Ghost Cult Magazine Issue #14

Exploring the Boundaries of Heavy Music

December 2013 | Issue #14

CORRECTIONS

HOUSE An in-depth interview with the mysterious supergroup.

est Terror Fest

udfest / Southw M / st ife pl Am : rts po Re l va sti Fe

Monster Magnet | Pelican | Trivium | Ephel Duath | Watain Testament | Finnr’s Cane | Rosetta | Alter Bridge A perfect circle | Hail of Bullets | Avatarium | Baroness Wardruna | Morbid Angel | High on Fire

Crew Chief Editor Keith (Keefy) Chachkes Senior Editors Ross Baker Lynn Jordan Rei Nishimoto Art Director Wayne Smith Content Editors Noel Oxford Pete Ringmaster Contributors Raymond Westland, Caitlin Smith, Sean Pierre-Antoine, Lynn Smith, Omar Cordy, Dan Bond, Dan Swinhoe, John Toolan, Ian Girlie, Jodi Mullen, Christine Hager, Sannette de Groes, Jonathan Keane, Emma Quinlan, Susanne Maathuis, Hillarie Jason, Lorraine Lysen, Kaat van Doremalen, Matt Hinch, Mat Davies, Sean M. Palfrey, Meg Loyal, Ryan Clark, Matt Ford, Matthew Tilt, Laetitia Abbenes, Leticia Mooney, Chris Tippell, Sarah Worsley, Steve Tovey, Tom Saunders, James Conway, Tim Ledin, Melissa Campbell, Falk-Hagen Bernshausen, Laurens Ruiter, Helena Rosendahl, Bill Haff, Tiago Moreira, Gilbert Potts, Dane Prokofiev, Chris Small, Aleida La Llave, Ritchie Hanton-Rutherford, Jenna Williams, Mark Mikkelsen, Nick Phelps, Paul Quinn, Stuart Rees, Valerie Littlejohn, Maria Louceiro.

Contact Us:

General Inquiries: Editor@ghostcultmag.com Advertising: advertising@ghostcultmag.com Submissions: submissions@ghostcultmag.com Contests: contests@ghostcultmag.com Online: www.Ghostcultmag.com

Follow Us Or Die!

December 2013 | Issue #14

Change. Change happens all around us. It is a natural part of life. It bows to no one, and you must learn to accept that just to get by. It is with that in mind that we start off Ghost Cult Magazine Issue #14 saying farewell to founding Chief Editor Raymond Westland. Raymond has decided to depart the Ghost Cult ranks to pursue other interests in music journalism. In addition to shepherding Ghost Cult through its infancy, and building a sterling reputation, he was a leader out front and behind the scenes as well. He leaves us on good terms and we wish him the best of luck in all of his future endeavors. Raymond’s name will continue on in these pages, and on our website for a few more months, as we are running the final pieces he did under our banner, with his blessing.

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With that out of the way, I can proudly say as the new Chief Editor, Ghost Cult is primed for a bright future. I have been with with Ghost Cult for almost a year, and my first contributions began appearing in Issue #5, starting with a feature interview with The Ocean. Remaining with me on the senior staff is venerable UK music journalist Ross Baker, as well as two new senior editors in Lynn Jordan and Rei Nishimoto. Besides this core, we have some of the finest and most tasteful music writers in the world working with us, and some of the best photographers in front of the most important heavy music events too. We will continue to support the bands that matter, the artists that innovate, support the labels that strive for greatness, and cover the shows you want to read about. Our brand is going to grow even more impressive in 2014, as we pursue new media frontiers, and share with an engaged audience that is growing all the time. We have only just really gotten started here, even though in some areas, we begin a new.

Now on to the music, which is what matters most to all of us, and why you are here. Issue #14 has a Features Interviews with Corrections House, other interviews with Pelican, Ephel Duath, Testament, Trivium, Hail of Bullets, Atavarium, Monster Magnet, Alter Bridge, Finnr’s Cane, and Rosetta among others. We have festival reports on Amplifest, The Southwest Terror Festival, Mudfest as well as other live reports on Baroness, Morbid Angel, Wardruna, and High on Fire. We also have some killer reviews and other great content too. We are focused on continuing to bring you the best quality writing on all genres of metal. Celebrating the underground, the avant-garde, and progressive minded, while also reporting on other bands you know and respect; that is out goal. We welcome any feedback or suggestions you have to send us at editor@ghostcultmag. com and thank for supporting us!

Keith (@Keefy) Chachkes Chief Editor

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table of contents Page

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Five Albums that Changed My Life... with Larry Herwig from Pelican Features

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Featured Interview: Correction House Album of the Month: Correction House, Last City Zero

interviews

12 Page 14 Page 16 Page 20 Page 22 Page 26 Page 28 Page 30 Page 34 Page 36

Avatarium, The Moonhorse from Sweden

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Pelican, Playing By Their Own Rules Changing Tides, An interview with Monster Magnet Return of the Light, An interview with Finnr’s Cane Visions of Immortality, An interview with Alter Bridge The Rommel Chronicles, An interview with Hail of Bullets Farewell to Space, An interview with Rosetta Abstract, Surreal and Visceral, An interview with Ephel Duath Native Son, An interview with Testament Wolves, Not Sheep, An interview with Watain

concert reviews

38 Page 42 Page 44 Page 46 Page

Morbid Angel / VadimVon/ Scalpel / Abnormality High on Fire / Kvelertak / Doomriders Baroness / Royal Thunder Warduna / From the Bogs of Aughiska

festival reports

48 Page 51 Page 55 Page

Amplifest Mudfest Southwest Terror Fest

album reviews

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A Perfect Circle

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Oranssi Pazuzu, Avatarium, Avenged Sevenfold

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December’s Top Five Keith Chachkes – Chief Editor Hank3- A Fiendish Threat Generation Kill – We’re All Gonna Die Immortal Bird – Akrasia EP Cannibas Corpse/Ghoul - Spaltterhash Pelican – Forever Becoming Ross Baker – Senior Editor Behemoth - The Satanist Queens Of The Stone Age - Like Clockwork Tiamat - The Scarred People Wardruna - Yggdrasil Russian Circles - Memorial Lynn Jordan – Senior Editor Leeway - Born to Expire Lamb of God - As the Palaces Burn (Reissue) Devin Townsend Project- Ghost Corrections House – Last City Zero Queen - A Day At The Races Steven Tovey- Writer/Reviewer Metallica - …And Justice For All Watain- The Wild Hunt Jotnarr- Bandcamp Demo Korn – The Paradigm Shift Hell – Curse and Chapter Dane Prokofiev- Writer/Reviewer Skeletonwitch - Serpents Unleashed White Wizzard - The Devils Cut Exhumed - Necrocracy Shining - One One One In Solitude - Sister

Poison Idea, Hell, Ghost B.C. Russian Circles, Tides from Nebula, Hail of Bullets, Doomriders Metallica, Ereb Altor, In Solitude, Black Crown Initiate Code, Ephel Duath, Pro-Pain, Tyr Dethklok, Giant Squid, Trivium, Black Magician Death Angel, The Earls of Mars, Pestilence Collapse and Crush, Dave Wyndorf of Monster Magnet

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Five Albums That Changed My Life...

By Larry Herwig of Pelican 1. Quicksand- Slip I was 15 years old when this dropped. I was just discovering music and heavy music at that. Saw the ‘Fazer’ video on Headbangers Ball and was blown away. Never heard anything like it. Had the heaviness of the other metal bands on HB, but was more melodic and had sung vocals. Not to mention they looked completely different. Just 4 normal guys playing ground breaking stuff. This album still holds up after 20 years, in my top 3 of all time. Glad they are a band again and playing live!

3. Radiohead- OK Computer The 90s were coming to an end and Radiohead dropped this bomb on the world. Total game changer. Every hardcore dude I knew just went and bought a delay pedal after this came out. I saw them on this tour at a small seated theater in Rosemont, IL. Probably still my favorite live show of all time.

2. Failure- Fantastic Planet Also in my top 3 of all time. Where do I start, the production? the drums? It took elements of bands I already liked, like Quicksand and Nirvana and went further and made them more epic. They were really on to something with this album.

The last 4 songs still floor me, ‘Another Space Song’, ‘Stuck on You’ (contender for my favorite single of all time), ‘Heliotropic’ and ‘Daylight’. Untouchable!

4. Helmet- Meantime Like Quicksand and Nirvana, I discovered them around the same time and liked them for the same reasons.

These bands are what made me want to start playing drums. Heavy, but not metal, smarter and a new sound to me for that time. Saw ‘In the Meantime’ on Headbangers Ball that same year. Seeing Quicksand and Helmet touring together in 94 was a highlight of my youth.

5. Queens of the Stone Age- Queens of the Stone Age I liked Kyuss and remembered hearing about this album in 98 I believe? I had trouble finding it at first because it was on a small indie label. But once I did, it was all I listened to that year. It was smoother than Kyuss and Josh’s vocals were already at that point, better than John’s. The songs were shorter and hooker. I saw them at the Double Door that year, with that original line up. It was killer! I had no idea a year later they would start jamming with Dave Grohl and become mega stars.

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FEATURED CONVERSATION

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Corrections house Live photos by Echoes In The Well

Corrections House is a super group of sorts, bringing together five creative minds into project that evolved in front of the public’s eyes and ears. Featuring Scott Kelly (Neurosis), Bruce Lamont (Yakuza), Mike Williams (Eyehategod) and Sanford Parker (Minsk), they quickly evolved their experimental sound into this powerhouse project and took the world by storm.

Lamont was vague about how the band moniker (as well as many other specific points about the band’s overall message and vision), due to their Minister of Propaganda, Seward Fairbury, being missing in action at the time of the interview.

Lamont said Fairbury is the spokesperson of the band but could comment further on his involvement.

As for as what is known about Corrections House, they made a huge splash into the world with a brief North American tour in 2013 and an underground buzz grew.

“I think close to a year,” explained Lamont, about how quickly Corrections House came together. “It evolved into a band out of some previous collaborative efforts. Scott Kelly and myself collaborated. We’ve done some shows together as well – his solo and my solo stuff. Mike (Williams) and I have also collaborated a number of times, some noise and experimental works. We discussed to doing a tour and doing a collaborative effort at the end. Sanford (Parker) got mix as well and said why don’t we write some songs and start a band. So we did and went on the road for three weeks in January and February of 2013 with three songs recorded. We did some solo sets which all merged into one thing. Then the collaborative works at the end – that was it. Then it blossomed from there.

As of interview time, Corrections House has done one North American tour of twenty or so dates and a couple of one off shows in Chicago prior to their debut European tour.

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“We did one three week tour. It was twenty plus shows,” said Lamont. “We are doing a European run when our record comes out. It’s twenty shows when we’re there. Then we have a West Coast run in January, and then we’re going back to Europe in January. We definitely have enough shows under our belts - definitely comfortable in the live setting.

He explained how they make the set list work with a minimal number of songs. “We were interweaving ourselves in and out of each other’s stuff. The set would begin with Sanford and Scott (Kelly), and then I would come in, and then Mike would do something. Then we would go in and out of stuff, which is the basis of a lot of the recordings of the record.

They released their debut full length Last City Zero, amidst a strong buzz in the underground music scene, where fans as well as the press were raving with anticipation over the release.

Despite the hype, Lamont claims this never influenced a second of Corrections House and their decisions on how to operate this project.

“No. I could speak for all of us and none of us think like that. It was something we wanted to do. We love each other and working together is satisfaction enough. As far as there being reaction to it at all, obviously it’s nice that there’s positive reaction but there was never a thought about it.”

The lyrics behind Last City Zero works like poetry in motion, and the members of Corrections House creating a piece of musical works that went beyond anyone’s expectations. Inspired by writings taken from his book, it took on a life of its own and created a work of art.

“Like it says in the liner notes of the recording, it said it was either taken from or inspired by Mike’s book, Cancer As a Social Activity, a few years back and went from there,”

real deal. It’s amazing what he could come up with.”

Vocals were also a collaborative effort. Even though Williams is the main voice in Corrections House, Kelly and Lamont also take part in the vocal mix. “We all sing. Mike sings the majority of the vocals. The three of us – me, Mike and Scott – Sanford does some backing stuff, but Mike sings not all of it but a good amount. It’s like the song ‘Serve Or Survive’, the first song on the record – Scott starts, then me and Mike.

Then we go back and forth.”

Musically, each member has its unique styles from their individual bands but found a medium into creating Corrections House’s dark, experimental sound.

“It’s still a collaborative effort. It was still all of us working with each other. In various situations, we recorded in multiple studios. Sometimes at the same time and sometimes not, but we were able to bring it together. Sanford is not only a member of the band but he’s also the main engineer of the band. He was there or bringing things together and making it cohesive. The base of all the writing was already there, but he pulled it all together. Having the engineer one of the creative entities makes things a lot easier.”

Lamont’s saxophone sounds do shine through on the record and once again his role shines through in Corrections House.

He speaks about his background and his writing style: “I trained in my youth. Then I gave up for a while, and then I picked it back up 15 or 16 years ago. I had some formal training, like a one on one basis. But I do have that training and can read music, but I didn’t intend on becoming a jazz player. I do have interest in other music besides that – heavier stuff, experimental music, noise and soundscape. I started tinkering with the horn and electronic by manipulating sound and looping pedals. I’m into that kind of stuff. It’s a lifelong challenge trying to do something different or taking a different approach or not settling and getting comfortable with one idea or style. I try to take in as much as possible. I listen to a ton of different styles of music, internalize all of that and somehow seep into the creative juices - keeping the mind open to new possibilities.”

Lamont explains “Things were written with that in mind. Everybody had their hands in that kind of stuff. Majority of it is Mike. He’s an amazing lyricist. His spoken word stuff - you get a sense of it in couple of the songs. He did “Last City Zero”, which is the second to last piece which he does a spoken word thing.

When we play live, we would change it up and do different pieces every night. His choice of words is excellent. Normally I’m not so critical of it because it’s been done so often and poorly. I could say every night the three of us watching him is captivating by what he’s saying and the way he articulates his words. It wasn’t just us who felt this way. The crowd was pin drop quiet. They were hanging on every word. The guy’s the

Corrections House is embarking on their debut European tour in December. Fans there should be expecting quite the experience, and will be hearing much of Last City Zero live.

Lamont explained: “We’re going to play the majority of the record. We may have some open endedness, more like the first tour we did.

We always like to keep the audience and ourselves on our toes. We may have some improvisational moments. We’ll see where it takes us. Mostly stuff off the record and a song off our last seven inch - that’s basically what you can expect.” —Rei Nishimoto

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Correction House’s

Bruce Lamont Remaining Uncomfortable Bruce Lamont is one of the few sax players in metal. His sounds shine through on his various recordings with such acts as Yakuza, Bloodiest and Corrections House. Nowhere close to being the conventional horn player as heard with typical jazz acts, he has created a style of his own. He spoke to Ghost Cult about his background and how he crafts his sounds with each project he’s involved with.

As far as your training, do you have formal training on the saxophone?

I did when I was younger. I trained in my youth. Then I gave up for a while, and then I picked it back up 15 or 16 years ago. I had some formal training, like a one on one basis. But I do have that training and can read music, but I didn’t intend on becoming a jazz player. I do have interest in other music besides that – heavier stuff, experimental music, noise and soundscape. I started tinkering with the horn and electronic by manipulating sound and looping pedals. I’m into that kind of stuff. It’s a lifelong challenge trying to do something different or taking a different approach or not settling and getting comfortable with one idea or style. I try to take in as much as possible. I listen to a ton of different styles of music, internalize all of that and somehow seep into the creative juices - keeping the mind open to new possibilities.

How do you determine what pieces you create goes with

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which of your many bands?

Yakuza is a collaborative effort amongst those members.

Things happen spontaneous with that group. As far as solo stuff, that’s just working with myself or I’ve collaborated with Eric Chaleff from another band I play with called Bloodiest. It has to do with who’s involved, not just myself. I’m not coming to the table and force feed something down other’s throats.

It’s more of a group effort or if I feel like I want to do it on my own. That’s how the solo thing started.

Will you be doing any other live appearances aside from Corrections House?

We’re writing a new Yakuza record now, more so demoing another solo record too. Sanford (Parker) and I have another band called Circle of Animals, which is similar to Corrections House. It’s he and I, Dallas Thomas who’s in Pelican now.

He played guitar on the last record (Destroy the Light). Fade (Kainer) who used to be in Battilus – he will be collaborating with us. We have a handful of songs done. So we’ll probably start kicking that around next year.

I read you were doing something with Dave Witte (Municipal Waste, Burn By The Sun, Human Remains, etc).

He’s driving to Chicago as we speak! We’re rehearsing with a new project called Brain Tentacles. He’s playing drums and I’m mostly playing sax. We’re doing some dates with Melt Banana [shows have since happened]. I played on a record of his called East-West Blast Test which was on Ipecac, which was probably ten years ago. We’ve been talking about doing a collaborative thing forever. He’s been sending me some beats and I’ve got some ideas. —Rei Nishimoto

ALBUM OF THE

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Corrections House

Last City Zero HHHHHHHHHH

“Supergroup”.

That word alone conjures up many strong opinions depending upon who is in it and what we believe they are in it for. But there is one thing most fans can agree on. Known musicians from different groups who decide to embark on a project together should represent the best of what those individuals bring to their “home” bands. This ideally combines into a mindbending experience in which we get to hear what those same bands may force those musicians to shelve, rein in, or repress.

Needless to say most of these blended projects are either too trendy, too lackluster, ego-fueled, or seem to be songs not good enough to make the cut in the musicians’ main groups.

Sometimes the combination of people just doesn’t work, or the overall sound is so far from some of the members’ usual sound that they may as well not be involved.

I am very pleased to say that Corrections House nails it. Not only should most folks know at least

two of the members once heard, the lesser known members bring enough to the party to make this release even more exciting and intriguing. The Corrections House lineup is Neurosis’ Scott Kelly, Eyehategod’s Mike IX Williams, über producer/Minsk/Buried at Sea’s Sanford Parker, and Yakuza’s Bruce Lamont.

These are four people you might see drinking together at some European festival, but never attempting to blend their unique sounds together without it sounding like a train wreck. However, this works, and it works brilliantly.

Corrections House had released the Hoax The System/Grin With a Purpose EP/single earlier, but that really just hinted at what was to come. Curiously, neither of those songs are on this full-length, Last City Zero (Neurot), which is just a sonic immersion. There is nothing one-dimensional about this group or their music. It is engrossing, never allowing you to get comfortable with a tempo, a style or an approach. The songs are great and each one is it’s own bird without losing

overall cohesiveness. This is achieved without Kelly, Williams or Lamont straying too far from what marks them musically, but giving them a type of musical space where they can do their thing and then some without forcing it. Kelly’s screams still cut to the bone, but his guitar playing remains utilitarian, showing a tasteful restraint when he could have easily made too much of being the only guitarist. Williams voice is unmistakeable, but here he shows more of his poetic side. Lamont’s saxophone seems to appear exactly where it should, even though this is the last instrument you would expect here.

What ties this all together is the keyboard/electronics work of Parker, whose sonic landscaping appears to be the basis from which of a lot this well seems to spring.

Each member is flexing his maturity and confidence in what he does, and it sounds so natural that it’s almost unfair such artfully crafted, yet deliberately unsettling music is their first release together.

Standouts include the opener ‘Serve or Survive’, with starts out with a

very Neurosis feel at first, but twists into something different; ‘Party Leg and Three Fingers’ has a very cool swerve to it; ‘Dirt Poor and Mentally Ill’ has an almost dance-y Ministry bent, with Williams citing poetry in the middle break.

Williams’ poetry is the focus of the title track, which features a beautiful, minimalist guitar melody as a backdrop.

Like their main bands, there is no relegating this music to the background.

It is so insidious, stark and sure of itself that it righteously demands your full attention. Corrections House has much more depth than labels such as “Doom” or “Experimental” could ever justify. This review is prejudiced by the fact that I was lucky enough to catch them live during a stop in Atlanta, where the experience was that much more intense and suspenseful. Not only are these men masters of their own individual sounds, they have managed to create something together that is bigger than themselves. And that is a “Supergroup” that gets it right. —Lynn Jordan

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ALBUM REVIEWS

FESTIVAL REPORTS

CONCERT REVIEWS

INTERVIEWS

Avatarium The Moonhorse from Sweden

Leif Edling always had a very creative mind, proving it not only in his main band, Candlemass, but also in the various project that he has been involved through the three decades that he was been active as a musician. Avatarium, his latest project, it’s another slab of doom music but now with a great female voice of Jennie-Ann Smith, the vocalist that talked with us about this selftitled debut album of the Swedish band, and about everything involved in that process, even her own experience has a musican.

