Editorial Hi everybody ! Welcome to the third edition of the Music Extreme virtual magazine ! This is the first issue to appear from its beginning in the new site. I would like to thank again the musicians, bands and labels that have trusted in this project and have supported Music Extreme through interviews, links or sending their material. I have just finished uploading the interviews and I am still listening the CDs that the bands have sent me. I listen the music that the bands or labels send me not only one time, but numerous (I have to confess that I have become a fan of a lot of the bands that I have interviewed) times. That is why I have uploaded the interview and later will upload the reviews section. The response from the bands was overwhelming, I never expected that so many bands would send me their music so I could review it. This makes me very happy for various reasons: because they trusted me, because I know that extreme music gets its main publicity and promotion through word of mouth and because it gave me the opportunity to know the way in which a lot of people think and feel and what their music means to them. I hope I can continue still many years with this website and maybe someday promote extreme kinds of music through my own record label or distributing the music from bands that maybe in other way can´t make its way to the southernmost part of the world. Come on everybody ! Let´s start the third issue !!
Federico Marongiu Editor
What has "Skullcrusher" that makes it better than "Laughter of destruction" in your opinion? Well, it's tighter, heavier and more intense, and we've of course evolved songwriting-wise. I'm very satisfied with the sound we got this time, brutal yet not messy. I think we got a far better drum sound on "Skullcrusher".
them to answer us and for them to send the contract we decided to go ahead without them. Therefore we recorded "Skullcrusher" by ourselves (but now it looks like Code666 will release it though).
Are "Skullcrusher" and "Laughter of destruction" going to be released in Indonesia? Why so far instead of in Europe? Nothing is totally certain yet. But we're waiting for a contract from Code666 Productions (Italy) and it's most likely that we'll sign with them. They will release the "Skullcrusher" EP and Ledo Takas Productions(Lithuania) will release it on 7" vinyl. There were also some plans on releasing "Skullcrusher" and "Laughter of destruction" in the Phillipines (and not Indonesia as I falsly told you before) but I don't know what will happen with that now. So, the EP will be released by Code666 in Europe (and a whole lot of other places too). Why did you decide to record "Skullcrusher" by yourself rather than with a record label? It was supposed to be released by a label that we used to be in contact with, but they decided not to answer our attempts to contact them. So after waiting for
Can you tell me the band's history since the SCYTHE days? Ok. In 1996 Mikael (drums) met Joel (guitar). It turned out that they had rather similar tastes in music. So, after some conversating they decided to meet up at the rehearsal place a few days later. A little later they expanded the line-up and Glenn (vocals) joined the band The following year Tommy (guitar) and Stange (bass) filled the additional empty spaces. In December they recorded their first demo, "When the night betrays the light", in Real Music studio. I t contained four songs ("Dark clouds gathered", "An allurement nocturnal", "When the night betrays the light" and "Victory in blood") and music-wise ti was a matter of
mid-tempo Black/Death Metal. Shortly after the recording Stange started missing rehearsals, so he was discharged from the band. That's when I entered the whole thing. We started writing and rehearsing new material, and when we had six songs ready we entered the Sunlight studio. The result was the "Laughter of destruction" demo (containing "Once a future might", "Abyss ascendant", "Scythe - Blade of destruction", "Without a reason", "Act of retaliation" and "Segerstrid"). The music had evolved into rather fast, intense Black/Death. We sent the demo to a couple of labels and were offered, I think, three deals. Baphomet records' deal seemed very good, so we decided to sign with them. But after a while they stopped anwering our mails. So, in the summer of 2000 we once again entered Sunlight studio and recorded "Skullcrusher", which contains "Preparation - aggression" (which is an intro), "Skullcrusher", "Let the bloodshed begin", "Laughter of destruction" and "The ultimate overthrow". The few 'zines we've sent it to and friends who have heard it seem to really like it. On "Skullcrusher" we've evolved into more Death/Black Metal. It's heavier (we've tuned down the guitars, which most probably have contributed to that) and our Death Metal influences show more than on the "Laughter..." demo.
Are you playing live to support "Skullcrusher"? Do you play SCYTHE songs in your gigs? Nae, we haven't released "Skullcrusher" yet, so no gigs to support it. But we have planned to play here in Stockholm during the winter/early spring. Nothing is certain though. ON the latest gig we did (which was also our first) we played one SCYTHE song, "When the night betrays the light". But I don't think we'll play it now. We'll most probably play maybe two songs from "Laughter...", all four from "Skullcrusher" and maybe one or two new ones. I have read that the influences in the band are not only black and death metal but also classic thrash metal. How does this reflect in your music? Mostly that a few Thrash smelling riffs appear in our songs. I think we also strive to get that feeling of intensity that many classic Thrash bands have. Arrangement-wise I think we're not too close to Thrash. Which are the advantages of recording in a legendary studio such as Sunlight? Well, you know what they're capable of. And you get a brutal, pounding sound in Sunlight. Jocke is also into Black and Death Metal and understands it very well, so he is very easy to work with. Another positiv thing is that some people get interested right away when they hear that it's recorded in Sunlight (we been asked about it in every interview we've done for example). Are you composing the follow up to "Skullcrusher"? Will it be a full lenght record? We have written about four new songs so far. The contract with Code666 is for the EP and a full length album. So our
next release will most probably be a full lenght album, yes. We have no plans on when we're going to record it or anything like that though. Are there any concepts behind "Skullcrusher" and "Laughter of destruction"? No, no real concepts that follow the whole release through. Except for death, all lyrics are about death (one way or another). Do you concentrate in BLOODSHED or the different members of the band have personal parallel projects? Tommy has a side project called KINGDOM DECAYED. They play some sort of melodic horror Black/Death Metal with a dose of keyboards. There are some other project, but that's the only serious thing. But BLOODSHED is everyone's top priority. Some words for you fans? Keep you eyes open for "Skullcrusher". Check out our website for news about the release, gigs and there's also a sample from the EP. If you feel like writing us - do so (preferably via email). The "Laughter of destruction" demo can still be ordered from us (4$ within Europe and 5$ in the rest of the world). Live in sin, die in defecation! BLOODSHED OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.skullcrushers.com Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
BLOODSHED - DISCOGRAPHY When the night betrays the light - demo (as Scythe) (1997) Laughter of destruction - demo (1999)
Skullcrusher - MCD (2000)
ACTUAL LINEUP Tommy - guitars Glenn - vocals Joel - guitars Mikael - drums Robin - bass/growls
How is the Russian metal scene? It seems that everyday new bands are arising from there. To describe russian metal scene is like to sort the mass of grey masks. Yes, you are right.Every year some new bands start their ways.There are so many bands, so that is impossible to know them all and to pay attention to each of them. Extreme music is very popular here like in whole the world and the main styles are:death doom and black. But the scene is realy feeble. Quantity of metal bands is not equal to quality. Last week when visited "Milenium Metal Fest" in St. Petersburg we have seen it again. The impressions of gig make us say:extreme style, represented with russian bands has no original ideas and development.
Some of "metal stars" have no even skill,so that it obviously tell them from europen bands, which in their turn are not always original too. To tell the truth we are not interested in russian metal scene. We prefer european bands. As the final words about russian metal underground (as it comes): here are many distros, labels and zines, but their possibilities are not so big as europeans. How would you describe Burial Shades music? Do you think is correct to call it an atmospheric metal band? So many men, so many minds. Of course you are right when tell about our atmospheric sound. Some times our styles sounds like dark sympho
metal,doom-death, etc. We named our music like demonic art. How do you compose the music? Do you apply some kind of musical theory knowledge to composing? 666 that is the formula. Have you found a music label to distribute your music? MC "To The Fleshes" is distributed with Beverina Production (Latvija) in Europe and EX-USSR. This year CD "To The Fleshes" will be released on "In The Form Of Darkness" (USA) Of course we take care of our album with our own hands too.We continue to send promo CD-R to every zines and distros, which is interested in it. What do you think of "To the fleshes of my Livid Everything" now that some time has passed since its recording? This stuff was recorded in 1999 and it seems old to us. But we realy like it, as it was in those days it was born. Every gig in which we perform this material make it undead. How important are keyboards to your music? So how important to have no single eye, but a pair of them? Do you think that Burial Shades music is going to suffer some changes in the future?
You are the oracle (but one eyed)The changes is going on right now, but not in music. We leave the people, who prefer their own fucking human life to our dark way. Six years ago we started together. To live on the earth is to smash the scenery of days or to drown in the mire of human swamp.We come our way. They are drowned. We feel no suffer, but unrest. The new material will be in our own demonic tendency and more agressive and brutal. 666-that is the formula. Are you composing new material? Are you recording it? Yes . We compose our new material together with our new comrades.Probably it will be recorded in autumn. I have talked to some bands that told me that classical music or folkloric music from their countries are a big influence to them. Is the same for you? Our music has no influences from folk or classic. Russian folk is not so expressive as scandinavian or orient. Talking about classic , there are only same modes we use when composing our material. But it's not the mainpart of it. Who are the bands main influences? We don't want proclaim the names. we live with REALdeath metal, REAL doom metal, REAL black metal, dark ambient and dark wave music. And everything, that is unhuman and nondivine lives with us. Any final words ?
We support antichristian and antihuman aggression in whole the hystory of this world. EX ORIENTE TENEBRAE.
BURIAL SHADES - DISCOGRAPHY Coldkind, Darkness,Wings And Neverleaving Passion Of Emperor Cold demo (1997)
Stay UNDEAD! Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
To the Fleshes of my Living Everything CD (1999)
ACTUAL LINEUP Chaosofist - guitar,lyrics Havox - orchestration, vocal Cerial - guitar Damian - bass
How would you describe the music contained in "Listen"? We tried to keep the power of the music of the 90´s and to have a lot of melodies. we describe our stil as "power/thrash", cause our music has balls, but not only evil, loud and noisy. Are the atmospheric passages the main characteristic of Couragous? Mmh, we try to bring the listener to different levels and athmospheric passages, but the main characteristic of Couragous is the mixture of melody and aggression.
How big is the influence of "old" thrash metal in your music? We grown up with bands like Slayer, Testament, Kreator and so on. We love them. but we also like melodies, slowparts and a lot of melodic guitar licks. So we tried to put all this kind of stuff together. How important are melody aggression in your music?
and
That's the important thing in our music. in our opinion the music of the neo-thrash bands like Machine Head, Korn etc. is very powerfull but without nice melodies, the sound of all the truemetal band like Hammerfall, Blind Guardian, Gamma Ray etc. Have nice melodies but no balls and the "old" thrash band are not very various. So we try to take all the advantages and put it together in our music. So you get a mixture of Testament / Nevermore /Machine Head. It sounds great. extreme power with a lot of melodies. Is the term "melodic death metal" suitable to describe Couragous music? No. We are playing no death metal. I'm singing very deep with some crowls, but
i'm not a death metal singer. Our music has nothing to do with death metal.
The new record will be released in march 2001, we hope so. it sounds a little bit modern like "Listen". We have thousands of melodic guitar and vocal parts on it. it's great. We have thrash-songs, melodic songs, groove-songs, heavy-songs and a lot of power. We are very proud about it. It seems that the band was formed a long time ago. Can you tell us about the beginnings of the band?
