and Scott Coonan of M-Theory, and it was an awesome time. We talked about Nevermore, we talked about our favorite bands that he’s signed, we were fanning over music and drinking a beer. My opinion about working with M-Theory – they really care about helping bands grow. They only sign bands that they are a fan of themselves. He’s a really nice, gentle person.
Dead Rhetoric: You’ve done a number of mini tours over the past few years to expand the following of Aversed beyond the New England area. What do you believe you’ve learned most about the musicians on the road, as well as possibly key takeaways from others that have helped the band become an even stronger act live compared to what people hear and experience on record?
Jeong: Unfortunately, when we do these mini runs outside of New England, we’ve only travelled alone. So far, we haven’t toured with many other bands before. The only thing I can compare things to is the local bands we play with; we’ve played opening for a national tour for local shows and national shows before. Those shows I try to learn the most from – when we played with Twilight Force back in March or Unto Others back in December, those shows I really liked. I’m trying to learn like a sponge. I want to see how these household name bands conduct themselves. How they walk, how they communicate with the staff, the venue, the tour manager, all of that. I really try to learn their punctuality, professionalism, how they prepare before their set, down to how their stage layout is. I try to observe all of those things.
I want Aversed to become a household name band at some point. I would like to be a national and international band, and I try to follow in the footsteps of other bands I’ve witnessed in my life.
Dead Rhetoric: Where do you see Aversed at this point in your career? Are you hopeful to make the band more of a lifelong career thing, or do you as musicians understand that you need to balance out work/careers, families, and expectations against your musical desires in the modern world?
Jeong: I’m fully happy accepting the fact that Aversed will probably never become a source of income. I think I can speak for all five of us in the band. With that said, with how I see the band, I want to keep performing quality shows and tours. We currently play seasonally. We plan one little tour in March and one little tour in November/December. I’m completely happy with that. I would love to expand on that. I’d love to be a part of the summer European festival rosters. I would like to have one tour in North America, one tour in Asia. I would love to be at a point where even if we don’t do this full, full-time – I would like to stretch the name of Aversed across the globe as much as possible. Within feasibility.
Dead Rhetoric: Being a part of the metal scene, what are your thoughts on the state of the industry on a local level as well as national / international level?
Jeong: The scene on a local as well as national/international basis, it’s become so exciting. There are so many great bands right now. Bands sometimes that I’ve never even heard of until the day of, and wow this band has a huge following. I go to one to two shows a week, so I try to stay optimistic about the scene. There are so many great bands, some bands I see killing it these days are like Kruelty from Japan, Escuela Grind and Brat are a big deal. Xoth from the west. Metal is as big as ever. You see these small bands now selling out 150-200 cap venues on a Monday, Abominator just did that. Especially the extreme metal side, death metal, grind, deathcore, slam – they have become really popular. Aversed is not that band yet, but I try to be excited about it. It’s keeping things exciting. One could argue there is an oversaturation of great bands, but I’m happy with where things are at.
I would like to see melodic death metal become more popular. I would like to see clean singing in extreme metal become the thing. That would be great. I’m just a fan of music, first and foremost. I’m a spectator, I’m a fan, I’m a concertgoer. We’ll see what happens.
Dead Rhetoric: Were there any apprehensions on Sarah’s part replacing Haydee as the singer of this band? Do you think she’s been accepted by the fans of Aversed at this point?
Jeong: Her transition was quite seamless. She has her similarities with Haydee, but she definitely has her differences. When she sings the Haydee material, I don’t think no one would ever think that it doesn’t sound like Aversed. The perfect analogy is like Howard Jones to Jesse Leach of Killswitch Engage. No one was upset about that. I think that’s how people feel about Sarah. Our reception with her has been sky high. There are some people that consider her the best part of Aversed – I wouldn’t disagree with that. The band is as strong as ever because of Sarah.
Dead Rhetoric: How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Or do you have a favorite failure of yours, and how did you end up pushing through?
