There’s something to be said for a frequent release schedule in the current here today, gone tomorrow music industry – especially if you have the talent, ambition, and ability to issue quality material. Such is the case for Chicago, Illinois-area outfit Necronomicon Ex Mortis. The Mother of Death as the latest five-song EP comes hot on the heels of this past summer’s fine You and Your Friends Are Dead: Game Over EP, showcasing the quintet’s diverse approach to melodic death metal that infuses elements of thrash, shred / technical prowess, as well as old school aspects taken to a modern edge.
Opener “Trick Or Treat” wastes no time in obliteration mode as far as the twin melodic guitar riffs and thunderous double kick plus entertaining fill spots, the transitional sequences providing ample opportunity for a sick, sophisticated lead break before the charging riff parade returns. These gentlemen always figure out a way to intertwine American style death with some Scandinavian flair – yet injecting key melodic runs that seep back to classic Priest/Maiden-like tricks as you’ll hear during the otherwise fairly frantic highlight “Infestation”. The instrumental “Itchy Tasty” gives off an old Resident Evil – horror vibe, where the bass and guitar work allure the aural landscape in this jazzy, progressive state of mind while also calming emotional before the final track “Salem’s Lot” ends the record in chugging death metal form, the raspy vocals conjuring up scenes from the infamous Stephen King novel (and movie adaptation) that stands up as well today as it did during its late 70s origins. Many will get a bit of a blackened meets Edge of Sanity vibe during the speedier sections of this arrangement, while the leads from Manuel Barbara will floor the schooled axe players of the metal brigade.
The intersection of acts like The Black Dahlia Murder, At the Gates, and Arsis next to those technical, thrash, and old school influences puts Necronomicon Ex Mortis in great position to capture a wide array of followers, underground or above. Keeping on a solid release schedule with four EP’s over the past two years, The Mother of Death could vault the band into the eyes of record label executives who can sense a buzz swirling about though this five-piece.
Amongst the first wave of the heavier Danish thrash/death metal brigade of the late 80s/early 90s, Konkhra released two acclaimed demos plus their Stranded EP before the debut album Sexual Affective Disorder hit the streets in 1993. Although the band’s productivity crawled to a decade-long halt between 2009’s Nothing Is Sacred and 2019’s Alpha and the Omega releases due to a series of lineup changes, we’ve now arrived at the eighth studio full-length for Sad Plight of Lucifer with the classic quartet in alignment. After significant spins, the eleven tracks traverse a bit of a modern, groove-like punch next to the natural death/thrash tendencies that have been ever-present in the foundation of their style.
Much like brethren such as Sepultura or Machine Head, the crushing riffs along with occasional swirling vocal effects give songs like “Seven Plagues” and “Magick” a current angst that younger metalheads could gravitate toward – yet main components when it comes to the performances and tones still accentuate a seasoned ferocity that’s razor sharp. When the group wants to hit the accelerator in double bass fury, you can’t go wrong with a shape-shifting cut like “Nothing Can Save You” – drummer Johnny Nielsen balancing his fleet feet capabilities next to a solid, mid-tempo groove underpinning and classic fill supplementation that should keep heads banging relentlessly. Most long-timers will enjoy the death tremolo-intensity beyond the savage bends and guitar twists of “Artificial Sun” – as vocalist / guitarist Anders Lundemark sinks his teeth into those measured words like a possessed growler on the hunt for new prey. The problem over the course of this 46-minute playtime is a lack of standout, memorable songs – even when the atmosphere or tempos change, there’s the natural sameness quality that doesn’t rise to the level of superior acts that obviously influence the group (Testament, Carcass, Entombed, etc.). Small segments pique eyebrow curiosity – yet not enough to sustain subsequent, deeper dive involvement for most.
Sad Plight of Lucifer is another case for middle of the road death/thrash with modern groove aspects that keeps Konkhra safe in a crowded sea of artists fighting for limited disposal income especially next to younger, hungrier acts. Better luck next time.
The south of the United States is a hotbed for stoner and sludge varieties of doom metal, with heavyweights such as Crowbar, Mastodon, Eyehategod, and many others becoming groundbreakers in the realm of low and slow. That influence spreads through all corners of the globe, with recent years being incredibly strong with top quality worshippers of the almighty riff. Look no further than Los Angeles’ The Cimmerian for a heaping slice of heavy.
Having dropped two EPs in the last few years – Thrice Majestic in 2022 and Sword & Sorcery Vol. I in 2023 – the trio is preparing to slam down their debut full-length An Age Undreamed Of… on January 10 of 2025.