Where do you get inspiration to compose the more melodic parts of your songs ? We feel what is right for our song, so we try to find a melody or a lick or something else. We listen to a lot of different kinds of music. We like neo-thrash (Machine Head,Korn), thrash (Testament, Slayer), power (Nevermore, Lefay), true (Blind Guardian, Gamma Ray), german (Rage) and rock in all his variations (Creed, Anasthasia, Bon Jovi, Kiss, AC/DC). So you see, it's not very difficult to find inspirations for our songs.
Yeah, we formed in december 1988 as a combo from school. we were three friends without having experiances in making music. We just knew we wanted to sound like Metallica, wanted to have a stage-show like Kiss and a lot of groupies like Bon Jovi. We were very bad. in the following years we had a lot of changings in the band. at the end of 1995 we found Jan Mischon as our new drummer. At this point it changed all. We recorded two demos, got great reviews and played in the whole republic. In 1998 we decided to record our first CD. we decided, we done. "Listen" released in november 1998 and selled 2000 copies. The metal-magazine "Rock Hard" titled the band as "one of the best unsigned bands in 2000". That is what we wanna change this year.
How is the process of composition in a band like Couragous?
Anything more that you want to say ?
There are different ways to compose a song. sometimes somebody came with a whole track. Sometimes we have just a riff or an idea. We put it together in our music room and work on it. olli (guitar) is the big arranger. He puts the single parts together for a whole track. When the song is finish, I begin to write my lyrics. That's it.
I thank you for your interest. if somebody likes bands like Testament and Nevermore, so check out the band: www.couragous.de I hope, we will stay in contact and have a great cooperation in the next years. See ya and stay heavy.
How is the new album like?
COURAGOUS OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.couragous.de Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
COURAGOUS - DISCOGRAPHY Liar - demo (1996) One With The Pain - demo (1997) Listen - CD (1998)
ACTUAL LINEUP Jan Mischon - drums, vocals Gerd Lücking - guitars Chris Staubach - vocals Jürgen Wieland - bass Oliver Lohmann - guitars
How was the recording and composition of "FKDDD"? What does the title mean? "FKDDD was recorded between december 1996 and june 1998, and it's a 6 song EP, and it also brings, as a bonus, the four songs of our first demo tape, "A good moonza/A better moonza". We were involved with every step of the project, the band itself recorded and produced the album. At last, FKDDD is the title of one of the songs of the EP, and it means "Fucking Kill Die Die Die".
Those songs were created between 1995 and 1996 and they reflect our first couple of years. Because of this they may sound more like traditional heavy/thrash metal than our newest songs, in which we tried to combine other styles and experiments. We write all our songs in rehearsal, as a group. Nobody ever brings a ready song to the band, we always work with dozens of different riffs and ideas from all members to complete a song. Since "FKDDD" was released in October 1999, are you recording a full length album now? We are working on new songs, we already have ten new ones, five of which we demoed last october to promote the band. One of them, "Torn", can already be downloaded at http://www.mp3.com/dipnoi When we have a couple more songs ready, we plan on starting the recording of the new album. Why did Gustavo departed from the band in 1999 and why did he return?
What can you tell me about the songs in "FKDDD"? How where they created?
Apparently he wasn't into the idea of comitting himself to the band as much as it was necessary, and felt he shouldn't do it anymore. A year
later, when our new drummer had to leave for practical reasons (he was moving to another city), we decided to invite him back, as his style always fit the band perfectly.
elements, but in more complex and varied ways. Since it's always been the same people working together, we retained our sound while being able to bring a lot of other stuff to the mix.
How would you compare "FKDDD" with " A good moonza..."? The songs on the demo were the first we ever wrote, and were simpler and more straightforward, and also more spontaneously written. On the other hand, when we wrote the stuff on FKDDD we were starting to work harder on the structuring of the songs, consciously trying to make them less "square". On a couple of songs we were also trying our hand at some existing genres (FKDDD and Iron). You could also say that the earlier material was more of a hardcore nature, while the stuff on FKDDD is more in a heavy / thrash tradition. On the newer stuff (the new demo) I think we are combining the two approaches, only with more mature songwriting. Which are the roles of the guitars in Dipnoi music (textures, leads, atmospheres,etc.)? Our songs are based mainly around guitar riffs, so the guitars play a primordial role in our music. They are used to add the weight, as well as to determine the dynamics in our music. We also use a lot of leads. The textural side hasn't been much explored yet (an exception being Lack of Me), but the new stuff will have more of that than in the past. How has the band changed from 1994 to this days? Since the line up remained pretty much the same, what happened was that we continued to work with the same
How does everyday living in Brazil affect the way in which you compose and your lyrics? Well, we always avoided the old lyrical cliches of metal music. It would be an easy task for us to write about the brutal reality of our country, Brazil, which has always faced lots of problems. But, of course, the mentioned problems affect us everyday, and our music as a consequence, and this fact we just can't help. Can we consider Dipnoi a thrash metal band? Or are there any other characteristics in the band that makes a difference from this style? Maybe thrash metal is our biggest influence, but I don't think our style can labeled. We naturally avoid going for a pre-existent style, as we wouldn't feel motivated to simply repeat what has been done. Any final words? Thanks a lot for the interview, we certainly hope to be able to play in your country very soon.
DIPNOI´S OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.dipnoi.com Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
ACTUAL LINEUP Mario Izzo - guitars Ricardo Matsumoto - vocals Gustavo Silva - drums
DIPNOI - DISCOGRAPHY
Marcos Mello - guitars
A good moonza / a better moonza - CD (1995)
Bernardo Andrea - bass
FKDDD - CD (1999)
Is there a possibility to release the material of the "...And Sorrow" demo tape?
Are you recording new material? I must say that the four songs in Eclectic Collaborations really blow my head off. We want more! We have been sending about hundred copies of "Eclectic Collaborations" demo to the different labels, distros zines etc and being prized a lot but so far there's not any concrete offer for record deal are been done. It could be of course very naive to hope that we would get the attention right after releasing the first demo and for that reason we have to write new material in order to release a new demo again. So far we have 4 new songs ready again to record and planning to hit the studio again in spring of 2001. New material is even more technical yet atmospheric like "Eclectic Collaborations" was. We have developed a lot since our last demo and made our likes in jazz music even more obvious. I guess that admirers of Cynic, Aghora, Meshuggah, Dream Theater and other bands like those won't be disappointed hearing music of Echosilence.
The primal intention recording "...And Sorrow" demo was to record somehow our material and not to distribute it worldwide. We did the whole recording onlywith two days in incredible bad conditions with 4-track Tascam taperecorder. Despite the fact that there were almost none equipment the final result of it turned quite good and we sent the demo to some labels and zines. Now we have stopped sending "...And Sorrow" just because the lack of production. How important is jazz music for you as a drummer and for the group when you compose? All we do comes from our heart and we don't include parts of jazz or metal or other things coldly calculating how things would go together. Jazz music has though affected us so much that the influences from our music are quite obvious. The first band who brought us to jazz music was actually Cynic. We liked very much their way of combining jazz and death metal. After that the door for Chick Corea, Dave Weckl, Shawn Malone etc was open. I admire the techniques of jazz
drummers and the overall compositional stuff of jazz music.
Corea, Dave Weckl, Frederick Thordendal, the Gathering, Dream Theater, Terry Bozzio.
How different is the material with singer compared to the instrumental ones?
Are you looking for a new singer? Are there any candidates?
Well, composing instrumental music you don't have to think about where to put lyrics and stuff like that. You just concentrate for the music and everyone from the band can give as much as they can from their skills. I guess that for the music where you have singer the chorus-verse scheme is most suitable and it definitely sets limits for creating music. From that comes the conclusion that instrumental music is more variable, free and complex. Which are your main influences as composers and players? I mentioned here already Cynic. Early days we used to be very fond of a band called Death but the influences of Chuck Schuldiner and co are maybe not so obvious today's Echosilence. We are actually four very different personalities in Echosilence and our musical tastes are also very different. The red line is though music which is interesting, technical, melodic, moody etc. Some bands to mention: Meshuggah, Atheist, Pestilence, Anathema, Chick
Actually not. First when we departed ways with Triin Pata we thought that we'll definitely look for someone to sing in Echosilence but as time went on we realised that staying instrumental is our way. We have got very many positive words also from listeners for our status as an instrumental band. They tend to say that it's easier to concentrate on music and there are not any words disturbing. Also the bad singer can make the good music to ashes. The other thing is that when you sing something you must have a message in your lyrics this leads automatically to some kind of ideology. We try to be free of any kind of ideology as much as we could. Are you professionally trained musicians? Do you have a big knowledge of music theory? In general we are not professionally trained, each member has a different level of musical education. Our bassist Arian Levin is studying composing and electronic music and guitarist Mart Karu has had some classical guitar training. Of course we know basic music concepts and we have our notation system (laughs :). Being non"professionally trained musician" is more interesting because we are not attached to classical music theory and we don't have to do our music "right" which leads to experimenting more with music and having fun doing it. Are you going to record again at Matrix Studios? Do you find something special in that place?
I guess we'll do it. This studio has history, it's the oldest studio in Estonia and has invested a lot to it's equipment. We were quite pleased with the result of "Eclectic Collaborations" and I guess that also the next demo will be recorded in the same studio. It's the best place to record in Estonia but of course we try to record our new material in Finland or in Sweden if possible.
Are there any plans of touring to support the new material? We could arrange a tour only in Estonia, but you know Estonia is such a little place (1.4 million people and it keeps shrinking) that you could give only 3 or 4 gigs and every metalhead has seen you already. Of course touring in Europe is an option but right now we don't have such management power to organize it by ourselves and our new full release should be out also. We have to be very optimistic regarding our new material but we really hope that someone notices us. Any final words for people in Argentina? First of all thank YOU very much for the attention and this great interview and of course for the fans: Be open-minded and the world is yours. Echosilence Website: www.echosilence.ee
Do you compose using different parts and putting them together or maybe you start a song and continue with it until you finish it? Usually our guitarists come up with fresh ideas in the rehearsing room and then the other try to learn them. When we have some ideas then we try to put them together as a song. Our songs tend to be very long-up to 13 minutes but that's the way we like.
Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
ECHOSILENCE - DISCOGRAPHY ...And Sorrow - demo (1997) Eclectic Collaborations - demo (1998) ACTUAL LINEUP Risto Mรถtus - drums Mart Karu - guitars
This kind of composing is very timeconsuming and we write only a few songs in a year. Of course this could be better if we would rehearse more, currently we are rehearsing only at weekends.
Official
Arian Levin - bass Marek Kivi - guitars
Do you consider Hardscore a solo project or a band? How big is the input of the other members in the composition of the music? I've devoted 6 years of my life to this band. The last two even uniquely. I really wanted to establish a kind of style which it can't be easily designated, but which is definitely influenced by rock, Zappa, classical contemporary music, jazz and I forget some. Yes, I compose every single note of the songs beforehand, even the drums charts are completely notated. But, for I have chosen musicians who earn their living by playing improvised music, I try to make or conceive holes in the scores in which they can dive and swim more freely. Or I try to persuade them to improvise along the more or less unconventional chord progressions. But it's more to let the piece breathe than the main purpose of it. It can be played "dry", but it will be definitely less funny...
