From the realms of North American progressive music comes All Too Human. This quartet is well known for its complex songs and they have just released their second full length called "Entropy". We talked with drummer and percussionist Chris Lucci who answered our questions. How big was the evolution of your music since "Forever an a day"? The evolution from "Forever and a Day" to "Entropy" is pretty intense. The music on "Entropy" is much heavier, and more complex. Definitely more progressive, too. We all tried to write coherent songs, with a theme and lyrics, but we all tried not to hold anything back this time. What can you tell me of the new album "Entropy"? In general, "Entropy" will be much more complex, and heavy, progressive metal. The keyboards are definitely a welcome addition to the music, making it more interesting and with more "textures." The guitar solos are fantastic, and the band is also very happy with the production. Anyone who is a musician, or just into heavy, complex music, can appreciate it. Our studio man, Jason Rooks has done an outstanding job, considering that this was a low-budget project. It sure doesn't sound like one! How did Derek Sherinian (exDream Theater, Platypus, Planet X) ended playing keyboards on "Entropy"? Believe it or not, we just called him and sent him a tape of our ideas, and he said he was impressed. We continued to talk to him, and then we sent him some ADAT tapes. He allowed us to produce his parts, which we appreciated immensely.
How different is the music that you play in All Too Human compared to the one that you played in Muzix? Muzix was just a college band, really. Maurice and I wrote lots of music together in the early 80's and it was influenced more by Rush, Genesis, ELP, etc. All Too Human is a much more advanced project, professionally speaking. We have learned so much about studio work that we are completely different players now, as a result. Do you think that the final result of "Forever and a day" would have been different if Geoff Geary had singed instead of Paul Vander? Without question it would have been different. Paul Vander is a talent that only comes along every once in a while. We were lucky to have had him sing on "Forever and a Day". In fact, we may re-mix and rerelease that album someday if we could just get signed to a label. It deserved to have more exposure. Are you working independently or have you been approached by some record label? We have had contact with a few labels, but none of them has really seemed willing to chance releasing our work, unfortunately. We need support from fans on the internet, so that we can sell our music without having to use a label. By the way, we certainly appreciate your contacting us to give us the forum in which to get more exposure. How big is the influence of jazz music in your compositions? Is it bigger than other styles influences?
Well, jazz is something that we all listen to, but we have not really allowed ourselves to incorporate it very much into our music. The reason is that we felt we had to keep the sound homogeneous, so that labels could characterize our music fairly narrowly. They don't seem to like people jumping around from style to style. However, we believe that bands should have the freedom to write songs in different genres, since that tends to give an album tremendous variety. We all really dislike albums that have songs that all sound the same.
more simple and direct ones? That's a tough question. We would love to write nothing but complicated songs, but they don't always have that certain "groove" or "hook" that makes people want to listen to them over and over. Some of the best songs we've written were very complicated, but I really will be interested to see what the fans like the best. We think that our instrumental "Arrythmia" is one of the best songs on "Entropy", probably because it is so complex, but it also has great keyboards in it that give it appealing melody. Anything more that you want to say?
Are you going to play in any Progressive Music Festival in this year? We have been invited to a few of them, but we have been focusing on studio work. We are very particular about the production of our CD's and we want to spend the time necessary to make it the best it can be. We will definitely be playing some live prog-festival gigs soon. Please tell your readers to contact festival promoters and ask for All Too Human! How is the composition work within the band? Well, Maurice writes music continuously, so we always have fresh ideas to work with. He is extremely creative and can write whole songs very quickly. Clint and I will occasionally write together, then show the music to Mo. Lately we have been writing music for our third CD by recording tracks ourselves. I have been writing a lot of stuff on a keyboard, then playing the drum tracks into a fourtrack recorder. Our best stuff comes only after all of us has played it together, weeded out the weak parts, and enhanced the strong parts. That formula really seems to work well. Do you prefer writing more complicated songs or your favorites are the
The only thing I can add is that I hope all of the fans reading this interview will buy a copy of "Forever and a Day" and "Entropy", and tell a few friends about both CD's. All Too Human will keep writing and recording music as long as we can sell enough CD's to make it economically feasible. Labels don't seem to care much about promoting little-known bands, and if progressive music is going to be available worldwide, then people have to follow bands like All Too Human on the internet. The FM radio stations in the U.S. are really horrible, and they will not promote any music that isn't totally commercial. That's too bad, because there are a lot of talented musicians out there that are going nowhere, and there are a lot of fans that are being deprived of great music, because no one is showing it to them. Please continue to support progressive music on the internet, because no label or corporation can stop people from accessing music there, no matter what country you or the band are from. Thank you for the opportunity to speak directly to progressive music fans! Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
ALL TOO HUMAN - DISCOGRAPHY Forever and a day - CD (1998) Entropy - CD (2001) ACTUAL LINEUP Clint Wilson- Guitars Chris Lucci - Drums and Percussion Maurice Taylor - Bass Don DuZan - Vocals
Hopefully, Canadian band Aphasia, that has been fighting to play their music since 1996, will have a new album on the streets soon. Guitarist and vocalist StĂŠphane Houle spoke with us about the bands career, their new material and their problem with drummers. Are you satisfied with "Beyond the Infinite Horizon"? Would you like to record again some parts of it? This album was recorded 2 years ago (1998) but some on those song were composed in 96-97, we are proud on the CD but those songs sound very old for us, we have better stuff now and we hope to record a new CD in a few mouths How important are melodies and atmospheres in your music? Differentes melodies and atmospheres are the very best side of Aphasia... Our songs are very long (6min-10min) and the melodies and atmospheres change a lot. We don't use keyboard and we have only one guitar and one bass so we have compose our best to get goods atmospheres What do you think of "Stormbound" years later ?
The new stuff sounds like our first CD but it's much more aggressive and melodic. We have a new drummer and a new bassman, so it gives a new breath to the band. I composed most of the stuff and we hope to record this new cd very soon. We've already got the money for the studio, we are waiting for the right moment. How was your experience on the show in Montreal on July 27th at the Fouf with Destruction, Children Of Bodom, Kataklysm, Dying Foetus and Darkness Hour? It was amazing... It was our first show with our new drummer and he was with us only 2 months before the show so we praticed a lot and I think we gave a very good show... Can't wait to do another show like this... ;-) People were very crazy when Children of Bodom arrived... very nice!!! How do you ended working with Jean Francois Dagenais (Kataklysm) in the mini album?
Stormbound is our first studio song (1996)... Some people are want us to play this song again but we don't pratice this song very often, we prefer to spend our time in the new stuff.
We know him since a long time so we didn't spend a lot of time to chose our studio and guy... We spended one week with Jean Francois and it was very nice... For the next cd, we'll probably record with him again!!
Are you considering adding a new guitarist to the band or other musician?
What do you think of the canadian metal scene? It seems to be a big one...
Nope... 3 members are the best for a band (it's my opinion) and I think we'll stay like this until the band dies...
Yes, the scene is growing and growing... We have a lot of good bands, zine, radio statio, label and producer so we can have some international bands for Europe (like Children Of Bodom, Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Samael, etc). We are very involved in
How is the new material compared to the mini CD? Are you recording it?
the metal scene and the scene reflects our works, every body works together since 2-3 years... What are your lyrics about? Do you have one concept through the whole album or the concept is different on each song? No, we didn't have a concept for this album, either for the new cd. I write my feeling throught the nature... So, if I'm hangry, I can write something with the lightnight so something like that... Everybody who read my lyric can have a different matter for them. How different is Simon´s style from the style of the previous drummers? Do you think your music has improved since his addition?
Any final thoughts? I hope coming to see you, in your country (I know I didn't have a lot of chance to come but I really like too)... And I wish good luck to all your metal scene... Stay alive!!! This is our strenght!!! ;-) And, thanks for the interview!!! I really appreciate your interest in Aphasia... Aphasia / Sang Frais C.P. St-Andre B.P. 32111.Montreal, Quebec H2L 4Y5, Canada email: stephoule@videotron.ca APHASIA OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://listen.to/Aphasia
Yes, of course, a great improvement... Ugo was good but Simon is faster than Ugo and I really enjoy
Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
APHASIA - DISCOGRAPHY Stormbound + live tracks - demo (1997) Beyond the infinite Horizon - MCD (1998)
that... Our songs are faster, even those on the first CD, we play them faster. Simon do a big difference with the current stuff you can hear...
