…for the lyrics this time around – as I am guessing aspects of the Ukraine/Russia war, the pandemic, and personal struggles factor into the topics? Dirkschneider: Yeah, these are true stories. With the pandemic, we were sitting at home, couldn’t do anything, you couldn’t go to see your brother or their family, I couldn’t see my son. It was strange times. Then the flood came, and then the war came. “Isolation Man” is about the pandemic. “The Flood”…
…s point in your career to establish more of a foothold in the scene, not only locally within Denmark but on a global scale? Hansen: We still have some work to do with our live shows. The next big step is to go abroad. We haven’t played outside of Denmark yet which is mandatory if you want international longevity as well so that’s the focus for the coming time. Dead Rhetoric: What do you consider three of the most important metal albums that helped…
…ssons and she took Adrian to drum lessons. We were seven, eight, nine, really early on. Dead Rhetoric: How did you decide to move from Mexico to Los Angeles – did you have the support of family and friends in making this move to better your musical aspirations? Geezar: Absolutely. It was because at that time when we moved, we couldn’t see a future in what we were doing. Who is taking this seriously in this business, here in Mexico, even though the…
…eating themselves. Each album has contained varying sonic approaches and deliveries, while firmly focusing their foundation on robust black metal. On their 2020 album Schöpfungswut, Porta Nigra zeroed in on a more streamlined and direct approach, which was polarizing to some, though the band still delivered well composed and executed black metal that maintained a different shade than most of the crowded black metal scene. With the band’s fourth al…
…“Isolation Man”, the German flood for “The Flood”, as well as the Ukraine/Russia war in “Fight For Your Right”. The opening machine gun Painkiller-esque drum assault from Sven Dirkschneider allows the dual rhythms and harmony guitar possibilities of Andrey Smirnov and Dee Dammers to shine for the aforementioned “Isolation Man”, while the mid-tempo stomp plus circular anthem atmosphere surrounding the driving rhythms pushes “Punchline” to fist wav…
…The first public show I did was supporting Iron Maiden, so that was obviously a bit of a butt clencher (laughs). It was a difficult process. I think from the outside looking in, it’s quite hard to comprehend everything that is involved in being a touring musician. There’s loads of things you wouldn’t expect – the sheer amount of time you are spending away from home, you have to be quite comfortable in the uncomfortable, all these creature comforts…
…tting on the name Necrophony for a while. It was perfect this time, naturally the lyrics were darker and introspective. We felt like we were dead inside, so this is our symphony of ourselves. A lot of the stuff is inspired by the darker writing in Tolkien’s stuff – “Oathbreaker” is about the undead, the dead men of Dunharrow and pretty much the story of redemption after ages of being cursed in immortality. Seeking the sweet release of death is ano…
…though on the other hand too many bands, and you can’t support everyone. Only the really good bands will stay together, some will not be able to stay together that long. We may not have any future big headliners as a result. The bigger festivals may be headlined by Parkway Drive, a newer band I’m not as familiar with. You can’t compare them to Judas Priest or Metallica. Even a large band these days isn’t that large anymore. This might be problemat…
…heck out the sophisticated heavy rocker “Down for the Count” or appropriately rhythmic-oriented “Drums of War” for two sides to their multi-faceted talents. You’ll get a moving ballad with “Drifting Away”, and playful jam-like bluesy interplay during “The Fields of Bethel” instrumental that makes you feel like you are witnessing powerful musical history. Martin certainly can shred – yet on these ten tracks, he chooses to be more emotional and thou…
…r spinning his six-string web to black metal is not to be missed. Accordingly, his new venture, Ruïm, lives up to his lofty status. Blasphemer has added vocals to his responsibilities, wisely eschewing a bigger name that could distract from the real purpose of Ruïm’s I. O Sino da Igreja debut: For Blasphemer to riff. And, obviously, he does just that, carpet-bombing the listener from the top on the sprawling opener “Blood.Sacrifice.Enthronement,”…
…very cool, because you are the second interviewer that has said that. Really, honestly, we didn’t reflect upon that until the first interviewer said it. It’s true. Let me briefly tell you about Dancing in Hell. It wasn’t about being in your own personal hell, it was about fighting your own way through your own personal hell, whatever that may be. We Shall Remain is the continuation from that. Very naturally, we didn’t plan it, it just became that…
…etting together and doing music videos. We didn’t want to do something overly ambitious, outside of getting together to do the performance parts. “Nocturneous” we are in that (video) very little. We try to work with what we have and what fits within the lyrics. “Gemini” is more about reincarnation, the thought that there could be another version of yourself in another dimension or another world that makes a connection with you. Through that, we di…
…D-19 to play with Walter Trout as the backing band for him. For me personally, that really helped me connect with my blues roots, the more blues/rock side of it, witnessing his whole attitude and commitment to that style of music was really inspiring. I know that’s something I took with me when I began writing the music for this album. There was definitely a new old influence. I used to listen to Walter when I was in my teens and early twenties, h…
…e. Dead Rhetoric: Speaking of war, what are your thoughts on the Ukraine – Russia war that has a lot of effects on the European continent these days? Radtleff: I have a lot of friends in Russia and the Ukraine, which all are against the war. Of course, I’m against the war as well, we wrote a song about it on the record called “Warmonger”. I think it speaks for itself (laughs). Dead Rhetoric: You shot a video for the title track with Kasper Erichse…
…es against a psychedelic, laid-back guitar foundation helps the follow-up “War Child” showcase a thoughtful, emotional side to Mats’ playing. Midway through the record, a heavier interpretation of the Joni Mitchell mainstay “Big Yellow Taxi” appears, the effervescent voice of Hanna Einebrant matching the brilliant chord progressions plus fluid lead break – taking the song a bit more into a King’s X-oriented direction that works. The diversity prov…