Which is the concept behind "Surf, Wind and Desire"? "Surf, wind and desire" is a great suite, thematically organized around the sea. Not only as a hook for digging up almost forgotten souvenirs of someone who lived for such a long time in close relationship with the sea (souvenirs of playing with a kite as a child, the long walks along the shore, the first kisses on the warm sand during a sunscaped summer...), but as a way to talk about our past as a specie too. In "Creep from the deep" we are told the true story of Chuck, a kind of longfish now long extinct-, which crawled out from the primeval sea to spawn the new line of creatures which would evolve one day into the animal reading this website. Don´t panic... there´s room left for much lighter topics. What would you think of being the privileged spectator of a rather absurd encounter between two completely clammed up crabs? (Crab meets crab) And don´t miss the clash of a diver and a fairy shark, for
there´s much more under the sea than the eye can behold... Walking along the sea front may confront you with all kind of music which are carried on a frisky breeze. Buskers living on your charity play duos with the recorded music coming from the open terraces. There´s even a guestappearance of Buba the Monkey, well know from Book 2 of Hard Scores. (We don´t hide the fact that there must be some relationship between Zappa´s RDNZL and "BSKRZ") "Gale-force seven" describes the sheer force of the wind. A wind able to transform bird droppings into dangerous missiles. A wind forcing a plastic tray with fish and chips to sail on the ground, right in front of you.
I have finished two days ago Book 6:"Monkey trial". I think and sincerely hope that this one will be the "one". "Surf" has its great moments, but I think its initial goal ( the multitude of influences brought together around the broad subject "sea") combined with the multi layered texture of each song, might fatigue a listener the first time. There are many things to discover on this CD, but perhaps some people might not be prepared to dig into it. People prefer mostly simplicity; And "Surf" is almost the opposite of this concept. "Monkey trial" might be better dosed...
In "Cod", a swooning girls loses her heart to a sturdy surfer. In any case, she´s ready to lose it... In "Surf, no wind and desire" a totally frustrated guy is looking for an encounter of the third kind with a sunbathing human female.
Do you consider Surf, Wind and Desire your best work up to date? Are any other favorites works that you have?
How is the process of composition in Hardscore? Like I already said, I compose everything beforehand. I was (am) a classical composer gone awry. I tried first to introduce contemporary elements in my classical scores. But too few people were prepared to appreciate this. The only solution was to go "all the way". Inventing a non-existing band, which produces a never before heard sound and even conceive a complete new idiom... You can't ask all this to the playing musician. Some solitary brain has to come up with something.
Which are your main musical influences? Strawinsky, the Police (Stewart Copeland), Zappa, Webern, a bit of Prince, Mozart and the many things which are blown my way during the proces of composing... How was the experience of composing symphonies and that style of music when compared to Hardscore´s? Have the other members of the band learned musical theory? How important is it for your composing and playing? All my players are classically trained musicians. My music can't be played by anyone else. the thousands pages have to be ingested, digested and then played with the attitude of a rock band. But there aren't even many classical bands who could do it without difficulty. It's a cray option, I know, but it was the only way I could go after 20 years of classical composing. The completely written-out charts, featuring the most complicated rythms and phrasings (not to speak of the semidemi quaver silences) are performed almost casually on stage. Mai´s capricious and adventurous voice might plain above groovy licks, but is steered sometimes drastically toward more discording corners of the imagination. But hearing Hardscore means to be tempted into new ways of listening. Yes, there´s a constant flow of music. Yes, it might be unrelenting. Yes, the lyrics have a meaning. Yes, one is invited to think twice and more. Yes, all that is true. But one may not forget the sensualness of the whole. The enthousiasm of the highly skilled players. The breaking down of all attempts to become fashionable. The humour. Yes, the playfulness... Seven little rascals grown into seven big good-for-nothingbut-music adults...
Hardscore is (was, for we are struggling to survive; Too few organistions are prepared to take risks concerning "difficult to pin down bands". Getting no response after 6 years of hard work is even for the post ardent optimist too much) a band of friends. Nothing has been more important for them for many years. We knew each other; We laughed with/at each other. We trusted each other. We took our time to learn the pieces. Time wasn't money but a present; To develop our skills as a band was our utmost goal. Writing for classical bands is to confronted many times with exactly the opposite. Very well trained plauers, who can play anything within the limits of time accorded to them by the unions. And laughing might be for them such a hard feat... Is it fair to say that Hardscore combines jazz, pop and classical into its own kind of music? I hope it's so.Of course, it would be wonderful if people one day would say: "Oh, this combination of about everything is one song is soooooooo typical Hardscore!" How big is the space that you leave in Hardscore for experimentation and how big is the room you leave for improvisation?
25 years ago I "lived" in some kind of electronic studio, making tape music with sounds bordering pure noise. My instrumental pieces were heavily influenced by serialism and the so-called avant-garde. Then, growing older, I introduced again tonal elements, until the moment I could stand to avoid composing " grooves" in my music. (grooves were prohibited in serial music) A piece called "Rastapasta" became for me the watershed. I joined the postmodern movement and drifted slowly in the far away corner were I live now. So experiment has a totally different ring to for.Beforehand I was one complete experiment. I swimming back, but I know that all the heavy luggage of my past is still there. Improvisation is great, but I discovered that I want to be a composer. Improvising´s playing. Composing might result in playing. But not necesarily. A player needs the smell of a studio.I need the smell of my room 5 which is paperscented) Why do you think that people compares you to Frank Zappa? How big is his influence for you? I thank them for the compliment. But there are big differences. Some Zappa CDs are 60/70% improvisation. Zappa wrote incredibly inviting tunes, which titillated the inspirational devices of his equally incredible players. He needed them to be the best. And trying to emulate Varese's noisy soundworld was his only goal in life. I try to enhance the musical capacities of my musicians, but when they do exactly what I've written down, we already might get some interesting
results; I need not to be that choosy about them. The notes can make them grow. In Zappa's bands, it's the improvisation which makes them even bigger... And I don't play the guitar... Are you trying to find a sounding contrast between your vocals and Mai´s vocals to enhance Hardscore´s music? Many people have wondered which I introduce such a "high" voice in the band... The only one to get a voice through the complex textures is a rather piercing one. Mai could produce this type of sound easy enough. We tried even in the early beginnings of the band a real classical trained voice. (you known the Zappa-teenageprostitute kind of voice.) But the combination of too classical and too complex didn't work well. We opted for a young untrained voice, which was extremely agile. But Mai´s played piano and cello since she was 3 years old and could read music like an old hand from her 5 years... When the male voice got introduced in the scores, it was just to add a mad flavor to the whole. We are not singers. But the sound of a male backing choir proved to be the right way to highlight some important or funny ideas of the score. Any final thoughts? I hope I will be able to present one day "Monkey trial" to the world. I really think it contains some of the best music I've ever written. But I understand that there are millions of people who say the same thing. Still, "Monkey trial" would be worth the try. But who will be prepared to give us enough money to make it really the CD I
dreamed of when starting? Any amateurs out there? Demos and scores can be sent to anyone wanting to give us a break... Thanks a lot for the interview . Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
HARDSCORE - DISCOGRAPHY Tubes for sections - CD Methane - CD Surf, Wind and Desire - CD
ACTUAL LINEUP Frank Nuyts - Marimba, Korg 01W, vocals, programmings Mai - Vocals Frank Debruyne - Soprano and tenor saxophone, backing vocals Iris De Blaere - Yamaha Grantouch Koenraad Van Overberghe - Korg M1, U220, backing vocals Maarten Standaert - Electric bass Jan de Smet - Drums
What happened between the release of "Suffer" and "The Offering"? The songs on the "Suffer" cd were written with our old drummer Carl Short and actually we released it on tape in 93'. We recorded the songs again with David in drums and released it on cd. David is a faster drummer than Carl was and much more aggressive. That explains some of the difference between Suffer and The Offering. "The Offering" is a lot faster overall. This is really where we wanted to be with our songs for awhile, but Carl didn't really want to play fast stuff. That was one of the main reasons he didn't work out.
probably be similar to "The Offering" at least in regards to having some different types of songs. From what we can see from the song "Trust No One" you are incorporating clean vocals in your music. Are you going to use them more in the future? Trust No One is actually the 2nd song we have done with clean vocals. The other was "Pulling The Reigns" on our Daze of Darkness demo. I'm sure that we will have more songs like this. We aren't planning on changing our style or anything, but once in a while we'll have stuff with clean vocals. Personally I like the harsher stuff, but we all have to compromise sometimes.
Are you recording the follow up to "The Offering"? How is it going to be like?
How would you describe a Hatred concert?
Yeah, we are planning on going into the studio this summer. We have 2 songs finished, a couple more started that we have been working on and ideas for quite a few more. I think the next cd will
Aggressive, I like to think that our shows have a lot of energy. We have a new drummer-Ben Scarbrough
and I think that he'll keep up the energy level live that David had. Which is your opinion now, years later, of recordings such as "Suffer" or "Daze of Darkness"? I'm happy with Suffer. It was the 2nd time we recorded those songs so I think that we worked out most of the problems. Daze of Darkness was kind of rushed. "Evil could have been a lot tighter, we really didn't have the song down. Also on Daze we ended up keeping the scratch tracks for the leads instead of adding the leads in after. We listened to people, who said they sounded fine, when they could have been done much better. After the fact Tim really wasn't happy with It. You live and learn. We are planning on recording 'Evil' again and putting it on our next cd. Are you satisfied with the way "The Offering"came out?Would you have changed something? Overall, yeah I'm satisfied. Things could have been a little tighter. Maybe a little cleaner, but we didn't spend a tons of money on the recording. Thats probably what I would change if I could. More time in the studio to get things tighter and maybe beef up some of the guitar rythms more. Which is the equipment that the band uses live and in studio? I use Ibanez and have a Gibson Les Paul, an Ampeg head and a Marshall cab. Tim uses a Mesa Boogie cab, and plays a ESP and Hamer. Julio plays a Warrior bass and uses a Harke cab with a mesaboogie head. Ben , our new drummer plays a Pearl kit. Is Hatred having some propositions from record labels to release its music or do you prefer to work independently?
Demolition Records released "The Offering" outside the U.S., and as of now is planning on releasing our next cd in the same territories and possibly the United States as well. If you want more info on the label you can check out demolitionrecords.com. How has your music evolved with the change of drummers when David entered the band? Our stuff got faster, this was what we were looking for originally, and with David we got it. Now we are entering a new chapter with Ben on Drums. He is an aggressive drummer and so far things have been working out well. Do you think your music can be appreciated by broader audiences and that maybe a better distribution could lead to that? Good distribution always helps, it makes your stuff available. It doesn't always sell it though. Word of mouth is the biggest seller. When I hear about a band from someone I know and someone who has similar tastes in music to mine, I'll buy the cd they recommend. Most of the time I like it. This works with zines and websites as well. When I see a good review for a band in a mag I trust, I'll probably check out the music. The underground works on word of mouth and with grass roots effort. Which are the bands and musicians that you consider influential for your music? Definately 80's metal and thrash. Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Overkill, Manowar, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Metal Church, Testament, Helloween. Really tons of bands, some older stuff like KISS, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and newer stuff like Malevolent Creation, Napalm Death, Devastation, Carcass, Defleshed, Entombed, Gorguts-
there really are too many bands to name that have had influence on us.
