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.
No doubt faithful readers of this site are well aware of the long, rich discography present in German thrash mainstays Destruction. Their latest album Birth of Malice keeps the songwriting sharp – unleashing more anthems, rippers, and aggression on the vocal/musical fronts to keep those metal maniacs happy, clamoring for more. Never at a loss for words, we caught up with bassist/vocalist Schmier for a talk about the teamwork behind the latest album, how the band resonates with people from all cultures, paying tribute to Accept and their importance in the scene, the release of a band documentary, how his mother’s belief in his music endeavors shaped his career, NWOBHM album talk, technology / AI discussion, and future touring plans.
Dead Rhetoric: Birth of Malice is the latest Destruction album. How challenging is it for the group this deep into your career to develop fresh ideas that not only satisfy yourselves, but also gain appeal to your followers, especially ones who have been with you since the early days?
Schmier: We have a great team together. Over the years we have been increasing the quality of the records. For this time, we took extra care that this would be a great album. We just had our 40th anniversary, so we knew that this album has to kick ass. It was a great process working on this. I realized during the process that this is probably the best lineup we’ve ever had. People may say, ‘oh no – it was better in the 80s’, I’ve done that, but it feels satisfying now in the studio the way that we work. Everything is conceived, the teamwork flows. It was an easy record to make because we came from tour, and we started writing. Even if people think thrash metal is very limited, we have a lot of fresh and new ideas on this album. If you compare it to the first Destruction album, it sounds different, but I was 17 on the first album and now I’m turning 60 soon so, we have a lot of growth and experience in between all those years.
For us it’s very exciting to still play thrash music. I just hope I don’t get tired of it, because thrash metal is my life.
Dead Rhetoric: Songs like “Scumbag Human Race” and “A.N.G.S.T.” definitely leave strong impressions through the lyrical content. Do you believe that social / political turmoil and thrash metal go hand in hand, especially in terms of the Destruction way of songwriting?
Schmier: They do. In times like this, I wish I would write about unicorns, drinking, women, and love. I have to write about this, it’s in the DNA of Destruction. We have a lot of crises going on in the world, and a lot of wars. It’s not nice to have a mirror in front of your face, but it’s in the Destruction DNA to write about these things. A lot of stuff that bothers me, it’s stuff that I see when I tour the world. I have to write it down – and it’s also therapy for me. I think about it; I scream it out. The best example is when we released the second single for the last album Diabolical, it was the start of the war in the Ukraine a few years ago. The song is basically a mirror of society. It’s too real. It is what it is. For Destruction, there is no other way.
Dead Rhetoric: Do you feel you become a voice for the people – the average person and the poorer people as well?
Schmier: Yeah. We get a lot of compliments for the lyrics. There are a lot of people that think alike. The biggest gift is when a fan can write to you to tell you that this album got him or her through a difficult time. I hear this a lot. There are people out there who care a lot about social criticism. We have a lot of fans in rather poor countries, it’s interesting for them to see somebody that lives in a rather first world, rich country like Germany, still has a lot of problems and sees them around the world. We are not ignorant, the way I see the world, I tour the world, and I talk to the people a lot, I go to a lot of interesting countries. There were even times during the Cold War when you would play in the United States and then go to Russia next. Russia and America seem to be best friends again. I have the privilege to see so much.
Just playing in Dubai, that was super interesting. What impressed me the most was the different cultures that live in this Arabian culture. At the show there were Russians, Americans, Arabian people, people from India, people from Germany – it was a crazy amount of people from all over the world at this show in Dubai. It’s something I love to see about metal. It unites the world – and you also talk to different people. It’s quite interesting what our leaders do, it’s not necessarily the opinion of the common people. Of course there are fanatics, but in general the common people don’t agree with most of our leaders. That’s something I see all around the world.
Dead Rhetoric: You pay tribute to Accept by recording your version of the classic Restless and Wild opener “Fast As a Shark”. What has this song, and this band, meant to your personally – did they give Destruction hope in expanding your appeal beyond Europe into North America, the Far East, and other continents / cultures through their success in the early 80s?