There isn’t much information about you. What can you tell us about your journey as a musician?

When it comes to music, I been working with music since a very young age in various projects, but I come from a more ordinary rock background. Growing up I been listening and singing soul, rock, blues and jazz. If you look at my preferences and the way I sing, I would say that I come from an American way of singing, but that’s just my background in music. But music is so much more and you can get inspiration of so many things in life, you know? Yes, I work with music and I’ve been doing for such a long time, but I also work as a psychosocial counselor in one of the major hospitals in Stockholm, so I would say that I get inspiration through meeting people in different situations and in different stages of life.

How did you enter in Avatarium and what were your first thoughts about the all project?

It started with Leif [Edling, bass]. Leif was creating new songs and he contacted Marcus [Jidell, guitar] – Marcus has a studio

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here in Stockholm – and they met and started to arrange the music. After a while they started discussing what kind of vocals would fit the music. I know that Marcus was interested on having someone that sounded more like Robert Plant-ish, and the person that he could think it was me… Of course that’s very flattering for me. [laughs] I know they were looking for a male singer at first, but they couldn’t find one that was a good fit for the project so I got the question. I remember of going to that studio… It was not an audition situation. They had these demo songs, unfinished, and we started and the all experience was wonderful. There was a natural kind of feeling in the process, you know? They loved my input and we continued.

You had total freedom, doing the vocals?

Yes, which was quite amazing? Leif had written the material but I would say that he’s really open-minded and really generous. Every member of this band, involved in this project that is Avatarium, received free-hands… Of course we discuss music and I even asked for the guys opinion, but yeah, I had total freedom to do my vocals and my own interpretation.

There was a clear vision of how the band should sound since the inception of the band?

In general it was, like I said, a very creative process. A great creative atmosphere in the studio. I’ve been more engaged on the vocal arrangements, of course. But I was also involved in the production and we discuss the types of guitars, what kind of keyboards we wanted from Carl [Westholm, keyboards], etc. It has a process with a lot of freedom and discussion and that is, in my opinion, very important to have in any kind of project.

Personally, how would you describe Avatarium?

Well, I would describe as… First, musically has being really interesting. From me, coming from a different background, I would say that even if was not involved in this project I would quite amazed by the music because it contains a wide range of music genres, moods and temperaments.

I know it’s a tough question but can you choose your favorite song of the album?

Of course I like all the songs in the album, in different ways, but ‘Moonhorse’, which is the first song on the record, because

of the beautiful melodies and the very poetic lyrics… That one is really exciting for me. Maybe it’s my favorite, but there’s also another song that I really love, it’s ‘Pandoras Egg’ because I love how the vocals turn out to be.

I was just focus about the artwork reflecting the music. We gave the artists total freedom to do what he felt to be right for Avatarium’s music. Basically it was the same process with the artwork and with the music: total freedom.

What can you tell us about the lyrics? It was easy to make them your own, in a way?

That’s a really interesting question. When it comes to lyrics I would say that maybe it would be wrong, from me, to do interpretations and what it means for me. I would say that these lyrics are really poetic and quite romantic, in a way. Everyone that listens to them will have their own interpretation because of the poetic side that I mentioned.

That’s why I love Leif’s lyrics.

Any plans on going with the band on tour?

Yes! If you ask me, of course. I would love to be on stage and play live. But yeah, there have been discussions about where and how to start. I don’t have any bookings that I can reveal this, but yeah we’re trying to put this band on the road as soon as possible.

They are all quite different and of course every song deserves a personalized treatment, I would say. For me it really depends on the melody and how the lyrics fit in the melody. Of course some songs were easier to relate.

What can you tell us about the artwork?

We discuss the artwork together and we had a bunch of different opinions about how we wanted this to look and how we wanted to “feel”, you know what I mean? In general

What about new music?

Well, we discuss the possibilities of, mostly me and Marcus, being more involved in the all creative process and bring new song ideas to the table. Trying to have a more collaborative process. We are very proud how the album turned out and I can also feel… [pause] I know this will sound a little bit strange, but somehow I’m really surprised to see how amazing these songs are, and even the way we found our roles in the all process. I mean, the all process was so easy-going and all of a sudden everything was finished. Sometimes the creative process can be very painful and slow, but in this case it was so easy and so much fun. —Tiago Moreira

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ALBUM REVIEWS

FESTIVAL REPORTS

CONCERT REVIEWS

INTERVIEWS

PELICAN Playing By Their Own Rules 14

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Post-metal flag bearers Pelican have a brilliant new album out Forever Becoming (Southern Lord) that once again has them at the forefront of modern heavy music. Ghost Cult’s Raymond Westland caught up with Larry Herweg and Dallas Thomas to discuss the process of making this masterpiece, changing dynamics within the band, changing record labels playing the Roadburn festival, and the upcoming touring plans of the band.

Congrats on releasing such a strong and focused album as Forever Becoming. Are you happy the way it turned out?

Dallas: I am super stoked on how it turned out, Seemed like everything clicked into place right before the tape started rolling...

Can you take us through the motions of writing and recording Forever Becoming? What were you guys aiming for?

Dallas: Bryan, Trevor, and Larry had most of the material mapped out via some rehearsals and swapping files via email before I came in on the tail end of the writing process just subtly adding to what was laid down. This worked out well because the main aim was to keep it continuation of Pelican, even with Laurent being absent. We all knew it was never going be the same but I feel that a lot of liberties were taken to make sure this album wasn’t a crazy departure musically from the rest the Pelican back catalog.

Last year guitarist and founding member Laurent Schroeder–Lebec left the band. How did this change the dynamics and the creative process within the band?

Larry: Bryan and Trevor had been writing more songs ever since “City of Echoes”. Trevor was responsible for “Far From Fields” and “A Delicate Sense of Balance”and Bryan “Winds With Hands” . When “WWACTN” came out in 2009, Bryan had been playing guitar more and worked out “An Inch Above Sand”, “Final Breath” and “Strung Up From the Sky”.

So when Laurent, stepped out of the band, it just made Bryan and Trevor start working together more. Their chemistry is apparent on “Forever Becoming”. We had some time off and there wasn’t too much pressure for deadlines when they started crafting the songs.

In 2012 you guys played at the Roadburn Festival. How you look back on the whole experience and would you like to play there again?

Dallas: Roadburn last year was a highlight of my musical

career for sure. It was truly an awesome experience, the only down side was we were on tour and could not stay for the whole festival... Of course we would play there again!

Larry: For sure! That was our second time there. Let’s go for a third!

If you had the chance to curate the Roadburn festival, which bands would you pick and why?

Dallas: Most of the bands that I am thinking of have already played Roadburn, but regardless mine would be Neurosis, Swans, Bolt Thrower, Goat, Atlas Moth, Russian Circles, Bloodiest, Electric Hawk, Godflesh, Carcass, High on Fire etc.... I could go on forever because all these bands rule!

Larry: Quicksand (because they wrote “Slip”), Soundgarden (“4th of July” enough said), Clutch (early material still rules), Mogwai (kill it live), Palms (Isis/deftones members, duh).

Pelican is often cited as one of the leading bands within the post rock and metal genres. What’s your opinion on that?

Larry: I’m glad people like us and we’ve had such great opportunities and some success! We’ve always tried to do our own thing and play by our own rules. I hope we can continue to be seen that way after this new album debuts.

Pelican is signed to Southern Lord, a reputable label known for releasing high quality releases. How does it feel to be on their roster and how things going so far between the band and the label?

Larry: Greg’s been really good to us thus far! I was working with Greg back in 2003-2006 when I was in Lair of the Minotaur. So I knew what to expect when he signed Pelican.

Its a great label and a “taste maker” in the heavy music scene.

He has a loyal following and we are in good company!

Previously the band was signed to Hydrahead Records, which folded sadly last year. What are your thoughts on Hydrahead’s sad demise?

Larry: “All good things must come to an end”, or “Nothing good lasts forever”. But I am glad they are keeping their back catalog in print! Botch, Cave In, etc!

What touring plans do you have in support of Forever Becoming?

Dallas: We are going to do some record release shows in the US this fall. Then hopefully as much as possible in 2014 depending on what everyone’s hectic schedules will allow.

Larry: East Coast (USA) in Fall, West Coast (USA) in Spring.

Hope to go back to Japan and Australia in 2014. —Raymond Westland

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Changing Tides An interview With Monster Magnet The life of a rock n roll band is never an easy one for some. Ask Dave Wyndorf of Monster Magnet who has rocked audiences globally… except his home country of the United States. At the time of the interview, Monster Magnet was about to embark on its first full North American tour in ten years behind their latest record, Last Patrol (Napalm Records), something they never anticipated putting aside for so long. They did occasional US shows in New York and New Jersey during 2004’s Monolithic Baby, 2007’s 4-Way Diablo and 2010’s Mastermind, but a full US tour 16

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did not happen. Wyndorf updated Ghost Cult on why they took such a long hiatus from touring the US. “It was kind of on purpose. About ten years ago, I got off of a major label in the States. We were on A&M and it got sold, and in the new age a lot of stuff that you know happened in the music industry in the last 15 years. It got folded into another major, things got nasty. It didn’t look like people were going to buy what I had to sell. It didn’t look like psychedelic rock was going to be the next big thing. It’s never been the next big thing. It always appeared out of another dimension. It got lucky once in a while and it ran back into our own dimension. That’s how I survived for 20 years doing it. I don’t count on the big bucks rolling in.”

“Things got screwy and I really love Europe. I love the world.

The world knows how to rock. I don’t know what America wants any more. But they definitely don’t want rock n roll the way I liked it. Everyone’s on their phones and it’s pretty evident what’s going on. People became their own stars and the live culture took a dive. Unless you’re really hot, there’s no way for someone like us to tour the States comfortably, meaning on a bus. Playing in front of us people who dug it in most places to make it worth my while, I’d rather go to Europe and live it up. That’s what I did.”

“In Europe, there’s a huge variety of shows, different kinds of music, and all kinds of cultural appreciation for different kinds of art, whether that is in music and art crossover. Europe for us the past ten to 15 years has been the place to go, and America has been the place to live, but not thumbs up on the art and creativity over here.”

“All the smart people are inside, on the computers and on their phones. They’re not representing. Look at the advertising marketing. Look at the movies. Who do they sell that stuff to?

They sell it to dumb people. They don’t sell that stuff to smart people. That’s where the money is. If you’re smart and have esoteric traits in the States, it’s the best time to be alive for referencing and gathering. To actually perform that stuff and be outside the lines of that, it’s the worst time. They don’t need you or your band. There’s no way I’m going begging door to door. I’m not going ‘hey I want to conquer America!’

For what - the 30-second attention spans of a bunch of morons? The smart people aren’t outside. They’re inside.”

“So I decided to give it another shot. It’s been ten years. I never planned on going this long. Things started to change. A lot of people started getting bored sitting inside. The novelty of broadband and cellular reception started to wear off a bit. I think people are poking their noses around and are like ‘what are they doing outside?’ ”

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Wyndorf talked about the differences between the US audiences versus the world, especially when it comes to technology being involved.

“It’s obvious what goes on, especially in the States…plus you have the whole 20th Century to look up to the person on the screen, on the cover of the magazines and on the radio. The technology back then during that century prohibited anyone from being involved unless they blew somebody or got lucky.

Then that technology is there. They ramp it up and it gets better. Now everybody can be their own little person. You have your own magazine, your Facebook page, your social media…you’re the guy. You’re in. You’re the star…kind of.

That’s good enough for a lot of people. I can see why a lot of focus is dispersed in the States for entertainment and why people don’t ride on anything for too long. But somebody like me, who’s in a rock band, it’s a stage thing when you go to a town and it’s in analog. ‘Please come and see us!’ If there’s something else better going on in town, you’ve got a problem.

Now you’ve got something better going on every single night.

There’s always something going on.”

“Luckily for us, Europe – it’s a big place, which we tour there a lot, and many other parts of the world. They’re not behind us in technology but they seem to have chosen live culture and going to a wide variety of shows that being a common practice…it’s a hobby. They do it. They want to get out. Going out for them seems to be a big deal. There’s not a car culture there. The train stations are really nice. Train stations over here are places you get murdered. That’s the way it’s been for 30 to 50 years. Before that it was different. All kinds of things that make for the climate of traditional rock n roll is gone in the States. So it has to be either reinvented or re-imagined. In the meantime, I didn’t want to be the guinea pig while they set up this brave new world. That’s for hardcore bands and metal bands…the stronger guys. They’re warhorses.”

While he spoke about his observations of the world, he spoke about the inspiration that went into Last Patrol and where his head was at during the writing of this record.

Despite stripping down their recording processes, Wyndorf still manages to find unique ways of getting his thoughts down on paper.

“I never start off with a theme but it winds up towards it sounds like one, so I latch onto it as it’s going. The music kinda finishes itself with me. Whatever my instincts are – do all the shit you’re supposed to do as a writer – write from the heart. I don’t write fantasy. I use a lot of science fiction terms. All of my stuff is from the heart so I have to feel it and deliver it, and build it up from there. I usually write this

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stuff very close to each other so similar themes come up. For some reason on this record it was revenge. Why do I have three songs saying I’m going to move to the moon and blow everyone up? It’s pretty funny! Illuminating but I don’t spend too much time dwelling on it. It’s like ‘dude this is who I am this week.’ “ “The theme on this record is alienation and spending too much time away from people. There are often times I’m sitting on my computer for six hours dicking around and saying “I got everything I want but I’m missing something. Then I wake up the next day and watch the news and go ‘Ok the world sucks.

I’m leaving…’ But it’s not suicide. There’s always some other theme like get a ten foot woman with giant tits and move to the moon. Move up there and send down nukes to those who don’t know how to rock. Simply adolescent bullshit like that makes you feel good. Then it gets gnarlier from there – girlfriends, bad relationships…the whole bit. It’s like a country and western record when I write.”

Despite the popularity of Monster Magnet has continuously existed in Europe, the US has been going through somewhat of a rock revival, where interest has resurfaced after hibernating for some time.

“It started about three and a half or four years ago. It’s been building steady ever since. I guess what comes around goes around. There’s probably a bunch of reasons for this that makes this particularly interesting. This is a musician’s revival.

This is musicians first and fans second. Whatever you want to call this – stoner rock, arena rock…terrible tag…it refers laziness. But the 70s rock revival, these are all musicians doing this stuff. Some of these guys are really young and not old guys like me. I think the reference capabilities of today are so great that you can have an almost instantaneous musical scene via the internet, besides techno and stuff like

that, which doesn’t count because that’s just manipulation and not bands. It counts as bands but not combo. That’s not music created by people. It’s an energy you can capture – the physical proximity of musicians. You can’t lay down hard rock tracks via the internet. It doesn’t work. You have to be in the same room.”

“So techno doesn’t count. Sorry techno. You never really did count. You could try…it’s cool, you’re there, you’re making money but you don’t count. Everybody knows it’s bullshit.

Everybody knows DJs are full of shit. Everybody knows you got lucky. So pick up the money while you can because your days are numbered. It’s true. Anybody could do that. I can’t believe a

crowd of 2,000 people would cheer on a guy who’s…basically scratching records? Are you kidding me? You could do that.”

“To get back to the rock thing, it seems like the reference capabilities of the internet – YouTube especially with all of the stuff that’s documented, for some people, they open that thing up, find something they like and find another dimension in time. It’s equivalent of me finding old records and old magazines, but now it’s lightning fast. You’re getting some great results. Not bullshit results. Graveyard and Cadaver are great bands. It’s not metal crap. They work with tones and guitars. Say what you want but critics will always go ‘they’re raping the past…blah blah blah.’ But that’s all music is anyways. I think it’s the beginning of all kinds of shit. There are really interesting bands all over the place. The last three or four years there’s been a lot of good records coming out.”

He spoke about the changing attitude of rock and metal bands, and their goals differ from the current wave of bands.

“It’s been really interesting times. Really, vast, super low attention span, what would people do to stay in the spotlight…and what’s the goal? It used to be the old American or Western civilized goal was ‘I’m gonna get in a van and do whatever the fuck I want and they’re gonna pay me a lot of money.’ Now it’s ‘I’m gonna get in my van and do whatever the fuck I want and then I might make a little money.’ So it kinda separates the men from the boys, and you can tell who’s milking it. Merch metal – you can tell those guys. They make records…like make up metal. You can tell their records suck. They’re derivative in uninteresting ways. They deliver a good live show, put a lot of money into it and they have a lot of flash and make up. They’re not into it to make good records. They’re into it to tour and make merch, because that’s the way to make money. But you can read those guys from a million miles away so you don’t have to pay attention to them.

back more. You put your work in to some of these countries and they come back. They’ll also spread word of mouth on a record like on going to a show, which you get results. You’ll get people saying ‘I may not like the new record but the live show is good.’ Unlike the States, it’s like the sports thing, where you lose the season, everyone’s standing there with the finger in the air. So it’s rough. That’s the way I do it. I go where I’m welcome. I’ll go to places where I’m not welcome but not for too long. For the States I want to give it a shot. I haven’t been inside the States in so long.”

Once the smoke cleared and tides somewhat began changing over the time away from American soil. The demand for Monster Magnet appeared to be returning and Wyndorf was amazed how long they were away.

“Yeah I can’t believe it’s been ten years, I turn around and it’s like nothing. I tour like crazy. We tour every year. Winter time, spring time, summer time…that’s all I do. We make records.

It’s that whole thing. We keep writing. The only thing that hasn’t been included has been the USA. The biggest market in the world doesn’t mean anything if you can’t crack it. It becomes a drain. I think a lot of bands agree with me. It seems like in the US there is somewhat of a rock revival.”

Finally, reaching a milestone in the band’s career, Monster Magnet has surpassed 20 years of existence, despite lineup and record label changes over the years. He shared his secret behind what drives him to continue.

“I don’t know. Sometimes I think stupidity. It’s like sometimes do you really want to be in a band for 20 years…but it’s fun. Making music and touring is fun. It was fun when I was 19 in my first band and it’s fun now. If you get something like this, it’s worth working on because I believe in the music. I really do. I believe the process making music makes you more a part…not playing it for

“So techno doesn’t count. Sorry techno. You never really did count. You could try...it’s cool, you’re there, you’re making money but you don’t count. Everybody knows it’s bullshit.”

These bands coming out now, they’re starting to see the guys are serious about making music, and they’ll do it regardless making a big paycheck or not. They’ll work it someway so they have a community of music lovers and other bands in a punk rock way.”

One of Monster Magnet’s biggest supporters has been Europe and has been frequently touring over the years. But he says he follows the demand for the band, wherever they are wanted to perform at.

“I just follow the demand. Like Europe, it’s been great. There are all of these countries [there], and like I said, the rock scene’s great. I always work those guys harder too. They give

people but doing it helps your brain. Making music helps your brain or some sort of mathematical thing. Makes you feel good, makes you feel like you’re creating something, and makes you feel like a kid like I’m playing in my room with my action figures and comic books going ‘fuck yeah!

What happened to Doctor Doom having a radioactive tumor in his back, and Cyclopeon Doctor Doom flew out of his tumor…that kind of shit. There’s no balance to it. Your imagination becomes somewhat real. For me, for 20 years it becomes more sense. I just turned 57 yesterday. It’s insane!

I can’t imagine getting this old. But you wanna know something? I don’t know any other 57 year old guys getting to do what I do.” —Rei Nishimoto

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Return of the light An interview With Finnr’s Cane Music has an almost preternatural ability to convey emotions so perfectly, that sometimes we take for granted the source of those feelings, and how deep they run. Humankind is in a constant struggle with itself, and the our rejection of nature and its pull on us. All the while we must reconcile the soil in which we came from is the same one we eventually return to. One band which understands this balance is Finnr’s Cane. Their music cuts through to your soul, especially their post-black metal masterpiece A Portrait Painted By The Sun (Prophecy Productions). Raymond Westland caught up with the “The Bard” to get the inside story of their new album.

Congrats on releasing such a great album as A Portrait Painted By The Sun. Are you happy the way it came out?

Thank you very much! They say an artist’s piece is never actually finished, but rather it simply reaches a point where the artist is happy and stops working on it. It was a long process but finally, we are truly happy with how it sounds.

The artwork of the new album is a stunning piece of art.

Who made it and what does it represent?

