Heavy Music Magazine Issue #14

A L L

N E W

H E A V Y

C I N E M A

 A U S T R A L I A’ S P U R E S T H E AV Y M U S I C M A G A Z I N E 

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FAITH NO MORE COAL CHAMBER THE RETURN OF NUMETAL? THE HAUNTED /// GEORGE KOLLIAS PA RA DI SE LO ST /// IN H EA RT S WAKE KING PARROT /// HELLOWEEN K A M E L O T /// B L O O D S H O T D A W N DEEZ NUTS /// GALLOWS /// KEN MODE BEARTOOTH /// JOHAN HEGG

OZ UNDERGROUND

VENOM

THE LEGACY CONTINUES

D E C I M AT U S ♦ H E L L B R I N G E R D A M N AT I O N S D AY ♦ D E A D K E L LY

P L U S

S U P E R H E I S T

R E V I S I T E D

ISSUE 14 $9.95 inc.gst ISSN 1839-5546

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“PSYCROPTIC HAVE DONE IT AGAIN...8.7/10” LOUD MAG “A GENRE-SPLICING MASTERPIECE....5 STARS” FRANKENSOUNDS.COM.AU “VETERAN TECH-DEATH PROS DELIVER THE GOODS AGAIN.... 8/10” THE METAL FORGE

BETWEEN THE BURIED & ME “coma ecliptic” out july ORDER ONLINE

out 22.05

ARMORED SAINT “win hands down” out june 5th

out 08.05

METALBLADE.COM YOUTUBE.COM/METALBLADE RECORDS TWITTER.COM/METALBLADE INSTAGRAM.COM/METALBLADERECORDS FACEBOOK.COM/METALBLADERECORDS

SATANS WRATH “die evil” out now

WWW.NERVEGAS.COM.AU

ENTRAILS “obliteration” out now

ENSIFERUM “one man army” OUT NOW

MOTOR SISTER “ride”3 OUT NOW

CONTENTSISSUE14

14 FAITH NO MORE

24 GALLOWS

18 THE HAUNTED

49 RISE OF THE NORTHMAN

20 COAL CHAMBER

52 TYLER BATES

The story of how the iconic alt-rockers shrugged off the shackles of semi-retirement to write Sol Invictus in almost total secrecy.

Sweeping personnel changes have breathed new life into the Swedish speedsters but what happens when new members perform old songs?

The nu-metal mainstays are back and while the line-up is familiar, Dez Fafara wants you to know that this ain’t no late ‘90s tribute act.

Gallows singer Wade MacNeil has something to say about the state of punk and hardcore, and he doesn’t care if you don’t like it. A must read.

In the all new HEAVY Cinema section, Amon Amarth vocalist Johan Hegg discusses what it was like to play a viking in the film Northmen.

Spend some time with Tyler Bates, the prolific film composer who just happened to write Marilyn Manson’s latest record.

Photo: Tim Tronckoe Photography

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6 Shrapnel 10 Hi-Rotation 22 Paradise Lost 26 King Parrot 29 George Kollias 30 Helloween 33 Kamelot 34 Beartooth 38 Deez Nuts 40 Ken Mode 41 In Hearts Wake 42 Bloodshot Dawn 44 Make Them Suffer 46 Venom 49 HEAVY Cinema 54 Past Blasters: Superheist 56 Oz Underground 60 HEAVY Surveillance 62 Pinups: Eliran Kantor 65 Now Hear This 66 MYOFB!

Got a smartphone? By that I mean an iPhone or an Android? If so, this magazine you’re holding is about to come alive with HEAVY MUSIC! But first you’ll need a QR code reader, and we recommend you download the FREE Digimarc Discover app from iTunes, or wherever else you can get your hands on it.

By simply holding your smartphone about 6-10cm above a QR code (ie. that Lego nightmare looking thing above) you can instantly access songs (and/or videos) on that same band you’ve just been reading about.

Pretty cool, eh!? It’s a whole new magazine reading experience.

Enjoy!

WELCOME

C U L P R I T S EXECUTIVE EDITOR & PUBLISHER

Robyn Morrison

EDITOR

Nick Lord

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Amanda Mason

ART DIRECTOR

Peter Falkous

PUBLISHING CONSULTANT

Effie Dimitropoulos 186Red Pty Ltd

COVER PHOTO

Jimmy Hubbard

DISTRIBUTION

Gordon & Gotch

PRINTING

Blue Star Group (Printed in Australia)

SPECIALIST COLUMNISTS

Sam Bean – Past Blasters Jason Fuller - Now Hear This Rodney Holder – MYOFB! Anthony Moore - Rock Damo Musclecar - Vinyl

OTHER CONTRIBUTORS

Wylie Birchall Matt Bolton Matt Bishop Callum Doig Matt Doria Amanda Mason Nathan Eden Pete Falkous David Griffiths Steve Jenkins Karl Lean Sofie Marsden Robyn Morrison Damo Musclecar Carl Neumann Will Oakeshott Michelle O’Rance Kevin Prested John Raptis Alex Sievers Paul Southwell Sheri Tantawy Tim Tronckoe Jeremy Vane-Tempest Dan Tucceri Patrick Warnes Rod Whitfield

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SKATE OR DIE

t wasn’t until I was editing the articles for this issue that I became aware of a repeating theme. It was subtle but the more I read, the more I noticed it, gently woven through each interview to form a common bond holding the issue together.

The theme is the use of change as an agent of reinvention.

Faith No More and Helloween are both older bands who made the decision to change the way they write and record music to achieve new and exciting results that have helped propel both bands back into relevance; Sweden’s The Haunted have also reinvented themselves but they did so by changing members; Nile drummer George Kollias went so far as to change instruments, coming out from behind the kit to grab a guitar and thus unlock an array of touring opportunities with his first solo record Invictus; Amon Amarth’s hairy vocalist Johan Hegg went one step further still, shifting his focus away from music altogether to flirt with acting and the possibility of changing careers; and, Australian metal act Make Them Suffer are changing the way ‘heaviness’ is perceived with a concentrated focus on keyboards on their new record.

All these bands understand they must change if they wish to remain relevant. The ways in which they change is obviously important but less important than change itself for even the mere act of sitting still can bring about creative obsolescence.

HEAVY magazine is changing also. We’ve always defined ‘heavy’ as not just a class of music but a way of life, and maintained a sharp focus on exploring the cultural interests of heavy music lovers. In the past, we’ve explored video games, tattoos, alternative fashion, art, music as a career and many other cultural topics because we feel they form a part of the ‘heavy’ lifestyle and are of interest to our readers.

This issue, I’m pleased to announce that we’re reaching out further to our readers with the addition of an all new ongoing section called HEAVY Cinema. We know you love film. Hell, who doesn’t, right? So we think you’ll appreciate an insight into what’s happening in the world of movies as well as music.

Now don’t worry. We’ll still be keeping it ‘heavy’, featuring only films that focus on dark themes, settings, stories and soundtracks.

It might be horror, it might be noir, sci-fi or middle-ages sorcery but we can promise that it’ll always be HEAVY Cinema.

Only through evolution can heavy music continue to break new ground and only through evolution can HEAVY mag continue to appeal to our readers. We hope you enjoy the new content.

– Nick Lord

Photo: Nelli Scarlet

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HEAVY MUSIC MAGAZINE

is published by SF Media Pty. Ltd. ACN 603511502 PO Box 2206 Fitzroy, VIC 3065 The opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of publisher SF Media or Editor. All statements made, although based on information believed to be reliable and accurate, cannot be guaranteed and no fault or liability can be accepted for any error or omission. All material published in this magazine are subject to copyright provisions and cannot be reproduced, in part or whole, without the written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

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Scarlet 5

Words: Amanda Mason

Name Your Poison Since the whole internet piracy thing made it hard for bands to make money by selling records, bands have gone crazy with merch. And what’s the hardest type of merch to pirate? Booze. Other than a handful of enthusiastic weirdos, no one is going to go to the effort of printing out the band’s wine label and sticking it on a $2 cleanskin from the local Bottle-O, are they? So in keeping with national Name Your Poison Day, we’ve named our poisons and here they are.

IRON MAIDEN: TROOPER ALE

CLUTCH: DARK SOUR ALE Even if you don’t like beer, this beer sounds delicious because it was brewed with chocolate. Ya-huh, that’s right ladieeeees.

Chocolate. The flavour of the beer is described as “semi-sweet chocolate up front, acrid coffee note with a slightly sour cherry-cola finish”.

Chocolate, coffee, cherry-cola… la la la la Lola. What more do you want in a beer?

Alcohol? Yep, it’s got that too, 9% of it.

Check out newbelgium.com Photo: New Belgium Brewing

Photo: Rick Shofield

Not only is it an Iron Maiden beer with a picture of Eddie on the front but Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden’s frontman and a traditional English ale aficionado, played a major role in developing the flavour of the beer. I guess you could say that Trooper Ale contains the essence of Dick… inson. Check out ironmaidenbeer.com MASTODON: BLACK TONGUE DOUBLE BLACK IPA Signature Brew brewed Black Tongue in collaboration with Mastodon, who apparently wanted it to be a “palate crusher”. The website describes the IPA as having “rumbling smoky notes” that are “offset by the elixir of misbehaving punchy hops”, which makes absolutely no sense to those of us who aren’t very good with adjectives but sure sounds delicious.

Check out signaturebrew.co.uk

Photo: Signature Brew Photo: South Coast Winery

FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE: MINOTAUR AND ARIADNE WINE Minotaur is a sangiovese, which is a red variety that derives its name from the Latin for blood of Jove (the God of sky and thunder in Roman mythology). Ariadne is part Trebbiano and part grechetto (aka white wine). One’s red, the other’s white and they both have sweet artwork.

Check out fleshgodapocalypse.com.

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WARRANT: I SAW RED CABERNET SAUVIGNON I enjoy that Warrant used an appropriate song title for the name of their red wine,but when reading the description of the wine’s flavour, which has “black cherry” and “blueberry jam” notes, you can’t help but be disappointed that there’s not even a hint of Cherry Pie. Check out store.wineresort.com.

MUSTAINE VINEYARDS: BLOOD OF HEROES SYRAH It’s not actually band Photo: South Coast Winery merchandise but it’s hard to go past a red from the vineyards of metal’s leading red, Dave Mustaine, especially when it’s named after a Megadeth song. The wine is a syrah, which, for those of us who drink wine from a goon sack, is a shiraz – a full-bodied red wine made from dark skinned grapes. Check out mustainevineyards. com. [Wines sell... but who’s buyin’ - Ed.] And it’s not just these few bands that have their own brand of alcohol, there are a whole heap of others including Rammstein, Kreator, Motörhead, AC/DC, Hammerfall, Slayer, Anthrax, Doro, Nightwish, Amon Amarth, Blind Guardian, Sepultura and, of course, KISS.

Name Your Poison: the playlist

Playlist compiled by Amanda Mason

Start stock-piling ice cubes, salting the rims of cocktail glasses and skewering olives with tiny plastic swords because June 8 is national ‘Name Your Poison’ day! Which nation celebrates that, you ask? Who knows? Who cares?

PLAYLIST

Name Your Poison playlist @Spotify

All that matters is that we’ve created the perfect playlist for you to sit back and enjoy an icy cold adult beverage on June 8. So grab a drink, press play and take a moment to bask in the wise and profound words of the legendary Lemmy Kilmister: “To get hangovers you have to stop drinking.”

Check out our Spotify playlist at the following link or by scanning the QR code below. Visit bit.ly/NameYourPoisonPlaylist

Blackguard Death Angel Overkill Metallica Ozzy Osbourne Anal C**t Rainbow Hellyeah Darkthrone Guns N’ Roses Clutch Korpiklaani Black Label Society Alestorm Eyehategod Ensiferum Psychostick W.A.S.P. Absolute Steel Tankard Psycho Choke Orange Goblin Dr. Acula Municipal Waste Cattle Decapitation Wehrmacht Celtic Frost Exodia Lagerstein Poison

This Round’s On Me Cold Gin Drunken Wisdom Whiskey In The Jar Demon Alcohol Whiskey, Coke, and Sluts Drinking With The Devil Drink Drank Drunk Whiskey Funeral Nightrain Drink To The Dead Beer Beer Born To Booze Mead From Hell Dixie Whiskey Twilight Tavern Jagermeister Love Song Blind In Texas Beerrun Die With A Beer in Your Hand Freedom in a Bottle of Scotch Whiskey Leach Beer Pong Massacre Beer Pressure Wine of the Sanguine The Beer Is Here Drink Beer Be Free Juices Like Wine The Art of Drinking The Rum Thieves Look What the Cat Dragged In

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intothevoid

STONER/FUZZ NEWS WITH ANTHONY MOORE

Melbourne Melbourne’s Hotel Wrecking City Traders are one band that are both always busy and always putting out solid releases. They’ve just signed to UK label Evil Hoodoo Records and will be releasing a new LP around August, a split 12” with Hey Colossus on Melbourne based Wild Animals Records. They’re also recording a track on a tribute album to Black Flag’s legendary release, Damaged, set to be recorded and released by Jason Fuller of Goatsound Studios in Melbourne. If that wasn’t enough, the band’s guitarist Toby Matthews is releasing his second solo album on fellow bandmate Ben Matthews’ label Bro Fidelity Records. HWCT, a band that seemingly never sleeps, also have a national tour planned for mid-year and have a European tour in the works. Also keep an eye out for the new Spider Goat Canyon LP set for release through Bro Fidelity later in the year.

Netherlands The Netherland’s Lay Bare Recordings are set to have a stellar year if these few releases are anything to go by.

Firstly, a 12” featuring San Francisco psych rock band Carlton Melton with Dr Space from Denmark’s Øresund Space Collective. It was recorded live at the legendary Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands in 2014. Next up is a split 12” between two Spanish space rock bands, Pyramidal and DOMO, which is a live and improvised recording session. They’re also releasing the debut full-length by Spain’s Rosy Finch who are a blend of riot grrrl stoner doom with haunting vocals. Another one to look out for is Nordic dark country release Stray Screech Beast by Bellhound Choir, a solo project from Christian Hede Madsen of Danish stoner blues band Pet the Preacher. Featuring whiskey drenched vocals Stray Screech Beast is a more melancholic, darker branch of country music that seamlessly combines elements of folk and roots with the aesthetic of heavier music.

Free stuff.

Free stuff for ALL!

Here at HEAVY we love nothing more than handing out free shit. To celebrate the launch of our brand spanking new HEAVY Cinema section, the good people at Entertainment One and Icon Distribution have loaded us up with plenty of goodies... and you can get your hands on some right here.

Northmen – A Viking Saga is a bitchin’ saga in which Vikings face a race for their lives. It also happened to be the big screen debut for Johan Hegg, the dynamic and hirsute vocalist for Amon Amarth. If you would like to win a copy of Northmen – A Viking Saga on DVD thanks to Entertainment One simply email nick@heavymag.com.au and tell him which heavy artist would you like to see take up acting and why.

Revenge of the Green Dragons is a totally violent Chinese-American action movie that’s just hitting

DVD. Wanna win a copy thanks to Entertainment One? Email amanda@heavymag.com.au and tell her your favourite Asian film.

Everyone loves the neo-noir tales of Frank Miller’s Sin City. Score an official Sin City pack from Icon Distribution that includes a copy of Sin City, a copy of Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, Ender’s Game on DVD/Blu-Ray and a copy of the Sin City: A Dame To Kill For graphic novel! Simply email nick@ heavymag.com.au and tell him your fave Sin City character.

We were wrong FOLLOW THE RAINBOW

Carlton Melton @YouTube

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Last issue, we reviewed the spectacular new album from Tassie bastards Psycroptic.

We said at the time that it's out now in Australia via Prosthetic.

We were wrong!

The new Psycroptic record is actually out in Australia via EVP Recordings.

Grab your copy today.

Words: Damo Musclecar Photo: Amanda Mason

Unveiling the Wicked Raven The Pack Is Back (Atlantic, 1986) SCORE WITH RAVEN

‘Gimme Some Lovin’ @YouTube

Having formed in the mid-’70s, the English power trio Raven, fronted by brothers John and Mark Gallagher, had this ingenious idea to go for a look unmatched by their competition. While other bands opted for the metal look of spikes, leather and striped spandex, Raven’s ice-hockey appearance, complete with chest plates and goalie masks, was ridiculous enough in itself without the band also calling themselves “athletic metal”.

As far as I know, Raven are the only band to be a part of this exclusive genre and I haven’t seen anyone else wearing hockey attire in the metal world yet so these guys are true trailblazers that are way ahead of their time.

Raven released a slew of albums in the ‘80s and their manager, who just also happens to be the founder of Megaforce Records, believed that Raven were ready for the big time so he pushed them hard to all the major labels who were desperately seeking some hockey metal.

The Pack is Back (1986) is the band’s second release on Atlantic Records. The album introduced a more commercial sound complete with horns and a smorgasbord of synthesizers. As such, it was mostly dismissed by die-hard fans who were more into the harder-edged metal of their earlier works but it still garnered the band some chart success, reaching #121 on the Billboard 200.

The Pack is Back opens with the title track, which comes charging through with thunderous drums and Def Leppard-esque guitar licks. It’s the kind of anthem you’d expect to hear at a sporting event; it’s catchy, with an infectious chorus and foot-stompin’ groove.

Second track is a rockin’ cover of the soul mover ‘Gimme Some Lovin’’, originally by The Spencer Davis Group and made famous by the Blues Brothers. This is actually an awesome cover and one of the best tunes on the album. ‘Screamin’ Down the House’ doesn’t know if it wants to be a Van Halen track, an Ozzy Osbourne b-side or on the soundtrack of an ‘80s teen pool-party movie.

‘Young Blood’ is a tough, fast-paced rocker from the streets and I mean that in the most commercial sense because, well, this album is anything but tough. The song is all cheese and synthesiser solos.

‘Hyperactive’ comes complete with a horn section that works but doesn’t make the song any less generic and hilarious. The lyrics are terrible, as they are through this whole record to be honest, and this is an album low point. This also concludes side A. Side two opens with ‘Rock Dogs’, which isn’t as bad as it is sounds, especially if you like singing ‘We are the Rock! Rock! Dogs!’ over and over again.

The horns return for ‘Don’t Let It Die’, only this time I’m wondering who would actually write songs like this. The chorus isn’t so bad but the rest is just so boring and the breakdown – I use that term loosely – is just so misplaced. There is some funky bass work at least.

‘Get Into Your Car’ is the band’s fist-pumpin’ party anthem, an asskicker hot enough to have neighbours locking up their daughters. With metal screams and a catchy guitar riff, you’ll live it, you’ll love it, you’ve gotta stay alive… get into your car and drive!

Words you can live by, my friends.

Despite the sappy title, ‘All I Want’ is not the token ballad. Instead, it’s one of those hard-rockin’ tunes that sits up the back of a record that people forget about, kinda like ‘Anything Goes’ on Appetite For Destruction. ‘The Pack is Back’ finishes with ‘Nightmare Ride’, which unapologetically treads all over Judas Priest territory. This is all shades of classic heavy metal and I can finally see why they enjoyed mild success, if only for about 17 minutes.

Ultimately, The Pack is Back is pretty forgettable, not unlike Raven’s career. The guys had talent and a drummer called Wacko! (true story) but 1986 was a big year for heavy metal and you could pick 120 other albums that were better than this. Two pucks out of five.

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HEAVY RECOMMENDS

HOLY WAR BY

Thy Art Is Murder

UNFD

Deathcore Sydney, Australia facebook.com/thyartismurder Review: Matt Doria

Child abuse, homophobia, racism, animal cruelty, indoctrination, and the inexpressible evil of religious immunity. These are topics that shouldn’t even warrant mention in 2015, but yet, in our supposedly modern societies, they are inescapable. Fed up with the bullshit, Thy Art Is Murder are taking a stance in the form of Holy War, a cathartically vitriolic opus that ransoms a slew of uncensored, outspoken, and furiously powerful messages.

A balanced coalescence between tempestuous chantalong anthems and feverish mosh-pit brewers, Holy War is unquestionably befitted for the atmosphere of a live performance. If you close your eyes and pretend hard enough, it’s not a difficult task to imagine the cheery smell of metalhead sweat and that distinctive feeling of being trapped in an automatic car wash.

The instruments are dry, harsh and as punchy as a drunken midget in Kings Cross; use of effects is scant but, when present, they bring a transcendental tangibility to the music.

The confines of this record

encompass a devastatingly hostile and oddly beautiful environment that serves to emblazon Thy Art Is Murder at their absolute most savage – CJ’s inhuman gutturals are doubtlessly the coarsest they’ve ever been presented and the collective musicianship between Sean, Chris, Andy and Kevin is punishingly callous, woven together with such impassioned detail that multiple listens are essential should you wish to take everything in.

Stylistically, the record never really deviates from the deathcore path. Spanning 39 minutes across 10 tracks, Holy War sits in the sweet spot, long enough to satiate the listener but not too long to cause boredom.

Most importantly, they’ve boldly ventured to explore societal and ethical controversies that no other band would dare to even acknowledge, and that alone is righteous of commendation.

All in all, Thy Art Is Murder have pulled themselves far more than one rung up the ladder with Holy War, delivering a record that, although devoid of any game changers, surmounts their already vehemently crushing ire, and shows a side of the Blacktown deathcore quintet that few would have thought to exist.

KILL IT WITH MUSIC

Thy Art Is Murder @Facebook

THE MALKUTH GRIMOIRE ANIMI BY

Alkaloid

BY

ROGUE RECORDS AMERICA

INDEPENDENT

Extreme Prog Metal Bavaria, Germany alkaloid-band.com

Tech metal Kent, UK subversionband.com

EVERYTHING ABLAZE BY

Belle Haven

HALFCUT/SHOCK RECORDS

Post-hardcore Melbourne, Australia facebook.com/bellehaven

Review: Nathan Eden

Review: Rod Whitfield

Review: Callum Doig

Metal supergroups have become as common as pictures of Kanye West’s wife’s arse, however, superficial gold diggers will find little reward here. [Don’t call Kanye a gold digger - Ed.] If you’re in it for the extreme prog journey then you’ll uncover more precious metal far below the surface. Featuring members of Necrophagist, Obscura, and Aborted, Alkaloid manages to sound and feel like an organic compound of dudes who know the death metal game better than most but there’s a lot more to wrap your mind around here than blast beats and growls.

The Malkuth Grimoire comes across as a carefully considered 73-minute experiment – a journey melting influences across the spectrum. Upon departing Obscura, guitarist Christian Muenzner and drummer Hannes Grossman called on some equally-talented musicians to form Alkaloid, and it’s clear the project was never about resting within a comfort zone. The important thing for listeners is that the weighty compositions, such as opener ‘Carbon Phrases’ and ‘From a Hadron Machinist’, don’t get boring. There’s ample groove to counter the blasts, vocals head from clean to growl via robot, and melodic virtuosity abounds by the shovel load. It’s unique, united and as ambitious as Sly Stallone in Rocky, but right now, there’s nobody else in this weight division.

The UK has an abundant tech metal scene happening right now and, if this album is anything to go by, these Kent based guys will be clamouring to the top of it.

Many bands within tech metal pursue that brutal/ melodic trade-off, pairing frantic riffing with fattened odd-time grooves as screaming/howling vocals lead into the melodic payoff of the big chorus. Subversion are forging in that direction with all guns blazing. They have the brutal/tech side of the equation down to an absolute tee, the grooves are often complex without leaving you cold, the guitars roar and chug like thunder, the double kickers pound with relentless and complicated fury and the vocals are typically paintstrippingly intense. This side of their presentation is working like a freshly oiled, pristinely maintained machine.

It’s the melodic side of their sound that leaves you slightly reluctant to give them a four star rating. The melodies and the writing of the choruses fall just a smidgeon short of being truly convincing. The choruses sound as though they’re trying their darndest to soar to the heavens, and provide true dynamism and contrast to the chaos that surrounds them, but fall ever so slightly short.

If they keep following the same path that they’re on as far as the heavy side of their sound is concerned and just develop the melodic side a little further, they’ll have a winning formula.

Australia’s metalcore and hardcore scene is filled with bands that are either trying too hard to be the next Amity Affliction or are actually capable of going somewhere with their original artistic talent. In the latter category, you’ll find Melbourne quintet Belle Haven.

Everything Ablaze circles around influences of math, metalcore, post-hardcore with a slight tinge of prog, while keeping each song different and in balance. Album opener ‘Rolls and Fame’ is a standout, taking on mostly math elements while bringing the post-hardcore aura along with it. ‘The Looking Glass’ follows a similar to path to that of a Circa Survive track and balances some heart-driven turns with both soft and heavy sections of the song. ‘A Rebirth of Self’ and ‘Hunt for Health’ have that full-mathcore spirit that shapes the band’s onstage insanity.

The tone and execution of the instruments are not overdone, the production is pro and the balance of songs is spot on – some songs are filled with a heavy and chaotic atmosphere; others are beautifully melodic and heart-warming.