Schmier: Oh yeah. It was basically the first speed metal song of a German band in history. The riffing, the production, the song, the vocals, the solo part – oh my God. Even my punk rock friends at the time loved that song – they hated metal, they thought back then things were too melodic with too many solos. The intro, it makes fun of this German conservative, country music. It was a little revolution against our parents, against our society. We thought it was very cool that a metal band made fun of this. The song was one of the most important songs ever written from a German metal band in the 80s. To cover this was tricky – we could not do it any better, it’s a classic. We paid tribute and made it in the Destruction style.
We got a lot of good responses, that’s why we put it on the album. It was just supposed to be a B-side, the fans and label loved it. At the end it was a good idea – even Wolf Hoffman from Accept gave us the thumbs up. He wants to see us perform this live, so we’ll see if we put this in the set list one day.
Dead Rhetoric: I’ve read that the songwriting process has evolved within the band over the past three albums. Where do you see the major differences in this new methodology that benefits the overall final product we hear as listeners?
Schmier: The first big step was going back to a two-guitar lineup. When I write my songs, I know there are no limits. For so many years we had to compose as a three-piece. We knew live there would be limits. There are just certain things you can’t do with only one guitar. We had to stop at one point with the creativity. Now with two guitars, there are so many things you can do, and I have two very motivated players. They have great teamwork. It helps in the production and makes things grow. We always look back to optimize the production and make the songwriting better. We push the limits, and that’s a big plus. The guys have grown together, and there is a great vibe going on.
Dead Rhetoric: You’ll be performing some special shows this year celebrating Infernal Overkill as it’s the 40th anniversary of the release of this record. How is it to revisit the record in its entirety – what are some special memories you have of those early days that come flooding back to life?
Schmier: I was 18 or so when we recorded the album. It was our first or second time in Berlin, we were there for two weeks. It was overwhelming, everything – the studio, the recording, the first time hearing your songs with a good sound. We never thought that this album would go that far this many years later, it’s actually crazy. At that time, it’s a similar situation as now, the band was a strong unit. We believed in what we did, the songwriting process was very creative. I think its what a band needs to make classics. You need to believe in what you are doing and bring it to the table. This album is still there because it was early – we were one of the first bands from Germany to get signed back in the day. Of course, the early bird is a big plus with this album, not many bands in Germany played this kind of music.
As I look back, the songs are timeless – and that’s what I hear from a lot of the musicians. We still love to play them, and there are a bunch that have always been in the set list. They don’t sound old or dated. That’s actually a fantastic achievement, to be timeless is a good code word for this album.
Dead Rhetoric: Tell us about the Destruction documentary The Art of Destruction that will premiere soon in German cinemas that has been five years in the making – what was the process like taking hundreds of hours of footage and condensing things into this film? What do you hope viewers will take away from this output?
Schmier: At the end, I’m just in the movie, I didn’t make the movie, We had a director team that was behind the movie, they approached us and asked if we wanted to do a metal movie. We are a historical band; I thought it was interesting so let’s do it. I didn’t know they were going to film us for five fucking years! (laughs). But then also there were some problems that came in between: COVID came, Mike left the band. All the drama is in the movie, which makes the movie better. The director said so at least. For me, there could have been a little less drama, but in the end, in years it’s going to be a great look back in time. I did a lot of records, and all the records are special – but a documentary movie, you maybe achieve once in your lifetime.
It comes out in the cinema – and I just talked to my mother, she’s 86 now, she’s still alive. She will come to the premiere here in our hometown, and it’s going to be cool. You could have never imagined this even ten years ago. It’s a great thing; we are hoping that the directors and film crew can also bring this into the streaming channels so people can watch this all over the world. We have more cinema screenings – it will start in Germany, but we are hopeful to get this all over the world, in cinemas around the world. It depends on the interest – in big cities there may be a chance to screen it. Later this year, we will also do a DVD and a Blu-Ray, so the collectors can buy a physical copy. We will be busy with the movie throughout the whole year – as we have an album promotion as well, it seems like things will take longer. It’s more stressful because of the cinemas and the distribution. I’m not as involved in this because I’m not a movie maker, but I’m doing all these interviews now and it will be interesting to dive into some new scenery.