ACTUAL LINEUP Stéphane Houle - guitars, vocals Jean François Girard - bass, vocals Simon Chenier - drums
Braindance is an extremely original and technical band, and they have a particular way to compose their music. The term that they use to describe it is progressive darkwave. We talked with guitarist Vora Vor who is one of the main creative forces behind the band. She was really nice with us and explained a lot of her personal philosophy. How do you compose your material? do you make a song from beginning to end and then arrange it or maybe you put together some parts that the members of the group bring to rehearsals? I write a good amount of the song while walking, or sleeping, or crying. this is usually a texture, a pattern, a tone, a mood. this idea can stay in my head for weeks or months or even years. If it stays there that long and becomes a part of my thinking, becomes an inner refuge for me, then I am confident that i want to give it auditory substance. there has to be a real solid reason aside from greed and the desire to offend overweight hunkering devourers of cheese flavored pork rinds to bring an inspiration forth into the awaiting world. The idea then becomes manifested in an elaborate sequence. I try to limit such labor as much as possible, so i try to work out most of the parts in my head before zombifying myself in front of a computer monitor or keyboard or sequencer. This sequence/demo will inevitably transfer over as the backbone of the final release recording. Much of it will remain. parts to be played physically, like guitars, bass, strings: these will not be final, but will be actualized and detailed by dorsal finned amphibians. Vocal ideas frequently figure into this process in the form of main harmonies /textures and protean thematic notions, of which I am the chief progenitor, but rarely will these ever remain. sebastian builds the lyrics and
main melodies from these notions into a song with words and targeted septic value. at this point, the whole chebang is revisited by Sebastian and I. This revisionary process takes place in the studio once it's all cut. This is the beauty of hard disk recording. Our songs are not infrequently recast very very late in the recording process. It is only when we hit rehearsal that we discover just how impossible it will be to reproduce it all live. Your music has been described as hardcore, industrial, progressive, heavy metal. how would you describe your music? can you explain the term progressive darkwave? I would add latin, moravian, glam, polka, balinese, lounge, and cajun to that list. Our music seems to appeal to fans of the several genres mentioned who are also interested in seeing how far the genre can be stretched and mannered before it becomes something else. I think the term progressive darkwave is faithful to our roots in prog rock as well as accurately communicating our joyous affinity for misery. Can you tell me which are for you the main differences between "Shadows" and "Fear itself"? "Shadows" is the work of a project still in the rough. It is exploratory of veins of creativity that become much more fleshed out on "Fear Itself". It also has the merit of being a year younger than "Fear Itself", so it is probably not as miserable and philosophically devoid of hope as the latter. It's also shorter. In addition, it tastes more like buttery acorn squash than "Shadows", which is clearly more like crispy curry beancurd.
here in nyc. It should be done in a couple of days, mastered in a couple of weeks, and released by mid march or april, earlier on our website.
How different is the approach of Andrew to bass and composition when compared to Eiki? How different is "redemption" from the other records? "Redemption" is the cd that Braindance has been meant to make since its inception. it had a true production schedule and production vision. We kept to this schedule and vision despite the worst contrary intentions of most of the hairless marsupials involved. The schedule only smashed flat on its pudgy face within the last year or so when we unwisely decided to leave our fundamental cynicism behind and began to believe that hard currency was going to be put behind the project. We have since wholeheartedly returned to our prior state. "Redemption" takes the reins where "Fear Itself" finally give up the ghost. while not a concept album, "Redemption" is, in fact, a complete song-cycle that explores various positions regarding inevitability of certain familiar things like death, hatred, vindication, absolution, and a late brunch. the solution it leaves you with will leave you thumping the trestle table for more than just cilantro dusted quesadillas. Can you explain me a little bit about the recording of "Redemption" ? Who produced it? When will it be released? I produced it in studios in Colorado, New Jersey, and New York City. The guitars were cut in a big wharehouse in boulder. Most of the rest was cut in New Jersey in a project studio with protools, studiovision, and da-88's. although digital, the path to the digital realm was very very dirty and grainy, and vintage. it is being mixed in a protools room
Andy knows english. Otherwise, they both have been know to enjoy a good double extra cheese slice every now and then. Andy plays with a pick and has a progressive metal background. Eiki plays with fingers mostly and has a progressive rock background. Is there something you would have changed from your previous recordings? I would charge more money and released them as non-stick paper dollies. there's a good market for that now. How important is musical theory in the way you compose your music? Theory is only a subliminal grammar now. I have a lot of theory and orchestration in my training, but it rarely if ever assumes kind control of the creative process and I have no agenda to adhere or profess loyalty to any given compositional modality. Pure salivatory joy is our motto. Are there any plans of touring to support the release of "Redemption"? Yes. Then, and only then, will we faithlessly depart our hellish diurnal vocations in pursuit of our hellish nocturnal advocations. Any final words for people? Yes.
Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
BRAINDANCE - DISCOGRAPHY Shadows - EP (1994) Fear Itself - CD (1995) Redemption - CD (2001)
ACTUAL LINEUP Vora Vor - guitars, backing vocals Sebastian Elliot - vocals Robynne Naylor - keyboards Notorious - drums, backing vocals Andrew Calcina - bass
What can you expect from a band that teams two guitarists as Alex Masi and Lars Eric Mattsson? Only superb quality and musicianship. And that is what you find in Condition Red. Along with great musicians as Ella Grussner and Torgny Stjärnfelt the guitar duo displays quality, taste and power. Is this a once in a lifetime project or do you plan to do it in a permanent basis? Lars Eric Mattsson : It was a total experiment, but I am sure it will become a more or less continuing thing. Alexander King: yes but very likely there will be some changes in the line up. Were the songs composed in rehearsals or did you use another form of composition? Alexander King: Lars and I did some demos and we used them as basis for the final thing, even though there were lots of changes.
What did the band intended in having two guitarists, is it something that makes special the band in combination with the other instruments? Lars: The idea was to make things more interesting, more variation - it was all a big experiment! How important is the violin and Ella Grussner vocals for the final result of the music in Condition Red? Lars: very important, she is a genious! Is the music in the CD consciously done in such a progressive way or is it the way in that the music surfaces through rehearsals?
We all know the background of Derek Sherinian, Lars Eric Mattsson and Alex Masi...can you tell us something about the background of the restof the band?
Alexander: it was more or less written this way or sometimes, Lars as producer decided what should be added or taken away from the recordings
Alexander: My background is in classical music, music for films (nothing big) and commercials
Do the members of the band have any training in music theory?
Ella Grussner and Torgny Stjarnfelt play in a ethnic folk rock group called "Barka Vall" - they have a gread album out. Esa Pietila is a well known jazz musician.
Lars: some do, perhaps most except for me
Are you planning to play the music of Condition Red live? Lars: not at this stage but you never know...
Why was the production done by Lars Eric Mattsson? Was a decision done to obtain the result that the band had in mind? Alexander: because the idea for the project came from us and Lars has done these things before, he is also more creative, never afraid to try the unusual.
Is there any concept behind the music in the album?
plan to re-release my first album "Eternity" (complete new version + bonus track) and also my instrumental album "Electric Voodoo" will be rereleased with better sound and a bonus track. CONDITION RED WEBSITE:
Lars : it's about living in the modern world, and trying to stay alive
www.condition-red.com Interview by Federico Marongiu
Anything more that you want to say? CONDITION RED - DISCOGRAPHY Condition Red - CD (2000) Lars: I really enjoyed doing the Condition Red project and it has really helped me grow as a musician, some of my fans might have felt that this was way too complicated, but I have also won some new fans. For me it is very important to be able to experiment and grow, I could never do the same album over and over like some bands do. But I was also very happy with my latest album MATTSSON - ANOTHER DIMENSION, and I will definitely do a follow up to that one, however my next step will be to polish some old recordings, I
ACTUAL LINEUP Ella Grussner - vocals, violin Torgny Stjärnfelt - vocals Lars Eric Mattsson - guitars, bass, keyboards Alex Masi - guitars Alexander King - keyboards Esa Pietilä - sax Eddie Sledgehammer - drums Örjan Sjöström - backing vocals
Far´N´High is one of the main names in the progressive scene of France. Having changed their name from Fahrenheit, the band also changed vocalist and launched a big career. We talked to Stéphane Faure, guitarist of the band It's been 9 years since the band was formed as Fahrenheit. Why did you change your name to Far'N'High in 1995 ? Was some kind of musical change the cause? We changed the name Fahrenheit because we find another rock band that were using that name. It is also the name of a famous perfume created by Christian Dior and the name of an enterprise nearby where we are living. So we considered that it was necessary to change when recording the first CD. It wasn't the change of line up or musical style that influence the new name but only the fact that we had to be marketed and we didn't want any problems of concurrence with the name Fahrenheit. In order to keep the same sound of the word, we finally agreed on Far'N'High. It could be interpreted as something very proud but at that time we thought that we shouldn't be too far from our ancient name.
How would you describe your music? Our music is a kind of mix of our different influences. You are the judge! We can say that we make French progressive music...!!! How big is the role of keyboards in your music? I think I read that your music changed a lot with the entry of Damien that also plays keyboards? There always were keyboards in our music but with extra-musician. When Damien arrived he permitted to satisfy our needs. But its not because Damien plays keyboards that we changed things. "Still alive", recorded in 1997, was made with Damien and there are no keyboards. In return, "I promise you heaven" recorded with Fabien presents keyboards. We only made what we wanted and to use keyboards was our desire, but it came naturally. It seems that you are influenced by rock bands but also by jazz and thrash metal. Who are your biggest influences and what do you think this band influence brought to your playing? Our most influences are Queensrysche, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Slayer, Uzeb, Bon Jovi, Pretty Maids, Malmsteen and Dream Theater. All these bands brought us inspiration because of their talent.
Which are the main differences between the way Fabien singed and the way Damien does it? Many differences oppose Fabien and Damien. Fabien was much more influence by Queensrysche and, Led Zeppelin and the "Old School of Rock" influence Damien. To be short, Fabien was much more inspired by the eighties; beginning of the nineties and Damien is inspired by the seventies. But the way they are really different is on stage.