Belle Haven’s diverse range of influences shake off the typical features of the average post-hardcore group and equalises their mix of mathcore, post-hardcore and progressive rock together with stellar results. This is a group everyone should really be watching.

TAKE YOUR MEDICINE

‘Carbon Phrases’ @YouTube

10

Subversion

CRANK TO 11

WATCH IT BURN

‘Born of the Sun’ @YouTube

‘The Looking Glass’ @YouTube

BY

Divine Ascension

VICISOLUM PRODUCTIONS

Progressive Metal Melbourne, Australia divine-ascension.com Review: Karl Lean

Album number two for bands is often a crucial moment – it’s time to stand and deliver on the initial promise of a first release.

With Liberator, Melbourne’s Divine Ascension do exactly that, taking their own blend of prog and power metal to the next level.

Vocalist Jennifer Borg is the key element that makes this album work so well, delivering a faultless performance that is perfectly complimented by the lead guitar work of Karl Szulik.

Tight and memorable riffs can be found through the eleven tracks, with the title track being a perfect example of just how good this album is. There’s also some local flavour with the haunting ‘Red Skies’ recalling the tragedy of Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires.

The focus and detail in the song writing is evident, strong choruses lurk everywhere, and the production is first class. A worthy second outing from a band that never disappoints.

ENDLESS FORMS MOST BEAUTIFUL BY

Nightwish

ROADRUNNER

Symphonic Metal Kitee, Finland nightwish.com Review: Karl Lean

Endless Forms Most Beautiful is actually quote from the writings of Charles Darwin, which sets the overall theme for the new Nightwish album – a focus on science, reason and evolution.

With the addition of new vocalist Floor Jansen, Nightwish finally have the singer they’ve always needed, which presents them with a perfect chance to advance their sound and writing as well.

Unfortunately, it’s an elusive chance that seems to have just slipped through their collective fingers.

The 11 tracks on Endless Forms Most Beautiful run for 79 minutes and cover all of the expected bases – metal riffs; ballads; catchy, yet generic first single; strong folk influences; tonnes of choir and orchestra – yet it still feels as though something is missing.

The album rewards patience, the subtle depths of each track revealing themselves more with each play through, and there will be some who see this album as good, probably even great. To me, the album just feels like a wasted opportunity.

If only they’d seized the chance to evolve just a little more.

HEAVY RECOMMENDS

LIBERATOR

SURVIVALIST BY

4Arm

INDEPENDENT

Thrash Melbourne, Australia

4arm.net Review: Rod Whitfield

The departure of a highly recognisable frontman and guitarist can be a devastating blow to a band. These Melbourne thrash metal stalwarts experienced this less than two years ago, however if this album is anything to go by, they have very much taken the change in their stride.

This is the band’s fourth album, and the hypercharged thrash metal is still there in full force. In fact, they’ve probably stepped it up a cog or two since their last album. Survivalist bludgeons its way out of your speakers, and the voice of new singer Markus Johansson has all the power of former frontman Danny Tomb, while his delivery is probably just a touch slicker than his predecessor’s.

This album holds the attention of a fan of more progressive styles of heavy music quite a bit longer than most thrash albums, which tend to become very samey to these ears in a relatively short period of time.

The production, whilst immensely powerful, positively shines. Clear as a crystal, all nuances (and 4Arm have more than most thrash bands) and instruments can be heard a treat.

Most importantly, these guys have crafted some ferocious, but memorable thrash metal tunes on this record. Every track flows nicely and many stick in your mind for moments afterwards.

This band has gained some pretty serious notoriety internationally, and the aptly titled Survivalist should only continue that trend.

FREE YOURSELF

MAKE A WISH

GO TO WAR

‘Liberator’ @YouTube

‘Elan’ @YouTube

‘Poisoned Mind’ @YouTube

DEAD SET BY

King Parrot

EVP RECORDINGS

Thrash/grind/punk Melbourne, Australia facebook.com/kingparrotband Review: Nathan Eden

King Parrot have managed to become what is perhaps our country’s most prominent metal export of recent times – certainly the hardest working. Ploughing through a relentless schedule that has included four US tours, a slew of Aussie shows and a lunchtime shift at Soundwave, King Parrot might have been in danger of allowing some lethargy to seep into their new material. Finding the time and energy to record a new album amongst all of those other commitments ain’t easy and may have led to songs that were a bit more laid back or even lacklustre as a result.

This is emphatically not so.

Most will be aware by now of Phil Anselmo’s influence on Dead Set. You may have noticed his awkwardly sexy cameo in the video for the album’s first single, ‘Like A Rat’. That video, and the album itself, were both recorded at the Pantera and Down frontman’s Nodferatu’s Lair studio in New Orleans, with Anselmo producing KP’s second full-length effort.

Opener ‘Anthem of the Advance Sinner’ forces as much grind, punk and thrash as will fit in to the first minute and a half of the

album to remind us what we loved about its predecessor, 2012’s Bite Your Head Off. From there we learn of the band’s progression. They certainly haven’t given up any of the aforementioned stylistic ingredients but, rather, expanded on them.

Confidence exudes in the deliberate thrash of ‘Need No Saviour’ and it is during this track that we are made aware of one of the most obvious additions to the band’s sound, which permeates the record as a whole – the addition of guttural death-style vocals, which serve to counter Matt Young’s trademark screech.

It’s not overplayed and makes for another satisfying string in the KP bow.

A pleasant surprise is that highlights are found midalbum and include ‘Tomorrow Turns To Blood’ with its prefect grind-tinged thrash combo, and the awesomely-titled, ‘Home Is Where The Gutter Is’.

The classic doom element of ‘Reject’ ensures the best is saved almost for last before the album’s seven-minute title track rounds out a great album.

GRIND IT UP

‘Like A Rat’ @YouTube

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HEAVY RECOMMENDS

RIVALS BY

Coal Chamber

METAL BLADE RECORDS

Nu-metal Los Angeles, USA coalchamberofficial.com Review: Callum Doig

Now that the past has been put behind them after regrouping, nu-metal superstars Coal Chamber are back with an enraging feast of revitalised nu-metal with Rivals.

Rivals features 14 anthems of hate, anger and revenge and is the long, long-awaited follow up to 2002’s album Dark Days.

Rivals isn’t what you would call a ‘throwback record’ and Coal Chamber have upped their game significantly, mixing industrial, gothic and alternative styles while even flirting ever so subtly with thrash.

‘Suffer in Silence’, in which Al Jourgensen of Ministry delivers a great vocal performance alongside Dez Fafara, gives listeners a lesson in industrial groove and is one of the album’s real highlights.

A handful of other tracks such as ‘I.O.U. Nothing’, ‘Bad Blood Between Us’ and ‘The Bridges You Burn’ diverge somewhat from the Coal Chamber that we all remember. While the album features 14 tracks, two of the songs ‘Orion’ and ‘Dumpster Dive’ act as openers for ‘Another Nail in the Coffin’ and

‘Over My Head’.

Each track is hard-hitting instrumentally and also in its lyrical themes, which are somewhat reminiscent of old school metal anthems. There’s a very ‘90s ‘f**k you’ feel to the record throughout and the strength of the musicianship has vastly improved since the band released their goldselling debut album in 1997.

Rivals meets some great expectations. The whole album practically feels like a psychological moshpit in your head and ears as Fafara seamlessly integrate the classic, creepy vocals from the early Coal Chamber days with the powerful screaming in DevilDriver to great effect.

Backing him, the guitar, bass and drum tracks all sit together well, covering both some old and new ground.

Are Coal Chamber bringing back the nu-metal genre we once knew? It’s impossible to say for sure but if nu-metal is making a resurgence then Rivals is possibly the best numetal comeback to date.

SUCCESS

HAVEN

MY GOD-GIVEN RIGHT

SEASON OF MIST

NAPALM RECORDS

NUCLEAR BLAST

BY

KEN Mode

Noise rock Winnipeg, Canada ken-mode.com

Kamelot

BY

Symphonic metal Florida, USA kamelot.com

Helloween

Power metal Hamburg, Germany helloween.org

Review: Will Oakeshott

Review: Sofie Marsden

Review: Kevin Prested

KEN Mode’s fifth full-length Entrench was nominated for both a Juno Award and the Polaris Music Prize so the pressure to create a release as haunting and momentous was certainly on for Success.

Opener ‘Blessed’ is an uneasy noise affair that reeks of post-punk ferocity. It’s hard to hear but impossible to walk away. Lead single ‘These Tight Jeans’ is a curveball, an indie-punk number that melds together Nirvana and Drive Like Jehu, possibly the poppiest song the band has written.

‘The Owl’ has a marching drum beat reminiscent of Green Day’s ‘Hitchin’ A Ride’, but as if the track was performed by The Birthday Party.

‘I Just Liked Fire’, ‘A Passive Disaster’ and ‘A Catalog Of Small Disappointments’ are the most volatile on the record, channelling Clutch, The Melvins and even Trash Talk.

Where KEN dominate is when they express their post-hardcore influence, ‘Failing At Fun Since 1981’ would inspire At The Drive-In to do another reunion, closer ‘Dead Actors’ is the song Sparta failed to write and my favourite ‘Management Control’ recalls the great Quicksand.

So did the three-piece succeed? Was it ever really a competition?

The leading track from Kamelot’s latest album, Haven, really tells you everything you need to know about the release. ‘Fallen Star’ is symphonic, dark, emotional, and feels truly epic, not unlike a fantasy film soundtrack.

The song truly encapsulates everything Kamelot have been about throughout their career, and continue through to their eleventh release.

What everyone wants from their favourite band is a new album better than their last, and Kamelot more than deliver.

The quality of the music, and the production - thanks to Sascha Paeth (Epica, Edguy) on Haven is staggeringly good.

‘Beautiful Apocalypse’ and ‘Here’s To The Fall’ in particular embrace the gothic sound often associated with the group, but inject much more passion and depth than one might expect from a metal band.

With guest musicians from Arch Enemy, Nightwish, and Delain scattered throughout the album, you know that this time Kamelot have taken things to the next level. While largely dark and solemn, there are plenty of heavy riffs and catchy hooks to sink your teeth into.

Kamelot embrace the best of all worlds.

It’s been a long road since Helloween broke out with a string of energetic and powerfully creative albums in the mid to late ‘80s with co-founder Kai Hansen in the background, and the band continues to enjoy popularity, courtesy of an ability to continue releasing strong albums to their large fan base.

As the years have worn on, the band has shed most original members but remained musically consistent, never deviating too far from their trademark sound.

The band’s 15th studio album opens with a metallic burst signalling clean yet light production, with singer Andi Deris sounding as German as he ever has. It seems even though the band are calling on their early years, the album stays reasonably safe and pedestrian. Melodies are aplenty but it’s a shame to see a band limit themselves musically by going through the motions with straightforward, fist-pumping power metal, especially an act with a history of ambitious recordings.

There are a couple of brighter patches, however, with ‘Swing of a Fallen World’ adding groove and album closer ‘You, Still of War’ adding some nice tempo changes that hark back to some of band’s better material.

ENTER THE CHAMBER

‘Suffer in Silence’ @Facebook

LEVEL UP

‘Blessed’ @YouTube

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BY

RIDE INTO BATTLE

TRICK OR TREAT

‘Veil of Elysium’ @YouTube

‘Battle’s Won’ @YouTube

BY

Oceano

SKYDANCER BY

EARACHE

In Hearts Wake

UNFD

Deathcore Chicago, Illinois facebook.com/oceanometal Review: Steve Jenkins

Oceano have been a rather big part of the deathcore genre for almost a decade now, but they’ve never quite reached the top. Their fourth studio album Ascendants is nothing new or different but it does make a devastating impact.

‘Extreme’ and ‘brutal’ are the first words that come to mind when describing this album; it’s 30 minutes of fullon and in-your-face heaviness.

Vocalist Adam Warren is the last remaining member who has been there basically from the very beginning and he is a force to be reckoned with. The vocals are visceral; you’d expect to hear them from the bellowing depths of hell, which make this already crushing album even heavier.

With the addition of two new guitarists to the mix, there’s definitely a feeling of new life within the band.

Standout tracks ‘Dead Planet’, ‘Transient Gateways’ and ‘Dawn Of Descent’ have an intense and atmospheric approach, resulting in the band’s most well-crafted album thus far.

Ascendants will satisfy fans whilst leaving room for growth and improvement so Oceano can finally become that redefining band of their genre.

HEAVY RECOMMENDS

ASCENDANTS

THE PLAGUE WITHIN BY

Paradise Lost

CENTURY MEDIA

Metalcore

Doom metal

Byron Bay, Australia

West Yorkshire, England

skydancerproject.com

paradiselost.co.uk

Review: Patrick Warnes

Review: Matt Bolton

Byron Bay metalcore outfit In Hearts Wake bring you Skydancer, the companion album to 2014’s Earthwalker, which were both recorded at the same time.

Skydancer provides a striking message and stunning atmosphere wrapped up in a solid metalcore sound, but is this enough to stand out in a highly-saturated market?

Lyrically, the album is brilliant, clearly demonstrating that the band has a passion for what they do but the instrumentation lets the album down in places.

Skydancer has great moments that give the band (and the listener) hope, such as the energetic leads in ‘Insomnia’, the tech-inspired instrumental ‘Oblivion’, the gang vocal chorus of ‘Badlands’ and the atmosphere building spoken section in ‘Father’, which makes for an excellent outro, nicely wrapping up their message.

Skydancer’s message also goes a long way to separating In Hearts Wake from the pack.

Heavy music is all too plagued with depressing and often morbid themes and, while the theme of this album is dark, there is ultimately a good message.

The final track, ‘Father’ sums this up well saying “man did not weave the web of life, here he is merely a strand in it.

Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself”.

Ultimately, the lyrical content and atmosphere this album creates is brilliant, but some repetitive musical ideas prevents this from being a truly great album.

After releasing Grand Morbid Funeral as Bloodbath’s new frontman just last year, Nick Holmes keeps himself busy with his own project, Paradise Lost, releasing their 14th full length since their formation 27 years ago. Going back to their roots, The Plague Within has been produced and mixed at Orgone Studios in London by Jamie Gomez Arellano (Ghost, Ulver and Cathedral). The first single ‘No Hope in Sight’ kicks off the album and is classic Paradise Lost. Providing those distinct doomy riffs, guitarists Greg Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy are in fine form. Holmes’ vocals revisit the death metal elements explored in their 1991 album Gothic. Adrian Erlandsson masters the kit with spaced-out drum beats and picks up the tempo, thrashing to the death influenced ‘Flesh from Bone’. Steve Edmondson stands out belting away at the bass as Mackintosh goes all out with the lead guitar in ‘Cry Out’.

With great song after great song, you won’t find a dud track on this record. Ending with ‘Return to the Sun’ featuring some flawless guitar solos, Paradise Lost continue to release timeless music and it’s good to see the return of the band’s death edge. Perhaps Holmes’ time with Bloodbath has influenced Paradise Lost’s sound a little and that’s definitely a good thing.

CHECK IT OUT

TOUCH THE SKY

GET INFECTED

‘Dawn of Descent’ @YouTube

‘Breakaway’ @YouTube

‘No Hope in Sight’ @YouTube

SOL INVICTUS BY

Faith No More

RECLAMATION RECORDINGS / IPECAC RECORDINGS

Metal San Francisco, USA fnm.com Review: Peter Falkous

It’s been 18 years since Faith No More released an album and, after first listen, Sol Invictus feels like it could have come out years ago.

There’s definitely a touch of Angel Dust about this record.

Mike Patton remains one hell of a vocalist and brings interesting arrangements to each song that strengthen them without overpowering the listener. He switches styles regularly, which complements the music, and all the ingredients seem to be here, including those iconic FNM keyboards, which play a huge role and never feel like filler, and that’s coming from someone who’s generally allergic to keyboards.

Energy throughout Sol Invictus flows well. The way the songs play through each other is pretty flawless and the ups and downs in tempos make the album feel like you can listen to it in one sitting and not feel the need to jump ahead, like most people tend to do these days.

There are songs like ‘Sunny Side Up’ where you feel as though the material may have benefitted from a healthy edit but when you hit ‘Separation Anxiety’ and ‘Matador’, every element of Faith No More’s

sound makes it feel perfect in every way. That combination of simple riffs atop pounding drums will have listeners looking to crank the volume.

Fans usually respond with a mixture of nervousness and excitement whenever classic bands announce plans to release new material after a hiatus. Such fears are misplaced here. Sol Invictus is a true-to-form FNM record in every sense, and fans will embrace this album with gusto.

Perhaps the best indication of the album’s strength is that there isn’t a standout killer single holding the record afloat. ‘Cone of Shame’ is probably the one track that could have that buzz after a few more listens but, honestly, every track could be a single here.

As with FNM’s career, this record will polarise. You will love it or you will hate it but I can’t imagine the members of Faith No More will care too much as they are again doing something they love and that’s the whole reason to be doing it, isn’t it?

CLAIM YOUR FAITH

‘Superhero’ @YouTube

13

cover story Words: Matt Doria Photos: Dustin Rabin

For the first time in eighteen years, Faith No More have a new album. Yes, you read that correctly!

Leading men Mike Patton and Billy Gould explain to Matt Doria just how the iconic rockers shrugged off the shackles of semi-retirement to write Sol Invictus, the latest chapter in their story.

T

he year was 1998. Faith No More’s (FNM) sixth full-length LP Album Of The Year had been released the previous year to an unprecedented storm of acclaim, peaking at #1 on the ARIA charts and quickly snagging itself a platinum certification. The impossible-to-classify five piece had achieved unexpected fame in Europe and were set to embark on an enormous support tour with retro rockers Aerosmith so things were looking pretty swell for the San Franciscan experimental rockers… until rumours started circulating that the group would be disbanding. The most harrowing fears of FNM fans worldwide were confirmed in a fax issued by bassist Billy Gould and Faith No More were officially… well, no more.

Eleven years later in 2009, those same fans were whipped into a frenzy when news broke of the band’s Second Coming reunion tour. Picking up where they left off, Mike Patton and his band of mish-mash misfits sailed forth on an adventure that saw them obliterate arenas worldwide, including a headline spot on the Soundwave 2010 bill. Throughout, fans waited anxiously with shaking legs and fingers crossed in hope of a new album but nothing ever surfaced. By 2012, the tour was over and, in a January 2013 interview with American magazine Believer, Patton

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suggested that the band had once again fizzled out. “There’s a lineage of bands that maybe did some nice things and then needed the cash and got back together and basically just sprayed diarrhoea over their entire body of work,” the singer stated, everso-graciously hinting at the obvious.

Fast-forward to present day, and Faith No More are as active and astounding as they’ve ever been. Not only are they still smashing out unparalleled performances on first-class stages across the globe but they’ve also removed the veil on their first studio album in almost two decades. Marking a benevolent

C LEA N S E YO U R SOL -

‘Superhero’ @YouTube

return to the inexplicable fortitude that made Faith No More a household name so long ago, Sol Invictus is much more than just a smattering of songs by a band that may or may not need cash; it’s an all-out assault of the senses. It’s a musical revolution. It’s… it’s a brand new motherf**king Faith No More album, guys!

Fresh off the back of headlining Soundwave once more, vocalist Mike Patton and bassist/producer Billy Gould are more than eager to dive into the story behind Sol Invictus.

“The way it started was I was with Mike [Bordin, drums] in our rehearsal room,” Gould begins. “I have a bunch of my recording

gear in there and I had a couple of ideas so I was like, ‘I’m just gonna throw some of my mics up; let’s see if we can get a cool drum sound in here.’ He [Bordin] had this beat to play and we recorded a couple of tracks and it was just like, ‘This sounds pretty good. We could probably work with this.’”

As Patton explains, there was never any formal organisation between the band to begin working on a new release.

“It wasn’t something where we went, ‘Let’s start recording an album today,’” he says.

Gould agrees, adding, “It was more like, ‘Let’s just start f**king

15

cover story around and, if it’s good, maybe we’ll record it later.’”

Because they wanted the evolution of this project to be a natural one, Faith No More opted against appointing any deadlines and abolished all traces of expectation by choosing to develop the record in almost total secrecy. “[Billy] was working on this in a secret laboratory for a few years,” Patton says, as Gould chimes in, “Yeah, we didn’t tell anybody about it for a long time.”

Alluding to just how secret the production of Sol Invictus really was, Patton laughs. “Shit, he didn’t even tell me for a while!”

Fan expectations are always a major point of concern for bands when they’re in the studio. In the case of Faith No More, things were amplified to near-unachievable levels. It’s been almost two decades since Album of the Year hit shelves, which is why the band chose not to announce the record until they were confident it would stand up to the scrutiny.

“You don’t want to get people hyped up and gossiping until you know you’ve got something that you’re going to be cool with,” Gould says.

From the first stricken note of the title track to the mellow fade of ‘From The Dead’, Sol Invictus is a masterfully-curated body of work, with every detail carefully considered. After so many years of pouring their hearts and souls into making the album as perfect as possible, the band had to consciously end the session and prepare for release, something that was more difficult than perfectionist Gould ever imagined.

“For me, it was really hard [to know when we were done] because I hear every mistake on this f**kin’ album! I still do,” he moans. “I’ll be playing it for my wife and it’ll just be like ‘Goddamn it, the timing is off on this thing. F**k!’”.

“It’s very hard to let things go when you get that intimate into the actual nuts and bolts of a song,” Patton adds. “You hear everything but you can’t fix everything and you shouldn’t fix

16

“You don’t want to get people hyped up and gossiping until you know you’ve got something that you’re going to be cool with.” – Billy Gould everything. It’s really tempting to do that sometimes too; you get that urge to go back and pick apart every little thing and try to make it sound perfect.”

At some point, one has to wonder what would have happened if the band never reached that point of satisfaction? Maybe they would have scrapped Sol Invictus for good.

“I’ve thought about it; I could get the hard-drive, just go into my computer and throw it off the bridge into the bay,” Gould says with a certain boldness. “I could probably do it and be happy with that choice, actually.”

Ultimately, Faith No More remains more focused on the journey itself than the studio, which is lucky for us.

“Personally, I find that the process is what’s fun about it all,” Patton says. “At the end of the line, you’re kind of like ‘Yeah, yeah, whatever. It’s yours now,’ but actually doing it and making the album? That’s the fun part.”

When it came to the recording process for Sol Invictus, Patton explains that he approached things differently to the way he normally does. “Each project has its own language,” he begins.

cover story

...AND THEY SAY, WHAT IS IT? HEAVY’S OWN ‘FAITH NO MORE’ QUIZ How well do you know Faith No More? Grab your mates and find out just who will be king for a day and who will be fool for a lifetime in this epic FNM puzzler.

1. What is the title of Faith No More’s 1985 debut album? a) We Care So Much; b) We Care a Lot; c) We Care Heaps; d) We Don’t Give a F**k.

2. Mr. Bungle member Trey Spruance performs lead guitar on which Faith No More album? a) Album Of The Year; b) Sol Invictus; c) King For a Day… Fool For a Lifetime; d) The Real Thing.

3. What is Roddy Bottum’s full birth name? a) Roswell Kaydan CharlestonBottum IV; b) Roswell Christian Bottum XVII; c) Roswell Charles Bottum II; d) Roswell Christopher Bottum III. 4. Before settling on Faith No More, what was the name of the band? a) Faith; b) Faith No Man; c) Faith Always; d) Faith No Some.

5. Complete the lyric: “‘Cause with the ------- ------- in, there wouldn’t be a trace” a) State you’re; b) Trance we’re;

c) Place they’re; d) Race she’s.

6. Which of these is not available as a playable track in the Rock Band videogame series? a) From Out Of Nowhere; b) Epic; c) Midlife Crisis; d) Falling To Pieces.

7. What was the date of Faith No More’s final live show before disbanding in 1998? a) April 20; b) April 7; c) April 12; d) April 2.

8. The final straw for original vocalist Chuck Mosley came when… a) He attempted to stab Mike Bordin; b) He refused to record vocals for an album; c) He fell asleep during a show; d) He set a roadie on fire.

9. In which year did Faith No More win their first (and only) MTV Video Music Award? a) 1991; b) 1993; c) 1990; d) 1996.

10. Which member dated Courtney Love during her time as vocalist in Faith No More? a) Mike Patton; b) Billy Gould; c) Rodney Bottum; d) Jim Martin.

Answers: 1. B; 2. C; 3. D; 4. B; 5. A; 6. D; 7. B; 8. C; 9. A; 10. C.

“You figure out what’s appropriate and you learn that language or you re-learn it. Maybe that language is inside of you and you have to find it again. In this case, that was it for me. For other things that I’ve done, there have been a different set of rules.”

Every great band is inspired by something. In the past, Faith No More have cited bands like Public Image Ltd, Killing Joke and Theatre Of Hate as influences but in the case of Sol Invictus, they found it more fitting to revisit themselves.

“I think we miss things. I listen to a lot of different types of music but there are a lot of things that are missing in my life so we always find out what’s missing and we go there for inspiration,” Gould elaborates. “Back when we first started, we had a bit of a darker vibe to us and we’ve been missing that so we re-visited that a little.”

