I LIKE WORDS

[WRITING CLIPS] Lav Nandlall likes words. She likes the word pen-pusher better than journalist. These are some of her writing samples. For more information please do not hesitate to contact the pen-pusher, Lav.

WARRIORS OF THE ORPHANED LANDS Contrary to popular belief, the Metal scene began in Israel back in the 80’s around the same time that Thrash and Black Metal became popular in Europe and The States. Unfortunately, the mainstream bands have received more recognition and those over the hills remained undiscovered until a brave Metal Head named Sam Dunn made an astonishing breakthrough.

“We loved the first movie by Sam, A Headbanger’s Journey, and when he asked [Orphaned Land] in Wacken [Open Air] 2006 to be a part of his next film - we were thrilled!” exclaims Orphaned Land guitarist Matti Svatizky.

Doom Metal Band, Orphaned Land; hail from the depths of Israel pushing forward their tightly-infused music which has a sturdy message of unity.

“We have always seen ourselves as a drop of light in the Metal world - which embraces darkness.”

It is with no doubt that Orphaned Land has to face a number of challenges as Svatizky explains; “Israel is quite a secluded country culturally. The Western culture is banned there most of the time, and sometimes illegal, while in Israel there is a great yearning to Western culture. This puts a great geographic challenge on Israeli artists, especially when they’re young. In America or Europe anyone can just hop on a bus or even on his own private car and tour around, in Israel it is not possible, because of cultural differences and because of security issues.”

Ironically, it is through the cultural differences that Orphaned Land has developed a warm fan-base joining in from around the Globe. Whether it is a Viking or an Egyptian – Orphaned Land welcomes all their fans. Svatisky elaborates; “Our fans are usually people who look for that extra [x – factor] in music. They either have some “Arabic” background, or they are doom metal fans who like the more melodic stuff, or they are progressive metal fans, or just people who are looking for good and interesting music. Our fans have always been special to us.”

It amazes me that Orphaned Land has been able to conjure the idea of harmony through their music. As their album The Never Ending Way of ORwarriORalbum reflects. “Or in Hebrew means Light, so OrWarrior is a little word game meaning warrior of light. Light has always been a strong motive with Orphaned Land. The warrior of light is someone who fights for everything that is good, and among these things are love and unity. During the whole album there is a self-search. You can see people who are self searching, they always tend to get connected to their inner silence, be more pacifist, and more calm. All religions talk about kindness of heart and high moral standards. This is our view as well,” describes Svatisky.

Even Kirk Hammett of Metallica agrees that Orphaned Land’s works are transcendent.

“We’re huge fans, and Metallica is a huge band, and it was a great experience to see how the big ones work [while] opening for Metallica in Israel. We talked with the guys, and Kirk Hammett even asked for our CD, which he later stated in Metal Hammer as the best CD he heard lately,” continues Svatisky.

It goes to show with perseverance great things can be accomplished but even people trying to make a difference in the world have to face setbacks too as Svatisky explains; “for a low Lav Nandlall

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point, I’d say that during our North American tour, our driver ditched us 4 shows before the ending of the tour and stole some money. We were left helpless in the middle of the US with nothing we could do since none of us can drive a bus and for a few hours we were sure that the tour was going to end. There’s a happy ending though, Lincoln Archibald, who did the merchandise sales for Katatonia, [which Orphaned Land opened for], agreed to drive the bus for us and practically saved us.”

If Orphaned Land can be described in a nutshell – it would be attractively diverse on numerous levels of Metal. With the addition of the Arab Orchestra of Nazareth, Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, the smooth vocal poetics, the Eastern strings and the Metal power – its sublime.

The verdict is out, Orphaned Land are definitely a band to keep an eye on!

Thank you to Matti Svatisky (Orphaned Land) and Stefan Franke (Century Media), for agreeing to make this interview possible!

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DEMONS ALIVE

Dimmu Borgir’s ABRAHADABRA album stole my orchestral virginity. The beautiful and grotesque engagement of Black Metal pooled with the symphonic intellect of Gaute Storaas makes for a surreal orgasmic experience.

“We believe the album turned out better than we had hoped for and therefore it is with a great sense of accomplishment to hear people’s positive responses. It’s not a very immediate album so it’ll need to take the listener around for more than a few spins but once it hits it reveals a lot of treasures,” states Dimmu Borgir’s founding member Silenoz.

Without a doubt the addition of the KORK Orchestra and the Schola Cantorum Choir, are the ultimate ABRAHADABRA treasures. The tracks Dimmu Borgir and Gateways are so intentionally refined that it juxtaposes the previous Dimmu Borgir albums. It merely shows an improvement – evidently a larger budget accommodation too. Gaute Storaas, has made an infusion of compositions from conception to birth with the Band and he made it remarkably grand.

Silenoz adds, “It’s not like Michael Kamen for instance and what he did for Metallica, adding on top to already existing songs that wasn’t orchestrated from the beginning.”

The ‘conception to birth’ ideology is consistently demonstrated in the ABRAHADABRA album especially in the illustration of the cover art which is designed by legendary crossmedia artist Joachim Leutke.

Silenoz elaborates, “What [Luetke] had in mind was The Elder Gods, and also Crowley – which is a never-ending influence. The idea behind the [lyrics] and also much of the artwork is connected to rebirth and renewal of the body, mind and spirit. Reincarnation seen through the Luciferian perspective. The first pressing sees the birth, the “beginning” with the whole mask on the cover while the 2nd pressing symbolizes the continuation and growth but yet the more principal aspect of ‘existence’, unfolding back to [the] basics. Perhaps there will be a

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3rd pressing. This album has embarked on its own journey since its inception and lives its own life.”

With the dismissal of Band members, Mustis and Vortex, many hard core supporters started to believe that the end of an era was near for Dimmu Borgir but those obituaries were utterly unnecessary. The band has matured since their last album and there seems to be a stronger sense of revived experimentation. Silenoz illuminates, “There are far more fans and people applauding our way of thinking forward and sharing our views towards the future than anything else. We can’t please all but as long as we start with pleasing ourselves first many will follow.”

Having completed The Darkness Reborn World Tour – Dimmu Borgir have been able to reconnect with their long standing fans and hardcore supporters. It is with great honour that guitarist Silenoz describes Dimmu Borgir fans as, “Pretty damn priceless! We got all different kinds of fans in all shapes, forms, ages, colour and creed. We’re fortunate to have a very enthusiastic fan base whether their opinions about the band and our music range from being very open minded to extremely conservative.”

Dimmu Borgir’s optimistic ABRAHADABRA album adheres together progressive ethics, loyal fans and a resurrection of opus. Take note because that is how you create an orgasmic album.

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25 REASONS WHY YOUR BAND SUCKS! As long as people want music and see it as something of inherent value, the industry as well as the band will continue to exist. However, Bands get it wrong from the word “go”. Like in anything; the foundation determines the outcome.

So where is your Band getting it wrong? Let me break it down in 25 reasons!

1. There should be an internal band agreement between ALL band members regardless of the relationship. If things go sour, each member must be able to stand their ground. Full stop.