Jeong: Our failures as Aversed. I was just talking about this the other night. Our failures have been about not being strategic when it comes to performing shows. May in 2017, we played a show in Lowell, Massachusetts and there were three paid people on a summer Friday night. Obviously, that was demoralizing, but the lesson that we learned is, why did we accept this show? We just accepted any other show that came our way. We’ve become definitely selective about what we play, when we play, and how we play. In 2024, we only played eight shows. That was unfortunate, but all of the eight shows were quality shows. I would rather take that over forty lackluster shows. We want to be revered. We want to stray away from the local band phenomenon. We want to conduct ourselves with professionalism.
Dead Rhetoric: Where do you see your personal growth as a musician from when you started Aversed to where you are today?
Jeong: The way I would answer this is – when I write music, first and foremost I want to please myself. Sounds a little narcissistic. I want my songwriting for myself to become as compelling as possible. I’m a fan of my own music. I want the songs to move me – that’s why I am doing it. The fact that I am achieving this is evident by the fact that I’m twenty times more excited about the album after Erasure of Color. I’m not saying I’ve grown out of that album – but we are already done with the album after that. We keep on going, I’m just excited.
Dead Rhetoric: What’s on the agenda for anything related to Aversed over the next twelve months?
Jeong: For Aversed, you can expect a tour to happen in July or August. A summer tour to support the album. That’s all I can speak on for the Aversed side – as well as another music video. Allegaeon will be touring with Warbringer, Summoning the Lich, and Skeletal Remains in March/April. That’s not to be missed.
A quick return following last year’s debut EP, EXCLAMAT!ON, Nek! continue to showcase what appears to be a rapid rise to the top of the scene (one can only assume they will reach Band-Maid levels sooner than later). Their diverse blend of rock, metal, and pop influences is one that their first EP had on full display. Follow-up Tr!ck Tak!ng works in essentially the same way, offering another taste of fun and flashy collection of tracks that seem to all but illustrate the diversity Nek! is shooting for.
The title track starts us off in quick rocking fashion. Loud, playful basswork from Kanade leads off the track and sits as a perpetual highlight. The driving tempo of the track, alongside the uplifting guitar melodies all but urges the listener to give the song plenty of re-listens to hone in on the intricacies (seemingly becoming a Nek! trait), or just enjoy the song as a classic driving anthem. “Fool” ratchets up the tempo and moves the band back into some punk-inspired waters as the riffing and drum combo brings the chorus into catchy yet rocking territory. Again, Kanade’s bass really stands out and is given plenty of space to showcase it. That’s not to stop a fine Natsu guitar solo later though. Natsu’s guitarwork takes an even stronger presence in “Loner,” with playful runs and soaring melodies.
It’s at the more mellow and quiet “moon” that Hika gets to really shine at the vocal end. The ballad-y cut shows her at her most emotive and gentle, and it’s a nice contrast to the three more brazen rockers before it. The chorus feels like a cool wave rushing over the listener. The final track, “Dreams!!!!” sees the band shift gears back towards an arena rock feel, but still maintaining the same high level of musicianship that is to be expected of the young act. There’s a greater emphasis on the chorus than the other tracks, though it’s chock-full of interweaving guitar and bass melodies outside of the strong presence of Hika.
The only problem that seems to stem from Nek!’s two EPs is that they end far too quickly. The fun and engaging instrumentation and vocal hooks make for a thrilling listen that’s bound to put a smile on any listener’s face. Tr!ck Tak!ng cements Nek! as rising force within the Japanese music scene, and one that’s bound to turn quite a few heads once their name breaks further in the international scene. Let’s just hope they will provide a full-length effort sooner than later.
A staple of the Century Media roster during the early 2000’s, Carnal Forge is a Swedish band traversing the thrash/death parameters. Many may remember records such as The More You Suffer from 2003 and the follow up Aren’t You Dead Yet in 2004. Lineup and life changes took place from there – where Testify For My Victims came out in 2007 on Candlelight and twelve years later Gun to Mouth Salvation hit the streets for current label ViciSolum Productions. Add in bassist Lars Linden’s recent colon cancer diagnosis since 2023 and it’s no wonder that the band may be slower in output than the past – but no less inspired or passionate about channeling these challenges into fuel for the creative fire.