Influences came from more of a personal level for Patton who quips, “For me, it was just reconnecting with these guys. There were no external inspirations, really.”

For those Faith No More fans who have stuck around since 1997, Sol Invictus is a bit of a trip down Nostalgia Lane. Not so much in terms of the album itself – although the record does harken back to the sounds that made us all salivate over their earlier releases – but in terms of the actual release. I was sevenmonths-old when Album of the Year was released so I can only imagine how exciting everything would have been at the time – buying magazine after magazine [those were the days – Ed.] in search of the smallest snippet of new info; hearing that premier single for the first time when it dropped on the radio or when the film clip slid its way onto MTV; lining up outside the record store for release day; driving home with the CD at full blast.

Times have certainly changed since the release of Faith No More’s last album but the excitement remains the same both in and out of the studio. For Patton, there were no feelings of déjà vu when it came to reconnecting with his old band and stepping back into the vocal booth.

“I didn’t even really think about it like that,” he says. “To me, it was just a new set of music. I thought about it not as going back to my old band but as a new thing, a new project, a new adventure.”

In Gould’s eyes, crafting an album is a way of showing what that reconnection can achieve.

“We look at music kind of like architecture; we construct stuff.

We’re all working together so it isn’t a personal thing,” he remarks.

“Playing that show at Brixton after all those years, that was a little more weird. That was a little more like ‘Woah, I never thought I’d be doing this again.’”

Considering the release of new music was also something the band thought they’d never be doing again, what changed?

“I didn’t think [there would be any new music] then I heard this stuff,” Patton says, adding, “I’ll be honest, man. When I heard what he had written, I thought maybe it’s not Faith No More at all.

Maybe it’s something else.”

Both Gould and Patton agree that the end result must justify the means or else the band is just retreading old ground.

“Being a band that’s been around this long is not the reason to make a record. A lot of people have looked at us and asked us that question with that mind set, and it’s just not going to work like that,” Gould says.

“There needs to be a genuine creative impulse to do it,” Patton finishes.

In the end, everything worked out for the best. The album came to fruition – Billy didn’t hock it off a bridge – and it’s totally, undeniably Faith No More.

It’s been an eighteen-year long wait but Sol Invictus is finally upon us. Enjoy it. Savour it. Learn all of the lyrics and belt them out at the top of your lungs until your neighbours wished they were deaf. Faith No More is again king for a day. H

17

Words: Paul Southwell Photos: Courtesy of Metropolis Touring

Reunited with vocalist Marco Aro, Sweden’s The Haunted are touring the world in support of blazing record Exit Wounds. Guitarist Ola Englund chats with Paul Southwell about what it’s like when new members perform old songs.

T

he saying ‘Everything moves in circles’ aptly describes recent lineup changes for hardcore metal band The Haunted after the group welcomed drummer Adrian Erlandsson and vocalist Marco Aro back into the band in 2013. Erlandsson and Aro had been missing from the line-up since 1999 and 2003 respectively, during which time the band has released the body of their critically-acclaimed discography and toured the world multiple times over.

Also joining the long-serving co-founders Patrik Jensen (rhythm guitar) and Jonas Björler (bass) has been lead guitarist Ola Englund, who actually replaced Björler’s brother Anders, also in 2013.

This latest line-up announced itself with some ferocity on most

18

recent album Exit Wounds, the heaviest record the band have recorded since 2003’s One Kill Wonder.

Since Aro was at the wheel back then also, it’s unsurprising that the band has returned to the more unsociable sound of its earlier albums, and Englund is delighted.

“I’m a fan of The Haunted and their Made Me Do It album. For me, The Haunted is about the first three albums and that material is tough to follow. Also, the Peter Dolving [vocalist from 1996 to 1998 and from 2003 to 2012] songs are awesome to play live,” Englund says with the enthusiasm of a fan, adding that his involvement in the band is a bit of a dream come true.

“It is weird to be a fan of the band that you’re in,” he explains. “It’s like experiencing it as a live show and being part of the audience except you’re playing the songs.”

Exit Wounds seems to be a natural progression from Aro’s other work, picking up where One Kill Wonder and Made Me Do It left off, and Englund agrees.

“In an aggression way, I would say yes but not necessarily because of the songs or the sounds but because it is Marco,” he says. “When Jensen asked me to join, he wanted the new line-up to bring in their own flavour, nuances and dynamics into the band so we didn’t try to make a new first or second album. We wrote songs that felt right for this line-up.”

And what is right for this line-up?

“We have fast and thrashy songs but the melodic stuff is still there so it is another Haunted album,” Englund continues. “The aggression from those two albums is back as well the melodic stuff from The Dead Eye [2006] and Versus [2008]. It is a good mixture of previous albums whilst still standing on its own.”

Both old and new fans of the band will be curious to know just how much input Aro had into the songwriting for Exit Wounds, and it turns out his contribution to the lyrics was indeed substantial.

“He contributed almost all of the lyrics,” Englund states. “Marco is kind of a hardcore guy; he listens to the songs for one day and records the whole album in two or three days. He is quick and not wasting any time. I maybe wrote one or two lyrics but he wrote the rest of the lyrics on the album.”

The last time The Haunted toured Australia in 2011, the band was fronted by the acerbic and dry-witted Peter Dolving who, figuratively speaking, poured his guts out onstage. Audiences more familiar with the Dolving era can still expect a live set that spans the band’s entire impressive career thus far.

“We’re not holding back on any songs just because Marco is back,” Englund says confidently. “We do a best-of set list from all of the albums and are playing all the songs that need to be played if you’re a Haunted fan. We fit almost every one of them in there – Marco is not holding back because we are playing Dolving songs and the response overall has been overwhelming, exceeding our expectations.”

Fans aren’t only scrutinising how Aro sings Dolving tracks but also

how Englund handles Björler’s guitar solos. To prepare, the guitarist says he practiced to old Haunted live material. “That [playing along with live material] is exactly how I learnt the songs,” Englund confirms. “As a fan of the band, I try to play the solos exactly as he [Björler] would. I like to think that people want to hear it as it is meant to be played so I listened a lot to the live albums and the live DVDs to capture Ander’s live vibe.”

As The Haunted is regularly linked to At The Gates, it is interesting to note how Englund approaches replacing Anders Björler since both Björler brothers remain active in the latter band.

“Both bands are so tight together that everyone is good friends and there is no drama,” he says. “The more you hang out with them and just play then the more you are part of the family so it feels natural.

Englund, who previously played guitar in Six Feet Under and currently produces and mixes his own band Feared, is an accomplished player of seven and eight-string guitars with his own line of signature Washburn guitars. Does he feel his style has helped to inject new blood into The Haunted’s sound?

“I hope so. I got a bit of that on the new album,” Englund replies, admitting, “I don’t consider myself a modern metal guy – I’m not djent and am still into ‘90s metal riffs – but my presence in the band adds dynamics.”

England says that each of his bands requires different approaches: “Six Feet Under is supposed to be simple, stomping riffs so it is definitely a big difference in the songwriting aspect. A simple riff can be harder to write because it has to be catchy whereas in The Haunted, the challenge is to keep the dynamics and make it feel like something is happening all the time while still keeping the listener interested.”

Diplomatically, he is quick to specify that any album is always a team effort.

“Everyone was rejuvenated with this new line-up so everyone contributed to what made this new album fresh,” he says.

Fans will be delighted to know that the band is already planning another release. “Next year is the twentieth anniversary of The Haunted [1996] so we have stuff planned and are already writing our next album,” Englund says, hinting at a possible change of direction. “The next album will be more relaxed because people were expecting a lot from Exit Wounds. Now we have that out of the way, we can have a more relaxed view.”

“It is weird to be a fan of the band that you’re in. It’s like experiencing it as a live show and being part of the audience except you’re playing the songs.”

S CA RE YOU RSEL F

‘Cutting Teeth’ @YouTube

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P OW E R U P

‘I O U Nothing’ @YouTube Words: Wylie Birchall Photo: Dan Santoni

Fans of nu-metal’s halcyon days will be fervently excited to hear that Coal Chamber have returned with what could be their most inimitable release to date. Vocalist Dez Fafara talks with Wylie Birchall about why the world needs more Coal Chamber.

W

hen I first heard Coal Chamber were reuniting, I was in desperate need to talk to vocalist Dez Fafara, not only to discuss the Californian nu-metal band’s new album Rivals but also to dig deep into their prolonged absence from the metal scene.

As I expect, Fafara doesn’t mince words, which is why he’s so great to interview. Discussing Rivals, he’s determined to communicate that this ain’t no ‘90s throwback record.

“Those who can’t wait to hear the new Coal Chamber may want to hear something like we were in our infancy but it just can’t be done,” the enigmatic frontman says. “This record definitely has the elements of Coal Chamber – it’s definitely down-tuned and heavy, and the landscape and the textures of the guitars are just absolutely unique – but it’s 13 years later with growth of the musicians, the growth in our ability and the growth of me vocally and how my voice is now to be way more powerful than it was in my youth.”

Fafara is beaming with praise for the contributions of his band mates Miguel ‘Meegs’ Rascón, Mikey ‘Bug’ Cox and Nadja Peulen on Rivals, so much so that the public and bitter disputes of the past now seem ancient history.

“I would put Meegs as not only a [guitar] player but even more so as a sound technologist if that’s what it’s called; I’d put him up against Tom Morello from Rage [Against the Machine] because it’s the only category the guy belongs in – he’s so insane and out there, and actually does come up with new tones, new textures and new riff styles,” Fafara says. “Then the drumming is absolutely spot on and unique. Nadja is also a very good player, genuine and very professional. She’s just on top of it and she as well has her own sound and her own style of playing; we utilised that on this record.”

Such performances made the reunion an easy decision.

“The moment I heard that they sent me the demos, I was like, ‘This shit needs my vocals on it right now,” Fafara laughs. “F**king book the sessions and let’s do this!”

Of his own work, Fafara says it was imperative to bring vocal techniques and tones that differed from his work with his other band, the groove metal act DevilDriver.

“Vocally, the landscape for me was so wide open, free and clear that it [Rivals] literally felt refreshing not only to write to but to sing. I mean if you’d heard the record, you’d know what I’m talking about and everything had to be different to DevilDriver.”

It’s been no overnight reunion. The foursome spent ample time writing their new album and precision, attention and general commitment were all crucial to Rival’s successful execution.

“After we got the initial ideas down and [established] who we were going to work with on production, time really passed by – it was up to three months for us to get into a room and start jamming and it was like old school rehearsing; we locked ourselves in every day for three weeks.

It then took another three months to write, musically, and I took at least another two months or even more to write the vocals. There were days

20

when I’d write a really good verse then I was out but other days I went down at 5am and would leave at 2am the next morning and had written six songs!”

This commitment continued through the recording sessions.

“It took a lot of time just to get the tones right,” Fafara stresses. “I mean it took six to seven days at least just for the drums, and there was a lot of time spent on the bass – it’s absolutely unique.”

This all begs the question of how Fafara juggled Coal Chamber with DevilDriver, the band that has been his mainstay for 15 years and the one which has shaped his reputation most significantly. As it turns out,

he didn’t need to do as much juggling as one might think.

“I had 12-and-a-half years of straight touring with DevilDriver in which I wasn’t home unless I was doing a record and when I wasn’t doing a record, I was back out on tour,” Fafara says. “Most bands take a year off in between cycles and have a life but I never did that; it was constant touring and what was actually said to me by everybody, including our management and agents, was, ‘Hey, do yourselves a f**king favour and chill out for at least a year.’ I looked at them and said ‘Dude, to be honest with you I need more than a year.’ I’d been going for 20 years straight so that was the time for us [DevilDriver] to take a break.”

Despite the pull of both bands, Fafara remains a loving and dedicated family man.

“Everyone is like, ‘How do you manage two bands?’ That’s not the point. The point is how do I manage my family life because that’s the important thing. Being a married guy with kids and being Italian, that’s what I gotta do first so it has been great having the time off.”

With this in mind, I ask about Coal Chamber’s future and whether Rivals is intended as an experimental release or whether Coal Chamber has grander plans in mind.

“This album hasn’t been released yet and there’s a lot to be said for letting the record come out, doing some more touring and then deciding where it’s going to go,” Fafara says. “If you’re asking me whether I want to make another Coal Chamber record, I would be like ‘Absolutely!’ God, I’ve had a blast and we’ve been given lots of incredible feedback already.”

It’s the uniqueness of the whole project that has made it so much fun, according to the frontman, and particularly the chance to employ vocal approaches he’s never used before that has made Rivals so appealing.

“What you have to understand is that most of the vocal tapes are all first tracks,” he says with pride. “We didn’t sit there for seven hours, play to a click track and then cut and paste choruses. Each chorus is sung completely separately.”

There’s been so much speculation across the print and online media over the years about why Coal Chamber split that it would be a wasted chance not to ask the man himself to share the truth about the history and separation of the band.

“In 2002 and late 2003, there were some issues with drugs in the

band, which is obviously quite common but that’s why I jetted,” Fafara says of his decision to leave Coal Chamber first time around. “Youth is a hell of a drug [laughs]. I had my crazy times in the band too but I managed to keep my shit together as I had a family and kids. So yeah, that was part and parcel to the reason I left but not just because of substance abuse – I knew if I went on stage one more night, I would be feeding them [his band mates] the money to kill themselves, you know?”

The drugs are gone these days, buried under the weight of family responsibilities.

“Those kind of things aren’t going on now and, if they were, I wouldn’t be a part of it,” Fafara says. “You’ve got to understand that Mike might as well be married, you know? His chick works for Disney and he has a one year-old baby boy who he loves more than anything. Meegs is married too. These are different guys on a different level, not only musically but in their lives.”

This sense of responsibility is now present in the band’s every action, Fafara explains: “Everybody is professional in the way that when rehearsals are at seven o’clock, everyone is there at six thirty or when it’s time to go on stage, everyone is back stage and ready. It’s not just some big party. People are concentrating on getting their instruments right and so on.”

Diverting to another delicate topic, I asked Fafara to share his thoughts on the tragic passing of his long-time friend Wayne Static, who made a huge impact on the metal industry in his short time on this planet.

“Wayne’s passing was a very sad day for all of us. He had talent and was a good guy,” Fafara says, adding, “I actually discovered Static-X. They were playing at a very small place in front of 20 people. I got their info and gave it to a good friend of mine (Eddie Oertell) and the rest is history.”

The loss of good men often leaves us to appreciate those who remain and, while I’m reluctant to end my conversation on such an emotional matter, I take solace that Coal Chamber is back, recharged and ready to rock, and that I have the opportunity to listen to Rivals ahead of its release in May. For all of that, I am grateful. H

“The moment I heard that they sent me the demos, I was like, ‘This shit needs my vocals on it right now. F**king book the sessions and let’s do this!’’’

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GET L O S T

‘No Hope In Sight’ @YouTube

PARADISE LOST NO END IN SIGHT Words: Matt Doria Photo: Ester Segarra

Paradise Lost are gearing up to release The Plague Within this June, their fourteenth album in 27 years. Matt Doria has a chat with frontman Nick Holmes to figure out just how the gothic metal legends are able to keep kicking ass after almost three decades.

Q

uestion time: How many metal bands can you name that are still successful after three decades? Sure, there’s a moderate handful of them but how many of those are actually still any good, still blowing minds, still exceeding expectations? That’s a tough one, isn’t it? To be at the top of your game after so many years? Just ask Paradise Lost who are gearing up to release their fourteenth studio album The Plague Within this June.

It’s one of their strongest releases to date and there’s a good reason for that. As frontman Nick Holmes explains, Paradise Lost still have the vivaciousness of a new band because, in their minds, that’s exactly what they are.

“We don’t reject any of our past but when we’re writing a new album we have to forget that we’ve had that history. Otherwise you tend to be chained to it,” Holmes says. “We just pretend that we’re a new band and focus on what excites us right now, what’s relevant to us and what influences us right now. That’s why, to us, every record almost feels like a debut and that keeps it interesting to do.”

Going since 1988, Holmes can’t emphasise enough the importance of keeping things fresh.

“After 27 years and 14 records, it could have easily become some sort of factory job where we just churn out songs,” he says, “but if you approach it from the viewpoint that things are new every time, you never get bored of things.” Obviously, the heavy metal scene has changed a considerable amount since the ‘80s. Comparing the scene today to when they first started, Holmes says, “For me, the main difference is that the metal music scene is completely saturated now.”

He explains that sub-genres once considered niches have now exploded into large markets and there are so many acts that finding a good band is a lot harder today than it was in the past.

“There’s maybe too much emphasis on perfection now as well,” he says. “To me, the biggest disappointment with a lot of modern metal is that it’s become so safe. Metal used to be the dangerous music; it used to be rebellious but now it’s almost the safest kind of music.”

When it comes to The Plague Within, safety is the last of Paradise Lost’s concerns. This is fifty-one minutes of vicious, blood curdling chaos that’ll not only blow your mind but also drive over it with a monster truck just to finish it off.

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“It was an experimental process,” Holmes says of the record’s construction. “The last few records we did, we’ve been happy but we felt like we were paying a producer and also telling him what to do, which kind of defeated the purpose. So we went into the studio with only an engineer – Jaime Gomez Arellano.”

Originally hired as a knob tweaker, Arellano’s influence on the record ended up being so significant that he’s listed as a producer in the liner notes.

“As the process went on and it became more experimental in finding sounds and making sure the album didn’t have a generic sound, he [Arellano] became more instrumental and very passionate about the record so we ended up giving him a producer credit anyway,” Holmes explains.

If you take a look back at the past 13 albums Paradise Lost have thrown on shelves, you’ll see how many times they’ve changed direction.

Whether it be alternative metal, gothic rock, synth-pop or doom metal, Paradise Lost know no borders and, as Holmes explains, that’s just the way they roll.

“Everything we feel like doing, we usually do,” he boasts with the kind of creative liberty that mainstream artists can only dream about.

“When it comes time to write an album, we sit down and we trawl through things to think of what’s exciting us at the time, and I don’t think there’s anything I wouldn’t try.”

Not wanting to paint themselves into a corner, Paradise Lost keep their horizons wide open when it comes to being inspired.

“We don’t draw the line when it comes to influences. We have a certain way of writing and a certain way of playing so that whatever influences us, we interpret that in our own way,” Holmes elaborates, adding, “It’s really important to us that we don’t sound like anybody else.”

Even after 14 of them, Holmes still feels the enthusiasm and trepidation that comes with releasing an album.

“For me, it’s exciting. Every album that we do is a special thing to us,” he says with a shimmer in his voice. Explaining why Paradise Lost still decide to release their music in albums or even to release music at all, Holmes illustrates, “It’s not like it’s the ‘90s where there was shitloads of money. You do it for the love of it.” H

T he Plague Within

· Out 05.06.2015

The 14th (!) studio album by Britain‘s gothic doom metallers!

A collection of songs that will surprise even the most seasoned of fans in its ambition: a monochrome miasma of morbid and melancholic anthems.

Produced by Jaime Gomez Arellano (Ghost B.C., Ulver, Cathedral) Art by Zbigniew M. Bielak (Watain, Ghost B.C., Mayhem, Behemoth) Available as Ltd. Mediabook CD, Gatefold 180g 2LP, CD, Digital Download.

ODYSSEY/SCALA

· Out 19.05.2015

TesseracT’s first live concert available on 2 LP/DVD and CD/DVD recorded over 42 nights throughout Europe and Russia on the Altered State World tour.

Featuring the return of vocalist, Daniel Tompkins.

RISE OF THE BLOOD LEGION GREATEST HITS (Chapter 1) · Out 05.06.2015 10th anniversary best-of by the female-fronted hard rockers - all songs handpicked by the band!

Incl. hits such as “The Gun Show”, “Blood”, “Whore”, “Beautiful Tragedy”.

Mastered by Kevin Churko (Ozzy Osbourne, Five Finger Death Punch) and offered at mid price!

Available as CD / DIGITAL ALBUM

OUT 05.06.2015 10 new intriguing pop songs from ALKALINE TRIO front-man Matt Skiba.

Available as SPECIAL EDITION CD and 180g VINYL EDITION (incl. the album on CD) and DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

www.SUPERBALLMUSIC.com

www.CENTURYMEDIA.com

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Words: Jeremy Vane-Tempest Photo: Courtesy of Cooking Vinyl

Has punk lost its original identity, the identity that shaped the very definition of the term? If there’s one man that Jeremy Vane-Tempest can get answers from, it’s Gallows frontman Wade MacNeil.

P

unk has been synonymous with bastardry since the day it took its first tentative steps from the underground and into the light, immediately smashing the bulb and insulting its mother, but the modern scene seems short of the abrasion of years past. Warped Tour is now a punk festival with no punk bands, for example, and Gallows singer Wade MacNeil is pretty sure he knows what’s behind it.

“The bands that shaped me were old and scary and shitty-looking. They played music because they couldn’t do anything else and there was nothing else for them to do”, MacNeil says of punk’s current identity crisis. “They were musicians because that was all they had. This isn’t me

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going ‘Well, back in my day, that was the real shit.’ What I’m saying is that the music that shaped me was rooted in a DIY culture and that culture breeds a certain life view – it shapes the music you make. I think a lot of these bands that are on Warped are shaped by pop music; they didn’t grow up listening to The Clash. They grew up listening to Blink-182 and New Found Glory. Those are pop bands; hell, they’re basically boy bands. Major label music aimed at mass appeal is all the new bands know.”

As time passes, so too does the likelihood that new bands will continue to be influenced by pioneers, MacNeil believes.

“You look at artists like Leslie Feist and Broken Social Scene, and that’s shaped by something more than simply

mass appeal. It’s shaped by the first wave of punk,” he explains.

“There are these old musical anchors that shape bands I love but a lot of young bands are Words: Jeremy Vane-Tempest taking their influences from a different source. That’s why it doesn’t have that same identity.

That’s fine; it is what it is. I just have a hard time connecting to that stuff; it just doesn’t really speak to me.”

Touring full time and living from show to show is venerated as a pseudo-deistic ideal. While it does have its perks, MacNeil If you had said that the opening believes that life on the road is riff to Desolation Sounds was an old Carcass demo, I wouldn’t be more treacherous than anyone surprised. Yes, it’s that heavy; however, who hasn’t experienced it can there’s an interesting dichotomy possibly understand. One of the throughout this album where the hardest parts is simply coming heavy songs are evenly interspersed with correspondingly softer tracks. Not home and seeing how much has that any of the songs are particularly changed in the time since you’ve soft, though. Even the two left-field been away. Beyond that, it’s the ones, ‘Bonfire Season’ (basically a isolation, the repetition and, pop rock song) and ‘Cease to Exist’ (a bluesy ballad and the album highlight) ultimately, the sheer boredom have an oppressive weight to them. that leads to the demise of so Frontman Wade MacNeil’s ability to many bands. switch between the bellow that greets “It’s very weird for any band to the listener on ‘Mystic Death’ and the lustful rasp we hear on ‘Bonfire come back to their home town, Night’ makes the record what it is – a because everything’s different. menacing, dichotomous album that You’ve been gone so long and spastically switches from heavy, fast so much has changed since you and vicious to a vengeful slow-burner accentuated with haunting female left,” he explains. “That’s why I vocals. All in all, this is Gallows’ think a lot of bands don’t make finest hour. it. Getting lost in the road can be something very beautiful but LIGHT IT UP it can be something very, very ‘Bonfire Season’ dangerous. It’s easy to lose sight @YouTube of everything because every day is Groundhog Day and people look to these other escapes because life on the road can be amazing but it can also be very isolating – you’re backstage a lot of the time with the same people and with nowhere to go. There is only the hour where you’re on stage. It’s why so many bands get f**ked up; there’s nothing else to do.”

Music is the universal language but there are so many dialects within it that it can be difficult to find the one you understand. MacNeil isn’t alone in finding it difficult to connect to the current wave of identikit ‘pop-core’ spewing forth from the United States but his ambivalence is supplemented by the perspective he gained from having literally been there and done that.

“You’re completely a product of your environment and your environment will dictate what you can and can’t relate to”, he states with authority. “You look at the third records of a lot of bands and they’re all about touring. They’re not singing about anything else because their whole world is the road. They’re living like pirates – drinking all the booze, f**king everyone and taking all the cash – and that’s what comes out when you’re writing.”

I was first introduced to Gallows when one of my friends gave me a copy of Orchestra of Wolves for my sixteenth birthday. He said, “Think of the most pissed-off punk you can imagine and these guys would make him beg for his mother.” For better or worse, that’s largely been eradicated from Gallows’ shows since MacNeil joined.

Desolation Sounds

by Gallows

“If I hit a guy in the face, it’s gonna hurt a lot more than if Frank did it”, MacNeil laughs, referencing the wild live antics of previous vocalist Frank Carter. “I’m not pissing on Frank by the way. We’ve been friends a long time and I used to love what he did on stage. It’s great to see an unpredictable live band and they had that vibe for a while. Unfortunately, there’s a point where you’re just mouthing off your fans and not playing any songs, and they were getting to that point when Frank left.”