HATRED - DISCOGRAPHY Suffer - demo (1993)
Any final statement? Daze Of Darkness - demo (1994) Many thanks for the interview! I hope that you like the cd. If anyone would like to contact us they can do so at hatredva@aol.com or write the old fashioned way to: Hatred, PO Box 10264, Alexandria, Virginia, 22310-USA. Thanks again and I wish you the best of Luck with all your endeavors in the new Millenium! HATRED OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.hatredva.cjb.net Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
The Offering - CD (1999)
ACTUAL LINEUP Tim Clayborne - guitar, vocals Julio Castillo - bass Joe Jablonski - guitar Ben Scarbrough - drums
cD Reviews AGHORA - AGHORA (Season of Mist -1999): This release is something kind of personal for me. Being a longtime fan of bands such as Death and Cynic, here is the release of a band that has in his line up the former drummer of both bands: Sean Reinert. That is not all, the recording includes Shawn Malone on bass guitar who also played in the classical "Focus" album by Cynic. If you have in a band two fantastic players like Santiago Dobles and Charlie Ekendahl and the angelical voice of Danishta Rivero you can only do a great album and that is what this album is. From the beginning with "Immortal Bliss", a really heavy tune with lots of changes to the closing with Anugraha, there is not one note out of place, everything is used to make the results better. I recommend this CD to anyone that likes music regardless the style. This is a band made of virtuosic people. Favorite Tracks: the whole album. Email: Doblesprod@aol.com
BURIAL SHADES - TO THE FLESHES OF MY LIVING EVERYTHING (Self Produced - 1999): Burial Shades is a band that comes from Russia. The music is a blend of black/ death metal fusioned with classical elements and a great use of keyboards. The quality of the compositions of this band is great and what is above all are the atmospheric passages. The men behind this are called Havox (orchestrations and vocals), Chaosofist (guitars and lyrics), Cerial (guitars) and Demian (bass). The songs are really orchestral opuses and show that this guys know how to compose. There is one song that is more than twenty minutes long and it leaves you asking for more. Hopefully this guys are going to continue doing their music for a long time. We hope to hear their new recording soon. My favorite tracks: "Blood of the Wind" and "Fleshes of my livid Everything" Email: dod666@mail.ru
DEMONICON - NO MORE OBSCURITY (Root of All Evil Recs. 2000) : This band features drummer Umbruskus from THEATRE OF THE MACABRE then, obviously the recording features powerful drumming . The band succeeds in making one of the more intense and brutal albums I have listened to. Still, I think that the better parts of the whole recording is when the speed ometer is not on its maximum, when they let their riffs breathe and their drums play something different from blast beats. The sound of the release is really good and you can hear all the instruments even in
the fastest parts ( and that is a difficult task). Maybe in the future this band will develop some charachteristics that can make them unique. My favorite tracks: "The Burning Starts Again", "Condemned Creation" and "Blind Darkness". Email: root@rootofallevil.com
DITCHWATER - 2 SONG PROMOTIONAL CD (Self Produced, 2000) : The problem with really good bands is that they always leave you wanting more songs to listen. In the case of Ditchwater I listen over and over again the two songs and I want more. The band is so extremely powerful (imagine a more melodic Sepultura mixed with bands such as Fear Factory and Pantera. The first song is "10 to 12 - Soul to Cell" and is really a song made for moshing hard with an extremely catching chorus (man, this can be their opportunity to rank among the big bands out there because Ditchwater is much better than some of them). The second song "I.D.G.A.F." (meaning I don´t give a fuck) is a nightmare of double bass drumming in the chorus and good rythms following a pattern similar than that in their first song. Well, after listening the two songs again‌I want more!! Email: Ditchwater1@aol.com
EPHEMERON - THE FALSE BISHOP (Scratchbladder Productions, 2000): Ephemeron is a one mand band featuring Jonathan Apgar who conducts all beats, loops and tape manipulations. The music is strange, kind of hypnotic and has this electronic feeling in it. This can be extremely difficult to listen for people that are not accustomed to projects or bands thta put experimentation above all ( in fact there is no guitar, only electronic drums (not always used as one could expect) and no vocals). There are compositions that I consider much better than the others (where an atmosphere is created better), but the overall result is good. Good and strange. My favorite tracks: "Use your illness", "Church ties with No One"and "Evidence and Truth". Email: Naepesh@hotmail.com
EPILOG 6 - WITCH HUNT (Self Produced, 1999): William D. Hodges is the man behind this band that can be considered experimental.. he composes all the songs and plays or programs all the instruments. This album is conceptual and is about the Christian Inquisition that left approximately nine million persons dead. What got my atention in the first place is the sound that is really weird: the guitar sounds fat but different (I think the distorsion he uses is different than what we are accustomed) and the programmed drums are really up there. William is not afraid to experiment and he ocassionally throws in a little bit of accoustic guitar. There are compositions that are heavier than others and there are intros and instrumentals. An album for people who wants something new. The vocals fit the music perfectly and contribute to the final result of adding a painful feeling to the music. My favorite tracks: "Days of Gods", "Lost" and "Into Darkness". Email: epilog6@lakes.com
FORGOTTEN SILENCE - KA BA ACH (Red Black Prods. - 2000): This is an awesome band coming from the Czech Republic and featuring a great female singer called Hana Nogolova whose voice can bring shades of Kari Rueslåtten (ex THE THIRD AND THE MORTAL) or Anekke Van Giesbergen (THE GATHERING) but she uses in a different way. The music is death metal but is full of jazz and oriental sounding passages (it seems that the whole album is inspired on Egypt) that give the recording an extreme originality. The songs are not only made to crush you but also are small compositions that leave you asking for more. The sound of the overall product is great (the bass is really up there and you can hear it perfectly contributing to the feeling of the songs and doubling the guitars or pumping with the drums) and make the compositions shine (great acoustic guitars in some places). My favorite tracks: The whole album is really great. Email: redblack@telecom.cz
HORDE OF WORMS - WORMAGEDDON (Bloodbucket Prods. 2000): Horde of Worms is a death/grind band heading from Ontario, Canada. Is it possible to have a death metal band with a drum machine? Yes, Horde of Worms have done it and the result is extremely good, giving the music a more metallic sound (the drums machine sounding thiner than a real drummer). "Wormageddon" consists on four songs that show how well rehearsed is the band because they play at hyperspeed without missing a note. The four soings are quite similar in structure and the vocals of Peter Cythrawl are extremely gutural aided by the backing vocals of Alexander Erhardt and Brent Assoun. My favorite tracks: "Dead (V.2000)" and "Immortal Coil". Email: wormy_2@hotmail.com
IMPALER - ONE NATION UNDERGROUND (Root of All Evil Recs. 2000) : The guys from Impaler hev been playing their music since 1984 and they have made such classic albums as "Rise of the Mutants" and "Wake Up Screaming". The music contained in this CD is a mix of punk rock and heavy metal with a dirty voice (that of Bill Lindsey). The songs are simple and can be remembered, they have catchy riffs and drumming. One thing that I would change in the whole album is the sound of the drums that is for my taste a little bit thin ( specially the snare drum) but I think that they have done this kind of sound on purpose to potentiate the effect of their punk side. Overall the tracks are really potent and I think that this band must be a great live act. The album contains fifteen tracks of pure energy and won´t dissapoint Impaler fans and fans of the genre. It contains also a cover of Alice Cooper´s "Teenage Frankenstein" that is a really good rendition. Email: root@rootofallevil.com
JEFFREY RYAN SMOOTS - COMPILATION (Self Produced, 2001): This guy shreds you apart with his guitar. I don´t know why he has not been given the recognition that he really deserves. He ranks with the big ones in the style Vinnie Moore, Chastain, John
Petrucci, etc. He knows how to play with a lot of technique but with great feeling too. Plus, he can compose interesting songs as you can see in the songs that are from his other band Inner Resonance. You can hear the influence of great players like Steve Vai or Joe Satriani in his playing but Jeffrey has developed them into a unique style. In the interview that I made with him he told me that he didn´t consider him a guitar virtuoso and prefers to be known as a composer. After listening the compilation I think that he can be considered both things. This songs come grom his releases "Solar Voices" and "Wings of Gold" that are a must for fans of great guitar playing and composition. My favorite tracks: "Broken Stone " and "Living".