The artwork was created by Benjamin König of Sperber Illustrationen. To us, it represents the beauty and occasional

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serene tranquility of the forest, the rebirth of the soil and the return of the light after a cold and dark season, and the uplifting promise of happiness and warmth.

From what I’ve read the themes on the album are about endless natural cycles. What does it mean to you personally? What do you find so inspiring about this theme?

I suppose what I find so inspiring about the cycles of nature is that it’s something so real and close to us, and yet so enormously cosmic and unknown to us at the same time.

Sometimes I will think, what should I write about? Love?

Hate? So many songs have been written about these human emotions, which seem so small and insignificant to me when compared to the entirety of the universe. I suppose that’s why I always tend to come back to nature as a central theme. That

feeling of pondering something that is so much larger than ourselves is always so strangely wonderful to me.

Can you take through the motions of writing and recording A Portrait Painted By The Sun? What were you guys aiming for?

We really were not aiming to do anything except create an album that we would enjoy. We don’t usually start off with much of a goal in mind. We simply get together and play music, record it, and through months and months of piecing these recordings together and refining them, the end result becomes our album!

A lot of the music within Finnr’s Cane comes together through improvisation. What do you find so liberating about this approach compared to more traditional ways of creating and writing music?

For one thing, it’s more fun and exciting to get together with the band without any pre-conceived ideas, and say, “Okay! Hit record, lets play!” It’s like opening a wrapped gift, you never know what’s going to come out, and it’s extremely satisfying when it comes out sounding great. Another thing is, I think that through this method, you can capture little “accidental” bits of music that simply could have never been written in a more pre-conceived way. I think that gives our music more originality and less predictability.

Canada is a country known for long winters and large forests. How did this influence Finnr’s Cane music?

Winter has always been an inspiration for Finnr’s Cane. The Peasant lives quite far from us, and Winter is often the season which affords us the most time to get together and play music.

In general though, it is not just winter and forests which are inspiring to us. In Canada, we have four very different seasons

with distinct qualities and sensations. Also, Canada has a wide variety of inspiring natural elements such as many great lakes, rivers, valleys and mountains which reveal to us the diversity of life on Earth as well as the cycles which govern it.

In this digital day and age how important/vital is for you to stay in communion with nature? Can you explain this urge?

One of the reasons I find it so important to stay connected to nature is because inevitably, we can’t escape its influence.

As an example, the weather can have an effect on everything from our mood, to our day-to-day plans or even one’s medical condition. The sensitivity of ecosystems, the way the moon pulls the tide, even the way our own bodies work is a result of thousands of years of unbridled nature. I think the more I realize this and work in harmony with nature rather than try to fight it, the better I feel and the better my life becomes.

This is your second album for Prophecy Productions. What makes it such an exceptional label to be signed to?

It has been a pleasure thus far to work with Prophecy. We really appreciate that they are able to strike a good balance between professionalism and artistic expression. We feel that we are well represented and that our artistic vision is always well respected.

Prophecy is a relative small label with all pros and cons that come with it. Would you consider moving on to a bigger label if they come up with a good enough offer?

As with any major decision in life, I think we would need to carefully consider the individual circumstances at hand.

We don’t have anything against being part of a larger label, however we would not want our artistic vision and/or processes to be compromised in any way.

What touring plans do you have in support of the new album?

As of right now, Finnr’s Cane remains a studio project, however, we would like to do live performance someday if circumstance should foster this possibility. Thank you very much for the interview, it is much appreciated!

—Raymond Westland

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Visions of IM mortality An interview With Alter Bridge Mark Tremonti is one busy man. Not only has the guitarist recently had his own signature model PRS guitar created and completed a successful solo tour, but more material from multi-platinum arena rockers Creed may be in the offing too. Currently filming a new set of instructional videos for his brother Dan’s company FRET12, but most of all, Alter Bridge are back with their fourth album Fortress a giant slice of stadium shaking rock with some evil speed metal licks thrown in for good measure. On the opening date of the band’s U.K. tour with Shinedown and Halestorm in support, Ghost Cult’s Ross Baker was granted an audience with Tremonti backstage to talk about inspiring other musicians, his hectic schedule and his secret love of Celtic Frost!

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What was the creative process like when you were writing Fortress?

When Myles (Kennedy) and I got together to write this record, we knew we were under the gun time wise so we worked very quickly. Most of the record was written beforehand, but when we went into pre-production, we put together ‘Cry Of Achilles’ and ‘Fortress’ itself. We wanted to make a highenergy record that was fun to play live. ‘AB III’ was darker, but this one is heavier in many ways. The lyrical content is still very dark but there is more hope there too. We tore our arrangements apart and put them together again, over a month, the longest time we have ever spent on pre-production and I think that made this record stronger.

There are plenty of dark tracks on this album with some mean guitars. ‘Rising Waters’ is about a fictional apocalypse. What inspired that and why did you choose to sing it instead of Myles?

When I first wrote the chorus “all the fields are burning” it came out so naturally and Myles was struggling to lyrics which would fit with that, so Myles and Elvis our producer suggested that I sing it as I had just got done singing on the “Tremonti” record.

Elvis had been getting emails from fans asking if I was going to sing on this record and I love it when bands do something outside of their comfort zone. It was a fun challenge.

How has it been working more closely with Myles on vocal parts? Is it ever hard to decide how certain arrangements are put together?

We work well together. If we feel strongly about something, we say it but for the most part, we are on the same page. We like to both share all the songwriting equally in Alter Bridge.

I never go to Myles with a complete song we always come up with melodies and ideas for each other.

Alter Bridge has enjoyed a stable line up since your inception in 2004. You all seem very down to earth as people. Is there ever any conflict?

There is just not that one person ruining it for other people in this band. Everyone respects one another and enjoys what we do. We are all buddies. There was never really any time when we have fought. I think the most heated time was when we started working with Brian again. He was still mad about being kicked out of Creed but we haven’t had an issue since. We are very positive people who make dark art. I like moody stuff.

You have spoken of your love of the American Thrash scene and speed metal in general. There appears to be more of a metal influence creeping in on “Fortress” why is that?

I am a big fan of Forbidden, Testament and Exodus

and that comes out in my playing sometimes. I don’t think Alter Bridge will ever write thrash metal, but we wanted to challenge ourselves on this record. We have given up thinking about how to market the band and are concentrating on doing what is right for us artistically.

When we put our first record out we were in “survival mode” we wanted to take some of the Creed fans and bring them into the Alter Bridge camp. After the first record, we took a 180 and decided to do something different from what we did in the past. We have thrown out any thoughts of radio with this record. We don’t want our song structures to be the same as they have been in the past. I think it will be getting more experimental too!

As well as the songs being more technical thematically, “AB III” was very dark but there are more morose and also uplifting?

There are themes of betrayal, relationships that turn sour like ‘Addicted To Pain’ is about someone being caught in a vicious cycle of a negative relationship. There are also the two apocalyptic songs ‘Bleed It Dry’ and ‘Waters Rise’. ‘Lovers’ too is not a happy song.

‘Waters Rise’ also has the lyric “circle of tyrants”, was that an intentional Celtic Frost reference?

Ha-ha yes it was. I was so happy when I thought of that. It was the perfect tribute to one of my favourite bands of all time, if not my favourite. I love everything (Tom Gabriel Fischer) does, so dark and moody.

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Do you guys manage your work load being involved in other projects, Miles with Slash, Your solo stuff and Brian and Scott doing Projected. Will you maintain this work ethic when it comes to the next record? How do you manage your hectic schedule with family life?

It seems busier than it is. Last year I did two months solo touring and this year I have only been on tour for one month so I have had more time at home. If it ever got in the way of me being a dad I would cut back. I fly home in two weeks for Halloween and then bring my son on tour with me. I have to be ready for trick or treating.

What was it like when you heard Myles was being considered for Led Zeppelin (Writing songs with all members minus Robert Plant) and being the singer for Slash’s solo band? Did it ever affect your working relationship?

I think when they were trying Miles out they kept the tape rolling and improvised in addition do doing some Zeppelin songs, but they aren’t about to give Miles the tapes for those sessions. I was so happy for him. That would be like me getting the chance to fill in for Kirk Hammett and I am sure the guys would be supportive of that. It didn’t affect out working relationship with me or the band at all we were stoked he got to do those things!

What about you, Brian and Scott with Creed? There have been rumours of a new album arriving next year?

I have not spoken to Scott (Stapp, Vocals) since the last Creed shows we did. We recorded three songs for a new record, but I need to talk to Scott first before we do anything.

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You are filming some instructional material for Fret 12.

How important has, it been for you to pass on your skills to young musicians? Many musicians choose not too as they do not want to demystify their work.

Yeah it is a hectic time. We are filming the videos on this U.K. tour right now! Today has been crazy as it is the first show tonight in Nottingham so we are going to start before tomorrow’s show when I am not so jetlagged! I grew up playing instructional tapes. I must have 120 of the damn things stuffed in drawers at home. My brother Dan suggested I do one and he started Fret 12. I wanted to do a DVD, which would teach you how to play their solos. Artists don’t normally do that. You go on the internet for tabs and eighty percent of the time, it is wrong! I wanted to make something that was fun to play rather than just teaching a few scales. I think it is a great format to have fans be able to learn how to play a whole album. I think the fans love that. We will keep this schedule as long as our families are happy. That is our main priority.

What is the next milestone you wish to reach in your career? You have your own PRS guitar model and sold many albums. How important are those things to you or is it more important to play in new countries and to expand your fan base. Are you looking forward to being a stadium band?

I was really nervous about getting my own signature model as it only Carlos Santana and myself that have them! PRS Sent me two guitars but the pickups were in the wrong place or the knobs were in the wrong position so they built me this fantastic guitar which is the best thing I have ever played with. My sig model is their best seller too so that is a big compliment from the fans! —ROSS BAKER

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The Rom mel chronicles An interview With Hail of Bullets Hail of Bullets is one of the most interesting death metal bands of nowadays. With members of very reputable bands (Asphyx, Bolt Thrower, Pestilence, Thanatos etc.) they now release their third fulllength. III: The Rommel Chronicles is a journey through Erwin Rommel’s life and we talked with the guitarist Stephan Gebédi to know a little bit more about this new album.

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Since On Divine Winds (Metal Blade Records) confirmed that Hail of Bullets it’s indeed a relevant and exciting death metal band by critical acclaim and the participation of the band in many notorious festival (Hellfest, Wacken etc.), would you say that pressure was there when creating this new album?

Yeah, I think so. On Divine Winds was the ‘Album Of The Month’ in many magazines and it even reached the charts. So yeah it was a good experience for us, without a doubt, but you don’t want to repeat yourself too much. I mean, we will stay true to the death metal style (it will always be like that) but

you want to do things differently and avoid to the same album over and over again. So there was some pressure and that’s why it took us a little bit longer to finish this new record. But I think it worked in the end, the time that we spend on it was worthy and the most important thing is that we are really happy with the final result.

Why did you decide to have a new approach, lyric-wise? It was a needed challenge?

It’s not a totally new approach. The two previous albums talked about the war, The Eastern Front etc. This time around we decided to approach things a little bit different by talking about this person, Erwin Rommel, so the big difference it’s that now it’s kind of biographical, about the career of that person during the World War I and World War II. I think it’s a little bit more personal because you’re talking about just one person and you walk about his life, the ups and downs, his death etc.

It seems that not only the lyrical concept has changed, but also the music itself. Everything seems more raw and, to some extent, more human. Do you agree? Tell us a little bit about the concept of this album - Erwin Rommel and his chronicles.

I agree with the rawness aspect that you mention, definitely.

The second album, also because of the concept, it was more epic and heroic, but with this album we went a little bit to our first album, …Of Frost And War, which it was also pretty raw and aggressive. I think that’s what you can hear now, with this new record. It’s more intense and dirty, and you can definitely hear it in the songs.

But there’s also the human side. The previous records were talking about certain times of the war, it was more about the battles and the strategies but now you have that focus in the person, like I mentioned.

About the concept: the album starts in World War I, where he’s decorated with Pour le Mérite, the biggest that a general can get for his bravery. And then it talks about his battles in Africa, of course that’s a big part of the album. The thing with Rommel is that he was fighting on the wrong side, in the German army but he was not a big Nazi, not a big racist or anything; he was simply a good strategist and a good general.

A man that was feared by the enemies and loved by his soldiers.

Do you see III: The Rommel Chronicles as being an important changing moment for the band?

I don’t know if it’s a big changing moment, I believe that’s more a continuation of what we were doing since the beginning. Sure, we putt some “extras” to have a, somehow, different result when comparing with the other two albums.

Our goal is to get a little better with every album. To grow.

It seems that Hail of Bullets it’s one of those extreme metal bands that are always looking to do a good song, instead of being extreme just for the sake of it. Do you agree?

Yeah, definitely. It’s really important for us. We play old-school

type of death metal. We grew up with bands like Autopsy, Bolt Thrower etc… Those bands back in the day were trying to have the heavier sound possible, so for us there’s no point of playing old-school death metal and having an 80s or 90s sound because the present is 2013 and we want to get the best and heavier sound possible… We have an old-school vibe, no doubts about it, but we are looking for a modern sound. What’s important is that I think it still sounds organic.

And like I said, making a good song is really important.

Nowadays you have a lot of young bands that are playing 300 bpm, blast beats all the time and the most crazy guitar riffs that you can imagine. Ok, that´s cool, seeing the young fellows playing really nice, because you find a lot of great musicians in this young generation, but the problem is: they sometimes forget about the song, they lose the focus. The songs is the most important thing and sometimes you need to go back to the rock ‘n’ roll and hard rock to understand exactly how important is to have a really good song. I mean, we grew up with bands like Kiss, Motörhead, AC/DC… They made great fucking songs. And even if you go back to the first death metal bands you can find that because they were influence by acts like Black Sabbath, Slayer and Celtic Frost, bands that were concerned on making killer songs.

You guys worked again with Dan Swanö. Can we say that he’s like the sixth member of the band, by now?

Yeah, he is very important for us. He’s involved and interest in this project since the beginning. It’s really easy working with him. Why change a winning team?

The same five dudes since the beginning. It’s, in my opinion, one of the biggest factors for the band’s success.

Do you agree?

Definitely. It has very important for us to keep this band together. When we started there were a lot of people, especially in Holland, laughing because they thought that it was a band of people with big egos (because of our other bands) and they also thought that Hail of Bullets wouldn’t pass the six-months mark because we would have fights etc. Seven years later and we’re all together.

It’s really important for this band to have these five people together because this is really a strong group.

The World Wars has been the theme for this band since the very first moment. We are now in a very complicated political, social and economic situation. Can you find similar aspects between these two eras? Do you see the human race committing the same fucked up mistakes?

Sometimes you almost think that another World War would be the solution, but of course it isn’t… It’s stupid, actually. I think there are differences between the two eras. Back then you had people fighting each other and now you have the war inside of each country with the terrorism and we’re talking about wars that no one can actually win. And yeah, I believe that the human race will never learn with the mistakes from the past. It’s a fucking cycle. —Tiago Moreira

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Farewell to space An interview With Rosetta Always having carved their own path through music, Philadelphia post metal band Rosetta has taken the plunge to release their latest album completely independently first. Ghost Cult saw this brave choice and the musical excellence of this album as a great reason to have a chat with the band about their experience creating the album and releasing it themselves. Guitarist Matt Weed caught us up to speed.

Your latest album you’ve produced and released independently how was this experience, and did it go well?

It went very well. We were able to recoup expenses from production, even though the album had the biggest budget of any release we’ve ever done. I think we’ll certainly continue to use this model – it has made the band financially selfsustaining on our own terms.

You worked with City of Ships singer Eric Jernigan on one of the tracks, would you like to tell us something about this collaboration?

He lives not very far from the studio where the album was recorded, so naturally he was around during the sessions hanging out. We initially asked him to play guitar on ‘the weird track’ but he decided he’d rather do vocals. He nailed it, too. We didn’t use any pitch correction or crazy effects on his

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tracks, just layered them up to get a kind of chorus-y sound.

We were surprised and very happy with how it came out.

You decided to release the album digitally on bandcamp before you release the physical versions, did this strategy pay off you think?

Absolutely. The digital release is our own, so all the revenue from those sales go straight to paying band bills (production costs etc) with no middle-man. It helped us enormously. With physical releases coming out on record labels, that’s great to be able to offer but it’s not a revenue stream for the band.

The labels put a lot into those releases, so they are deserve to recoup on that. Having both sides of it like this means that we can be financially sustainable but still offer the cool limitededition products that collectors are looking for.

Your new album has a unique pacing and placing of songs, can you tell us something about this?

It’s arranged like a hurricane – it has a kind of symmetry to it, with rising and falling chaos, but also a generalized movement from integration to disintegration, or from structure to ruin. Our past albums have been sequenced in a much more intuitive fashion. We just did what felt right. With this one, we put a lot of thought into it and talked about it for a long time.

Harmonically, it divides into thirds. Rhythmically it has much more of a cyclonic storm structure.

Are there any songs that have particular meaning for you?

Well they all do, really. But I think that ‘Hodoku/Compassion’ was a big surprise for us. It made me remember the early days

when we would just stumble on beautiful sounds by accident.

It was something that just came together almost supernaturally during production, with very little planning.

goes beyond just their lyrical content – the music is written long before the lyrics, and is therefore in some ways more essential to what the song is.

There’s a clear link to Asian culture in song titles, is there a particular reason you chose this?

The titles come from Dave Lowry’s book Sword and Brush, talking about the intersections of martial arts and calligraphy.

They have personal meaning for our bass player Dave, who teaches Jiu Jitsu.

Your other albums have a more astronomical focus in their themes, is that link to space still there with this new theme? And will the space theme or inspiration return?

We haven’t intentionally pursued space themes in a long time now. They do come up here and there, since Armine typically brings back old lyrical themes from past albums, but the songs and lyrics are more personal now than in the beginning. I don’t think we will move back in that direction.

Is this theme reflected in the lyrical content, and in what way?

Only in a very oblique way. The song titles were chosen from the book to fit lyrics already written, and to communicate something about each song’s personality and process that

And finally, if there anything you’d like to express towards our readers in general, any closing words?

More stage dives! —Susanne MaathuiS

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Abstract, Surreal And Visceral An interview With Ephel Duath

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Davide Tiso makes for one of the most fascinating characters to study in the entire realm of heavy music. Through the entity that is Ephel Duath, Tiso has been blending the very best of experimental music, harsh contrasts, and philosophical lyrics for over a decade now. He has always had a singular purpose, but now he is fully in control of his destiny via a fruitful partnership with Agonia Records. Plus, he has cohorts who can match his talent and vision, such as Karyn Crisis, Marco Minnemann, and Bryan Beller, he can fulfill his artistic vision to the fullest. Chief Editor Raymond Westland interviewed Tiso about a wide range of topics, yielding some surprising answers.

Congrats on releasing such a strong and convincing album as Hemmed By Light, Shaped By Darkness. Are you happy the way it turned out?

I’m very, very proud of Hemmed By Light, Shaped By Darkness. I did my best to put together some meaningful pieces of music, I got an exceptional line up performing the songs and one of the best extreme metal producers out there working at my side. The album’s artwork is absolutely gorgeous and so are the formats and packaging available: yes, I’m happy for the way everything turned out.

The album has a rather enigmatic title. What’s the meaning behind it?

Ephel Duath has always been a band that feeds itself with opposites: lightness and heaviness, empty and full spaces, colors and darkness. The new album pushes this dichotomy even more, and I felt like marking the title itself with it.

There’s a constant search for dark sounds in my songs but there’s no real darkness without light. My music often diverge towards softer melodic parts just to create more tension, this way the release gain a much more dramatic effect. Lightness plays an important role in Ephel Duath just because it is in direct function and symbiotic correlation with heaviness. My lyrics and Karyn’s raw, lacerating way of singing my words, mark even more clearly how important are contrasts for this band: the harsh juxtaposition between this abstract and surreal music with these visceral, painful words create an odd

balance that perfectly represent myself and Ephel Duath in 2013.

Can you take us through the motions of writing and recording the album?

I started working on these new songs right after we recorded 2012 EP On Death and Cosmos. From the second half of 2011 and the whole 2012 I did nothing but writing new music for Ephel Duath.

Drums for Hemmed By Light, Shaped By Darkness were recorded by Marco Minnemann in the 2012 summer. Bass was recorded by Bryan Beller in September/October 2012.

In February 2013 Karyn Crisis and I flew to Mana Recording Studios in St. Petersburg, FL, to record guitars and vocals with Erik Rutan. We finally mixed and mastered the album this past July and August.