MacNeil is adamant that the shift away from the band’s abrasive past is the right one, a new direction that he sums up elegantly and succinctly.

“I want people to come see Gallows for the music.” H

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Words: Michelle O’Rance Photo: Alyssa Hermann

King Parrot’s crazed t, Se d ea D m bu al th their second full-leng less touring Ahead of the release oftakes a moment away from the band’s relent new record, life on e frontman Matt Young w questions for Michelle O’Rance about th Anselmo. . fe schedule to answer a it’s like to hang out in a barn with Phillip H t the road and just wha

I

t’s no easy feat staying relevant in a time where fans are easily distracted by a newer, shinier model but King Parrot aren’t worried that they will lose their lustre any time soon. In fact, the pursuit of global domination for Australia’s crustiest band now has even more weight behind it after they caught the attention of none other than Phil Anselmo (Pantera, Down) last year at Soundwave. Anselmo has well and truly taken the band

26

under his wing and opened new doors for them – he took them on tour through America with Down and Orange Goblin in 2014 and then brought them to his Louisiana farm house to record new album Dead Set in his studio, Nodferatu’s Lair.

Recording an album with Anselmo would be something of a surreal dream for most bands, let alone a handful of pub rats from Down Under, but the band took it all in their stride,

enjoying their time at the ranch and even shooting a new film clip for ‘Like A Rat’, which stars Anselmo waking up to a shock after a big night of drinking.

“It was great to have someone of his calibre working on the record,” vocalist Matt Young says of Anselmo, “and great to have someone like that listen to it [the record]. They might come up with an idea that you might not have thought of yourself, whether it be studio tricks or something else, and just the experience and wealth of knowledge in the studio was awesome.”

“Everyone was really open about what they wanted to try, we discussed where we wanted songs to go and tried out everyone’s ideas, which I think is one of the strong points of the album,” Youngy says of the writing process. “We listened to what everyone had to say about the songs and try to make things work one way or another.”

King Parrot actually took about a month and a half off between tours in America last September and October and locked themselves away in a friend’s barn in Vermont to really focus on the album.

“We were in the woods and there were no distractions at all out there, it was a really great time for us to concentrate on writing the album,” Youngy explains.

Without giving too much away, Dead Set stays true to King Parrot’s unique mash of thrash, grind and obnoxious punk but Youngy says everyone brought new ideas to the table this time around and everyone really listened to what each other had to say.

“It still really sounds like King Parrot – I don’t think we will have any worries about that – but this time around, it was an easier process. Well, we’ve had a few different drummers and now that we have Todd (Hansen), we pretty much started writing

with him as soon as he came on board.”

Emerging from the barn, the lads then took off on their fourth North American tour in 12 months before they headed to Anselmo’s farm house to record the album in January.

Youngy laughs that they have surely lapped America by now, heading to places that they have never played. He remains humbled as well that shows are selling out and fans are coming from everywhere to see them play.

“It is a spin out to come here and people know who we are and know the words to the songs and just go bat-shit crazy when we play,” Youngy says. “We were also really surprised with Soundwave to be honest. Obviously it is a great honour to be playing it and when we were told we were playing at midday, we thought okay, we’ll make the most of it and get the word out there that we are playing early. We were blown away by the amount of people that came to see us and the amount of King Parrot shirts in the audience.”

The crazy ride isn’t about to stop for the boys as they head back to Australia in April for a well-earned, albeit brief, rest before hitting the road for a string of shows around Australian cities and regional towns in support of the release of Dead Set, out via EVP Recordings on May 15.

“It is a really diverse line-up,” Youngy says of the tour. “We have always been strong supporters of having a good mixed bill and line-ups for tours and shows. High Tension have always been a band we have all admired and Colossvs are a really good up-and-coming band and the work that both bands have been doing stood out to us so we had to add them to the bill. Plus there are different locals getting an opportunity. It is going to be a great tour!”

We’ve got no doubts about that, Youngy. Dead set. H

Secrets to Success Words: Michelle O’Rance King Parrot have ticked so many things off their bucket list in their short time as a band that one wonders how they’ve managed it.

The personas that vocalist Matt Young and his cohorts portray on-stage are really not too distant from how they appear in real life and this works well for them. The entire band are batshit-crazy hilarious one minute, volatile the next, and all the while approachable. They love to exaggerate the Aussie battler/bogan lifestyle for their fans and people around the world fascinated by Aussie culture lap it up.

Add to that some great talent and an unbeatable work ethic and King Parrot have definitely uncovered a winning formula, which Youngy says is the key.

“What we always wanted to do with King Parrot is to never lose momentum. To make the best of every situation and keep a positive outlook, no matter the hurdles,” he says. “We know this is a crazy life but we are dedicated and don’t ever want to be idle.”

LIGHT IT UP

‘Like a Rat’ @YouTube

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SM A SH IT O UT

‘Shall Rise/Shall Be Dead’ @SoundCloud

Words Will Oakeshott Photos Kane Hibberd

Words: Rob Brens Photo: Jon Simvonis

For a long time, George Kollias has been one of the first named when it comes to extreme metal drumming, courtesy of his break-neck speed and the innovative approach he brought to the Egyptian-themed death metal band Nile.

R

ecently, Kollias has been the subject of much attention since announcing his first solo record Invictus, the inception of which started back in 2008 when Kollias performed compositions that he created solely for his educational DVD Intense Metal Drumming.

The response to one such track ‘Aeons of Burning Galaxies’, which has currently clocked up over 1.3 million YouTube hits, was completely unforeseen by Kollias.

“I just wrote two songs for my first DVD, people really liked them and asked for more” Kollias explains, “so, for the next DVD [2012’s Intense Metal Drumming 2] I wrote another three and then everybody was asking about an album. It was for fun – I never planned on having a label and all this stuff – but it all came along smoothly” Invictus is a solo venture in the truest sense of the word. Barring guests who perform violin, synth and contribute guitar solos, everything has been written and recorded by Kollias, which is stunning when considering how high-end his drumming is alone; however, guitar was one of Kollias’ musical abilities long before he ever picked up a drum stick.

Back in 1990, Kollias honed his song-writing craft in one of his early bands, Extremity Obsession, for whom he also contributed vocals.

All this laid the necessary foundations for Kollias being capable of completing his first foray into solo territory.

Fans were always going to be in for a long wait for Kollias’ solo venture, in between his busy schedule of touring with Nile, studio sessions, clinics and lessons. What normally would have been a process of a matter of a couple of weeks unfurled over the course of months and years but now, given the response leading up to this release, people may not have to wait so long for the next offering.

“Normally it would take ten days to record everything but this wasn’t a priority; my priority was whatever was paying my bills,” Kollias bluntly asserts. “Now with the contract, which is a really good contract, it’s a priority. The album is going to be released on Digi-pack and LP but I will still give it away for free on my website because I promised the fans.”

This demonstration of character is one of many facets of Kollias’ personality that have helped bring him to where he is today – you don’t raise the bar of drumming technique without a staunch work ethic.

Kollias elaborates on some of the aspects that have helped him persevere through adversity.

“Going for it, it’s what I do,” he says. “I wasn’t lucky when I was a

kid; I had zero support but that made me more hungry. I did most of my practice on the living room couches and chairs as gear is just so expensive in Greece.”

After two years of waiting, Kollias got his first drum kit at the age of 12, which fuelled his drive further; however it was still ill equipped for playing in bands.

“I’d started rehearsing but I had no crash cymbal, I got one a year later. I just couldn’t support my hobby. Going through these sorts of problems in my first ten years gave me a lot more passion than if I’d had a complete custom drum kit from the beginning.”

Despite Kollias’ enormous skill set and the numerous theories that he must have more than two arms to do what he does, Kollias has little interest in bringing Invictus to the stage as a one-man band. Currently he has been presenting the album in clinics but the demand for a touring band is overwhelming if the ongoing response has been anything to go by.

“We’ve had some offers already,” Kollias says, sounding almost surprised by the proposition. “I had a thought that maybe I could form a band with me playing guitar and singing. That would be interesting.

I have members already. I’m very lucky but if we make this happen we’ll make it special.”

The next question is obvious. If Kollias opts to play guitar, who on Earth could possibly fill his devastatingly quick, ground-breaking shoes behind the kit?

“I’ve got a drummer who wants to do it but I can’t say his name,” Kollias teases. “I’ve talked to him and he can play the stuff for sure. He’s one of these guys who can pull it off.”

Reading into Kollias’ history, his musical journey has moved from strength to strength since his rocky formative years. Now the hype surrounding the worldwide release of Invictus feels very much to him like a full-circle moment.

“I feel very happy,” Kollias says. “I’m happy with the companies I believe in; I’m happy with the products. It’s a result of a lot of hard work in the past and pushing your limits, travelling and performing.

When I wake up in the morning and go to my website and see all the endorsements, I feel very happy.”

Fans can finally experience Invictus when it is released through Season of Mist on May 18. H

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Words: Carl Neumann Photo: courtesy of Nuclear Blast

THE RIGHT TO ROCK

When it came to recording their 16th album, power metal legends Helloween did it in the only style they know how: by recording like it’s 1985! Guitarist Michael Weikath gets all analogue with Carl Neumann.

M

odern metal has always been cutting edge, attaching itself to every new advancement in audio recording and production in search of precision and heaviness. In the 30 years since Helloween gave birth to what is now fondly known as melodic power metal, the band has tried it all as far as recording music is concerned. This time around, for their 16th album, Helloween decided to buck the technological trend to go back to basics and play with some dear old toys.

“There was a difference with the recording of this album,” founding guitarist Michael Weikath says of My God-Given Right.

“We have done everything the same way ever since Keepers 3, The Legacy and, this time around, Charlie [Bauerfeind, producer] asked if we wanted to go the ’80s way, so we did!”

Weikath explains that while some technologies like ProTools remained in place as a matter of convenience, Bauerfeind experimented heavily with analogue outboard gear right throughout the sessions.

“He bought some expensive little gadgets like compressors, limiters, equalisers, transformers, digital and analogue equipment that was really expensive,” Weikath says. “He bought some original stuff and some replicas and he put it all through the digital loop. The recording process was all the same but these gadgets and devices make a difference and create a particular sound and aura you can’t replicate with [software] plug-ins.”

Weikath is well-known to be a seriously kooky guy. He’s intensely passionate about making fine, technical music while his wacky sense of humour makes light of life in the most creative of ways.

“I always say, with all these plug-ins, ‘You are still in the one big, ‘bit-universe’. That’s what I call it – a bit universe,” he says, breaking excitedly into a crazy, animated voice: “You can’t escape, you can’t get out. We are plug-ins, plug-ins, I tell you! We are capable of doing so many things but we are captured in the bit universe and we can’t get out! “

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He chuckles and falls back into his deep German accent.

“So we went back to these original devices and they do make a difference. That’s what you hear on this record,” he says. “Everything seems a lot more clear and almost touchable – the guitar sounds round, warm, expansive, and there’s all these atmospheres; the drums are clearly a lot more audible; the bass is so beefy and fat you can grip it almost.”

Play My God-Given Right through any halfway-decent audio system and Weikath’s point becomes clear. The record combines the boldness and depth of an ‘80s album with premium digital clarity; it’s the best of both worlds.

It makes sense that this fusion of old and new techniques arose from the use of old and new gear. To find the guitar sounds alone, the band employed a huge collection of different amps.

“Charlie took a long time – say, six weeks – sampling and profiling original amps that are really, really good and are renowned for having been good for us in the past,” Weikath explains. “What you basically hear on this record is a mix of amps and all the signals have been bounced.”

The band was able to experiment with many classic amps from their past thanks to one of the most modern pieces of equipment available: an all-digital Kemper profiling amp. In this way, they were able to capture the sound of Engl amps they used on the Live in UK tour and even the tone of a classic Vox AC30 that Weikath proudly claims he destroyed on the Better than Raw album back in ‘88.

“The great [Vox] AC30 that I play the solo ‘In Time’ with on Better Than Raw died after the solo was recorded because of the tubes vibrating – I had it on ten, or eleven if you like, and the tubes died after the recording. We have that one profiled if we ever want to use it.”

Working with these older, pre-beloved systems would have to trigger a few trips back down memory lane, wouldn’t it?

“Yes! Because we recorded on analogue tape back then and the

properties that you feel when you record it like that are different,” Weikath says. “Then you go digital and it is also impressive and nice but it’s a different ‘Woo’ feeling.”

Weikath likes to talk and once he gets started, he has the capacity to chew your ear off but his well-mannered goofiness is not overpowering – in fact, it’s a relief compared to the drool of bitterness and hate that is the mainstay of so many metal bands.

Weikath’s attitude has always reflected in Helloween’s work, and the themes and imagery on My God-Given Right highlight the band’s long-held love of the absurd and the nonsensical.

To start, the artwork features a robot standing victoriously atop a snow-covered Statue of Liberty. Behind, his army waits patiently in formation while frozen in the snow is the band’s ubiquitous pumpkin mascot, Jack O. Lantern. It’s part Planet of the Apes, part The Day After Tomorrow, part global warming and part bible belt (complete with what looks like a commandment slate in the foreground) but Weikath is adamant this isn’t some elaborate play for the American market.

“We are not trying to mollycoddle anyone or get them thinking we want them in America or something. I’m saying this because someone said before, ‘You are trying to convert the Americans into your kind of music’ but we are not. It’s all just coincidence.”

Germans can be quite eccentric, both funny and cynical, and the lyrics throughout Helloween’s history are influenced accordingly.

On My God-Given Right, things can get a little cryptic.

As Weikath explains of the album’s first single, “’Battle’s Won’ came about because I thought of the lyrics ‘Okay, Stand tall, your battle’s won’, but that sounded too militant – too much like

advertising for the military – so I had to put it into perspective. I went cynical about making money, from war, deployment and amassing a unit to where you can sell military hardware and make a profit. It’s [a theme that’s] been in movies a lot but it’s now been overtaken in the real world. Unfortunately, there is not a lot I can do about it except write songs about it.”

Again on the title track, not all is as it seems. ‘My God-Given Right’ sounds immediately like a protest slogan for members of the gun-toting NRA but it’s really about a young boy’s dream to play rock’n’roll.

“When you read just the lyrics for ‘My God-Given Right’, the original story behind it is not obvious,” Weikath says. “When Deris [Andi Deris, Helloween vocalist] said as he finished school, ‘I would like to become a rock musician of sorts’, his mother was completely against it. She said, ‘No, you’re going to go and get a steady job and bring in some money.’ But Deris’ father had always been an aspiring saxophone player. He had dreamed of being in a swing band but he couldn’t do that because he was born in ’44 and the main objective for them at the time was to rebuild their country.”

As such, Deris’ father longed to give his son the chance to follow the dream he himself never had.

“He had to skip all kinds of dreams about being a saxophone player in a swing band so he said to his son, ‘You know, whatever you want to do that makes you happy makes me happy too, and it’s your god-given right to do whatever you dream. Do what makes you happy.’

And that’s exactly what Helloween has been doing for 30 years. H

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Words: Damo Musclecar Photo: Ester Segarra

When one thinks of black metal, two things spring to mind: Norwegian extremists in corpse paint burning down churches and the band that started it all. Cronos and La Rage from the all-conquering Venom tell Damo Musclecar a thing or two about being evil.

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lack Metal, the second album from Newcastle trio Venom, is a game changer. Released in 1982, it was so abrasive, so raw, that critics and metal enthusiasts still hail it as one of the most important albums in heavy metal history.

Venom’s unapologetic punk attitude combined with its iconic satanic imagery was the opposite of everything happening in heavy metal at the time and, as Cronos (aka Conrad Lant) remembers, it was taking everything they had heard and seen done before one almighty step further.

“It was more pyro than KISS, more leather and studs than Judas Priest, heavier than Motörhead, more satanic than Sabbath,” explains the band’s vocalist, bassist and only original member. “I used to work in a recording studio and I would see the bands coming in and wanting a guitar sound like Tony Iommi or vocals to sound like Rob Halford, and I’d sit there and scratch my head because everybody wants to be somebody else. When you’ve got so many bands at that time who were so massively influential like Zeppelin, the Stones, Free, Bad Company and Priest, a lot of people didn’t see

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how to take that any further. They just wanted to emulate that.”

Cronos knew then that the only way to get recognised was to be entirely unique, no matter what it took.

“I wanted to do the things I thought the other bands weren’t doing,” he says proudly.

There were bands working the evil angle but, in Cronos’ twisted mind, they were nowhere near evil enough.

“Black Sabbath didn’t take the dark imagery far enough; Ozzy would sing about witches and demons and then he’d get to the point where he’d be the victim and say ‘God, help me’ and I thought ‘No! You should be the evil bastard, the demon’. I went to see KISS and the pyro was all pop, bang, fizzle, and I was thinking ‘No! Pyro needs to blow your head off and blow holes in the f**king building.’

I wanted to create an atmosphere that scared people.”

The irony of Venom’s humble beginnings is that this most satanic of bands actually started life rehearsing and gigging in churches!

“The early days of Venom were very difficult,” Cronos remembers.

“It was hard to find a place to rehearse because the other bands

G O T O H ELL

‘Long Haired Punks’ @YouTube

“It [Venom] was more pyro than KISS, more leather and studs than Judas Priest, heavier than Motörhead, more satanic than Sabbath,” were trying to block our path. That’s why we started to rehearse in church halls, which was a blast because vicars and priests would do anything for a few dollars. We used to offer these guys ten bucks and say ‘Can we use the church hall Saturday night?’ and those guys used to take your hand off for the money. We would print off an A4 of tickets that we could cut up and hand out to people and we would get 50 to 100 people coming to these shows. We would set off so much smoke, bangs and explosions and the priest would say ‘You didn’t say you were going to do this!’ He must have thought we had conjured up Satan.”

Satan. It’s Venom’s favourite topic and every album has featured satanic imagery and lyrics dealing in biblical mythology, all in a tribute to the southern Lord.

“Rock’n’roll has always had those sayings like the devil has the best tunes and Robert Johnson went to the crossroads to sell his soul to the devil, and I just think it fits so well,” he explains.

There’s definitely a sense of humour that runs with the band.

They don’t take themselves too seriously.

“People know it’s entertainment,” he adds. “It’s like creating a horror movie to music, really. We used to say Black Sabbath were the Hammer Horror and we are The Evil Dead.”

It’s a great comparison but being so overtly satanic can attract negativity. In the ‘90s, the Norwegian black metal scene rose to the public eye on the back of church burnings and homicides and Venom’s music was cited as one of the main influences.

“Those guys paid a heavy price for that,” Cronos says. “We’ve said it for years – there’s a big difference between entertainment and crime. I’m really good friends with Mayhem and Burzum and those guys are going to regret that for the rest of their lives. They were young and crazy but it just went too far. I have respect that those bands were influenced by what we did but I can’t condone what they did with the church burnings and the murders.”

Cronos believes it was the competitive nature of the scene that fuelled behaviour that otherwise wouldn’t have occurred.

“They had quite a lot of bands around in their area that were all competing to be the most extreme,” he says. “When Venom started, we were the only band for miles around who were doing what we were doing. We didn’t have that kind of animosity between other bands to the point where it would turn into violence.”

Despite it all, Cronos remains proud of the musical contributions of those bands.

“They’ve been able to endure those times and are still touring and making albums,” he says. “It could have well ended that whole genre of Norwegian black metal, which would have been a shame because there’s too many good bands in Scandinavia and long may they reign.”

Venom’s debut album Welcome To Hell is as raw as it gets; the mixing is rough, the songs are blatantly satanic and it almost didn’t happen.

“We went to record a demo session and we had four hours to record. We just put down everything we had as quickly as possible so we could get out the door without incurring too much of a debt. The record company said ‘We want to put this out as an album’ and we protested that we wanted to go back in and do it properly but they told us it goes ahead like this or we don’t get an album. My career could have ended right there.”

How does he feel about the record now?

“We said at the time we were going to get so much shit for this because there’s timing fluctuations, there’s tuning errors, but when you’re 17 years old and you get offered an album deal, you grab it.

In a way that’s why we did the At War With Satan album – to show everybody who said we couldn’t play ‘Here’s a track that bands like Rush would do’, and we created a song that lasts the whole side of an album.”

There is definitely a unique style to Venom’s music. They simply don’t sound like anyone else and there’s a very distinct reason for that, according to Cronos.

“There’s never been a bunch of musicians who can play Venom songs unless a Venom member shows them how to play it because we made deliberate changes to the riffs, the chord structures and the timings so that we were creating a new type of music,” he explains.

“We said ‘This is what a C chord does but we’re going to do this instead.’ We deliberately changed it so Venom’s music is different to everybody else’s. I know as a fact that every single video I’ve watched on the internet [emulating Venom] is incorrect. Even when a new member joins the band, they stand there saying ‘What the f**k?’

You have to go through the riff with them finger by finger.”

It’s as if Venom isn’t just content with beating their own path but is also determined to stop any bands from following them. Cronos readily agrees: “We never set out to be like anybody else and we certainly made it hard for anybody to copy our style.”

La Rage, the band’s guitarist, chimes in here.

“It’s a lot of really unorthodox playing, a lot of freaky shit that you would never ever think of and some of it, and I don’t want to be dissing anybody, but some of it was so simple that you’d think it was harder than it was. Obviously when you join Venom you get some sort of satanic force that runs through you that makes all notes that you’re playing seem a bit distorted and weird. That’s the excuse I’ve been told and that’s the one I’m gonna stick with.”

Joining a band that’s 25 years old with 11 albums already recorded must have been tough but La Rage has taken on his role with gusto.

Latest album From The Very Depths shows that Venom aren’t ready to slow down now and it would seem La Rage and drummer Dante have breathed new life into the band.

“Me and Dante are like kindred spirits,” La Rage says. “We both grew up in the ‘70s listening to Deep Purple and Zeppelin and brought that to the band and Cronos came from the punk and that’s where you get the raw aggression.

The band’s latest album may sound modern but it’s still very much a Venom album. All the trademarks are there that make From The Very Depths a treat. As La Rage explains, it was a whole new

Welcome to Hell (1981) Black Metal (1982) At War with Satan (1984) Possessed (1985) Calm Before the Storm (1987) Prime Evil (1989) Temples of Ice (1991)

The Waste Lands (1992) Cast in Stone (1997) Resurrection (2000) Metal Black (2006) Hell (2008) Fallen Angels (2011) From the Very Depths (2015)

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approach to song writing that allows the record to sound fresh and natural.

“We went back to the ‘70s bands and we just jammed,” he says.

“We didn’t bring complete songs in; we would spend anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour on jam tracks. It was a really good vibe. We weren’t even speaking or saying ‘This is where that should go.’ We just let things naturally take its course and [as a result] the album is a lot more confident, a lot more cohesive.”

Cronos couldn’t be happier with the input of his bandmates.

“I’ve spent years now trying to find people that fit into this band who are in the band for the right reasons,” he adds. “So many people have came and went over the years and now we have Dante and Rage who are here for the right reasons – they understand the history of the band, the kind of music we create, and having such a huge fan base that Venom have, there’s a responsibility to the fans who have supported us for so long that we get it right and provide the music that they’ve supported for all these years.”

And support them they continue to do, with the band citing an overwhelming reaction to From the Very Depths.

“The press and the fans have given us such a positive response,” Cronos says excitedly. “We’ve had more people at these gigs lately than we’ve ever had in the past and doing more album sales than we’ve ever had from the back catalogue. I think we’re doing something right!”

Pleasing the fans is important for Cronos, who believes Venom has a responsibility to remain true to their legacy and, importantly, to continue to make high-quality contributions.

“There’s so many bands out there now who are all part of this great death metal, speed metal, power metal, black metal scene that the competition’s high,” he explains. “We believe it’s a responsibility to keep getting it right, rather than be one of these bands who sit back and say ‘Oh well, we’ve made it now, I don’t have to try.’”

From The Very Depths may be one of the band’s finest efforts to date. It’s heavy, powerful and unique. With interest in Venom growing, La Rage says the band is energised and on a mission to spread the evil for years to come.

“We want the fans to have lush albums, lush gigs and be proud to be Venom fans. We want them to walk away saying we saw Venom and they f**king rocked!” H

Words: Matt Doria Photo: Kane Hibberd

IN HEARTS WAKE In Hearts Wake’s 2014 smash-hit Earthwalker took listeners on a conceptual journey with Mother Earth and now the band is taking us on a trip with Father Sky. Matt Doria chats with frontman Jake Taylor to learn more about what Skydancer means for the band.

T

his is the era of immediacy where film and music is concerned – the era of the industry leak and the instant download, where artists have truly lost control of the element of surprise. It’s therefore a shock that Byron Bay earthcore quintet In Hearts Wake have been able to keep their new album Skydancer a secret for eighteen months, especially when one considers that the release had been under our noses the whole time with a secret booklet hidden underneath the CD tray on the Earthwalker CD. Surprise!