We’re proud to debut a track off of that forthcoming album, titled “Darkwolf” for your listening pleasure. Immediately, the listener is met with a burgeoning, sustained beast of a riff via axeman Dave Gein, with Dave Morales’ thumping percussive march driving the smouldering pace. Thankfully not on the predictable side, there’s a thrashy attitude present reminiscent of classic Exodus, while bassist/vocalist Nicolas Rocha bellows forth with a commanding, deep roar ala Kirk Windstein. The varied tempos move from plodding and gargantuan to quick and hard-hitting, giving plenty to sink one’s gnarled teeth into.
States Rocha about the track: “Borrowing its name from the eponymous hero straight out of Ralph Bakshi’s 1983 visual opus Fire & Ice, this thrash-laden track evokes not just the rush of battle but also the weight of consequence and of course, the joy of victory!”
Turn up your listening apparatus of choice and prepare to be steamrolled:
As mentioned, An Age Undreamed Of… will come barreling your way on January 10, 2025 via Bandcamp and streaming to follow in short order. Physical copies will be available in multiple formats – CDs via the band’s own Hyborian Rage Records and colored vinyl via Black Voodoo Records.
The Cimmerian is:
Bass/vocals: Nicolas Rocha
Guitars: David Gein
Drums: David Morales
Active since 2011, Los Angeles, California’s Thrown Into Exile have made the most of their opportunities to gain traction as a DIY metal outfit. Between the opportunities to open locally for acts like At the Gates and Orbit Culture plus perform at major festivals across the USA and Mexico (including a full run on the official Mayhem Festival tour with Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, and Mastodon), they’ve release two full-length albums. Their latest EP offering Passageways takes on the styles of melodic death/thrash with a groove/modern sensibility, while lyrically chronicles grief, loss, and the process that comes through dealing with these heavy aspects of life.
We got the opportunity to chat with guitarist Mario Rubio about his early childhood music memories that led to his love of the guitar, why Passageways is the most mature offering to date, video shoot memories in the wind for “Desolation”, live show highlights including major lessons learned on their Mayhem Festival run, challenges they face as a DIY band, hobbies including prized vinyl possessions, and what’s in store for the future of the group.
Dead Rhetoric: What can you tell me about some of your earliest childhood memories surrounding music growing up? At what point did you start listening to heavier forms of music – and eventually want to play an instrument to start performing in your own bands?
Mario Rubio: My earliest memory of music was an Elvis Presley cassette that my grandmother ended up getting me after I found it in the house. Fast forwarding to late elementary school to middle school, that’s when I wanted to start playing an instrument. As every kid, when you start discovering metal, you start discovering bands like Slipknot and Slayer. My first concert was in 2003, Slayer, Arch Enemy and Hatebreed. Obviously, you see that, you think a life-changing experience. I found my real calling, but what made me want to play the guitar is when I discovered Cowboys From Hell by Pantera. I remember vividly when I was in middle school, I got that record and a Kiss – Greatest Hits compilation, those two records went hand in hand for me to get serious about playing the guitar. That was also one of Dimebag’s greatest influences, being Ace Frehley, that was a weird little side note about Kiss and Pantera there.
Dead Rhetoric: Did you have the support of your family when it came to getting an instrument and learning the guitar? Or did you woodshed on your own learning by ear and picking things up yourself?
Rubio: Definitely had to learn things by ear. As far as the emotional support, I had that from my family. My grandmother was instrumental in telling me to go for it, especially if it feels right. Help on learning the instrument itself, I had to figure things out on my own. Learning things by ear, watching videos.
Dead Rhetoric: Passageways is the latest EP release for Thrown into Exile. What can you tell us about the recording and songwriting sessions for this set of material? How do you see this release in terms of style and content compared to your previous albums Safe Inside and Illusion of Control?
Rubio: Realistically, if we are talking about sound-wise, things have definitely matured sound-wise. On Safe Inside, there was a bit of an identity issue with the music itself. When you are writing music in general, you are discovering what works for you and what doesn’t work for you. Same thing with Illusion of Control, although there were hints of where ideally I wanted things to go. Fast forward to Passageways, the recording process was a lot different. We had a lot more time with this, I could sit and analyze where we wanted to go with things musically. Lyrically it’s very dark in the sense of what it’s based around. The record deals with a lot of grief and loss. You could say it’s the five stages of grief with this release, a lot of personal stuff amongst the band and individual things personally that happened that led to the record sounding the way it does.