Working on the album spanned in almost a two years period.

Composing the music was overall a pretty smooth process, I experienced a burst of creativity and inspiration that let me nail one song after the other in a relative short amount of time.

It took me more time to write the lyrics, I wanted to heavily dig inward in my head this time around and I took all the time I needed to make any words count. Recording, mixing and mastering the album has been a long and fragmented process. I’m glad we opted to book some extra weeks to mix and master because we badly needed more time. Hemmed

By Light, Shaped By Darkness reaches over 50 minutes and being the music so layered and structurally complex we didn’t feel like rushing anything just because we were passing the deadline. Both the studio and the label have been accommodating and understanding through all this process and now the album sounds like it should.

As writer and composer what are things you’re aiming for when working on Ephel Duath material?

When I work on new material for Ephel Duath I aim to use music notes to walk myself and the occasional listener to the place I hide in my head. This band might be the most truthful tool I found to open up and reveal my inner self. Being this course of action so intimate, I often feel I should not even share Ephel Duath’s music with people. Not every listener out there feels like entering in someone else troubled mindset just for the purpose of listening a piece of music. Some people just want to listen music to be entertained, not to be challenged and how can I really blame them? I am so protective of Ephel Duath because I frankly don’t see its music like a way of

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very glad to have found a label that blindly supports the band. Agonia is doing an excellent job promoting Ephel Duath. They believe in my music, they are betting on my music and they are going way overboard to offer me the very best they can. Our new album is coming out in a limited double gold vinyl edition, how awesome is that? I’m very grateful for having such dedicated people working for my Ephel Duath. Another difference between the two labels to underline is that I’m in a position of total control with Agonia. Everything concerning Ephel Duath is discussed together, every decision we make needs my final approval.

communicate with people but my own personal vehicle to come to terms with myself.

Hemmed By Light, Shaped By Darkness is the album where I most successfully shut down that wall that protects me from the external. This is the album where I blindly immersed myself in my head the most, without even try to filter my words and my music for fear of revealing too much. This music will now be dissected by reviews and people’s comments: I’m not looking forward for that. With each new album, I’m not trying to gain a wider public, I’m trying to express myself more and more but to do so truly, I cannot afford to worry about what what people’s reaction to my music might be.

Ephel Duath is signed with Agonia Records nowadays. How is it like to work with them compared to Earache records?

The main difference to underline is straight and simple: Ephel Duath is one of Agonia’s priorities, we never had the same status at Earache. I can’t stretch enough the importance to be in this position: after so many years playing this music, I’m

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Two years ago you decided to turn Ephel Duath basically into a one man project with a revolving cast of musicians in order to execute your musical ideas. What prompted this decision and how do you see things in regards of this nowadays?

This band is my own personal trip since many years, not just two. I composed every song and lyrics for Ephel Duath since 2001. Recently I just opted to work with exceptional session musicians as rhythmic section to make the whole process smoother and faster. Since I live in the US I never found a full line up for Ephel Duath, plus now I have a regular full time job: I can’t keep dedicating much time looking for musicians to jam, I prefer to spend my energy composing the best songs I can and hire professionals to record for me. This specific choice is making each release more economically demanding but in terms of musicianship, well, these new songs are reaching so much dynamic, expression and character. This is so rewarding for me, I’m investing all I have in this band and I want the best for this band. I aim to keep putting out albums that are strong statements and will stand the test of time. I feel very grateful for the opportunity I have to share and perform my music with such talented musicians.

With Bryan Beller and Marco Minnemann in the band you have one of the most talented and coveted rhythmic section within (experimental) rock and metal. How is it like to work with them for you as bandleader and composer?

As a songwriter, it is extremely refreshing and liberating to have such strong collaborators at my side. When I send the preproduction of my songs to Marco Minnemann, I know that he will promptly send me back the files with his parts to listen to. It is incredible how professional, fast and efficient Marco is.

I feel that he’s able to adapt his drumming to my guitar style in such an elegant and eclectic way. Every guitar’s accent is interpreted and enchanted by the drums and there is definitely a good, magic at times, alchemy between us two.

Working with Bryan Beller for the bass parts has been absolutely great too. His parts are literally locking guitars and drums to each other and they add power, attack and heaviness to each and every riff. Bryan’s bass lines are very rock music oriented and his tone is so warm, rounded and well balanced: it perfectly complements my guitar ones.

Hemmed By Light is recorded with Erik Rutan. What did he bring to the table as far as ideas go?

Structuring, recording and mixing this album was pretty challenging. There’s really a lot going on in each song, Erik and I tried our very best to make any instrument, any part, any detail shine on its own and cohesively work together.

Dealing with my guitars’ panning was particularly difficult.

My parts resemble the shape of a spider web more than a typical metal rhythmic + solo guitar structure: every riff has different layers and harmonizations that come in and, sometime, abruptly go out. Mixing wise, my guitars cannot be easily separated in left and right: Erik was extremely helpful adapting his way of working to this album’s special needs and he worked so very hard to make these songs dynamic and crushing. After few days of working together in studio we realized that nailing the right guitar panning was crucial for this specific album, especially for what concerned the heaviness of the music itself. We opted recording every guitar

part twice and panning everything in stereo with different spectrums’ opening percentages, the result is a pretty odd and unique listening experience that grows and slowly reveal itself at every spin.

Rutan is mostly known for his work with death metal bands. Why did you choose to work with him?

Since I live in the US I keep choosing Erik Rutan for my productions because of his talent, dedication and military work ethic. Erik expects nothing but the best in terms of performances by the musicians he chooses to work with and he’s not that shy to let you know when you are playing sloppy. His perfect pitch hears and his attention for details are absolutely out of the ordinary and the results of such hard work pay back profusely. My music needs a producer that is ready to commit 100% to the songs and its ready to take the music to the next level: Rutan is giving me that, plus the drive of an extra band member and the support of a great friend.

What touring plans do you have in support of Hemmed By Light?

We just started booking an April 2014 European tour with Nero di Marte as main support. For updates and more info about ED please check facebook.com/ephelduathofficial. Thank you for the interview and support! —Raymond Westland

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Native son An interview With Testament Testament is riding high at the current pinnacle of modern thrash metal. The secret of the band, since their resurgence in 2007 has really been to combine the ability to have their classic sound intact, upper echelon musical chops, while making new music that crushes with a modern sensibility.

In this regard they may only be rivaled by fellow Bay Area Thrash kings Exodus. Armed with a brand new concert DVD/CD, The Dark Roots of Thrash (Nuclear Blast) and a prime spot on their last US tour for a while with the likes of Lamb Of God, Killswitch Engage, and huntress, life is good in the Testament camp. Ghost Cult’s Keith (Keefy) Chachkes chatted with front man Chuck Billy to get caught up on the the DVD, touring hard, and their next album.

Testament has a solid history of putting out good concert albums and DVD packages. They even used to put our their own pro-shot bootlegs, that were better quality than what the labels were doing at the time. Doing justice to their live act has always been important to the band. Waiting for the right opportunity came along last fall. Chuck expanded on why now a good time for Testament to put out a new concert DVD: “Since the last DVD we shot, we’ve done Formation (of Damnation) and Dark Roots of Earth. And the last one before that was Live in London. And that was the reunion with the original guys. But they only wanted to do songs off of records they did, so we didn’t get to do any of The Gathering, Low or Demonic material. It’s been seven... eight years now since we put those out. We’ve put two good records out. And the last

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few years we have been playing a lot more songs from The Gathering or Low. Now is a really good time to capture where we are at, since you never know who comes or goes.

It was a good time to capture where we are at as a band too, since we are playing more current stuff, as well as classic material. It was our headline tour. It was a really good package that we had with Overkill. There is a lot of good stuff . Just where we are in our lives, there is a lot of cool stuff going on.”

One of the most important choices for band in recording a concert DVD is the venue. Not just taking into consideration the location and the potential crowd response, but actually that the venue is capable of supporting the production of the tour. Testament had an impressive set up for this run, with a massive catwalk leading up to a tall drum riser. I felt the choice of the Paramount venue was inspired, since the band has such a strong following on the east coast.

“We had never played there before. When we were first looking at where to do the DVD, we already did a live record at the Fillmore. Also, we wanted to wait until we got into the tour a little bit to choose a place. You don’t want to do something like this in a smaller club. We had seventeen cameras. We didn’t want to take up all the space from the audience, so we needed a big enough venue for the crain. So we started looking at the dates and venues. We were looking for a place with decent size stage, and a wide open floor and a good enough sound system. We played New York City the night before, and everyone comes out and drinks a lot, and feels a little hung over the next day (laughs). But we had a great turn out and ended up being a really good night.”

Testament has been going non-stop with almost no break since 2006 in a constant cycle of writing, recording and touring. Not too mention for a band that has been around over twenty-five years, yet they seem sharp as ever live.

Of particular note on the headline tour, several band

members from Testament and openers Overkill battled a serious flu outbreak. A few nights later Overkill would drop off the tour and the band battled through a few tough, but entertaining shows to finish out the run. Chuck waxed about feeling no pressure to hold up, health-wise for the recording, and what it takes to stay in shape vocally.

“That show especially, we decided we were gonna add in five or six classic songs in there too. So we knew it was going to be a long show. We were kind of fired up about doing it. We never really tripped on being sick that day, we just went for it. A lot of it is probably mental and physical. I used to take lessons.

I’ve always had a tape and a routine before a show to warm up for about an hour. I do it religiously at this point. A lot of it is mental. Maybe if I didn’t do it, I wouldn’t feel ready. It’s a lot of that. Maybe it’s also few shots of whiskey before you hit the stage (laughs). You get a little bit loose, but most of it is going out there and having fun, and doing what you love to do.”

As with any legacy act with a lengthy and beloved back catalogue, it must be challenging to choose a set list for a tour. Let alone a performance for filming a DVD. You are always going to have fans complain they didn’t hear their favorite song or ones the band “used to play”. Chuck talks about not wanting to disappoint the fans...

“It gets really tough. You get used to playing the same songs for years and you get really comfortable. It almost never fails. We always set out to add some new songs to the set list, it sounds good when you pick em, but then you get in the rehearsal room and there are other songs that are better, sound better and go over better. We always change it around, but wind up keeping the songs that sound and feel better. It always makes it tough. When we do those shows when we decided to do two records back to back. It’s fun because we go in and learn them, usually a lot of songs we might rarely ever play. Those are really fun shows when you do it like that. This tour we are especially trying to play a lot of the current few records. The Gathering is one of Eric’s favorite ones. We did four songs from The Gathering for the DVD. Those ones always stand out. I still really enjoy singing those songs.”

album out by summer. We’re on a pretty good wave right now, so let’s not slow down. So let’s put together a new record and put ten new songs out there. Let’s keep it going!

When everybody gets off the road, everybody does there own thing, and does what they enjoy too. Then we all come back together to do Testament stuff, it makes it all that much more special. We’re like “alright, we’re all back together!” I’m really happy to have Gene around too. I have Dublin Death Patrol (DDP), which is a lot of fun for me. You know, everyone in the band is busy, and I wanted to be busy too! So I wanted to do a record. It started out as just a bunch of friends. Me and “Zet” (Steve “Zetro” Souza) have been friends for a long time. And the rest of the guys are just my friends and it was just for fun, but now we’ve gotten a two records out of it.”

The finest track on Dark Roots of Earth, happened to be the single ‘Native Blood’. Not only is the song a catchy, melodic-thrash masterpiece, it is a battle cry of political activism for all indigenous Americans. Through the bands lyrics (‘Trail Of Tears’), and occasional stage shout outs, Chuck has always talked with pride about the role of his culture in his music and life. The ‘Native Blood’ video took 1st place at prestigious Native American Film Festival, and he reflected on the impact of the song/video: “The message of the track totally came out exactly the way we wanted it. Up on the reservation where we shot it, it’s actually kind of funny when I go back. Last week I was back on the reservation. I was there for a festival and I went up there, helped out, and introduced the band, hung out. It was trippy because I used to go to the reservation all the time, and didn’t really have the acceptance. Now people are really recognizing me, and greeting me. People recognized me from the video, who would never really know about it from metal, like older people and grandmothers. It was cool! It was really rewarding for me that they got the message and dug the video. You didn’t have to be a metal fan to get the meaning of the video. That’s how I knew it worked.” —Keith (Keefy) Chachkes

I asked Chuck with Gene in the band, about the possibility of bringing back some songs from Demonic.

“Well, that is what’s next. And Gene, he’s like “We should play some Demonic!” But we just haven’t. I imagine in the near future, next year when we have a new record, that is gonna be one of those records, we’ll say, we haven’t played anything live from in a while. I’d love to say “Let’s pick out ‘John Doe’ or something like that”. Sometimes it’s hard when you are not headlining and don’t get as much time. Especially for this Lamb of God tour, we have a forty minute set time, so we can’t really talk. How do we pick out six songs out of a hundred? We need to just hit it hard, and go.”

With this album cycle winding down, the band has no intention of slowing down. Since they have continuity working for them with the lineup for now, they have already plotted a course for their next recording: “We start January 1st. We’re gonna take the first three or four months off to write to start off the year, and then get the

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Wolves, not Sheep An interview With Watain If anyone knows what evil lurks in the heart of mankind, it is Erik Danielsson of Watain. He has been a student and a teacher to a legion of followers you have ravenously devoured his music and words like a delicious meal. With their recent album The Wild Hunt (Century Media), Danielsson continues to defy expectations and innovate musically like few other bands in the genre after over fifteen years in existence. Erik chatted with Raymond Westland about the new album, Satanism, misconceptions about his beliefs and many topics.

The Wild Hunt should be seen as a stand alone release and not so much as a continuation from the previous works.

Can you clarify this, please?

I do not know how you drew that conclusion but no, that is not correct. Every Watain album is a “continuation” of our journey, and although that journey always takes us to new places that may appear different from those we have visited in the past, it is still very much a living continuum. Every Watain album should be seen as a monument erected at a specific point in time and space, but still transcending that point by reaching beyond the tangible and the defined.

The Wild Hunt is a very rich and diverse record and it far exceeds the traditional black metal aesthetics. To which extent was this the thing you set out do?

We set out to make another Watain album, and as always we let the currents of our Temple lead the way. As these currents are and have always been strongly rooted in the black metal cult, that obviously reflects on the album as well. But Watain is first and foremost a world on it’s own, a place in which we can do whatever we feel the need to do, unbound by musical genre. We do not answer to any expectations of anyone else

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but those of our own. Watain is a mouthpiece of Satan, and as such we can not limit our ways of expression, we must always be open to learn new languages in order to express that which needs to be expressed.

Can you take us through the motions of writing and recording the album? What did you really set out to achieve?

The album was written over a period of three years, starting after Lawless Darkness. Many of the lyrics were written on the road, in Australia, Japan, USA and Transylvania. The recording itself was four months long and took place in different places in Scandinavia which altogether made for the diversity that you mentioned earlier. The nomadic impulse of Watain, and the ever on going pilgrimage we find ourselves on, were things that became quite central in the album. We took the time to look back on past experiences and the evolution of the band, and eventually framed it inside a spiritual, even mythological, context. The Wild Hunt is the long, hard and yet incredible rewarding road which we have walked upon for the past 15 years.

On The Wild Hunt you’re not afraid to show your influences on your sleeve with Bathory and Dissection being some of the most dominating ones. What do Bathory and Dissection mean to you personally? Can The Wild Hunt be seen as a homage to those bands?

I don’t know what specific things you are thinking about but I suppose those bands have had their impact on the material, as they have been two of the most central musical sanctuaries of our lives. We do however never aim to sound like any specific band when writing songs, that would be a far too shallow way of approaching the divine art of making music of this kind.

Watain is all about pushing boundaries and challenging the music status quo. Why is it so important for you to evolve and questioning musical conformity?

It is a part of our nature to do so. Satanism is the dissolving of stagnation, the shattering of patterns and the upheaval of order. Evil has no boundaries, so why would we?

You’re an avid follower of Luciferianism. To which extent do your personal beliefs influence the music and lyrics you create? How does it influence the overall creative direction of Watain through the years?

An avid follower of Luciferianism? What exactly is this Luciferianism you are referring to if I may ask? You people take these things far too lightly most of the time. This is also why I am getting less and less interested to talk about beliefs and the doctrines upon which they are built. The music and lyrics of Watain is my gift to those who feel the need to explore the arcane depths of religion and sorcery, approach them with an open heart and you might be able to find a fraction of a seed that in turn might lead you on to something that points you in the direction of the first gate. But don’t look to me for answers.

Watain is not “influenced” by our personal beliefs, it is a result of them. A consequence of for the most of my life having searched the unknown and found solace in the answers that evidently lay there in wait. That search and exploration of the Dark is ever ongoing and Watain is a reflection of it.

Are your personal believes a strictly personal matter or do you feel its important to share it with your fans, so they have a better understanding what Watain is all about?

I think I explained this in the question above.

Watain takes D.I.Y a a whole new level with your own merch company and label. Why is it so important to you to have everything in your own hand? What are the pros and cons?

Independence is another fundamental aspect in the world of Watain. These things you mentioned are results of always searching for forms in which liberation can manifest. Being in charge is also quite crucial when it comes to such a personal form of expression that Watain by all means demands. We simply can not leave these things in the hands of other. A label and a merch company, to take specific examples, need to be driven by a righteous form of motivation, otherwise they are just unclean means without a relevant purpose, something that has not place in our world.

For outsiders black metal as a genre is almost a contradiction in itself. One one hand it’s all about self expression and clinging on to your artistic vision, but on the other hand it has some of the most ardent purists in the metal scene. What are your thoughts on this?

I don’t really see why those two things would contradict each other. If you are very sure and stubborn about what it is that you want, then of course many other things become seemingly irrelevant and pointless. I definitely consider elitism and intolerance as natural ingredients in Black Metal, it is a genre whose artists are required to have the nature of wolves, not sheep. —Raymond Westland

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Morbid Angel

Morbid Angel / VadimVon / Scalpel / Abnormality: Live At The Middle East, Cambridge, MA So what should you do to entertain yourself on a pre Veteran’s Day Sunday night? If you live in New England, and you are smart (sorry… “smaahht”), you go to see Morbid Angel play the album Covenant in it’s entirety at The Middle East in Cambridge, MA. Since this show was held at a venue with a maximum capacity of something like 575, it was not surprising that it sold out. If you were one of the anxious people shivering outside in line just to to be turned away, well, what did you

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expect? Mid-sized venue + Sunday + Morbid Angel + Covenant = buy your ticket ahead of time. In all fairness I had my own boneheaded, “What did I expect?,’moment that night as well. I’ll get to that later.

When I saw the announcement of the tour, a three things came to my mind.

One, it’s been 20 years since Covenant came out already, wow. Two, there was no question I was going to be there, and three, what a smart move by the band to tour based on the album’s anniversary after all the rumblings in the metal

community over Morbid Angels’ most recent release, Illud Divinum Insanus.

We metal music fans can be, well, major pains in the asses when it comes to the bands that we hold dearest. When a band makes an album that is a departure from what we expect, we take it as a personal affront to our sensibilities and can be very unforgiving. I am not a fan of the last album but it didn’t change my opinion about what Morbid Angel is and has been. To me they are the best death metal band to date, period.

Their first 4 albums are still untouchable in my eyes and I just can’t get behind

Scalpel the first band went on at 7:30.

Unfortunately, I forgot about the line to get in. As is the case with most smaller to mid-sized venues, there is one line at the single entrance where you go to get or give your ticket as well as enter the venue. This makes for slow entry and with a sold out show there is guaranteed to be a line around the block.

VadimVon I planned on getting there just before the first band started, as I normally would for this venue. What “fans’that write off a band based on one was I thinking? Obviously I wasn’t. Took album. I mean it’s one freaking album, me a bit to get in then I went to the side get over it. All the hubbub over it made ramp area where I would photograph me think about the fine art world and most of the show from. Yes I missed the what it would be like if some of our first band, native musical smut mongers, greatest painters never tried anything Sexcrement. Having seen them a new. For every great painting, there are number of times before, I am familiar dozens, maybe hundreds of what might with the stage show they have. There be considered less than stellar ones and are usually one or more female dancers some that you might think downright in various states of undress, sometimes suck. It happens, you try things and in bondage attire, romping around the sometimes it works, sometimes it stage and getting the crowd into a bit doesn’t. Unfortunately, not everyone of a frenzy. I asked one of my fellow sees it that way and they can be pretty photographer friends that was there, lets vocal about it. This is why it was great call him The Dude, how their set was to for Morbid Angel to go on this tour. To remind everyone how insanely great the which he replied that it was “awesome.’I asked if they had the dancers and he band really is. said, “yeah they had a few but none of them had dicks.’Alrighty then.