2. Internal agreements can contain various clauses but the most recommended ones include; ownership of band name, ownership and control of copyrights, division of the bands assets and income, responsibility of each member in the band, consequences and negotiations of a band member quitting.

3. Research your band’s name. Do you want to spend a decade on creating amazing shit for 3 bands with the same name in another country? I didn’t think so.

4. Trademark is the asset of assets to a band. Consider legal trademark status for merchandise purposes. This makes 50% of your income.

5. Another word on trademark is the protection of a domain name. It is professional, classy and makes any band look more established than they really are.

6. If you want to be professional – hire an artist/band manager. A manager is the grape of the wine. Enough said.

7. Finding a band manager is no pie. Let me express the difference between a good manager and an effective manager. A good manager can promote, plan, manage the team around the band, and develop sales and products. An effective manager believes in the band. An effective manager has short-term and long-term goals for a band. An effective manager employs artistic manipulation of people on behalf of the band.

8. Do the band and the possible manager need separate contracts? Absolutely. Employ separate attorneys where possible.

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9. Last word on a band manager: the there must be a high level of trust between band and manager.

10. So, the Artist and Repertoire (A&R) at Roadrunner threw your demo in the bin. Shame.

There are more labels out there than you think. If you have not sent a demo to 70 different labels than you are in the wrong industry.

11. Facebook and twitter are not the only social media. Remember MySpace and Youtube? How about college radio stations? Underground webzines? Even traditional local print? There are people looking for music news every day. That is 365 days of public attention per year.

12. Besides being able to network on the World Wide Web –its time to get out of the jam room and into the live music scene. 1 gig is worth 10 rehearsals.

13. And nothing beats a full house and real fans as opposed to 3000 “Likes” on Facebook.

14. A band will need to explore funding opportunities continuously. Get ready to beg, borrow, steal and recycle until the band obtains the money needed to get a kick up and about. How a band does it – that’s up to them. Just remember that there are a number of humble tarts out there willing to place money on something inherently valuable. So make sure your band is the hot shit!

15. Press kit please? A press kit contains the band’s essentials. These include: a) Band Biography: These explain the Who? What? Where? When? of the band. It observes a brief history of the band. b) Band Press releases and press clippings: The idea is to grab the attention of the reader as they read about the band written from another source. c) Band Photographs: A visual stimuli is of utmost importance. A picture is 1000 words. A Cliché that runs blood true. d) Band Gig List: Where has the band been jamming?

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e) Demo CD with corresponding song list: Give the listener an ear orgasm of 3-4 of the bands best songs. Cannot decide which track? It should be the track that seizes the listener in 15 seconds or less. f) Band Website/s: An internet presence is highly reputable. g) Band Contact information: How can we get hold of you?

16. Note that the Press Kit needs to be in KISS format. In other words Keep It Simple, Stupid!

17. At number 12, I mentioned 1 gig is worth 10 rehearsals. Let me delve into performing.

Performing is an art and the band is the artist. The artist needs to sell, sell, sell!

18. At sound check DO NOT work on band music rather work on sound.

19. At sound check DO NOT play your best licks in an idle moment.

20. If you change instruments a lot – sound check those songs 21. If there are a number of detailed changes, please write it down and hand a copy to the sound engineer. It should be common courtesy.

22. A band that has done 3 really awesome gigs cannot demand the attention of the industry gatekeepers. Here is the thing: If you went to play football with your friends and scored several times – you won’t be calling Manchester United!

23. With the above in mind, it is safe to say that at least 50 gigs get accumulated interest from the industry.

24. General musician etiquette both on-stage and off-stage is a must. Without that any band can kiss their dreams goodbye. Here is a quick run through of the P’s and Q’s: a) Be punctual to the venue. b) Be aware of the other bands on the billing and DO NOT badmouth them. Nobody likes a band who thinks their super high on their self esteem. c) Be prepared for the gig; going beforehand to check the venue is an ideal. Know what the stage looks like and adjust your band accordingly. d) Never play past your time.

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e) Remember fans go to shows to see their favourite band. Make a point of meeting those who support your band. DO NOT sit in VIP the entire night swigging beer – go mingle and swig beer with the band supporters.

25. Lastly, your band sucks because you don’t have a back–up plan! The golden rule to any band is to ALWAYS have a back-up plan!

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EPIC ROCK “N” ROLL FROM ICELAND

SÓLSTAFIR rose from the darkest and coldest depths of the Northern Lights and make their way to the forefront of many epic bands. Their sounds are immaculate like the soundtrack of an unfolding movie or as Dani Couture states, “this album feels like the soundtrack of a movie that was never made.”

Earlier this year, a twist in the myth allowed for Sólstafir to sign with a new record label and the result was Svartir Sandar. The double release is impeccably breath-taking and it serves as a slight contrast to their prior releases. Nonetheless, the Svartir Sandar album resurrects Sólstafir as a mature band that is not afraid to show their hard work, ardour and priceless love for music.

Air Guitar has been fortunate to converse with Sólstafir’s, Gummi as he tells about how record labels are not all glitter and sparkle, what is happening in the Icelandic Metal music scene and that their music is not Viking Metal!

Sólstafir has been a very busy and successful band since the humble beginnings in 1995.

How has each band member progressed since then; in terms of character and musician?

We’re all going slowly insane!

Our lives have of course changed a lot since 1995. We were 16 when we formed the band and now we are in our 30’s. Two of us already have kids, which is life changing. We’ve gone through schools, different shitty jobs, lived in other countries etc...

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Photo by Björn Árnason

Congratulations to Sólstafir for signing with Seasons of Mist (SOM); after being pushed against a brick wall from the previous labels. How did the band get signed to Seasons of Mist and how has it been working with them?

We asked to be released from the contract we had with Spine Farm because they totally ignored us despite all the good reviews we were getting. For instance, we started off out tour to support Köld in Helsinki (Spinefarm’s home base) and we had told them many months in advance that we would pick up copies of the album there to sell on the tour. When we came there they had only 50 copies, which sold out on the first 3 dates on a more than 30 date tour!

At first they did not want to let us go, even if they had no interest in doing anything for us, and we certainly weren’t making any money for them since people couldn’t buy our albums anyway as they were nowhere available. But then they changed the label boss, and now it is run by a guy we know, and he’s a very cool guy and he agreed on letting us go, even though he wanted to try and fix up our relationship and give us a better deal. But for us it was just too late and we were already talking to a few labels, including SOM. But I’m sure he’s the right person to restore that label to its former glory AND they were the only label willing to sign us back in 2005!

Like I said we were negotiating with a few labels, but SOM offered the best deal by far. And even if they were probably the smallest label we were talking to they are always on the rise and just seemed like a perfect home for us.

With SOM things are totally different. We have had more communications with them now then we ever had with Spinefarm. And they are doing some promotion for us too, something that Spinefarm just didn’t do.

Svartir Sandar out on Season of Mist Cover painting by Kim Holm

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In October 2011, the band released Svartir Sandar. How would the Band like to describe Svartir Sandar especially to a non-Icelandic speaking audience and how does the new release differ from the previous Sólstafir releases?

I guess you could describe it as something like epic rock’n’roll. Some like to call it Post Metal. We don’t really care what people call us, as long as they don’t call us fucking Viking Metal! [Lav: We would not dare!]