KRISTENDOM - OPERATOR DEAD…POST ABANDON (Mystik Prods. - 1999): This is an album that surprised me a lot. First of all, it is a debut album from this French band and it has an extremely good sound (the drums are up in the mix and the guitar sound really fat) and an extremely good presentation and layout with an artistic but morbid illustration from a guy called Benjamin Carre. The band makes a music that we can describe as putting together Fear Factory, Pantera, King Diamond (there are vocal parts that sound like the lower voice of King but deeper), Slayer and Sepultura. The two guitarist are really crushing ( playing all those rythms with no mercy!) and the drums of Olivier Couturier are like a machine. The vocalist is the old vocalist from No Return and is extremely versaltile going from death growls to more melodic without any problems. My favorite tracks: "Freak of Nature" and "Blind World". Email: kristendom@free.fr
KRISTENDOM - FROM WITHIN (Mystik Prods. - 2000): This is the second album from the French band Kristendom and is really much better than the first. A better sound, better songs and the addition of a permanent keyboard player called Valtor are the main features in this recording. The whole album seems to have a concept that is a history in which La Diva and Lucifer are the main characters. The music is extremely powerful and was made to bang your head. The sound that was really good on their debut is better now (it impressed me the sound of the drums that is like an industrial piece of machinery). I think Valtor´s addition to the band has given the band more identity and in the future it would be good to hear more from his work. My Favorite tracks: "The Slave will become Great", "The Diva" and "Rain of Tears". Email: kristendom@free.fr
LUNATIC GODS - INHUMAN AND INSENSIBLE (Polyphemus Rec., 1996): This is a prelude of what was going to come. Yes, what later became more evident on "Sitting by the fire" is here in a more unpolished state. Lunatic Gods are an extremely original band and their blending of death metal with melodies and rythms from different genres gives birth to their
unique sound (that they call Lunatic Metal). This is an album for those fans of musicians constantly evolving and trying to be experimental. Also, I think that Lunatic Gods can create great songs with their technicality, in fact, the songs are not only an amount of riffs thrown together but a big idea with a lot of different subideas flying across it. My favorite tracks: "Fucking Religions" and "The Pigs". Email: pavel@rebeca.sk
LUNATIC GODS - SITTING BY THE FIRE (Metal Age Prods. - 1998): This one is destined to be a total classic in the underground. The fusion of styles of the band has reached iots climax in "sitting by the fire". The two vocalists are more original than in the previous records, the guitar is always doing strange melodies (this guy Hirax is someone that can create a mood using simple or extremely complicated phrases, sort of a Greg Mackintosh but faster and wierder) and the keyboards (courtesy of King) give an atmosphere to the songs changing completely the mood of the songs. The sound is better than in their previous album and it seems that the compositions are more elaborated too. Please, check this band, you won´t be dissapointed. My favorite tracks: "The world is full of lies", "Return of Deads Thoughts" and "Echoes of Sadness". Email: pavel@rebeca.sk
METH - TRANSFORMERS SERIES: COMPLETE (Scratchbladder Productions, 2000): This is an album of experimental music whose lyrics and esthetic revolve around Transformers. So, here we have main man Bill Sannwald and Jonathan Apgar doing a crazy recording organized in three parts and two intermissions. The music is really dense with distorted guitars and vocals (the vocals are similar to those shrieks in gore metal bands such as early Carcass but distorted with some kind of device). There are also some samples and melodic parts that make the record really dynamic and interesting. This two guys seem to be crazy because of the music that they do but it sure sounds good to me. This is for fans of experimental music and open minded people. A mix of Kraftwerk and Carcass, really avantgarde. My favorite tracks: The whole album must be treated as one piece. Email:keirka777@hotmail.com
PATRIARCH - DEITY (Output Music, 1998): This band has been fighting for a long time since they formed under the name Pariah in 1983. They released their first album called "Prophecy" in 1990 and after that "World Within Worlds" (with their actual vocalist Erik Rinkes) in 1993. Now comes this four song CD called "Deity" and it sees the band following their music over all trends and doing their power-thrash metal style with more power than ever. Not only this, their music has adapted influences from new bands in their style and that makes the final result much more interesting. The sound o the record is a very good one (maybe I would have mixed the vocals a little bit louder but that is a matter of taste). A special distinction must be given to guitarist Freddy Mylemans for his
work in the album and for keeping the band alive after all this years. My favorite tracks: "Hatred" and "Enigma" . Email:patriarchfm@hotmail.com
SUICIDE CULTURE - HALLOWED BE THY AGONY (Self Produced 1999): This is the second release of this band from Seattle (the first one is their self titled effort), this time we have a mini-CD with five songs. This band is really aggressive and sounds like those powerful bands of the middle eighties with lot of rythmic parts and riffs that are made to jump in a mosh pit. Kevin Bedra, singer and guitarist sounds like a mix of Demonic-era Chuck Billy and Max Cavalera. There are not many bands like this one coming out now but this one gives us hope that this style is alive and kicking ass. The recording includes an excellent rendition of Celtic Frost´s "Jewel Throne (a band that Kevin seems to admire, as he told me in the interview). A really agressive records. My Favorite songs: "God Forbid" and "Make Believe". Email: SuicideCulture@webtv.net
SWEATER VEST - MANATEE LEE (Scratchbladder Productions, 2000): This is another project from the prolific Jonathan Apgar. This time he plays all instruments and programming but has a vocalist, Peter Owen, who sings and make the lyrics. The music is weird but more accesible than in his Ephemeron project. I liked some of the songs a lot and like the overall felling that sound a alittle bit "industrial". The guitar riffs are good and make a great companion to the funny lyrics of Owen. It is good to see some persons experimenting in different formats the way Apgar does. My favorite tracks are: "Manatee Lee", "Zygote Three" and "Life of a Truck driver". Email: Naepesh@hotmail.com
THEATRE OF THE MACABRE - A PARADISE IN FLESH AND BLOOD (Root of All Evil Recs. - 2000) : The CD opens with a sentence that I think comes from the character from "Conan the Barbarian" Thulsa Doom: "Now they will know why they are afraid of the night, now they will know why they fear the dark" and that leads the listener to an opening passage of keyboards. That reflects the feeling of the whole recording: a feeling of darkness that the use of keyboards contributes to develope. The music is black metal with a lot of keyboards( I think that the band has to use them even more) with guitars putting melodies and riffs wherever they can ( not only como drones but also melodies played fast to go with the rest of the music). Le Rue Delashay ( ex LORD OF ALL DESIRES) shines through all the album and so does the rest of the band. It seems also that their live act is really good as they have played on last year´s Milwaukee Metalfest. My favorite tracks:"Bathed in the Blood of Angels", "Forsaken in the Garden of Earthly Delights" and "Through The Eyes of The Serpent". Email: root@rootofallevil.com
ULCERATE FESTER - PROMO 2000 (Self Produced - 2000): Ulcerate Fester from the Netherlands started as a grind/death metal band in the late eighties and they evolved into a hard rock/ metal band through the years. The main addition to their music was Michel de Groot on vocals. He is an extremely versatile vocalist and has a bluesy tone in his voice. The four songs in this Promo CD have great structure and great choruses and the guitars sound heavier than in a rock band. The band has a lot of groove and rythm and sound really rehearsed and tight. The songs, specially "When I die" have a twist in them that enhances the originality of the band and gives an emotional side to their songs (the guitar playing some melodies in the background for example). This guys rock hard!!My favorite tracks: "Woman" and "When I die". Email: legrand@solcon.nl
WALHALLA - FIREREICH (Root of All Evil Recs. - 2000) : This band features members and exmembers of THY SERPENT, GLOOMY GRIM and SOULGRIND. The music is black metal but there is an abundance of old-school tharsh metal riffs. I think that this is the point that can distinguish this bands from the numerous bands of the genre: the use of more rythmic patterns instead of the abused blast beats. The drumming in this release is excellent and is what gives that feeling of being listening to thrash metal (obviously the influence from eighties band is mixed with newer ones and a better sound than most of those bands ever considered having). The guitar riffs are original and are well more thought than in most black metal bands (in fact the guitarists have a great feeling for making good riffs). MY favorite tracks: "Martyrs Day" and "Firereich". This is a crushing release. Email: agathon@sci.fi
Is your music death metal, black metal, grind or would you define it in a different way?
they both stay in a very brutal sytle. Peter has definitely proven himself as a vokillist on Wormageddon.
Brent Assoun - We (Horde Of Worms)call it Canadian Blast Metal, but our music definitely has a Black/Death/Grind sound and feel to it.
What can you tell me about Bloodbucket Productions?
What can you tell me "Wormageddon"? How is it?
about
Brent - Wormageddon is our newest release on our label Bloodbucket Productions. It was recorded at Silverbirch Studios, which we used for our previous albums. Wormageddon is still in the Horde Of Worms style but with a better production and song writing! Alexander - Wormageddon is very extreme!!! How different are Peter vocals from Chris ones? Brent - The vokill range is a little different between both singers, but
Brent - Bloodbucket Productions was formed in 1998 by Alexander and myself because we got tired of waiting responses from "big labels". Bloodbucket Productions is an extreme label and will sign and promote any extreme style of music! Alexander - Please visit our website www.hordeofworms.com for info!!!! What do you think about "Horde of Worms" and "Dreams and Dying Eyes" now? Brent - We still really like those albums alot. Horde Of Worms was our first so there is a lot of pride in that album. Dreams
And Dying Eyes we think is still one of the most brutal albums fo 1998/1999!!! Dreams And Dying Eyes is especially important to me because I had a major part in the song writing for this album.
releases to a larger label if we felt that it would benefit the band and label.
How important is melody in your music? Brent - Melody is important because it adds some class to the songs. If we had no melody Horde Of Worms would sound like a lawnmower!
Are you always satisfied when you finish recording an album or do you think there are always things that can be better? Brent - We are satisfied, but for myself especially, the musician in me can always find things that can be improved upon. Since all your albums are published by Bloodbucket Productions...Are you tring to approach any other label to release them? Brent - Well yes and no. We would like the financial backing and promotion of a "big label", but we reuse to wait around untill someone decides that we are worthy of being on their "big label". Alexander - Things are getting better for us and the label all the time so right now I don't think we would sign to another label. We would consider licensing Bloodbucket Productions
How are Horde composed?
of
Worms
songs
Brent - About 90% of the time it will start off with myself or Alexander having a riff, then the other person will contribute riffs or ideas. Then only the riffs that we feel are best and worthy of keeping are arranged and perfected. Why Alexander and Brent play the drums and the guitars ? Who is playing drums live? Are both going to play guitar and find a drummer? Brent - Alexander and myself are full time guitarist. We use a drum machine so Alexander would program ideas we both have and keep what works the best. As of late, Alexander does all the rogramming. For live shows we use the drum machine because there are no drummers where we live who can do the constant blasting.
The drum machine will always be a part of Horde Of Worms, it also distinguishes us from other bands!!!
HORDE OF WORMS - DISCOGRAPHY
Are there any final words that you want to say?
Dreams and Dead Eyes - CD (1999)
Alexander - Thank you for the interview, buy our music and support all extreme bands, labels and zines! Wormageddon is here, prepare to be blasted!!! Beware the Worms!!! HORDE OF WORMS HOMEPAGE: www.hordeofworms.com Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
Horde of Worms - CD (1997)
Wormageddon - CD (2000) ACTUAL LINEUP Alexander Erhardt - guitar, drums programming, backing vokills Brent Assoun - guitar, drums programming Peter Cythrawl - lead vokills and throat violence Gord Mc Cubbin - bass guitars
Are the songs in Inner Resonance composed differently than on Jeff solo projects? Do you compose together? The primary difference is that in the Inner Resonance music, I write all the vocal melodies and lyrics. I do a small portion of the keyboard work, as well. Jeff's solo work is unique in that he typically does all the instrumentation and vocals himself. When we write IR songs, we collaborate. I involve myself in construction and arrangement of the music, suggesting what I call emotional and flow changes in addition to simple transitions and component part lengths. And Jeff gives me feedback on my vocal work. Neither of us is a despot. We try to think of the song first.
Have the four members learned music or are they self taught? I trained with acclaimed vocal teacher, David Kyle--the man who taught Geoff Tate, Lane Staley, and Ann and Nancy Wilson, among others. I've taken some formalized piano instruction, but not much. Jeff has had some formal education in music, but Jeff is a capable independent student of music. Brian is largely self-taught on bass, but has a strong grasp of music theory. Moyer is likewise mostly self-taught. In his case, he started by emulating nothing but the very best drummers on the planet. With them as a bench mark, even approaching their ability put him miles ahead of the pack. Has the band been influenced by jazz and latin music as well as rock and metal? Moyer has the most extensive jazz and latin background. The other guys can and do play it a little. I have virtually none. However, our musical roots are diverse, including classical, musical theater, contemporary, etc. Rock, and progressive metal in particular, rule our CD racks though.
in hand. The book will flesh out the story that is expressed in the lyrics of the album to a fuller extent than can be achieved on the CD alone. I've gotten great feedback from professional writers on the synopsis for the book, so we're hopeful that the CD will find a wider audience as a result of the book.
