…his current incarnation? Schmitt: New guys, new influences. Basti is a really straightforward drummer and a really happy person. He has a huge influence on the feeling of the band as he’s a really funny guy. Also, a real professional musician as he’s been in the business for a lot of years. He has his own drum school where he teaches kids how to play the drums. He brought a very good feeling into the band. And Tom has been a member of the band ove…
…ise it’s much better. Overall, I think it’s a much stronger record: musically, lyrically, and production-wise. Atonement raised the bar for us, and set the bar high for this cycle. We finished the cycle for it in 2019, and we knew it would be a hard bar to get close to. We had a lot of down time, and Bob [Vigna] had started writing the songs in 2018, so when we hit the end of the touring cycle for Atonement, we were like 4-5 songs already. We alre…
…he time that album is done we will be onto 4 and 5. We are perhaps, foolishly, ambitious. We all can’t sit still and we are always thinking about the next frontier. We are writing album three for sure this year. We have finished a few songs already and it’s quite fresh. I think it will take some people by surprise, and that’s what we are all about. Aside from that, I have a Threads of Fate coming in a few months and Redemption as well. I have tran…
…Lies”, the steady groove-oriented tempo and lower range sneer giving off a bit of a early 90’s-Metallica atmosphere. These gentlemen aren’t going to rewrite the heavy/power playbook – they execute catchy parts, roll things into an ideal songwriting context, flesh things out with key gang-like fervor (especially during the “Back to Zero” finale) and leave listeners rejuvenated in their affinity for the genre. Plenty of metal followers love these ty…
…e to sit down and really absorb in one go if possible. The album is partially made up of the ambitious four-track “Distraction” after all, which ebbs and flows with somber elegance, even as it ramps up the heaviness. Despite it’s heaviness at times, the overall impression of Epigone is one of beauty and grace. It’s an entirely personal album, especially considering the times that it was created, and truly invites the listener to share an hour in a…
…fers to deliver on the title track plus the calmer, doom-oriented opener “Burning Pile”. Bands like Tristania and Insomnium come to mind when taking in Dying on the Scorched Plains. It’s a record that has layers of passages to absorb, vocally and musically – the cohesion of heavy parts and tranquil passages making sense, the veterans capable of rising to the occasion even after a prolonged absence from the studio. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c…
…What stands out about it to you? Mikko Kotamäki: It’s nothing new, basically, but it wasn’t really a planned album. It happened because of all this pandemic shit. It just sort of happened. When everything happened last year, the band had just turned 20 and we had those anniversary tours going on, and then we had to cancel everything. So we had nothing but time on our hands and Juha [Raivio] just showed up with 8 new tracks and said he had an albu…
…ng madness, along with a stellar vocal performance out of Sarabeth Linden. Lyrically running the spectrum from political concerns, personal loss, and the ups and downs related to life and relationships in general, Sarabeth has that magnificent ability to channel any emotion in the right register, placing her shrieks and screams perfectly while her main delivery is a combination of classic rock and metal professionalism. Check out her work in “Powd…
…me to know, love and expect from Beast in Black? Anton Kabanen: It’s actually really simple. You just have to do what you like for yourself. You have to trust your own creative instincts, what resonates within you in that moment when you are working on a song. Just do it, whatever you hear in your head. Like a really strong keyboard riff or a specific sound that you want in there, that’s it. I believe when you do everything honestly in art and you…
…ngry militant commander – conjuring images of Nuclear Assault’s John Connelly gravelly roar in parts of the crushing “Endless Ammunition”. With song titles like “Vegan Predator” and “Anger Is for Amateurs”, you get the sense that Shock Wave stick to a mix of social/political and current events topics when looking at the lyrics – delivered in the same forceful manner as the music. A left-field entry “Marble Skin” exudes a bit more atmospheric, melo…
…ASAP or we would have been stuck with the borders closing. It was not exactly cheap to fly to the USA for a one-off show, pay for the buses, crew, and backlighting and everything else. That was our first impression of COVID-19. Dead Rhetoric: That was definitely a horrible start for you guys, and you are with both Omnium and Insomnium, it was a double whammy for you. Vanhala: Yeah, a double-loss. We decided to do the live stream with both bands, a…
…We lost a lot of momentum that we were building with Afterburner. Especially playing live, the press. It is important to get Force of Danger out, as we didn’t want to be left behind. It’s already two years since we toured last. Dead Rhetoric: After that very colorful cover, you went for more of a black and white/ sci-fi contrast on the new record. How do you feel about this cover? Lewis: I love it. We consciously wanted to go really old-school, y…
…rmination” aren’t so plagiarized that it is detrimental to the normal speed and burn approach of the group. Mortal Vision have a little bit of work to establish their own presence in a very crowded field for thrash. Mind Manipulation will have its share of fans especially if you love Sodom and early Sepultura – let’s just hope that more seasoning, experience, and road work will allow the band to expand what can be achieved on the next recording. h…
…ur hearts into making it. Dead Rhetoric: Where did you want to come across lyrically with this record – and how important do you believe the lyrics, vocals, and melodies are to the overall output of SkyEye when it comes to the final product? Leščanec: I (Jan) wrote all the lyrics for the Soldiers of Light album. Soldiers of Light is not a concept album. We named the album after the eponymous song “Soldiers of Light”. That song was one of the first…
…ackage to be outstanding. Dead Rhetoric: Where did you want to come across lyrically on this album – as there seems to be a bit of religious, political, and social issues talked about on here, as well as a fun song with “Beer Run”? Childs: It’s not something that is ever at the forefront of consideration, specifically dealing with lyrical themes. Because of the type of music that we play, I like to see it between thrash and death metal, there’s ce…
