…o we can’t say for sure otherwise we would look like idiots if they didn’t happen. We’ve also talked about releasing more music – we may release some songs on Spotify, like one song at a time, two songs at a time. Trickle some new music in between, so there’s not as big of a gap between albums. We will try to hit places where we’ve never been. Like a little Pez dispenser for thrash. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mwo_8T7t_RY http://www.youtube.com…
…nal. A band that musically personifies a whirlwind of destruction, you can bet on an experience that leaves nothing behind in its wake. It’s what the band has relied on since their first release over twenty years ago, but there’s still no one more skilled or reliable. Not an awful lot of tricks up the sleeve are to be found with Upon Desolate Sands but that isn’t a bad thing. The Hate Eternal formula is nothing if not consistent, and only benefits…
…ferent things that are going on within Depths of Hatred’s EP, but the best bet is to just make mention of the throttling heaviness. There’s bits of technical material, blackened influences, modern death metal and deathcore for sure, but the way that it all comes together is meant solely to ravage the intended audience. Wisely, there’s a few moments where the band slows things down a bit and plots a bit of atmospheric relief (the title track comes…
…teful that I’m still improving my vocals – every year I think I am getting better, at least I think I am. I feel way stronger and more in control. I can switch between different types of voices, and the transitions are easier somehow. Dead Rhetoric: With the retro movement gaining more traction, what’s something you’d like to see make a comeback? Strid: That’s hard to say. There’s never going to be a new Beatles. I think we are on a mission – we a…
…nce. I would just say to buy a fucking guitar and start a band. It’s a lot better. Dead Rhetoric: If only we could just hand out the guitar instead. Harvey: Hey, will if you go to a pawn stop, you can either get a rifle or a guitar. It’s right there. Dead Rhetoric: Being in a band that’s covering Death albums from long ago, what do you think the appeal is in retro acts? Harvey: I feel like metal, at this point, if you count the first Black Sabbath…
…ngs like that. Younger fans today, when they hear that and listen to me, I bet they think that it’s great to hear someone out there that still does this style, that’s awesome. Dead Rhetoric: How do you feel about the different eras of Iron Maiden between Paul Di’anno, Bruce Dickinson, and the Blaze Bayley eras? Ellis: First of all, I think Blaze is an incredible singer. I think he just had the misfortune of replacing Bruce Dickinson, that’s all th…
…d’s melancholic vibe is effectively captured in a way that blurs the lines between a video and ‘lyric video,’ with words written on a body that cuts between the shots of some hooded figures and the band itself. The track still holds up over a year later as well, employing heavy moments amid some more melodic ones – it’s a shame the band hasn’t been able to take off as they rightly should given the material at hand. – Kyle McGinn (Shores of Null on…
…a band named screaming beast is going to play? One can make a pretty good bet that it’s going to be something on the heavier side of things. Once again proving the universal nature of metal in today’s age, the Manchester-based act take some distinctly southern (US) grooves and put them alongside some more modern metal and melodic offerings to give you a sound that’s both European and American. The band’s debut full-length, Our New Narrative of Ha…
…oundscape stuff. So it I can get that out of the way first, it makes for a better formula for me. The stuff we had was really cool – it wasn’t cheesy soundscape stuff, it had a dark edge to it. It fit perfect for me. I wish we had done that in the past that way [laughs] but it just sort of happened by accident. Dead Rhetoric: I really like the cover, I’m not sure if minimalist is the right word, but there’s very much a focus to it. Could you talk…
…n, and solitude appear in any form for band, title, and label, it’s a safe bet we are dealing in some form of doom/death metal – which is the clear case here for Ukrainian one-man act Sorrowful Land. On the heels of a debut full-length Of Ruins…, Where the Sullen Waters Flow is a three song EP of epic proportions, brooding riffs drenched in measured growls and plodding paces – where the transitions contain atmospheric spots of clean, melodic grace…
…ther to release albums anymore intensifies, although in metal, it’s a safe bet they’ll be hanging around for quite some time, but, peppering and/or prepping one’s audience with a two-song release such as this appears to be the way to go. Formed in early 2017, Grave Spirit is a black/death/thrash amalgamation, spewing plenty of sonic bile on their dastardly The Beast Unburdened by Flesh EP. The usual production tactics persist: Drums back in the mi…
…g with the ever-fertile French black metal ground, it’s practically a safe bet (as common sense would indicate). Originally formed in 2007 by guitarist/vocalist Clément Flandrois (Pillars, Oorthian, ex-Svart Crown), Hyrgal recorded a split with Kairn in 2008 before temporarily hanging it up in 2010. Their 2016 reactivation has borne the fruit that is Serpentine, a textured, nuanced display of French BM. Hyrgal’s riffs don’t carve the same sinister…
…sic they like, but what’s trending right now, shows are booked exclusively between bands that play the music genre that is currently popular etc. We really hope that as the scene is growing bigger and better that this mentality will change. Dead Rhetoric: What’s your plan for the next few months? Florou: Right now we have a bit of a bipolar situation going on. One week we work as crazy with arrangements, preproduction, lyrics etc. and the next wee…
…but I think that going fast and slowing it way down – all that meaty stuff between, all that groove stuff in between that can really get a crowd going – I think that’s one of the things that sets Obituary apart a little bit. We are pretty steady with what we do. We have been the same type of people in the same kind of music for a long time. Sometimes it takes that amount of time for people to really do that. It’s been great to see people that saw…
…will find His Divine Shadow to have no fault purely due to its execution of the genre basics. But if you are looking for something that has more lasting power than a few blurring listens, it’s a safe bet you can avoid this one. Condemned need to further differentiate their sound if they want to make more of a name for themselves as they forge ahead. Condemned on Facebook…