Back with The Fractured Process, this is a quick three-song EP hitter that illustrates youthful-oriented attack motions channeled through the seasoning and experience of musicians who have been playing their instruments for three to four decades. Opener “The Final Enemy” contains a blitzkrieg of twin chunky rhythms that match the piercing vocal screams, while the bass/drum work captivates between its speedier sections next to some highly engaging groove foundational movements. Exemplary lead play contains a hefty mix of melo-death harmonies, fleet licks, as well as thematic accents that hammer in the addictive qualities of the song. The next outing “Fragment of Sanity” contains some nifty stop/ start interplay between the drums and guitars before a Slayer-esque double kick sequence gives chase to more thick riffs, controlled mid-tempo thrash underpinning as well as some sinister talk to acidic main melodies. Saving the most shapeshifting effort for last in “Ready to Burn”, once again the speed, power, and intensity will win over the followers, a stairstep harmony riff recalling the best of Swedish melodic death next to 80s NWOBHM.
Originally recorded right after Gun to Mouth Salvation in 2020, its appropriate that Carnal Forge waited a few years to release The Fractured Process. Given the shorter attention spans at play in this flooded release market, this EP could indoctrinate plenty of people into the fold – and remind listeners of the greatness of melodic thrash with death inflections from Scandinavia again.
Back in the ’90s, there was a time when slam was en vogue. The dirty, grimy, gritty death metal that bands like Devourment, Disgorge, or even Gorgasm would hit the tin can snare, gurgle indecipherably, and the riffs would all but rumble as they chugged along. If you yearn for that admittedly simpler time, when brutality was law, Necrambulant are bound to win some favor with you for their second full-length, Upheaval of Malignant Necrambulance (what a very ‘death metal’ mouthful).
Necrambulant hit all of the homages to the slamming brutal death metal genre and do it in the most intense ways possible. From the tin can drum blasts, to the thick and weighty riffs that bulldoze everything in their midtempo path, to the low guttural vocals that border on gurgling, Necrambulant has you covered. Pick whatever song you’d like, because for better or worse (depending on your take on slam), you are going to hear the same type of patterns for each track. The riffs have that knuckledragging groove to them (see “Ineffable Tormenting Possession”) and it’s just enough to keep your ears attentive, to see where they go. Of course, the slams are absolutely devastating when they come, as opener “Amalgamation of Gruesome Crudling” quickly showcases, and the blasts can be exhilarating.
While the similar tone starts to wreck some havoc as you progress further into Upheaval of Malignant Necrambulance, it’s to be expected with this type of pure, slamming death metal sound. That said, Necrambulant do right by the genre and showcase what is the most fun aspects of it, namely the bouncing between frantic blasts to devastating slams all while inhuman gurgles bellow over it, and really does a nice job of capturing the masters of the craft. What it lacks in innovation, it very much makes up for in knowledge of how to approach the songs. While slam is a pretty niche spot in 2025, it’s great to hear some newer bands that still can showcase it for the visceral explosion that it is.
Ten years ago, this scribe witnessed a killer tour at Ralph’s Diner in Worcester, MA that included this Pacific Northwest band Christian Mistress. Mesmerized by the performance, it was mandatory to seek out all the back catalog for this heavy metal outfit. Children of the Earth is the latest, fourth studio album and first in ten years – not losing one ounce of strength pouring through the speakers. A twin guitar assault still ever-present, along with a solid rhythm section backbone as well as powerhouse vocal melodies that keep your attention from first to last note. We reached out to vocalist Christine Davis who discussed her interesting musical background, why there was a long break between records, the analog recording process they’ve enjoyed throughout their discography, the live performance versus studio thoughts, band chemistry, thoughts on the versatile heavy metal scene, and much more.