How did the band first got together? Jeff and I met in the Fall of 1997. At the time Inner Resonance was just Jeff and a second guitarist. I auditioned and got the gig to do Solar Voices. The other guitarist quit and Jeff and I finished SV on our own. When it was complete, we put out ads for players. Three months later we got Brian. About ten months after that, we got Moyer. We're currently rehearsing to do live shows, and are close to completion on our second CD. What can you tell me about "The Dark Comedy" the second album? How would you compare it to "Solar Voices"? I don't want to reveal the storyline to TDC just yet. It's not an international trade secret, but the concept is unique and I want it to hit the trade presses and reviewers without any preconceptions. I can tell you that it is much darker than SV and a great deal more technical in the instrumentation. There's also a somewhat heavier vibe to it--Jeff has been playing seven string guitar since SV was released. How is the novel that you are finishing to release along the album? The novel is coming along fine. I have two books close to contract with New York publishers right now. Through my professional associations, we contracted an award-winning fantasy artist to do the cover for TDC, and we already have it
How has Moyer Smith´s technique on drums changed the music of the band? Moyer is not only a technically gifted drummer, but he is immensely creative in his writing. Listeners will hear a vast difference from the first album because the drums on TDC will be live, but also because Moyer is a hard-hitting craftsman on his kit, and instills the music with both force and musicality. Now that the line up of the band is completed with a new drummer...Do you have plans of starting a tour when you release the new album? We do want to tour. We're currently sending out the first round of an EP we recorded of 3 of the SV songs featuring Brian and Moyer. We're hoping to interest a label that might give us a recording budget and offer some tour support. Whatever happens, we will be doing regional shows this spring in the Pacific Northwest. How is it to be trained by David Kyle? David is a wonderful man. His instruction runs past mere vocal training to certain
absolutes that can improve the way a person lives. He has an accute ear and is the height of inspiration. When you leave a session with him, you feel as though there is nothing you cannot do. I call him my own personal Yoda.
I think people are going to be very surprised when they hear this album.
I know that Jeffrey is involved in other projects different than Inner Resonance, what about the other members of the band?
Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
I'm currently shaping some ideas of my own for some individual projects. Brian isn't currently doing more than IR. But Moyer is close to getting some session work on albums emerging from select members of very successful Puget Sound acts. It would be indiscreet to name them yet, because he hasn't been given the green light. But it looks sure that he'll be creating an even larger name for himself very soon. Is there anything more that you want to say?
INNER RESONANCE WEBSITE: www.iresonance.com
INNER RESONANCE - DISCOGRAPHY Solar Voices - CD (1999) The Dark Comedy - CD (2001)
ACTUAL LINEUP Peter Orullian - vocals Jeffrey Ryan Smoots - guitars Moyer Smith - drums
We're thankful to those who have supported IR thus far. We will be changing the band name soon, so watch for that. And be sure to watch for The Dark Comedy.
Brian Mathiason - bass
What does the term "occult music" or "occult metal" mean to you?
intros/synths.We recorded all demosongs (redone) and 4 new ones, well it really came out "naturally"!
Occult metal/music means to me that my lyrics are highly strong influenced by "secret", occult knowledge / books / manuscripts. especially the hidden northern secrets...
Are there any differences musically between "After Antichrist" and "Sieg" and "Imperium"? It seems that "After Antichrist" has a lot of songs. Was it your plan to record such a long debut album or it came out naturally? After Antichrist is over 65 min long and contains 19 songs. 8 of them are
Yes, on the demos we don't have keys/synths. After Antichrist is full of synths - it sounds better and creates a cool atmosphere. further another leadsinger "dakrian" which left KANDOR while recording the 1st album, because of personal differences...
How was the colaboration with Durandir, Shadowmaster and Eliwagar for "After Antichrist"? The collaboration was absolutely cool we were stoned and drunk like hell while recording the vocals! we did them on a german event-day which is called "mother's day". Directly beside our studio was a "society" restaurant. well, after leaving the studio the people jumped off on ways we go - they thought we are some kind of demon/djinn because of hearing our vocals while recording. It seems that the first two demos were composed by you, Dakrian and Hexer von Kandor and "After Antichrist" was composed by you , Hexer von Kandor, Imperator and Nachtschatten. How did this change Kandor´s music? Well, there is no difference except my selfevolving songwriting! the songs are not composed by the "band", only by me. I've just surrounded some occult-orientaded friends around me, to help me out with keys and leadguitars to "spice" the album. How are the song composed? Do you use computers or electronic devices?
The songs are mostly composed on guitar. this elements are going to be mixed up with drumcomputers and Synths/keys and finally the vox. We use all multimedia elements. Is the follow up to "After Antichrist" ready ? How was the recording? Yes! the new KANDOR CD "DOPEZILLA The nameless cult" is out now! it contains a complete videoclip from the first album After Antichrist called "Eisenwelt". 3 brand new songs and both original demos with different singer, fully remastered! the recording was highly stoned, because I did this one complete alone. Which is the present lineup of the band? Why did the changes happen? There is no fixed line-up. KANDOR is an occult music/metal project which tries to carry real information over the medium music. I'm looking forward to people to work with, but i don't now who or if it will be. it is always very intresting... It seems that some of the demos songs are in "After Antichrist". Where they completely redone? Yes, they were completely redone! all demo songs are on "After Antichrist" with synths and different vocals. Which are the concepts behind the lyrics? Why are some of the songs in german and some in english? The concept behind the lyrics is the occult or secret science. which includes the knowledge of the true history of man, the underworld (the hollow earth), man-made saucers, all kinds of magh/magic/magick and the possibilities of mankind and a lot of VERY dark things...
Any final words ? I wish all of you the best for their lives the only truth we can find lies within ourselves!
DISCOGRAPHY - KANDOR Sieg - demo (1997) Imperium - demo (1998)
KANDOR´S OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://kandor.virtualave.net Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
After Antichrist - CD (1999) Dopezilla - The Nameless Cult - CD (2001)
How would you define your music?
even black and some exotic influences. We basically put stress on melodies and atmospheres but I think that it's obvious. I really don't know what more can I say about our music. Why did you change your name from Bestialit to Lunatic Gods? Why did you choose Lunatic Gods as the new name of the band?
Well, to tell the truth we don't like to characterise our music very much, but if I really have to do it I can tell you that we call it "lunatic metal". It's maybe because it's really a mixture of styles. But mostly there are doom metal and death metal influences. On our new album there are
We changed our name because it was unevitable. With BESTIALIT we played brutal death grind, which was very different from what we play now. In times of BESTIALIT we were just fourman-band but soon after we recorded our debut material two other members entered the line up and our new compositions were different. Therefore we felt necessity to change the name as the old one was not very suitable for our new style. We chosed the name LG as we believed it characterised our music well.
we didn't want to have only brutal vocals. In fact Mortis was in the band from the very first beginnings and we knew Emil from the school. He had always been our good friend and we knew he can sing and likes this kind of music so we asked him if he would like to join the band and he did it. In fact I think this is also one of the things that makes us different from others. Are you recording the follow up to "Sitting by the fire"? How is it? What do you find atttractive in your deal with Metal Age Productions that you didn´t find in Polyphemus Records? Actually we had an offer from Polyphemus for other two albums but we refused. Mainly because we had some problems with Polyphemus mainly in comunication however the main reason why we decided for MAP is that Polyphemus didn't do almost any promotion and advertising. We believed that MAP was able to do much more for us. How would you describe the music contained in your first two albums? What do you mean by first two albums?
There are some changes in the line up. We have a new singer and a new keyboard player so you can be sure that the new material that was just recorded is different a bit but I think it is still in the vain of "Sitting." There is one experimental song on this material, maibe it is again a bit more brutal. Is it possible that you rerelease the material recorded under the name Bestialit as a collector´s item? I would say that it's almost sure that we will never record it again butone never knows. We have no reason to do it as our music now is very different.
Do you mean our debut with BESTIALIT and our LG album "Inhuman."? If yes then as I said before the BESTIALIT debut was in the vain of brutal death grind. Unfortunately the production was terrible. Our LG debut "Inhuman." is in the same vain as our 2nd album "Sitting." however there is a bit more death metal, I would say that its more brutal but still very atmospheric. Why are you using two vocalists in your music? Well in the times of our beginnings it was very popular to have a female vocals but we didn't want to do it as well, but still
How is the slovakian metal scene? It seems to be growing... Yes you are right our scene is growing every day and you can believe me
that our scene is really very good. There are a lot of bands, mainly death bands, that are really perfect but the rest of the world igneres us because they are afraid that they wouldn't earn money on it. One day we will defeat the world scene. Is it wrong if I say that atmospheres are the most important part of Lunatic Gods music? Yes you are absolutely right. We always put stress on atmospheres. There is nothing more to add.
Email: pavel@rebeca.sk Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
LUNATIC GODS - DISCOGRAPHY Fuckland - Split with Dehydrated (as Bestialit) (1994) Inhuman and Insensible - CD (1996) Sitting by the Fire - CD (1998) Cuckoo - MCD (1999)
What do you think that expects Lunatic Gods in the future? Cervo says that the only thing in our future is death and that's truth. What for our band we would like to release our new material abroad, but I really don't know. Maibe in a short time we will record a concept album. Any final words? Thank you for your help. All the best with your work. Contact about LUNATIC GODS c/o Pavel "Hirax" Baricak Jana Martaka 33 036 08 Martin 8 Slovakia
"CUCKOO" LINEUP Hirax - guitars Psycho - drums Mortis - vocals Emil - vocals Richard - bass King - keyboards
Why is the band in a transition period? What changes are coming to your music?
What happened after the release of "Heathen Upheaval"?
There's no specific reason for that, everything's changing, and we are changing as well . This does not mean that we'll change our musical style or concept drastically, it just means that we are not the band we were when we recorded our demo . I hope I made it clear .
Well, unfortunately nothing significant . We've written some new songs, appeared as an opening act for Tiamat, had some feedback about our demo from various foreign sources, and replaced our drummer, who's doing his military service right now . And I met the woman of my life, but I don't think that would interest you or your readers :o)
Is the material of the new record ready? Have you found any label interested? Yes, the material is almost ready, we just need to do some aftertouches during the recording period and write some lyrics for a song. There's a European label interested in us, but no contract has been signed yet .
Is it wrong to say that atmospheric parts are the most important parts of Pagan´s music? Yes it is . Every part has its own importance in our music, and atmospheric parts (by which I believe you mean keyboard parts) is not more important than the whole of the song . Another thing is that , atmosphere is not only about the keyboard for us, it's the combination of the instruments and the lyrics. The songs in the demo reflect a massive keyboard usage, but In our new songs, we have less keyboard partitions. Another difference will be the usage of samples & somekind of electronic background, supplementing the main frame in some of the songs .
What do you think about the use of flutes, keyboards, acoustic guitars and clean vocals in black metal?
In my point of view, Art is a culmination of an individual's experience . I try to express myself in various ways through Pagan, music, poetry & literature are all parts of it .
Well, my personal thought is that the musician may use any instrument as he /she sees it would fit his/her music . But in black metal, too much use offlutes / keyboards drift the music from its origins . I don't say that it's bad, but it's not black metal . In my opinion, black metal is meant to be more savage, unaccessable, something not everyone can listen to. In this description, it might be said that we're not a black metal band, well, we arenot trying to do something which would fit into a specific genre, we're justmaking the music we want to make, and don't care about what people are callingit .