Dead Rhetoric: How proud is your mother of your accomplishments with Destruction?
Schmier: My father hated what I did. My father died very early, so he didn’t see the success of the band later. My mother always supported me, and that was actually difficult because we had our own business, and my parents wanted me to take over the business. I didn’t want to do it; I wanted to play music – and my mother was never angry with me about that. That was a big help, especially in the early days when it wasn’t easy, and my father hated it. He didn’t talk to me until his death – he was so embarrassed about his son, and it’s kind of sad. My mother always supported me, she went to a show when she was 83-84, she is not so good on her feet anymore now. I think going to the cinema will be okay, but she went to a metal show, and she was proud. The kids came to her because they heard that she’s my mother, it’s nice when the circle closes, and she gets some appreciation back.
Dead Rhetoric: In a recent video interview I saw online, you mention that when you go to the gym or are in your car, you still enjoy a lot of the 80s classics from Judas Priest and Metallica. What would you say are three of your favorite albums of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal era that still excite you today?
Schmier: There are a lot of them. I just rediscovered some albums from that era – Tytan the first album Rough Justice is a classic, it was recently reissued with more songs, bonus tracks. I’m the biggest Judas Priest fan, but I like the underdog bands too like Tytan, Jaguar, Angel Witch, they were big faves of mine. Three albums – Unleashed In the East, because that’s the album that brought me to metal. And then – Tygers of Pan Tang – Spellbound, that was a very important album for me. The third album should be a total underdog – maybe More – Warhead. It’s the album of the first Iron Maiden singer, Paul Mario Day. He made only one album with More and then he left the band for his other band Wildfire, they are also amazing. The production is not so good, but the songs are killer. He never made a big career. This is the stuff I rediscover because there are reissues and these albums are also available through streaming. When you get older, you start to appreciate the roots of (metal) more and more. I like a lot of punk rock from those early days that I still love to listen to.
Dead Rhetoric: Are the performing arts programs important in Germany today – or is it a struggle to give younger people this outlet for expression beyond the conventional sports teams that may develop?
Schmier: A good example of a proper program is in Scandinavia. In school, the kids get supported when they have interest and talent in music. Not just in sports like it is in America. That’s why there are so many great bands coming from Sweden, and Scandinavia in general. Very early on they learn how to play instruments, and they develop a lot from music and their appreciation of music. It’s supported not just by parents; it’s supported by the government with music programs and money. In Sweden there are only 7-8 million people for a country, but they have a love for music. Germany is not like that. It’s very difficult for the kids to get into music. On the conservative side, in the little, smaller villages, there are some local music bands. You have a chance to grow into the bigger bands and be a part of the community. But this can be dated, they want kids to learn the trumpet, and the kids don’t want to learn that instrument, they want to learn keyboards, guitar, and drums. It’s not supported, and that’s a sad thing.
The big plus nowadays is that people can go on YouTube now and check out music. Check out drummers and guitar players, and on Tik Tok with modern social media, there are a lot of good musicians showing off. It gets the interest also of the kids – but it’s not supported. Support for arts in Germany is pretty poor, I would have to say.
Dead Rhetoric: What do you believe the average person takes for granted about life that maybe they should invest more time and energy into?
Schmier: We invest too much time into the internet. It’s a big problem. Guys like you and I, who grew up in both worlds, we know how it was back in the day. We try sometimes to take the phone away, or the computer – but I also see because I have to work on the internet, I’m getting too addicted. It’s a fast way to communicate and to reach the fans. The downside is we don’t know yet. Especially the kids, it doesn’t matter where I go, in the city, in the gym, everywhere people are just staring at their phones. What kind of damage will this do to the brains of kids that are still growing? Also, physical damages with your neck. The way humans developed to stand up, we are going to go back down and have weird necks in the future because we are just staring at our phones.
The internet is a blessing of course, because it unites the world in many ways. But also, on the other hand, there are down sides. When I am old, I may condemn it as spending too much time wasted in this plastic world. The real world is a totally different experience. People live more in their phones than in the real world- it’s their distraction out of the real world; you dive into it when you can.
