…really nail that. It’s the most modern we’ve ever sounded, there are big drums, the crunchiness of the guitar is there, but we have lots of bass and keyboards. It’s still there. His work is great, it was a pleasure to work with him. I couldn’t be happier with the mix. Dead Rhetoric: You played ProgPower USA in its 20th edition in the fall of 2019 – how do you view this performance and reception you received versus your previous appearances? Do yo…
…key gang vocal support punctuates specific sequences, or the mid-tempo instrumental break provides that extra headbanging movement, “Human Greed” exemplifying that early Metallica/Exodus atmosphere. While most of the songs roll by at a radio friendly three to five-minute clip, closer “Ghost of the Killing Fields” at 6:28 allows Maniac Abductor to develop more of their melodic outreaches, including a very subdued instrumental opening plus a thoroug…
…e to a synchronous keyboard/guitar interplay movement while the pulsating drumming comes through Rush/Dream Theater measures on the follow-up “Transcending Real Life” – highlights appear in quiet as well as energetic spots. Possessing three songwriters promotes diverse approaches – sometimes keyboard forward in layers as “Legacy” illustrates, or more power-oriented with some modern/cyber splashes as “The Absolution Part 2” achieves. The heavier ri…
…write a full song, I write the whole structure: introduction, verses, instrumental sections, choruses and everything. And then the rest of the guys arrange their own parts and their own instruments. In Spheric Universe Experience I have two roles: composer and lyricist. When I write the song, I take full force and do the entire job. When it’s a song written by Vince or Franck, I step back and just do the arrangements, the keyboard parts, and noth…
…again you worked with Shagrat (aka Timothy Jenkins of Acid Witch) for the brutal cover art design. What was the thought process and discussion relating to the title and executing the idea – as it surely elicits a shock and awe response for some, but probably appeals to the underground thrash/death maniacs everywhere? Marcus: Yes, Shagrat is great. The last album cover was my idea for Disciples of the Goat. This time around Alex our bass player, he…
…from that time period and onwards. I understand people love In Search of Truth and all of the great old albums, but they are twenty years old for us. Looking at the commercial aspect – if you look at the streams from In Search of Truth, and Recreation Day, and then take the first two songs from Escape of the Phoenix, you have more plays on those two songs alone versus those two albums. It has to be reasonable on the business side as well. These s…
…he process evolve from initial idea(s) to the final design? List: Yes. Our designer Mads Berg, we have been working with him since Puritan Masochism. We just invited him out into our rehearsal space one day, and we gave him a rundown of the songs, the lyrics, we sent the lyrics to him so he could read them at home. We had a brainstorm, the themes about the style we wanted. We wanted it to resemble the Puritan Masochism cover, which we all really l…
…is piano and vocal driven. So we have some flexibility in writing our own rule book. In Nectar, I think we were a lot more comfortable writing that rule book than we were on the first album. Dead Rhetoric: How important is that emotional response – are you aiming for that resonance that sits with the listener? Shankar: On some level, every artist wants to make something that has an impact. But it’s a delicate thing. I feel like if the second you…
…material that doesn’t stick to the script, engaging in many influences to design a poigant yet complex sound, and Aathma brought forth a more ethereal vibe to the band. It’s also something that metanoia continues along with, furthering the flowing nature of the band’s works and adding even more of a ‘album as a journey’ approach. metanoia is a sprawling release that really seems to flow as a single unit. The band moves masterfully between tracks,…
…e. The initial mid-tempo riffing and supportive groove that kickstarts “By Design” starts the proceedings in a go down fighting fashion – guitarists Jeff Wilson and Pat Rogers unfurling all kinds of bluesy/southern-like licks into a classic hard rock/metal context, channeling the best of Zakk Wylde and Michael Schenker tricks in the lead break. Elements from Judas Priest to Dio, Black Label Society to even 90’s grunge or punk factor in when it com…
…. Gregor: We wanted to pick “Wetland” as our first single and video, the structure and chorus being catchy. That was a recommendation from our bassist, the newest member of the band. The most objective voice. Dead Rhetoric: You are a part of the C Squared PR firm – tell us what it has been like working with this team of people, and some of the skills/tools you’ve been able to use and think about to apply to the work that you do promoting and pushi…
…it the concept of playing with Alex ever. Dave has been the only official drummer for this band. Shawn Drover did the drum tracks for the first album as a guest session thing. As far as Wags (Greg), shortly after the release of The Powers That Be, when we completed that record in June 2020, the album had been mixed and I was writing follow-up tracks for what would be The World Enslaved. Aaron was on board to do stuff, and then Jeff Waters reached…
…ave any sort of individual musical training, either vocally or on your instruments? North: I took lessons for all types of instruments my whole life. I did extracurricular music stuff my whole life. I have played so many different instruments in so many different genres and under different contexts, I have so much experience with that. This is what I wanted to do the most. Wilson: I played piano a little bit. But I’ve been playing guitar now for a…
…aviness 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 an gorgeous soundscape that isn’t easily forgotten. Wilderun have always been an ambitious act, and they continue to exceed expectations when they design a new release. Epigone should be the release that finally sees them emerging as…
…t we are going to just keep on doing new songs, that will happen around February-April of next year to start working on a new album. It takes a while, we don’t want to create an album in one month and call it a day. It’s a long process, and it’s the same with the lyrics. We will talk more about the storyline, live or die, at that time. We’ve been doing this now for a while, people say keep on going. Most importantly, everybody out there seems to t…
