…ming out in their rehearsal space with these songs. They asked Tommi the ex-drummer and Markus the ex-singer to play. From there Markus helped us record the first demo at his studio. Dead Rhetoric: Do you remember Miika when you joined the group, what was exciting about being in this band? Kokko: (laughs). Well, I didn’t have any expectations. I was looking for a new band as my previous band had broken up a couple of years before that. I could thi…
…former benefiting from some additional audience chants to mirror the Voivod-ish militant mid-tempo riffs against some crushing mellotron mood enhancement, while the latter showcases the group’s unrelenting speed/thrash mechanics as well as proper hook/groove knowledge to keep things somewhat grounded for retention purposes. Cryptic, thought-provoking cover art beyond the professionalism on the recording/mixing side (Unleashed’s Fredrik Folkare res…
…d and put into some sort of viable time capsule, whether that’s as a behind-the-scenes documentary or as bonus material for the aforementioned reissues. Maybe just some fun content for our sites. I’ve also always wanted to do an acoustic album. There’s something so challenging yet rewarding about stripping away the layers and effects and finding out how your songs fare around a fire or in a more intimate setting. I think it would be fun to do an a…
…k that catches the eye besides the music. It was Jan Yrlund from Darkgrove Design, he has designed albums cover for huge names like Nightwish, HIM, I think even Manowar. It’s a cool resume. The original idea we sent him in a text form that comes from us, he creates the visual part from our notes. That’s how we got the album cover. Right after we got back from the Pyromide recording sessions, we got back to immediately start work on the next album….
…ion, located at an indoor water park in Pennsylvania, more of a smaller fan-run event than a more massive offering such as others in the northeast like Anime Boston or Anime NYC. Nonetheless, viewing Neo Japonism’s instagram, they were playing in Astoria at 1:30pm so that raised some flags when I saw it as it’s about a 2 hr drive to get to Camelback, PA from there, provided traffic agrees with you. Those thoughts were confirmed as 4PM came and wen…
…on multiple angles due to the combinations at play. Addressing aspects of humanity’s ills such as social injustice, imperialism, and the degradation of the human condition because of war on the lyrical front, the sheer musicianship on hand as well as soaring vocal presence makes for ideal, memorable tracks throughout this eight-song effort (nine if you choose to get the CD edition). Spirited bursts of galloping riffs next to twin-guitar harmonies…
…anted to keep. We didn’t want to copy and paste these artists into an eight-minute-long song, we wanted to have our own song. If you have such a song which is like an opera, one song like this it’s not easy to bring this to a video version because of the rules in music – most songs are shorter these days. We have to keep up the interest in a video, so the problem is then to keep it interesting within a time limit. I did the lyrics of this song, it…
…, Gates to Hell, and Omerta. Then we are on the Headbangers Boat – it’s a cruise. I’ve never been on a cruise so it will be interesting. We are on that for five days. Then the rest of the tour with Boundaries, Foreign Hands, and Roman Candle starts in Tampa. Then we are covering the rest of the US and it takes us into December. Then we are going to rest, because we have a lot planned for 2024! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRLTXZBgzlI&pp=ygUKZHl…
…elodic form of power/symphonic-influenced heavy metal on their debut album Human Deeds. Seeking out assistance on eight of the ten tracks lyrically through ex-Temperance singer Alessia Scolletti (the other two handled from members in the band), the record has an energetic, bouncy presence that is very focused and catchy, especially for those that want a more rockin’ version of a style that resembles acts like Battle Beast, Firewind, or Powerwolf….