Dead Rhetoric: What can you tell us about some of your earliest memories surrounding music growing up during childhood? At what point did you start gravitating towards heavier styles of music – and eventually the desire to want to perform in your own bands?
Christine Davis: I like that question. I was raised in a really strict, religious household. But good, I had a good family. I wasn’t allowed to listen to anything really on the radio, or listen to music that maybe I would have liked. I just liked whatever was in front of me musically. I learned how to sing and hear music as a ten-year-old, I was in a choir that was not a Christian or church choir, but a community choir for kids. We learned how to sing in the solfege method, which is sight reading notes on paper. We learned how to sing Eastern European folk songs; this is really obscure, so I hope you don’t mind if I share this. We learned how to sing in Romanian, Russian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, and we travelled all over the Ukraine and Russia, which was in 1989, so it was still the USSR at the time. Our choir was called the World Harmony Peace Choir, which sounds really hippy. It was voice training and music training, so that’s how I learned how to hear not necessarily songs on the radio or rock music, but I learned how to hear other people and hear harmonies that way. I had a very non-traditional exposure to music. I try to bring a lot of that into this latest (Christian Mistress) record Children of the Earth. No one ever asked me about that, so I’ve never shared this before.
And then in high school, I realized by exposure to my friends that there is other music out there. I would sneak and listen to the radio. I was obsessed with pop music – I would write down the lyrics from songs, record them on tape, replay it and see if could memorize them. Thinking about lyrics, it didn’t matter what it was, as long as it was good. I was in Portland, Oregon at the time, and the grunge scene in the late 90s was a really big deal. I wasn’t really into those bands, but I liked the passion and the heaviness of it. That led me to bands like Bad Religion, I loved them. In my older high school years, I learned about punk and the punk scene, and that led me to digging around in record stores to seek out albums. I came across a cassette tape called Rocka Rolla from Judas Priest – this sounds cool. I remember putting it in my car when I was 16, it was my first heavy metal record. Driving around listening to that, I loved it – it was the gateway for me to find other 70s heavy metal. I was into Hawkwind, Iron Maiden – Killers, and I went down that whole NWOBHM road. It was really exciting for me, and that all happened in my early 20s, actually. I wasn’t a young kid learning about this, I was learning about this as an adult.
Dead Rhetoric: Children of the Earth is the fourth studio album for Christian Mistress – and first in a decade for the group. What took place behind the scenes that caused this long gap between records – and how does it feel to be finally putting this out after all the time away?
Davis: Behind the scenes, we finished our last tour in Europe in 2016. Our lead guitar player Oscar at the time, had a newborn baby. While we were on tour, his baby was back home so he said he needed a break to focus on how to raise a kid and tour, and see if that was even possible. We said, great – no problem, we had just done a ton of stuff, put out records, gone on tours, take a break. It wasn’t like he was taking a break from the band; he just needed some time to regroup. That moment extended until 2020, and we are like wow – four years, maybe we should think about writing a record again and see if we can do this with someone else if he’s not ready. COVID happened, and that just stopped everything for a couple of years. By 2023, the effects from that were mellowing out and we got invited to play Hell’s Heroes. We thought well, let’s get another guitar player that we’ve played with before that knows our songs, and let’s just have fun. We played that fest, it was incredible, and we then thought we could do this band without Oscar. We love Oscar, and love being in a band with him, but we can do this without him. So that’s what we are doing.
That’s the back story. There’s no reason why it took ten years other than giving people space and respecting their boundaries. I don’t know, time flies. It feels incredible, although we never officially broke up, we were always thinking about doing this realistically. In this moment, it feels incredible, as we all just decided to break down those barriers that were keeping us from being a band. We are focusing on what we can do. You may have noticed we are not touring at the moment. We can’t tour yet, but what we could do was put out a record. And do all the background work and book tours for later this year and early next year. We stopped worrying about what we can’t do and focusing on what is actually possible.
Dead Rhetoric: Can you discuss the old school recording / production philosophy behind this record – do you believe it’s important to capture Christian Mistress in as authentic and pure a state as possible?