How big is the metal scene in Turkey? Not so big . I guess a few years ago it was much better, but nowadays everything seems to be in a decline in the metal scene, zines get closed down, concerts get canceled due to lack of interest . Future looks quite grim .
How were the shows with Kreator and Samael? Do you have plans to new shows after the new recording?
We're composing the songs with Noctivagus . Then we give the last touches in the studio all together .
Ehueheuhue, well, Kreator & Samael were great, we were also quite good, among the audience . Due to some problems with the organization, we were not able to play . But that's quite a long story . A few months ago we opened for Tiamat (Also On Thorns I Lay), it was ok, we got some positive response, although we were able to play only for 15 mins, again because of the organization . There are no plans for a future show at the moment .
Which is the philosophy behind your lyrics?
Are there any particular art such as poetry and literature that are important for you and the way you approach Pagan´s concepts?
Any final thoughts?
Are you composing alone or are there any other people helping you with the process?
Generally we write about the creation of the Gods & Religions humanity has spawned so far . Why were they invented ? By whom they were invented ? Do we need any Gods now, or have we progressed beyond the border of morally sufficing ourselves ? Who were our Gods, and why are they gone now ? And will they ever come back again ?
Keep up the spirit and carry on the good work !
PAGAN - DISCOGRAPHY Rehearsal demo - (1996) Heaven Upheaval - demo (1998) ACTUAL LINEUP Talciron - guitars, vocals Veb Noctivagus - guitars, vocals War - drums
Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
Can you tell us about the band´s history? Well, The Band was Founded by Drummer Melanie Jamias and myself. (Guitarist Jeremy Brown). We've been through many changes from year to year. Our biggest change was that long time member Chris Alis has left the band. And we've had to take a break now to re-group.
Are you completely satisfied with "Sanctify"? Would you have changed anything? Yes, there's always a few things that could've been better. But for the most part we're happy with it. Why do you consider "Shipwrecked" a side project? It started as me and Chris playing Acoustic guitar. We ended up recording it with the band. It wasn't really something we wanted to get out there. How would you define Rebel´s Mother style?
We're allways changing. I guess Thrash/Groove metal. Dream Theater meets Megadeth and Fear Factory.
Keyboards are cool. It makes us sound different. Lead guitar is very important to me. It's colors the songs.
Do you have plans to record a new album in 2001 (I noticed that you have make one record each year)?
Which is the band live and studio equipment?
Yes. It probly won't be full length. I've been talking with a producer and I'm in the writing process now. How are the songs in Rebel´s Mother composed? Has this approach changed from album to album? I do about 90 % of it. we work out the finishing touchs together.
I'm currently using, A Johnson J-Station with 4 12 Celestions. Ibanez and Charvel Guitars. Melanies using Tama Drums and Sabian Cymbals. Any final comments? I'm looking forward to the future. Look for a release from us soon. I'll let you know when it's out. Thanks. REBEL´S MOTHER OFFICIAL SITE: www.rebelsmother.com Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
REBEL´S MOTHER - DISCOGRAPHY THE DARK UNKNOWN - CD (1998) SHIPWRECKED - CD (1999) What do you think of " The Dark Unknown" as a debut album? It was a Good start. I think we've grown a lot since then. How important are keyboards and lead guitar melodies in Rebel´s Mother music?
SANCTIFY - CD (2000) ACTUAL LINEUP Jeremy Brown - guitar, vocals Melanie Jamias - drums
Do you consider yourself a death /grindcore band or is there another definition that you prefer for your music? Ya, I'd say the best description of RECONDITE would be death / grind. We do use a lot of melodic and harmony riffs, and we're total speed grind junkies, but it's all brutal.
phone calls shows.
and
offers
for
future
Do you have plans to edit the show from September 2000 that you recorded on CD or tape? No, we just wanted to put those 2 songs up on mp3 cause it had been awhile since we recorded and we thought the sound was decent from that show, those are also 2 of our newer songs. We will be going to record a couple of songs this weekend that might end up on a split 7" with Mortuary I.O.D. (holland), depending on how the recording turns out. Can you tell me about the history of the band?
How was the show with Criptopsy on December? Are they a band that influenced your music? Criptopsy is a band that everyone in Recondite really likes, mainly there first 2 albums, so it was awesome to play a show with them. I got to talk with the singer and bassist, and they we're really cool guys. they also really enjoyed our set, and have said some good stuff about us in Montreal which resulted in us getting a couple of
Well, Bill (guitar) and Jay (drums) started the band about 2 or so years ago. At the time I was also playing with Jay in a band called Vile Intent, he asked me to come down and jam with them, so i did. Over time Vile Intent fell apart, so Recondite ended up being our main band. I knew Matt (vocals) a bit, and asked him to come down, and that all worked out. Finally we added Ron (guitar) who also used to play in Vile Intent.
Ron is a great guitar player and really adds lots to the band. Our 2 guitars really complement each other. We also have alot of guitar harmonies now, so i guess our sound has changed slightly. Is Matt a fan of growling vocals or maybe we will see some clean vocals in the future?
Are you still working with your bands like Avulsion, Evolution Fail or Kuru? Ron was in Avulsion but that's been done for a long time now, they did record a demo that was never released, but is totally brutal. Bill and Jay were in Evolution Fail and that's also finished, they have a tape out which is wicked grindcore, and were my favorite live band when they were around. I was in Kuru, and we actually played our last show / cd release last February, which was also Recondite's first show. I played in both bands that evening. Jay, Ron, and me have reformed Vile Intent < http://www.vileprod.com > with our bud Sean just recently, but Recondite is still the main band for all. I'm also in a band called Fuck The Facts < http://get.to/fuckthefacts> . Are there any plans of touring to support the material when you finish the recording? We probably won't really tour until we have a full lenght CD to support. Until then we'll just be playing out of town, and here once in awhile. We still don't have concrete plans to record a full lenght, but it's something i hope will happen fairly soon. How different is the sound of recondite now that you have added a second guitar?
I'd be really surprised if Matt started doing clean vocals. If anything, Matt's vocals just keep getting deeper. He's really into bands like Disgorge, Nile, and Broken Hope, etc...so, I'd expect alot more deep stuff from him. Which are the bands main influences? There is a wide variety of stuff we listen to, we're all different. I said what Matt's into, but as for the rest of us; Ron doesn't listn to much music at home but he's into brutal american and melodic euro death metal, he's big on the harmonies. Bill likes brutal death metal, probably mainly the euro stuff, and he's also into that crazy underground black metal like Enslaved, etc... Jay like everyone else is into the brutal american and euro death metal, i guess we all like the brutal shit!! as for me i'm more into grindcore and i love the experimenatl shit. i also love the brutal death grind, but i'm really into bands like Naked City, Mr. Bungle, Discordance Axis, etc... How are the composed?
songs
in
Recondite
Bill and Jay are the main song writers. they pretty much put the songs together, and then show them to us. We all give our ideas after that, sometimes Ron throws in a riff here and there, and i think he even wrote most of one song. Matt and Bill do the lyrics and then Matt just figures the vocals on his own. We're not the fastest song writers, but we make sure we're happy with every song.
Any final words for people in Argentina? Thanx for the killer interview. Your support is much apprecieted. Don't forget to check out our web-site for updates, http://www.reconditemetal.com Hello to everyone in Argentina, you guys kick ass in football!!! Too bad Diego was a coke head. If we ever visit we'll hook up and get shitfaced.... RECONDITE MP3 PAGE: http://www.mp3.com/reconditemetal
Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
ACTUAL LINEUP Ron McLean - Guitar William Finn - Guitar Topon Das - Bass Matt Connell - Vocals Jay Phillips - Drums
How do yo see yourself as part of the death metal scene in the USA? Reign of Terror : We'll we play the kind of music that we love and so far we've gotten a good response so hopefully we'll just get better - We believe that as long as you play your music because you truly feel the brutality, then it will come ouit in the music . . .
Which element do you think makes Reign of Terror´s music different from the rest of the bands? CJ : I think variation makes us different from the pack. I mean it's 2001 it's hard to be totally original these days but we strive to write catchy and brutal music.Musically we try to mix it up with all out hell blasts, mid paced chunky parts and suicidal doom parts. As for lyrics, we mix Satanic and gore stuff. Do you think that you are influenced by eighties metal bands more than from those of the nineties? Dick: The eighties have an effect on everyone, but you can't say that "Reign of Terror has a lot of Celtic Frost parts". In other words, all of the new great stuff that we hear filters in and mixes with our original ideas. You learn from the best.
Why is Dick Osmond leaving Reign of Terror? Do you have some replacement in mind? Dick: Well, I'll answer that one personally. I decided to leave to learn a trade while I'm a young man. It may be a temporary departure until I have a decent occupation. Making $5.50 an hour and barely surviving is very hard.
tentatively titled "Threnody of the Impaled". We plan on putting at least 9 songs on the next one. The new stuff can be best described as being far more dark and on many songs much more Satanic and christ-ripping... Which are the ideas behind the lyrics of Reign of Terror? Marc: Some of the subject matter is overtly Satanic and reflectively blasphemous, which I am. I personally can't stand "real" lyrics about "life on the streets", etc. CJ: We also have some songs dealing with murder and mental perversity.
How was the experience of opening the show for Deicide? CJ: It was a great experience opening for deathmetal giants. To our surprise, Glen was a lot nicer than the first time we opened for them. The crowd was also really into it, making our time on stage totally kickass. How different is "Inverted Beliefs of the Sanguine God" compared to "Traversing the realms of Acheron"? CJ: "Inverted.." is heavier and is better produced. We've also evolved more into a pure Reign of Terror style. Is there any new material ready to be released? Can you describe it? Marc: At this time, we have 6 new songs ready for the next release, which is
How did Gilbert Sanchez addition changed Reign of Terror´s music? Marc: Gilbert added a little thrash and technicality to the ROT sound unfortunately he is gone now as well. How are the songs composed? Is this approach going to change with Dick´s departure? CJ: It's different with every song, but usually Marc and I come up with a basic skeleton of riffs and patterns, and then Rich (and or Gil) would contribute. Now, with Rich and Gil gone, Marc and I will continue to compose the songs.
Any final words for people in Argentina? CJ: Thanks for your support. Hopefully we'll get our asses down there one of these days. Keep supporting the underground, METAL FOREVER!! REIGN OF TERROR´S OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.geocities.com/rotdomain Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
REIGN OF TERROR - DISCOGRAPHY Traversing the realms of Acheron - CD (1998) Inverted Beliefs of the Sanguine God - CD (2000) ACTUAL LINEUP CJ Holguin - bass, vocals Marc "The Engine" Arredondo - drums After the departure of Dick Osmond and Gilbert Sanchez the band is being helped by Alex Otero (exStonage) on guitars
Are the songs for "The Isle of the Hydra" ready to be recorded? Other than some "fine tuning" all the new songs are ready and they are KILLER! How would you define the term Epic Metal that is used to describe your music? To us Epic Metal is music that is true to the roots of Heavy Metal, it is written with classic imagery and theme. Our songs are bits of history and mythology combined with our unending imaginations.In other words we write from our souls not to write some crap for the radio or some commercial use. How is the deal with Miskatonic Foundation? Rich Walker and The Miskatonic Foundation
have been no less than superb in all aspects of our dealings. They are true warriors of Metal and support us not only with recording money but musically and idealogically. We are friends first, which makes all of the difference. Are you going to record the songs live in the studio or maybe are you going to record parts live and other parts not? We will record some parts live but inevitably there will be some overdubs. All of the negative response to "The Curse of Twisted Tower" was due to the sound quality of the recording. This album will show the world that T.T.D. can rank up there with the big boys. This is the album that will catapult us into another level. Is the Triumphing True Metal demo going to be rerecorded? Are you going to remix
it or are you going to record all the songs again?