I don’t think Svartir Sandar is much different from Masterpiece of Bitterness and Köld. It’s kind of like a blend of those two. But we have of course kept on developing our music.

We’ve never really written the same album or the same song twice.

In my opinion Svartir Sandar sounds marvellous with a dark underbelly – just as Dani Couture explained, “this album feels like the soundtrack of a movie that was never made.” That says a lot about the quality of Sólstafir’s work. What are the Band’s thoughts on this?

I really think that’s a big compliment. If our music inspires people to close their wyes and imagine some scenes from a movie never made, it means our music is really moving the soul.

Sólstafir will be playing at Inferno Festival, Pagan Festival and completing a Finnish tour in 2012! What are the Band’s expectations for the upcoming festival? What should the fans expect for the festivals?

We’ll also be playing at Roadburn, which will be awesome! We’ll do a two hour set there!

Finland and Germany are always like a second home for us, and we can’t wait to go back there. We’re super excited to be touring with our good friend Mat and his new band Hexvessel in Finland!

However, Sólstafir has played around Europe many times before; can you tell me what the highlights for Sólstafir have been so far? Are there any favourite gigs that stand out?

I guess that would be Roskilde Festival. We got a 70 min playing time, at around 8 in the evening, prime time! The tent we played in was packed and it was one our best shows ever!

But we’ve had good gigs all over and met so many wonderful people and toured with people that will for ever after be our friends.

Photo by Ágúst Atlason

On that note, have there been any low lights for Sólstafir, so far? Are there any particular memories that should be forgotten?

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The lows have been the years of countless struggle when it seems like no one gives a shit and we’re always on the verge of financial and mental bankruptcy. But somehow we have always pulled through and walked our own way, against the current.

What is Sólstafir’s take on the Icelandic Metal music scene? Is there a limited scene or is it the Artist who creates the scene? How does this affect the Band?

Today we have an okay metal scene, with some bands making waves in the international scene, such as Atrum (Black/Death), Beneath (Technical Death), Skálmöld (Viking Metal), Angist (Black/Death), Momentum (Psychedelic Post Metal), Brain Police (Stoner), Gone Postal (Blackened Death), Svartidauði (Black) and Potentiam (Post Black). All those bands can be found on our Facebook site.

But it hasn’t always been like that. We had a big death metal scene in the early 90’s but when we formed there was only one other metal band active in Iceland, Forgarður Helvítis.

photo by Rebekka Kolbeinsdottir

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WHAT DR. PHIL TAUGHT ME ABOUT THE MUSIC INDUSTRY Ok, so I admit it, I watch crappy television shows – even more so out of sheer boredom!

However, South Africa is known for the trashy import of day-time American talk shows. It’s really entertaining especially Jerry Springer if you have nothing better to do on a Tuesday night, that is.

So, this brings me to a point of interest – What Dr. Phil taught me about the Music Industry! (Bite me but this is really good!)

Who the f*ck is Dr. Phil? He is a bald and tall man who tells rough edged humans to – “Get real about their lives” – In a no-nonsense manner! That is all you need to know.

Dr. Phil: You either get it or you don't It's easy to tell these people apart. Those who "get it" understand how things work and have a strategy to create the results they want. Those who don't are stumbling along looking puzzled, and can be found complaining that they never seem to get a break.

The Music Industry: The Music Industry is not forgiving. Every band needs to know what they are doing and why they are doing it and how they want to play within the fields of the industry.

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Dr. Phil: Life rewards action.

Decide that you are worth the risk of taking action, and that your dreams are not to be sold out. Know that putting yourself at risk may be scary, but it will be worth it. You must leave behind the comfortable and familiar if you are to move onward and upward.

The Music Industry: Following the idea that every band knows what, why and how they are operating in the music scene then it’s time to go into action. Nobody got famous for only playing garage shows. So get out there into the scene!

Dr. Phil: You cannot change what you do not acknowledge.

Acknowledgment means slapping yourself in the face with the brutal reality, admitting that you are getting payoffs for what you are doing, and giving yourself a no-kidding, bottom-line truthful confrontation.

The Music Industry: Change is constant in the Music Industry and bands need change too! (This would be a great time to mention Lulu by Metallica) What is holding the band back? Listen to the critics!

Dr. Phil: We teach people how to treat us.

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You either teach people to treat you with dignity and respect, or you don't. This means you are partly responsible for the mistreatment that you get at the hands of someone else.

The Music Industry: Face it – a band’s fan base will be and always shall be the greatest asset! If you treat potential and existing fans like shit – don’t expect any releases to be sold. Simple.

Conclusion: Dr. Phil's "Life Laws" just got applied to the Music Industry! Plus, they actually make sense - to me at least. What are your thoughts, reader?

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LATVIA, SHOW ME THE METAL! Congratulations for winning the Best Rock Album at the Latvian Music Awards and another award at the Latvian Metal Awards! How does SKYFORGER feel to receive these awards?

How do the awards affect the future for SKYFORGER? The first good thing is it showed that metal is finally accepted as rock music for non metal people here and metal band can break behind the local underground scene walls. All 15 years, before these Awards, best rock album nomination always got some cheesy pop-rock local stars. Metal bands weren’t nominated at all!

Other good thing is that our name rang around for some time and got known for different auditory, who never heard about us before but were willing to listen such music.

But apart from that it wasn’t a big impact on our career – more or less things remained the same. Of course we were happy and glad for such approval from fans and other people, but in the end it did not change anything big in our life or music.

The 5 year break between Semigalls’ Warchant and Kurbads shows a very different approach from SKYFORGER. The Kurbads album has much more detail and attention to the folk elements whereas Semigalls’ Warchant is more concentrated on the Black Metal elements.

Why has SKYFORGER chosen this new approach?

Well, if you do listen to SKYFORGER’s albums you can see that almost every of them are different. We make a big deal for every detail we are singing about and we always want to make a mood for every album: music and lyrics work together and we make an atmosphere which we want to hear. A simple example can be like this: if a song lyric is about battle, we want to make it fast and furious musically to create a feeling about battle when you listen to that song.

The answer to your question lies somewhere else: Semigalls’ Warchant was recorded back in 1997 and is a demo re-release, plus added Asinslauks EP (2005). Kurbads is already the latest album which we worked on straightly since around 2006.

Lyrically Kurbads is an epic tale about hero that’s why it is so different for Semigalls’ Warchant album which was more about ancient battles and pagan religion.

Of course, the big role plays in the musical development which we as musicians have put through in all of our years – it is the same for every band around. You grow up, become more skilled, become wiser and your view upon the world changes - it all goes into your music too.

But it does not mean that Kurbads is how SKYFORGER will go to sound now! Next album will have a different topic which means a different approach and a different sound.

We shall see…

Mythology plays a central factor in SKYFORGER’s work and makes the Band cutting-edge unique. What is the Band’s main goal in trying to resonate the history of Latvia and the Baltic’s?

Baltic cultures have suffered a lot in context of European culture and history. We were there from the very beginnings and gave our great share through all centuries. Our land has always been a place where bigger countries marched through for wars and had their own interests.