Davis: Yeah, we do believe that. The way we recorded our first records, I guess starting from the beginning, why did we start recording analog and why do we continue to do that is I think of it as we first recorded analog on a four track, reel to reel at our friend’s studio in Olympia, Washington because we were just writing songs and having fun. We wanted to make a demo to practice. We weren’t expecting anyone to ever care about our band. We had recorded digitally with my previous bands in the past Buried Blood and Blood Red Sky, and I just didn’t enjoy the way they turned out. We started recording analog because we had a good option locally and a good studio to do this at. If that had not happened, we probably wouldn’t have done it. It’s the right place, right time. One of our best friends happens to have a great studio in Olympia. That’s not accessible for everybody, and I wouldn’t recommend that people travel all across the world to record with analog. We just happened to be lucky to have that resource and friendship. And we loved it, and we’ve continued to do things that way.
I still have these nightmares of recording digitally in the past with previous bands where the whole process was really overcooked. And we like that raw, real feeling. We are a live band, to be honest. People will say, and I agree, that the recordings might be good, but the live experience is great. So, we try to bring that to our recordings when we can.
Dead Rhetoric: The background information regarding the lyrical content to the record relates to ancient writings found on a gold tablet, speaking up for those who have no voice, and addressing humans lack of connectivity to the universe. Can you expand on how you decided to explore these topics and how humans can figure out ways of getting back on track to make society stronger or better as a whole?
Davis: Yeah. This concept came from my own personal world view, which is to think of the bigger picture. That has always helped me shovel myself out of any kind of depression or unnecessary stress. I just stop and think, wow – I am a part of this huge, beautiful thing. I was looking for ways to address that bigger life philosophy. Not necessarily for a concept album, but let these songs for this album cohesively work together. I’m rejecting that it’s a concept album, I really wanted there to be a theme that reflected back to this universal truth. When I found the ancient people had written this on golden tablets, this declaration of who we are in the universe, I thought it was very powerful. Definitely not something I learned in school, or sought out.
It’s incredible to think about the trajectory of humans and how we fit into that. The tools or ways other people can do this is remembering that we have the power to really explore our own creativity. Nobody can take that away from us. We have the power to not necessarily do anything we want, because not everyone has the same privileges in the world, but the things inside of ourselves transcend our situations, or where we live. For example, if I lived in a country where I didn’t have an international passport and couldn’t travel, or see the world, or do anything, I’m still a human and still a part of the universal experience. It’s meant to be encouraging – it’s not necessarily a super positive record, as I think it’s actually a really dark record lyrically if you really listen to it. It’s rejecting that powerlessness.
Dead Rhetoric: This deep into the band’s career, do you believe there are specific key elements that make up the Christian Mistress sound?
Davis: Yes. The key elements are the twin guitars, the guitar harmonies. And those guitar harmonies working with counter vocal melodies. That’s one part. The other crucial part is that drum/bass combination of Jonny and Reuben. Jonny is actually the second guitar player also on this record, and we have tried to just shifting him to that position and just getting another bass player. We realized that after examining that arrangement, that wasn’t what we wanted. Even though Jonny is an incredible guitar player, and we are so lucky to have him on the record as a guitar player, his bass playing is also incredible. And it’s not just him alone, with him and Reuben as the rhythm section, they really ground all the different melodies that the guitars and vocals bring. Those are the elements that need to be there. I can’t imagine having a different drummer or a bass player. I could see having different guitarists again, but I couldn’t imagine a different bottom end.
Dead Rhetoric: Would you say your vocals and approach have changed from the early days of the band to where you are now?
Davis: Part of my confidence comes from my bandmates giving me full reign and trust. If I have a question about a lyric or a vocal part, I can ask them and they will give me really honest feedback. And they will say absolutely no, do things in a different way. They give me full creative control, and that makes me feel confident. For this record, I feel the vocals have more space, just with the different guitar players, and the style of songwriting. It was different enough to lend itself to more vocals, so I took advantage of that. I took what was given and made things into a more well-developed vocal record. If the guitar parts had been written differently, I might not have done that. I wait and see what the guitars want to do, then work with it.