…all of that with our music. A friend of ours, he came up with the initial design, the figure on the cover. Initially the design looked like we thought the Terminator was going for a picnic in the park. We worked with another artist from Columbia for the inlay, so we asked her to change the background. She got this retro game-ish, background that fits the vibe of the figure. It looked like these really old Atari video games, the graininess. It loo…
…n Times (1618-1648)”. The only questionable move is the use of programmed drums when the human element carries more authenticity to these tracks. You know what you’ll get with Running Wild, that steady expectation will reward most and that’s what matters in the end. – Matt Coe (Running Wild on Facebook) Sentinels – Collapse by Design (Sharptone Records) There’s something exhilerating about metalcore’s more recent movement away from the radio-frien…
…as musicians and songwriters to develop as Black Sites? As your influences run the gamut across the spectrum of old school heavy/classic metal and progressive music… Sugar: Speaking just for myself as the guy who writes most of the material, I think what you said is a huge part of it. Having that many influences to draw from and listening to that many different things. Ryan and I are kind of 90’s kids, we got into metal at that point where all of…
…s far too playful and energetic to be held down because of it. Moments of crushing brutality meet more frantic speed runs and melodic bouts over the course of the tracks present. Much like the best of this particular genre, there’s a bit of detail given to how the songs hit overall. There’s no portion of the band’s mixture that is just there for window dressing or to check off a particular box. They are doing their thing, and the bits and pieces e…
…happen. For the next couple of months, we will try to play some single shows whenever possible. Some winter festivals if they are allowed. The tour will be moved to March-April 2022. We want to play as many songs from the new album as possible. We have a great stage setup and design, everything is ready to go up on stage. We don’t want to have to play venues where the capacities may have to be limited to one hundred or so. It doesn’t make any sens…
…he Patreon for quite a while. I had went by the Patreon headquarters in February, so it had been planned a long time before COVID happened. Part of me, when we were all in lockdown, was like ‘You can’t launch it now. This is too weird of a time to ask people for money. Everyone is struggling.’ But then another voice in my mind didn’t know how long this was going to be, and maybe people are bored and want to hear new music since they are stuck at h…
…er a chunky, heads down style of semi-progressive thrash that batters and bruises. Chock full of tasty riffs, melodic moments, and a boatload of gang-infused chorus/background vocal support to drive the material careening through bodies globally, these ten songs showcase a fluid European meets American scope as the diversity and dynamics keep ears pinned especially for those who miss that older ‘together as one’ spirit to this movement. Apparent e…
…inear songs. I think there’s only one song on the album that goes verse-chorus-verse-chorus, they all have themes though. It’s really nice when someone has caught a stray line – I put tons of attention to detail in getting the timing right and the syllables – and you realize that it’s the 18th line in a bridge that no one is actually listening to because it’s 7-minutes into the song. Then one person comes out and they like it, that’s enough. Dead…
…of harmonies and melodies but of course without losing any of that grind/crust/death brutality if you get my drift. Everything is on the album that makes us who we are in a musical sense but it is reduced to its’ essence. We deliberately got rid of unnecessary repetitions or embellishments in order to get to the true core of our own way of playing within the genre. Therefore I’d say for us the new album is at the top of our ranking in our own dis…
…toppings that bands like this strive for. Solid, if a bit unspectacular in design. Congregation Pestilence sees them uptick the speed and intensity a bit while delivering the same rotten fury, to stronger results. The band’s strongest suit is the intensity this time around. The wall of sound that they can generate benefits from that explosive uptick in speed, and still retains all of the grimy, dirty vibes. Opener “Death’s Disciple” is exactly the…
…changes from this downtuned, chuggy death metal act. The usual deathcore grumblings apply, with monotonous riffing taking up the bulk of the landscape, along with some occasional speed ups and atmosphere. But with the churning rumbles at the forefront, it’s still hard to give this act a recommendation unless you happen to be a fan of that particular breed of death metal. – Kyle McGinn (Distant on Facebook) Drift into Black – Patterns of Light (Se…
…e of a progressive direction, and then it’s everybody else. Chris Black’s drumming on this album is phenomenal. He himself said it’s the best drumming he’s done on any album, ever. The best thing for twenty years he’s said about Pharaoh is the free drum lessons (laughs). I make him play stuff on this album he wouldn’t have thought he could do. He has to practice to figure these things out, and commits to it. He knocked it out the park with this on…
…people for some things. But when it comes down to our social media, merch designs, and things like that, I love drawing, graphic design, video editing. If I can do something myself, I prefer it that way. I love being hands on and in charge. Dead Rhetoric: Do you feel it lets you show a different angle of your creativity as well? Rennick: I have always loved things like fashion design and drawing pictures and using photoshop. Being able to design…
…, and Jesse has been playing his entire life as well. It helps having two drummers who can communicate. Drummer talk to a guitar is like fucking Latin [laughs]! So it was helpful to have the two of us, both being drummers, so that we can get the rhythmic stuff we want to across. We write really well together. Dead Rhetoric: Could you discuss the conceptual pieces to the album? Asberry: There’s a few different concepts across the record, though it…
…stereo system and not in front of an iPhone. I do the real music, real instruments, real guitars, real drums, and I want people to listen to this album in a real way. Dead Rhetoric: Do you enjoy the new tools of technology to capture your ideas, but prefer going into a real studio to make these albums? Frank: I am recording most of my stuff in a real studio. I am not a fan of sitting at home and programming some drums. That’s not the kind of music…