Dead Rhetoric: Was it a cathartic process to channel these experiences into maybe a positive outcome for the record?
Rubio: In a way of acceptance and understanding and being able to have an outlet to let this out, yes. Unfortunately, certain things happened, and the sad reality is, its life. It’s the proper way to allow yourself to process this. Different things to some degree we were able to heal, but other things you just can’t always completely heal from them.
Dead Rhetoric: You mention in the background information of this release that originally you were going to issue these songs as standalone singles, continuing the path you started over the past couple of years during the pandemic – but in the end released this as an EP. What factors came into play to change the mindset – and where do you stand in the ever-evolving music industry’s change when it comes to single releases versus EP’s/full-length albums these days?
Rubio: I think the reason we ended up going with an EP for this release is just because everything surrounding the writing process and what the lyrical content is. It made better sense for this to be its own thing. It encapsulates that mindset and what everything was during that writing process. It was a proper way of letting it all be what it is, and then continuing to move forward afterwards.
I think it’s more of an adaptation, learning, and rolling with the punches. Collectively, all of us as a whole – up until this year I’ve heard the term Tik Tok thing, maybe it’s a reflection of there being so much content, that our attention spans are very short. It’s few and far between where you are able to get and keep someone’s attention for 45 minutes to 60 minutes on a full-length release. When you do stand-alone singles, you are able to actually make an event out of (the release), keep pushing it non-stop. Which in a weird way goes back to the earlier days when people would work a single for months on end before you actually had the album release. Adapting to this mentality for a smaller band like Thrown Into Exile makes better sense to do. Try to captivate someone’s attention for five minutes or so, or an EP under 25 minutes. The smaller a band is, the shorter the attention span people are going to have for that band. You want to give your band a chance, as opposed to another major release for a major band on a bigger label.
Dead Rhetoric: Tell us about the video shoot for “Desolation” – what did you enjoy most about the treatment and storylines between the outdoor narrative scenes and performance footage? Any special stories to tell?
Rubio: It was extremely windy, funny enough, just like today in California. We drove out to the desert to film that video, about two and a half hours outside of California. The whole shoot itself was one big experience – it’s the first time we’ve spent that type of money into production as opposed to just doing a small performance piece. We poured a decent amount of money into the whole thing. We rented a snow machine, a bunch of stuff along with the creature that was created by the woman who created Corey Taylor from Slipknot’s new mask. It felt great to have a full-on team to come up with a treatment, and it was a full day for sure.
Dead Rhetoric: Your influences vary between numerous American and European acts across the modern metal, melodic death metal, and groove metal genres. What elements do you think are most necessary to make an ideal Thrown Into Exile composition – both on the musical and lyrical fronts?
Rubio: Lyrically it’s more just the reality of what life is and everything around it. Trying to tap into more the human condition, the skeletons of one’s closet and what really makes a person happy and sad – all of those rollercoasters of emotions. That’s where my output on that is lyrically. Visually I want to make things dark and moody. The music has to have some dark melodies and being able to tell a story musically while driving things home to have things make sense and be as cohesive as possible.
Dead Rhetoric: How would you describe the band’s outlook and philosophy when it comes to your live performances? What do you want the audience to take away – and what have been some of the more standout moments to the good or bad in the group’s career when it comes to playing live?
Rubio: As far as the band’s performances live, I would like to say that I think we are very high energy, very in your face. For the first time with the EP release show, we’ll be investing in some production, bringing a little more stuff into our live show to encapsulate the themes, the EP, the visual representation of the band to reflect the lyrical content and the music. Highlights – we’ve done a couple of shows with At the Gates, we did a couple of shows with Orbit Culture, and one of the biggest highlights was playing Ozzfest in 2017.
Dead Rhetoric: What was it like early in the band’s career to do the Mayhem Festival tour in 2013? What insight did that give you into how professional bands work on that kind of scale?
Rubio: It was more of being on schedule. Mind your P’s and Q’s when it comes to being a support band. Stay on time, do your soundcheck, get on and off stage when you are supposed to. Be respectful, put your head down and learn from the veterans. Learn from how the crew works, how the stage manager works around you, because they have been there long enough. You gain a lot, you want to try to absorb, learn, and take all these things in.
Dead Rhetoric: What are some the biggest challenges the group faces in making more of a footprint in the scene – both locally as well as nationally / internationally?