What can you tell me about "Still alive"? Are you recording a follow up? In fact, "Attraction of fire" is the following of "Still alive". And about the next, we are working about! Is there something you would have change in "I promise you heaven"? "I promise you heaven" was our first album producted by our own and of course it presents lot
of defects. The biggest is certainly about the sound! We consider it's not heavy enough. But, after all, we are proud of this opus. Are you planning to do some festivals on 2001 to support the new material? At that time there is nothing allowed. We are working on a new project with our slight means.
I am proud to have the opportunity to converse with Argentina. I know there are good musicians in your country and we can dream to exchange our views about the international musical scene. FAR´N´HIGH WEBSITE: http://www.infomusique.com/brennus Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
Does all composition spin around Stéphane or every member brings a part of the songs? Generally, that's true, the music line start with a guitar riff but after that, all musicians bring their inspiration and that is the way most of songs are composed. We need the participation of the all band. Before all, it's a group's work. Any final message?
FAR´N´HIGH - DISCOGRAPHY I Promise you Heaven - CD (1995) Still Alive - CD (1996) Attraction of Fire - CD (1999) ACTUAL LINEUP Damien - vocals, keyboards François - drums Patrick - bass Stéphane - guitars
Can you describe this band as death metal? Maybe, but they are more than that. They have an originality that a lot of the bands in the genre don´t have, and they sound really powerful. Coming from Belgium, this band is recording their second album and planning to rule the scene. We talked with ReinieR, guitarist and vocalist of the band. Are you recording your second CD? Can you tell us something about it? Yes, we are recording it...at my place this time. It's much more complicated, it should contain about 12 tracks and I sure hope I can get the sound the way I want it. It's the very first time I do this at home. We're halfway by now, drums and bass and guitars are finished. This one will be released officially, my (more famous) friends are taking care of that. I just have to find a new guitar player, Nick had too much other things besides Fleshmould. Can't be that hard to find another one though. I have no title for the album yet. It will be finished at the end of March and it will probably (you know the record companies) be released in May. What can you tell me about your debut CD now that you are recording its follow up? The debut sounds great and we sold a lot of them, but we didn't try to get a label to release it. Why? In my opinion it wasn't the Fleshmould I want it to be. Although I like the tracks on it, don't get me wrong. It was recorded after we got together as a band three months before. We weren't ready to promote it or present ourselves. It's not good for a band to start from scratch and make a fool of yourself at first. Those who are there to witness your (possible) failure will never forget, it's just like that. There are way too many bands out there and they all want their slice of the cake. The
first concerts went better than I expected, because there were only two of us experienced playing live. The bass player didn't even play in a band before!!! Besides all that, the debut CD was rather short. We didn't have enough songs by then, so it should be released as a mini CD or so and that's not good either. I figured it would be better to wait and do it step by step. How has been your experience as an on stage band up to now? Like I told you, it's been great, we didn't have any mishaps or disadvantages up 'til now. Yet..... It's a small country, now that's too bad....So, now we're heading for part two, 'cause we wanted to create a more specific sound for Fleshmould. Hopefully that will help to get us in the picture and across the borders around this tiny, silly country. And I'm quite convinced we're getting it all right now. What can you tell me about your participation in the Bom´ma Fest? Well, to be honest....it freaked me out a little. There we were, we'd only been playing three gigs by then and suddenly on that huge stage. But it rocked, the Fest was organized so well, the sound was fantastic and everyone did the best he could. After two songs or so I felt there was nothing to worry and the crowd was amazing.
It was a really good experience and it surely helped the self-esteem of the newbies in the band. How important are female vocals to Fleshmould´s music? Not so much, it's been used in one song only until now. It's just one of those things. When it's needed for the song, we always add something special. It keeps it more vivid and the tracks are more divers from one to the other. Do you have musical theory background? Is that important to the way you compose? Yes, I do. Quite a lot actually. Is that important? Let's just say it helps a lot. It's not necessary, I know a lot of great musicians who don't even know what's it all about. On the other hand, I think when you're too theoretic you could even fuck up your music. You might approach it to technical and where are the spontaneous ideas then, huh? To me it's just a back-up, or I can add something special which I learned. Frankly, I don't give shit about notes and none of us uses those. It's all in the head. Are you using lots of sequencers and electronics in your music? Not really, but I think we should use all the advantages of the technology nowadays. It has nothing to do with Industrial, but we do prefer to take death metal to a higher level. Let's call it getting ready for the near future. There are some samples (sounds) to accompany the music itself, there are some FX mixed in the music. It's just an extra layer.... I like all bands that are somehow special and different. Some examples: Meshuggah, Opeth, Death, Morbid Angel. All different in their own way. After 1 minute you know instantly which band you're dealing with. On the other hand, I like Necrophagist, Mortician and Samael as well. They use some electronics too, don't they?
What are the lyrics in "Fleshmould" about? The very most of the tracks are about all kinds of weird, psychotic or even biomechanical stuff. I'm a computer freak and a movie freak. I like to read about this stuff and I love the Internet and what you find there. Take the movie The Matrix or a Giger-painting and you know what you're dealing with. What are you trying to reflect in your music? Now that's an odd question...No politics or so. I'm not the one to tell someone else what to do! My music should just be what it is: music. So you love it or hate it, but if you like it it's like a movie: with a scenario, a climax and some twists now and then. You can listen to it specifically or you can just bang your head. Both ways are great. I'm just trying to have fun and share it with others. The more the merrier. Do you plan to continue using the DK Studios in your next releases? How about Rudy Dekeyser? Whenever necessary, but not for the moment. I have my own studio at my place now. I like that studio, because I've been there so many times. But there are other studio's as well, why not. I prefer to record at home, it's more relaxed and a lot less expensive, hahaha..... Rudy is just the engineer who's working there. A very nice guy, but he doesn't know a horses ass from metal music...He is on the other hand a magician when it comes to electronics. And a friend of course... Is there anything more that you want to say? Well, I've never heard any metal from Argentina....How come? Your country is probably 50 times bigger than my country, so there must be 50 times more metal as well, hahaha. I'm really curious. FLESHMOULD WEBSITE: http://fleshmould.homestead.com Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
FLESHMOULD - DISCOGRAPHY Fleshmould - CD (2000) ACTUAL LINEUP Reinier Schenk - voice, guitar Chine Drumma - drums /Bjorn Demeyer - bass
In recent years, bands from a genre called stoner rock that combine psychedelic rock typical from the end of the 1960s and 1970s with a more modern sound and an interesting sonic experimentation. Generous Maria is one of the most important exponents of the genre in Sweden. We talked with vocalist Göran Florström, who explained their recent projects. How is the split CD with Skua like? Well, what can I say - it´s a killer man! It´s four songs from each band and for Generous Maria´s part it´s the whole 'Strict Nurse'-tape with the songs 'Strict Nurse', 'Like a dog with a frisbee', 'Lack of faith' and 'Brother Pain'. The whole thing is remastered down in Malaga, Spain by Alone Records and they did a beatiful job down there. It might be that I´m a bit biased, but I think it really kicks ass!
was like before him, y´know. But hell yeah, he´s a really steady and heavy drummer! What can you tell me about your participation in the High Beam compilation with bands such as Karma To Burn and Natas? We´re not gonna participate on that compilation so I can´t tell you anything..! What do the different guitarists that played in the band gave to the music of Generous Maria?
Are you working in new material? How is it? We started recording a bunch of new songs around christmas and are working on the mix right now. You might say that these songs are a bit more on the groovy side - but still heavy as hell!
We´ve changed guitarists once; George Winnberg replaced Mikael Bodling around a year ago. They´re both great guitarists and they gave and gives the same thing, I guess you could say; their brutality and love for rock music.
Do you think that the band´s music has improved with the addition of Mats on drums?
What can you tell us about your participation on the Stonerrock.com compilation?
Mats has been in the band now for a couple of years so I´ve got a pretty blurry memory of how it
It´s a compilation called 'Sacred Groove' with basiclly bands hosted by the ruling site
Stonerrock.com. It´s a Mexican label - Monstruo de Gila Records - that´ll release it. It´ll be out in quite many South American countries I guess, and that feels really good! We´re in with the song 'Strict Nurse'. It should have been out by now but you know - 'delays'... Coming soon I hope. It´s gonna be a real good compilation, I´m sure. Can you describe a Generous Maria gig? For example the one at Sticky Fingers...
the songs developed in rehearsals with all the members? Most of the material is put together during the rehearsals from basic riffs and ideas composed by some the guys, mostly by Jesper Klarqvist, who´s some kinda musical leader of the band, followed by Ulrik Nilsson and George Winnberg. Sometimes a complete song is brought to the rehearsal room but mostly we arrange it together - with threats and weaping and fistfighting.. And then I write the lyrics to it. How has been Generous Maria music received up to now? I´m not saying we don´t know we´re doing good stuff, but still we´re a bit surprised about the extremely great responce and positive reactions we´ve had all over the place! And we appreciate it, I tell you..!
Not especially taciturn and not especially tranquil. Energy, presence and loudness - that´s how I´d like to describe Generous Maria´s live act. How different is the material from "I´ll be your patient" compared to the debut album and compared to the new songs? Firstly - I know that the recording was called 'I´ll be your patient' on some of the first editions when it was out and around as a demo. Pretty fast it was renamed to the 'Strict Nurse' tape and that´s the one that´s being released by Alone Records. Well, that´s just for the record... Differences you ask - well, I talked a little before about the songs we´re working with in the studio right now and - it´s like having three balls in the air; the songs being relesed at the moment, the ones being recorded and ones being written meanwhile. I´m really bad at descibing our music - guess it´s meant to be heard and not descibed. I´ll have to ask someone to help me descibe it...