Dead Rhetoric: How have you personally adapted to the changing technology, especially with the tools at our disposal through AI? Do you have any major concerns going forward?
Schmier: Humans have no borders, they want to develop, they want to make money, they have no shame. They will squeeze everything out of AI that is possible. For me, there are some good sides about it. When it comes to art there are also some interesting sides about it. To lose control over AI, it’s very dangerous. Everybody knows the film The Matrix or even The Terminator movies, when we see that computers can overtake what happens. Maybe it’s good that they overtake things when the human side is too destructive and they can bring more sense into our lives, more peace, more sharing, more caring. I’m not sure about that. It’s a little scary to see that a lot of people might lose their jobs. On the other hand, AI can also help in a lot of other terms. In medicine, development, logistics – so we have to wait and see. We have to control it; no control is no good.
For us when it comes to art, it could be dangerous. Art should always be unique. AI can never be unique – it just steals, hordes, and displays things again. Every technology has its downside, but I think AI will bring a lot of good stuff to the world.
Dead Rhetoric: You have a two-year touring plan to support this record – can you outline what you hope to accomplish?
Schmier: We want to be able to tour for a long time. We have discovered some new countries that we played on the last tour. There are a lot of countries we couldn’t play anymore, it was difficult to go to Australia, and those will be the big dreams to go back to those countries. The fans are very supportive there. There are a lot of countries you wouldn’t see if you were not a musician, it’s a gift to go to Japan, Australia. If I would be a normal working guy, it wouldn’t happen. I love that side of the band, that we can travel. I don’t know if we will be able to come back to America. We were supposed to go back to the states in May, the visas are a big problem. It costs double at the moment, and they take longer to get – up to four months or more. You don’t know if there are enough people working to process these visas, there could be new rules about immigration. We cancelled those shows and we don’t know when we will come back.
American musicians can come to Europe and don’t need a visa – you can just come and play and make money. We have to come to America and pay $8,000 for our visas. In that term, I hope we can come back to the states as we love to play in America, but the future is uncertain. We will think positively, hopefully do a long tour, and come to those countries that we haven’t played to in a very long time. And discover some new ones.
The epitome of working your way up to the top, Edge of Paradise have been making their foothold within the scene for well over a decade. Their last album, Hologram, was released back in 2023 and saw them continuing their unique combination of industrial and cinematic approaches to modern metal to the point at which vocalist Margarita Monet was able to design a graphic novel centered around the album. Prophecy follows the anticipated footsteps of said album and sees the band continuing to grow their sound in a way that’s both massive and fun.
As it has been, Edge of Paradise’s sound sits in it’s own spot. Sure, it’s modern metal if you want to put it that way, but the industrial meets electro-metal done in a theatrical/cinematic flavor is one that fans can quickly recognize, alongisde Monet’s identifiable voice. The bombastic yet arena-rock based grooves of “Rogue (Aim for the Kill)” is a good example of the dynamics at play in their music. Thick, industrialized riffing merges with playful melodies and soaring hooks in a way that is sure to get you moving to its driving energy. “The Other Side of Fear” all but jumps out of the speakers with it’s electro-dance forward rhythms coupled with fiery riffs. As a track that’s as danceable as it is heavy, it’s a quick highlight. To the cinematic end, “Relive Again” sits as a towering piece of atmosphere. It’s movie theater level synths sweep around the band, and Monet shines with some belted moments that really showcase how powerful the band can sound (particularly with the implementation of the 8-string this time around). But even in more restrained moments like the poignant “Hear Me,” there’s something genuinely moving about the way that they bring you on a journey with their music.
From full-stomping energy in “Give it to Me (Mind Assassin)” to the thrilling and dark melodies of “Sad Life of a Rose,” Edge of Paradise continue to walk their own path forward through modern metal. Prophecy is full of cinematic vision, danceable melodies, thunderous riffs, and soaring vocals that never forgets that it’s still important to have a good time as well.