Dead Rhetoric: How would you assess Christian Mistress as a live act compared to what people experience on the records? What do you want the audience to feel from a performance – and what have been some of the more memorable shows/tours you’ve done to date?
Davis: For a live performance, in a perfect world it would be just like back at the Roadburn festival. We played there in 2015 or 2016. I thought Christian Mistress was still a pretty unknown band, but the crowd was singing along to the lyrics I had written. I was in shock. I would love every live experience for me to be like that. I was blown away by the connection that can be made across the world without ever being there before. To me connecting in the heavy rock/metal scene across the world, having more connective experiences, meeting new fans that can have similar experiences to that would be my goal.
As far as the record goes and that experience. I hope that people can get a good understanding of the lyrical concepts and the music before they go to a show, because we come across a little differently live. We are a pretty rough and rowdy band live. There’s a good amount of that recorded element that we won’t be able to do live, so I hope people get the chance to experience both (aspects).
Dead Rhetoric: You are now a part of Cruz del Sur Music after being on 20 Buck Spin and Relapse Records. Where do you see the major differences in terms of support – and how has the band handled the changing music industry / promotion model from the start of the band to where things are currently?
Davis: Cruz del Sur were friends of ours before, and that’s why we went with them. We felt like we could trust them to put out a record that we would be happy with. And that’s been true. Promotion-wise, it’s really different. I think it’s better in ways to have a European label, and we have the opportunity to switch it up. That will help reach people that our past US releases didn’t reach. Having those different levels of support over time can be good. Back when we recorded Possession for Relapse, I was doing so many interviews I couldn’t also write music, I was too busy. And I resented that at the time. A part of that was just not being used to the industry, not being used to social media. Social media was pretty new to us in 2012, we didn’t have a Facebook page back then, or Instagram. It was a shock to the system to me, we were a small band at the time – and maybe we still are. My ability to be exposed to people asking me questions about the process, I wasn’t mature enough to be able to really appreciate that. It felt like an infringement on my creative capacity, honestly. But I did it.
Now I enjoy interviews and the attention, because I understand that there’s a bigger heavy metal community out there that’s supportive and not extractive. I didn’t really understand that at the time. I have been growing and accepting, learning how to communicate with the changing world of heavy metal. It wasn’t as popular as it is now, it’s just incredible. I think we are still learning how to interact, it’s just an ongoing, changing process.
Dead Rhetoric: Do you also believe it’s a growth process to see how a song is accepted when you put it out there in the world, compared to the insight you may have as musicians who worked through the process?
Davis: I think so. I try to write songs that are personal, so they sound real and not fake. But also, it is not too personal that they can’t be relatable to other people’s experiences. It’s been interesting to watch what songs people grab onto more. I’ve had people come to our shows last year and say, ‘play this song, it saved me from this horrible thing in my life’. And I am like, wow – I could never have imagined that those songs would have such an impact on other people, it’s such an honor to share music that is healing and meaningful in some way.
Dead Rhetoric: What’s the band chemistry like these days? Do you consider the friendships and relationships you’ve forged as important as the music that you’ve developed over the years?
Davis: Oh yeah, those guys are my best friends. I never thought back in 2008 when we started that we would be together this long or get to do so much together. Honestly, we always get along. Sometimes we disagree, but we listen to each other and talk about why. It’s not personal disagreements; it’s more like maybe we could do this a different way. We definitely listen to each other. Our relationships are so important that if there is anything that we disagree on, we call the other person and talk about it. Our band chemistry, we picked up right where we left off. I remember the first time we had band practice after the long break, I missed this, and I missed these guys. It’s been important to keep this going. Even if we didn’t get the recognition, it would be important to get together, practice the songs, and write together creatively.
Dead Rhetoric: Where do you see the state of the music industry today – especially in the heavier genres? What do you enjoy most these days – and what changes (if any) would you like to see develop for the greater good of all parties involved?