Are there in the band main composers or are
Is there anything more that you want to say? It´s good hearing from you, Frederico - it´s the first we hear from Argentina and that´s fun! And to you people out there: visit Custom Heavy Store and buy the split CD! Rock on, folks!! http://www.customheavy.com/store_music.shtml Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
GENEROUS MARIA - DISCOGRAPHY Generous Maria - CD (1998) Strict Nurse - CD (1999) Split CD w/Skua - CD (2000) ACTUAL LINEUP George Winnberg - guitars Mats Ohlsson - drums Göran Florström - vocals Jeppe Klarqvist - bass Ulrik Nilsson - guitars
Canada is a country with great bands of underground music of all styles. Horfixion is one of the main metal bands of that place and we talked to guitarist/vocalist Samuel Landry.
Well...What can you tell me about "Disynchronze" the new album? "Disynchronize" is the result of our work and we're very proud of it. For a first album I think we've done a good work. We have learn a lot of thing from the
entire process (preparation, recording, production...) and it was a great experience. Why was the name of the band changed to Horfixion after Richard entered the band? Because we wanted to start as a new band. We also thought that Horrific Illusion (our first name) was not the one we wanted to keep forever. Horfixion is the fusion of Horrific and Illusion. It's mean nothing but we think it's was original and that it represent us well. Why Alexandre started playing drums while he was the guitar player of the band? Alex was not playing guitar for the band, at this he was a friend that was trying to start a band. He was also trying to become Horfixion guitarist but without success! After seeking for a drummer for a long time, we have asked to Alex if he wanted to be part of Horfixion as a drummer. He has begun to
practice very hard and taking intensive lessons. After only 3 months, we have recorded our first demo with Alex and we have discover that he has a great potential. How different is the style of Richard compared to Erik Doucet? Has the music of Horfixion changed since the bassist changes? The music have not really changed , Erick was more in black metal and he have loose his interest for the band. Rich is a thrash metal adept so is playing the music he likes with Horfixion. Do you think that Disynchronize is an evolution compared to the MCD "Rage" and the demo you recorded on 1999? Which are the main points that you think have been made better? Yes, it's evident that we have evolve a lot. The biggest amelioration is my vocals. But all the members have improve themselves since " Rage ". We have acquire lots of experiences that help us for the new album. The sound quality and album cover of "Disynchronize" is also a lot better than what we've did before.
Are you doing a promotional tour to support "Disynchronize"?
We'll try to do the more show we can but in Quebec, is very difficult.
For now we are still independent but we are in negociating for distribution through Canada. We're
Which are the bands main influences?
also in contact with distributor from several country but we want to sign in our country first.
We're all loving every king of metal in the band from Iron Maiden to Cannibal Corpse. Our main influences are Metallica, Sepultura, Slayer, Megadeth, Kreator, Testament, Death. How is the process of composition in the band? Has it changed through the years? I usually write the lyrics first and we do the music together. The change is that I was writting the music almost alone but now every members bring their ideas. How would you describe a Horfixion show? Horfixion is very energetic. We love to headbang and move on stage. And we also love to see peoples thrashing all around! Are you trying to release the new album through some label or will you do it independently?
Any final words ? I would like to thank you for taking some of your time for us. Please forgive my mistake, I'm not very good in english ! (but I work hard to improve it) . For those who want to learn more about Horfixion you can visit our web site at www.horfixion.com . And the most important thing : STAY METAL! Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
HORFIXION - DISCOGRAPHY Rage - MCD (1999) Disynchronize - CD (2000) ACTUAL LINEUP Samuel Landry - vocals, rhythm guitars Alexandre Noel - drums Kevin St-Yves - lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals Richard GĂŠlinas - bass
Immortal Dominion is a name that brings to mind dark sensations. And the music of the band is dark and full of energy. We talked to Brian, guitar player of the band who expleined us what they are doing at this time. How has been the response of the people to "Endure" so far? Pretty Good, we have gotton rid of about 5000 so far, all over the world. Is the new album ready? Can you tell us a little bit about the new songs? We have 8 songs done with two more in the works. I feel that we have been evolving as a band. We wrote the songs together this time, I do back up vocals on all the new songs. We just understand he whole writing process better.
Do you think that the type of music that you make has more possibilities to success in Europe than in the USA? I don't know for sure, if it does we would love to go to Europe.
How would you compare the new material to the older one (for example the one in "Birth"? As I said before we have evolved. The music is more full and well written.
How was the experience of doing shows opening for bands such as Malevolent Creation and Living Sacrifice? Those bands are awesome!! We had a lot of fun opening for them. Do you think that Fort Collins Studio is the ideal for your music? Why? It has been because of its location, and we are friends with everyone at the Blasting Room.
How is the composition process in the band? We used to just write songs by our selves and then bringit to practice, but now we collaborate a lot more. How would you describe an Immortal Dominion show? Are you more comfortable playing live or in studio?
How would you describe in your own words the music of Immortal Dominion?
We love playing live the best. We like to create so much energy that the roof might blow off whatever club we are in that night.
Death, grind, power agression mixed with other styles. We don't try to be a certain style, we just write the music that is inside of us.
Do the members have any parallel projects or everybody concentrates in Immortal Dominion?
Mostly just Immortal Dominion, Brian has a side project band he has written songs for but hasn't really done anything with it yet.
yourself and play live music nowadays. Thanks for all the support out there and keep up the good work.
IMMORTAL DOMINION WEBSITE: www.immortaldominion.com Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
IMMORTAL DOMINION - DISCOGRAPHY Birth - EP (1996) Endure - CD (1998) Any final words ? Support any metal that comes your way, it is getting harder and harder to financially support
ACTUAL LINEUP Ben - Drums Brian - Guitar Ray - Vocals,Guitar Steve - Bass
Take a bit of heavy metal, mix it with thrash and add some southern rock and blues. Then put a really modern and fat guitar sound and you have a Wall of Sound. This Wall of Sound is Jarra. We talked with the two fundamental members of the band,singer/guitarist Kathie Jarra and guitarist Johnny Russian that answered with great humor and kindness. Do you think that the appropriate form to describe your music is calling it a "wall of sound"?
How would you compare " Two Evils" to "Test of Faith"?
Johnny Russian: Yes, a wall of sounds decribes Jarra's sound perfectly.
Johnny: "Two evils" was just a taste of what we have in store for everyone......
Kathie Jarra: A "Wall of Sound" was mentioned in a Review a few years ago, and seemed to catch on and I do think it is appropriate. If you see the Band perform Live, that would explain the term. We have a very Big Sound live.
Kathie: . "Test of Faith" is full length and is much heavier than "Two Evils", the E.P. The Songwriting is darker and more mature as well. How was that the "Heavy oder was?" magazine selected "Indian War Love Song" to be included on their Anniversary Issue Compilation CD ? Kathie:"Heavy Oder Was?!" Magazine got hold of a copy of "Test of Faith" and when they heard "Indian War Love Song", they loved it so much, they asked to put it on their "50th Issue Anniversary Compilation CD". And we said "Yes". They were one of the first to Review and Chart "Test of Faith". How different is David Chaney to the other bass players that the band had? Johnny: Dave is more of a straight player. Just heavy. Just right for metal. Kathie: David has only been with us since March 2000, and his style is much heavier and thundering compared to the other Bass players we have worked with. What do the lyrics of Kathie reflect? Is there any personal experience?
Kathie: . Lyrically speaking, yes, Jarra draws on some very personal experiences and there is alot of spiritual content as well. Pretty serious in the Lyrics department and of course, "Always, AllWays" is about the Loss of Stevie Ray Vaughan and touches on the serious subject of Death. How is the work of Kathie Jarra as music supervisor on the International video pictures film "The villikon chronicles"? Kathie:The Villikon Chronicles is a great script and is currently in Pre-Production. It has placed and won awards in several film festivals already. Kathie Jarra is always seeking work in soundtracks and film.
sound, because of our ability to fuse great Melodies into that Aggression. How have been Jarra´s live experiences until now? Johnny: Live.......is always the best..........we never had a bad night, we had crazy ones, just not bad. Jarra is a live band. its what we've been doing all our lives. Kathie:Jarra is and has always been very much a "live" Band. We have played constantly for the last 10 years all over the U.S. Mainly in New York and New Jersey/Philadelphia where we were originally based. We have performed for over 30,000 people each year at the "New York City Marathon'" in NYC, and perform mainly in Arizona and California now. We love performing live and do not have any plans to come off the road for a while. Are there any plans to do a tour to support "Test of Faith"?