We were under so many occupations and foreign rules for centuries and that’s why nowadays Baltic nation’s culture and history is almost unknown or most of the time ignored when there are discussions about big western European history. Things started to change slowly and we

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want to put our share here: to let people in the world know about Baltic regions, its culture and history which was almost lost through all the centuries!

Most of SKYFORGER’s lyrics are in Latvian and this includes a sense of pride in Baltic mythology. However, do SKYFORGER intend to write more English lyrics to make the work and Band more accessible to an international audience?

No. We chose our path already and don’t want to change it only because of some commercial possibilities. Latvian language is one of the oldest survived ancient languages and we are glad to represent it through our songs. Another obstacle is that many times, we use folk rhymes/songs in our music and those songs/words can’t be put in different languages because it simply will not fit and it is hard even to translate them properly!

Though, I don’t see it as problem anymore in our times. Now a lot of bands sing in their native language, people get tired of the same English verses (sky-die-fly) for years and today have no problem to listen to something different, I think. Sometimes it is even better, because you can have some of your own imaginations set in about what is this song and after all we always have a full booklet with English translations and lot of information about the topic.

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In several interviews, SKYFORGER has shown disinterest in playing mainstream and being commercialized. Why is this so?

Because we are taking our music seriously – we have this meaning behind it all and with the commercial attitude it is hard to do something like this.

Plus, we don’t like that much mainstream we all have now, it so cheesy and everything is for sale and shiny shows. Metal music has lost its first meaning – rebellion against mainstream society, it is almost like pop music now! Though, it’s a different time now and different generation, maybe this is how it must be hmm….

On another hand we can’t say that we are almost non-commercial. After all we play around, sell albums and merchandise and surely that is great that if people come and listen to our band – things we sing about we want to let them be heard. So let it be - also commercial but in healthy doses, heehee.

SKYFORGER has been playing some bigger events like Brutal Assault, Hellfest, now you are confirmed for Masters of Rock in Czech Republic and as I can see from your sites that SKYFORGER is now into the band competition for Sweden Rock Festival! What is the band expecting at these festivals and what can the audience expect at the festivals?

We always expect to find new fans and hope that a lot of new people discover our music and will find it good. Big festivals are the best choice for that! All sorts of people just hang around there and therefore it is a good chance that they will hear your band too.

Of course we have fans already and sure they will be there, but to obtain new ones are never bad.

What can be expected from us? Unfortunately I can’t say that there will be a show in a KISS fashion with fireworks and stage installations! Heehee! We will do the best from our side to make an atmosphere and a memorable show with our music and the energy we have on stage.

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Over the years; SKYFORGER has played several gigs in Europe. Are there any particular favorite places to perform? Are there any places that SKYFORGER will not perform at again?

No, there are no places where we are not going to again. Only if the gig organization was really bad and you can expect the same things again.

Every country is different, though metalheads more or less are the same all over the world – they are true music fanatics.

Everywhere there are people who listen and support our band, so we have a great feeling and want to play again, even if sometimes there aren’t that much people by the stage!

There is still lot of countries we have not played yet and we want to visit them all, even in Africa if there will ever be such a possibility.

The world is changing and people become more open minded, old preconceptions are slowly fading away and it is only for good, especially to share cultural legacies we all have!

Any last words – to make sure that SKYFORGER is a name that will stick in the minds of South Africans?

What to say here: I think our band is unique enough to listen, especially if you are interested in North European history. We are not another Scandinavian Viking band; we came from Baltic lands and we share our own special culture and history (though it might be very close to Viking and celtic). Our countries were the very last pagan fortresses in the Europe and our old traditions, customs and folklore miraculously has survived through centuries of oppression. We want to share it now to the whole world and let people know about the two still survived Baltic peoples: Latvians and Lithuanians and our culture.

This is what SKYFORGER is about!

Many thanks for given opportunity! Best wishes to all metal fans in South Africa.

Nothing is forgotten, nothing will be forgotten!

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THE METAL MEN AND METAL MAIDENS

Heavy Metal as we know it has become much more than just music - it has integrated into our lives, our environments and has fallen into the crevices of our very own experiences. For some, Metal is what they eat, breathe and sleep with.

Thanks to social media sites and the growing popularity of the world wide web, finding Metalheads, Headbangers or like-minded individuals has never been easier! On facebook one can friend an army of Metal soldiers, on twitter one can construct a stream of Metal followers, on social bookmarking sites - one can find relative up-to-date articles on Heavy Metal bands and so the list goes on...

The point is Metal has become Global.

Recently on twitter, I posted the question How did you get into Heavy Metal? The response that followed was amazing! Metal men and Metal maidens, I present to you the replies: Some of us started with the Big Four. In this case Metallica who have seemed to impress with their brutal and in my opinion best album Master Of Puppets Simple I like metal since I was little... Started with Metallica... Korn... Papa Roach and since that its never been the same! - alejmuri Alejandro Murillo I was always attracted to guitar music from early on...once I heard Metallica's One I was sold... - HomeNucleonics RaymondW

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I heard the "Master of Puppets" record from my cousin when it first came out. BLEW MY MIND!!! It was all downhill from there - mor_metal_thn_u Wade Hearing the opening riff to Enter Sandman at a friend’s house, aged 11. Fucking awesome moment. - Mr_Fred_Guest Adam

Some of us got our first taste of metal through family and friends. May we be forever grateful to them for showing us the light!

When I was 6 yrs. old I was in the car with my uncle and he put in a Manowar cassette. The sound was fierce. I was hooked! - Man_O_Thor Frank Santorelli My brother made me listen to it, we worked together, and he controlled the radio. :D kels_72 Kelly

The power and brusque of Black Sabbath and its members had a great hold amongst most of us and still does to this very day. [R.I.P Dio] I started with Black Sabbath. Good drum beats attract me. - Netteallica Lynette When I listened to Dio's "I speed at night", I was excited by its speed and heaviness. I had never experienced such a song! - metamimi Hiro There was a video show called 'Power Hour'. Heard Ozzy's 'Ultimate Sin'. I loved it, my parents hated it, I was hooked. - Habsdad Darren G Lav Nandlall

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There was the New Wave of British Heavy Metal which swept most of the wayward souls into a frenzy! Then of course, there was MTV but nowadays MTV is dead to Metal. Amen.

I was raised on nwobhm by a uncle which is where my love for Diamond Head comes from and it went from there to where I am now - manc_metalhead Jay Well I've got into Rock music first, when I was 13 years old by MTV till 17 I got into metal music till this day! \m/ - Rattlehead81 Rashed I

Those Cowboys from Hell gave many of us a reason to live life to the full and raise the horns.

[R.I.P Dimebag Darrell] I guess I was born into it. My family listened to rock, and eventually I found Pantera. The rest is history. - 1spookydick Keith Roberto Hatlak Easy one this. One listen to cowboys from hell by pantera and it was metal all the way GrindHorizon Grind Horizon

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Gene Simmons. Enough said.

Two words says it all: Kiss – Destroyer -BrianBasher Brian Basher

The 80's seemed to have produced some of the finest Metal bands as well as albums of all time. I think many of you would agree.