Rubio: There is no secret with this band that there have been numerous lineup changes. Having the stability with the band members, what the band is now and with the lineup that we currently have, there is the right chemistry and it’s the best lineup we’ve ever had.
Dead Rhetoric: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received regarding your musical endeavors? And if other people come up to you asking for advice, what ideas or words of wisdom do you like to impart on them?
Rubio: It’s a marathon, not a sprint first of all. Bands that have overnight success are very few and far between. In the process, you have to come to terms with who you are as a musician and who you are as a person, and how that affects your output, your lyrical content, and the vision of the band- what makes you, you is what makes things unique as a band. You need a game plan and a solid identity, and the rest will follow. Songwriting will develop over time. Having people that are naturally talented as songwriters isn’t something you get overnight. You have to really work on that craft and hone it.
Sometimes there will be times where things are really great, and other times there will be low points. It’s better to have a good head on your shoulders to learn how to roll with the punches and keep moving forward. If you allow the outside world to dictate things – whether it’s other bands that are progressing further than your band, or things are changing, if you let the outside noise win, it can make you jaded or possibly jump on trends. You should stick to what makes you unique.
Dead Rhetoric: How do you feel about the state of the heavy metal industry on a global scale?
Rubio: I think heavy metal as a genre is progressing in a very good direction. The one thing we are noticing is there is a strong resurgence of death metal. Blood Incantation, Gatecreeper, Frozen Soul, Sanguisugabogg, and so forth. Those bands are cutting through, there is a death metal revival going on. Even the slam stuff like Peeling Flesh, extreme metal is still alive and well. It’s awesome to see. On the modern metal spectrum as well, Orbit Culture and Bleeding From Within, they are cutting through as well. Even Lorna Shore, metal is in a good spot. You can write extreme and heavy songs and not always rely on having that clean chorus or it’s not going to work. You don’t need to be so formulaic; you can just be yourself.
Dead Rhetoric: What sort of hobbies, interests, and passions do you like to engage in away from music when you have the free time and energy to do so?
Rubio: Vinyl – I collect vinyl but that is a big money pit. Especially if you are trying to hunt down whether its first pressing stuff, imports, or certain limited editions. That’s been one of my things – as much as I love video games I haven’t really had as much time to play video games. I do enjoy going down that rabbit hole, especially retro gaming. I have thought about getting into the collecting part of it.
Dead Rhetoric: What would you consider one or two of your most prized vinyl releases you own?
Rubio: Right now, I have an original Opeth – Ghost Reveries before the reissues started happening. I have the majority of the Slayer – Def Jam pressings. Most of them signed by three-fourths of the band. What else do I have on the pricey scale – the first Triptykon release Eparistera Daimones. That was about $200 I had to spend for that thing – and then after I bought it, a few months later Century Media ended up doing a re-issue of that, so I said great (laughs).
Dead Rhetoric: What’s on the agenda for activities over the next twelve months for the band? Will you continue to keep things DIY, or are you seeking out stronger label / management interest to expand things?
Rubio: I think it’s based on the moment. I have no problem doing things on my own, sending around releases, plugging our own things. If the right opportunity with the right label expresses interest, we will have the conversations. We will play a couple of dates with God Forbid, opening on their anniversary shows for Gone Forever. It’s the first time they will have played California in over twelve years. We have the Passageways EP release show in Los Angeles. December 3rd we are going to Mexico to play a show with Arch Enemy.
So here we are again, this time with Australian self-styled ‘death metal brutes’, Gutless and their brand-new album High Impact Violence. Active since 2018, the quartet has issued a demo, a split release with Calfornia’s Mortal Wound, as well as a live album before signing to Dark Descent Records – and the latest release is pretty much a brutalizing affair from start to finish.
Not that I’m complaining. Hell, I like my death metal filthy. I want to feel Return of the Jedi’s Rancor crushing bones and spilling blood, ya hear? And this starts with the very first and title track. I mean, talk about a strong opener! Now I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hear some serious Cannibal Corpse vibes in the band’s music. But guess what? That’s fine, because these guys bring ‘da ruckus in spades! Check “Beyond the Catacombs” for proof positive of this.
Vocalist/guitarist Tom Caldwell sounds like he just did several shots of gasoline, and ya know what? Gimme more, I say! “Scalpel Obsession” shows Caldwell and guitarist Allan Stacey trading riffs to bring the roof down on some unsuspecting heads while they try to dig out. “Avalanche of Viscera” is one of those tunes that shows off the bass playing and drum chops of Joe Steele and Ollie Ballantyne respectively, much to this guy’s delight while “Galvanized” only reaffirms the bands commitment to brutality.