Are the band´s influences mainly from classical metal bands or are other new bands that have inspired you? Johnny: Guitar wise......i was born playing blues, it was my first love, played blues heard metal, loved both.......now what you hear guitar wise, is the end result. Kathie: Well, we do come from the "Old School" of Metal. Dio, Priest, Accept, so I am thinking, that is where the "Jarra" sound was truly born. What do you think is more important in your music...the aggressive side or the melodic side? Johnny: I cant live without either. Jarra can not be, without both.........beauty and the beast. Kathie: Both sides of are very important to our sound. I think that is what gives us our signature
Kathie: Yes, we are currently touring in support of "Test of Faith". We have big shows here in Arizona this month. We move into Colorado and back to California and Las Vegas next month and are under consideration for several major Metal Festivals in Europe and the U.S. this year. We have just confirmed the "Ultrasound 2001" Metal Fest in California this September 8-9. We are planning on staying on the road this entire year but will take a weeks off to begin recording our next CD. Any final thoughts? Johnny: Live,laugh, and love........and play in a real loud metal band! Kathie: We would like to Thank our Label, Lion Music and All of the Fans and Radio Stations for their support of this CD and we look forward to meeting them on the road this year... JARRA´S WEBSITE: http://www.lionmusic.com/jarra.htm Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
JARRA - DISCOGRAPHY Two Evils - MCD (1998) Test of Faith - CD (2000) ACTUAL LINEUP Kathie Jarra - vocals, guitar Johnny Russian - lead guitars Shane DÃaz - drums Dave Chaney - bass
Well, what can you tell me about the new CD "No more Obscurity"? It's a variety of instrumental and vocal stuff with three great different singers.One main singer (Goetz F. Mohr) and two guest singers.There are Ballads as well as Rock stuff. A drum solo(when did I hear the last drum solo on a studio album?), a guitar solo and a little Quick time video.The intention was to do a varied guitar record, which touches a lot of Rock-oriented fields, but not a full shredding album. How was your experience at the European Guitar Festival in Lausanne? Yeah, it was cool. It was more a jazz oriented thing. Real good musicianship.
Why do you use Fender Stratocasters along with Gibson ES-335, their sound seem to be quite different ? That's it. They cover all the sounds I need in studio.The Gibson has this bluesy, warm, full tone. And the strat...I think everybody knows how a strat works! With a good acoustic guitar, that's all I need.
We had a little E-Mail contact before and then "just asking". I sent them the material and waited for their answer.They said yes. And I'm very pleased 'bout this.They did an amazing job!! I had the chance to met both ofthem, while they were on tour here. They are real fine guys.
Why did you record a cover of "Message in a bottle" by The Police? We were looking for an "Alltime Rock -Standard", which we could bring into our sound.Police was a first class innovative Band and Sting is a killer song writer. The song was not used so much as a cover, I guess. So whynot trying it. And I like the result very much. Lance did a great recording there.
What can you tell me about Abra? Not much, because it's more getting a cover Band.
How was your playing in the musical from Walt Disney "Ontok im Haus der Uhren"?
How was learning with teachers as Michael Borner, Peter Wรถlpl and all the other musicians at the Music Academy in Remscheid?
It was a very improvised thing. They called me and I was there for one dayrecording five tunes. Two, three solos(but very different from what I do normally) and some chord/picking stuff. Michael, the singer, knew very exactlywhat he wanted, so it was real fast. It's a musical for kids.
How did you get Anders Johansson (Hammerfall) and Lance King (Balance of Power) to play drums and sing on"No More Obscurity"?
Two great artists were also Michael Sagmeister, a german jazz virtuoso, andWayne Krantz. It was a pretty cool time. We learned much about teaching andtheory. There were a lot of exames, but I really enjoyed the time.
How did you hook up with the metal band Vanize?
They saw me in the internet and told me, that their guitarist Marcus hasleft. I guess, they listened to some of my mp3's.Then they sent me the CD's and I learned five songs. We met and played the tunes. It was very fun to me and I decided to join them. The latest album"High Proof" is real great. They play a fresh and powerful music and it's awonderful atmosphere with these guys.
Is there anything more that you want to say? Thank you so much for the interview and all the Best to your readers. ROLF MUNKES WEBSITE: www.rolfmunkes.com
How do you compose your songs? Sometimes I play the idea or a riff over and over and sometimes I directlyrecord it on a multitracker and work with it from there. It depends on the kind of song.With the multitracker it's faster, because you can see very soonhow it works with additional guitars.
Interview by Federico Marongiu
ROLF MUNKES - DISCOGRAPHY No More Obscurity - CD (2000)
Lithuania. This is the place from where this guys are from. I have been researching a lot in this months about the underground scene in the countries of Eastern Europe and I have found out that there exists a big scene in there, mainly of metal bands. Shadowdances is one of the main exponents of that style in this country. We talked with drummer and vocalist Baronas Juodas about the band.
Which process lead to the changing of name of the band from Conscious Rot to Shadowdances? First of all hello and thank you for your interest in our band, which is finally reborn after a pause which lasted 4 years. Well, the name was changed mainly because the music started to change and get further from the initial death metal genre. CONSCIOUS ROT was a death metal band, and the natural intention was to create and play a more dark/emotional/deep kinda thing. I don't like the idea when the band changes the music completely, but the old name stays. Now it's different musically and lyrically than it was back then. It wasn't easy to come up with the name. I tried to imagine my band with several, but nothing would stick to it. Then I remembered a word from one of my new lyrics (at the time). It was Shadowdances. I liked it right on, so we became SHADOWDANCES. Are you satisfied with "Burning Swodahs"? Are you composing new music now? Well, actually, no, I'm not satisfied with it at all. It was a terrible mistake to go to the studio absolutely
unprepared. I must say I feel that the music is quite good, and the emotions are right, but the sound and the performance really suxx. That was our fault, and it was the first time when I stood in front of the microphone without actually growling and had to do some decent singing. Of course, I blew it up. But you have to start somwhere, and that's where we started. As I said, we feel that the material is quite decent though, so we'll try to re-record some of the songs later on. Especially it comes to the songs "Till Windows Light" and "Silent". Well, we're in the studio right now, recording the new material. It's almost ready - we have just a few touches left - and then to mix it. Hopefully we're gonna finish it soon (perhaps in a few weeks), then we'll start searching for a label to put it out. I have to tell, that for some it might be a total surprise, cause the music really changed to the better. And the best part this time is that we rehearsed all the songs properly. We put lots of hopes that there will be some labels interested to release it. The new record is gonna be named "The River of Lost", it's gonna be a long one - about 70 minutes probably, consisting of 10 to 12 dark and emotional songs, we haven't decided which ones are to appear on
the CD, cause we have recorded more songs to choose from. The other ones hopefully are gonna be released later, as an EP or so. How did you end signing with Dangus Productions? Well, we're not signed to Dangus Prod. The thing is that Ugnius Lioge, the chief of Dangus, released our "Burning Swodahs" as an MC in Lithuania, and that's it. As a Mini CD it was released through spanish Abstract Emotions Rec. The only difference is that on the MC there are two more tracks that are not included on the Mini CD. It's two more death oriented songs, more in the CONSCIOUS ROT veins, but more emotional. What do you think of "Paranoia in the evening", now, more than seven years later? I haven't listened to it for probably seven years now, or close to it. I think it was a good start. It's really nice to remember those days, though it was very tough. The demo was put out on the right time, cause at that time there was no known lithuanian death metal acts around. We were one of the first ones and definitely the heaviest. Hurrayyyy! What does the term atmospheric guitar means when refering to Grafas Lokys guitar playing? The atmospheric guitar we call the more emotional and melodic parts played on the top of the rhythm guitar. It gives the song an atmospheric feel, that's why we call it so. Now they're all played by another guitarist, Raima. How important are the keys of Lady Amial for Shadowdance´s music? You can say that they're essential. It's one of the key things that make SHADOWDANCES SHADOWDANCES. SHADOWDANCES (ha ha). You have to hear our new music to believe how beautiful and deep those keyboard licks are. Is Shadowdances music meant to play on stage? Or are there some changes
that have to be made in other to do it? Definitely, yeah. It's ment to be played on stage. Though some of the songs are almost impossible to play. The difficult thing is that i'm doing the vocals, plus playing drums. For most of the songs it goes nicely, but they're those few which are too difficult to play. The other ones are the most dark/slow ones, which, we feel, are too slow to play live. They're ment to listen to at home and hear all the small things that you're unable to hear at the concert. But we'll try to have at least a couple of slower songs ready for the gigs after the new CD is out, to represent all of our music, not only a part of it. What does the term "atmospheric shadow metal" mean when it is used to describe your music? I don't know, actually. It's the term that Ugnius Lioge (Dangus prod.) produced after he listened to our "Burning Swodahs" Mini CD. Well, we are quite happy with this term, cause i truely think it would be difficult to name our music a certain name, apart from if someone thinks it suxx (ha ha!). I think it means that it's atmospheric and that it's shady, am I right or am I right? ;-) Do you think that melodies are what sets Shadowdances apart from the other bands? I think yeah, it's definitely one of the things. At least from lithuanian underground bands. I think that we're quite unique now, because of our melodies, harmonies and emotions. Are there any plans of touring to support the new material? Do you feel part of the Lithuanian metal scene? We hope that there we'll be some invitations to tour, go to some other countries than Lithuania. We'll try hard to promote the new material and serch for distributors, agencies and clubs, so that it would be possible to play some gigs this summer. Any final words for the people that read this interview? Thank you very much for your interest and helping to spread the word of SHADOWDANCES. I hope you and everyone else keep the eyes open for the new stuff from us. Please visit our webpage, at: www.omnitel.net/shadowdances which is
gonna be reniewed (and some things added) in a short while because of our new music recorded. Thanks to everyone who wasn't bored to death. Be dark and emotional! You can also write us at: shadow@post.omnitel.net. Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
SHADOWDANCES - DISCOGRAPHY "Paranoia in the Evening" - demo (as Conscious Rot) (1992) Promo Tape 1993 - (as Conscious Rot) (1993)
Congenital Passivity - demo (as Conscious Rot) (1993) "The Soil" (as Conscious Rot) - CD (1994) "Burning Swodahs" - Mini-CD (1996) ACTUAL LINEUP Raima - lead guitars Grafas Lokys - atmospheric guitars Tadas - bass Lady Amial - keys Baronas Juodas - drums and vocals
Robert Kasch, the owner of Ubus Records, has multiple projects, among the Telesmata. This project is focused in using only certain instruments for each recording. Let´s see what Robert told us... Why did you started this project? Is there some music you wanted toreflect on it? I started Telesmata in 1999 because I always wanted to make my own music. with Telesmata, I focus on using only certain instrumentation for each recording because it challenges me to be creative and resourceful with whatever instrument I'm using at that time. Telesmat areflects a wide array of influences, from electronic to noise to electro-acoustic and so on. How did you use the Saylt digital voice synthesizer in "Neologistics"? Basically, I looked for patterns of letters that gave interesting results and manipulated them only with the oparameters on the synth itself. Many of the sounds used on these recordings were pretty much stumbled upon while messing around with the synth; entering in random letters, words, phonemes, etc. I basically just generated interesting sounds, loops, etc. and used them to compose with. Why did you try this? I tried this because I liked the sounds that could be generated by the voice synth. It really possess a wide range of possibilties. Even though it may appear to be a device of limited potential, it most certainly isn't. I like to take instruments that don't seem to have a lot of creative possibilties and find lots of possibilities in them.