…ew up on a lot of good drummers, but I’m not like a lot of them. I was self-taught at home, I’m not a technical drummer. I’m more in the vein of Bill Ward. I’ve loved bands like Mountain, Budgie, and a lot of my heroes. More of an art form. Every time I get on stage, it’s more like performance art. I try to bring that into the music. That’s where I’m coming from. Dead Rhetoric: When it comes to the career of Cirith Ungol, what are some of the high…
…a fun riff but it didn’t serve a point, we cut it. We used the time to do true pre-production, recording the songs multiple times. I’ve got four-six versions of some songs, songs were rewritten, parts were reimagined, vocals were changed, lyrics were changed. For good, bad, or other, we had enough time to dissect the songs and create the album that we wanted to create. The end result shows a much more mature approach to the songwriting, the songs…
…ating industrial atmospheres come together to create some impressively destructive music on The Sin of Human Frailty. END feels entirely corrosive, yet finds a way to keep it memorable at the same time without compromising their aggression. Perfect for when you want something that’s just heavy as hell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGM20HyljEA&pp=ygUIRU5EIGJhbmQ%3D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDGbUFs_vpI&pp=ygUIRU5EIGJhbmQ%3D END on Facebook…
…my bread and butter. I was very happy to learn that Ice Giant was a concept-based band in sci-fi. And as we’ve been working on the following, you know, we’re still very much in the early stage just talking about that, but definitely in terms of concept and lyrics and things like that, me being a massive fantasy nerd is absolutely going to have an influence on that. Gallop: I’m so fucking excited because, just, yeah, I’m so fucking excited. Hell ye…
…ne would hope for to appeal to a broader audience beyond the typical guitar-driven instrumental enthusiasts. We felt the need to learn more about the latest record, his work with Fates Warning and Ray Alder, current concerns in the world, how he has handled failures in life, as well as what’s on the horizon for the future through the eyes of Michael. Dead Rhetoric: Séance in Black is the latest Michael Abdow instrumental album. How did this set of…
…with an urgency and almost thrilling positivity, to the likes of which post-metal hasn’t flexed in quite some time. The melodies on “Defiance” all but yearn for the light, while crashing drums and ethereal sounding vocals hit a masterful sweet spot. On the opposing end, there’s the very mellow “How to Swim Down,” which never hits the distorted guitars or screaming, yet pulls you into an imaginative dreamscape – but fair warning if you watch the vi…
…head. The track gave out some well-earned chills with just the upbeat, wall-of-sound atmosphere – it’s a powerful accomplishment that just sounds heavenly. With all of the potent build up in the orchestration, there’s still a strong sense of intimacy to the band’s music. “The Evergreen and Weeping Tree” is as rich a dark ballad as they’ve ever done, a haunting track that pulls you into an inviting bit of gloom, then all but exploding into rising m…
…technical and slamming death metal, Wormhole have reached their third full-length offering with Almost Human (their first for Season of Mist). It sounds an odd thing to say, but the band did essentially devise it’s own formula with ‘tech slam,’ which is odd considering that no one else thought of it first. That said, Wormhole keep upping their game and developing more from what you may initially consider to be something more one-dimensional and m…
…et came out in the fall of 2021 – setting things up with Portuguese label Gruesome Records with Beyond Frozen Heights. A tidy five-track offering that creates a swirling storm of chaos in just over fourteen minutes, you can expect stunning energy from top to bottom, these musicians pushing the parameters of their abilities as artists, incorporating the best of 90’s/early 2000’s influences in the melodic death/black landscape. The seventy-six secon…
…he better. Godlike is laden with grooves, but also incorporates a darker atmosphere while introducing some new tweaks to their formula. Appealing for the fanbase, but should help to expand the band’s reach too. A win-win combo for sure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beC-BADSeio&pp=ygURdGh5IGFydCBpcyBtdXJkZXI%3D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI_HeZpo6g8&pp=ygURdGh5IGFydCBpcyBtdXJkZXI%3D Thy Art is Murder on Facebook…