…tle bit, think before you go to Europe- the crowds are going to be so much better, everything’s better in Europe. To a degree, it is, but it’s just like the United States- there are certain markets where nobody hits. You can’t be a rock star in every single city, and it’s the same thing in Europe. You will have bad shows and great shows all over the world- it’s my opinion that we have air conditioning here (laughs). We had a really rough tour on t…
…nd’s three decade plus discography – including some US tour dates. You can bet many Dead Rhetoric writers will be in attendance for the legendary pumpkin men. Best Newcomer of the Year: Goldenhall Given my love of the New England metal scene, it’s surprising to hear a band these days willing to fuse epic power metal with melodic death/extreme overtones, rounding things out with a classically-trained baritone singer. That’s what we have though in G…
…aft, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, and craft beer beyond the music, you can bet through these 8 tracks you’ll be in for a classic metal adventure that contains everything from doom and stoner influences to a bit of progressive and thrash – making for an exhilarant, multi-dimensional outing. The softer strains which open “The Grey Havens (To the Sea)” quickly transform into a majestic epic number that recalls 70’s Judas Priest with possibly a touch…
…setting the Swedes on a new course. Leven, as you would surmise, is a sure bet on these tunes. Like Lowe, he’s the master of the gravel-throated histrionics, and since there’s no comparable to the monk-robed one himself, Messiah Marcolin, the manner in which Leven (and Lowe before him) handles the C-Mass tunes is less on a theatrical level, and more on the ground. Therefore, his vocal tactics on the EP’s title track or “Sinister and Sweet” give Ca…
…980’s? Brodén: Oh… I don’t know actually. I notice if we focus on becoming better, writing better songs, doing better shows- more people and more money could come with that automatically. As long as we make sure that we do something that we think is good- and we are having fun- then I guess if we do things right it’s not impossible. In Europe we do about 5,000-6,000 people per show, which is a small arena size. Slowly but surely we are working our…
…orbid Angel, and Pestilence to At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity, you can bet there’s a little bit of everything from a death metal perspective. We at Dead Rhetoric have been charged with handling the premiere for the song “For Shiva Whispered the Universe,” which can be streamed below. You can also check out the artwork and official track list. As for the song itself, “For Shiva Whispered the Universe” wields technical and intriguing riffs with…
…efully we get the chance to come over for at least a few shows in North America. We would love to do that. As far as the plans go now, we have a lot to do for the tour in February, the festivals coming up- the indoor festivals between March and May and the outdoor festivals between June and September, as well as some more club shows in the fall so it looks like a busy year for us. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtntAKcJtvY Brainstorm official webs…
…han one occasion (see: “Gyre,” “Altarpieces” and “Quandary”), so ‘yer best bet is hedge upon Latitudes being the less-vocal dominated incarnation of Mastodon, or even a slowed-down version of New York black metal weirdos Krallice. Compositional adventures, even cinematic at various points, Old Sunlight is both a challenge and the occasional reminder of where the progressive metal sound has gone. In truth, it has no real home or landing spot; Latit…
…gium. A band capable of doing many things well at once, the balance struck between atmospheric metal and driving, hard-headed metal is one to behold, especially since it’s tapered off in a black metal context. The spate of melodies found in jams such as “Between Reality and the World Beyond” and the closing title track demonstrate a band who appear to have no ceiling at the present time. One of the year’s true gems, Refugium deserves maximum atten…
…ike “The Hollywood Hootsman” or “Questlords of Inverness, Ride to the Galactic Fortress,” nor should there be. It’s not like Bowes is doing something different in his main band. You can bet your bottom dollar the Germans will lap this stuff up almost instantly. It’s tailor-made for that market all the way. Gloryhammer on Facebook…
…, always pushed- and he was so frank all the time. He knew I could do this better, re-write all the lyrics again- but he always made things better. High Priestess was amazing. Dead Rhetoric: When looking at your life, has there been any particular moment when you think about where you were able to breakthrough a certain challenge or barrier that may have been imposed either mentally or physically? Paige: Yes, there are moments when I look back and…
…he listener to explore as they move through Unity in Pluralism. The safest bet for a quick identification here would be melodic death metal, though admittedly more akin to later Hypocrisy than In Flames. Truthfully, there a bit of a distinct Hypocrisy vibe to several of the tracks on Unity in Pluralism. The almost gloomy, melodic riffs of the opening track, “Adopted Creed,” are the first glimpse of this as are some of the lower register vocals. “L…
…a bit leading up to recording Architects of the Void. It’s probably a safe bet that the rough/raw production was unintentional, but I hope they NEVER, EVER try to fix it. It’s a beautiful mess. Ian Gillan is (obviously) amazing but for me it’s about the atmosphere and THOSE RIFFS!!! My favorite track and riffage from the album is “Zero the Hero”. But I’ve really always like those “interlude” parts from Black Sabbath like “Stonehenge”, “The Dark” a…
…ago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre 8/16 – St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre 8/19 – Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre 8/21 – Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre 8/22 – Garden City, ID @ Revolution Center – NO SLIPKNOT 8/23 – Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheater 8/24 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena 8/26 – Concord, CA @ Concord Pavilion 8/28 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Resort Festival Grounds 8/29 – Phoenix, AZ @ AK-Chin Pavilion 8…
…plode”, offered by the band as a free download, SLAYER recorded on and off between September and mid-January at L.A.’s Henson Studios, and has just finished mixing the album. Eleven songs have been recorded, but what will end up on the final track listing is yet to be determined. Early reports indicate that SLAYER fans have a lot to look forward to — the new music is a sonic assault of brutal, ominous, lightening-fast and heavy-as-hell music with…