How did you ending recording "Turn Up the Night" for the Black Sabbath tribute? What do you think about Sabbath tribute albums?
Although we get a lot of requests for older material our writing just keeps getting better and better. We share an understanding now of our sound and is less experimental more straight forward balls out music. We will record "Beyond the Gate" from the demo as a bonus track for the vinyl version plus another surprise.
We were asked to do this song, not one we normally would have picked but we try to accommodate when people ask nicely. As far as tributes go it is getting a little passe at this point but as long as people are supporting metal I am behind it 100%.
How is your relationship with Rich Walker of Solstice? As I mentioned earlier Rich Walker is an awesome dude. Totally metal and someone I know would be there for me in a fight which is how I examine those around me. He has a vision for his label and we will do all we can to support him. Solstice as a whole have got to be the coolest fuckers on the planet. We toured with them last summer with Slough Feg and it was a great experiemce to finally get away from phoney mother fuckers and be with TRUE METALHEADS!!!! These guys are for real!!! Has the Twisted Tower Dire / Solstice split 10´´ been released? Are the songs rarities or new takes? Near Dark Productions (after 2 years in the process) is releasing the picture disc with an old TTD song with Janet singing. It will be a cool collectable for the die-hards.
How was the experience of the Wacken Festival? Are there any particular band that played in that festival that you liked most? If you call yourself a METALHEAD and don't go to Wacken at least once in your life you will forever miss the greatest festival in the world. Wacken is a mecca of pure Metal and Mayhem! You will discover a lot about yourself from the experience. The people at the festival were unreal and the support we received was inspirational. The band that really impressed me the most was Labyrinth. Live in concert this band is over the top! They come across much heavier and they sound better than on the CD where they are so over-produced. Their vocalist Rob Tyrant was screaming his balls off! A killer performance!! What do you think of "The Curse of Twisted Tower"? Are you completely satisfied with it? I really love the songs, the feel, everything about this album. With the exception of the sound quality. A lot is lost in the mix, and anyone who sees us live can attest the songs are awesome live and we just didn't properly capture that on the disc. It is definitely a must-have if you are a fan of "real" Metal it is grass roots, fist in your face.
Any final words ? I just want to thank you Federico and others like you who carry the torch of Heavy Metal. We all must support the True and Just and destroy all the poseur bullshit that is trying to infect our realm. Prepare yourselves for "The Isle of Hydra" to be released Spring 2001!!
TWISTED TOWER DIRE - DISCOGRAPHY
TWISTED TOWER DIRE OFFICIAL WEB PAGE: http://www.ttd.cjb.net
TRIUMPHING TRUE METAL - demo (1997)
Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
HAIL NORTHERN VIRGINIA - demo (1995) TWISTED TOWER DIRE / COLD MOURNING Split 10" - (1996)
FOURTEEN INCHES OF FURY - TTD contributed with the song "Fuck You (Must Consume 24 Beers Before Listening)" - (1998) MAIDEN AMERICA - IRON MIADEN TRIBUTE ALBUM - VARIOUS ARTISTS (1999) THE CURSE OF TWISTED TOWER - CD (1999) THE ISLE OF THE HYDRA - CD (2001) ACTUAL LINEUP Scott Waldrop - guitar Tony Taylor - vocals Dave Boyd - guitar Jim Murad - bass Marc Stauffer - percussion
NEWS There is a series of music lectures taking place at Harvard during the next few months. 4/9: Jon Nelson of North Texas College of Music talks about "Electroacoustic Compositional Strategies: Spectro- and Spatio-Morphology as Formal Determinants" 4/23: Meki Nzewi of the University of Nigeria talks about "African Music: Managing Uniqueness within Techno Deculturation--Viable Structural Elements and Human Virtues" 4/27: Composer Roger Reynolds talks about "Composition Based on Cognitive Research Techniques" All these talks take place in the Music Building (where Paine Hall is) probably in Room 1, and the lectures are free. Poseidon Entertainment presents March 2, 2001 Meat Shits Charybdis DAM Vile Descent Live at the State Theater 1307 J Street, Modesto Doors: 6.00 pm Price: $6 Norwegian Death Metal-tornado BLOOD RED THRONE will enter Dub Studios (Norway) in April to record their upcoming debut-album for Hammerheart Records. Blood Red Throne is featuring a.o. Tchort (ex-Emperor, ex-Satyricon).The album will be titled "Monument of Death". Some of the songtitles are Ravenous War Machine, Dream Controlled Murder, Mary Whispers of Death, Monument of Death and Portrait of a Killer. The Classic Metal Festival 80's Metal Fans Rejoice! On June 15-16, 2001 at the State Theatre in Kalamazoo, MI, the finest collection of original true metal bands will join forces to bring you a weekend of memories that you will always cherish. This is your chance to see performances from some of the all time greats such as Abattoir, Agent Steel, Anvil, Damien Thorne, Deceased, Exciter, Hades, Halloween, Iron Cross, Liege Lord, Manilla Road, Omen, Tyrant, and Vicious Rumors as well as newer bands influenced by the likes of those mentioned including; Aftershok, Catch 22, Cauldron Born, Cursed Eternity, Cyrcle IX, Destiny's End, Division, Iron Man, Jacob's Dream, Lord Weird Slough
Feg, New Eden, October 31, Onward, Premonition, Requiem, Skull View, Steel Prophet, Suburban Funeral, Twisted Tower Dire, Wraith, Z-Lot-Z, and Zeitgeist. Tickets are on sale for $60.00 and can only be purchased through the Metal Music Foundation. All ticket orders must be received by the deadline of May 15, 2001. Anybody who orders his or her ticket before March 15, 2001 will receive a Classic Metal Festival T-shirt. All ticket orders will receive a collector's ticket and CD. If you have any questions, contact us by e-mail at the Metal Music Foundation, or call us at 616-808-5487. On March 2nd, 2001 WMFO's Radio Art Collective and the Tufts Music Department are staging a live broadcast of ERIK SATIE´s Vexations. This infamous piece by the visionary and idiosyncraticFrench composer calls for a piano phrase (lasting about a minute) to be repeated 840 times. do your math, and you'll realize that means approx. 14 hours of piano playing.To learn more about this fascinating composition check out: http://www.pa.adelaide.edu.au/~stephen/vexations.html EXTREME NOISE TERROR have just confirmed 3 shows in their native country. March 9 Underworld-London March 10 Foundry-Birmingham March11 Rio's-Bradford The band will be making their fourth appearance on John Peel's radio program in March. News from the SINISTER-campâ&#x20AC;Ś Dutch leading Death Metal Machine SINISTER welcome their new vocalist Rachel (Occult). Rachel will make her debut on the new album titled "Creative Killings". Sinister will enter the Excess Studio in May, expect the ultimate Death Metal Explosion of 2001. Some of the song titles on the new album are "Moralistic Suffering", "Altering The Beast", "Early Gothic Horror", the title track "Creative Killings" and "Reviving The Dead." SINISTER furthermore plays the Easter Festivals in April: Other participating acts: MARDUK, VADER, MORTICIAN, AMON AMARTH, GOD DETHRONED, MYSTIC CIRCLE, ....AND OCEANS and BAL-SAGOTH. This is a press statement from Painface: Hey everyone! How's it going? Here's a little update on what Painface is up to: 1. We have been trying out several drummers, and one will be chosen soon. If any of you are a drummer and are interested in playing for us, feel free to send me your information anyhow, since drummers tend to be a relvolving door with us! Might as well be prepared in advance. (I know, that's not thinking positively, but you'll have that.) 2. We just finished mastering the 3-song demo we made with our former drummer, Danny, this week. It sounds great! It won't be for sale yet, but one of the three will be placed on our MP3 site VERY soon. The songs we recorded were: Lust, On A Pale Horse (from our original 4-song demo), and The Darker Side (1st edit).
3. We signed-on with Maelstrom Music PR. Maelstrom is a music publicity company headed by Curtis Smith, who has worked with Slayer, Johnny Cash, Marilyn Manson (Antichrist Superstar album), and many others. You should be seeing us in major music magazines by summer! 4. We WERE asked to open for Soulfly on Feb. 17th, but we were taken out of the line-up when signed-band Shuvel became available for the show. The promotion company in charge felt bad about it, and offered us an opening slot for the Valentine's Day Morbid Angel show, but we had to respectfully decline, as we felt we should spend more time with our drummer/s. However, this all bodes well for us in the future: big show promoters know our name and looking at us. 5. Please be sure to take 2 minutes out of your day to vote for one of our songs on Farmclub: http://www.farmclub.com/listen/artisthome/static/10011328.html The votes start over at zero each month, and you can vote everyday, WITHOUT listening to the songs. Just click on the song title, then click "vote" when the box opens up. It takes a LOT of votes to put a band in the top 10, so we need everyone's help! 6. We are doing chats twice a week in the Painface chat room (www.painface.com) on Saturday night and Wednesday night. We all try to be on during these chats, and usually are, but occasionally we call a practice during these times. I urge all of you to get to know each other, as well as us, in the Painface chat room! We appreciate ALL of your support, and hope to see you all this year at a show in your area! AndersOUT Here is another press release from the guys of Hammerheart Records: Hammerheart Records proudly presents ALAS ALAS recently finished the recordings for their upcoming debut on Hammerheart titled "Vol. I Absolute Purity". The band is featuring Erik Rutan (Morbid Angel / Hate Eternal) on guitars and Martina Astner (ex-Therion) on vocals. Some songtitles are "The Enchanted", "Silencing the Sorrow", "Quest of Serenity", "Loss of a Life" and "Absolute Purity".Expect an album full of progressive, innovative Metal with beautiful female vocals far beyond your average Gothic Metal band. This will be THE surprise of 2001... Release-date: May 7th JUDAS ISCARIOT has released their "Under The Black Sun" LP. The album contains 6 tracks with a total playing-time of 37 minutes! Also included are 1 cover of Nargaroth and 1 unreleased Studio-track as bonus (12 minutes)!! This album is only released on vinyl and will never be released on any other format ever!! It is limited and hand-numbered to 500 copies. Carlo Strappa (resunoiz@tin.it) guitar player of RESURRECTURIS wants to organize a festival next summer in Italy (Fermo) it will take place somewhere in July. He wants to book some quality foreign bands to play there. He can offer you: travel money, comfortable accomodation, professional PA and sound engineer, nationwide advertising of the event. what he wants of you is: short bio (with the most important gigs they've done and stuff like that), their discography, if possible one review they got on their music (in english or italian) and a rough sketch of the foreseen costs for participation.
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