Such delicious deviousness has ensured the band benefits from an enthusiastic fan reaction and, here at HEAVY, we’re all very impressed they managed to pull it off, though not as impressed as we are intrigued about the album itself. Part sequel, part soulmate to 2014’s smoky, Mother Earth-centered concept piece Earthwalker, Skydancer throws the listener into a familiar but still uncharted world: that of Father Sky. “I’m very inspired by Native American culture,” Taylor begins. “In their tradition, there is the Mother Earth and the Father Sky, and we exist between them; we have a connection to both.”

As humanity has evolved, Taylor believes we’ve broken away from those worlds and must reconnect with them. “You have to admit that we, as human kind, have very much lost our way with finding that harmony so it was a natural fit to find my parents in both of those worlds and to bring them both to life,” he continues. “That didn’t just happen one day – I don’t remember a single moment where I was like ‘Oh my God!’ – it just sort of snuck its way in there.”

Taylor’s parents separated when he was young. Being raised separately by a feminine figure and a masculine one but never together, Taylor found himself identifying with those two realms individually at different stages. Particularly, it would become evident that he’d showcase one side of the spectrum when he was with the parental figure that represented the other.

“Whenever I’m with my mother, I feel very much like my father; she’ll always say ‘You remind me of your father with that,’” he explains.

“Then when I’m with my father, he says the same about my mother. So that’s a constant reflection of their view of me. I’m always aware of their characteristics and how they operate.”

When it came to putting his thoughts onto paper, Taylor explored his feminine and masculine provinces concurrently but shifted between the two in order to give due focus to the one particular domain he wanted to develop.

“Usually I can get into the headspace of what a song is trying to say

and, in doing so, switch between the two worlds and really give the song what it needs,” he says. “You have to switch into a role and you need to do your best to get into that headspace. It can be as simple as going on an epically-long bush walk. To me, that’s the divine feminine world to a T – when you’re out there by yourself. Those kinds of things can serve as inspiration for a song.”

The idea of bringing together the feminine world that exists with Earthwalker and the masculine world that exists with Skydancer was not something that came suddenly to Taylor.

“I’ve always felt that duality in my life; it’s always been relevant to me.”

Translating that duality into music, on the other hand, seemed a difficult task at first: “It was [difficult] at the beginning of the writing process for these records. We were a few tracks in, maybe three or four. I approached Ben [Nairne, guitar] and gave him the idea, and he was like ‘It’s a cool idea, dude, but we can barely write one album, let alone two!’”

Eventually, Taylor was able to convince his peers to pursue the concept and here we are.

“There was always the back-up plan of one record if we didn’t reach two in the studio,” he clarifies.

Some might wonder why the band waited so long to release this record after Earthwalker. To that, Taylor says it came down to a desire to have each album make its own impact.

“It would have been too much content for people to wrap their heads around and I feel like a lot of the special tracks would have gotten lost,” Taylor explains. In crafting both records, Taylor wanted to communicate a connection between the two, both in composition and production.

“There’s a strong relationship between those two rhythms; you can’t have harmony without acknowledging both,” he says. “We had the same writing process for both records and we used the same instruments on both so they’re not isolated. They were mixed and mastered separately but they were recorded in the same sessions. Lyrically, that’s really what helped split them off and find the counterpart to each other.”

Looking ahead to the future of In Hearts Wake, Taylor elaborates, “I feel like we’ll always be consciously aware of our planet, the issues and problems, and where to find solutions. That’s definitely In Hearts Wake, and that’s in our name; it’s waking up the world that we live in and connecting it to our hearts. I can’t say definitely what the next chapter for us is going to be, but there’ll be something special for that next record.” H

WA K E U P

‘Breakaway’ @YouTube

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37 Photo: Dan Santoni

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G E T S O ME N U T S

‘What’s Good?’ @YouTube

Words: Matt Doria & Will Oakeshott Photo: courtesy of Unified

Deez Nuts are back with a new record. The prince of party JJ Peters talks to Matt Doria and Will Oakeshott about family, friends and (gasp!) maturing with age.

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t was 2007. Adelaide metalcore heavyweights I Killed The Prom Queen had just split, leaving the members free to pursue new projects.

Jona Weinhofen went to Bring Me The Horizon, Michael Crafter started Confession and former drummer JJ Peters set out to dominate a territory few would ever have expected – hip hop. Heavily inspired by the contrasting, yet often-colliding landscapes of the underground rap and hardcore punk scenes, Peters tapped into his inner party animal and brought Deez Nuts to life with an independently-produced demo that found unprecedented success across the board.

Three albums and countless alcohol-fuelled tours later, Deez Nuts find themselves sitting atop the party-anthem pile, their music best enjoyed while knocking back tequilas late into the night.

No one can party forever and new album Word is Bond is a record infused with a surprising amount of honesty and passion, a record intended for reflection rather than a house party and definitely the band’s most heartfelt release to date. Peters attributes Word is Bond to a change in lifestyle.

“It’s not so much that we set out to break the impression that everyone has of us of being this one-trick-pony party band,” he explains.

“It’s just that we’re just in different parts in our lives. If I wrote another happy-go-lucky party album then that would not have been real. I’m just doing what I have done with every Deez Nuts release – reflecting on my life and what has happened in the last couple of years.

So what happened? “ A lot of gears in my life shifted” Peters says.”I had a daughter and I really started growing as a human being.”

Peters still loves a party but says Word is Bond is a chance for fans to journey a little deeper down the band’s rabbit hole. [Ew – Ed.] “That doesn’t mean that the party’s over,” he insists with the intent of Duffman. “ I just wanted to reflect a little more on how things affect certain aspects of your life, how I was feeling at that point in time, and giving people a bit of a look in,” he continues.

Peters is confident that Deez Nuts is maturing in the same way wine improves with age.

“We’ve gotten better at our craft, and we’re trying to step outside of the box in order to not make the same album over and over again.” he says, “Also, mentally, we’re just a little bit older and a little bit wiser; we’re going through different times and that’s reflected in what we do musically and lyrically.”

This doesn’t mean the music is softer. If anything, Peters says the opposite applies: “It [the band’s collective mindset] has resulted in a more passionate, more aggressive album because that’s just the headspace that we’re in.”

Peters is adamant on making it clear that, while things have changed, Deez Nuts are still Deez Nuts and nothing is ever going to change that.

“It [Word in Bond] is a drastic evolution but the cornerstones that have allowed us to build up our sound and style still exist on this album,” he insists. “We haven’t completely changed the formula to the point where it sounds like it isn’t our band; it’s just a much better version of that band.”

Surely some of the shift has to do with Deez Nuts becoming more collaborative. After all, it was only on 2013’s release Bout It that other musicians actually featured on the record and it ceased to be the JJ Peters solo show. Peters agrees. “Up until Bout It, I had written and recorded all of the music and lyrics by myself but with the last album, we were finding our feet in terms of working, writing and recording as a unit,” Peters says. “With this album, we felt 100 per cent comfortable working together. The last time was a bit of trial and error but this time around everybody knew their position and how the other people in the band operated – we were able to vibe off of each other a little more in the writing process.”

To help pull it all together, Peters enlisted the help of two old friends, producers Andrew Neufeld (Comeback Kid) and Shane Frisby (The Ghost Inside, Bury Your Dead).

“Andrew producing was an obvious choice and a perfect fit,” Peters says of Neufeld. “Not only is he one of our really close friends but we are big fans of his work as a musician and producer. It was cool to work with someone of that calibre who we admire and not have to go through the awkward phase of getting to know the person.”

As a result of the efforts of his bandmates and friends, Peters’ outlook on the record is inspiringly optimistic.

“I’m highly confident that this record is going to get a better reception across the board than things we’ve put out previously but if it doesn’t then hey, I know we’ve written the best album we could have and I’m happy enough with that,” he says.

Word is Bond is out now via UNFD. Catch Deez Nuts on their Australian tour this June with Antagonist AD, Relentless and Earth Caller. H

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KEN MODE SERENITY THROUGH VIOLENCE Words: Dan Tucceri Photo: Breena Faris

Too much stress will kill you. Ken Mode frontman Jesse Matthewson is sure of it. He tells Daniel Tucceri how the band keeps things from boiling over.

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or those who don’t know, KEN Mode isn’t a solo act. Far from being some limp-wristed drip warbling behind an acoustic guitar on open mic night, KEN Mode is a band from Winnipeg specialising in visceral noise rock.

“Winnipeg is kind of in the middle of nowhere,” guitarist and vocalist Jesse Matthewson begins. “There’s definitely a vibe from this area of the world.”

KEN actually stands for ‘Kill Everyone Now’, which leaves me pondering just what sort of vibe. If it’s any indication, Matthewson bellows like an enraged father to his kids in the back seat of a car, along the lines of that immortal Simpsons moment: “There’ll be no Cape Canaveral for anybody!”

Despite this, Matthewson is completely affable in conversation compared to his onstage persona.

“A lot of the noise rock movement from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s – stuff on Touch and Go Records and Amphetamine Reptile – were from this mid-Western middle-of-the-continent locale,” Matthewson recalls. “Winnipeg had a pretty strong noise rock scene and it wasn’t really recognised anywhere but in Canada, yet we have this kinship with Minneapolis, which is the closest city to us and which is Amphetamine Reptile’s city.” Such is Winnipeg’s lack of status that KEN Mode is almost obsessed with widening their reach in whatever manner available.

“Despite having been a band for over fifteen years at this point, we kind of feel like this is our time,” Matthewson says, “We’re trying to get everywhere and spread this disease as much as possible.”

Just what disease exactly?

“My own genetic make-up,” Matthewson laughs. “We have a fairly cynical world view but, at the same time, you kind of have to laugh at everything. We’re very much of the view that the most f**ed up things in life are like black comedy; that’s something we touch on a lot in our music.”

Matthewson explains that eavesdropped comments generally form KEN Mode’s lyrical content, usually “just funny and really bizarre things that people say”.

“We really like the concept of having comedy in the kind of nastier music like ours.”

The first line that comes to mind for Matthewson is stupefyingly blunt: “I’d like to learn how to kill the nicest man in the world,” is a lyric in ‘These Tight Jeans’ on the band’s upcoming June release Success.

“The entire song itself is somewhat of a statement on the negative outlook of culture, or the pointless negativity that is typically spewed forth completely unnecessarily,” he elaborates. “I think it’s just people trying to cope with a lot of the pressures and anxieties that they have and they don’t know how to deal with that. Unfortunately, it makes them

pointlessly negative.”

With that kind of perspective, Matthewson could be reasonably cast as a cynic and humanist in equal measure. For him, physicality through music is simply a way to channel negativity.

“We’re animals that are designed to be active. We’re hunter-gatherer – our genetics are built-in to be running from animals trying to kill us – and here are most people sitting in offices or at weird jobs doing nothing,” he points out. “All this anxiety is building up causing cancer, rather than being released. For me, I recognised this working in an office.”

What does Matthewson do for stress relief?

“Being in a band like this has obviously helped but eight years ago I started training Muay Thai kick boxing, and that has helped me immeasurably,” he says.

From this, Matthewson’s desire to pursue KEN Mode to its fullest extent is all the more comprehensible. His willingness to explore confrontation and chaos in music grew with adolescence, leading to his eventual abandoning of classical piano with his brother Shane (drums).

There are no regrets, especially since his parents and teachers backed him despite quitting.

When he was 12 years old, Matthewson describes Nirvana’s In Utero as the album that “broke my brain and made me want to pick up a guitar” and he describes working on Success with Steve Albini, who famously produced In Utero, as the “high watermark for my entire musical career right now”.

“Actually getting to record with him was something I’ve wanted to do since I started playing in bands,” Matthewson says.

As the band hoped, Albini brought new methods to the Success sessions. “This was the first time we’ve really tracked everything live,” Matthewson reveals. “As much as it was more difficult to execute songs in that manner in the studio and have everyone playing at the same time, it did make for a much rawer, real feel. In terms of me taking something away from the whole experience, I really liked that vibe. That’s why I play live. That’s the way it’s supposed to be listened to and this record sounds like that.”

Speaking of playing live, KEN Mode are hoping to visit our shores soon: “That’s one of the major goals for this year; we really badly want to get over there and it’d be cool to make it over this year.”

Until then, Matthewson has no choice but to endure a barrage of happy snaps taken by friends who are on tour Down Under.

“A bunch of our friends have been coming over just recently,” he groans. “Full of Hell was just there, Revocation also. It’s making me really jealous. All these people are taunting me via Instagram but it gives me goals so that’s kind of good, right?” H

L ET IT O U T

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‘Blessed’ @YouTube

SC A LE T H E WALLS

‘Veil of Elysium’ @YouTube

Words Will Oakeshott Photos Kane Hibberd

Words: Carl Neumann Photos: Courtesy of Napalm Records

Kamelot has a new record but those expecting tales of merry maidens and medieval wars might be in for a shock. Founder and guitarist Thomas Youngblood chats to Carl Neumann about Haven and the band’s new focus.

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o hear that Kamelot’s new release Haven is an album driven by concerns about the relentless advancement of technology is a little disconcerting at first.

The American power metal band best known for regaling listeners with tales from the fantasy realm has galloped into the modern age to wage war against this high-tech world and the effect it is having on humanity.

“The ‘ADD generation’ will soon be upon us – people’s attention spans are next to nothing and I think this has a lot to do with technology,” founding guitarist Thomas Youngblood declares. “We need to have stimuli constantly and that’s one of the things that sparked the idea behind Haven. We see how technology has taken over our everyday lives, whether it’s our iPads, mobile phones, the internet – it’s always growing. Several songs on Haven touch on that – ‘Revolution’ and ‘Beautiful Apocalypse’.

Technology is a central theme on Haven, represented not only in the lyrics but in the album artwork also.

“Throughout the record we have these kinds of metaphors,” Youngblood continues. “The listener will go through and find these little meanings within the songs. The cover art and the booklet touches on some of these subjects.”

The new direction is not unwelcome but more than a few fans may wonder what sparked it.

“It’s something that has been interesting me for many years,” Youngblood says. “I’ve been talking with some of the guys in the band about these type of topics and I have really wanted to explore more about how technology is changing things for us in the present. I have been a fan of this sort of thing since I was a little kid, like Logan’s Run, Soylent Green, and Gattaca. I’ve always been a big sci-fi/post-apocalyptic genre fan so it was cool to mix a little bit of that into the Kamelot thing.”

Change can be a scary proposition for an internationally -recognised band but Youngblood assures fans that things aren’t quite as different as they might first think.

“We always keep the Kamelot identity,” he says, “but, with each new record, we try to bring in new influences. With Haven we went for a bit more of a modern touch on some of the songs and we wanted the mix

to be (for lack of a better word, more modern but keeping the Kamelot DNA is very important for us and also for the fans.”

There’s no doubt that elements of the new direction exist in almost every song on Haven but they’re certainly not pervasive enough to cause concern – this is still Kamelot after all. Perhaps the largest difference occurs vocally, courtesy of singer Tommy Karevik, whose performance here is intriguingly different.

“Tommy wrote most of the lyrics this time and he’s done an amazing job,” Youngblood confirms. “He’s a new force in the band and we couldn’t be happier. Since he became the official singer he’s become a really major force on stage and the fans have really embraced him as ‘the guy’.”

Also occurring vocally is a very unique screaming event during the song ‘Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy)’, which feels familiar but is not quite recognisable to me.

“Alissa White-Gluz from Arch Enemy sings the screaming vocals on ‘Liar, Liar’ and she also sings the clean vocals on that song, which is kind of cool because she’s known just for those heavy vocals,” Youngblood confirms. “We are going to do a video for that song soon so stay tuned for that.”

Other atmospheric guests on Haven are Troy Donockley of Nightwish and Charlotte Wessels of Delain, who each add their own depth and character to an already profound production.

Haven is romantic and cold, compounded and divided, mysterious and traditional, but where does Kamelot’s brand of power metal sit in the global metal market?

“The metal scene in the US is looking really good,” Youngblood says.

“We do headline tours here and we are looking at kicking off a North American tour next week in good-sized venues from 800 to 3,000 seats.

Canada is also a big market for Kamelot. We are fortunate to have a good fan base, which is spread out pretty evenly across the world. After the Silverthorn record came out, we did more tours than ever and it looks like it will be the same with Haven.”

Hopefully this means Australia. In the meantime, fans of progressive power metal might like to heed the band’s message, switch off their phones and switch onto Kamelot. H

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P OK E T H E B E AR

‘In Between’ @YouTube

Words: Alexander Sievers Photo: courtesy of Unified

SHARPENING THE CLAWS

Ohio metalcore band Beartooth show their punk influences on new record Disgusting. Guitarist Taylor Lumley talks with Alexander Sievers about singer Caleb Shomo’s lyrics on new album Disgusting and the song everyone is talking about.

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arsh breathing, sobs and the wallowing screams of ‘I don’t wanna be sick and disgusting’ fill your ears but this isn’t a therapy session.

Well… not quite, anyway. It’s actually the final lines from ‘Sick and Disgusting’, the last track on Beartooth’s debut album Disgusting, and it is easily the most confronting song on the album.

‘Sick and Disgusting’ as well as lead single ‘Beaten in Lips’ are where Beartooth’s enigmatic singer Caleb Shomo wears his heart on his sleeve - ‘Sick And Disgusting’ is boiling over with emotional self-loathing and complete self-doubt; ‘Beaten in Lips’ sits at the other end of the spectrum as an uplifting rally call for the victims of child abuse.

The ex-Attack Attack! singer has already spoken about both songs in depth in other interviews online but less has been reported about how other members of the band feel about the record.

Thankfully, Beartooth’s bearded lead guitarist Taylor Lumley is happy to give us his thoughts on how he connects to songs like ‘Sick and Disgusting’ and ‘Beaten in Lips’, starting with the former, a song he hasn’t listened to since it was recorded.

Considering how confronting it is, did the band ever consider just leaving it off the album? As Lumley briefly puts it, not a chance.

“It would have done the people who listen to our music a disservice if this wasn’t on the record,” he says. “Just from the standpoint of knowing Caleb so well for the past couple years, some of those songs hit me in a very emotional way. See, I’ve listened to ‘Sick and Disgusting’ once and I’ve never listened to it again; it’s because it made me feel very uncomfortable, but in a good way.”

Lumley acknowledges that the song exists because of Shomo alone.

“I know the things that Caleb wrote that song about and what he was dealing with when he wrote that song,” he explains, adding, “I’ve never heard the album version – I heard it the first time when he recorded it and then never again. At first, he was not sure if it should go on the album so he showed it to us and we all felt so uncomfortable about it because it really pulls at something inside of you.”

Still, the song had to stay.

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“We told him, ‘This is a once in a lifetime moment. We have to put this on the record if we want to be the band we are claiming to be.’”

Lumley adds that the decision to stand alongside Shomo is central to the band’s ethos to support each other.

“For us as a band, we all like to be on the same page whether it affects us directly or not,” he says. “The lyrics he [Shomo] has are just as important to us as they are to him. It might be him singing but it’s all five of us who represent that.”

‘Sick and Disgusting’ ain’t no ‘Kumbaya, My Lord’. In fact, it ends not unlike Korn’s ‘Daddy’, with the singer in tears, and is definitely at odds with the strong positive outlook a lot of Beartooth’s songs project.

“A lot of our songs are about some really serious shit but there’s always a message or a cathartic release in there,” Lumley explains.

“Like with ‘Beaten in Lips’, it’s about child abuse and that’s because it’s something that we see with people who come to our shows and tell us that they were beaten and abused by people who they were meant to trust. It’s hard to hear those stories and not be affected by it.”

‘Beaten in Lips’ is a song that will definitely be a part of their set when Beartooth come down to Australia this month and next in support of national trailblazers In Hearts Wake. In fact, the band has hardly stopped touring since the release of their debut EP Sick back in 2013 and it’s since the release of Disgusting last year that Beartooth have become something of a metalcore darling.

Recording and touring has given the band an outlet for their music, and the chance to make some powerful statements; however, amid the rather gloomy content some of their songs, Lumley says the guys try not to take themselves too seriously.

“We started Beartooth for fun, and now here we are,” he laughs casually. After 20 minutes discussing grim themes, Lumley’s laughter is like the light at the end of the tunnel, which is exactly how many young listeners who are battling their own demons must view Beartooth’s music. H

new album out on cd, lp,digital 15.05.15

touring australia may/june

produced by philip h. anselmo www.evprecordings.com.au https://www.facebook.com/EvpRecordings https://twitter.com/evp_recordings www.nervegas.com.au https://www.facebook.com/nervegasmusic https://twitter.com/nervegassed

ORDER NOW AT WWW.NERVEGAS.COM.AU

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Words: Patrick Warnes Photo: Phil Berridge

BE BLOODSHOT

‘Smoke and Mirrors’ @YouTube

After self-releasing their past two albums and rising to festival prominence, British act Bloodshot Dawn have proven theirs is a method that works. Guitarist and vocalist Josh McMorran chats to Pat Warnes about how hard work and strategic planning can make any underground band a force.

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rowd-funding campaigns have been all the rage with bands lately, even with high-profile acts like Protest the Hero, Devin Townsend and even Megadeth. Bloodshot Dawn are no exception, the British boys exceeding their goal by £3000 when asking fans to pony up for the new record.

“We were incredibly humbled to have made £8000 in pledges within 30 days and that cash injection has been paramount to make the album Demons come alive,” McMorran states. “We simply would not have been able to afford this level of production quality without the help.”

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Self-releasing records is no easy ordeal with so much promotion, management and organisation necessary in order for success; however, Bloodshot Dawn have now gone the DIY route for two releases.

“It has been very hard work but rewarding all the same,” McMorran says. “DIY is great because we make all the profit, as well as control printing and distribution, but there are huge financial implications and much time is needed to ensure success of the product. Being unsigned sadly makes you less marketable to booking agents as it’s not ‘industry standard’, which is obviously not ideal when trying to

DEMONS

By Bloodshot Dawn WORDS: PATRICK WARNES

promote a new record.”

Bloodshot Dawn knows perfectly well that the road to the top is a marathon, not a sprint and McMorran indicates the band is open to signing if the right deal comes along.

“As a band we have always considered a potential career is a long haul job in this industry and genre so we have been building foundations and find ourselves in a good position for our third record, seeking potential labels and agents,” he says, adding, “A record label would allow us to focus on the music instead of the endless amounts of management and organisation.”

I guess it relates to any service – do it yourself and save money or pay someone else to do it to make your life easier.

Bloodshot Dawn’s crowd-funded sophomore album Demons is filled with brutality, class and skill, all elements indicative of the band’s hard work. McMorran adds that the album lyrically touches on the more negative aspects of humanity.

“The album is a collection of our thoughts and views on certain mostly unwanted parts of human existence and psychology,” he explains. “Our first album cover was a black hole consuming current-day Earth in fire but, for Demons, there is a twist – the black hole is man-created by this planet (Earth in 20,000 years) to consume other galaxies and solar systems and power a dying Earth from parallel universes.”

McMorran says the image expresses the innate quality of self-preservation in all people, no matter the cost.

“This signifies humanity’s lust for survival – the demon on the cover attacking the planet represents an impending catastrophe caused by humanity’s lust and lack of consideration for consequence. There is a lot more within the album artwork and booklet but you’ll have to grab a copy to check it out.”

It’s been a rapid rise for Bloodshot Dawn, the band that won Bloodstock festival’s Metal 2 the Masses competition for

the right to play the UK festival in 2009 only to make it onto the main stage just five years later.

“In 2009 we were very young as a band with a small following but we had a very well-received set and got to play alongside some of our idols,” McMorran explains. “Fast forwarding to 2012, we had our album out and played to ten times the people on a bigger stage. Honestly, it was mind boggling to get a huge reaction and I feel it really helped us cement our spot in the UK metal scene. We then got offered main stage opener for 2014, which was incredible.”

McMorran praises contests like Metal 2 the Masses as integral for the discovery of new talent.

“I think their [Bloodstock’s] focus on pushing new talent is important to keep the metal scene going and a lot of festivals could learn from them. We can’t have the same old dudes headlining festivals forever,” he laughs.

As long as there are bands like Bloodshot Dawn coming through the ranks, the scene will continue to see changes at the top. H

Bloodshot Dawn are back at it again with the crowd-funded sophomore release that is Demons. Again you see the band’s trademark for beautifully-crafted melodic riffs laced in brutality.

Now, you might wonder why this is interesting at all if it’s just a continuation of Bloodshot’s old sound, and it’s true that the lads haven’t strayed far from the path of their previous releases but the sheer class, complexity and variety they bring to their riffs assures the listener an interesting ride.

Demons takes you on a journey where you’ll find yourself surrounded by epic moments that remind you of Dragonforce before you’re suddenly pummelled by brutal death metal that never shies too far away from its melodic counterpart. There are also splashes of groove and thrash metal that help to make the album more interesting and helps to set this band apart from other extreme acts. Add fleeting moments of light, where glassy guitars transport listeners back to older In Flames and Scar Symmetry and this is a solid album that should interest most melodeath fans. The vocals just need to be presented in a more exciting way before I can give this a perfect score.