Davis: I appreciate all the small, heavy music festivals in Europe – and there are a few in the USA as well. I think they are doing a good job of bringing together bands and people. Erasing that line that has separated fans and bands a little bit, I really like that. I’ve always felt a real connection to our fans, especially playing live. That live experience is mutual. You couldn’t just play alone. Those festivals are promoting that live, heavy music community.
It’s cool to see my friends succeed and put out good music over the years. It’s very rewarding as a musician that’s been in metal bands for over 20 years to keep and maintain those friendships. The people we work with, the artists, it’s great to continue those relationships and meet new people. Every time I turn around there’s this new zone or group of people doing similar stuff that I never knew about. A lot to discover, and a lot of ways to discover it – especially with all the online platforms. I think that’s great – the more accessible, the better. It’s different now, there are a lot of opportunities out there too.
Dead Rhetoric: Do you still work as a biology technician for your day job, and what is that like for you? Are there aspects of your work that you are able to channel into your musical realm – or do you keep things separate as different parts of your life?
Davis: Yes, I definitely keep things separate. I am still a biologist, but in the break between records I went to graduate school. I work for a private restoration company, and we do river restoration. I do similar kind of work, but it’s a regular nine to five job. That keeps me really busy, usually Christian Mistress will practice on Sunday nights. The other guys, two of them, have their own kids now, so they are busy too. I keep my band separate from my work. I do that because not everyone understands heavy metal. And I have had a lot of experiences where I’ve tried to share this with people, and they think heavy metal is just bikers and drugs, which is just so embarrassing. Embarrassing for them. I prefer to keep any of that out of my professional life. I usually wait until I know someone really well at work before I tell them I’m in a band.
Dead Rhetoric: What’s on the agenda for Christian Mistress over the next twelve months?
Davis: We are going to play some shows on the West Coast of the US in September and October. But we haven’t announced where or when yet. And then we are going to play Hell over Hammaburg in March of next year, in Germany. I am assuming we will book a tour around that, but I haven’t heard any of the details yet. That’s the plan right now.
Nottingham, England is an industrial heartland area – and home to this group The Five Hundred. Establishing themselves during the 2010s, they’ve released two albums to date while playing as many gigs as possible to move up the ladder. Ghostwriter as the third full-length should cement their sound into more followers – especially those that are into a great mix of progressive / djent-oriented styles next to a metalcore foundation. The twelve songs garner additional coloring from special guests locally and internationally, yet fundamentally the quintet executes quite a potent, dynamic sound from initial exposure to repeated, deeper dive listens.
A swirling mix of electronic elements next to conventional aggressive, distortion-driven instrumentation keeps opener “The Death of All We Know” sharp – the infectious chorus resonates with modern, melodic appeal, the musical components shifting between a calmer verse angle into heavier, bouncy parts for the chorus and supplementary vocal support from John Eley. Stunted, low-tuned guitars carry a bulk of the workload, as Mark Byrne and Paul Doughty infiltrate the process with smartly placed clean / ambient angles next to the progressive chunks and metalcore / groove-fueled riffs. Check out the slithering swagger from “In the Dark” or circular runs next to melodic death-like spots throughout “Echoes” as two of many sides to these axe players’ versatility. “Chaos Sermon” leans towards nu-metal heydays, featuring Justin Hill of SikTh to provide screaming contrasts to this impassioned, somber to explosive track, the djent flavoring appearing in the right measures. The impressive juggling of styles song by song open up the playbook for the band – properly lifting these songs from the studio to the stage. It may be a little longer than most records of this style at 44 minutes, but it’s not as if these songs overstay their welcome – there are always smaller details to dig into, be it specific catchy vocal melodies, main chord staples, or the atmosphere transitions that can happen in an instant.
The metalcore movement of today has strength in numbers where additional influences have been exposing artists to a wider following inside and outside the typical heavy music community. The Five Hundred put forth a tremendous effort through Ghostwriter to be in the running for a breakthrough to climb those ranks – as the quality here cannot be denied.