…c that is a potent mix of poignant and exploratory. We caught up with multi-instrumentalist Shankar once again to discuss the new album, being creative with soundscapes and effects, some touching cover songs as bonus tracks, writing versus producing music, and much more! Dead Rhetoric: What are you most proud of with Dormant, as your third album? Vikram Shankar: I think I’m most proud of well, it’s simplistic to just say growth. I mean, that’s par…
…d one into thinking this came straight out of 1999. Dark Tranquillity vibes-a-plenty are present in “Through Hidden Space,” with a hair of early Killswitch Engage in some sections near the end. Yes, there’s a smidgeon of the metalcore influence that permeated a portion of the melodic death metal scene in the 2000s, but it’s brief, and certainly shouldn’t dissuade those not into that sort of approach. A few tracks, such as “Human Slave Machine,” re…
…need a second opinion. Visceral yet maintaining it’s presence over the long-term due to some chunky grooves and catchy hooks, The Process of Human Demise paints Repentance as an up and coming winner in the modern metal arena. Fans of the aforementioned duality are highly encouraged to give them a shot. You can never go wrong with that level of energy and aggression that doesn’t wane with repeat listens. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U3yoYXw7TQ…
…ge effect on the whole society. You can talk about climate change, coronavirus, whatever, they doubt the truth – they have strong opinions even in the metal scene, which can be quite dangerous. Like Jon Schaffer and the Iced Earth dilemma. Part of the music scene did move together though. I’m glad the pandemic is over. Dead Rhetoric: Where do you see the state of heavy metal currently? What do you enjoy most about the genre, and what changes (if a…
…hen we started to embrace it, and here we are. The riffs are riffier, the drums have more drum parts to them. There are a lot of double pedal parts with technical guitar riffs. I know there are people that can play those types of riffs though way faster than I can. Dead Rhetoric: Do you work out the solos between yourself and Aria? Radtleff: We do, but I tend to try to put certain parts away from me. I’m not really good at the solos, Aria is bette…
…you approach the art of producing, do you try to think of things on a case-by-case basis depending on the skill levels of the artists on hand? Mary: As a producer, I will take on projects for various reasons. One time I had a band that was really not good, and I took it on just to see how much I could improve upon the marker and make them sound better. You can do quite a bit with Pro Tools these days, if you are skilled, you can do a tremendous a…
…e in the band yet. The same is true of Kathleen Cylkowski, who is my sister-in-law, she’s a very talented vocalist. The song she appears on “Starfall” was the first time we ever invited a female vocalist on, and our first real delving into mixing male and female vocals – which is sort of the signature sound within Omnibus One. Dead Rhetoric: When it comes to your videos, do you enjoy the creative aspect of that and how you are able to promote them…
…ng mechanics. Occasional nods to groove/old school metal appear in more mid-tempo sections of “Saranth”, where drummer Max Petrén Bach Hansen brings in the classic Lombardo-esque cymbal ride hits that established part of Slayer’s sound decades ago. The natural knowledge of the players within Demolizer continues to expand as the years progress – making Post Necrotic Human probably their most seasoned, fully realized output to date. Hopefully this w…
…ate a ‘too much’ quality to many of these songs. Instead of going for a two- or three-part harmony, David chooses to create this vocal kaleidoscope of choirs that overwhelm the proceedings – and not in an ideal Blind Guardian or Orden Ogan manner. Which is a shame, as it diminishes the epic shifts for the almost thirteen-minute progressive effort “The Ritual of Descent”, where David hits some interesting Robert Plant-esque wails. And while compute…
…d keyboard tones from Arturo Hernández keep “Her Last Flight” into that mid-tempo gothic groove metal wheelhouse, drummer Quini Pelegrin laying into the heavier passages with that proper supplementary support to prop up the circular hooks. At other points the band dip their toes into Amaranthe/Battle Beast-type electronic movements wrapped around ideas that we’ve heard from Lacuna Coil, Within Temptation, and Tristania among others – “Vertigo” and…
…park for sure. Dead Rhetoric: Catalyst Crime is your other symphonic metal-oriented international band who released a self-titled album in 2021. What was the response like for this record – and are there plans in the works for a follow-up effort down the line? Weingarten: Yeah, we got a good response to our debut album. We are in the process of working on our second album now, and the drum tracking starts in three weeks. Stylistically, I am takin…