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Words: Jeremy Vane-Tempest Photo: Courtesy of Warner Music

WHAT’S IN A NAME? What’s metal? What’s heavy? Why does it matter anyway? Make Them Suffer bassist Chris Arias-Real tells Jeremy Vane-Tempest there are better ways to be heavy than just snapping necks.

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hat makes heavy music ‘heavy’? Black Sabbath and The Devil Wears Prada are both considered heavy but you’d be hard-pressed to find two more different bands. So what exactly does heavy even mean? It sounds like a simple enough question; however, the closer you try to get to an answer, the more distant it becomes.

I’m inclined to think that the answer is counter-intuitive; sometimes it’s the softest touch that cuts the deepest, like being ignored by a friend, or accidentally dropping a piece of chocolate cake in the dirt. The point is, there’s more to life than HBO and there’s more to metal than blast beats and sweeping arpeggios.

Perth natives Make Them Suffer are living proof of this.

While their debut record Neverbloom had the blasts and had the breakdowns that go ‘djunnn’ in the night, it was the haunting, pervasive melodies of keys player Louisa Burton that provided the true highlights. The most spellbinding moments of the album were provided by arguably the softest instrument in the mix – the flourishes in ‘Weeping Wastelands’, the core melodies of ‘Elegies’ and, of course, the intro to ‘Widower’. Bassist Chris Arias-Real confirms that this feature has been honed and refined in order to provide

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new record Old Souls with the greatest possible impetus.

“We decided to take a minimalist approach to the piano and orchestration”, he explains. “It’s the signature component of our sound. Obviously, we’re not the first metal band to use keys and strings but I love what it adds to our sound. It gives our songs a haunting, desolate vibe.

Louisa does a phenomenal job. With Old Souls, we wanted to ensure that the piano was really allowed to shine when it needed to and wasn’t overdone. There are a couple of songs where it’s the focal point, and everything else in those songs comes second to it. For example, there’s a point in ‘Threads’ where this massive orchestration builds and climaxes, and it’s probably my favourite part of the record.”

Suffice to say, Old Souls is a very different beast to its predecessor. Neverbloom varied between curb-stomps and psychological torture. Conversely, Old Souls takes you on a more evocative journey and no song does it better than left-hook ‘Timeless’, an honest-to-God ballad driven by clean female vocals and a spectral piano. This along with conventional death song ‘Requiem’ form both sides of the ‘heavy-or-not’ debate.

Where the worth of ‘Timeless’ is found in its terrifying spectral vibe, ‘Requiem’ is too busy beating you to death

Old Souls

by Make Them Suffer Words: Jeremy Vane-Tempest

Neverbloom is one of my top five albums of all time so I’ll make this quick: Old Souls is absolute bullshit.

That is to say, WOW! No sophomore slump here. ‘Requiem’ is easily the heaviest song they’ve ever written but ‘Fake’ isn’t far behind. After hearing the record in its entirety, it’s clear why ‘Let Me In’ was chosen as the lead single. It’s easily the most conventional track on the album. ‘Requiem’ and ‘Fake’ are way too heavy, ‘Threads’ is too beautiful and both ‘Blood Moon’ and ‘Timeless’ are too terrifying. And as for ‘Marionette’, no, that isn’t Trevor Strnad doing guest vocals; it’s just vocalist Sean Harmanis paying homage to The Black Dahlia Murder.

Anyway, the production is seamless, the songs are exquisite and the album hasn’t got any of the bloated seven-minute songs that hamstrung Neverbloom in places. If there is a complaint, it’s that there isn’t a standout like ‘Widower’ but that could also mean that the songs are more consistent than on Neverbloom. Who cares? This shit rules.

“As far as I’m concerned, we’re a metal band. I don’t get into genre definitions; I go as far as black metal, death metal, hardcore, that’s about it. We’re not technical-progressive-blackenedmelodic-deathcore. That’s just a really unnecessary use of syllables.” out entire demographics that may otherwise really enjoy your work.

“Genre tags put people off without them ever having listened to a single note,” he says. “It gets ridiculous and people who follow them ruin music. If genre tags mean so much to you that you spend an inordinate amount of time listening to the ‘right kind’ of metal then you’ve stopped listening to what the music itself is supposed to be telling you. Music is the universal language, and what matters is if you like it and if it speaks to you. I don’t see why old-school Slayer fans (you know who you are) can’t find enjoyment in Katy Perry.” H

TIME TO SUFFER

‘Requiem’ @YouTube

with your own arm for you to find the time to experience fear. They’re equally as heavy for wildly different reasons and they exemplify the diversity on offer throughout Old Souls.

In spite of this variance, the record flows like a goddamn river, demonstrating that there’s a big difference between ten singles and an album, and Arias-Real agrees.

“If you were to hear a song like ‘Timeless’ by itself, it wouldn’t make any sense but when it’s taken as a piece of a whole, it makes perfect sense,” he explains. “Look at what happened with ‘Let Me In’ – that song, unfortunately, was never going to make sense on its own merits and a lot of people felt kind of alienated by it. A lot of criticism came at it for being way too soft or melodic and that we’d sold out.

When you hear it as a part of Old Souls though, it fits like a glove.”

Since Make Them Suffer inhabit such a wide spectrum of stylistic tones and shades, they’ve been the focus of many an online message board debate about what kind of metal they are. Arias-Real has mixed feelings about all that.

“People can call us what they want,” he explains. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re a metal band. I don’t get into genre definitions; I go as far as black metal, death metal, hardcore, that’s about it. We’re not technical-progressive-blackenedmelodic-deathcore. That’s just a really unnecessary use of syllables.”

Genre labels don’t just waste valuable oxygen though. As Arias-Real explains, they do something far worse: they shut

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Words: David Griffiths Photo: Courtesy of eOne Entertainment

Musicians appearing in films is nothing new and, while Rihanna and David Bowie’s appearances have been questionable, performers such Pink and Jared Leto have managed to put in some critically-acclaimed performances over the last couple of years. Now Amon Amarth’s Johan Hegg gets in front of the camera for Northmen A Viking Saga.

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ometimes people are just born into film roles. Realistically, could we ever imagine anybody but Anthony Hopkins playing Hannibal Lector or Al Pacino playing Michael Corleone?

One quick look at Amon Amarth’s frontman Johan Hegg and it is fairly obvious that the man is born to play a Viking. Years spent singing about Viking mythology has moulded the bearded one as the perfect choice to play Valli in the new action adventure Northmen – A Viking Saga.

Sitting down and chatting to Hegg, it soon becomes obvious that he isn’t one of those musicians who has always dreamed of being an actor.

“It’s not something where I’ve always said I want to do that or try that,” Hegg says of acting, “but I’ve always had the mindset that if something came along, I’d like to try something new or something different... and if it feels interesting then I want to do it.”

Hegg soon found that the transition from stage to screen was fraught with challenges.

“I felt a little self-conscious; I had never acted before,” he confesses.

“I didn’t know what I would be in for but I thought I have to do this because it will be a great experience and I was right. Even if I failed at least I would have tried.”

Although Northmen was Hegg’s acting debut, it wasn’t the first time he’d been asked to star on the big screen.

“Actually I did have someone ask before if I wanted to do a movie project but that project fell through,” he admits.

Even though acting presents itself as a new and exciting experience, Hegg plans to remain discerning about any scripts he accepts.

“I said okay, send me the script and if it is a script that I like then I’ll be interested,” he says of Northmen. “So they sent me the script and I thought it was a pretty basic action script but I liked it.”

Most will assume that Hegg scored the part because of his typically Viking-esque appearance; however, he says this was not necessarily the case.

“The reason they asked me to do the project – so I have been told – is that one of the writers, Bastian Zach, is a fan of Amon Amarth and when they were talking about casting, he showed a clip of Amon Amarth

playing Wacken and said ‘I wrote this part with this guy in mind.’ They said ‘Well, it isn’t a big part. Why not just ask him if he wants to do it?’”

Amon Amarth are metal veterans with a long history of festival appearances to giant audiences so I had to ask Hegg whether it was more nerve-wrecking to step out on the stage in front of 80,000 at Wacken or turn up for day one of the Northmen shoot.

“I was very, very nervous about the film shoot until we had a readthrough the night before we made the first scenes,” Hegg admits. “I was nervous because I had been practising my lines. There weren’t many but I just couldn’t get it right; I couldn’t learn them.”

Help came in the form of fellow actor James Norton.

“I got some really good advice from my co-stars, especially James, because I had a big conversation with him about that. When we did the table read – basically sitting around the table reading lines while the director [Claudio Fah] read the narrative story – it came together for me.

Suddenly I had something to react to; instead of acting, I could react to someone else.”

Of course, once the camera started rolling, the nerves washed away: “The shooting itself didn’t feel that nerve wracking. Like Wacken, it’s pretty similar – you’re nervous beforehand but when you get out there, you just go for it.”

Going for it, in this case, means leaping into an epic Viking battle featuring nearly the entire cast, which included Aussie Ryan Kwanten, James Norton and Ed Skrein. Did Hegg spend much time preparing his swordsmanship?

“Preparation and practice,” he laughs. “There wasn’t a lot of practice.

There was pretty simple choreography for me but there was a lot of repetition. Obviously they aren’t real weapons but they can hurt people and you don’t want that happening so you have to be very aware of where the weapons are coming at you and where your weapon is as well. At the same time, you must be wild enough to make it look believable. It did take a lot of practice and rehearsal but once you had the choreography down, you could start working faster and more furiously.”

Check out Hegg’s sword wielding performance in Northmen - A Viking Saga, which is out now through eOne Entertainment. H

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r, like AC and DC and like the tte bu d an rn pco po e lik er eth tog go s Music and movie s most of us have never heard. As me na ose wh akh thr Na aal An up ke ma two guys that ange feat (although possibly a baseless str no it’s , vie mo y an of rt pa al egr int music is an also movie lovers. So, on that basis, are ers lov sic mu t tha n) tio lisa era gen d sweeping Griffiths scour the world’s sticky-floore vid Da ert exp film nt ide res r ou d ha we’ve titled for metal lovers in this new section en s vie mo st be the you ng bri to as em cin Heavy Cinema.

Words: David Griffiths

Words: David Griffiths

Director: Travis Bain

Director: Claudio Fah

Stars: Shawn Brack, Anthony Ring, Melanie Serafin, Vernon Wells

Stars: Ryan Kwanten, Charlie Murphy, Danny Keogh, Tom Hooper, James Norton, Johan Hegg.

THROWBACK

Summary: Jack and Kent are two Aussies dreaming big of being rich, a dream that they believe can come true if they can just find the treasure of notorious bushranger, Thunderclap Newman.

Seems simple… but not when there is a Yowie lurking.

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hrowback is a film that looks a million dollars and the fact that director, Travis Bain, chose an almost guerrilla style of film-making has meant that the Aussie bush has never looked more menacing. Bain also knows how to create tension throughout the film and, for the most part, the audience sits there in complete silence and awe knowing that at any moment any character may meet their fate, either at the hands of another greedy human or thanks to the Yowie himself.

The fact that some of the characters are set-up as likeable also means that the audience has a vested interest in wanting to see them pull through… now that isn’t something that happens in all horror flicks these days.

But of course the big test for a ‘creature feature’ is always how does the creature look and do the special effects look plausible.

To Bain’s credit he gets a big tick in all the boxes. The Yowie, played by Warren Clements, looks so realistic that you may wonder whether going for a casual walk through the Aussie bush is such a great idea. The believability of the Yowie goes a long way in making this film work because it adds to the tension of scenes throughout the film instead of having the audience sniggering whenever the beast appears. The minimal special effects used also look pretty good and again adds to the film’s atmosphere.

Sometimes low budget horror can look like something out of a primary school production, but not Throwback. This is a creature feature that deserves to be mentioned alongside the classic Razorback.

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NORTHMEN – A VIKING SAGA Summary: A Viking clan find themselves shipwrecked and battling for survival in the Land of Alba. With a King’s mercenary sent to hunt them down they find themselves aided by a monk and a soothsaying princess.

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irected by Claudio Fah, the man responsible for films like Sniper: Reloaded and Hollow Man II. Northmen – A Viking Saga is a more-than-passable action film that’s going to be enjoyed by those fascinated by Norse mythology. The film works because it doesn’t try to be anything that it isn’t. This isn’t high art, nor does it need to be, instead this is an action film that keeps its audience entertained with some adrenalin fuelled battle sequences and a script that certainly doesn’t hold back on the suspense, especially with the intriguing storyline around the Scottish princess, Inghean.

One of the things that will hit fans of Vikings straight away is this film’s similarity to the hit television series, but that certainly isn’t a bad thing. Yes some people may be quick to criticise the storyline involving the ‘religious man’ Conall, which is similar to the one that is told throughout Vikings, but it should also be pointed out that this is the kind of film that will make fans of the television series sit up and enjoy Northmen – A Viking Saga.

The second thing that makes this a film that its audience will quickly warm to is that, despite the fact the Vikings are ruthless killers, the screenwriters involved have been smart enough to make them very likeable. Yes, they may be a little light on characterisation and almost interchangeable with each other, but they are so likeable, and ruthless mercenary Hjorr’s group so unlikeable, that you actually want to see them all survive. That instantly raises the stakes whenever a battle breaks out.

Northmen – A Viking Saga is a pure beer and pizza movie.

Turn it on, sit back and enjoy the violence.

Words: David Griffiths

Words: David Griffiths

Director: David Robert Mitchell

Director: Chris Sun

Stars: Kelly Height, Jake Weary, Lili Sepe, Keir Gilchrist, Olivia Luccardi, Daniel Zavotto.

Stars: Dean Kirkwright, Tara Reid, Sam Coward, Alliara Jacques, Nathan Jones.

IT FOLLOWS

CHARLIE’S FARM

Summary: After a chance sexual encounter with a ‘haunted’ boy, Jay suddenly finds herself with a slow moving horror hell bent on killing her.

Summary: Four friends find themselves in a nightmare when they decide to visit the notorious Charlie’s Farm were a murder was once believed to have occurred.

S

P

ubtext in horror films over the years hasn’t exactly been subtle. Any horror film buff will tell you that during the 1980s and 1990s there were a flood of horror films that wanted to warn its audience using a video nasty enough to gets its point across. However, subtext in horror only works when it’s done well. Director/screenwriter David Robert Mitchell was obviously paying attention to the films that worked because his latest film, It Follows, tells a cautionary tale of promiscuous sex for all to see and it is so good it is a must-see.

There is something eerily special about It Follows despite its very simple storyline and its relatively low budget (around the two million dollar mark). For once we aren’t watching glamour teens getting sliced and diced, instead Mitchell’s teenagers feel like they are ripped out of a Larry Clarke film like Bully or Ken Park, they are loser teens with not much money and a lot of time of their hands and that only goes to make this film feel even more natural. With Mitchell’s smart directional style that has the audience gasping every time an extra walks behind Jay and the cinematography style of Mark Gioulakis, the film turns the suburbs into something dark and eerie in much the same way as films such as Acolytes or Dean O’Flaherty’s Beautiful.

Once again that ups the stakes of the horror as the audience immediately relate to both the characters and the setting.

Four stars all the way, It Follows is one of the best horror films to come out of America in a long, long time.

eople can bag out the Australian film industry as much as they like, but one of the things Australia does better than a lot of film industries is make some bloody, gory horror.

One of the Aussie directors that has been gaining attention right around the world for his films, and his specially developed horror effects company, certainly doesn’t disappoint with his brand new film Charlie’s Farm.

As a film itself Charlie’s Farm doesn’t bring much new to the genre. It is your standard slash, impale, crush and whatever style of horror but it is the fact that the film seems to elevate itself into the higher realm of this genre alongside the films of Rob Zombie that should get fans of Australian cinema very excited.

This is a return to good old fashioned horror that has audiences hollering in the cinema and you know it’s going to be lapped up by those that enjoy their horror on the hardcore side.

Sun’s reputation in the industry has meant that he has been able to put together a stellar cast this time around. Aside from some talented locals that do brilliant jobs, Sun has thrown Sharknado’s own Tara Reid, horror legend Kane Hodder and Bill Mossely into the mix. The man who steals the show though is Aussie muscle-man Nathan Jones who is going to be in high demand in horror right around the world on the back of this performance.

Charlie’s Farm makes up for its sometimes cheesy dialogue with some gruesome horror that will keep fans of the genre very impressed.

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TAK E Y O U R S E AT S

‘Killing Strangers’ @YouTube

Words: Robyn Morrison Photo: Matt Bishop

American film composer Tyler Bates has over 60 films to his name and has also just finished writing music for Marilyn Manson’s The Pale Emperor. He talks to Robyn Morrison about what it’s like to soundtrack people’s lives for a living.

T

yler Bates is a composer in hot demand. He recently penned the score to the films Guardians Of The Galaxy and John Wick to go with an impressive arsenal of previous scores dating back to 1983, and has worked with Rob Zombie (Dawn Of The Dead, Halloween and Halloween II), Zack Snyder (Sucker Punch and 300) and Matt Dillon (City Of Ghosts) to name just a few.

More recently, Bates completed work on a soundtrack of a different nature; the ninth studio album from Marilyn Manson, entitled The Pale Emperor. During his visit to Australia as part of Manson’s band for the Soundwave

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Festival tour, Bates spoke about his involvement in the writing of The Pale Emperor and how he applied his film score techniques to this album.

The partnership between Bates and Manson was born when the pair met on the set of popular US TV series Californication.

“The season finale episode culminated in a concert at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles for a fictitious rockstar played

by Tim Minchin,” Bates remembers. “They decided to stage a real rock concert, I got to know him and a couple of days later we played another concert – it was Manson, Steve Jones,

Tim Minchin and some other great artists on the bill.

“Manson and I got to know each other over the course of a year. When he finished touring, he asked if I’d like to get together and talk about music.”

And talk they did.

“The chemistry was pretty strong. We started writing music side by side in the studio and before we knew it, it became an album. It wasn’t, ‘Let’s make an album.’ It was more, ‘Let’s see what it feels like to make music together.’ He outlined a few of his objectives; he wanted to explore a bit more of a bluesy side and a raw vibe.”

With the enormous body of work Bates has credited to his name, it’s unrealistic to expect that he could be involved in every project on offer. He explains how he chooses between opportunities.

“I see what the vision is for it,” Bates says. “It’s usually outlined by a director as far as a movie is concerned or a show creator for a television show. Obviously, talking to producers, you can tell if they’re in harmony with those key creative people and, if they are, it’s generally going to be a pretty interesting experience if the material is good.”

Bates says it’s the same with video games.

“If the developer has a great track record and they’re really passionate, you know it’s probably going to be something really good,” he continues. “I’m looking for that in people.

It’s not about just getting a gig in my life. I’ve done about sixty movies. Every time I do one, it’s like leaving a piece of my kidney on the table. I give everything I have of myself to everything that I do.

“I want the experience to be great so it can’t be money that governs those decisions. It has to be about what’s the opportunity creatively and what’s the opportunity spiritually, to grow from the experience. Hopefully you have something successful that people enjoy.”

Bates explains when he’s writing for different mediums, he approaches it by understanding the point to the film, the video or the album.

“I look at what the story telling is about. In the case of Manson, I think he wanted to explore a new way of making music and me, being ensconced in film and television, my process is different. It’s not about writing guitar riffs and giving them to a singer to turn into a song. It’s about composing music very specific to a storyteller.”

In that sense, Bates rarely starts composing without a specific brief in mind.

“I don’t write a tonne of music for movies that’s not deliberately written,” he admits. “That’s how we did The Pale Emperor. It was literally me understanding where Manson was in his life at that moment and what he may have been missing creatively – what he wanted to explore – and me also thinking as a fan and another artist, ‘What do I want to see in him that would be engaging, interesting and intriguing?’

It was up to me to begin to bring that process out in him.”

How does one do that exactly? “My experience in film is that I have to create a process with which everyone can seamlessly and naturally become engaged in the creative process,” Bates explains. “They don’t feel ostracised because I’m speaking in literal terms about music, which they don’t understand. It’s conversational and I think I’ve done that so much that it’s just the way I approach the creative process.

Manson wasn’t even thinking that he was in a recording studio, that people are in another room watching him record. It wasn’t like zipping through thirty songs of demos.

He would tell me what was going on in his life that day and that became somewhat the script for what we were doing

that night – I would score it so to speak. It was more about capturing a moment in a conversation or a story and taking it from there.”

Much of The Pale Emperor was recorded live, with Bates adding embellishments after laying down the tracks.

“The basic tracks were me on guitar and him singing.

Simultaneously, I programmed some simple drums so we could start working on something. He was writing pages and pages of lyrics at home and bringing them into the studio.

Sometimes something would hit him and he’d open up a text on his phone that he sent to his girlfriend or something and he’d start singing that to a melody. I urged him to sing more in metaphors and paint pictures and allow people to interpret what he sang for themselves.”

Of all the scores and projects that Bates has worked on over the last several decades, The Pale Emperor has been one of the most interesting times of his life, he says.

“I feel really good about the record that Manson and I made together. I think it was something we both benefited from spiritually and creatively and, at the end of the day, we loved the record – we made it for us. Nobody knew we were making a record; his manager, his label people... nobody knew. The first time his manager heard a song, he heard the record. It wasn’t mixed but he heard it. It was like we had this creative flow that was hitting and we were in it.”

For Bates, that’s the thrill.

“It makes things in the world resonate differently when you’re in a creative buzz.”

Whilst they were creating The Pale Emperor, Bates was in the thick of the Guardians of The Galaxy soundtrack as well as writing for Salem.

“I’d just written Cupid Carries A Gun two weeks before,” he says. “I caught two parts of the song and put it against the picture (of Salem). I showed it to the show creator. He said it was great and asked if it was Marilyn Manson. I said, ‘Yeah’ and he said ‘F**k, we could never have that.’ I said, ‘Manson and I wrote it together so if you love it, I think we could work it out.’ It worked out and it’s a perfect title for the show. It’s caused a positive impact on the show. It really helps calibrate the show. As soon as everyone working on the show heard it, they knew exactly what the show was.”

At the same time, Keanu Reeves and the producers of John Wick paid Bates a visit in his studio.

“We had an afternoon party there one day (with Manson) and listened to the record. Those guys were freaking out and asked if they could put ‘Killing Strangers’ in the movie. They used the song twice and the version in the movie is not the mixed version that’s on the album; it’s the demo version!

We didn’t get to the mix by the time we had to put it in the movie.”

After that, Manson asked Bates to come on the road with his band.

“I said f**k it, let’s do it. I love playing music, I love the energy with the fans and I love seeing Manson enjoy playing,” Bates says. “He’s having fun again and I see him being a better version of himself.”

Marilyn Manson and his band are touring through to August 2015 on the Hell Not Hallelujah Tour.

Bates continues to work on the television series Salem as well as another show Kingdom. Along with these two shows, Bates has two other shows in the pipeline and another movie, with details to be released at a later date. He’s also in talks with Manson to write more music together.

The Pale Emperor is out now via Cooking Vinyl Australia. H

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TRIP O U T

‘Step Back’ @YouTube

Words: Sam Bean Photos: Courtesy of Osmose Productions

Words: Sam Bean Photo: Marty Philbey

P In the late ‘90s, there wasn’t a metal band in the country bigger than Superheist. Sam Bean remembers the time he followed a band of blastbeating upstarts all the way to the ARIA charts.

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eople who know me were surprised when I announced I’d be writing about Superheist for this column. I’m known for my taste in the blood-thirstiest retard-heavy bands around, and that’s not exactly a rep that Superheist ever carried. Neither their image nor music lends itself to the superlatives that I’m prone to gushing – I actually had to justify to some friends why I chose them.

The answer is simple: they pre-empted nu-metal by years; they hit the top of that game in this country; they were the ‘six degrees of metal’ guys for a good decade; and they were the first Australian metal band to land in the mainstream properly, not as a joke nor as a novelty but as a band who earned their place.

Don’t get me wrong. I may be giving the impression that Superheist lacked heaviness. While the latter stage of their career was definitely drenched in radio-friendliness, they established their heavy credentials right off the bat with the Apocalypse demo. This righteous tape-only demo came adorned with ballkicking blast-beats and grooves, years before every band wielded grooves as a standard part of their musical armoury.

Opening track ‘Retarded Barbie’ let metalheads know what the f**k was up. It drew on every cutting-edge development in extreme metal at the time – samples; catchiness interspersed with blasts; production where you could hear the bass; a singer who could actually sing – and wrapped it up in a brilliant song that still gets me pumped over twenty years after first hearing it.

Apocalypse was far from a one-trick pony. Second track ‘Perfect World’ was almost as memorable as ‘Retarded Barbie’

This was in the days where a good recording required a good band, a good studio, and most importantly a fair chunk of wedge, not some band member’s younger brother who happens to be an autistic ProTools savant. and closing track ‘Apocalypse’ was something special: an instrumental playing to a long, feverish-improvised rant by David Thewlis from the movie Naked. The demo established Superheist near the head of the Melbourne pack during a period of intense competition. Man, I miss that demo tape. Mine perished in a flood about seven years ago, having survived years of me playing the crap out of it.

