…long period of time. We were able to work on this for a long time, obviously separately because of the time period. Because of the pandemic, it necessitated how we went about writing the songs over lockdown. We made a great album previously with Sea Savage, so we were happy with this new way of writing. I think before Sea Savage was out, we even started working on songs for this record. Philly: We had done a demo. We’ve been very lucky with these…
…nd layout was a fit as well – in all details! Horrend was recorded absolutely live in three hours, and mixed in less than twenty days! The new album was made in two days, recorded live again, except for the vocals, and mixed in five months! We didn’t sit back. Also, some gigs were performed here and there in Italy and it was amazing! Everything happened so damn quickly, our new label came out at the beginning of this tear, we just signed the deal…
…, the band explores moodier, epic angles for the almost ten-minute closer “War of the Ages”. This song featuring at times calmer, clean voices, doom-like riffs, a lengthy instrumental sequence that shifts between crunchy guitar harmonies and pounding rhythm section mechanics as well as a finishing, hypnotic musical sequence that reaches a peak to fade out into oblivion – it’s a versatile effort that hopefully these musicians will engage in on futu…
…cts. We viewed this record as an opportunity to firm that stuff up and really apply cinematic moods and instrumentation in the presentation of it – to make those elements more of a defining feature. Having this short film experience, in a track that really is so about the mood and scoring of it. You don’t hear drums for like 5-minutes! So that was a big part of the driving motivation – to have something out in that time period that suited the musi…
…kfully the organic nature to the tones and production gives the material a bit more warmth – incorporating aspects of older Blind Guardian for “As We Fight” just as easily as the militant march components of say a Scottish-oriented Sabaton during the 6:26 “Proud to Defend”, although vocally Paolo Ribaldini possesses a bit more of a comforting, bard-like lilt to his delivery. The symbiotic relationship between classic power metal and folk/Celtic st…
…o and cleaner guitar passages within “Letters of Life” allow Sandro to really belt out the melodies in his best light – the man certainly has aspects of Bruce Dickinson and Geoff Tate within his wheelhouse, capable of rearing back for that key money note signature to mesmerize when need be. The additional sound effects, be it dragon sounds or synthwave spots never deter from the metal proceedings – they only add dynamic contrasts to color the song…
…ry important. The video director understands where we want to go artistically. To me that’s really important, that the vision I have in my head comes out better than I expected. That’s why you have to work with very professional people, because they will translate this even better. We recorded these videos in Berlin, Germany. We recorded a total of three music videos in two days, it was a lot of hard work and a lack of sleep. It was also done in t…
…itiate call to arms action through his lyrics. Hungering Inside won’t exactly win originality awards – but Miara has executed through this record a solid grasp of the mechanics within this style. Now it’s more a question of band chemistry, live performances, and natural seasoning to take shape so that we can hear a bit more originality / growth for the next effort. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIJ7O1qelTs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LoD6ln…
…o their own catchy take while still remembering that there’s metal to be delivered (check out the chugging flow of “The War Within” near the record’s back half). Seeking out Mezzrow guitarist Ronnie Björnström for the mixing/mastering (he’s worked in this capacity for Nightrage and Sorcerer among others) gives the record that extra feather on the cap, crisp while not losing any of the heaviness in terms of the final sonic quality. Axenstar remains…
…n. The sound continues to penetrate a classic thrash template, injecting a bit of power metal to keep things a bit more melodic – pulling from a host of Bay Area / North American influences, while the vocals possess that sharp raspy edge that pushes the larynx to the bring of destruction. The guitar work from Chris Ira contains solid rhythm mechanics as well as fluid, thrilling lead break spots – molding cuts like “Die Alone” and “March of the Dam…
…their solo expertise to “Invincible Armada” and “Headless Rider” respectively, the former an almost eight-minute epic filled with sea-laden effects and quieter transitions as the music takes you on that marching journey ready to weather any storm. These musicians have studied a lot of the classic Running Wild traits and exploit them for all their worth – although Lorenzo as a singer has more of a higher pitched timbre to his range/delivery that di…
…ting to you, just for unique reasons? Catton: Both. My preference is probably live, because there’s a certain energy there, a certain interaction with the audience that you don’t get anywhere else. Every time you play a show, it’s going to be slightly unique. The memories playing music that I have from the last decade, most of those are the live shows. For sure, in the studio, it’s a lot of fun. You’ve got the time to play with the details that ma…
…the beating cardiac muscle right out of your chest and stomps at it furiously. It’s a perfect ending to an equally beautiful and monstrous album made by two of the most prolific and soul-crushing bands today. My only slight gripe about this record is that we didn’t get a Dylan Walker-Domenic Palermo vocal match-up. I wouldn’t miss a potentially harmonic pairing of Full of Hell’s Gollum shrieks and Nothing’s depressed whispers for the world. Here’s…
…youtube.com/watch?v=FXSeQTd67DY Neo Japonism “Fighting” idols that I recently saw live a few times on their US tour, and their output can range from heavier, rock-oriented songs to more playful and fun ones (“Wabisabe Wasabi”). You can check out that feature for plenty more on Neo Japonism, but briefly speaking, they’ve got some tenure behind them (much like PassCode), and that sort of experience permeates their live performances. There’s a strong…
…lar batch of tracks if you are familiar with what she did for Score. The only real difference here is the breadth of songs that are in this collection – she’s effectively turned more ‘poppy’ Christmas tracks into Tim Burton-esque gothic wonderlands. The set-up works, so why bother to change it up – Tarja avoided the goofy, over-the-top feeling that many ‘metal Christmas’ releases go for last time, and she does so here as well. Certainly there’s so…