“Gore God” had to be my favorite because, at 2:59 in length it just felt succinct, to the point, and down to business, so well done! Closing us out is “Viral Infection” and the tune sounds like the band had a meat grinder available. Just top-notch stuff! I am a big fan of Gutless. And I am loving this High Impact Violence record, I really am. Can’t wait to see what their future holds; only wish there was a way to catch them live!
Once again, here we are with a band I knew nothing about, even though they originally started in 1986. Such is the case with German act Accuser and their new album Rebirthless, out now on MDD Records. I love some good thrash metal, so how these guys have escaped me till now is beyond my understanding. Hell, this is album # 13 – so I’ve got quite a backlog to dig into, wouldn’t you say? So let’s see what’s what here, shall we?
The first thing I’ll say is that I love the vocals, Frank Thoms’ delivery carving shit up like a great white shark in a feeding frenzy. Alongside him, fellow axeman Sascha Strange combines with Thoms to lay down the sonic equivalent of a Browning .50 mm air-cooled on full auto. Don’t believe me? Give a listen to “Painted Cruelty” and “Ghost of Disease” and you’ll catch on real fast. “Faded Remorse” was my clear-cut favorite, with the rhythm section of Oliver Fechner (drums) and Frank Kimpel (bass) anchoring the driving thunder that was whipped up by the guitars and dirty vocals.
From here it’s onto “When Desperation Scorns” which very quickly became the next arrow in this album’s quiver, bent on piercing the thrashing hearts of the unwittingly. “Fear Denied” should come with whiplash warnings, by the by. The record closes with a one-two punch of “Spiritual Recipients” and “Damned By the Flood”, two tracks that are very different but fit seamlessly within the album’s framework. All told my first Accuser record was a great one. Pick up Rebirthless today and thank me later.
Xandria returned last year after a hiatus with a fresh line-up and a new album in The Wonders Still Awaiting. Itching to get back into it once more, the band is back with an EP in Universal Tales, which features four new songs, and an upcoming US tour with Delain. We spoke with vocalist Ambre Vourvahis about how this iteration of Xandria has been coming together, her vocal range and experiences, the core of the Xandria sound, and even her thoughts on the world today.
Dead Rhetoric: How do you feel that the band has come together as you’ve been touring since The Wonders Still Awaiting?
Ambre Vourvahis: I think it’s better than ever. We really appreciate spending time together. It’s a really good time when you want to spend time together with your band members, even after a month on tour. We still enjoy it and spend the evenings having talks. We have a good routine for everything and it’s coming together really well.
Dead Rhetoric: How do you feel about Universal Tales as the latest EP of Xandria? Now that you have had one full album under your belt.
Vourvahis: I’m really glad we are doing this. I really like this EP. It’s quite diverse. The four songs are all really different from each other. It’s a good way to continue the creativity and evolve, without having to wait for a full album. It’s nice to test the waters. “Universal” is quite different for us. It’s a bit more modern and I find myself really liking the song and the style. Mixing the symphonic and bombastic elements with some classical vocals, it’s a good way to incorporate this into our music. We took what we like from the and keeping what Xandria is, while adding some new touches. It’s always nice to have that in between. I’m quite excited about it! I like having all those songs different from each other.
Dead Rhetoric: You have a very full range of vocals that you can do, which I feel has pushed the band into further directions rather than the straight symphonic sound. How do you decide to place a certain type of vocal into a song?
Vourvahis: Now it’s more natural because Marco [Heubaum] knows my voice and when we started it wasn’t exactly the perfect spot for some songs. But it was still pretty natural compared to what it could have been. But now it’s even moreso. It’s more natural, so it fits the spot right away. I’m not talking about the comfort zone and range, because it can be quite challenging at points on the EP. But fitting the colors of my voice and my personality.
“No Time to Live Forever” has operatic vocals in the chorus and it’s not what I would have come up with first. It’s not my true identity. I enjoy singing operatic and classical a lot, but it was demanding. I tried the staccato thing and we decided not to, we decided it needed more bombastic vocals. It’s about what the song is demanding. We are really easy going. The demos worked right away and it’s flowing with my voice. It’s an easier process than before.
Dead Rhetoric: What type of vocals do you prefer? Do you have a range that you particularly enjoy?