Heard Twisted Sister in the early 80's and I was hooked. - Rajendra Rajendra Singh Went to see Judas priests in 1983 at a tender age of 13 they blew my head off and I loved it sharkymarky06 mark horbury

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For some (including myself) going to a Metal show was where it all really began... @danicouture and Bill Kennedy took me to a show in a remote Etobicoke warehouse in November of 2008 and changed my life. - NatalieZed NatalieZed Spheres Of Madness-Decapitated....blew my brain out of my ass and was hooked from then on - unhallowedmag Unhallowed Nation

Derek Riggs began more than just a trend - he started an army.

Was impressed by Iron Maiden's album covers as very young girl and then later heard Run To The Hills by accident on the radio. - ironmadna Madna

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THIS IS MY METAL LIFE: DEREK RIGGS (ARTIST/DESIGNER/CREATOR) In most cases - an Album gets judged by its artwork even if you strongly disagree, it's a fact!

Though the first album artwork that really stood out for me amongst an army of others is Derek Riggs' infamous Zombie, Eddie. A character and a mascot that has grown with Iron Maiden. However, Riggs' artwork is in no way restricted to the band - as you will soon find out - he is an artist, a designer and creator of many other incredible concepts and crafts! This is Air Guitar's exclusive interview with Derek Riggs!

Thank you very much for taking time out to do this interview with Air Guitar, it is very much appreciated! When Eddie Maiden made his debut appearance – it can be said that you did not start a trend but you started an army of Iron Maiden fans. Eddie has become the most loved and recognized metal figure in the world. How do you feel about that – 32 years later?

I don’t really think about it much, it was all a long time ago. It does want to follow me around a lot though. People are always asking me about it. I don’t really seem to meet anyone who hasn’t heard of Eddie these days. I used to joke that Eddie was my very own Frankenstein’s monster and that he would peruse me to my death in the arctic (which is what happened to Frankenstein) but it has turned out to be closer to the truth than I would have liked…

At the time it was not really what I started out to do, I wanted to be a sci-fi artist and draw pictures of other worlds but there wasn’t really a market for what I wanted to paint, they all wanted space ships. So I turned from book covers to record covers, the covers were bigger and the people were less restrictive about what they wanted than the book cover people were.

As it turned out I was better at a kind of horror painting anyway. That was about when Iron Maiden turned up and asked to see my portfolio. The Maiden thing was all a fun thing to do but I never thought that it would last for as long as it did, so I did it until they started putting all this pressure on my that I didn’t sign up for and wasn’t getting paid for and so then I worked out the last bit of my contract and left. I was also a bit sick of painting Eddie by then as well. SO I just kind of left them with it all and bowed out. *****

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I dreamed this one up, but I have no idea where it came from. I think someone said something about Eddie in chains - Riggs

Many people may not know that Eddie was formally known as Electric Matthew. So, where did the original concept of Electric Matthew originate from?

Well I was trying to find an image that would represent the kind of “wasted youth” idea that was prevalent in the English punk movements of the late 1970’s and the picture I came up with was the dead youth in the city streets. I didn’t really start out to paint a monster or a zombie, I was coming from a completely different place, it just ended up looking that way.

When people referred to it as a zombie I was a bit surprised, I was like “Oh Yeah, I guess it is…” there is a lot more about this stuff in the book which is available from my website www.derekriggs.com The book is called “Run For Cover, The Art Of Derek Riggs”.

It’s a high quality art book with lots of good prints and about 50,000 words of text. Go and but a copy or I’ll send Eddie out to find you. ***** Iron Maiden exploded into the Metal hearts of many people. Do tell our readers, what has your relationship with Iron Maiden been like and in a way did the band have any influence on your artworks?

Well I mostly worked with the manager not the band. I met them on a few occasions but we were very different kinds of people, they went off to do their thing and I did mine. I never really got on with that rock and roll lifestyle thing that they all do.

My relationship with the management was OK for a few years and then they started relying more and more on the covers to get them where they wanted to be and less on the music. This ended with them trying to put loads of pressure on me to come up with things that were more and more “outrageous” or “more evil”. It got to the point where I was painting five covers for one single so that they could sell more copies to the fans and get a number one hit.

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When it got to this point I thought “hang on, I didn’t sign up for this, this is BS.” So I started to think about leaving their employ. I mean I was just into making good covers for other people’s records, not into selling the records for them. That’s back to front, it’s like the tail wagging the dog isn’t it? ***** There is a lot of English patriotism in the Eddie creations. It was most noticeable on the Sanctuary single’s sleeve with Margaret Thatcher and her removing of Iron Maiden posters and of course Eddie is almost always holding the Union flag. Do you have any specific esoteric meanings to your artworks in relation to Eddie/Iron Maiden?

Esoteric? What? No that’s silly. Eddie waves the flag because the band is British (most of them anyway) That side of it was at the band’s request. The flag thing I mean.

The main content of the covers was designed to fit into the same direction of the songs. So that they both worked as a whole. It wasn’t always a direct illustration of the lyrics, most often it was just in the same general direction so that they fitted together. *****

I think this is popular because it has a lot of red and blue in it. The other covers don't have much red. I resist using red just for the sake of it - Riggs

It has been brought to my attention that the DVD release of Iron Maiden’s Flight 666 cover artwork actually has no Eddie on it. Rather strange considering the band built itself upon the infamous artwork. Any thoughts as to why there was no depiction of the Eddie character?

Yes I can tell you why, it was explained to me when they asked me for a t-shirt design. They felt that it was not a maiden release as such, it was more of a documentary about the band and that tour in particular, so they wanted pictures of themselves on the cover and not Eddie. ***** In some article on the internet – it mentioned that “Derek Rigg’s hates metal”. Would you like to set the record straight?

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Yes. That’s total BS. That was made up by one of those idiots on the internet that hates everything, and it’s been going around for years under the guise of “I know this for a fact…” etc. Other things from similar sources are “Derek Riggs has a British pub inside his house.”

“Derek Riggs Hates Iron Maiden.” “Derek Riggs is really a barman in a British pub.” Derek Riggs owns a nightclub somewhere in the UK” “Derek Riggs is very difficult to work with” “Derek Riggs is a recluse and doesn’t speak to anyone.”

I do not hate Metal, I have never owned a pub anywhere, inside or outside my home. I have never worked in a pub, I am easy to work with, I am not a recluse, I have many friends.

Actually I do not even live in the UK any more. I moved to the USA many years ago.

This is one major problem with the internet, some fucked up idiot makes up some total bullshit and then it’s swirling around the internet forever getting bigger and bigger like some huge great bullshit tornado and it never goes away. ***** In 2006, Run for Cover – the Art of Derek Riggs by Martin Popoff was published. The reviews that followed were amazingly positive. For audiences who were unable to grab a copy; what have they missed out on?