So anyway, I make the trek to Cambridge and get there in good time, park the car and walk over to the venue. After a few minutes of banter with some friends, it’s time for Abnormality, a local Doors opened at seven and I figured

technical death metal outfit about to do a stint of shows in Colombia including a headlining spot on the Bogota Grind Death Fest XII on November 16th. As usual the band punished the crowd with it’s super technical and no less punishing riffage while singer Mallika belted out her soul reaping growls. Yes, she is a small statured female whose vocals could shred the larynx of most men twice her size but the band is not about some front woman novelty. The band delivers on all fronts. From the insanely complex bass and dual guitar stylings to the pummeling drum beats and fills, this five piece needs no crappy gimmick or girlie points to prove its worth. They played a number of songs off their newest release, Contaminating the Hive Mind which sounded great. As expected pits broke out and hair was flying in the crowd. After they played the last song of the set there were numerous cries for more.

A little break and then the local four piece formed in 2008, Scalpel, was up at bat. They are sort of a grind/death mix. They played a good set and the crowd was into it. I had a hard time hearing one of the two vocalists from my vantage point but other than that they sounded on point. Most of the stage presence came from the bassist and the faces one of the vocalists was making.

Their songs were hard for me to get

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crowd. Before a single note was played, incredibly, a pit started. Before a single note! I just laughed. To be so excited about the prospect of it that you feel the need to start a pit in the middle of this packed place before you even hear them play anything. Well, they had reason to be pumped for this. They blistered the crowd without flinching, keeping the between song banter to extreme minimum. Thank you for that. How many times can you hear someone say, “How are you Boston?,”or “What a crowd you

Morbid Angel

Abnormality into as they lean at times more towards grind and I am very particular with anything remotely grind so my opinion on their music must be taken with a grain of salt. Like I said they sounded tight and the crowd dug it. Maybe it’s just not my thing but I felt like there was just so much going on that it gave me audio overload. They also have a recent release out called Sorrow and Skin and if your into later Suffocation, this may be for you. They aren’t trying to re-invent the wheel or anything, and yeah, it may be pretty derivative, but if you are into that style, you’d like them and they are seemingly solid live.

Ok so by now the show was running just

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a tad late. Not by a lot but just enough for me to wonder if Morbid Angel would be able to play everything on the set list.

Because this show was the fourth on the tour, the set list was not a secret and I knew it had songs from albums David Vincent didn’t even sing on, which I thought pretty cool. There aren’t a lot of bands, or vocalists, that will want to play songs that they didn’t record. I mean I have never seen Anthrax play John Bush songs when they are touring with Joey Belladonna. Yeah, maybe that’s not the best example but you get my point I hope. Back to the show. The lights go out, after a few seconds Morbid Angel walks on stage. Some blue lights come up and David Vincent greets the

guys are,’or whatever crap they have to fill time with. They plowed through the entire album and it was plain awesome.

Everything, the sound, the experience, the crowd, all of it. So then I assumed there would be a break before the encore but no, they went right from ‘God of Emptiness’ only taking a few seconds seemingly, and then right into ‘Where the Slime Live.’There was to be no break and no respite. The rest of the set was delivered with just as much force as the beginning. “Fall From Grace,’would mark the end of the set and was absolutely great. They waved and walked off. That was it. Fans just stood there looking at the stage in awe, sweaty, some out of breath, and probably hoping there would maybe be one more. Slowly, they moved their way about the place looking dazed from the show, the heat, and the crushing crowd but all the same glad for the experience.

What a great show. I only wish it was in a bigger venue with a bigger stage.

Other than that, what more could you really ask for?

Words and Photos by Hillarie Jason / Hillarie Jason Photography

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High on Fire

High on Fire / Kvelertak / Doomriders:

Live At The Middle East, Cambridge, MA

The first time I saw High on Fire was the night after my 21st birthday. I had no idea who they were but I quickly learned that I desperately needed more of them in my life. Four years later, I finally had the opportunity to satisfy that desire during what would become one of the best nights of my life.

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First up were Boston, MA natives, Doomriders, featuring Nate Newton (Converge, Old Man Gloom) on guitar and vocals. I didn’t really know what to expect as I’m not a Converge fan, but I was pleasantly surprised by their performance. They had a lot of energy and easily engaged the crowd. At the very least, Doomriders made for an

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entertaining opening act and I look forward to seeing them again in the future.

The Norwegian wonders that make up Kvelertak were scheduled to play next, but not before guitarist Bjarte Lund Rolland and I gushed over a mutual love of each other’s shirts (Mine: Kylesa, His: Kadavar). Have you ever had your head inside of a dead owl? If it’s as fun as vocalist Erlend Hjelvik makes it look, then it may be worth looking into.

Kvelertak are quickly becoming one of my favorite bands to see live. They’re talented gentlemen and they know how to connect with the audience. Said connection occasionally takes the form of crowd surfing while continuing to sing or play their instruments. Honestly, I was

a bit disappointed that they didn’t drag people up on stage to play with them like they did the last time they were in town but it was a great performance nonetheless.

Headliners High on Fire finally took the stage around ten o’clock followed by a roar of applause from an eager audience. As a woman who loves her bass players, it can be difficult to be impressed by a guitarist, but Matt Pike, of Sleep fame, is one of my favorites for a reason and he made it abundantly clear that night. There was no witty banter, no trying to engage the crowd with small talk, just the occasional song title and an all-out assault on your ears and mind. Despite saying that he was getting sick, Pike’s performance never

Doomriders Kvelertak

Kvelertak

let on that he was feeling under the weather and a room full of fans was treated to a twelve track set featuring songs off of every major studio release in their catalog. I was personally pleased to hear ‘Fury Whip’ and ‘Rumors of War’ off of my favorite album, Death is this Communion (Relapse).

Overall, I was really pleased with this

line up. There was never a dull moment as even setting up between bands didn’t take very long. It was a wonderful night, Pike was an absolute pleasure to meet, and I commend the mastermind(s) behind this tour. My ears finally stopped ringing this morning.

Words by Aleida La Llave Photography by Hillarie Jason Photography

High on Fire

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Baroness

Baroness / Royal Thunder:

Live At The Manchester Club Academy

Returning to the United Kingdom for the first time since their ill-fated tour last summer when a tragic bus crash severely injured the band and their road crew, Savannah quartet Baroness are back with a new rhythm section ready to air songs from 2012’s magnum double album Yellow And Green.

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Before John Baizley and company grace the stage, it is time for Relapse labelmates Royal Thunder to warm up the audience with their pulsing tribal rhythms and the smouldering voice of Mlny Parsonz.

Throbbing bass and an orgy of twisting psycadelic rhythms allow numbers like ‘No Good’ and a rampant rendition of

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‘Whispering World’ transform a once quiet Tuesday night crowd into a torrent of enthusiastic cheers.

John Baizley’s call to “make our time together count” is a mantra embraced wholeheartedly by the devoted this evening. Much of the set is culled from their last opus and while the band hit the ground running with ‘Take My Bones Away’ and ‘March To The Sea’, it would be nice to see a couple of the more mellow numbers replaced by earlier cuts for the sake of variety.

The absence of any “Red Album” era material is somewhat disappointing considering its gargantuan power, but there are many anthemic choruses on numbers like ‘Swollen and Halo’, which incite hearty sing-a-longs from the adoring public.

Where the band chooses to steer themselves musically is anyone’s guess but one thing these songs have in common is that they are chock full of intestinal fortitude delivered by a dynamic act whose heartfelt sincerity shines through everything they do. A colossal rendition of ‘Eula’ demonstrates emotive and majestic songwriting that is sure to transport them to greater success and maybe even mainstream recognition.

‘Isak’ brings the curtain down on a triumphant evening full of a sense of celebration and relief. Baroness are both alive and in rude health, having stared death in the face and spat defiantly in its eye.

Words by Ross BakeR Photo by stuart rees

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Warduna

Warduna / From The Bogs of Aughiska: Queens Elizabeth Hall, London, UK

Warduna

The Norse gods are watching over London as ambient folk metal band Wardruna arrive to perform on UK soil for the first time. With the unfortunate departure of Steindór Andersen and Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson from the support slot on the bill, the challenge was left to From The Bogs Of Aughiska. Having described themselves as the musical equivalent of standing atop the majestic Cliffs Of Moher with a gale force wind in your face, it was certainly music with impact.

The low droning rumble concealed vast soundscapes that struggled and blossomed into audibility before melting back down into the murk. Their choice to wear black face masks while performing diminished any chance of a connection with the performers, forcing the audience to fully engage with the music.

This was not about personality, but truly focused on sonically documenting the power of nature and Irish folklore. My only criticism would be the volume of the performance was too low to appreciate the full majesty of their sound.

Right from the first beat the hairs on the back of my neck are on edge and shivers are running the course of my spine as Wardruna begin to play. For a short time the dark theatre, leather seats and audience transform into vast forests, crystal lakes and imposing mountain edges. The soundscapes created by this band using old and traditional instrumentation alongside the sounds of nature are positively tribal, a reminder of old spirituality more in connection with the trees and the land. Starting off with songs of their first album, Gap Var Ginnunga they work from older to newer pieces building up from the calmer tracks to the more dramatically performed songs off Yggdrasil. Again, a choice by the band to perform in all black costumes allowed for the music to be the real focus of the piece, although splashes of drama were added through lighting for the more climatic moments. Wardruna are a truly unique experience live, leaving me emotionally exhausted through the sheer power of their performance. As the final noise fades, the voice of the gods recedes and we are left as we began, back in the darkened theatre and our leather seats.

Words by Caitlin Smith Photography by Susanne Maathius

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Warduna

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Amplifest P o rt o , P o rt u g al

Photography by Maria Louceiro

And once again we have Amplifest, by now the highlight of the Portuguese cultural programming, not only because the exemplary manner of Amplificasom’s work ethic (the promoter of this finest music festival) but also for the undeniably love that is shown for the art in every concert they have been organizing since 2006. 2013’s edition, the third one, started with the Swiss band Zatokrev with their furious and unmerciful sludge displayed through the apocalyptic sounds… Yeah, I’m still thinking about the amazing performance of Frédéric Hug on the drums. From Switzerland to Germany and we have the claustrophobic concert of Downfall of Gaia. Jesus Christ, abrasive doesn’t do justice to the experience provided by the guys who released the fantastic album that is Suffocating In The

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Deafheaven

Swarm Of Cranes (Metal Blade). And we enter in room number two to experience the best performance of the festival. BAM! Evangelista is a whole new level and we all could feel it. Mixing experimental music with a vocal performance influenced by Patti Smith? And laying in the ground references to the amazing The Doors? I’m in heaven!

Deafheaven hits the stage and now we have the opportunity to experience one of the most anticipated acts of the festival, the authors of the highly-acclaimed album, Sunbather (Deathwish). Gosh, what a change. These guys have been working there asses on the road and we could see it. An amazing performance of a band that made a huge impact on all the people in that room. Day one closed with the biggest disappointment of the entire festival, Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats. How can a band put out such an incredible

Chelsea Wolfe record like Mind Control (Metal Blade), where you can see the perfect mix between The Beatles and Black Sabbath to then fuck everything, going to the easy, yet tedious, road that is playing the same over-saturated retro rock thing and not pay attention to beautiful and exciting melodies that they have created on the studio? I can’t understand.

The second day starts with the trippy jam of Black Bombaim & La La La Resonance. Both bands from Barcelos, Portugal, and a jam that makes you wonder where you can find the record. Chelsea Wolfe on stage and another highly anticipated act. Everyone is talking about Pain Is Beauty (Sargent House) and there’s a very valid reason: the record is really good. The gig? Can I say that you had to be there?

Chelsea’s performance is so hypnotic, introspective and

beautiful that you don’t want to turn your head not even for one fraction of second. And after an introspective experience it’s time to grind with the Utopium that ended the gig in the best way possible: a kickass cover of Godflesh’s ‘Christbait Rising’. Just perfect! Good gig after good gig and then Body/ Head. Seriously, what’s the fucking point of all this? Making a bunch of nonsense noises and having Kim Gordon in the band is not enough. But I can this: if they’re trying to torture the public, then it was a very successful mission. And the end of the festival arrives with the American trio, Russian Circles. With a new album being released, Memorial (Sargent House), the band returns to Portugal where they have been playing for a long time now, always being well received by the Portuguese public. This time it was not different. The main stage was packed to see the energetic and very compelling

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show of a band that is known for their own version on postrock/metal. Nice way to end the day.

One week later and we have the Post-Amplifest. In first place we had the French band Hacride with their progressive metal. A rather small concert for the amazing qualities of the band. Tides From Nebula, hit the stage for a display of instrumental (post)rock without succeeding in the mission of keep the high levels of energy that were started by the French band. Shining on the stage and one of best gigs of the year.

Impressive? Why? They were amazing without using those cool effects on Jørgen Munkeby and playing the songs of One One One. Listening to ‘Fisheye’ and the awesome King Crimson cover, 21st Century Schizoid Man… EPIC! Last band

of the night and the all Amplifest experience, The Ocean.

What can you say about The Ocean that was not been said before? They are amazing. They released one of the best records of their entire career, Pelagial (Metal Blade). They are an incredible band to see live because the energy levels are over the top. It was brilliant like everyone was expecting, with the plus of being a very special gig since it was the last opportunity of the Portuguese fans to see Jonathan Nido (guitar) and Luc Hess (drums) performing with the band since they now left the band. An incredible conclusion of this Amplifest experience. Once again Amplificasom has proved their value through out an incredible and priceless experience.

Now we just have to wait for 2014 because chances are: we will be there, once again! —Tiago Moreira

Russian Circles

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats

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The Ocean

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Downfall of Gaia

MUDFEST VENLO, NETHERLANDS Photography by Susanne Maathuis

If you are looking for a festival with old fashioned doom, psychedelic tunes, raging stoner, post rock and metal. You are not really planning to spend loads of money and you want to see some qualitative good bands and you like a small-scale festival. You should definitely travel to Mudfest in Venlo (south of the Netherlands). When we walked in we got drowned in good old barbeque smells from the catering (The burgers were fucking amazing, has to be said), and you immediately get thrown into the overall atmosphere of the festival. The venue is perfect for this kind of festival; you have nice places to sit all around the venue. If you go to the second stage you even have some nice cozy cabins where you can take a seat and watch the band performing.

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The first day, Friday the 1st of November, was more of a taster.

Three bands played in the evening in the Venlo venue, free of charge! First of we got Nijmegen Stonerfront a Dutch trio

making some great instrumental stoner rock. Interesting is that the interaction with the crowd al comes from the drummer, Peter Dragt. Definite desert psyche elements swirl through their music. Their stage presence isn’t too energetic but with the energy and complexity of their music that doesn’t matter too much. This also means vocals aren’t missed. Next to take the stage was Downfall of Gaia, from Germany. With a beautiful almost sub-oceanic blue lightshow and a very high energy stage presence, we get more of a post rock trip from these guys. Using three vocalists the vocals sometimes distracted from the general soundscapes the band created.

In the mix on record the vocals are quite low, but live they were more up front. Sadly we felt the band would have been better with either no vocals or the vocals on a lower level.

They were however quite thumping and engaging. The nights final band was Abrahma, these Parisian psych rockers have a definite 70’s vibe going on. Their rather enigmatic front man Seb Bismuth wears fared jeans and, though he has an accent,

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Acid Deathtrip

has a very pleasant voice. The combination with the heavier psych the band plays and the long instrumental intros, outros and bridges is incredibly catchy. Combined with this they probably have the most engaging live show of the evening, and definitely wouldn’t be out of place on a bigger stage.

Honorable mention goes to their incredible debut album art, Through The Dusty Paths Of Our Lives (Small Stone Records).

We went back to the Mudfest grounds on Saturday the 2nd of November. Starting with the band Acid Deathtrip, coming with a musical mix they call ‘Blasphemous Boogie’. They definitely give us some bashing raw stoner rock that seems to be a bit standard, but hey, we like to boogie and therefore everyone likes to boogie. We got some nice standard but lurking riffs mixed in with some really low toned and bone shaking bass. What we definitely liked was the voice of their singer, yet raw that suits the overall stoner sound. But what we found characteristic was the pretty melodic vibe mixed into that raw sound.

Next up was another Dutch band named Wangunst, we were sitting in the back of the venue enjoying some beers when we heard a nice Hammond organ in their sound. We got exited so we rushed to the front, unfortunately it wasn’t a real Hammond. But well, it still sounded awesome if you ask us. This band brings us a really nice vibe that adheres on the thick, muddy bass playing and loads of feedback. This band definitely gets the whole venue to vibrate, and yes, we are talking about every material in there. Their sound definitely pounds on your chest. If you translate Wangunst, it means something like Envy. This name conceals the very vigorous

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Wangunst and dynamic vibe that is thickened with a very dark overtone.

After a little break we went to see the Swiss band Rorcal.

Rorcal starts with a very spherical, apocalyptic and atmospheric sound and it gets clear that this band isn’t suited for the easy listener. After the long lasting intro, it gets taken over by some really massive drone that gets you in some kind of trance. The trance gets interrupted by some harrowing, icecold, cold blooded screams. They mixed in some samples that definitely make your blood clot and some heavy feedback to support the overall sound. And all of a sudden, like it came out of nothing, the music changes to some classic lurking black metal complete with blast beats, heavy riffs and sick screams.

This sound does have a little post- sound, especially in the black parts of the music.

The following band was the more easygoing Mantra Machine.

If you are into space rock and psychedelic thickened with some nice stoner sounds, this is definitely your band. It sounds as a nice day in spring when you’re in your rowboat in a

Now back for some old fashioned doom with the band Pilgrim from the USA. As soon as the band starts, you get drowned into the wall of feedback they sent into the venue. This is doom metal as pure as it gets. Their vocalist simply called The Wizard really gets to you with a very pure and unctuous voice. Sometimes the voice gets pulled into the background in a very anxious and vicious way. This creates a pretty nice contrast between the vocals and the lurking doom oozing out of the instruments. With pretty low resources and pretty much no hodgepodge this band still creates a big wall of sound that both vivacious and lingering. This is a band that drags you completely into their sound and truly gets to you. One of the best performances of the evening if you ask us.

Mantra Machine still lake. The music builds to get more movement and more variable. Accents in the music take you by your throat with a screaming guitar that supports the overall sound. What you see a lot with this kind of bands that the music starts to nag a bit, this is not the case with Mantra Machine. It is full of repetition but it definitely isn’t simplistic and at the very end they show you they know how to make the audience party.

Good job Mantra Machine!

Pilgrim

For something completely different we get Throw Me In The Crater who really kick down the pedal and get way over the speed limit. If they were a car they would be a Mustang. They are vigorously and seem to have a lot of fun on that stage. But still have an authentic sludgy crusty sound. If it comes to a stage, they don’t have boundaries, what makes this the most energetic band up until now. The screams of the vocalist seem a bit plastic, most of the atmosphere and vibrant sounds come from the band around him. Don’t get us wrong, the vocalist Mr. Ash Spitter knows how to transfer the energy from the stage to the audience. They also take a rest with some serene sounds that really holds a nice epos.

Next up is the band Cultura Tres from Venezuela. Due to illness the band Pendejo couldn’t make it to the stage so Cultura Tres replaced them. At first it seems this band is really elementary. The lead guitar really speaks to us and is really deepened. This band comes with sludge/doom in a very

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Rorcal

Atlantis simplistic way. There weren’t really any surprises in the music and it stays the same in the entire show. When they tend to go to a peak in the music, they are disappointing us. We expected more of this. This band definitely earns some kudos when they told us the bass player is a friend they called last minute to play and is out there improvising on the music. He did do a good job; the music is pretty whipping and even a bit danceable. The vocals are really distinctive and leading; even though we think it would be better with clean vocals. This band is quite simplistic, but still gets you in a vibe and suitable for easy listeners. You want to get known with the sludge genre, this is a good band to start with.