Is the split CD between Telesmata and The Praying Gods ready? How different is the music from your previous releases? Yes, the split CD is ready and available now from UBUS. This release is a continuation of the Neologistics CDR. It uses the voice synth, too. The Praying Gods also used the same voise synth for his half. He contacted me and asked me about doing a voice synth split release with him. I love his work, and so I agreed to do it. Which is the software that you prefer using for composing and playing your music? Well, for the Neologistics CD and the split with The Praying Gods, I used the SayIt voice synth program from AnalogX. But I don't always use programs to cmopose. For example with the stuff I'm working on now, I'm using a small wooden novelty/stress relief toy called a Bullshit Grinder. So this instrument it and the resulting compositions are in a much more of a electroacoustic vein and sound alot different then the voice synth stuff. I will use any interesting/unusual instrumentation to compose my music. How did Telesmata ended appearing on the "Sinfinite (Codex Nimbus)"compilation? Actually, it's not a compilation. It's an album from Dier, which is a side project of E. Victor C. (The Praying Gods). dier is his project where he remixes other musicians' material. He contacted me and asked if he could remix a track from Telesmata,
and was happy to let him do it. I may ask him to remix something from my other project, VoidChannel, sometime. He does great work. Are you planning to add more musicians to Telesmata or will it be always a one man project? More than likely, it will always be a one-man project, though you never know. I'd be happy to work with other musicians who I admire, so it could be become a group someday. On the other hand, working solo allows me complete comtrol over everything, which is nice to have. So I don't really know. Only time will tell. What can you tell me about your label Ubus Records? UBUS Records is a DIY, non-profit label started in 2000 in order to release music from my projects and the music of other artists who I admire. So far, 2 releases are available: the Neoelogistics CDR from Telesmata and The Praying Gods/Telesmata split 3"CDR. More will follow soon, including releases from The Praying Gods, the POP MUSIC FAVORITES CDR compilation, and much more. Do you make shows with Telesmata using electronics? Currently I don't perform live. But I may in the future. Right now, I really don't have the resources. But we'll see... Are there any other styles of music that you would like to explore? Yes. I create noise music as VoidChannel. I cover a pretty good range of styles with Telesmata, too. I would like to do some neo-classical-type stuff, like early Penderecki, Stockhausen, etc.
Which are your main influences as a musician and composer? I have been influenced by so many artists I can't possibly name them all. Some of the artists I enjoy include Brume, The Praying Gods, Kapotte Muziek, The Haters, lots of noise, electro-acoustic stuff, early electronic music, etc. Is there anything more that you want to say? Yes, thanks to Music Extreme for interviewing me and for your interest in my work. And thanks to those who read this. And to those who listen. For more info on Telesmata, VoidChannel, or UBUS Records, visit my website: http://homestead.com/ubus/main.html or me: r_kasch@hotmail.com Thanks!
Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
TELESMATA - DISCOGRAPHY "Neologistics" CDR (on UBUS Records) -Limited Edition of 33 (2000) Created using the SayIt digital voice synthesizer by AnalogX. Bilateral Unitary Fragments" MP3 Single (on MP3.COM) (2000) The Praying Gods / Telesmata split 3"CDR (on UBUS Records) -Limited Edition of 25 (2001). Dier-"Sinfinite (Codex Nimbus)" DAM CD (on MP3.COM) (2000) Features a Dier remix of "Narrative 10" by Telesmata entitled "Brainwheel". (Original version of "Narrative 10" appears on the "Neologistics" CDR.) "Pop Music Favorites" CDR Compilation (on UBUS Records) (2001)
VoidChannel is one of the projects that prolific musician Robert Kasch (also head of Ubus Records) has been recording lately. We talked to him to know a little bit about what is all about. How different is VoidChannel from Telesmata your other project? VoidChannel is very different from Telesmata. Telesmata uses only limited instrumentation for each recording. VoidChannel has no restrictions; I use whatever I like. Also, VoidChannel focuses on a variety of sounds within the noise/noisey music genre, while Telesmata does a variety of styles that can be categorized in several different styles. Is the Screwed Up Music/VoidChannel split CD ready? Can you describe it? Actually, this release probably isn't going to happen. He contacted me and asked me to do it quite a while ago, but unfortunately, he seems to have lost interest in doing it. It's a shame, as I admire his work. What do you think is more important to achieve with VoidChannel music:experimentation, melodies, rythms? All of these things are inportant. These things all appear in my work from time to time. It seems that Voidchannel´s music has appeared in different compilations...How was this experience? VoidChannel is scheduled to make several compilation appearances. These compilations haven't been released yet. I like to contribute to comps with both of my projects. Telesmata will appear on some comps in the future as well. Hopefully, all of these experiences will be good. How
is
Voidchannel´s
music
There are number of ways I compose with VoidChannel. I sometimes use improvisation and then edit it digitally. Sometimes I just create create short segnmeents of sound and arrange them as I see fit. Sometimes I do both. It depends on the equipment I'm using for that particular composition. Are you planning a new Voidchannel album after the CD split release? I'm working on a VoidChannel full-length right now. I hope to have it done by the end of the year at the latest. That's about all the info I have on that right now. Are there any other projects (apart from Telesmata) in which you are involved? No, not at the moment. Do you have musical theory trainning? Does it affect the way in which you compose? I'm trained in music theory and guitar. It doesn't really affect the way I compose becuase I never really use conventional techniques in my work. Have you received offers to release Voidchannel´s albums on other labelsor do you prefer to work independently? I'm currently in contact with several labels who are interested in hearing more of my work and may be interested in releasing my stuff. We'll see what happens. Are there any plans to add another member to compose in Voidchannel ?
composed? Not at the moment but we'll see in the future.