Actually they can still buy a copy; they are still for sale from my website www.derekriggs.com We don’t have any hardbacks but the softbacks are still available. The softbacks are just the same as the hardbacks, they were printed at the same time on the same paper at the same quality. The only difference is that the first 1500 were bound in hard backs. The book is a high quality art book. There are over 80 pictures and 50,000 word of text. There are most of the maiden picture, lots of others and a few sketches that someone managed to find and track down. You can buy a signed or an unsigned copy and we will personalise them upon request. We have tried to keep the price as low as we can because the postage is so high these days. I also have a couple of signed posters/ art prints for sale there as well. *****

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Apart from Iron Maiden, you have worked with Gamma Ray, The Iron Maidens, Valhalla, White Wizzard and even Jazz albums amongst many others. Are there any artists that you would have specifically liked to work with but have not had the chance? If so, who and why?

I will work with anyone who will pay me, I am not fussy really. My price is quite high because it takes me a while to do the pictures and I have to eat while I do it. I recently heard that Sabbath were making a new album, I think it would be cool to do a Sabbath cover. If the fans go and bombard their website with emails maybe they can make it happen… then Sabbath can have a good cover for a change.

I actually had a really good idea for an Ozzy cover but it involved bats so I think maybe they won’t want it, maybe Ozzy is over the bat thing these days… or maybe not, I have no idea really. ***** Album artworks these days are not as extravagant or well thought of. Generally metal album covers stick to the red and black tones or attach a photograph using computer generated software. What is your preferred medium of art these days? Do you think the computer generation has hindered the meaning of “art”?

I use a computer; I have been since the mid 1990’s. I got Mercury poisoning back in the 1980’s and I also eventually developed a high sensitivity to all heavy metals (yeah, I got heavy metal poisoning). There are many such metals in paints; they are not very good for you. So eventually I had to give up using paints altogether and computers were the only option. Sometimes the computers are better, sometimes they are worse but it’s what I am stuck with.

Art is what people like to create, even if they can’t sell it. Now with computers more people can create, I think this is mostly a good thing except that the ones who aren’t very good think they are great, which kind of gets in the way a bit sometimes. People who shouldn’t be designing book and CD covers are getting their work all over the place because it is cheap. Or they give it away for nothing… But what they do looks like crap and it lowers the whole standard of what is going on. One of the main reasons why bands need good covers is so that it gives them something to sell as merchandise. The merchandise sales help offset the large cost of touring. Without this extra source of income the bands can’t function as well. In fact some of them may not make it to the second album. Bad merchandise is cheap to create but it looks like crap so nobody buys it, so in the end the bands lose money. ***** In terms of your artwork – what are you future plans? Have you any special projects in the pipeline that you would like to share?

Well I just did a poster/mascot thingy for a Danish metal festival. Now I am working on a CD for a guy called Noodle who makes a kind of ambient guitar music.

I am making some sci-fi covers to sell for book covers soon; I have been looking at 3D fractals and investigating the possibility of using these to create landscapes. It’s looking quite hopeful so far.

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THIS IS MY METAL LIFE: ADRIEN BEGRAND

Instead of writing my own spiel about Adrien Begrand, I have decided to copy and paste the unmerciful and honest words from Invisible Oranges: "Adrien Begrand’s writing at PopMatters was what made me give writing a go. His writing about metal was as accessible and informed as any other writing about music I’d seen. What I learned from Begrand was the importance of research. Know your shit before you write about it!"

Do tell us – how did you get into music journalism?

Ready for a long story?

It’s weird, writing about music was always in my blood, the seed planted when I first discovered how brilliant and hilarious John Lennon’s lyrics to “I Am the Walrus” were on my Mom’s old Magical Mystery Tour LP when I was about nine years old. After I became obsessed with metal in early 1984 at the rather late age of 13, while friends were picking up instruments and starting bands I was having more fun writing essays about W.A.S.P. and the PMRC in English class, reading record reviews in mags like Circus, Metallion, and, yes, Rolling Stone, and basically trying to convince people why they should own this record instead of that. But being an introverted, bullied kid in some absolutely hellish, ostracizing schools, I had zero confidence in the end, and didn’t even consider music journalism a possibility. I was sapped of ambition.

As the years went on I became interested in a much wider range of music outside of the metal realm – the US and UK indie scenes from 1990 to 1997 had an enormous impact on me - and the Internet in the mid-‘90s re-ignited my interest in music criticism and journalism. This might seem goofy, but before I started my own blog in January 2001, what really got me going in the late-‘90s was writing the odd customer review at Amazon.com. People would email me telling me how they saw what I’d written, bought an album, and wound up agreeing, which was awfully nice, so I just kept at it, whether it was emailing friends about stuff, posting on music newsgroups, or eventually my blog. Finally in late 2001 I saw PopMatters was looking for new writers, and I offhandedly applied. I can’t even remember what I said in the email. Miraculously they took me on, and I was having a great time churning out review after review after review, covering all sorts of genres.

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Most fun, though, were the metal albums I covered. Back then nearly all indie metal labels didn’t even think of submitting CDs for review, they just assumed the mainstream webzines weren’t at all interested. There was so much great metal music going unnoticed, and in 2004 I finally suggested to my editor that I start approaching labels myself. Because PopMatters likes to cover all facets of popular culture, I immediately got the go-ahead, and starting with Nuclear Blast, Relapse, Prosthetic, Century Media, and Roadrunner, I got them to send me stuff, and my writing focus started to shift from all genres to mostly metal. By 2005 I was talking to lots of other labels and PR people, saying, “Send me anything!” That year we decided at PopMatters that I start a monthly column devoted exclusively to metal, something no widely-read, non-metal webzine was doing at the time (Stylus and Pitchfork would start their own metal columns not long after). I named it Blood & Thunder after the Mastodon song (I’m notoriously lousy with titles), and proceeded to churn out 60-odd 2000+-word columns over the course of six years or so.

That was the big turning point, as Decibel magazine would come a-knocking in late 2005, having seen my PopMatters writing, and I’ve been with them ever since. Metal Edge would ask me to join in 2007, and it was great fun helping rebuild the magazine for a year and a half before it was sadly shut down by its parent company in 2009. With four major magazines folding in just a few months – Metal Edge, Metal Maniacs, Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles, Unrestrained! – 2009 was a rough year for metal writers, but a group of us Canadian scribes got together to start Hellbound.ca, and in 2010 Sick Sounds and Terrorizer asked me to contribute. Then last year I was asked to succeed my friend and peer Phil Freeman over at MSN’s Headbang blog, which has been such a blast. So it took a while, and I’m a quintessential late bloomer, but ten years later I can say I have a pretty cool little career going.

You have been writing (professionally) about metal for ten years – what keeps you going?

One harsh lesson I learned pretty darn quickly was that music writers earn peanuts. If you want to make any sort of money doing this you have to really, really keep at it, pitching freelance stories and reviews. Thankfully I don’t have any kids; I have no idea how my peers with kids handle all the work! The interesting thing about working for MSN is that while I’m paid a monthly wage, more than any combination of writing gigs ever got me, the real challenge is writing good content five to eight times per week. It’s really easy to get burned out, but I’ve learned to make a few adjustments, such as working strictly nine to five rather than all hours of the day and night. Forcing myself to stay away from the computer at night has paid off nicely, I’m able to handle the grind a lot better. Living healthily is something that’s easy to forget when you’re doing freelance work.