Japan is a treasure trove of unique musical artists who defy convention and incredible musical bravery, not allowing genre labels to define who they are. Here at DR, Katarina explores many fine acts who exemplify this, and my senses are absolutely aligned, though her knowledge is beyond mine in the burgeoning Japanese scene. Nevertheless, there are a number of acts whom these ears have been following for quite some time, hoping they eventually get their well-earned due plaudits. Near the top of that list are Tokyo’s Serenity in Murder, who melted my brain with their furious The First Frisson of the World in 2011, holding our devout attention and esteem ever since.
When original vocalist Emi departed soon after the band’s third record – an immense effort in The Eclipse – we admittedly feared the worst. However, successor Ayumu proved on 2021’s Reborn that she was more than up to the task, putting a definitive stamp on the band’s searing, symphonic, melodious black/death amalgamations that took them to another level of sonic achievement. Since, the band wisely joined forces with German-based Apostasy Records, followed by a trickle of singles, including a robust re-recording of “Infact Bellum” from their previously mentioned debut record, as well as a few tracks that would make their way onto their eagerly anticipated fifth full-length, and today’s primary subject, Timeless Reverie.
Serenity in Murder waste zero time (pun intended) in unleashing a serotonin rush of enormous riffs and grandiose symphonics via “God Forsaken” – a track that encapsulates everything that the band is about in a compact, furious package. Vocalist Ayumu’s snarls and roars emit intense dynamism of which are wholly unique, continuing to give the five-piece a defining characteristic that few other acts of their ilk possess. “Matrix” keeps the momentum moving ever forward; highlighted by guitarist Freddy’s soaring clean vocalisations amongst scorching guitar duels alongside his axe-wielding partner Ryuji. Spoken word passages and choirs add to the synth-driven, high-energy “Blue Roses Gracefully Fall” – the solo leading into that bombastic conclusion is inspiring – whereas pieces like “Never Defiled” delve deeply into their melodic death roots by way of a typhoon of guitar harmonies and crunchy riffage.
Giving a slightly differing purview is “A Dance of Sorrow,” driven by lush keys awash with memorable guitars and the thumping rhythm section of bassist Yu-ri and drummer Allen. A very Eternal Tears of Sorrow-esque composition, focusing on gobs of downtrodden melody and a mid-paced tempo that serves the song and the album well. “The Flames Ablaze” emits plenty of focused guitar work and a certain admirable swagger ala very early Children of Bodom without mimicking the legendary Finns. Notable is a re-recording of what’s this writer’s favorite Serenity in Murder track – “Noticed This Is the Betrayal” from their 2015 sophomore album The Highest of Dystopia – that serves as a fitting and well-executed revision, allowing Ayumu to put her own signature on what’s an undeniably infectious composition. This track is sandwiched between two beautiful instrumentals to close proceedings; “Past: Timeless Reverie” and “Hope: Timeless Reverie.” The latter sticks out the most; a soothing, hopeful entry that ties together the album in an unexpected, but no less apt fashion.
To anyone who has been in the Serenity in Murder supporters club for as long as we have, it’s perplexing how a band with such nailed-on songwriting prowess and easily alluring sound profile hasn’t gotten more attention. We hope the association with Apostasy pays off in more ears being turned towards a band that have long since earned their place at the top of the heap of melodeath-adjacent artists, with a seemingly unlimited knack for creating virulent, enduring music. Timeless Reverie is a fantastical record by a band who have again exceeded expectations, traversing their own path with gusto. There’s no band who quite sound like Serenity in Murder, and after all these years, we’re overjoyed that they’re still pushing the boundaries of their chosen approach.
We’ll end on a little anecdote – the wife and I almost caught them live in Japan back in 2016, but they played shows that were a day before we arrived and the night of our departure – a miss that still stings to this day. Here’s to hoping Serenity in Murder keeps going for some time, as they’ve got plenty yet to offer, and selfishly, there will be no serenity in this writer’s brain until we see this magnificent band in a live setting. For now, Timeless Reverie beyond satisfies; an album that we surmise will be in heavy consideration for accolades once we get towards that thing known as year end.