Vourvahis: I like the more ‘pop’ vocals, as opposed to operatic vocals. That’s who I am, I would say. It can go into a very sensitive ballad parts. This, and the head voice, which can go into those soft, fragile parts. That’s my true identity I would say.
Dead Rhetoric: You will be over here in the US next year with Delain. Is the EP meant to be a ‘don’t forget about us’ with being further away from Wonders, without having to do a full album?
Vourvahis: Yeah, after this long break, we wanted to just keep releasing music for the fans. It is a way of saying “wait, you will get another album.” But a full album takes longer, so we did this to be able to have people be more patient about it. When you have good song ideas like Marco does, it’s really easy to put them together and release things in between, and not wait two or three years for a new album. It was a good opportunity to stay active. We love shooting videos and performing new songs live. It’s also exciting for us to keep the freshness all year around. Also, touring with new songs is exciting. We have toured a lot in the last two years, so it’s very nice for me to be able to have new songs to sing. It’s not always the same setlist.
Dead Rhetoric: Being on the outside for a while before joining Xandria, what are the pieces that you feel are essential to the sound of the band?
Vourvahis: I think it is the orchestral arrangements. The bombastic piece and the epic, full of emotion, telling of the story within a song. I knew Xandria back then with Lisa [Middelhauve], who was not singing classical/operatic vocals like Manuela [Kraller] and Diane [van Giersbergen] did, I did not necessarily attach operatic vocals with the band. For me, it could have been another kind. I like so many different kind of vocalists and styles that I thought it could definitely work with another vocal style.
That’s why I thought it could work with me in the beginning. Even though I had some doubts on how the fans would like it, I thought it could still go with the same bombastic and orchestral arrangements. Look at Nightwish, they totally did that. It totally worked with Anette [Olzon], and it was magical with Floor [Jansen]. So yeah, I think this is what the identity of the band is: the symphonic and orchestral/bombastic storytelling elements.
Dead Rhetoric: You were going into some influences. Given your range, who are some of your vocal influences in terms of your style?
Vourvahis: This is always a tricky question because I could not say that “this singer” or “that singer” influenced my vocals. I don’t think any singer could tell that. You have your voice and your sound. Your natural voice, which you kind of have to learn and you have to search for. When I started singing, of course I was imitating. When you don’t know what your voice is, when you are a kid or younger teenager you try to imitate what you like. But at some point I had to break this and be okay with the sound of my own voice. It was tricky, it’s not an easy process to say “this is my voice, I kind of have to deal with it.”
Especially when your technique is not perfect in the beginning when starting to sing. It’s always, and I know this from many singers, it’s hard to hear yourself. You have to come in peace and I really do, to acknowledge the sound of my voice. It has evolved enough to make an art out of it. I can’t say that I have many influences in terms of my singing, but there are a few singers that push me to incorporate other elements. I love the high voice of Floor [Jansen]. When she goes high, it still stays in her chest and mixes with her head voice. It’s very good for power. It’s something that doesn’t necessarily come naturally. It’s a little bit more on the technical side. It’s something I was working on to achieve it. It doesn’t sound the same, or be as good as hers, since she has more years [experience] singing than me. But you can hear in our next single, “200 Years,” that it pushes me to go there. It was a really good thing to have under my belt, this sort of technique. So things like that.
I also love a few singers but I’m not incorporating that inside my own music. Cammie from Oceans of Slumber is one of my favorite singers ever. I would never have the same sound in my voice, but it inspires me. I’m not into copying or having the same vocals, but me wanting to experiment with colors of my voice.
Dead Rhetoric: What are the challenges in trying to raise the bar with new releases, especially for an established name in the genre like Xandria?
Vourvahis: It can be tricky, because you always want to do better than what you did before. It’s normal in a way, and natural. I think what is great is that Marco is still kind of evolving. In my opinion, he’s just getting better and better at writing songs. It comes with motivation, passion, experience, and even after many years you can still grow and evolve. You can understand music in a different way and bring it further. You can also have more ambition to push it further. It feels like it has all come together since we got back together as a band. We all have flourished.
It took a really good state of mind to write bigger and better songs, and having the desire to make them that way. I think I can really notice that. I know you can be subjective as the person singing the songs, but I have the distance because I can hear the process and what he is coming up with and judge it. I have told him many times that I think he is better than ever now. I do think the band is getting better. It’s not coming from me, but from the songs themselves. They are more complex, which for me makes a difference.