…hings stronger in the end. Dead Rhetoric: How did it come to be that you ambitiously executed a double concept record this time around? And can you discuss developing the storyline with the music – is it a hand in hand effort, or do you map things out in a larger framework and then hone in song by song into the details? Mary: We definitely started with a bigger framework. I had a synopsis that we prepared; I think it was two pages long. We sent it…
…ar” into instant thunderous appeal territory, while other tracks channel a bit more of a straight-forward power metal atmosphere, “Fury of the Gods” recalling classic Powerwolf when it comes to the lower register verses against a soaring chorus ready for audience participation. Sometimes the mid-tempo Sabaton-esque keyboards / choir to narrative aspects also factor into the proceedings, going in tandem to the rhythm guitars during “The Day of Hamm…
…sts can give us tools to monitor and promote that, social media has obviously been really huge. Talking to journalists like yourself to get the word out – it’s a big deal for us. Dead Rhetoric: What do you think of the modern music industry model now? What do you enjoy about it, and are there changes you would make (if any) regarding how things are going today compared to the older business model of the 80’s and 90’s? Lowmiller: I think it’s weird…
…relationships you’ve developed with other artists in your career? Drake: Gwar was definitely a highlight. Speaking with Dave (Oderus), he was such a funny, cool guy. There are so many great times. Destruction was great, they’ve been one of my favorite all-time thrash bands growing up. Our old bassist Mike, they were his favorite band, and he was still with us when I told him I was going to be playing in Destruction. Touring with Megadeth, and pla…
…forward. We were writing some good stuff after that – it came together fairly quickly. I’d write some riffs, bring them down, we would turn it into a song. It all gelled quickly. Dead Rhetoric: This was the first time you had worked at Sonic Titan Studios with Anthony of Graviton – he has a lot of seasoning as a musician, how did things work out with him? Dan Blomquist: He’s great. We’ve all had different walks through life and through music. Each…
…department – but losing some of my favorite bands in the process? That was bittersweet, especially when it comes to Before the Dawn. One of the most unique interpretations of the melodic death metal genre, seemingly gone forever – seemingly being the key word. As stated in our very own interview with Tuomas, a series of events led to the ultimate reformation of Before the Dawn, the most out of the ordinary of which being now singer Paavo Laapotti…
…urope which used to be the A market for the European tours. Of course, the Ukraine/Russia thing has a huge effect with the German economy which screws up a lot of things at the moment. After three years of struggle, cancellations, and everything, being able to be a part of that good of a tour in North America was at least the highlight of the past three years. The best possible touring company – we’ve done tours with Fleshgod Apocalypse before. It…
…ered veterans at this juncture, and have a fine and varied discography. Early works such as War, Revenge and Total Annihilation and Devotion to Unholy Creed carried an old school grainy production while showcasing an intelligent song structure and seriously wicked guitar work. The band expanded their sound on Θανατος αιωνιος (The Termination Thesis) by slowing the tempo a few steps and employing eclectic compositional decisions that ultimately fre…
…lyrics, and I really love it when the music and the lyrics go together nicely. That can really quadruple the experience. If the music is good enough, I can endure crappy lyrics. It is really amazing when they go together. And when you also put it together with some visuals, be it video or artwork, that can be really powerful. Even if its just still images, like the cover artwork. Something that connects with the music and the lyrics, it can really…
…areer as a band, there have been certain territories you’ve yet to play in live – especially surprising would be North America. Have you had offers from the USA/Canada, and what circumstances would have to take place to get a tour or festival appearance going on for this area of the world? Swinkels: It’s a weird thing, because we have been doing Legion of the Damned since 2005, now over 18 years we have not had one offer from the USA. We have a lo…
…that way. I have tentative plans for some videos and other content. Also, I plan to start playing live shows as soon as I can complete the band line up. Yes, I’ll keep working on new material. I plan to put out at least one album per year going forward. Honestly, I’m not sure how my sound/writing will evolve, but I hope that the quality of my production, mixing, and mastering will continue to improve. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYvlqMI_Mb4 h…
…musicians crave? Kummerer: That’s very hard to say. Both bands work entirely differently. Obscura is a touring band. For every album release we play between one hundred and fifty to two hundred concerts. Thulcandra is very different. We perform select dates. We did this North American tour simply because it was the right tour at the right time, but we will not become a band you see on every tour or every festival, this is not possible. The other…
…? Sutcliffe: Not really. There is a tradition with British movements. Usually only two or three bands go through to make it big, and I don’t really know why. I guess being bigger, more popular stateside is important. You think of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard. The trouble is, by making it a movement and having a window, pretty soon that window is going to close. Trespass – I really wish we had made an album in 1980. We…
…ore aesthetic beyond the obvious metal chops. The winter, ice, cold, frost lyrical themes differ from the conventional death fare as well – matching that darkness/despair that is a hallmark of this genre. Much like the thrash resurgence that took place a decade before, these are active times in death metal not only for legendary or legacy acts, but a ton of hungry upstarts willing to grind out what they can to prove that this style still has plent…
…ts of folk, alternative, industrial, and extreme metal while being remarkably infectious in its melodic approach. The title track chugs along at a slower, industrial-oriented groove clip – where you are exposed to the wildly insane vocal range of Darya Rorria as she shrieks, screams, and imitates a ‘choo-choo’ train against the chugging guitars, twisted keyboards, plus shifting/playful rhythm section backbone. The ‘breakdown’ during the second hal…