…school style yet using modern technology to capture a sound that is quite lively and vibrant to hopefully catch a wider swath of the underground (and above) into these eight tracks. The trademark evil death tremolo/melodic guitar runs, pounding metal to the bone tempos, sadistic and discernible growls permeate this release – as if the band pick and choose aspects of Swedish death and European heroes from the 90’s/early 2000’s and intertwine those…
…nd do what I need to do for both. Learning all the Subterranean stuff vocally was a bit more challenging, Chubzy had a few different patterns that I wasn’t used to doing. I was super nervous to do it. It was weird never knowing what to say in between songs, that took a few months to figure it out. Since then, we’ve had great feedback from the fans on this. We are just going to keep rolling with it, it works for us now. Dead Rhetoric: Blake and Jac…
…s aligned more in the Slayer, Sodom, and Kreator camps than anything remotely commercial. The evil warble and insane high-pitched cackle from bassist Rasmus Soelberg has the right Mille-esque charm, especially during the simple yet effective chorus for “Don’t Get Mad, Get Evil”. The guitar runs contain a mixture of semi-progressive passages and heads down brutality – check out “See You in Hell” for instance where the Heathen/Artillery-like power c…
…hanged a lot of things in my life for the better. My relationships especially with my family. It was even before the quarantine that I made that decision. It was one of the best things that I did. I started meditating, doing more of the body, exercising more. And reading a little more. Maybe seeking for more quality. The possibilities with organic food, I’m not vegan – that isn’t my goal. It’s great that you see possibilities of eating better, as…
…Toronto, Canada is a hotspot for all heavy music musicians – and home to Valyear. Alive since 2014, the four-piece pull from a variety of alternative, rock, and metal influences for the Revolution Fear album. Leaning into everything from Alice in Chains to Alter Bridge, even Hank Williams or a bit of Meshuggah, expect addictive musical hooks, a groove foundation with swagger, plus a vocal delivery that can go from alternative mid-range moaning to…
…Death cover, that was a big high point to do “Crystal Mountain”. That really warmed us up to a few of the people. Dead Rhetoric: What are your thoughts on the melodic death metal genre as a whole? It seems you have an equal appreciation for bands stateside just as much as the international ones that you incorporate into your sound, would this be fair to say? Khrenov: Definitely, 100%. It’s weird, I never heard melodic death metal getting any slac…
…etal act? Vanhoosen: Yes, definitely. For me, a lot of it comes from probably my early love for the work of an artist like Yngwie Malmsteen. Almost the more progressive side of heavy metal, that sometimes has been frequently employed by somebody like Queensrÿche for example. Having the acoustic part to sort of balance with the heavy riffing, that’s always been something to me as a listener that has been appealing. To have that bit of contrast betw…
…cal blood and guts subjects, another welcome aspect for enjoyment. Add in a stellar mixing/mastering from V.O. Pulver and Requiem can stand up well next to the best in the faster death platform – as their influences are still old school enough to not be overly technical or lose the map when it comes to writing catchy songs. Ideal for those who love the 1990’s US/European death bands who want a new slice of material in today’s marketplace. http://w…
…hile also making this an ideal Entierro interpretation to pull out on the regular live. Entierro are an asset to the New England scene – keeping the old metal guard sound alive and hopefully turning on a new generation to bands that can be creative in this genre today. Entierro on Facebook…
…e opportunity to flex his percussion / time signature shifts on highlight “War in Heaven” while adding a bit of a staccato/groove aspect to “After Ten Years” that has a modern slant on some quick hitting, circular axe harmonies. The triggered/ typewriter tick-tock aspect in the kick drum department can get a bit overwhelming in certain songs – but there are additional keyboard movements during “The River and the Rain” that dial in some of the Ital…
…nes both a fierce power while keeping it playful, but the band doesn’t simply rely on her to chew all of the scenery. What elevates Initiation above its peers is that the music itself is just as ear-worming. There are impactful melodies that plays in the background of “This Dance is Doomed” as well as more immediate hooks and riffs of the appropriately named “Cyclone.” There’s not a track that you can’t pull a few immediately interesting pieces fr…
…he title track for a favored highlight. Third albums in a discography usually dictate whether a band could be headed for a healthy, fruitful career or may want to venture off into greener pastures. Demons Within is leaning towards the former, as these musicians have the right skills, songwriting abilities, and promise to find themselves on numerous tours and festivals of a melodic death/thrash kind. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtvusarQqJI http:…
…in the band has added something to our sound. Beyond that, for me, personally it was a bit different as I have never recorded in my home studio for a Cannibal Corpse album. I have done that for some of my side projects, but never for Cannibal. In that way, the process was a bit different. The whole thing wound up being a different experience – working with a different line up and a different way of doing it. But I’m very happy with the result and…
…music present as a scene, a field has followed this whole process a little bit. Godly is a mystical and religious narrative, though apocryphal. Nibiruan Chronicles is an epic and cosmological short story. In terms of realization, Nibiruan Chronicles we conceived as something that contained both a pasty amalgam between the instruments, and as something that had the appearance of a big Cthulhu among the millennial sands. I’d like this image to be ta…
…obbies. I lift, I do yoga, and I ride a bicycle and I swim. I work out pretty hard almost every single day. Dead Rhetoric: How do you see the next year or two for Crystal Viper playing out in terms of promotion, shows, videos, etc.? Gabriel: Regarding the pandemic and playing live shows, I really don’t know. The truth is no one knows what will happen. Our plans for this year, we are focusing on promoting the new album and our additional projects….