VOID CHANNEL´S WEBSITE: http://homestead.com/telesmata/voidchannel.html OR http://www.mp3.com/voidchannel Interviewed by Federico Marongiu
VOID CHANNEL - DISCOGRAPHY Bilateral Unitary Fragments - MP3 Single (on MP3.COM) (2000) Pop Music Favorites - CDR Compilation (on UBUS Records) (2001) Shit For An Answer 2xC90 (on Debila Records) Compilation (unreleased yet) War Between The States Vol. 1 - Compilation CDR (on Evan's Prosthetic Limb) (unreleased yet) War Between The States Vol. 2 - Compilation CDR (on Evan's Prosthetic Limb) (unreleased yet) Eat Dead Flies Vol. 2 C-60 (on Eat Dead Flies) Compilation (unreleased yet)
CD Reviews APHASIA - BEYOND THE INFINITE HORIZON (Independent - 1998) : This is a MCD with four songs of extreme metal that in some parts sound like death metal and in others sound like black metal. What really surprised me of this release was the length of the songs, none of them is less than five and a half minutes long. That is not usual for bands of the genre and that allows the threee musicians to do some changes into the same song. I think that this is the point that the band must use: the mix of clean guitars and distorted ones and the two type of vocals. The album is really good and has a good sound. thIs guys are working on their next effort and they have a new drummer. I would like to see how the new stuff is. Favorite tracks: "Seasonal Stowaway" and "Quest for Eternal Life" . Email: pouilleuxqc@videotron.ca
ARCHONTES - THE WORLD WHERE SHADOWS COME TO LIFE (Metal Agen - Valiant, 1999): When I saw the cover of the CD I thought that this was the work of a black metal band but what did I found instead? It is great power metal coming from Russia !! Yes, this band has the humorous way to do metal that have made bands like Helloween famous. Plus they use a lot of keyboards more in a way that Stratovarius would do it. The songs are really well constructed putting a focus in melodies. The singer has nothing to envy to guys like Timo Kotipelto or Michael Kiske. I hope this guys continue doing this great music and I will wait until their next record. My favorite tracks:"The World Where Shadows come to Life", "Runaway from Dark" and "Fear is the Conscience of Villains". Email: valia-rec@mtu-net.ru mailto:Naepesh@hotmail.com BLENDERHEAD - FIGUREHEADS ON THE FOREFRONT OF POP CULTURE (Tooth and Nail Rec., 2000): This is a band that has a really modern sound (in fact it sounds quite like a cross between grunge and punk). The music is both energetic and funny. It reminds me of some exponent of the genre but I don´t know exactly to whom (eventhough I found some shades of Stone Temple pilots in some places). The overall result is really good. This is a recommended album for fans of this genre that is between pop, grunge, punk and rock. Email: blenderhead@toothandnail.com
CLICK - CLICK (Abyss Recs.. - 1997): This is one of the projects of prolific guitarist Anand Bhatt. This release is extremely powerful! What I would like to point out is the extremely good work of the percussionist and the bassist. Anand´s vocals fit perfectly the music that his three partners are making. The guitarist crushes with rythms and subtle textures. The six songs of this release are not enough. I hope Anand continues with this project with such good musicianship because the results are of extreme quality. My favorite tracks are: "Down Below", "Vladimere" and "Mountain". Email: click@hotmail.com
CONDITION RED - CONDITION RED (Lion Music - 2000): This is a supergroup. Yes, a collaboration between musicians that are all full of virtuosity and imagination. Both guitarists, Lars Eric Mattsson and Alex Masi are well known and respected for their solo projects. In this CD the keyboards of Alexander King are all over the place and the vocals of Torgny Stjärnfelt and Ella Grussner give personality and contrast to the music (in fact I think that Ella is the point that the band must use because she is a genious, and plays great violins parts, such as the one in the intro to Call out my name"). If this was not enough you have Esa Pietilä, an awesome jazz sax player that puts his musicianship in there. This is progressive rock for people that was missing the quality, musicianship and complexity that bands in the seventies use to have. As a bonus there is the collaboration of Derek Sherinian (ex Dream Theater) doing a couple of keyboard solos. My favorite tracks: I can not pinpoint a song. The whole album is great. Email: info@lionmusic.com
DAFELDECKER; FUSSENEGGER, KOVACIC - PRINTER (Durian Recs., 1999): This is experimental music done between three musicians: Werner Dafeldecker plays acoustic bass and glass, Uli Fussenegger plays acoustic bass and Dieter Kovacic manipulates turntables. The first track that gives name to the record is twenty nine minutes long and there the three men experiment a lot with sound and noises. There are certain parts where they create certain oppressive atmospheres and others where they try to make their instruments sound in a totally different way than they are supposed to do. They also like to sustain a note while th other make some rythm over it. Is quite weird music and you can feel that they are creating something new. They play a lot with dynamics. This CD was recorded live on May 1999. My favorite tracks: "Printer " and "Dun". Email: durian@durian.at
DROWNING - DROWNING (Released Power Productions, 1999): This band is really direct and mixes death metal with some hardcore parts (specially certain drum patterns remind me of old hardcore). They sound really powerful. I think that this band has to have a great live performance. One of thoise performance that makes you shake your head until thay have finished. The band is extremely tight considering the changes of tempo that their songs have. The deathly vocals courtesy of Ridwan fit the music perfectly giving a sense of suffering and martyrium to their songs. I liked a lot also the cover art and the general layout of the CD. My favorite tracks: "Veil of Disguise", "Downfall" and "Tempter´s Crowning". Email: drowndcp@hotmail.com or alainrpp@compuserve.com
FAR´N´HIGH - ATTRACTION OF FIRE (Brennus Music, 1999): Lovers of progressive metal /rock will find this CD a dream come true!!!!. This band from France takes all the elements of the genre and put them together in their own way. The songs are complex and really good musicianship is needed to compose songs like the ones here. I think that this band knows how to manage their music to reach perfect equilibrium bewtween what is subtle and what is heavy. The main factor that drives the music is the guitar of Stéphane but all musicians shine in this production. Vocalist Damien (who also plays keyboards) is great for the band and can do all the phrasing needed with his voice. Also the drumming is complex and keeps on pushing the limits. My favorite tracks: "How do you feel", "Our love" (here Damien´s vocals can be listened carefully in all its magnitude), "Attraction of Fire" and " Holy Crossing! Email: Brennus.hardrock@wanadoo.fr
G.A.G - FROLICS (Bloodbucket Prods. - 2000): This is a two track CD consisting in the two parts of Frolics: Frolic 1 and Frolic 2. This is a noise/ ambient projecta and it is well done (in fact I would like to listen a little bit more of a keyboard that was in the background on Frolic 1…that can be one point to exploit. The only man behind this project is Graeme Gill who does everything in this records and who is also the head of Fete Recording, a small label focused on producing noise/ambient records. This is for fans of this style of music, with lots of experimentation. Email: fete@operamail.com
HATRED - THE OFFERING (Independent -1999): This is death metal at its best. A recording with great sound: a fundamental part of any death metal sound is the double bass drumming and here you can hear it in its total plenitude. Really fat guitars that remind me those of Cannibal Corpse but instead of being used as fast as in that band they are used to construct a deadly groove. An extra point is the bass guitar that pumps through all the recording and in certain special moments you can hear it constructing certain textures. And there are two types of vocals: one, a deep growl, and the other one a shriek !!. My favorite tracks in theis album are: "We all burn" (great part where the vocals follow the fast drum parts), "Rotting" and "Desolation". Totally recommended for fans of extreme death metal. Email: hatredva@aol.com
JARRA - TEST OF FAITH (Lion Music - 2000): A surprising album ! As I put on the intro to the interview that I made with them this band mixes metal with southern rock, thrash and blues and bring up his own sound. Add to that the great vocals of Kathie Jarra and the thrash like sound of Johnny Russian´s guitars and you have a crushing album like this. The music in the CD is well constructed and its original (and you can identify inmediately the sound of the band and that is one of the main points that bands are always searching). My favorite songs: "Eternal Love", "Pain" (here in the middle part is where I think that Kathie´s vocals reach the climax) and "Two Evils". Email: info@lionmusic.com
MORTIFER - IF TOMORROW COMES (Metal Agen - Valiant - 1999): It is really good to listen to bands that are still making good thrash metal. In fact this is the purest tharsh metal album I have listened in years. The sound is influenced by german bands like Kreator, Sodom and Destruction. The overall sound of the production is really good sounding raw (specially the drums and the bass have a sound like we used to listen in the late eighties). My favorite tracks: "If Tomorrow Comes", "Fatality Insane" and "Sea of Tears" It is really good to see a band that is really faithful to their roots regardless the style that is more comercial in the scene today. Email: valia-rec@mtu-net.ru
MÜHLBACHER - DAFELDECKER - DIPTHONGS - (Durian Recs. - 1997): This is another work of this experimental man called Werner Dafeldecker (also head of Durian Records from Austria), this time he teams with Christian Mühlbacher on percussion. They asked a lot of improvisers musician to play a solo totally independent from what the others play and and then, using a computer, they made this collages of sounds. This is quite amazing because the result is really good and you can see that this guys must have
worked hard to obtain this. All the tracks have names of some chemical elemant. And they sound like we could call each instrument an element and then bring up a more complex chemical by combining them. Great job!. Favorite tracks: "Calcium", "Chlorine" and "Copper" Email: durian@durian.at
NO DREAM - MEMORIES PROGRESSION (Metal Agen. - Valiant - 2000) : Spectacular band of progressive metal from Russia! This band conmsists in four musicians that are helped in this release by a male and a female vocalist that really seem to be part of the band (the male vocalist brought shades of In the Woods…to my mind). The musicianship is really complex and the instruments that surprised me most were the guitar and the keyboards part (there are parts that are so beautiful….): This people know how to compose epic songs with lots of parts and changes. Lyrically the album is very poetic ( it seems that they have worked hard in that aspect too). My favorite tracks: "Vaguest Dreams", "Forcefed Memories" and "Memories - a Heaven in Hell´s Despair". Email: valia-rec@mtu-net.ru
