…“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…
…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…
…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…
…ime. She also made a breakthrough in travel photography, because she actually lived with these tribes in exotic lands and documented their lives. So she faced a lot of misunderstanding. She always adapted really well to the locals, and they always asked her to stay with them. But she always packed her luggage and moved on – that’s what the song is about. “Incurable Disease” is about her passion for the sea and all things marine. But it’s also a pe…
…le for the rise of metalcore in the early 2000s, Unearth has still frequently flown relatively under the radar in comparison to their brethren in Killswitch Engage or Lamb of God. But nonetheless, their impact remains the same – and their distinctive style has managed to weather the tides for well over two decades at this point. While The Wretched, The Ruinous doesn’t see them making any major shifts to their proven sound, it provides fans with ex…
…ric: How do you feel about when fans abandon a band that they liked initially in the early days but then blows up to become bigger? Colby: I’m trying to think of my own experience. I know that feeling of… a perfect band of that is a band like Turnstile. I’ve been a fan of theirs since day one, 2010-11. To see the heights they have risen to, which is insane- I am not mad that they are successful. It’s a silly thing to do. I think it just shows an a…
…he ability to synthesize the aggression/energy triad of classic thrash, early death, plus crossover hardcore puts Enforced in rarified air. Often within the same song you’ll hear elements of Sepultura, Demolition Hammer, Kreator, the Cro-Mags, or Power Trip as “Avarice” channels everything from that tenacious mid-tempo stomp to speedy tremolo-oriented riffing before the Will Wagstaff/ Zach Monahan rhythm to lead axe blitzkrieg steamrolls over the…
…with other obscure underground treasures from that time period. Successfully releasing Into the Rotpit as their debut demo in 2021, they would sign with War Anthem Records who now issue the first album, Let There Be Rot. Ardent followers of the tape trading circuit in those developmental years of death will probably enjoy most the raw, in your face approach as well as the extended punk/crust influences that give these nine tracks a personal, grit…
…ased on humanity. Humanity with all that’s going on in the world be it the war in the Ukraine, situations we have here socially in the states, can be straightened out in my opinion with that simple amount of understanding by world leaders. We can not always neglect the majority. Dead Rhetoric: Any thoughts on the New York Jets and the moves they need to make in the offseason for a stronger team in 2023-24? Should they land Aaron Rodgers as a quart…
…n of all that, but we don’t come from tech death. Tech death was created a bit afterwards. If you listen carefully to our first album, there are no blast beats. It’s groovier, you can feel that old-school groove, but there are a lot of notes. Mathieu loved to make a lot of harmonies like Jason Becker/Marty Friedman. Then a bit later on there was a drummer who could play faster than the previous one, and there would be blast beats on the third albu…
…tion taken from the countless wars through history (as well as the ongoing Ukraine/Russian battle), it’s not surprising that the deadly roar and massive growls of Marc Grewe (ex-Morgoth) will sends shivers to spinal columns, rattling bones through his unmistakable measured wordsmith mastery. Musically the band juggle mid-tempo offerings with bursts of speedier affairs – the guitar work from Sebastian Schilling and Dave Hübsch thick as well as comp…