We got upstairs to the second stage for another Dutch band named Gigatron 2000. They definitely give us some up tempo no nonsense stoner metal. They definitely let the venue vibrate up into the foundations. Normally we are not that fond of instrumental bands, because we would miss the vocals at some point. This definitely is not the case with Gigatron 2000, they don’t need vocals because they are replaced with very vivacious guitar play and a bass player that physical is very energetic. Again we stand in front of a band that definitely keeps the tempo high, every time we think there is a rest point in the music, the drummer kicks up the tempo again and in this way we get smashed by a lot of nice surprises in the music. The music gets interspersed by some nice spacy sounds, think of you sitting in a spacecraft going on a big adventure with the dangers and problems you would or wouldn’t expect. You took a mix tape with you with some nice thick and muddy stoner on it, and there you got the closest definition we can give you about Gigatron 2000.

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The last band we saw before we had to run for the last train was Atlantis. For us this was a suiting band to end this festival. They immediately kick their thick and heavy sound into your face. They create a wall of sound that leans on a lot of samples. Again we get faced to a band that uses a lot of low tones that easily pull you into the Atlantis experience. They take you away in a trance that at sometimes gets interrupted by pretty hulking and droning doom. They have three guitarists that thicken the sounds by the power of 10¹°. This definitely is a band that knows how to indulge you in their atmosphere and delivers quality. And for that we thank you.

Conclusion: Mudfest is a festival that thrives on atmosphere and the love of doom, stoner, sludge and all the sub genres in it. It is still a nice small scale festival that really gets people together and gets what music is about. We had a wonderful time and we are waiting for next year. Let’s see what the Mudgate has in mind for us. —Kaat Van Dormalen

Gigatron 2000

Throw Me Into The Crater

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Landmine Marathon

SOUTHwest terror fest

T u sc o n , ari z o na , U S A Photography by No Ceiling Photography/Valerie LittleJohn

DAY ONE

Early in the afternoon on the tenth day of October, a small corner on the edge of a rather quiet neighborhood in Tucson, AZ was besieged by a caravan of tour buses and vans. Within moments of screeching to a halt, this group of transports began disgorging the vanguard of an army primed for delivering an all or nothing audio assault of extreme music over a four day campaign. This was the beginning of the second annual Southwest Terror Fest, a celebration of heavy underground music with an impressive lineup that puts well known national acts alongside the best of the underground scene.

Year two was all about outdoing year one. Doubled in length, with sixty-five bands, the headliners also grew in immensity with revered artists such as Kylesa, Red Fang, and Sacred Reich leading the charge. Anticipating the experience of seeing these mighty bands and discovering new ones, a heady excitement permeated the air as those first day bands and venue staff converged.

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Within hours of their arrival, these merchants of extreme unloaded mountains of gear to strategic locations inside The

Rock, the well known local venue on the street corner that was about to become anything but silent. The impressive array of guitar cabinets, amplifiers, drums, and other instruments were tuned and adjusted, while microphones were fixed to stands much like bayonets would be fixed to the end of rifles.

Walking by the bar, one would have seen a stockpile of Pabst Blue Ribbon or a vast array of Jack Daniels, all of it neatly set up to supply the artillery of alcoholism that would shortly be firing for maximum effect. Yes, year two of the festival was definitely going the distance and pulling out all of the stops to make the biggest bang possible. Day one was ready to begin.

After an initial gaggle of local bands, who alternately performed on the main stage and the smaller, more intimate second stage, events began to heat up with some on fire performances via Godhunter’s confrontational punk sludge, Anakim’s cerebral hammering, and Sierra’s old school, groovy distortion. The mood of the event was cheerful and the growing crowd flowed smoothly across the the venue in search of merch, beer, or food. Later performances of note on that first day included a powerful set from Demon Lung, packing the smaller side room with their heavy dirges and

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Sacred Reich Necrambulant

Vehemence

apocalyptic vibes, as well as a rather unique band named Pinkish Black, who dropped an ethereal, keyboard heavy acid trip onto the curious onlookers over at the main stage.

Once Kylesa hit the main stage to close out the first day, it was clear that all which came before was mere prologue. Through their trademark poly rhythmic attack and gut wrenching atmospheres, Kylesa was the definition of heavy during their debut performance in the City of Tucson.

DAY TWO

As day two dawned, the festival kicked into even higher gear with a more extensive and diverse lineup. The crowd seemed to grow larger and more eager on that Friday night, ready to party harder. The bands slated to hit the stages for the evening certainly encouraged that attitude. From a local band Kvasura came Eastern European tinged folk metal that could make even the most kvlt hipster nod their head. The band featured an interesting male and female vocal combination, along with a guitarist who picked up the mic and sang a song in Russian. Tucsonans Lethal Dosage also whipped the crowd into a frenzy with their melodic, death tinged pummeling over in the once again tightly packed second stage room. The music grew even heavier when Oregon’s Transient assaulted ears with grinding chaos and Cave Dweller spit venom into the souls of listeners with their prog flavored death metal. Even these performances were outdone when Vehemence deployed a battery of razor sharp death tunes that mowed down droves

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of the crowd with flawless precision.

Rounding out the heavy caliber portion of the evening, Landmine Marathon crushed Transient heads with their alternating groove, and straight dirty death grind. The mood seemed to shift after all of the super heavies were done, as a bona fide legend was about to get up on the main stage. The show became a nostalgic sing-a-long as Sacred Reich capped off Friday with 80s thrash and proof that the old guys can still plug in their guitars and rock. They could have played ‘Surf Nicaragua’ ten times and the attendees would have enjoyed each one all the same.

DAY THREE

Half over or half begun, the festival entered a truly marathon third day of music, with bands beginning as early as one pm and continuing all the way through to about midnight. This was the day many had been waiting for and as events would show, the most epic of the four. The very first performance of the day was a good indicator and extremely surprising.

Destroy Her, hailing from Tucson, competently delivered alternative stoner sludge, but possessed a front man above and beyond the normal. Sounding like a mix of Geoff Tate and Bruce Dickinson, the vocals were stunning and elevated the decent music to a higher level. With twenty bands scheduled for one day, the festival kept chugging along efficiently and the crowd steadily grew larger as each hour passed.

Highlights from the afternoon included Skulldron from New Mexico, a mix of stoner and doom that any fan of Down should take a listen to, as well as the hard to classify sounds of Sorxe who came down from Phoenix to boggle minds with complex dynamics. By eight pm the venue was packed and

one of the most memorable performances of the entire four days happened when Subrosa got up to play the main stage.

Creating sheer walls of sound with guitar, bass, drums, and two violinists, Subrosa mesmerized all who witnessed their set and held that audience captive within their hands. There was the power of music made manifest on stage, incredible to witness and unforgettable afterwards. One might almost feel sorry for any band who had to follow such an incredible performance, but truth be told, the final acts on the main stage lived up to the challenge and instead of mesmerizing the crowd, they rocked them instead. Helms Alee gave people a taste of the main headliner with their rockin’ songs, but by the end of their set, it was clear that everyone was ready for the mighty Red Fang to blow the roof off. This was certainly done with flying colors. Playing a mix of fan favorites and tracks from their newly released album, Red Fang utterly rocked a packed house with their tight jams, blazing solos, and cool rhythms. The energy level between the band and the crowd was incredible and the mosh pit was raging with cyclonic fury.

When the final note was played, a very long day came full circle with the masses of drunk, stoned, and deafened festival goers looking visibly exhausted.

DAY FOUR

Dawn on the fourth and final day of Southwest Terror Fest was probably not something that many wanted to witness.

Most likely quite a few people stayed up very late after the slam bang finish of the third day and saw the march of the sun upwards from beyond the horizon, dismissing the necessity of rest and determining to endure just one more day of excess. Weariness was the name of the game, being quite visible on the faces of all involved in the saga of a multiple day metal show. This final stretch of the festival was heavily slanted towards the punk, grindcore, and powerviolence genres, with another early afternoon start time. Notable moments of the day included the chimeric Swampwolf, a band that seamlessly blended thrash, black metal, and punk into a face shattering fist. ACxDC, Theories,

and Sex Prisoner delivered chaotic, crusty noise that showed there was still some energy left on the final day of the event.

Changing the pace up quite a bit, an acoustic artist by the name of Amigo The Devil performed serial killer and humor themed songs with voice and guitar, leaving the stage and playing among the crowd. As the final hours of the four day odyssey approached and the daylight faded, things began to wind down quite a bit until the final headliner, Early Graves, riled up a dedicated group of onlookers with their hardcore tinged death and roll. This was the last chance to dance and the moshers bled off their remaining energy throughout this final performance out of over sixty bands and four days.

Collapse was no longer an option, but mandatory.

Thus four days of music came to an end. Many casualties were sustained, but victory was achieved. Whether it be punk, grindcore, thrash, death, post-metal, doom, stoner or plain old hard rock, Southwest Terror Fest showcased an amazing range of heavy music from the underground and the not so underground. The event illustrated that there are many good bands from west of the Mississippi that don’t come from California or the Northwest. Another of the most noticeable facts about this year’s show was the much larger representation of women within the bands, showing the growing acceptance and respect for women in this scene as musicians. This fest was efficiently run and the diverse crowd were united in enjoying and celebrating the the music that they love, not because it is popular, but because it speaks to them and provides a universal catharsis or release from the daily grind of reality. Next year will arrive soon enough, hopefully the ringing ears and wounded livers will have healed in time for another weekend of terror in the desert. —Ryan Clark

Early Graves

Theories

Sorrower

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ALBUM REVIEWS

FESTIVAL REPORTS

CONCERT REVIEWS

INTERVIEWS

A Perfect Circle Three Sixty HHHHHHHHII

After a time of dormancy, A Perfect Circle sprung back to life a few years ago, determined to be an at least be an occasional live entitly. At least that is what Billy Howerdel and Maynard James Keenan prefer for the fate of the band, lest they ruin the spirit they created together as composers and mutual muses. That said it has been good to see the band take stages on short tours, perform residences, or big international festivals the last few years.

In addition to the release of the multifasceted live box set Stone and Echo, the band also has a new greatest hits album out called Three-Sixty (A Perfect Circle Entertainment/WMG). Notable is the

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inclusion of the first new song from the band since 2004, ‘By And Down’.

Greatest Hits-type packages are an entire other can of worms unto themselves. In the past, when a band started to rise rapidly to fame, usually on the strength of a hit album or a a string of singles, labels would put out a “best of” collection to capture that interest and keep building the following.

How many bands of the last generation actually have real hits? Songs that have merits artistically, yet actually become popular a rarity, which makes revisiting these APC tracks a real delight. Not only are they merit-worthy, most of them are memorable earworms, thanks to Mr. Howerdell, Mr. Keenan, and the other talented members that have come and gone. Especially the Mer De Noms

and the Thirteenth Step material in particular. I always felt eMotive, save for a few songs, was lacking some of the sizzle of the original albums. I will say the deluxe edition has chill-inducing versions of ‘People Are People” (Depeche Mode) and Fiddle And The drum (Joni Mitchell) covers.

As for ‘By and Down’, it’s what you’d expect from a new APC track. It’s contemplative and it’s deeply moving.

I’d say the deluxe edition of Three-Sixty is worth the purchase for long time fans for this new song and the live tracks, and the standard version is for you if you have somehow slept on them up until now. —Keith (Keefy) Chachkes

Album Reviews

A Perfect Circle Stone and Echo HHHHHHHHII

The premise of the super-group is a always an exciting thought, especially when the members come from some of the most innovative bands in rock music history. However, combined forces don’t always pay off, with some groups failing to deliver collaborative goodness.

A Perfect Circle is one of the supergroups to emerge from said crowd that actually have some substance behind their well-known names and with a new album looking unlikely in the near future, the band have decided to keep their name relevant with a boxset release featuring live recordings of all three albums, plus their 2011 performance at Red Rocks.

Whether or not you’re A Perfect Circle fan, listening to the live renditions of Mer de Noms, Thirteenth Step and eMOTIVe does allow you to both appreciate the love the band has from its fans, as well as the quality of their live musical output. On excellent form not twice but thrice, Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan is superb for each of the album recordings here, as are Howerdel and co behind him, with their alternative rock noise sounding as relevant today as it did when first recorded. As for their show, their covers of ‘Imagine,’ ‘Gimme, Gimme, Gimme’ and ‘What’s Goin’ On’ act as major highlights, as impressive new song ‘By and Down’ sees them recalling their more melodic days of recent times.

The question with this box set however still remains: is it a viable purchase?

For fans, it’s a yes and for anyone who hasn’t seen the band perhaps it’s another yes but if you didn’t enjoy A Perfect Circle before, there really isn’t much here that will sway your opinion or your credit card, regardless of the quality tunes at hand. An indulgence rather than a necessity, Perfect Circle Live: Featuring Stone and Echo (A Perfect Circle Entertainment/WMG) features some fantastic music but it also sounds like the actions of a band that are trying to keep their fans, despite the fact that they haven’t offered anything (with the one song exception) new in nearly ten years.

There’s a whiff of a distraction technique in the air with this box set and it’s a costly one too. —Emma Quinlan

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Avatarium

Avatarium HHHHHHHIII Leif Edling is known by the fantastic and utterly magnificent work in the mighty Candlemass, but it appears that his creative mind needs other

Oranssi Pazuzu Valonielu HHHHHHHHHI

For those in the know, Finnish quintet Oranssi Pazuzu have been one of the most exciting and talked about bands operating in the labyrinth depths of the black metal underground; their borderline unpronounceable name and freakishly weird take on an established sound has been a tonic to those left cold by the standard blood n’ puke splattered fare from the Land of a Thousand Lakes.

2013 sees the release of third album “Valonielu” which in the words of the band themselves may well make good of their stated aim of making music “that invites all the arsonists and smokers to hold hands.”

The psychedelic element to Oranssi Pazuzu’s sound has always sat comfortably with their harder black metal basis, and these two forces weave and combine to great effect throughout the entirety of “Valonielu.” Opening track ‘Vino Verso’ is built around a repetitive mid-paced riff that you may find on a Satyricon B-side; clinical and basic, but it’s the swirling electronica that settles like a narcotic-infused miasma on the

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listener’s mind; the distorted Theremin creating a creepy, spacy atmosphere that elevates the track into something else altogether. The wandering bassline and rushing synth swells of ‘Tyhjä Temppeli’ take things to an even weirder plateau where warped prog structures meet harsh, strangulated vocals, minus guitars of course. At this point in time, reality already appears to be collapsing in on itself.

Languid dissonance is the order of the day on ‘Uraanisula’, again making use of repetition and eerie keyboards over the course of twelve increasingly harrowing minutes. This could be what happened if Pink Floyd had discovered a copy of the Necronomicon and decided to smoke the pages. The pace increases for the final few minutes with a jagged riff suggesting something truly unholy has been summoned as you feel your mind cracking under the onslaught, not helped by the nightmarish psychedelic vibe that seems to keep finding new ways to antagonise your ears.

Nerves are further frayed by the restless, swirling tones of instrumental Reikä Maisemassa’ and the dense, driving riffs

of ‘Olen Aukaissut Uuden Silmän’, the latter of which finally throws in a bit of tremolo picking. It doesn’t last long however, as kaleidoscopic prog rhythms drench proceedings in awesome, alien murk once more. We finish off with a few moments of serenity at the beginning of ‘Ympyrä On Viiva Tomussa’ before a shimmering wall of noise hits home and we are off into the void again, flying helplessly away from earth and sanity. The pounding riff and other assorted noises could have been written

by Beherit if they practised in a cave daubed by ancient astronaut hieroglyphs whilst off their tits on peyote and rum, and just in case you’re curious, that’s a good thing.

With “Valonielu”, Oranssi Pazuzu deserve to join the hallowed ranks of the weird that operate on the fringes of black metal, such as The Meads of Asphodel and A Forest of Stars. The level of originality, avant-garde oddness and raw talent is enough to render the panda-painted orthodox brigade as relevant as whatever Varg Vikernes writes on his blog these days. Is it black metal? Who knows what it is, and who cares? It’s in here now, with us, and that’s all that matters. —James Conway

outlets (great news, I would say), so the Swedish bass player started working on creating a couple of songs by himself.

From that to start working with Marcus Jidell (guitarist), finding the other three members, create five other songs, record the all seven songs and release Avatarium’s self-titled debut album (Nuclear Blast). Yeah, Leif worked really fast on this thing and I would guess that it was an amazing experience for him.

But let’s talk about the beast. This selftitled debut album has a star and the name of that star is Jennie-Ann Smith.

How can I put this? Jennie-Ann is like a gift in a combo-format: you have not only that recognizable voice in this all retro-rock revival but you also have this thing that I will call, in a arrogant way, that is personality, a very unique twist from someone that clearly listen more than just Black Sabbath and Dio – yeah, I’m saying that most retro-rock

vocalists don’t have fucking personality in that regard. Instrumentally speaking you have your old-school doom/hard rock that it’s not a left punch in the face by any means but the true is: even if you think that these tracks are kind of predictable in a way (and would not be wrong) it would be really difficult to not enjoy the damn experience since the puzzle is assembled in a very appealing way - sometimes that’s the all trick.

Look at the opener ‘Moonhorse’, it’s nothing new, per se, but how they play with these different melodies and moods it’s so fantastic that you just want to do air guitar and sing along to the wonderful lyrics (congratulations on the lyrics, Leif) of one of the best songs of 2013. A good start of a project that can really evolve to something tremendously epic. “Oh mother, are there horses on the moon? I saw them last night through the looking glass tube.” —Tiago Moreira

Master of Puppets) by creating anthems and developing their distinctive sounds and styles, nodding to the scenes that had spawned them, while moving (way) beyond them. Both bands suffered tragedies by losing much-loved and respected band members and responded with dark albums, littered with lengthy complex songs (Nightmare vs …And Justice For All).

Avenged Sevenfold

Hail To The King (Warners) HHHHHHHHII Juxtaposing the careers and fortunes of A7X and Metallica showcases a multitude of similarities. Both had early releases (… Seventh Trumpet/Waking The Fallen vs Kill ‘em All) that, while their respective genres (metalcore and thrash) were in their formative years, set the template for others to follow.

These were followed by seminal recordings that took each band beyond the movements they’d previously been attached to (City of Evil and Avenged Sevenfold vs Ride The Lightning and

And then Metallica released Metallica (aka The Black Album) which, for those who don’t know the story, established its protagonists as the most popular metal band on the planet, bar none, and far outsold any other metal album.

By millions. At the same stage of their career, 22 years later, Avenged Sevenfold may have released The Black Album II. Taking the same approach that Hetfield and Co did on their eponymous album, Hail To The King sees A7X simplifying their songwriting and focus on massive, straight-forward big riffs, powerful choruses, cavernous 4/4 drumming and producing great Rock/Metal songs. Much has been said of the way Hail To The King wears its influences on its sleeves, and much of what has been said is fair,

but to write off Hail To The King as a covers album, or to undermine what A7X have done here, is missing the point.

This is an incredibly strong album.

In an age where fillers populate mainstream metal albums that are structured like pop releases around a couple of singles, there are no weak moments amongst the 10 songs, with tracks as deep as #8, the Clairvoyantesque Coming Home, a highlight with its melodic headbanging guitar refrains inducing the involuntary Claw as it builds to crescendo. Then track 9, Planets, wades in, dark and crushing.

Hail To The King is littered with anthems at every turn, from the fistpumping, stadium-filling title-track, the GNR sleaze of Doing Time, the black crunching slabs of the sinister Requiem, the riff every new bedroom guitarist will learn first, Shepherd of Fire and the saccharine tones of the piano and strings led radio-hit-inwaiting Crimson Day. Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance pull off that oh-so-elusive feat of meting out leads and solos that are both memorable and enhance the song, in a way Mustaine and Friedman did in their prime, while M Shadows convinces, dominating the album like Axl Rose or Seb Bach used to, putting in the strongest, most genuine performance of his career.

There are more than clear nods to Metallica (This Means War is a re-write of Sad But True), Guns N’Roses (Doing Time), Countdown To Extinction-era Megadeth (Heretic) and Iron Maiden - there are full on headbangs in their directions - but through it all, this is undeniably an A7X album.

Until now, I’ve never been much of an A7X fan, but credit is more than due, it’s been earned. They set out to write a Classic Metal record and they’ve not only succeeded in doing that, they’ve written the Classic Metal album of their generation. Underground and extreme this isn’t. Big, mainstream and filled with metal anthems for a new breed of the wretched and divine this most certainly is. —Steve Tovey

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wants to go in. But Poison Idea? Now there’s a throwback.

Reaching back in time to re-re-release the seminal classic, Poison Idea’s third release, not-so-subtly entitled Kings of Punk, so that we may educate ourselves on what actually defines the phrase Hardcore Punk in a world where tough guy crews like Crowd Deterrent wear proverbial Burger King crowns and refer to themselves as such with no irony. It’s raw, nasty, dirty, uncompromising, and pretty damn good. I’ve been late to the party as far as this band is concerned, and I even missed their recent show in Quincy, but better late than never, because if you never, then how can you at all?