The bottom line, though, what drives it all is that I’m still as interested in good new music as I was ten years ago, 27 years ago. Sure, now more than ever I have to listen to a lot of mediocre music, but every so often I’ll get a great new CD in the mail or a digital promo in my email, or a new band will bowl me over, and that excitement will be back just as always.

If you don’t have any passion for the music, then you have no business writing about it. I’m glad to say that I’m as passionate for metal music now at 41 as I was when I was 13 or 14.

Was there a time when you thought that maybe you should get a ‘real’ job?

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Of course. But writing is the only thing I do, it’s the one thing I know I’m decent at, and I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.

When you are not contributing to Decibel, Terrorizer, MSN.com and many more – what do you do with your time?

When you’re this busy you don’t really have a life. It’s very insular, and my life pretty much revolves around music. Of course I have other interests, I’m as big a hockey fan as you’ll ever meet, my 20-year obsession with the Beat Generation writers has resulted in quite a massive collection of books and multi-media, I love good films, from the French New Wave to the master Krzyztof Kieslowski. There’s traveling of course. And the little things, like hanging out with my niece, those are the best.

You were one of the lucky few who got to be aboard 70,000 Tons of Metal as well as toured with various bands – what can you tell us about those experiences?

Living in the middle of Western Canada I’m not privy to as many cool metal shows as my buds in Toronto or New York are, so whenever I do get a chance to experience a festival or a big show it’s something I savour. 70,000 Tons was crazy; not only were there 42 bands on a cruise ship (including older bands I love whom I’d never seen like Voivod, Raven, and Saxon), but the fact that it’s so self-contained and so well run by the ship’s crew made it perfectly suited for me. Let’s face it, at 41 I have no desire to sleep in a tent at Wacken for four days. On this cruise, you had a bed just a 60 second walk from any of the venues, there was all the free food and (non-alcoholic) drink you wanted, you’re mingling with bands, most of whom are super-nice, and it was all on a freakin’ boat in the middle of the gorgeous Caribbean Sea. Back in 2008 Phil Freeman at Metal Edge had a crazy idea. Why not send me on the buses with Paganfest and do an old-school tour report traveling from city to city? So for a week I hit the road with Ensiferum, Turisas, Tyr, and Eluveitie, across Eastern Canada and the Northeast United States. I was a little wary at first, but everyone was so accommodating, especially the guys in Tyr, whom I got along with splendidly. Sure, there were hijinks, like losing a coked-out guitarist in Montreal and then trying to get across the US border with the same coked-out guitarist, but what really hit me hard was the down time. You’re stuck in an awful neighbourhood in a city with nothing to do but wait for the show to start. The shows and afterward are awesome, visiting with fans and hanging out with the bands afterwards (man, do Finns ever drink), but in between there’s a whole lot of nothing. And it gets worse when it’s pouring rain outside, you’re stuck on a crowded bus all day. If there’s one thing I got out of that trip is a deep admiration for those road dogs, especially the merch slingers and the crew, who grind it out on the road during those long tours. It’s just not the life for me…one week was more than enough!

Iron Maiden are British Demi-Gods that you nabbed a sit-down interview with. Are they very private and reserved or have we got the wrong idea about them?

Landing this assignment was the big one for me. After this, it’s all downhill. Iron Maiden remains my favourite band of all time, and to get the chance to sit down and talk individually with four of the six members was mind-boggling. I was in Dallas with about 20 other members of the global metal press, so the guys in the band were fully prepared for the barrage of interviews. They’re total pros, they were there to answer questions, they knew that.

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But it was fun dealing with the different personalities. Dave Murray is very friendly, always with a smile on his face. Adrian Smith, my favourite songwriter in the band, is more reserved, very laid back and chooses his words carefully (what broke the ice for us was our first meeting: “Adrien, meet Adrian”). Bruce Dickinson was awesome, exactly how you’d think he’d be, extremely witty, you ask him a question and it’ll be ten minutes before you get a chance to ask another. I had so much fun talking to him. Steve Harris was so imposing, he’s very straight-faced, he’s a reserved guy, but after the requisite questions about the new record we got onto more fun topics and turned out to be an absolute pleasure. I didn’t interview Janick, nor Nicko, but saw plenty of them and those two are so gregarious. You know when Nicko’s in a room, you hear him from miles away.

Lars Ulrich once said, “Once in a while the heavy metal community needs a good fucking kick up its arse, because it can get a little predictable.” As a metal music critic, what is your take on that?

Yes. Emphatically yes. Like any metal fan I adore certain bands that refuse to change. It’s like comfort food, that familiarity when you put on a new Motörhead or 3 Inches of Blood album is a wonderful thing. But at the same time, going back to when I was listening to Metallica, Voivod, and Queensrÿche back in the 1980s I’ve always craved new metal music that dares to try new things. Metal’s a very conservative form of music at heart – just look at the backlash Liturgy has gotten over the past couple years just because they’re trying to do something a little different - but I’m a bleeding heart liberal, so much of the time it’s the forward thinkers out there who remind me most often how even more exciting metal can be than just complacently adhering to a formula. Even though Lulu was arguably one of the most misguided experiments since Celtic Frost’s Cold Lake, it’s admirable that Ulrich wanted to try something like that. His heart’s in the right place, but his head clearly isn’t.

I know its borderline April but do you have any albums picked out for the ‘must have’ of the year? (Now it is April) I’ve already heard dozens upon dozens of albums this year of course, and I always have to keep a running tab of my favourite albums at the moment. If I had to pick ten, they’d be (in alphabetical order): Accept, Stalingrad Alcest, Les Voyages De L'Âme Christian Mistress, Possession Dawnbringer, Into the Lair of the Sun God Horisont, Second Assault Mares of Thrace, The Pilgrimage Meshuggah, Koloss Pallbearer, Sorrow and Extinction Torche, Harmonicraft Witch Mountain, Cauldron of the Wild You are a Goldfrapp fan boy – what can you tell us that we don’t already know about them?

Ha! I am utterly shameless when it comes to Goldfrapp. I can’t help it. Along with Anneke Van Giersbergen Alison Goldfrapp is my favourite singer out there. She and Will Gregory Lav Nandlall

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have a great partnership going, and every record they create has its own unique identity. You never know which direction they’re going to head in next.

I’ll readily admit to having a particular weakness these days for women singer-songwriters with a predilection toward the esoteric. Basically if Kate Bush is an influence, my ears will perk up. Or of it’s just Kate Bush (50 Words For Snow is wonderful). I’m awful. Canada’s really starting to churn out a lot of such talent as of late…Austra was one of my 2011 faves, and now this year I can’t stop listening to Grimes and Yamantaka//Sonic Titan.

Because I listen to so much metal music I don’t have nearly as much time to devote to all other genres as I’d like to, but being a Polaris Music Prize juror since 2006 (Canada’s version of the Mercury Prize) I do make every effort to stay current. As much as I love metal, it’s only a fraction of my musical interests. I need that variety, especially when casually listening to shuffled tracks on the iPod. Just now my iTunes went from Firewind to Florence + the Machine. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Notice how I evaded the original question?

Are there any last words that you would like to add?