Superheist’s goal was to be one of the biggest bands in the world. They got right on it and started gigging all over the place, paying their dues and establishing themselves quickly. Their efforts opened doors, including back-to-back appearances at legendary ‘90s metal festival Metal for the Brain in Canberra. The hard graft happened right when nu-metal was hitting big, and Shock Records went, “I’ll have some of that,” and signed them to subsidiary Shagpile. The band then began their lifelong love affair with releasing EPs by banging out Chrome Matrix. It backed off the raw grind of Apocalypse but still had a good engorged vein of heaviness throbbing through it. It also had two other standout qualities: it wasn’t afraid to be bravely weird in places, and it sounded utterly professional. This was in the days where a good recording required a good band, a good studio, and most importantly a fair chunk of wedge, not some band member’s younger brother who happens to be an autistic ProTools savant.

It was a world-class recording is what I’m saying.

Things came slightly unstuck when bassist Anthony Donath managed the fantastically metal act of severing his own thumb in an industrial accident. He was replaced by Simon Durrant from In:Extremis and it was right around this time that the band started getting down and incestuous. While Donath was trying to reattach his thumb to his hand, bass duties were initially handled by a dude called Barney Hughes and then Chris Hill from Damaged filled in for a show; drummer Sean Pentecost left to be replaced by Aaren ‘Suds’ Suttil (RIP) from Dreadnaught and Atomizer; keyboardist Fetah Sabawi racked off to go travelling and he was covered by Chris Ainsworth and future star producer Mark ‘Seven goddamn ARIA awards’ Rachelle.

Confused yet? All you need to know is that founding member DW Norton was the only one to sit tight with Superheist from go to woah.

With the line-up momentarily stable, the band stepped shit up. An appearance on the Vans Warped Tour was followed by a Fear Factory support slot on their east-coast Aussie tour before they toured nationally with Sepultura. Just so things didn’t get too easy, bassist Durrant left and was replaced by Drew Dedman, esteemed former contributor of this magnificent magazine.

Superheist released their next EP 8 Miles High, which might be the last EP or single of theirs I mention because there are just so many of the bastard things and my head’s still spinning from trying to keep track of the line-up.

Originally, 8 Miles High was meant to be an eight-song album but Shock disbanded Shagpile. The money ran out and an EP was all they could squeeze out of them. This wasn’t quite as terrible as it sounds. Superheist transitioned to a new Shock offshoot called Pivotal and shit got real.

Releases started getting regular play on Triple J and the band put out a new single in 2000 called Crank the System which made it into the top 50 of the ARIA singles chart. The ARIAs were penetrated again in 2001 by – at last! – a full-length release called The Prize Recruit, which made it all the way to number 12.

Top-40 success in those days did not normally come to any

band who had been within 100 miles of a blastbeat; however, much as I was bitching at the time about them backing away from their brutal roots, things were working out for Superheist brilliantly. The band was receiving attention from the mainstream music press and it was good attention, not the ‘would-you-lookat-these-f**kwits’ attention. The producer was nominated for Producer of the Year and Engineer of the Year at the ARIAs, the guys supported f**king Eminem at a show in Sydney, did their own national tour (presented by Triple J), performed at all the big music festivals Australia had to offer, played showcase shows in the USA and signed an international management deal… and then booted out their singer.

Before there was time for the usual grumblings about lack of commitment and enthusiasm – hey presto, BAM! – they had a new vocalist in Joey Biro. In the time it took everyone to wrap their heads around this latest development, Superheist played the Big Day Out then recorded and released their second album Identical Remote Controlled Reactions late in 2002. In a reversal of their earlier fortunes, the album was originally meant to be an EP. It hit number 20 on the charts, the singles went gangbusters and the band rode forth and conquered live into mid-2003.

Things went quiet after that, usually an indicator that a new album is gestating, then suddenly it was all over – DW Norton announcing in early 2004 that Superheist had disbanded.

Being in a successful band is like a war of attrition. Success often comes from how many blows you can take before you call it quits and the situation inside the band is rarely how it appears from the outside. When Superheist returned to Australia after their showcase gigs in the US, they had a serious offer on the table from one of the majors. Momentum, that rare quality that makes or breaks bands, was on their side. They were about to take the next big step after eight years of work and then 9/11 happened.

America simply shut for business and by the time the smoke had cleared, the major label had a new A&R manager and both the band’s momentum and pending record deal had disappeared.

That, plus problems with the new singer and the possibility that they could be looking at their third vocalist in three years, broke them.

Norton went on to form Walk the Earth and throw himself into production work at Back Beach Studios. Fetah and Drew made an album called Revolucion Street before Fetah went on to play in Jericco and Drew and Joey went on to form Lanstrum.

When all was done Superheist had nailed every big gig in the country, been a Shock Records mainstay, had a fistful of appearances on the charts and were equally regarded by both the mainstream and metal media. When they went out, they had gone as far as a metal band can go in Australia. H

1994 - Apocalypse (demo) 1997 - Chrome Matrix (EP) 2000 - 8 Miles High (EP) 2001 - The Prize Recruit 2002 - Identical Remote Controlled Reactions 2004 - New, Rare, Live

55

Damnations Day

Melodic heavy metal Geelong, Victoria damnationsday.com

Symphonic, brooding vocals, soul-crushingly heavy shredding and just the right balance of complementary and mind-blowing drums. That’s Geelong metallers Damnations Day in a nutshell but believe us when we say that these blokes are a lot more than just some riffs and some roars (or, in their case, some soulfully-passionate choral harmonies).

Damnations Day are everything that’s great about good old-fashioned heavy metal. Cut straight through the bullshit and into its groovy, head-banging-fistpumping core. The band cite Metallica, Rush and Iron Maiden as their prime influences but, throughout, there’s a whole smorgasbord of spirits going on here – Devin Townsend, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits… hell, even a little bit of Queen!

Of course, Damnations Day remain a force entirely of their own with an anomalous sound that’s far too easy to lose yourself in.

The story of Damnations Day begins with two brothers born and raised on rock: Dean and Mark Kennedy. With drumsticks in hand, Dean began his musical journey by amassing a vast knowledge of rock, funk, jazz, extreme, fusion and progressive playing styles. Mark also kicked off his endeavours behind a kit but gravitated towards the microphone after tapping into his melodic side and now sings everything from classical to contemporary styles.

The duo started off as a shed-homed cover unit, but it wasn’t long before they turned their attention to songwriting. While there have been three guitarists to walk in and out of the band, current shredder Jon King began his musical life smashing out tunes in his NSW bedroom before leaving for Victoria to find a home for his talents. Damnations Day took him in without a single regret and the three have been tearing it up ever since.

In the early days, touring was an interesting pastime. One memorable moment took place after the second show on their first run when the power on their tour bus mysteriously shorted out halfway through the drive. The band woke up to a flat battery and no knowledge of how to kickstart it, except with

56

the idea that a school bus might be able to help them out. They ended up setting both batteries on fire!

Thankfully, nobody exploded. Since those early days thrashing out in their garage, Damnations Day have played a slew of explosive live shows, honing their craft before committing it for all times onto their 2013 debut album Invisible, The Dead. Produced by Dean Wells and mastered by Jesse Lammert in Germany, the package earnt a worldwide release through Nightmare Records, distribution courtesy of Sony.

Invisible, The Dead launched to dropped jaws and lifeless eyes, the record so impressive that it was acclaimed by critics the world over and catapulting the band to recognition. They opened for Soilwork on their most recent tour in Melbourne and supported Nightwish on their New Zealand tour but things reached their highest point in 2014 when Damnations Day were invited on a 28-show run across Europe and Scandinavia with metal legends Accept. The 12-country tour saw them reach an entirely new audience and a massive one at that – their set in the Czech Republic was stared upon by some 3,000 fans.

As you’ve probably expected, this tour was not without its stories either. The group crashed an after party with Escape The Fate, destroyed them in drinking games and, when desperation struck in Spain, they stole electricity from gypsies [Now there’s a story that needs telling -Ed.].

Through it all Damnations Day have stayed true to themselves, firmly focused on delivering not just great music but an experience to go alongside it. They’re not in it for the money but for the excitement, the rush of playing in a band as iconoclastic as theirs. They may have walked through thick mud, climbed jagged ropes and set bus batteries on fire but Damnations Day have come out as one of the most impressive bands in the Aussie metal scene. They remain focused on pulling together their second studio album and have plans to complete it in Europe. They’re also on the hunt for a new bassist and have made it clear that they totally want you (yes, you!) to try out for the part. What more can we say? Get on it!

LATEST RELEASE

Words: Matt Doria Photo: Radio Halo Photography

Invisible, the Dead

by Damnations Day Words: Matt Doria

It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing when you first hit play on Damnations Day’s debut full-length Invisible, the Dead, because, by the end of it, you’ll have transformed into a scruffy metalhead stereotype with waist-length hair and a tornsleeved denim jacket plastered in bootlegged band patches. Authentic, extraordinary and callously relentless, Invisible, The Dead is 40 minutes of solid heavy metal that will leave you on your knees begging for more. There are no labels here, no ‘core’ suffix tacked onto their genre, nor is there any visual gimmick to draw in the people. Rather, Damnations Day have gone a decidedly bullshit-free route in delivering their experience with chunky riffs, blasting drums and deliriously melodic, catchy-as-f**k vocals.

It must be noted that Invisible, The Dead is more than just seven tracks of all-out, crushing ire. ‘A Ghost In Me’ and ‘A World To Come’ are both transcendental acoustic pieces, their mellowness a supple catch of breath amidst the jaw-dropping craziness that surrounds them.

SE I Z E T H E D AY

‘Invisible, The Dead’ @YouTube

Dead Kelly Words: Nathan Eden Photo: Stanley Knife

To write an informative piece on Dead Kelly sans expletives is a bit like trying to describe a marsupial without any mention of a pouch but I’ll give it a go; it would be un-Australian not to. Perhaps that term, ‘un-Australian’, is now a way of guilting someone into conforming to typically-Australian ideals but that doesn’t seem to be the way Dead Kelly see it.

Dead Kelly were formed in Yandina, a town of just a few thousand in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

According to the boys, their genesis took place during the local Dreamtime, somewhere around the time that a mighty warrior named Ninderry had the hide to steal the beautiful girl Maroochy, while her betrothed Coolum was busy hunting. The boys just can’t seem to remember exactly what year that was.

Dead Kelly have certainly managed to make a name for themselves and it has nothing to do with over-the-top marketing. They don’t even charge for their music. The band are insistent on their art being there for everyone to enjoy, along with beer, cigarettes and Australian culture. You can find their videos on YouTube with as many rants and interviews as there are music videos.

Their pint-sized leader Pine Cone Throat Kelly may be small of stature but has plenty to say in between sips of beer and drags on a durrie. Filtering out the frequent hilarity, the vocalist’s message on behalf of the band comes across quite clearly; they just love the country they grew up in and want everyone to celebrate along with them regardless of what their heritage may be.

Pine Cone Throat strikes you as a balaclava-clad Angry Anderson but the music these blokes create is a few notches up the heavy scale from Rose Tattoo. He is joined by the rest of the Kelly Gang: Stanley Knife Kelly on guitars; Wombat Kelly on bass; and a bunch of other contributors who go by such names as Didge Kelly, Bunyip Kelly, Xanthorea Kelly, Jazz Kelly, and Cane Train.

It’s a genre unto its own – true-blue extreme Aussie metal.

Of course, their sound might be described as very Australian and this is in no small part due to

the occasionally decipherable expletive-laden pleas offered by Pine Cone Throat in between deep death growls. If there is a downside to this, it is that it may make the band sound a little too centred around humour but the truth is that they’re also seriously good.

Even if you were to strip the band of their Australianisms and the bogan revelry, their tunes would stand for themselves based purely on how well they attack their instruments. They have an impressive knack for structuring a song and their tight riffs and barking vocals gel seamlessly with the band’s inherent Aussie feel, of which the bouts of true-blue slang are a huge bonus for fans of Australiana.

Dead Kelly also pride themselves on an unapologetic DIY-style approach. Their aim in this regard is simply to enjoy playing metal for their countrymen with seemingly no interest whatsoever in being guided in any other direction than the one they are heading.

When questioned about how their music might be received abroad, Dead Kelly say that there hasn’t been a great deal of interest as yet. It is somewhat understandable given the heavy Aussie sense of humour that permeates both their releases – 2014’s Sons of the Southern Cross and the EP Bushfire – but it also may have something to do with the group’s DIY approach.

The boys point out that, of the modicum of interest overseas, it’s the Russians and Germans who seem to be the ones pirating their music. This leads to a bit of confusion as Dead Kelly’s music is all totally free anyway. Interested readers can download both of the releases mentioned, along with a variety of other one-off tracks throughout Dead Kelly’s back catalogue, straight from the band’s website. Dead Kelly’s music is free and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

If you’re a fan of extreme metal then there is a really good chance you will have your socks knocked off by these blokes. Just make sure you have a beer in hand when it happens.

Extreme metal Yandina, Queensland deadkelly.net

Dogs of the Southern Cross Words: Nathan Eden If you have the time, or even if you don’t, head on over to Dead Kelly’s Facebook page and you will notice something; their fans love sending in pictures of their dogs. This could have something to do with dogs being prominent in their videos but it may also owe something to the song, ‘Sarah’s Last Bushdance’ from their EP Bushfire.

In the song’s narrative, Sarah takes her blue dog named Blue Dog to a bush dance in the early 1900s. At exactly 3:33am, everyone else turns into zombies except Sarah and Blue Dog, the latter of which instead turns in to a massive monster dog who saves the day by slaying all of the zombies. So, apparently inspired by that track, a fan went and got himself a dog he named DK and sent in a picture along with the explanation of how the dog got its name. Fans have been sending in pooch pictures ever since.

C O ME O U T SH O O T I N ’

‘‘What Bushrangers Are Doing Now’

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Decimatus

Words: Karl Lean Photo: Mad Dame Photography

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Betrayer’ and ‘Decimate’.

The EP was launched at the Corner Hotel mid-2011 as part of HEAVY’s own first issue launch party, a gig that the band still considers as one of their finest moments. The Betrayer was followed in June 2012 with a two-track release simply entitled II, this time recorded at Monolith Studios. Although it’s only a short one, II shows the band’s considerable development in both writing and musicianship achieved in the six months between recordings. All the signature characteristics from the first EP are there but the ferocity and complexity take a step up.

These recordings laid the foundation for a hectic gig schedule that lead, eventually, to their first Australian tour. Decimatus are a band born to play live, and life on the road is something they quickly discovered a love for, despite occasionally reaching the point of wanting to knife each other.

The next step was obvious, but perhaps not so simple – recording a full length album. They launched themselves into writing and recording what would eventually become the ten tracks on 2015’s Catalyst For Rage but the process was drawn out considerably by member departures. At one stage they found themselves reduced to the core trio of Jennings, Bulgarelli and Rondinelli and fighting to get the album done.

In true silver lining fashion, the struggles served to bring the three together, strengthening the core of the band, and after bringing Rech and Brammer into the fold the album finally moved towards completion.

January 2015 saw the release of Catalyst For Rage to a packed house at Melbourne’s Evelyn Hotel. The gig was both a celebration and a relief, with a very real sense of a weight being lifted from the band’s shoulders.

The pure pleasure at finally being able to reveal the album to the world was evident with the band playing to a crowd that was totally behind them. Both band and crowd had a night to remember. It was also the perfect start to the tour to promote the album and Decimatus now head into 2015 with a full schedule of live gigs and a renewed desire to bring their music to new ears.

Metal Melbourne, Victoria reverbnation/decimatus

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Spend any time at a Decimatus gig and you’ll quickly come to realise why this band has such a great live reputation. From start to finish they deliver a high intensity sonic assault, dispensing a barrage of groove riffs at thrash speeds. Rather than trying to find a specific sub-genre to classify themselves, Decimatus are content to describe their music as ‘metal’ and deliver a style that mixes their own favourite musical elements.

The core of a typical Decimatus track is a pounding groove riff, often at break-neck speed, hammered out by bass and drums with the guitars layered across the rock-hard rhythm. Growl vocals complete the soundscape. It’s an overall sound that isn’t too common in the Australian metal scene and with musical influences like Lamb of God, Testament and Metallica, along with a lyrical styling that has been shaped by bands like Tool and Pantera, this goes a long way towards separating them from their peers.

The name Decimatus is derived from the Latin word ‘decimate’, meaning ‘to kill by lot, every tenth man’. The name choice was something they just stumbled across but it’s a perfect fit for the way they approach their song writing and performing. The band formed in the northern suburbs of Melbourne in 2010 and, like any good metal band, they began in a garage.

Guitarist Ryan ‘BooGa’ Bulgarelli pulled the band together initially with bassist Andrew Rondinelli, drummer Adam Savino and guitarist Mark Mather.

Vocalist Tommy Jennings was the final addition to the line-up and was sourced via an online advertisement.

Over the course of the past five years they’ve seen several personnel changes with drummer Josh Rech replacing Savino and guitarist Pauly Brammer replacing Mather. With the recent departure of Brammer, they are currently in the process of once again finding an axeman to complement Bulgarelli’s musicianship.

Things really started to kick-off for the band in 2012. The year began with the release of The Betrayer, a six-track EP recorded at Incubator Studios in Melbourne. The EP showcased the early direction of the band perfectly and included live favourites ‘The

Catalyst for Rage

by Decimatus Words: Patrick Emmett

Only two songs into Decimatus’ debut album Catalyst for Rage I had already dubbed the album as ‘fight music’, inspired in particular by the intense breakdown in the second track ‘One Foot In The Grave’. The album made me want to rage like I was 12 years old listening to Lamb of God’s New American Gospel for the first time.

That said, Decimatus are definitely not a Lamb of God rip-off. They’re certainly influenced by them though, and that influence shines heavily in the vocals of singer Tommy Jennings.

Throw in some modern Testament, Pantera and hints of Killswitch Engage’s heavier material and you have the beast that is Catalyst for Rage.

This album is one I won’t forget about for quite some time and it’s one that could very well be a favourite at the end of 2015. The production and musicianship is superb and the music is equal parts groovy and thrashy.

GE T D E C I MAT E D

‘One Foot in the Grave’ @YouTube

Hellbringer Words: Sofie Marsden

missing from modern thrash, most notably variety.

While there’s no question that modern, quality thrash metal exists, what Hellbringer bring to the table is a fresh take that injects plenty of personality into their music.

On the band’s sound, Bennett believes that there doesn’t seem to be many, if any, bands playing the kind of music that Hellbringer are playing. “Thrashers and maniacs who are into evil, fast thrash would most likely get more from our music than others,” he comments.

True this may be, however there’s plenty to like for those who don’t consider themselves thrash fans. The grooviness of Hellbringer’s music makes it hard for even the most adamant anti-thrash metalhead to not get into it.

As if a DIY European tour and limited 7” vinyl run wasn’t enough, 2012 saw Hellbringer release an album on cassette and limited-edition orange vinyl. Domain of Darkness is nine tracks of some of the most evil thrash you could possibly press play on, and easily the most aggressive of the band’s three releases. It’s no secret that metal fans love collecting the rare and unusual, and these days it doesn’t get much rarer in the world of music than a new release on a cassette tape.

These days, Hellbringer are working on material for their next release. With drummer and frontman brothers Josh and Luke Bennett in Canberra, and guitarist James Lewis in Sydney, it may not be a fast process but great music rarely is.

Few bands would have the courage or conviction to take the chances this trio has. From putting out niche releases, to self-funding DIY international tours, Hellbringer are a prime example of ‘making it happen’.

While their music may be heavy, it’s also full of their own exciting energy and enthusiasm, which makes for a fun listening experience.

With Australian shows lined up for 2015, and a hope to tour the United States in 2016, the future is certainly looking promising for the Canberra trio. Any young musicians who think it’s just too damn hard, here’s Hellbringer to prove you wrong.

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At a glance, Canberra may seem like a city full of overpaid politicians, roundabouts and not much else; however, Hellbringer are helping to change that view as one of several bands making waves in the nation’s capital.

The trio, formally known as Forgery, have been putting out catchy thrash tunes since 2007, both in Australia and around the world. With influences like Slayer, Metallica, and Exodus, it’s no wonder they’ve managed to catch a break and draw the attention of local metal fans and labels alike.

A consistent line-up, support from locals and a strong passion for their art has ensured Hellbringer have stayed on the frontline of Canberra’s metal scene for the past few years. Like many bands, they formed in high school and, after one guitarist switch, they were all set to launch.

It should come as no surprise that Hellbringer’s releases have had the backing of German labels Iron Pegasus and High Roller Records. This support helped pave the way for the band’s first overseas tour in Europe in 2014, a tour that was without a doubt the biggest undertaking the band has had in their career so far.

Consisting of club and festival shows, Hellbringer managed to pull off the seemingly impossible – an Aussie metal band funding, booking, and organising their own tour from the other side of the world.

While, according to drummer Josh Bennett, local promoters were very supportive, they still had a three-hour trek to one of their festivals thanks to a “f**k around”. F**k-arounds aside, the success of their overseas gigs shows what can be achieved despite the odds.

In 2007 came the release of the trio’s debut album Hellbringer, under the band name Forgery. The album, recorded in Queanbeyan and mastered Berlin, unsurprisingly gave the group we know today their name and it’s not hard to see why. The album’s title track tells you all you need to know; the music is heavy, fast, groovy and, above all, thrashy.

Described by the band themselves as “evil thrash metal played with power and conviction”, it’s not a stretch to say that Hellbringer deliver plenty of what’s

Thrash Canberra, ACT hellbringer.bandcamp.com

Horror From The Grave

by Hellbringer Words: Sofie Marsden

Releasing a single on vinyl is almost as retro as it gets these days but Hellbringer did just that in July of 2014. Their 7” release, Horror From The Grave features a killer cover of ‘Seance’ by legendary American death metal band Possessed, complete with a notable Hellbringer twist on thrash music.

The title track is just as groovy as the band’s previous releases, while maintaining a very traditional, old school metal sound.

Vinyl is a niche that many bands have been filling in recent years and Hellbringer are certainly a band who know what their fans want. Not only is the music heavy and brutal, but the EP artwork is outstanding. These days the public want awesome music with a pleasing aesthetic to back it up and Horror From The Grave more than delivers on both fronts.

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‘Horror From The Grave’ @YouTube

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Words: Daniel Tucceri Photo: Grietje de Haan

Words: Patrick Warnes Photo: Christian Martin Weiss

Gnaw Their Tongues

Horror – the one thing Gnaw Their Tongues mastermind Mories desires to inflict upon his audience. A clearer idea of which specific kind of horror can be gleaned from such inventive song titles as ‘Gazing At Me Through Tears Of Urine’, ‘Bonedust on Dead Genitals’ and ‘My Womb is Barren and I Want Revenge’.

A one-man project based in the Netherlands, Gnaw Their Tongues evades categorisation and conjures darkness in uniquely disturbing fashion. Nausea-inducing bass drones underline a black metal aesthetic with orchestral flourishes bringing fragments of light to a dark, industrial wasteland. It is territory that Mories describes as having no boundaries.

Originally a side project, Gnaw Their Tongues rose to prominence soon after being released online in 2005. Before long, the project superseded Mories’ former pet project De Magia Veterum. Most of Mories’ other

bands still remain active but that hasn’t impeded the output of his most disturbed offspring. It’s no small feat, given Mories records, mixes, masters and even designs the artwork for each album himself. Even more remarkable is the fact Gnaw Their Tongues boasts no fewer than thirty releases.

Finally, the wretched spawn is being freed from the confines of the studio and shall be unleashed live this year. Revealing plans to play the Maryland Death and Apex festivals this year, Mories will be joined onstage by Eric Eijspaart of power electronica project Mowlawner. Later in the year, fans can look forward to a split release and full-length follow up to 2012’s Eschatological Scatology.

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‘Eschatological Scatology ‘ @Bandcamp

Sydney is fast becoming known for a relentlessly-dedicated heavy music scene, and much of that is thanks to an unforgiving heavy metal quintet called Temtris. After twelve years of practically running the show, Temtris is a dominating force; an inexorable smattering of powerful female vocals strewn with cataclysmic death growls and uncompromising riffs determined to take listeners on an emotional journey with each explosive tune they pump out.

The chaos began all the way back in 2002 when Genevieve Rodda (vocals), Anthony Fox (guitar) and Wayne Campbell (drums) were tinkering around with various genres of metal, hoping to create something unheard at the time. They knew they’d struck gold when they blended death growls with low-tunings and Temtris was born. While other members have come and gone over their12-year span, the current line-up for Temtris includes guitarist/unclean vocalist Anthony Hoffman and bassist Adam Wotherspoon alongside Rodda, Fox and Campbell.

To date, Temtris have delivered three

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Progressive metal doesn’t get much better than this. Five-piece metal band Alkaloid are breaking barriers with a smartly-crafted blend of irregular vocal patterns, intelligent riffs, complex song structures and extreme brutality that is forcing traditional death metal fans the world over to think outside of the box. The band aims for every song to be different but to still retain their fastbecoming-classic sound. In the process, they create a complex but still fun world of metal into which listeners looking for something new are able to plunge themselves.