Poison Idea

Kings of Punk HHHHHHHHII And so, Southern Lord seems to be making its move towards becoming a hardcore label official. All jokes aside, the recent releases of material by Xibalba, Nails, Trap Them, and even d-beat lycanthropes Wolfbrigade is telling of the direction that the label

where Hell stood or fell. Whilst the debut was mainly comprised of 30 year old songs reprised and reworked, this years’ daemonic offering would be the first time this group had worked on a host of new material, and would either formalise their sound and status, or turn in a tired pastiche of days (and chances) gone by.

Hell

Curse And Chapter HHHHHHHHII The follow-up to 2011’s Human Remains, Curse And Chapter (both Nuclear Blast) was always going to be

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By the time the opening chorus of first track proper ‘The Age of Nefarious’ hits, like heaven, all doubts have been torn asunder; a glorious, infectious mesh of British thrash, NWOBHM and power metal that is no rehash-retro but an establishment of a serious “proper metal” contender for a new generation. It would have been easy for Hell to have become their own tribute band, but, while Curse

Jerry A.’s drug and alcohol infused spit will get in your ears as he yells about cops, being angry, and leading different ‘Lifestyles’ (see what I did? I hope not).

“Pig Champion” plays licks that are simple enough to be punker than you, but also tastefully executed and catchy so songs like ‘God Not God’ manage to stick around in your head while you imagine yourself drunkenly making room for yourself to slamdance. The rhythm section rumbles dutifully behind, but still has enough energy to feed positively off the guitar and vocals to create an atmosphere that lives up to the album’s semi-facetious name. I’m coming across

And Chapter stands with one foot on the monitor of the 80’s, it retains a contemporary freshness and vibrancy.

‘Faith Will Fall’ stomps, ‘Darkhangel’ is wrought with dark melodrama that recalls the best of (the much underrated) Tony Martin-era Sabbath, ‘Harbinger of Death’ evokes Show No Mercy and Angel Witch, and twin riff-machines Kev Bower and Andy Sneap deliver a barrage of power and melody throughout. Sneap’s own history is now fully integrated with the present of his bandmates and plenty of Sabbat rears its head, his dreamweaving particularly evident on ‘Deliver Us From Evil’ and ‘The Disposer Supreme’.

Vocalist David Bower is distinctive,

as too academic here, but only because otherwise this review would be detailing what kind of foolish act I would partake in while listening to any given song.

While the original material on its own stands the test of time, there are also live versions of every track and beyond, intermingled with some chuckle-worthy banter by Jerry A., this being the product of altogether too much liquor and too few brains left intact from just being too “punk” to articulate linear thought. It’s an exercise in how many different ways one can huff glue and still be functional enough to say something negative. Also a completely original forgery of Motörhead’s self-named jam which I can’t seem to remember the name of, and a hateful sampled piss-take where someone clearly is in need of Mr. Clean.

Taking the time to listen to Poison Idea has shown me just how important they were in the formation of hardcore punk as a genre, so I feel like even more of a nerd because I’m gonna namedrop them like everyone else when asked about the history of hardcore.

It’s always good to learn things.

—Sean Pierre-Antoine

with echoes of Ronnie James Dio in both his lyrics and delivery, mixing theatre and gravitas into an over-the-top classic metal voice, most notably in the taut ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’, the anthemic ‘End ov Days’ and the enjoyable romp of ‘Land of the Living Dead’.

With nods to great albums like Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath), Them (King Diamond) and Metal Church (Metal Church), Hell still forge their own identity, aided by an exemplary heavy metal production job (by Mr Sneap). Curse And Chapter is simply the best traditional metal album released this year. —Steve Tovey

Ghost B.C

If You Have Ghost (EP) HHHHHHHHII I probably have been asked more about the Ghost B.C. the last few years , and what I think of them as a legitimate good band. Insanely catchy, totally blasphemous and seemingly playing a joke on all of the humorless metal hipsters and elitists who hate them more than a tech death fan hates emo kids. While part of me says all of Ghosts’ entire being is gimmicky and the band would be just solid if it were a bunch of dudes, there is no denying the quality of the players or songs. When the dust settles years from now, I believe Ghost will be remembered for the impact they made on this era of music, and not the aura and schtick they that makes people discount them.

This EP is really not that much different than their other covers, or really any of their recorded out put. Except that this EP was produced by Dave Grohl, and these are some of the best and most fun covers the band has done to date. The title track is the Roky Erickson song ‘If You Have Ghosts’ which is pretty epically rendered. They give it their own bombastic treatment as you’d expect them too, and it works well.

Despite the hilarity of the idea of this band covering ABBA, I can’t really get past the fact that I hate ABBA deeply, as every self respecting metal fan does. Still, ‘I’m A Marionette’ works as a cover, and I suspect this will be the big ‘hit’ that carries this album. Army of Lovers’ ‘Crucified’ has no irony at all actually, and is also one of the top songs herein. The best cover, and perhaps the best cover the band has done is Depeche Mode’s ‘Waiting For The Night’. This rendering is down right bliss inducing, whether you count yourself a DM fan or not. The live version of ‘Secular Haze’ from Infestissumam is even creepier and more evil on repeated listenings that the original. The cross between the carny vibe and church music is great, and just cements the intelligence of the band to me. Once again, nothing new from this band sonically, but still enjoyable. —Keith (Keefy) Chachkes

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Russian Circles

Tides from Nebula

Memorial by Russian Circles is a confident beast. It slithers low on its belly on a dark, deep, moody journey, the songs running into each other to provide an ebb and flow that doesn’t exist within the songs themselves. As with all the good music it finds that balance between disparate and opposing elements, like the lone half bar of stick click leading to thumping, flailing drums, end to end with no percussion at all. There’s a heap of skill in the composition and the execution, making this one of the better post-rock/postmetal releases so far this year.

There are occasions where the name of the band and their sound are in perfect balance, and Tides from Nebula seem to have perfected this. Listening to the album is like being caught between staring into a clear night sky and an extreme acid overdose. Following on from their last studio album, Earthshine, released two years earlier, this album seems cleaner, more polished and altogether more hopeful than their previous release.

Memorial HHHHHHHHII

Eternal Movement HHHHHHIIII

This is everything you would want from a post-rock album, vast soundscapes dripping in atmosphere. Clean melodic

Despite comments by bassist Brian Cook about bands that sound like copies of Explosions In The Sky, these songs aren’t a million miles away either in their slow burn and atmospheric approach, especially in tracks like ‘Cheyenne’, which relies on subtle variations and contrast with its adjacent tracks rather than dramatic crescendocore, dynamics and a procession of short and ever-changing elements. Yes the tracks are shorter, much heavier and use oils and palette knives against the brush and watercolour of EITS, but each track explores one emotion at a time rather than a range. Add the fact it’s recognizably Russian Circles and you realize Memorial doesn’t stretch boundaries or redefine post-rock and post-metal.

As with their two previous records, there’s a wonderful raw quality and both riffing and tremolo guitar are more likely to play second fiddle to bass and drums than you normally find with this style. It gets very intense at times.

Actually strike that – some passages are even more intense than others even when light. A case in point is ‘Ethel’, which is the sunrise that breaks through the bleak, murderous night time of ‘Burial’ and provides one of the most beautiful transitions I’ve heard in post-rock and post-metal. All the while it retains that thumping, fat bass you can feel and see as well as hear, and those powerful but restrained drums, despite being a far more gentle track. Then there’s that perfect guitar only used in Ethel – some other instrumental bands could learn a trick here about avoiding effect overuse.

The transition from opener ‘Memoriam’ into ‘Deficit’ is severe, unpleasant, jarring and harsh as fuck. It will annoy a lot of listeners and that’s what I love about it – create discomfort by throwing a hurdle in nice and early that gives the listener no clue as to how this thing is going to pan out. It only makes sense if you listen to the record as a whole (as most fans will) and not to the tracks in isolation though. Once again, a quiet introduction giving way to a thunderous attack in track two is nothing new, particularly in metal and post-metal, but as with the rest of the album the execution is brilliant.

A record of this quality will have many talking about how it’s at the cutting edge of instrumental experimental rock, but it’s not, and it doesn’t matter.

This really is one long, epic song that takes you through a range of emotions without losing identity and without losing your attention. It’s far from the first instrumental rock album to do this, but it is one of the best. In the end that’s what matters. —Gilbert Potts

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Hail of Bullets

III: The Rommel Chronicles HHHHHHHHII With Bolt Thrower on-hold since 2005 (Those Once Loyal), at least in the full-length department, the supergroup Hail of Bullets (with members that have experiences in acts like the already mentioned Bolt Thrower, Pestilence, Asphyx, Thanatos, etc.) have been dominating the spectrum of old-school death metal bands that are portraying war-themes. III: The Rommel Chronicles (Metal Blade) is not a left turn in the themes that have been used by the Dutch band, but we can say that’s a left turn in the way things are approach. This time around the quintet of Amersfoort decided to

synth lines dance around distorted guitar chords, both of which are drenched in reverb. The whole album at points can dissolve into one long mash of reverb and light synth, but there are moments that make the whole experience worth

it. Now Run’s climactic moment is builds you up with rising tremolo guitars, leaving the listener held in anticipation, before dropping back into spacious noise, leaving the listener is a glorious state of release. Emptiness of Yours and Mine is by far the most exciting track on the album. Contrasting feelings of both bleakness and warmth, this track not only stands out through the contrast, with touches as simple as note bends, creates something vastly different and infinitely more interesting.

For me, this album is altogether too polished, too optimistic in its outlook. Much of what I find appealing about post rock and metal music is the unrelenting bleakness, bordering on nihilism that is inherent in the sound. As far as instrumental albums go though, this is certainly not a bad effort from the band, and although this may not be the most exciting release of the year it certainly does have its moments.

—Caitlin Smith

Doomriders

Grand Blood HHHHHHHIII

focus his lyrical attention in one person and tell the story of that person’s life: the good moments, the bad moments, the glory and the death. That person?

The German Field Marshall, Erwin Rommel. Decorated on World War I with the Pour le Mérite (a described moment in the song with the same name), he was also regarded as being a very humane person and a extreme professional officer, even though he was serving Adolf Hitler on World War II, where he has linked to the attempt of assassination of Hitler himself. That’s the big “game-changing” for Hail of Bullets. Having an approach that can be considerate more “human”, they manage to create a piece that’s a true rollercoaster of feelings and that puts the listener thinking about how life it’s not black and white and sometimes there’s an enormous lack of coherence.

Musically speaking it is Hail of Bullets like always. They are not reinventing the wheel, changing the game but I think that’s not their intention anyway.

They are just focused on creating great songs, great death metal songs with an obvious and rather delicious old-school death metal vibe and took the listener to various changeling and compelling moments. III: The Rommel Chronicles is another irrefutable proof of the quality of Hail of Bullets and a record that must be present in every death metal fan’s playlist. —Tiago Moreira

Best known for his work rumbling the 4-string for hardcore heroes Converge, Nate Newton is also the mastermind of Doomriders. Here, Newton swaps the bass for a guitar and his voice. Joining him on this adventure of sonic belligerence is guitarist Chris Pupecki and bassist Jebb Riley. For new album Grand Blood (Deathwish), drummer Q joins the fray.

As I recall, it took me some time to really get into their last album and truth be told, it did here too. Track three to be exact. ‘Mankind’ is actually the the shortest track on the album (save the intro) but it packs a wallop. A techy riff opens things before introducing a powerful sludgy riff and ample swing. Riley’s bass forces its way through the mix to growl and snarl away beneath a soaring solo.

Following a couple tracks later, that energy is picked up again on ‘Bad Vibes’. The relentless rhythm bounces and rolls through your brain. Newton’s screams here get full on, matching the solo that caps off this punk and roll juggernaut of a track.

Doomriders can bring the doom as well. ‘Father Midnight’, periods during ‘Dead Friends’, and ‘Death in Heat’ exhibit this tendency. The former rolls over the listener like a vindictive steamroller while still holding onto some groove and moodiness.

The latter carries a heavy stoner vibe, weighed down by a sort of humidity and dirty, dirty tone. And ‘Dead Friends’ balances sludge with a Cancer Bats-like energy.

Given the title you can guess how heavy the subject matter is.

From the elastic title track to the smoky ‘Gone to Hell’ and the gruff ‘New Pyramids’ to the Danko Jones-in fun of ‘Back Taxes’, Doomriders have compiled a series of tracks with enough stylistic variation to keep things interesting. Whether dragging through the mud or hot-roddin’ with style, Grand Blood nails whatever vibe they’re looking for.

Bottom line here is a fun album. It sounds incredible and would make for a great live spectacle. It’s great to see artists branch out from the projects they’re best known for and still produce something fans of those bands will enjoy. —Matt Hinch

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Ereb Altor

Fire Meets Ice HHHHHHHHII It’s like the start of another fantasy series that forgot to get inventive with the title. Fire and Ice may be recalling days past and calling on old gods, but it is certainly no half mastered project. Sharing their entire lineup, Ereb Altor is the side project to Swedish based band Isole. This could explain why despite forming in 2003, we saw so little of the band up to their first studio release in 2008. While releases from Isole have been in decline, Ereb Altor has suddenly taking new life, celebrating ten years together as a band with the release of their forth studio album this year with Gastrike (Napalm Records).

Metallica

Through The Never HHHHHHHHHI The common view of Metallica’s 3D IMAX movie seems to be tainted by misconceptions. Maybe in the attempt to avoid giving spoilers, or simply due to fans’ uncertainty towards the band following the, um, misguided ‘Lulu’ album, the message seems to have been lost.

See, Through The Never is being marketed as a movie about lead character Trip (the clue is, perhaps, in the name…), played by Dane DeHaan (Chronicle) and his, well, trip through the never on an errand for the band.

But the storyline and movie part serves only as an extended promo video would, cleverly linking in events to the songs being played on stage.

Almost as if Trip is watching the gig, and the anarchic events are playing out in his head like some kind of hallucination…

But what Through The Never actually is, is Metallica proving without a shadow of a doubt that they can lay a genuine claim to being the greatest metal band of them all and an essential live act.

After the obligatory cringey “Metullz!” first 3 minutes, Through The Never gets down to business when the single greatest intro track, ‘Ecstasy of Gold’ pricks those neck hairs. The band prepare to, and then take, the stage, ripping into a feisty ‘Creeping Death’.

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One noticeable difference right from the start is the lack of Bathory influence running through this album. Although it is not completely absent, and some songs still run strong with hints of Hammerheart or Twighlight of the Gods, earlier work such as first album By Honour could easily be passed up as a simple Bathory copy or tribute songs, while Fire and Ice is a very different beast. Sharing many of the parts between them, Mats and Ragnar are able to switch the sound from intense tremolo guitars and harsh vocals, to sudden moment of ethereal vocals and mournful guitars in a matter of moments. Their sound on this album is definitely blacker than anything the band has explored before, but rather than breaking out the pits of hell and raising the undead, it blends in and adds a layer of bleak determination and grim hardship.

Unlike other bands dominating the folk and Viking metal genre, they always maintain a distinctly mournful, somber tone throughout the album, never breaking into anything that resembles a catchy riff or jig. Their message is simple; this is fantasy for those that like it desolate. There are no warm nostalgic memories of battle or songs of favour from the old gods. The world is burning, ravaged by fire and ice, and this is the anthem of a new age.

This is Viking metal at its very finest. —Caitlin Smith

‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’ follows, sounding as vibrant and classic as at any time during their career, aided by a simply monstrous and superbly captured live sound, before a breakneck ‘Fuel’ leads us back to Trip and his mission.

With a set focussing on their 80’s beasts, a venomous jackhammer version of ‘Ride The Lightning’ and the epic juggernaut of sinewy riffing that is ‘…And Justice For All’ are the standout tracks. As you’d expect, the concert footage is expertly shot, showcasing a spectacular stageshow of descending coffins, pyros, a giant electric chair getting zapped by lightning, pyros, a sea of crosses arising from the floor during a momentous ‘Master of Puppets’, pyros, Doris being rebuilt and destroyed again, pyros, video accompaniments and other tributes to stage shows past (flaming roadies, collapsing lighting rigs and a “garage” version of ‘Hit The Lights’) all capped by

a magical version of ‘Orion’ during the end credits.

Old dogs with new, very visually impressive, tricks, Through The Never is a must-see that will reinvigorate your forgotten love for the very best. I just wish it was longer. —Steve Tovey

In Solitude

Sister HHHHHHHHII While the scary costumes and whimsical 70s pop choruses of a certain other Swedish band may gain the most column inches, five other Scandinavian sons of heavy metal have been making waves in the underground for quite some time now. Uppsala natives In Solitude have already released two albums of Mercyful Fate meets Iron Maiden old school heaven but 2013 sees their sound both mature and advance significantly into other realms as elements of Goth rock and post punk rear their collective heads on Sister (Metal Blade Records).

It’s evident from the mournful, clanging chords of opening track ‘He Comes’ how much In Solitude has grown as an outfit since the release of The World.

The Flesh. The Devil. (Metal Blade Records) three years ago. The galloping exuberance of before has been honed through a prism of sublime Classic Rock songwriting that gives each cut on the

album a timeless quality.

The surging hard rock vibes of ‘Death Knows Where’ have a commanding, muscular feel that while hinted at on previous releases is fully and gloriously realised here.

As previously mentioned, outside influences have made their presences felt, as witnessed by the eerie refrains of ‘A Buried Sun’ that resembles The Cure covering mid-period Black Sabbath.

Each member of the band puts in an utterly stellar shift throughout, which is easily demonstrated by the infectious melodic riffing of ‘Pallid Hands’ and the quirky, marching rhythms of the title track. But the standout performance has to be by vocalist Pelle Åhman, whose cold, commanding tones echo

Isis or Light Bearer. Subtle and building, the landscape dramatically shifts as the axe cleaves the coconut, spilling not sweet-milk, but the acerbic demonic, growled incantations of James Dorton, gobs of cancer spat over a cataclysmic riff, like Fleshgod Apocalypse shorn of symphony or classical enhancement, as calamitous drums drive a track that has moved from post-Rock firmly into modern technical Death Metal.

Black Crown Initiate Song Of The Crippled Bull HHHHHHHHII

The dark, broody start to Stench Of The Iron Age, the first track of Black Crown Initiate’s debut self-released EP Song Of The Crippled Bull, is just long enough to draw you into anticipating something in the post-Rock field. Maybe something in the Anciients ball park. Possibly a little

But they’re not done, as the track mutates seamlessly into a Leviathan of a clean middle section, disorienting before vomiting forth a closing section worthy of Gorguts’ Colored Sands opus.

All within one song.

If there is a criticism, it is in that schizophrenic nature of the beast, as songs mutate from Meshuggah 8-string chuggery, to Opeth meanderments (Ghost She Sends), from metalcore, to black metal (The Mountain Top), or clip from progressive Ihsahn (Eremita-era)

and soar all over this recording like Joe Strummer had he been allowed to really sing his lungs out. Add in a warm, husky production that gives each instrument room to breathe and we have a late contender for album of the year.

So many more people need this band in their life and with any luck, Sister will be the record that does it. —James Conway

jagged riffs, to sweet, minor chords and clean vocals, to pounding Death Metal (Song of the Crippled Bull) and just when you think you have a handle on them, like a toddler with ADD they’ve ditched one thing to shout and scream at the next.

But it’s a minor grumble, as each section is expertly crafted, and the individual sea-changes seamlessly performed. The EP works as a long continuous suite due to the nature of their compositions and the regular style changes, each new song beginning from the womb of its’ predecessor.

Black Crown Initiate are neither technical nor progressive nor straightahead Death Metal, nor post-Rock, nor-US Doom, nor Metalcore, nor Black Metal, nor Djent. They are all of these.

They are also highly promising and one to watch, for surely it can’t be long until the label sharks are circling and we are treated to a full length release.

—Steve Tovey

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Code

Augur Nox HHHHHHHHII Without a doubt, Code is one of the best-kept secrets of the metal underground. Despite beginning to gather a more substantial following, they still remain unknown to large portions of the metal community. It has been a four yearlong wait for the follow up to Resplendent Grotesque, and a series of crippling line-up changes have seen this band disappear out of knowledge for quite a while, but they have finally returned with their third studio album, Augur Nox (Agonia Records).

