…c” stands the test of time. The duality cheerleader frontman next to an ear-shattering, multi-octave delivery allows the audience to easily accept Michael’s elite vocals, especially in the higher, upper note activities that take place in a potent anthem like “Bomb Food”, the militant, mechanical-oriented transition going down a storm with the festival audience. The setlist contains plenty of rebel rousing moments, encouraging crowd chants, stomps,…
…ary? Görtz: There’s so much that we did differently. Lukas is our main songwriter, so he comes up with all of the riffs. For Solitary, I would say the songs that he wrote were almost finished – like 99% finished as far as arrangements go. This time, the songwriting was more open towards the band. More people contributed. We played around with the arrangements more. I think one of the biggest influences on Dormant that we didn’t have was that to pl…
…mastering skills of Ronnie Björnström (Nightrage, Sorcerer) to ensure a top-of-the-line final sonic quality that fits the feel for the musical proceedings. The previous album Imperial Congregation pushed Blood Red Throne into critical acclaim territory, which they will achieve once again in this follow-up Nonagon. Proof that you can be heavy, slightly adventurous, and diverse all within one album, this should appease the faithful while introducing…
…. But at the same time, we didn’t want to limit ourselves. We didn’t start writing thinking, “ok, we have to do another metalcore album now” or something like that. We just naturally wrote what we wanted to write – it came out authentically. I think that is a great jump forward or a push to higher levels, because there are a lot of bands who just want to go into one direction. But I think there are a lot of other bands who just do what they want….
…nd the Bad” but seems a tad tedious in the lower register delivery of a mid-tempo outing like “Move”. These three chord-oriented songs provide plenty of swinging hooks, infectious tempos, and the ideal gang-like shouted choruses that go over gangbusters, as a second half track like “Planet 5” attests. The songs fly by to make a tight 42-minute record, showcasing an adapt knowledge of sticking to strengths while cutting away any excess to push the…
…really honed in on them. Well, their new album Rattle the Cage is out as I write this on Massacre Records, so I thought I’d check it out. I’m pretty pleased in general. It’s got some big hooks and sweet grooves to rock out to. The album wastes very little time in getting down to business with a triple shot of opener “Now and Forever”, “Wolves At the Door”, and “Cry Out Loud”. There’s no pussyfooting here, just ass kickery, something I always enjoy…
…t of topics at the ready before the music is done, or do you work on a case-by-case basis as the musical ideas develop and churn out the words/melodies based on the emotions or atmosphere that comes about? Byford: Pretty much, not always, I wait for…. You know I am a musician myself, we spend a lot of time with the boys on the music, arranging, and fine tuning the parts. I have a list of ideas I have, and if the music suits the idea, then I’ll tak…
…mainframe thrash or death styles. The mini-drum solo break next to the four-on-the-floor foundational locomotive riffs for “Unnecessary Consuming” revels in its classic Motörhead-ish glory, while the alluring gallop next to some alternative chugging, low-tuned picking puts “A Waste of Human Being” into another potent highlight, Felipe’s fervent bark mirroring the jackhammer atmosphere to the max almost like Prong careening headfirst into Sepultura…
…was done with my studies, a psychologist, I was going to turn into a grown-up, have a full-time job, and if I’m going to have any flexible time it’s now while I’m writing my master’s thesis. I just knew I wanted to do something that was more akin to the international bands than what I was used to here. There are some progressive bands but most of us listen to stuff like Opeth, Tool, and I wanted that kind of dynamic where it’s still dark and heav…
…arantee you that someone will be going nuts on release day. So enjoy!! Standout Tracks: “Monstrous”, “Silent Running” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-Rto6DysMo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1ftXDLgxZY Cobrakill on Facebook…
…. The primal production value as well as down to earth tones should also be worth their weight in gold – thankfully free of the brick wall grid action that renders many modern records interchangeable. Warriors of Madness aligns well with those early NWOBHM acts from 1979-1982 – doing their best to attract attention in any small pub they could play in, as listeners felt the buzz of heavy metal growing day by day. Heavy Sentence stirs those souls wh…
…yriad of directions: not limited to the usual rock and metal, but some post-hardcore and pop-punk stylings can be found across the 5-track debut EP, appropriately titled Prologue: Burn it Down. Be that as it may, Nextanative should find plenty of support from the alt idol sources with the strength of this offering, and those seeking a heavy yet catchy time. With four ‘true’ songs and a brief instrumental introduction (“Prologue”), Nextanative show…
…gs would likely appear on a future album. I needed an opener for an album, write a fast song that’s under four minutes, probably the fastest one on the album. And then there’s a title track, and then there will be an instrumental track. I had these ideas already in my head, so let’s see what happens. Work them out – every member works out their own parts in their own corners, then we come together. Phil and I did a lot of work on the arrangements…
…ding aside, we arrive at Charcoal Grace. As with all of their previous full-lengths, beautiful melodies and richly detailed songwriting are at the center of their ethos, though they never truly repeat themselves. Rise Radiant was a forward-thinking release that saw the band dabble further into their rock sensibilities, being a little more melodic and slightly pop-adjacent to go along with their djent oriented guitar work and weaving musical struct…
…. The plodding grooves of “Outer Worlds” and the chorus is a definite ‘sing-a-long,’ though admittedly “In My Dreams” takes the award for the strongest ‘sing-a-long’ with it’s ballad-y approach and potent use of Erica Ohlsson’s charismatic vocals. Those interested in the high-energy driving tempo showcases the band is known for should be quite happy as well. “Cyberdome” is an all-out romp of energy and fun, from it’s big synth section to the stomp…