ADE have been doing their thing with the Roman Empire approach to death metal for over 15 years at this point. Seems like every new album, somehow the ‘unsung heroes’ or ‘undiscovered gem’ continues to unfortunately be something the band cannot seem to shed. Not sure the reason, considering the absolute smoothness that they continue to employ when it comes to delivering frantic, technical death metal that has done for Rome what Nile has done for Egypt. Nevertheless, Supplicium is their newest release, and if any of what was already said feels applicable to you, it’s worth an immediate investigation.
Supplicium continues to showcase ADE at their absolute best. ADE can do some absolutely devastating speed runs, complete with the shellshock-inducing tech barrage, but within the same track, they can also showcase some tasteful use of cultural/atmospheric notes. “Ad Bestias” is an excellent example of what ADE can do in that very regard. Jackhammering drums and high-speed riffing that’s both melodic and dizzying at the same time, but not without some cinematic atmosphere that makes you feel pulled into their Roman aesthetic. Their strongest suit is how they can pull off the massive inclusion of this aesthetic without compromising the visceral energy of the music in the least. “Quartered by Chariots” is as urgent and chaotic as any given Hate Eternal track at it’s most frenetic, yet it interjects moments of epic folk instrumentation to give it a fresh feel. “Oderint Dum Metuant” steps up the instrumentation even further, causing an attention-grabbing clash between the shredding riffs and Roman atmosphere in the best way possible as blasts mix in with a wide variety of instruments that you wouldn’t expect in music such as this. It’s unrelenting, but also thrilling and sticks with you due to it’s different elements. By the time you reach the closing track, “Taedium Vivere” you will be won over by it’s thoroughly epic approach that hits some melodic arrangements that pull you in, only to devastate you with pummeling riffs and blasts.
Few can pull off the level of epic and genuine integration that ADE continue to do in their militant and brutal approach to showcasing Roman history through death metal. It’s a riveting and heavy experience that death metal fans are bound to be captivated by, but it also has a way with Roman instrumentation that immerses you and makes the music even more cinematic and memorable, without disrupting the metallic flow. Supplicium is another stand out effort that one can only hope gives them the attention they deserve.
Following up their 2023 full-length, Everything Bleeds, Crown Magnetar is back with a short taste of what’s to come with Punishment. It’s a four song EP, so it’s going to be a ‘get in, get out’ type of affair. Something that, to be quite frank, it all thats really necessary from Crown Magnetar’s particular brand of technical deathcore. While they bring in a variety of different ‘flavors’ of the genre (symphonic, technical, brutal, etc), it’s such an urgent and frantic affair that it benefits from a rather quick runtime.
With the longest song not even hitting four minutes, these songs do get exactly to the point. Opener “Barbed Wire Noose” is the longest cut, and it’s combination of visceral breakdowns, which are effectively placed and meaty, and explosive bursts of speed laced with some slight dabbling in keyboards and blackened atmosphere. If it sounds like a lot, it’s more straight-forward than it might sound, which is not a slag in the slightest. “Nailed the Fuck Down” is a musical beating, with savage midtempo riffs and vicious blasts acting as a jackhammer, elevated by some atmospheric effects. It’s a whirlwind of energy. The same type of description can be applied to the final two songs as well, though “Bringer of Dead Light” does take the band the furthest into the blackened atmospherics and evil sounding riffs when it takes the time to slow down from the blistering pace it occasionally strives for. To that end, the finale of “Decapitation Ritual” really slows things down in it’s second half, to almost hypnotic levels – all without losing the tension and energy in the music.
Punishment takes the utter savagery that’s present in the deathcore genre and gives it all of the proper proportions to make it work. No one is going to be saying that Crown Magnetar are breaking boundaries, but they know how to do up the trimmings of the genre with plenty of energy and flash. Considering the number of more generic attempts to be found, that’s definitely worth a gander if you have any interest in this particular sound.