PAGAN - HEATHEN UPHEAVAL DEMO´98 (Independent, 1998): From Turkey comes this band whose guitar man Talciron I have interviewed last issue. An epic intro called "The Convening" gives way to the first song called "The Longing and the Ancient Ones" that is very subtle black metal with acoustic guitar parts and spoken parts. I find this band very interesting because they can do great music within a real fast context and they have great taste for melodies. The keyboards of Typhoon are great and give a feeling of obscurity to the songs. I like a lot the spoken parts because in those segments the drums are quite more rythmical and you can hear the song breath. My favorite tracks " The longing and the Ancient Ones", "Marching of the Hordes" and "Bitter Gates of Grief" . Email: talciron@usa.net
REALLY CRAZY GERMANS - ADOLF CASTLE (Metal Agen. - Valiant - 1999) : The name of the band is really true to what their members are. They are crazy!! And they are and sound german ! The music in this record is like heavy metal but with a twisted sense of humor. Songs like "Russian Polizei" stick in your mind inmediately. This is a record to have fun with and drink lot of beer while listening to it. They make me remeber of bands like Tankard (they are different musically but…) or Die Toten Hosen (because of the choruses) and sometimes to Running Wild. My Favorite Tracks: "Gallow Tree", Oh grand Old Alaric". Email: valia-rec@mtu-net.ru
REBEL´S MOTHER - SANCTIFY (Independent, 2000): Rebel´s Mother is a band that has influences of heavy, thrash and death metal. The first song in this record, "Dance of the Dead" is deceiving: It starts sort of deathmetallish and then suddenly changes into a more thrash/heavy thing. Also, this song has a spectacular keyboard solo from Chris Alis and the guitars give power and melody at the same time. The vocals of Jeremy Brown are really appropriated for this kind of music being melodic and powerful at the same time (I think he really has the talent of putting the right vocal melodies in the right places)(there are also some deathlike growls too). This band has also a motor woman in the person of Melanie Jamias, the drummer whose style gives Rebel´s Mother´s music the push that it needs (I am the fan of rhythms done with cymbals instead of hihat and this woman does a lot of them). My favorite tracks: Dance of
the Dead", "Walk Away" (with a lot of percussion) and "Sanctify" (sublime guitars and keyboards) Email: metal@rebelsmother.com
ROLF MUNKES - NO MORE OBSCURITY (Lion Music - 2000) : German virtuoso Rolf Munkes has been playing guitar in other projects for yearsand here it is his first solo album. The album is in parts ins trumental and in part it has vocals. The participation of different singers and musicians along the record (in fact only Munkes and drummer extraordinaire Gerald Kloos are the only ones that play in all tracks) give the music differnt textures and feelings. The song ranges from neoclassical metal to jazz-fusion stuff. There is also a drum solo courtesy in part to Kloos and in part to Anders Johansson (Hammerfall).My favorite songs: "You and I" (really catchy), "That´s new" and "Confuse Them All" . Email: info@lionmusic.com
SPECTER - IMAGES OF THE INNOCENT (Metal Agen - Valian, 1999): This russian band is not easy to classify. What I can say of them is that they are really really good in what they do. They sound like a progressive metal band but thay have a darker side that bands in the style usually don´t have, specially on the vocals that sometimes are whispers and are not as high pitched. But the great musicianship that is present in the bands of the progressive genre as long with the tempo changes and complicated structures are present here along with keyboards that are omnipresent giving this feeling of climatic textures and virtuosity at the same time. .Also I have to point out the work of the guitars that push the music of the band to a heavier side. My favorite tracks: "Jackal", "Elements" and "Mythology". Email: valia-rec@mtu-net.ru
THE JULIANA THEORY - EMOTION IS DEAD (Tooth and Nail Recs. - 2000): This is music destined to be a hit. Sometimes when you listen to some songs you say: "Well, if they got the support of the media, they will do it". This is the case with The Juliana Theory. If the media puts their eyes on them they can be stars really soon. Their songs have the commercial potential to do it and they are better constructed than the ones of most of the bands of the same genre. Great work of vocals in this release. The songs have big hooks. Maybe some day we will hear from them as big numbers. My Favorite Tracks: "Don´t Push Love Away", "Is Patience still waiting?" and "Emotion is dead Part I and Part II. Email:teresa@toothandnail.com
TORBEN ENEVOLDSEN - HEAVY PERSUASION (Lion Music, 2000) : Torben Enevoldsen is a guitar virtuoso that comes from Denmark. His style is reminiscent of great players like Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen. Torben starts this CD with a heavy tune that has the title of the record. After that he changes climate with a more melodic song called "Desert Groove" with tasty solos and moods. The whole album is a demonstration of what a player with good taste and great technique can do. It is good to listen to players like this. I totally recommend this album to all those people that love guitar music. My favorite tracks: "Desert Groove", "Go Figure" (with some phrasing that reminded me of Greg Howe) and "Heads Up" (really energetic). Email: info@lionmusic.com
TWISTED TOWER DIRE - DEMO 2000 (Independent, 2000): This is a band that makes pure heavy metal but with a more modern sound. They have also certain thrash shades in their music. They are METAL !! Good work of guitars. If this is their new material I would like to listen to the whole album when it is ready. I think that vocalist Tony Taylor is really a finding…he can sound like a NWOBHM singer when he wants and like an eighties thrash metal singer in other parts. This guys will have a good career if they can find a good way to promote their music. They have the talent and the potential to do it. Favorite track: "Sign of the Storm". Email: twistedtower@earthlink.net
VARIOUS ARTISTS - ANVIL RECS. (Anvil - 2000): This CD brings together bands from very different style and I think they are all from France. The bands to mention because of their music are: Sweet Silence (they make sort of a primitive thrash metal...the vocalist reminds me a lot of James Hetfield - Kill em all era), Manigance (this is a progressive band and they sing in french, their musicianship is good), Blind Roller (progressive metal band with a complex song called "Symphony of Dead"), Hauteville (a band more popish with a female vocalist that sounds really good, lots of keyboards), Medusa ( it seems like an old thrash metal band…the recording does not have a good sound), Toxic Twins (great band, sounds like a NWOBHM era band), Infected Brain (a sort of death/black metal band with good ideas, the sound quality is not good) .
ZAO - SELF-TITLED (Solid State Recs., 2000): This band has a sound that reminds me of Fear Factory but using more electronics (in fact the percussion in the album is electronic). Also they are more experimental and uses clean guitars and other stuff to point out the moods of their songs. The vocals are like the ones in certain black metal bands (in the heaviest parts) but have also an industrial feeling in them and sometimes they are like whispers. I don´t know how the other records from this guys sound but I must say that this one is extremely mature an intense. I hope I can make an interview with this guys because they are a band to watch in the future. My favorite tracks: "The End of the World", "Trash can Hands" and "A tool to scream". Email: teresa@toothandnail.com
LIVING SACRIFICE - THE HAMMERING PROCESS (Solid State Recs., 2000): This is one of the most powerfuls bands that I have listened in a long time. Their music is a mix of styles ranging from Sepultura or Soulfly to Fear Factory and Coal Chamber. One point to remark is that their sound is huge like those of the main bands in the metal scene today or even better. The vocals are spectacular and can be extremely rotten in ocassions or melodic as in the case of parts of "Bloodwork". The drumming is really impressing trying to add more than the usual heaviness to the music of the band. In fact there are some percussive parts that give another feeling to the songs. A great album for those lovers of potent bands with a lot more than speed to offer. My favorite tracks: "Flatline", "Bloodwork", "Hand of the Dead" and "Hidden". Email: teresa@toothandnail.com
NEWS Next month Tooth and Nail recording artists Ghoti Hook, The Dingees and new artists Side Walk Slam will embark on a tour that will take them all over America These are the release dates of the new material from Tooth and Nail Recs. And Solid State Recs. 5.08.01 Soapbox`A Divided Man`SolidState 5.08.01 Various`New Musiq Vol.2`T&N 6.05.01 Starlyer 59`Leave Here A Stranger`T&N 7.03.01 Stretch Arm Strong`A Revolution Transmission`SolidState Dark Symphonies Recs. Will release the first full length from BRAVE. This band was formerly known as ARISE FROM THORNS. Dark Symphonies has reached an agreement with Hellion Records in Argentina to anufacture and distribute RAIN FELL WITHIN's "Believe" for South America. ANCIENT RITES recently finished the recordings for their long-awaited follow-up to their outstanding
Fatherland-album. The new album was recorded and mixed in Spacelab Studios in Germany.
The new album is titled "DIM CARCOSA" and features 11 tracks. Some of the songtitles are Victory or Valhalla (Last Man Standing), North Sea, (Ode to Ancient) Europa, On Golden Fields (De Leeuwen Dansen) and ofcourse the title-track Dim Carcosa. Release of the album is scheduled for May 21st.. Maudlin of the Well have concluded their recording sessions for the new 2cd release for Dark Symphonies entitled "Bath" and "Leaving Your Body Map." They will begin mastering the new material immediately with a release date anticipated sometime in early spring 2001. Candlelight Records announces the upcoming domestic release of the much-anticipated live album from EMPEROR. The recording's stateside availablity comes shortly after the band's confirmation that they will not tour for their upcoming album, slated for release this fall. Emperial Live Ceremony, set to ship on May 4, is the band's first live recording and offers fans what may be the last glimpse of the band's stage performance. Already a success throughout Europe, where the album has been in release for some time, Emperial Live Ceremony documents the band's extensive world tour in support of IX Equilibrium. For fans, the recording has a visual counterpart both on VHS and DVD formats, available in the US (under exclusive license) from Music Video Distributors. NEW RELEASE from THT Productions KEKAL "Embrace The Dead" (THT 26CD) Digitally remastered with a bonus track, total 10 tracks, 60 minutes of playing time. Now in stock!! Excellent 2nd full-length CD from Indonesian extreme metallers! Known after the underground success of their debut album "Beyond The Glimpse of Dreams", this sophomore release will shock every extreme metal fan once again with its amazing mixture of black metal, gothic, and classic power metal. Price: US$13 (postage paid) THT Productions --Today's Heavy Turbulence-extreme music label / underground webstore. THT, P.O. Box 1496, JKB 11014, Jakarta INDONESIA. eail: thtudg@centrin.net.id http://www.thtproductions.com
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