Dead Rhetoric: The longer you are in something, the more likely you are to play around with it a bit. The idea of continuing with that symphonic metal base, for example, but with your ability to even pull off harsher vocals. How do you feel about experimenting with other directions?
Vourvahis: You are exactly right. I always like to bring a little bit of freshness and something new. It’s going to sound a bit harsh, but I do not enjoy when a band has a recipe and the songs sound the same. I’m sorry, but it’s something that bores me. I have so much respect for bands that can, even with the slightest things, like influences you can recognize…the tiniest things. Judas Priest, for example, after so many years the new album still managed to sound fresh! They added a bit of proggy touches. Nightwish always stays fresh. They put new things and you can discover it. It’s a journey of discovery. It’s extremely important for me.
I would never want to do the same song over again. Even though we do songs that sound typical of Xandria, and we even put classical sounds into it since we know the fans really love it. It’s a pleasure to make a new version of that. To give the fans that, and we like it ourselves, but it’s one song. The rest has to stay at least a bit fresh and new. We will never change the symphonic part. But there might be some screams. There could be a death metal part for a second in a gap or bridge, because it’s exciting for us to write and compose music like this.
Dead Rhetoric: So, in your opinion, what is a classic Xandria song that you look at as a foundation?
Vourvahis: I think it’s “Nightfall.” It has the catchiness of the lines, the beauty in the verses. I think we have established that in Xandria I love the verses! In “Nightfall” there’s that storytelling that you can approach it a little bit softer and the voice kind of shines in telling a story. There’s a bombastic chorus with catchy lines. Catchiness is very important and you need a catchy chorus. For me, I have a new favorite song and I think it’s one of the best ever: “Universal” from the new EP. It has all of that in one song and a little bit of something new. There’s some poppiness to it, but at the same time it stays bombastic. I think the fans really appreciated that. I think if we had gone more down to earth: poppy, simple, and with less orchestra it would not have been as appreciated. I think it’s the right kind of path [for us].
Dead Rhetoric: I think it’s interesting that you are discussing a way forward that doesn’t disregard the roots of where the band has been. I think that is why there’s success there. You aren’t taking a huge left turn but sprinkling the new flavor on top of what people like.
Vourvahis: I absolutely agree. A band needs an identity in a way. I’m not talking about formulas and recipes but you have that identity. The identity is what people love you for, and you need to keep that. If one of my favorite bands were to completely change, I have to admit I’m completely open if a band totally changes styles. Sometimes I don’t completely like it and sometimes I really love it. It can also work sometimes. But we would not want to get rid of the bombastic, symphonic, epic element. We will not.
Dead Rhetoric: This is my subjective take in that I think the band has always done well with bringing the listener on a journey with music. How important is the idea of going on a journey when listening when it comes to the sound of Xandria? Is it something you feel too?
Vourvahis: I think so too. It matches the desire to have diversity. When you watch a movie, you don’t have the full action in the beginning. You have the background and the calm and then it goes into what is going on. It’s the same within an album, or even a song. Within a song it’s really good to have a story going on. I think it makes the experience of listening better when there is a story developing. We think about these things. When you listen to the intro, it’s the first thing you will hear. Being aware of how the songs start after one another – they can’t all start with the same thing. We try to be diverse. When you tell a story, you can’t start with staccato, choir, then boom boom boom all the time. You don’t feel like it has a story, or even a musical story. So it’s really important.
Dead Rhetoric: Talk about your thoughts about the world around us currently, given two songs on the EP about it.
Vourvahis: [laughs] You are catching me in, I’m not afraid to say, a pessimistic mood at the moment. I would not put it in music where it’s sad, depressing, and terrible. I would never do that. But there’s so much going on that just drags me down a bit. It’s hard to know that there is that positive side, even though there is. I’m watching way too many documentaries: whether it’s true crime with crazy stories or the things that have happened in the US. As a minority, I watch a lot of extreme right wing to see what is going on and how they think. It kind of affects me a little bit, not that everyone is the same, but that this thing still exists today. It breaks my heart.
It’s hard to be positive and Marco is putting it well into the lyrics, because there’s always hope in there too. It’s very important. For me, I would need to think about how to get out of the negative and get into the hope side. But he does it very well because even though he knows about the negativity and is affected by it, he’s always seeing something positive out of it. I think he’s doing it better than me at the moment [laughs], so maybe it’s better than he wrote the lyrics for the EP than me! He had good ideas and I loved them. It’s a tough time.
Dead Rhetoric: You are going to be over here in the spring with Delain. What’s next after that for Xandria?