Avant-garde black metal is one of those genre names that sends people running. So often used to describe bands that have thrown any old idea together into a clashing mess of an album. Augur Nox is the perfect amalgamation of evolving time signatures and dark harmonies. Having been through such a turbulent time between albums it is no surprise that this release is so different from their old sound. This is more progressive, less overwhelmingly hateful. One of the most noticeable changes in sound however is the vocals. Wacian’s vocals are vile and agonizing, moving into softer, controlled clean sections underpinned by a tight rhythmic backing by bassist Syhr and drummer LORDt. This may not be my favorite release by the band; Resplendent Grotesque is seductively vile in a way that Augur Nox doesn’t quite manage. For a band that has replaced three of its members in the last few years this is a real step up.

The album is tight, refined and viciously precise. Lets hope this band doesn’t remain an underground secret for too much longer. —Caitlin Smith

debut Phormula they seemed poised to pick the leftovers from the appealinglyeccentric black metal with bits buffet that Arcturus were still keeping wellstocked, but instead Tisso has taken the bizarre choice of hitting the reset button (to abandon one over-stretched metaphor for another) after each album, starting again with a new line-up, new theme and a different take on a familiar sound.

Ephel Duath

Hemmed By Light, Shaped By Darkness HHHHHHHIII As the man who IS Ephel Duath, Davide Tisso doesn’t believe in making easy choices. Following their 2000

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It’s an approach which hasn’t always worked out for him, delivering misses as often as hits and at worst making Tisso seem like some Poundland Ihsahn, but HBL brings the success rate back up, constituting both a massive step-up from 2009’s heroically boring Through My Dog’s Eyes, and a genuinely rewarding album in its own right.

Pro-Pain

The Final Revolution HHHHHHHHHI Holy hell is Gary Meskill angry on the new Pro-Pain album, The Final Revolution (SPV). The band have hit another home run in their massive legacy. Clocking in at almost 37 minutes, they just went for the throat. This album is right to the point, and no song is over four minutes long. Along for a third time, producer V.O. Pulver returns to lend his knob magic to this straight forward beast.

They open their 14th album with the most evil sounding riff I’ve ever heard from them; ‘Deathwish’. It’s possibly

The biggest draw for non-fans is that Tisso’s wife Karyn Crisis handles sole vocal duties, the first full album she’s sung on since 2004 (save for 2012’s On Death And Cosmos EP). Her performance is initially disappointing, forsaking the rapid shift between extremes she used in Crisis for a middle-register audible rasp throughout, but once it settles in it’s a quietly engaging performance, simmering with pent-up resentment and a controlled anger which stands out from the shrieking and raging of most Extreme Metal.

The music this time around seems to take its cues from Karyn’s vocals, feeling at times like a more restrained and introspective take on The Hollowing era Crisis. This is not music that tries hard to grab you, there are

the closest to death metal as they can get. Gary is such a vocal powerhouse and an amazing bassist. Singing bass players- take note on how it’s done:no slouching.

He has some of the catchiest lyrics in all of metal/hardcore, as you’ll find yourself singing along to ‘One Shot, One Kill’ and the title track.

New kid to the block, drummer Jonas Sanders sounds like he’s been in the band all along. He fits in smoothly with Gary’s style too.

On ‘Fall from Grace’ and ‘Mass Extinction’ he brings huge amounts of speed and groove to the band.

Guitarists Marshall Stephens and Adam Phillips are the sonic juggernauts here. Marshall is a masterful songwriter and has a furious right hand. Adam has some serious solo skills, with ‘Want Some’, ‘Can’t Stop The Pain’ and ‘All Systems Fail’. They even toss in a few well placed dual harmonies to seal the deal. This album ends fast as it starts with ‘Under the Gun’. It has a killer old-school hardcore tint to it while merging it with the newer breakdown school.

Schools in session. Pro-Pain are the teachers. —Omar Cordy

Tyr

Valkyrja HHHHHHHHHI Folk metal or Viking metal, whichever you prefer to call it, is a sub-genre that really seems to have taken off over the last decade, with an abundance of successful acts coming through, many of which hail from the Scandinavian plains. Tyr are a Faroese three-piece who have been riding under the above musical moniker for quite some time, as their name, subject matters and often chosen singing tongue all have roots in their Nordic heritage. Tyr however, isn’t your typical Viking metallers, a point personified in their new album, Valkyrja (Metal Blade).

A conceptual album loosely surrounding the tale of a Viking warrior who sets off to battle in order to impress goddess Freyja, Tyr’s seventh studio output doesn’t rest on their previous laurels, with a ballad even making its way onto the album. Recorded with Leave Eyes leading lady Liv Kristine, ‘The Lay of

Our Love’ works surprising well on the album, even if it is a shock upon first listen. As for the rest, Valkyrja slips from progressive moments to heavy riffs and power-laden rhythms, with songs such as ‘Mare Of The Night,’ ‘Another Fallen Brother’ and ‘Grindavisan’ bringing some respectively hefty, technically brilliant and grandiose moments to the fold.

The real magic on this album however lays in their bonus tracks, which come in the form of Iron Maiden’s ‘Where Eagles Dare’ and Pantera’s ‘Cemetery Gates.’ Whilst both are fantastic renditions, their version of Dimebag and co’s masterpiece is truly astounding with justice thoroughly being given to a track that most heavy metal bands wouldn’t dare to touch, never mind genuinely make their own. Another triumph for the Faroese metallers, their mission is apparently to break down the heavy metal walls and with Valkyrja, their quest certainly seems to be all the more closer to fulfilling.

—Emma Quinlan

no hooks or catchy melodies here, and equally no showboating tech-fests – though much of what Tisso does here is genuinely bold it’s quietly so, with little flash.

Atmosphere and the building of tension are more important here than catching attention, and at its weakest the album can drift into the background and lose focus, but overall keeps the balance maintained.

Hemmed By Light, Shaped By Darkness is a quiet, unassuming album that doesn’t bellow its qualities out loud, but whose hidden depths open up on multiple listens to reveal a genuinely rich and layered collection of songs.

—Ritchie Hanton-Rutherford

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turn them into a tale larger than life itself. In doing so, the musical misses the mark. The television show’s toilet humor doesn’t mix well with the sound of a fifty piece orchestra and feels as though it is trying entirely too hard at times. The storyline itself is also nothing to write home about. Time that could have been spent developing it further is instead devoted to elaborate musical numbers.

This works out well for a few scenes, most notably the flashback detailing Toki’s guitar duel with Skwisgaar and his subsequent recruitment into the band.

Dethklok

METALOCALYPSE: the Doomstar Requiem - A Klok Opera, Soundtrack HHHHHHIIII Musical Special HHHHHHHIII Dethklok is a show/band that you either hate or you love that has never been more apparent than with the release of The Doomstar Requiem – A Klok Opera (BS Records). Brendon Small’s rock opera is something that needs to be seen to be believed. I don’t say that because it is a masterpiece, but because the soundtrack falls flat without our favorite animated metal band’s shenanigans.

The Doomstar Requiem takes everything great about Metalocalypse, its humor, metal, and kooky hijinks, and tries to

Musically, the album leaves much to be desired. Dethklok is marketed as a metal band and this production is more of a taste of Broadway with some electric guitars thrown in. There are a few interesting riffs that I would have liked to see pan out but it is primarily filled with softer ballads. That’s not necessarily a bad thing in the right context, I was just expecting something decidedly more brutal than what was delivered.

Having the visuals to accompany the music definitely makes the soundtrack far more tolerable than it would be on its own. Listening to The Doomstar Requiem album sans animation is actually pretty boring unless you’ve seen it at least once. I wouldn’t bother with the soundtrack unless you have seen the special a few times and can’t live without it. That being said, the scene featuring the song ‘Partying Around the World’ should be a national treasure.

—Aleida La Llave

Giant Squid

Monster in the Creek HHHHHHHHII So often it’s said that live music shows different and more complete pictures of bands, and the bonus live recordings from this reissue of Giant Squid’s first ever EP affrims that point with gusto.

This Texan / F’risco quartet is now shorn of Aurielle Zeitler, the female vocalist of the original issue of Monster in the Creek (Translation Loss Recordings), but still purveys the blend of progressive madness and melancholy beauty on show here: organ parps, jazz-like

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flurries, and winsome vocals from Zeitler combatting the angry vitriol of male vocalist Aaron John Gregory.

It’s minutes into the opening title track before the first shot in anger reassures the listener that this isn’t a Carpenters album: roaring guitars accompany Gregory’s sneering delivery, not dissimilar to John Lydon circa PiL, this having succeeded an earlier indie wistfulness. Zeitler’s delivery is a little reminiscent of early Beautiful South chanteuse Briana Corrigan on the largely balladic ‘Dead Man’s Fog’, whilst there’s a modern torch-style to the opening of ‘Age of Accountability’: a smoky breeze evoking solitary corners of a Parisian brasserie, and some stylish vocal interplay with gorgeous melodies.

Again however, the final third sees crunching riffs, chaotic organ breaks and Gregory’s snarl return. He adopts a death scream in the bizarre circuspunk of ‘Throwing A Donner Party’, the riffs of keyboards and guitars lifting and soaring in unison, the track’s lighthearted title betraying the first serious outbreak of fire and its dark subject matter of shark attacks. The prog-folk lilt of ‘Dare We Ask the Widow’ brings us back to the core sound, with some heartbreaking Zeitler intonations leading toward a crashing crescendo in the most alluring, bewitching track of the set.

Closer ‘Lester Stillwell’ is a high-pitched, plinking organ accompanying those subtle riffs before the latter half of the album sees those instrumental demos and more violent live performances show the band in a new, enlivening light.

Whilst this is one of the most diverse, warming yet beguiling albums I think I’ve ever heard, its disjointed but fitting blend of beauty and strength totally absorbs me and is definitely worth repeated investigations. —Paul Quinn

Trivium

Vengeance Falls HHHHHHHHHI Trivium have always given the impression of trying too hard to second guess what others want from them; reacting to the mixed reception given the more traditional heavy metal of The Crusade, they went too dark, too heavy with Shogun (two very underrated albums, despite being stylistically and critically questioned), before making a respectable, if inconsistent, attempt to restore the balance with In Waves.

So, it comes to pass that Vengeance Falls (Roadrunner) is not only Trivium’s sixth release, but their most important since they smashed through the glassceiling with their classic second album, Ascendency.

With Vengeance Falls, Trivium have stopped worrying about what they think they should do, and have released the album they needed to – a glorious summation of all that they are. David Draiman, delivers not just as producer but also as coach to Matt Heafy, who gives the vocal performance of his life consistently throughout an album that

Black Magician The Pursuviant EP HHHHHHHIII

With their latest EP, Black Magician call on the pursuivant of the doom cult, the followers of valve amps and 70s fuzz. Alongside a handful of other bands advocating the return to analogue and a distinctly retro sound, they have managed to create a good blend of modern guitar clarity and nostalgic old sounds, ensuring they don’t fall into the easy trap of being another band making reproductions of old music while chanting praise for anything that comes from the past. There really isn’t a better time for this band to be around, with a return in popularity for vinyl and cassette this Liverpudlian Quintet are far from being out of their time, they seem to be carving their own way in it.

For the adherents to the cult of Black

sees the Florida quartet rediscover and revel in what makes them a great band; thrashy hooky riffs, searing leads, memorable vocals and He-Man strength metal song-crafting.

While the title-track is the standout song of an album bursting at the seams with standout songs, merging the riffing of ‘Pull Harder…’ with the catchiness of ‘The Anthem’, it is the quality and relentlessness with which new classics ‘To Believe’, ‘Strife’, ‘Through Blood’ and ‘Dirt and Bone’, ‘No Way To Heal’, and ‘Brave This Storm’ follow that underlines just how consistent and strong Vengeance Falls is. Not only is this Trivium’s most consistent album to date, it’s their definitive album; the one that takes all the best moments of their past, and machine-guns them at you in a vulgar display of power and hooks.

Yet, the most impressive is saved til last, and the dark, expansive closing pair

of ‘Incineration and Wake…’, show a new depth and progression while still retaining a crunching metal energy that serves not only to tie up the album perfectly, but promise much for future releases.

Brothers of Metal, with Vengeance Falls, Trivium have Hailed, and they have Killed! —Steve Tovey

Magician, The Pursuivant (Svart Records) as everything expected from a release by the band. The album is totally lacking in any recognizable familiar song structure, and has a distinct absence of any real choruses. This isn’t to say the songs are not enjoyable though, particularly opening track ‘The Pursuivant’ which relies on short riffs and returning refrains. Everything is dripping in layers and layers of warm fuzz, while the blaring Hammond organ sound flutters to the surface, before being replaced again by the rich guitar tones, which is all pulled together by barked lines from vocalist Liam Yates.

Despite only being three tracks long, the EP seems to cover a wide range of styles for the band, with the acoustic softer touches of ‘Grene Knyght’ to the dark, frantic almost hysterical instrumental track ‘Black Henbane.’ This change is style may be refreshing for the listener,

but the release does seem to have been a little premature, and taking time out to work on a full-length album may have made these tracks make more sense together as a release. I’m not a convert just yet, but the guys certainly know how to pull together an interesting sermon. —Caitlin Smith

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Death Angel

The Dream Calls for Blood HHHHHHHHHI This is there most darkest, fastest and aggressive Death Angel album to date. Thanks to great song writing and production at the hands (and ears) of Jason Suecof, this just screams evil, tainted thrash. This is one of those albums where every song is good. I don’t know about the dream, but the band certainly called for blood.

Amazing production aside, the musicians here just shine. Singer Mark Osesgueda has a really killer flow on ‘Fallen’. It’s got a catchy as hell chorus that I found myself singing along to. This has their best lyrics so far too. Rob Cavestany’s solos are just remind you of early Kirk Hammett on ‘Caster of Shame’. The title track has a great gang vocal section that just makes everyone sound pissed off. My favorite tracks so far for me are ‘Execution Don’t Save Me’. It is the most dynamic song of the bunch. The acoustic opening reminds you of something early

Metallica would have played. Then they blast out into speed heaven before stopping on a dime before the first vocal is uttered. The chorus is just so damned groovy it sticks with you.

Bassist Damien Sisson has marvelous sound that comes across flawlessly on ‘Empty’ and ‘Succubus’. Yay for finger style playing! Drummer Will Carrol lives up to his name; Beastman. He just pounds away on with speed and finesse on ‘Son of the Morning’. The other standout is ‘Territorial Instinct/ Bloodlust’. Rob and Ted Aguilar dual harmonies on this bad boy are insane.

This has been on repeat many, many times on my stereo. It is a damn fine way to close out this masterfully crafted sonic opus.

It’s school, without being old school (take a minute to figure it out it makes sense). If you’ve been sleeping on Death Angel for whatever reason, this might be the thing to change your mind. And the cover art kicks ass too!

—Omar Cordy

The Earls of Mars The Earls of Mars HHHHHHHHII

There’s a moment… scratch that, there’s close to 43 minutes of moments… on The Earls of Mars self-titled debut album (Candlelight) where you wonder if this English quartet really are proper off-the-shelf-down-theback-of-the-sofa-giggling-tothemselves-about-socks-andpulling-the-hair-and-limbs-offdolls unhinged.

It’s clear from the off that The Earls of Mars aren’t for everyone, nor do they want to be, but with their stand-up bass and From Hell opium-den Carnivale atmosphere, if they are for you, then you’re in for a treat. An odd, off-colour, unusual Wonka-like treat that may lead to unwanted consequences, but a treat nonetheless. If Tom Waits’ interpretation of Renfield (from Francis Ford Coppolla’s Dracula) was able to sneak out of the asylum and away from doing his Master’s bidding to form a band, The Earls of Mars would be that band.

Indeed Waits is a relevant reference, particularly for the voices of Harry Armstrong, who moves from Waits-like commentary to Danzig-howls and everything in between, both Jeckyll and Hyde, but as if he’s drinking different potions each time, with his Hyde a multitude of characters (one imagines at least one of them wearing a brown leather

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flying helmets and goggles) and personalities.

Flashes of Victoriana, Sabbath, B-Movies, post-Surf Rock, Devin Townsend, swing, Horror soundtracks (The Mirrored Staircase in particular), and jazz flash past our ears, stop and pull a moonie before being replaced by something else in an organic, unpretentious freak-show parade.

At the centre of the album lies Otto The Magnificent, a sneaky sleaze, and an 1890’s equivalent to Faith No More’s RV, until Armstrong starts scatting (the vocal style, we’re not talking defecation here) to lead the us into The Ballad of Ben Ayre, a tense steampunkmetal drawl, before the albums’ masterpiece, The Last Glass EyeMaker, a dark, absinthe-soaked piano and bass-led tale, takes us on a journey of misery and mania.

Also featuring all 3 tracks of The Earls’ creepy and promising Skies Are Falling EP re-imagined, this back-streets of Victorian London journey is for those prepared to leave their inhibitions, and minds, at the door. —Steve Tovey

Pestilence

Obsideo HHHHHHHIII Pestilence picked a tough year to release Obsideo (Candlelight). Release this pretty much any other year since they split and they’d have waded tall, as returning champions, through the mire of a bloated, sterile, turgid scene that, Deathcore aside (and let’s just leave that one well to one side… Ideally outside.

On its own. Standing against the wall, thinking about what it did), had barely spewed one original idea into the void for over a decade.

But come 2013, and Death Metal (if a scene can have a collective sentience) has finally, by osmosis (and lashings of Deathspell Omega), begun to mutate and create; this year being its most vibrant since 1993. Portal kicked things

off with the mind-melting Vexovoid before Gorguts and Ulcerate brought dark, discordant masterpieces to the bloodied table, amongst others. Even the old-guard are rejuvenated, Autopsy and Immolation came out swinging, and Suffocation’s feral Pinnacle of Bedlam tore off faces. MMXIII has been Death Metal’s year.

resplendent in Gojiraisms ramped to 666, but Obsideo is at its’ best when mid-tempo stompier, simpler riffs merge into off-kilter timings and discordant tech-DM, none more evident than in the closing trio of Saturation, Transition and Superconscious, the latter of which could sit proudly on the underrated Formulas Fatal To The Flesh.

So against this backdrop, and having headed back into the fray with a somewhat under-whelming return since 2008, can Pestilence stand up to the competition?

24 years after setting the standards for all those to follow with Consvming Impvlse, by refusing to relive his own past Mameli has shown Pestilence can still live up to their legacy by refusing to imitate it. —Steve Tovey

Once the opening heartbeat gives way to a sampled flat-line, pure Death is released in a battering cascade of flailing percussion and visceral guitaring that is opener and title-track Obsideo. Patrick Mameli’s fusing of thrashy-death metal with added technical flair is at the heart of second track, Displaced as the album finds its rhythm, with plenty of Chuck Schuldiner homage prevalent throughout. Aura Negative is a throatripper, NecroMorph and Laniatus are

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Collapse and Crush Dave Wyndorf of Monster Magnet

Editor’s Note: As often as we can we here at Ghost Cult, we like to bring you guest editorials, unique stories, and mini-topic interviews from people in the scene. Band members and musicians with varying interests to share, music business types breaking down some facet of the current state of the industry, or a music journalist with something truly unique to say.

Dave Wyndorf of Monster Magnet is known to be a comic book mega fan and much of his love of it as influenced 20 plus years of the band’s lyrical concepts (and even the naming of the band came from a toy from the 1960s he loved). He shared with Ghost Cult about some of his favorite books he is reading lately and why he loves it so much: “I read a lot of stuff. My favorite books lately…there’s a book on Image called Prophet, which is a really cool book. It’s kind of under the radar over there. Saga is selling a lot better and is a big star over there. It’s kind of like that French guy Mobius. It’s very psychedelic and cool…a space travel guy but organic in a weird way. It’s hard to describe but if you read it and you’ll go ‘this is fucked up’. I’ll read a lot of the Marvel stuff as it comes out. I read Infinity as it’s coming out. All of the Hellboy Universe stuff is really good. BPRD I think is a really good comic book - really great characters and really great concepts.”

Prophet

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“Comic books rule. Even though the movies are making more money, and the movies are spectacular and moving, still comic books are the one place you get fast entertainment and the concepts know no bounds or no budget. The guys who make comic books don’t necessarily have to listen to 50 guys talking about how their sales are about to go. It’s not that expensive. You can come up with your own concept and put a visual to it. Guess what? Budget – fuck you. I just drew the universe. That’s why I love comic books. It’s very pure form of communication.” —as told to Rei Nishimoto

Hellboy