This Bavaria-based band formed in 2012 is comprised of well-known musicians whose tenures have spanned such global acts as Aborted, Obscura, Necrophagist and Blotted Science, and lead vocalist Morean has even written pieces for big public orchestras in Holland.

Unsurprisingly, the rather clinical-sounding name Alkaloid refers to a chemical compound that changes matter. This relates to the band whose music is shaped by a constant change

in style of their sound.

With the help of a successful Indiegogo campaign that raised some 19,000 ($AUD27,000), this collection of talented minds has self-released a debut album titled The Malkuth Grimoire. The 73-minute opus showcases a plethora of styles that seamlessly transition from part to part, style to style, across both growling and clean atmospheres.

Following the release of The Malkuth Grimoire, the band plan on playing as many shows as possible and hopefully Australia will be in their sights. Given the talent and experience of all the band’s members, Alkaloid may even take the progressive metal mantle that bands like Opeth have held for so long.

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‘Cthulhu’ @YouTube

Words: Vincent von Fuhkk Photo: Mario Lopez

Words: Matt Doria Photo: Mick Goddard

Temtris

Alkaloid

furious albums – 2003’s Threshold and 2007’s Masquerade helped solidify the band’s reputation before 2014 release Shallow Grave exposed the group to new fans.

Now reaching peak success both internationally and at home, Temtris’ breakthrough has seen them rise to a new level and opportunities have followed – appearances at the Steel Assassins festival and Adelaide’s Facemelter’s Ball are two recent highlights but things hit ‘maximum awesome’ when the band supported Accept at a sold-out hometown gig.

Eager to climb higher, Temtris are currently hard at work on their fourth full-length record, slated for a February 2016 release. In the meantime, an international tour and a new music video sit at the top of the band’s to-do list.

CHECK ‘E M OUT

‘Your Time Has Come’ @YouTube

Hornss

Hailing from the City by the Bay, San Francisco three-piece HORNSS have been carving their name in the local music scene for the past five years.

Consisting of members Mike Moracha (guitar), Nick Nava (bass) and Bil Bowman (drums), their sound is a mixture of heavy stoner rock’n’roll with a punk rock edge, a la early SST Records artists. As guitarist Moracha describes, “We were thinking Saint Vitus, Black Flag, Overkill, Wurm et cetera – heavy but with energy. It would have been hard for us to stick with just one sound, one speed, one tone.”

Both Moracha and Nava have been in bands together for a lengthy time, growing up in Palm Springs, California, playing in Solarfeast with Chris Cockrell from Kyuss in the early ‘90s and releasing an album on Brant Bjork’s label El Camino Records.

Moracha and Nava actually moved to San Francisco around ‘96 and formed The Jack

Saints, a straight-ahead punk rock band.

Bowman, who moved to San Francisco from Florida around the same time, played in BlackQueen and Zodiac Killers, crossing paths with Moracha and Nava. Several years later, Moracha posted looking for musicians and the three united as HORNSS. Their debut album No Blood, No Sympathy came out through Easyrider Records (now Riding Easy Records) and Hornss have recently toured Europe with Canadian band Black Wizard.

In 2015, Hornss have big plans with a new album to be recorded by Tim Green at Louder Studios where Moracha and Nava are hoping to use more synths and make something “really weird and fun”, according to Moracha.

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‘Troubled Rose’ @Bandcamp

Words: Jeremy Vane-Tempest Photo: Dan Field

I Shall Devour

Tweed Heads is a small town in Northern NSW. It is also the home of I Shall Devour.

I Shall Devour have gone through myriad line-up changes in their six-year tenure.

When members change, stylistic alterations invariably follow. Where once their music was littered with core-style breakdowns, the band currently lean more heavily towards symphonic melodeath, drawing inspiration from such varied sources as Behemoth, Joe Satriani and Queens of the Stone Age; however, I Shall Devour is overall more akin to The Black Dahlia Murder or Whitechapel plus strings.

Each of the band’s members chose their instruments out of some sense of necessity, such as because a school band needed a drummer and no one else could be bothered or because there was a shortage in bass guitarists at the time. Guitarist Jem McPherson also has a background in promoting local shows, which means I Shall Devour has one foot firmly planted in the

Words: Callum Doig Photo: Lingo Rodrigues

Juggernaught business side of the music industry – a distinct advantage over many other bands in the scene.

Having supported Thy Art Is Murder, Psycroptic, The Acacia Strain, Aversions Crown, I Declare War and Oceano, as well as doing a Northern Queensland tour during which they nearly ran over a family of wild pigs, I Shall Devour have a solid live show forged in the fires of the notoriously fickle Australian local scene. What started as a garage band in Tweed Heads six years ago is now a band with a strong touring pedigree on the verge releasing of their debut full-length record The Misanthropist, and melodeath fans would be fools to dismiss them.

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‘Pessimistic Misery’ @YouTube

2007 entitled Vol. 1, which was recorded by Le Roux in his home studio, followed shortly thereafter by 2008’s debut full-length album Act of Goat, recorded at Wolmer Studios in the band’s home town. 2011 saw the band release Brown Pleather, which was a set of previously-unreleased tracks including three tracks that later appeared on their 2012 sophomore album Bring the Meat Back.

Considered by critics to be the band’s finest work to date, Bring the Meat Back features more of a global consortium of audio talent – it was recorded in La Roux’s studio in Pretoria, mixed by Jason Groves at Sneak Attack in Kentucky and mastered at Lapduct Studios in Johannesburg.

With an EP scheduled for release in the coming months and a new album in the works, Juggernaught are an enticingly unique band that are certainly well worth the effort.

Hailing all the way from the depths of Pretoria, South Africa, Juggernaught are a quintessential example of rare and exhilarating rock music. Prior to the band’s formation in 2007, Juggernaught’s members had a colourful history of playing in other bands from a variety of different musical scenes. Juggernaught’s frontman and guitarist Herman Le Roux was in metal band Shadowlord in the ‘90s while Jovan Tutunovic (guitar) and Alexis Schofield (drums) grew up around South Africa’s hardcore punk scene before moving to the UK to form groove metal band Hellbent and Hammered. Angilo Wijnbergen (bass) comes from both a jazz and metal background.

Avoiding the limitations of being labelled as one specific musical sub-genre, the band sees themselves as a rock band with a huge range of influences from blues, jazz, funk and metal. Since their inception, Juggernaught have performed non-stop throughout South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia and Botswana, from small local shows to huge festivals including Oppikoppi and Ramfest.

Juggernaught released their first demo in

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‘Bring The Meat Back’ @YouTube

Words: Jeremy Vane-Tempest Photo: Pestilential Shadows

Pestilential Shadows

In 2003, the southern coast of New South Wales beheld the genesis of black metal band Pestilential Shadows. Their key lyrical and stylistic theme has always been death.

This is not merely limited to the individual, but runs the gauntlet from individual demise to the extinction of the entire human race, be it from plague, war or myriad other nefarious means. Pestilential Shadows is, therefore, a moniker that perfectly represents the band’s focus on the looming, inevitable demise of humanity.

Pestilential Shadows released two demos in 2003, followed by five full-lengths that have seen international release. Their fifth album, entitled Ephemeral, is out now via Séance Records. A brooding, vengeful punisher, it heads down a grittier road than Pestilential Shadows’ previous work, while still retaining their signature melodic heaviness and atmospheric vibe. The album was recorded in a home studio, allowing the band sufficient time to achieve the desired sound for the record. In fact, guitarist and vocalist Balam handled the mixing and

mastering personally to ensure the audio was to their specifications. It is the band’s wish that each listener be affected on a personal, emotional level by Ephemeral; that each listener take away from it their own individual interpretation.

Despite an Australian tour in support of their 2011 album, Depths, live performances are rare for Pestilential Shadows. Multiple line-up changes have resulted in a band whose members are scattered across the country, making touring a logistical nightmare. Do not mistake ‘rare’ for ‘inadequate’, however. Pestilential Shadows focus on quality over quantity, ensuring that each show is an event, rather than just another local gig. They play rarely, but when the time is right, they emerge from the shadows to show the rest of the scene how it’s done.

CHECK ‘EM OUT

‘Mill of Discord’ @YouTube

Double Chamber

Sydney based Double Chamber are turning heads with their unique style that seamlessly blends elements of both groove-driven metal and alternative/hardcore, allowing them the flexibility to cross the barrier and appeal to fans of both genres.

The four members of the band, Brandon Johnson (vocals), Mark Dadic (guitar), Dylan Cartwright (bass) and Adam Lozusic (drums), played together in the core band Engage the Fall, but after their fifth member left, in 2012 the four remaining members decided to ditch the metalcore sound and formed Double Chamber as a four-piece.

Moving away from metalcore allowed the band members to break free of the restrictive core shackles and approach song writing with fresh creativity, resulting in music that’s shaped by a variety of influences.

Shortly after their inception, the band released their debut EP Middle Children of History in 2013, the success of which played a role in them snagging support slots for Buried in Verona, King Parrot, Hellions and Martyr Defiled. Middle Children of History was recorded in Electric Studios, which

Words: Pat Warnes Photo: Adam Bourke Photography

has also recorded the likes of Northlane and Tonight Alive and, notably, the EP was mastered by DevilDriver guitarist Mike Spreitzer.

Double Chamber’s second EP, SoBo, which is scheduled to be released in June this year, is the product of a more organic approach; one that had no drum gridding/sampling, digital rack amps or vocal tuning, just four musicians pushed to perform to the best of their abilities, resulting in a recording that is rawer and truer than their debut EP. The first single from SoBo entitled ‘Trent’s Triten’, the band’s first new song to be released in over a year, was debuted live at a gig on 9 May. Double Chamber are definitely a band on the rise so make sure you keep an eye out for the release of SoBo in June.

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‘Imperial’ @YouTube

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Words: Sheri Tantawy Art: Eliran Kantor

There are few artists who have designed as many great album covers as Eliran Kantor. The Berlin-based artist speaks with Sheri Tantawy about how he keeps his work looking fresh and unique across so many different bands.

E

liran Kantor is an Israeli-born artist and he is self-taught. He began drawing at the age of five and by the time he hit his midteens he was painting murals on the bedroom walls of friends and designing logos, posters and covers for local bands.

So many of the artists who contribute visually to heavy music share a common bond in their love of darkness and the macabre and Kantor is no different.

“Coming from the same musical background as the bands, I share similar tastes and are drawn to the same moods in many creative fields as they often go hand in hand,” he says, adding, “I find it rare not to have a common language in films and music with bands who approach me.”

As I admire Kantor’s work, I find myself remembering the old masters, specifically hints of the lighting and tonal quality of Swiss painter Henry Fuesli. Kantor believes that his style “comes from a different place”, indicating that he’s actually more into the animations of Terry Gilliam’s Monty Python, which uses Renascence-era aesthetics to achieve grotesque effects.

“I almost never do straight up neo-classical pieces,” Kantor declares, pointing to his work on the Hatebreed album The Divinity

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of Purpose, where the artwork is horror-based and includes angels with facial features influenced by Japanese art.

“By combining these various elements, a very traditional look was achieved that made sense with Jamey Jasta’s concept and Hatebreed’s music,” he explains. On Sigh’s In Somniphobia, Kantor points out that some of the attire and street decoration within this scene is purposely displaced to achieve the kind of randomness one sees when dreaming.

“Overall, the neo-classical style is just a look used to achieve a certain feel that compliments some projects,” Kantor explains. “My work varies in moods and styles because, as an illustrator, you want to do what’s right for the project.”

Through covers for Iced Earth, Kataklysm, Atheist, Sodom, Incantation and more, each project calls upon a different artistic style or skill. Growing up, Kantor used acrylics for the murals he painted for friends and, when it came to graphic art, the aid of the computer as a tool to support digital painting and photo editing.

Having a diverse skill set helps him to ensure each piece is unique and remains true to the concept. Some artists have a recognisable style that follows them everywhere they go but Kantor’s use of

mixed media keeps the viewer guessing.

“It won’t make sense if bands as different as Sodom and Virus end up with similar-looking illustrations,” he says of the need for cover artists to remain adaptable at all times. “You do what the album calls for.”

On the cover of the European release for Aghora’s album Formless, the objects are composed of clay; the last cover for Dutch melodic death band Detonation is also composed of clay and photographed; Anacrusis’ Hindsight is pure old-fashioned photography and digital manipulation.

“I bought a small frame from Ikea and covered it with shoe polish. I burnt it and broke the glass then stood above it holding the glass pieces glued to sewing threads.”

The end result is a perfectly-composed scenario of a broken family portrait with shards of glass exploding off the page.

The use of technology dominates modern album art but there remain certain textures, perspective, moods, patterns and tactile phenomena’s that cannot be replicated digitally, according to Kantor.

“Textures are the nature-produced random fractals that make each natural drum beat, camera-shutter hit and brush stroke unique, and give the piece depth and character.”

“It won’t make sense if bands as different as Sodom and Virus end up with similar-looking illustrations. You do what the album calls for.”

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Kantor is passionate about the use of such texture and utilises traditional art forms in accordance with every brief so that his work isn’t compromised by the loss of organic brush textures.

“Great ideas will remain great ideas,” he says. “Master of Puppets and Reign in Blood will still contain stand-out riffs even when played in stock midi but, in fleshing out that idea, the point is not to abuse modern tools to a point where we lose the organic part. To me, this always boils down to keeping the textures intact.”

In search of his clients’ visions, Kantor sometimes even finds himself contributing to album lyrics, as he did on Communic’s The Bottom Deep, and even creating the album titles, as he did for MindGrinder’s Prop Agenda.

This says much about how his clients view his input is proof that his eye for detail extends beyond mere concept and brushstroke.

Kantor advises me that he has done 90 per cent of legendary thrash band Testament’s work since 2007, including all their merchandise, album covers, single covers, stage designs and even Eric Peterson’s guitars. He has even contributed heavily to Testament singer Chuck Billy’s side project Dublin Death patrol.

“I usually work with Eric on covers and merchandise and with Chuck on stage designs,” he says of his enviable relationship with the band. “It’s been great because their ideas are inspired, fresh.

When I bring my own ideas, they get me and what I’m going for.”

This collaborative effort has been fruitful for both artist and client, not only giving Kantor a stream of steady work spanning

several years with a highly-recognised band but also helping him to form lifelong friendships with the Testament guys. Kantor’s work on Testament’s tenth studio album Dark Roots of Earth all began when Peterson saw a statue of the forest god Cernunnos at a market. One text message later and Kantor had developed the concept for the cover, which incidentally looks vastly different to the original statue.

“It [the statue] didn’t look anything like our version, to be honest,” Kantor says, “but it’s funny how it ended up influencing the cover.”

Kantor quit a major advertising gig designing for clients such as Renault to pursue full-time design within the music industry.

Starting with no contacts and no established reputation, he contacted countless labels and bands only to receive very few replies. In those early days, he often sketched in exchange for publicity, his career not unlike the career of start-up bands hustling for gigs.

These days he has a three-month waiting list and charges an upfront booking fee for all jobs.

“Income-stability for a freelancer could be tricky at first but you should always be realistic about your work load and schedule,” he advises aspiring artists. “Schedule same-client projects months apart so you can work with a few different clients each month and, of course, be responsible with deadlines.” H

Eliran Kantor currently lives in Berlin. His extensive folio of metal covers can be viewed at elirankantor.com. Sheri Tantawy is a practising graphic artist residing in Melbourne and lecturing full time at SAE Qantm Creative Media Institute.

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The Secret to Success

older words: Rodney H If you’re reading this and hoping for a slice of that pie, then just be aware it’s certainly not going to be easy. In fact it’s going to be extremely difficult. Grueling, demanding, and arduous, yes, but definitely not impossible.

So how do you do it? What’s the secret?

Where do I go from here? These are all common questions I’m regularly asked in my role as a music business coach.

Believe it or not there is actually a proven formula for success in the music business. It works and it is relevant for all genres and styles of music.

Developed by legendary Australian artist manager John Watson (Birds of Tokyo, Silverchair, Cold Chisel, Gotye), it is both simplistic and brilliant.

It essentially contains an eight-point checklist system that is then rolled into a lottotype metaphor. You know how when playing lotto it’s relatively easy to get one or two numbers but there’s not much reward? It’s only when you get seven or eight numbers and BOOM, you’re on a winner big time!

See how many of these you think you have.

1) Timing As simplistic as it is, you’ve got to have the right sounds at the right time.

Timing plays a huge role in any artist’s career and commercial success.

Timing is largely beyond the artist’s control but, as a musician, you can (and should) be aware of what is going on within the musical landscape and react to it appropriately – I’ve known numerous artists who have been awesome musicians but were purely victims of bad industry timing.

2) Luck As in all walks of life, the brutal truth is that you have to have some degree of luck on your side to become a successful musician and it has always been that way. Luck plays a massive part in any artist’s career and, like timing, luck is largely beyond the artist’s control; however, it is my personal experience that the harder you work the luckier you become.

I really like the saying, “Luck is merely preparedness meeting opportunity.” It’s so true. If you work hard, you will be ready for

Can you actually make money writing, performing and/or administrating heavy music in Australia? Of course! In fact there are a growing number of Aussie artists currently doing it and doing it well.

the opportunities that come your way, and the harder and longer you work (persistence), the more opportunities present themselves to you and your music so don’t be deterred by the reality of luck being a major determining factor to your career’s success.

3) Good songs Your songs are obviously an extremely important component of the music success formula. This might sound pretty obvious but the truth is that the majority of bands simply don’t have good enough songs.

Watson recommends that you should place your music into a public arena. Be honest with yourself and gauge the reactions you receive.

Does your music affect people? Does it make your audience want to dance, mosh, slam, cry, sing, jump, fight-dance? Don’t rely on what your friends think about your tunes; their opinion doesn’t count.

4) Great vocalist performance Who is the front person providing the voice to your music? Are they amazing? Do they command an audience? Do they actually have the talent required to front your music?

The vocals are just such an important component of the formula. I have seen so many great bands who have had a good vocalist but not an amazing one. In this highly-competitive business you can’t afford to possess merely a good vocalist and front person. You need an amazing one!

So ensure that the person who is singing, screaming, shouting, crooning, scatting, rapping, yodeling or whatever style is appropriate for your genre is absolutely amazing. Don’t settle for mediocre vocals.

5) Great instrumental performance Are the players who are performing the music at a level that is acceptable for the genre?

Have the musicians spent the appropriate amount of time developing their musicianship?

You don’t have to be Eddy Van Halen or Mike Portnoy but your musicianship should be at a level that is considered proficient enough to successfully communicate your musical ideas.

6) Compelling visual image Image is a super important variable, particularly in heavy music.

Watson believes that you should be conscious of the visual statement you are making by how you look because today’s music business is 90 per cent about selling sexiness. It shouldn’t be but it is!

Keith Richards isn’t handsome but he is considered by many to be sexy.

Music is so visual today but this doesn’t mean that your act has to wear make-up or be ridiculously good looking (although that will definitely help). You do, however, have to have a strong visual identity and it should be appropriate to the genre in which you are performing. Be entertaining, be different and stand out from the crowd!

7) An interesting narrative or story What is the back-story to what you are all about? How do you approach your life? Do you have a point of difference? Is there something interesting about you and your act that people can talk and write about?

Parkway Drive are a great example of an awesome narrative – a bunch of surfer kids from a surfer town. Lead vocalist Winston was an international body-boarding champion before he became a metalcore star. They look like hardcore blokes yet play a metal style. They emit this straight edge, relaxed vegan approach to their music yet emit this brutal sound that so many people find obviously intriguing.

8) Positive attitude combined with intense and consistent work ethic A career in music is a marathon, not a sprint. Is your act seriously prepared to put in the enormous amount of hard work it requires to become a successful artist? Most artists and bands I meet just don’t have the work ethic that’s required.

Watson believes that you can have success without working extremely hard but that is exceptionally rare.

“The difference between an artist who gets to here and another artist who gets to there is not just talent; it is entirely about their willingness to work,” he says.

A great sense of drive leads to a greater success! You have to start at the start and establish momentum.

It may be easy to get one or two of the above but you’ll need more than that to become a sensation.

Rodney Holder has been a drummer, writer, promoter and manager in music for over 20 years so when he talks, you listen. He's best known as that guy from Alchemist, that guy from Metal For the Brain and that guy who runs musicbusinessfacts.com.

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NOW HEAR THIS RANTS FROM THE DESK OF JASON PC Words: Jason Fuller Photo: Jason Fuller

DON’T FEAR THE TRIGGER.

The drum trigger is a much-maligned yet inescapable piece of music creation technology, and Jason Fuller of Goatsound Studios is here to tell you why.

I

n an overly-simplistic explanation, a drum trigger works by ‘triggering’ a sample every time a drum is struck.

This triggered sample will then replace or mix with the real drum sound to augment the recorded sound. For example, a sample of a really well-recorded kick drum will replace your shit-sounding kick drum every time you strike it.

Through triggering, any sound is possible – you could trigger the sound of a chicken if you were so inclined but it would probably only be amusing to a few of us. The triggering itself can be achieved in various ways but that’s not what this column is about so I won’t go into it here.

Lots of musicians, even drummers, don’t understand the concept of using drum triggers and often think they are a form of cheating. Drum triggers won’t and can’t make you play faster. What they can do is help to make drums sound more defined, especially at higher speeds by replacing a shitty or weak drum sound with a ‘gooderer’ sounding one.

Drum editing can make you sound faster, not triggering.

Triggering drums in metal goes back to the ‘80s, and although musos love to say they don’t like triggers, I have lost count of the number of times I’ve been asked to replicate a kick drum sound that was itself triggered. A semi-recent example of this was local thrash band Sewercide who, in very general terms, were against triggering but asked me to try and get a kick drum sound like the one on Demolition Hammer’s 1992 album Epidemic of Violence.

Now, I’m a guy who gets shit done so I wrote to the engineer/producer of that record – Tom Soares – for more info and he graciously provided the information that he used a triggered kick sound that he had recorded previously to augment the band’s real kick drum sound.

The illusion is real. Despite what you think, your favourite bands are all doing it. Damaged’s first album Do Not Spit had kick drums triggered and neatened up all over the place. I remember Matt ‘Skitz’ Sanders angrily pacing the hallways as the late producer Doug Saunders moved and triggered his kick drums to tidy it all up. It was a serious issue back then to have your drums touched like that but it was the right decision as without the use of triggers on a recording like that, it would have sounded like a f**king mess.

Don’t even get me started on the amount of kick that was not only triggered but actually placed into the blast parts on the first Blood Duster record Fisting the Dead.

Hey, even sludge metal band The Melvins have used triggering before. On their 1992 album Lysol, drummer Dale Crover stated that the snare sound they triggered is a sample taken from the legendary Led Zeppelin track ‘D’yer Mak’er’ from Houses of the Holy, thus proving it’s not only fast metal bands that use triggering to enhance a recording.

Grind, black metal and punk bands often cry out for the engineer/producer to “leave that triggering shit the f **k alone” but when it comes to the more mathematical hardcore and tech death metal styles, it would sound wrong to leave things as they were. Triggers in these modern genres are par for the course and some of those styles have naturally evolved around the use of triggering.

You know, Dave Haley of Psycroptic wouldn’t sound as fast if triggers didn’t exist. Now, before he comes over here and has a cry, allow me to clarify that he would certainly still be as fast but you just wouldn’t be able to hear the ‘sound’ of those drums as clearly in the mix. Instead of that precision attack, the drums would

just be a low-end rumble struggling to be heard Granted, sometimes a triggered drum can sound fake as f**k but that doesn’t mean that only a triggered sound can sound fake – a non-triggered kick drum on an album will generally have liberal doses of any or all of the following effects: gating, equalization, reverb and compression. It could also be mic’ed with two or more microphones, each with their own different amounts of these effects applied. These multi-mics are then blended together with all the other drum microphones that have been used – the most I have used in a mix is 20 – to achieve the final sound. Isn’t that just as fake?

All these processes can actually help make a kick drum sound natural or at least sound more natural within the confines of a complex mix balance on a recording.

While the chances of hearing a completely unaffected sound on a record are pretty f**king slim these days, If you really want to hear a really great drum sound without the use of triggers, check out the sound captured by engineer/ producer Eric Valentine on this video (youtu.be/8FzziEGoUfQ). Not only is it unbelievably good but also recorded with only a single – that’s one – Beyerdynamic M160 microphone pointed over the floor tom.

This mic has a street price of $850, which shows that the real trick of getting a great sound is not just gear. Just have a great drummer in one of the best recording studios on a well-tuned kit captured by one of the world’s best engineers.

Sadly, most of us don’t have the luxury of even one of these things!

In the end, who cares how you get it done? Just make it sound good. H

Jason Fuller has been drafted to talk about audio stuff because he runs a recording and rehearsal studio that has churned out some really good shit. He also played in Blood Duster. Check out goatsound.com for more info on his studio work.

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