Vourvahis: First we have a short European tour coheadlining with Sirenia. Just to celebrate the EP. Then we have the US, I always love touring the US. It’s my favorite to be honest, to come to the US. After that, there is nothing planned right now. The plan is to work on the next album, which has started already. I also hope we will tour, I think it’s important to continue touring, so let’s see what will come!
This Italian metal outfit Die For My Sins formed in 2022 – as brothers Fabio and Nicolas Calluori felt the time was right to develop a new act after decades of experience in power metal band Heimdall. Scream is the debut album, containing nine explosive tracks in the traditional realm chock full of catchy vocal melodies plus occasional bombastic / symphonic touches to reach a multi-generational audience through their sound. Supplementary guest support includes members/ex-members of Primal Fear, Elegy, Timeless Fairytale and their other act Heimdall rounds out the sonic output nicely, where most will be active in rebel rousing activities at the power riffs, punchy tempos, and resourceful singing prowess in every cut.
Fabio handles multiple hats in the band: beyond guitars, bass, and keyboards, he wrote all the songs, produced, mixed, and mastered the final proceedings in his own Sonic Temple recording studio. The dynamic versatility shines in the flow of the record – as one minute you’ll get more of a straightforward, energetic number like “Still Alive”, only to switch into epic atmosphere a la Iron Maiden / Dio for “In the Sign of the Cross”. Eight of the nine songs vocally gain favor from Ralf Scheepers – using a mixture of his mid-range to upper register to quintessential metal mastery on winning cuts like “Dark Symphony” and the infectious title track opener. The smaller details flesh out driving, memorable arrangements – the openness of the bass and Nicolas’ furious groove to power drumming component on “Time” as well as the piano to European-oriented melodic metal riffs that balance next to the exemplary Ian Parry vocal performance for “Shades of Grey” allowing an extra propulsion of aural appeasement to emerge. Fabio also grabbed some tasty lead breaks from Luca Sellitto and Carmelo Claps – a testament to leaving no stone unturned in the ultimate fan-forward experience to become one with these songs.
Embracing a mix of traditional, melodic power, and occasional symphonic influences under the metal umbrella, Die For My Sins through Scream straddle the lines of solid European and North American influences (current Helloween, Judas Priest, Mob Rules, and early 90s Savatage among them) that should find plenty of followers over the long haul.
Last year’s The Wonders Still Awaiting saw essentially a new version of Xandria emerge after everyone but founder Marco Heubaum left following Theater of Dimensions. So the rebooted Xandria wisely took advantage of new blood and introduced new elements into the long-standing symphonic metal band’s sound. Keeping the bombast high, they introduced more modern/pop metal and even extreme metal influences, much due to vocalist Ambre Vourvahis having a wide variety of capable styles. Universal Tales is a quick follow-up EP, with four new songs and a reworked acoustic version of “The Wonders Still Awaiting,” alongside some additional orchestral cuts of the new songs.
Despite a short time frame, the name of the game on Universal Tales is that of diversity. “No Time to Live Forever” hits those familiar bombastic, operatic notes of the band but does so in a more modern way with urgent near-thrash riffing at points. It’s a visceral, energetic cut that works as an extraordinary opener to grab some attention. Vourvahis’ vocals hit a multitude of emotions and approaches, bolstering the triumphant theme of the song. “Universal” hits those same soaring notes in more melodic but still fist-raising fashion, with more operatic nods while hitting some incredibly modern hooks at the same time. The Celtic flavored “200 Years” is a more playful expedition, with cheery atmosphere and cinematic flair that’s augmented by violinist Ally Storch (Subway to Sally), that’s bound to leave a smile on one’s face. Last of the new songs is “Live the Tale,” offering a contrast between hard, driving riffs and upbeat, soaring atmosphere and a beautiful chorus led by Vourvahis in more modern fashion. The last track outside of the instrumental orchestral versions of the above tracks is the acoustic take on “The Wonders Still Awaiting.” It’s a sweeping, quiet piece that still feels quite cinematic despite it’s reduction in heaviness. It’s a nice addition to wrap said portion of the EP.
While it’s short, the journey feels oh so sweet with Universal Tales. The new songs get right into the thick of things without succumbing to the ‘more is more’ element of symphonic metal, focusing on powerful riffing and arrangements and a pleasant diversity of influences, which Vourvahis capitalizes on, vocally. Xandria hold their roots high, but these songs show a distinct evolution that seems quite promising as the band moves ahead into the future.