Only thanks so much for asking to be interviewed! I’ve been reading your site for the past few months, and it’s great to see such a smart metal writer doing good work promoting the scene in a country a lot of us don’t consider a real metal superpower. Keep it up, Lav!

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REVIEW:

Blood Ceremony – Blood Ceremony Blood Ceremony’s infused tinge of sophistication meets Hippie rock, comes alive on their 2008 release modestly entitled “Blood Ceremony” reissued by Rise Above records. Fuelled with a passionate influence of Black Sabbath and words of the occult – this album makes me want to handle the music with a glass of Red and tap along with my bare feet.

Track by track the reissued Blood Ceremony album grows on me; with its various elements of strong and well-played guitars, polished flute additions and vocalizations of Temptress, Alia O’ Brien. The rough and smooth instruments contrast on “Blood Ceremony” to perfection, venerating the esoteric and almost creating a celestial atmosphere. The unforgiving nature of Black Sabbath bleeds through the album – and I being an avid Sabbath fan could notice the reigning power. The most stand-out feature on the album aside from the flute nuances is the old school production feel. It has an almost smoky achievement best described as a gathering of Witches and Wizards around a ritual bonfire.

The album’s opening track “Master of Confusion” sets the tone of what can be expected from Blood Ceremony. The unusual execution of the flute can be associated with folk metal but Blood Ceremony is far from it. The stretching riffs and retrograde metal elements are purely enthralling and it is rare to have to hear such ‘fleshed out’ tracks. The most favoured track of mine is “Children of the Future” with its beautiful guitar riffage and spooky correlations of Tony Iommi techniques. The labyrinth of complex rhythms are implemented skilfully and one could get lost in thought when listening to such dexterity. When the transition of stylistic variation takes place – I barely noticed it due to the fluidity and neatness on the album. Alia O’ Brien compliments the “Blood Ceremony” album with her amazingly luscious vocals.

On initial listen to Blood Ceremony’s self-entitled release, I was acutely aware of the most feel-good Sabbath moments and I took like a bee to honey, growing accustomed to Alia O’ Brien and the band of retro-rock awesome. The genre is not centred to retro-rock or metal but it deserves a merry recommendation to any alternative fan. Furthermore, it would be a sin not to hear Blood Ceremony at its finest.

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REVIEW:

Royal Thunder - CVI A bolt from the blue is Royal Thunder’s extraordinary full length debut entitled CVI! The ten track album clocks in a straight dose of blues infused with metal and euphoric rock ‘n’ roll. Despite having a female vocalist, CVI packs dexterity like no other – a big contender for 2012!

Royal Thunder’s release with Relapse Records punctuates with quality, pleasing production values and virtuoso musicianship. Vocalist, Mlny Parsonz makes CVI an album of class with her Southern rock pitch. Parsonz leaves behind the girlie pout and cages the beast inside; she finds a middle ground which allows for her to stand apart from the bevy of female vocalists. Though, when there is a need to roar, Royal Thunder’s front lady does it with balls. The first two tracks of CVI, “Parsonz Curse” and “Whispering World” illustrate Parsonz tone and highlight the psychedelic cum blues rhythms of the album. The riffs are tight and laced with an infectiousness groove. Furthermore, the CVI track list does not plunge at any point nor do the vocals become fusty. Royal Thunder keeps things fresh and the atmosphere takes on an open summer festival approach. A track worthy of honest hype is “Blue” as it opens on a drum solo then embarks into a heavy horde of melodic guitars and bass. It is met by husky vocals and soon merges into a track that becomes rich and vivid.

Stylistically, the band blends and warps the aforementioned genres and creates an unforgettable experience. CVI also shoots a straight line for commercial probability and mainstream success. Don’t frown. It is that good!

Soon to be released on 22 May 2012 by Relapse Records, the impeccable Royal Thunder is worth the hype and their album CVI really proves it. Ten well crafted tracks played by skilled musicians deserve a breath taking 9/10. No kidding.

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REVIEW: ADRENALINE MOB – OMERTÀ With oodles of talent, Adrenaline Mob could easily be spotted as the super-group of hard rock and smooth metal. The band comprises of an enticing line-up with vocalist Russell Allen, axe-man Mike Orlando and drummer, Mike Portnoy. Each Adrenaline Mob member has prior musical experience, has mastered their skills and I was expecting nothing less from their debut Omertà.

Except Omertà is embarrassingly disappointing, looping the phrase “We are here to make money and sell out and stuff...” Throughout the release, there are footprints of Nickelback, an early Disturbed influence and a nibble of Aerosmith which is rolled into a smoky downtown dingy pub atmosphere. Get the picture yet?

The opening track “Undaunted” makes for a good listen by painting the pub and grill atmosphere, throwing ironclad references and splurging on a fine rhythm. And it all goes downhill from here. A track such as “All on the Line” has a big red tick next to below average. The sombre acoustic piece seems turned out for radio air play and unfortunately fails with lyrics – though it is the first time you can hear Allen really croon. An additional crooner number is “Angel Sky” (Fly? High? Try?) Chad Kroeger wishes he wrote that. Those lyrics can improve and so can the average drumming from Portnoy. In fact, the only drumming worth commenting on appears in the song “Indifferent”. The drums become palatable and the guitars merge rather nicely with the melody. Though it doesn’t live up to anything impressive and certainly circles the average mark.

Omertà, released by Century Media records on 19 March 2012, fails to deliver rock ‘n’ roll but bumps points for good studio quality, wicked album art and guts. A lot of lost fans guts.

Maybe it is harsh but a 4.5/10 should do it.

Lav Nandlall

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REVIEW: KAMALA - THE SEVEN DEADLY CHAKRAS São-Paulo based heavy metal band Kamala convey short fused power and ferocity in their third studio release entitled The Seven Deadly Chakras. The gruelling guitars, hammering drums and raspy vocals combine to fire up a concept album. Aptly named, The Seven Deadly Chakras tell a tale of the seven vices of humankind and elaborate on the whereabouts of the seven chakras in the human body. The release thus inhabits fourteen plausible tracks clocking at precisely one hour.

Kamala raises eyebrows as their album bellows with amazing riffage from the opening track “Envy”. It introduces the central theme by playing the sample of an Indian guitar (sitar) and progresses into a wall of rhythmic flows. The vocals remain clean yet at times become brusque but it should be noted there are no screeches and squeals. The drums are evidently thunderous and a bass-line is heard even though it remains at the corners of the tracks. As the album ascends, the highlight tracks leap out from The Seven Deadly Chakras namely, “Solar Plexus” and “Third Eye”. Both the tracks encompass complex riffage, technical proficiency and pitch variations plus the drumming is well handled. On a more instrumental note and a pleasing break from the fast and infuriated, “Sloth” covers a non-distorted melody and keeping to its namesake it is sluggish. This track is evidence that the members of Kamala can handle their instruments with no problems at all.

The Seven Deadly Chakras is certainly a well produced concept album; it ranks good with production values especially seeing as it is independently released. The only criticism that I have is few tracks sound alike and those tracks take a bit of time to grow on the listener.

Apart from that, the prompt pummelling atmosphere created by The Seven Deadly Chakras is a must listen to and rightly deserves 7/10.

Lav Nandlall

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