…c was the biggest and most powerful thing in my musical career. Getting to write, record, perform and tour the world with three of my best friends who also happened to be amazingly talented and like-minded individuals shapes me into the person I am today. Dead Rhetoric: What’s on the horizon for anything related to Domination Campaign, Psycroptic or other band/side activities over the next year or so? Peppiatt: Hopefully we should be looking at do…
…a melody comes in over a riff that we write. I can decide what title works best and write a story around that. As far as thinking about what happens beyond death, it’s something I’ve always been obsessed with and always thought about. It is pretty natural and easy to narrate. Dead Rhetoric: Then it was intentional to make a sequel concept record to the previous effort? Olson: It was intentional. When we wrote Mysterium Tremendum we decided we want…
…stick in one specific tempo template, certain songs can start off at a doom-like crawl before picking up into speedier, heads down thrash terrain with the proper hardcore/crossover switch-ups, as closer “Mortality Bait” illustrates, taking in aspects of Machine Head, Slayer, Biohazard, and Testament over the course of its four-minute arrangement. Conversely opener “Prodigal Scum” contains a clean, ethereal opening before the speedy tremolo runs or…
…tone is rumbling and gritty, serving up the needed aesthetic, aided by songwriting that is anything but conventional, keeping their compositions unpredictable. Continuing with “Aeons of Spiritual Starvation,” the songwriting goes deeper towards the maniacally offbeat, emitting sweltering riffs and odd time signatures to accentuate the unorthodox vibe. If thick, chunky rhythms are your flavor of choice, tracks such as “Thou Hast Destroyed Thyself”…
…op side too. Premberg: That’s the cinematic, epic feel of it. It’s hard to write music in 3-4 minutes because you have so many things you want to do. You want a long guitar solo, you need an intro that captivates the listener. Having a long intro, it does make the song ‘skippable’ to the listener – its the way of the listener nowadays. I could talk forever about that – but you need to keep the listener’s interest in the song. Ohlsson: You need to…
…e soon. Dead Rhetoric: AbyssUs is the band’s latest album. How did the songwriting and recording sessions go for this set of material? What sort of obstacles, challenges, or surprises took place during the process – and did the COVID-19 pandemic have an impact as far as digging deeper into specific details that worked out better in the long run? Granieri: It was hard. It’s an album about failures, and I needed time to face mine. When I brought the…
…er Hannes Braun, with the beautifully elegant “Dying in My Dreams” being co-written by La Torraca, and it stands out for it’s power ballad-esque energy and poignant feelings. While “Run” heads in more of a fun, folk-y direction, “Hold Back Your Fear” seems to take all of the positives associated with symphonic metal and crank them up to 11 – especially the extremely potent chorus. The covers themselves offer just as much entertainment. The aforeme…
…League of Distortion too. He also has a band called Kissin’ Dynamite and I write for them, so we are a close writing team. I trust him when he has an idea and thinks it will be good. So I have a listen and I will mostly always say, ‘yeah, you are absolutely right, that’s amazing!’ We were also able to inject our ideas and say who is trying to sing in certain parts in the arrangement of the vocals. So in the studio, when we are trying the songs and…
…refrains that bristle in EDM/cyber nuances, yet still adding the distortion-filled electricity or slightly down-tuned tone necessary to keep people headbanging. The record ends on a thunderous note with “Into the Dark”, dazzling displays of synchronicity between the guitars, keyboards, and bass while the drum work deftly moves between power, groove, and progressive measures as Per unleashes more of his multi-octave vocal prowess. Resolute in its m…
…ally. The longest cut “Eye of the Storm” finishes the record, an almost six-minute adventure into some low-tuned modern progressive metal action, the bass/guitar synchronization set to stun mode. Cedric probably has more appeal with axe maestros than the general public for Inner Kingdom – but there are plenty of metalheads that will enjoy this instrumental outing, and it should be interesting to hear what the follow-up outing explores. https://www…
…a new flavor via Vast Reaches Unclaimed – a rifftastic work that stands toe-to-toe with giants. 1. Night in Gales – The Black Stream This statement has been made by yours truly multiple times over the years, and it still rings true: the most underrated band in this long and storied history of melodic death metal is Night in Gales. A band who has not only been an innovator since their 1995 debut EP Sylphlike, but have had the best career renaissanc…
…epic song – “Glorious Dawn” at 10:02 containing the requisite orchestration-filled intro, operatic-style choir melodies, building momentum into a neoclassical, progressive metal extravaganza, the drumming of Janne Kusmin uplifting next to the dramatic narrative switch-offs. Knowledge is powerful – execution key in convincing consumers to follow your efforts. Chamelion evokes that excitement of the late 90’s/early 2000’s in combining influences lik…
…case some massive growls and screams as the band stomps through mostly high-tempo riff-fest that still manages to keep enough hooks in to grab your ear, particularly when they slow it down to a crawling breakdown at the end. The title track closes the album, and switches gears yet again to show how striking the band can sound when they move further into the atmospheric and melodic side. Muller uses some clean-ish vocals when necessary, the the ins…
…– and are there any interesting, funny, or surprising stories related to “Best of the Best of the Best” and “Circle of Evil”? Cleary: Yeah, the video stuff, you have to do it. We used to have a friend that was a video director, but he moved to Berlin. We were left with, how do we do the videos? The budget isn’t that great, especially when you are an independent band. How can we get some videos done? We ended up buying our own camera, we’ve been t…
…ne is that At the Plates is far more than a gag offering. Do you enjoy well-written, all-around solid death metal? Because Omnivore is stuffed to the gills with it. Catchy, worm it’s way into your ears type of stuff. Opener “With Their Cutlets” kicks off things with plenty of blasting energy and a barrage of frantic riffing to the point where your ‘gimmick mindset’ is going to drop off immediately. The riffs hit hard, whether they are more speedy…