…too stuffed – it’s really hard to get the treatment that you need. Especially in the area where I live, the capital area. Maybe find alternatives that would work better, better health services, more effort in that. Dead Rhetoric: What’s on the schedule for touring, festivals, and promotional activities for Temple Balls over the next twelve months or so? Vuorela: There really aren’t any confirmed dates that I can talk about yet. There are upcoming…
…ly raspy decadence, straddling the 80’s hard rock to metal/thrash lines (a bit Chuck Billy here, some Blackie Lawless there). The restraint instrumentally allows the heads down metal mainframe aspects to hit with that much harder impact – check out the crunchy attack during “Behind the Eyes of Evil”, the triplet/groove sections giving off an early “For Whom the Bell Tolls” vibe in sections. The record closes on a harmony-fueled note with the seven…
…ustice, 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 allow for cultural, instantaneous passages to latch onto, especially familiar to those into the classic work…
…Bones”, where vocalist Arde Teronen flexes some of his gritty textures in bluesy Paul Shortino measures. When the older acts finally retire to pasture, bands like Temple Balls are more than capable to take on the baton to keep melodic, good-time hard rock/metal alive thanks to tremendous releases such as Avalanche. They only need a willing audience to open some minds, as the conviction, talent, and proper professional output is already in place. h…
…ins – both guests not thrown in just for the sake of diversity, but logically (and emotionally) adding context, texture, and muscle to the flavor/atmosphere of the songs. BATS will keep the Gama Bomb hordes satisfied, keen on hearing this material across live stages wherever they can. Add in the pop culture, movie, horror, society-style lyrics and movie-poster throwback artwork/ inlay and you understand the value you’ll get time and again from the…
…ayed a song in the rehearsal room, did a quick thing. Then we got a little bit more serious, recorded it for real. We voted very democratically on the covers. Everyone chose like ten songs – and then everybody voted. I didn’t have any songs on the list (laughs). I would have picked pop songs or something that wasn’t metal. But I think it was the right decision to choose these songs. Dead Rhetoric: In the background information for the newest album…
…nts of the title track and do not relent through the battle-tested closer “War Chant”. Stewart’s exemplary double kick prowess beyond his thunderous main tempo and galvanizing fill duties register at peak levels to those who appreciate the intensity and thorough knowledge of the genre at hand – even when slowing down in sections of “Choirs of Anguish”, there are bursts of BPM madness matching the tremolo-fueled musical underpinning. The versatilit…
…and he just nailed it. He got the idea of where I was trying to come from lyrically. The guy is blind, he doesn’t want to see anything anymore, the world is collapsing around him. He’s had enough, at the end of his rope, that’s the central theme of what’s going on in there. Dead Rhetoric: You mention in the background information for the record that Prong has always been a genre-transcending band that ignores what’s going on in current times. Do…
…ever written, so selfishly I thought it was the ideal track to lead with. Lyrically, I wrote that song kind of… you ever watch The Righteous Gemstones? (laughs) I love watching these crazy televangelists. Paraplegics jumping out of wheelchairs, the blind men who can suddenly see, the ridiculous things that people believe in. I had the title “Miracle Broker” before I had any of the lyrics. I keep a word document in my phone, and “Miracle Broker” c…
…to an almost hour-long aural deep dive that may take numerous passes to fully appreciate. Early on the twin rhythm barrage along with the relentless double kick mechanics deliver tremendous downtuned thrust to the musical foundation – its where the heaviest parts of “Dying Universe” and “Blackhole” make you think of early to mid-90’s efforts from Iced Earth, Nevermore, and offshoots in that power/thrash realm where thick triplets or tremendous pic…
…mention a nice introduction to the band for many), there’s something equally thrilling to see Bleed Out essentially focused on the band themselves. This release seems to culminate the shape-shifting nature of the act away from their very symphonic metal origins into something that’s entirely modern in sound. Starting off in heavy fashion, “We Go to War” marks a thrilling start to the album, with thunderous drumming and an epic choir of synths. de…
…ets and what Earth could be in the future. So we finished shaping, especially the lyrics, but everything throughout the record is saying something; one of the groups in the story is conveying the positivity of a moment or the downfall of a moment. It’s kicking around a lot of ideas and over COVID as well. But it took a couple of years and pretty much started right away in 2017. Dead Rhetoric: Well, I have to ask, what is your favorite Star Trek? I…
…his is so natural that it took us aback in a positive way. Murderous sound bites/news clips are combined with clean guitars to form an ominous slow introduction on “Relentless Infights,” before the tempo explodes into action violently with little regard for anything in its path. An equally measured, but more melancholic start befalls “Holier Than You,” which includes creepy pianos and female operatic singing – unsure of who said singer is – to lul…
…uit. If you “succeed” then you have reached an artificial benchmark that only lives in memory. In the past I have been guilty of judging myself against these benchmarks and many times, in my perception, coming up short, only to ask the question: “why am I really doing this music thing?” The answer always was a deep personal and metaphysical reason. So that is what I put forth; it is the music I make and the way I play. It’s a success just to exist…
…os between 2008-2013 before Witches Brew released their debut album Mother War in 2015. Moving forward to Great Dane Records for the self-titled follow-up in the summer of 2020, we’ve now arrived at the third album in Silo – the quintet issuing a platter chock full of groove, brutal mid-tempo riffs, and this impending atmosphere of doom/gloom that recalls classic Obituary, Bolt Thrower, and the early importance of Six Feet Under. Rare is the day t…
