New Noise Magazine Issue #41

DEBUT FULL LENGTH OUT JUNE 29, 2018

EXCLUSIVE INDIE RETAIL VINYL COLOR

N E W A L B U M “ L I V I N G P R O O F ” A V A I L A B L E J U N E 1 5 TH 2 0 1 8

E XC L U S I V E I N D I E R E TA I L VINYL COLOR

IN SPITE OF ME

EXCLUSIVE INDIE RECORD STORE VINYL COLOR AVAILABLE

OUT JULY 27, 2018

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FEATURING CJ MILLER OF SHINING A LIGHT ON THE JOYS AND HEARTACHES THAT LIE AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE LGBTQIA COMMUNITY AND THE WORLD OF ALTERNATIVE MUSIC‌ os Angeles agitprop punks dimber—pronounced like the switch—understand that confidence is not something that can be flipped on like a light. Instead, it’s a muscle one strengthens by swimming against the current of dominant culture.

Drawing on garagey punk, ’90s alternative, and the “Clueless� soundtrack, the band’s most recent 7�, “Take Me Out� b/w “Sons and Daughters�—released May 11 via Chain Letter Collective—furthers their goal of reminding listeners to carve out their own pathways and never skip psychological leg day. Led by tour de force frontwoman CJ Miller—who also teaches L.A. locals to reclaim their sense of movement at Pony Sweat Aerobics, alongside her sister Emilia Richeson—dimber seek to gradually illuminate the cracks in the world and encourage everyone to get loud, stand tall, and feel beautiful doing it.

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ON MOVING Our bodies and our movements are manipulated by the material and cultural environments we inhabit. Systems of control and the cultivation of ideologies are intertwined with our physical mobility and corporeal space.

They are components of constructing social hierarchies and the methods with which we are subjugated by the ruling class. Pathways of the city—urban construction— shove us into corridors and lanes to improve the flow of mass populations, but they restrict us, regardless of how they benefit the populace as a whole. There is detrimental carryover. Training our movements, to the point they become

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nearly subconscious, we cease to question our surroundings and move through environments as automatons. In movement, when you are denied access because you belong to a marginalized group, your existence is negated. It reinforces the notion you have less to no value in society and have no voice.

ON DRESSING These notions can be applied to our clothing as well. [‌] As a trans girl on the tall side of the spectrum, I’ve thought often of the space I take up, my access, and how I move in the world.

Firstly, there are no fucking cute shoes in my size! I’m being a melodramatic, hyperbolic brat for effect here, but the reality is close. I saw this pair of all-pink Vans high tops recently, absolutely fell in love with them—but do they exist in my size? Of course not. Girls with feet as big as mine don’t matter to these companies. This same facet is true for womxn with larger bodies. There is a lack of access to clothing that is flattering and fits our bodies. Don’t even get me started on swimsuits and lower coverage for genitalia for cis [and] trans female and non-binary persons. These things are unavailable to us, because we do not matter to the world that constructs them.

In recent years, I’ve developed more awareness of my female body, further confidence in inhabiting space, and its implications on gender norms. To be large is to be outside the feminine ideal.

The ideal female is small, petite. Being Culturally, I had been conditioned to tall or fat or strong, you exist outside believe that space was the province of the ideal. [‌] But womxn are all fucking men. “Manspreadingâ€? derived from this sizes. My friend Elliot counseled me over exact concept. Men as the dominant, this and told me, “Girl, let them look “superiorâ€? gender as dictated by our up to you!â€? Their words stuck with me. hierarchy are allowed to take up as Big womxn are gorgeous. Our society much space as they desire. Womxn are to would tell you different. Theirs is a lie be small, legs crossed, closed off. We are to preserve existing power structures. I to be hidden. Invisible. I will fight those reject these systems of oppression. All ideas with invigorated confidence and bodies are beautiful. determination.

Being one girl against an entire flux of these messages makes it very difficult to not internalize it as truth. It requires daily practice, training our brains to fight against those ideas and know that you have value and beauty beyond the confines of accepted social standards.

These standards are an arbitrary ideal and a lie passed off as fact, shaped in heinous ideologies: homophobia,

I have found spaces to practice moving how I want, training to get to my truest self, practicing to take that confidence into a world that attempts to restrict me at every opportunity. I work on it in the dance class I teach with my sister. In our days when I was first her student, she taught me and encouraged me to extend my limbs, seeing the beauty in

PHOTO BY LYDIA DEETZ

transphobia, ageism, ableism, racism, and sexism.

ON MOVING ON

ON CHARGING AHEAD

my lengthy form and my movements.

She knows how much it scared me to show how tall I was. She knows the fear I lived with and why it was difficult for me to do something as simple as reach out—to take up my given space. I can’t thank her enough for this gift of feeling more OK to be myself.

WE WILL NOT HIDE FOR YOU. WE WILL NOT MAKE OURSELVES SMALLER. WE WILL BE TALL. WE WILL BE LARGE. WE WILL BE LOUD. WE WILL NOT BE INVISIBLE. WE WILL NOT DIMINISH. đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł

NOT

D HEAR

BY SEAN GONZALEZ THE FOCUS FROM THE INDIVIDUALS WHO CREATE THE BEST ALBUMS TO TAKE AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE JOBS THAT KEEP THE INDUSTRY RUNNING. GO BEYOND THE MUSIC AND MEET THE PEOPLE WHO KEEP YOUR FAVORITE BANDS IN THE PUBLIC EYE... that’s because these sections do not exist in most spaces.�

suggestions on ways to increase accessibility.�

“After attending multiple shows “Our website is being redesigned at a venue that wouldn’t even try by Danica Hutchison, and we’re to accommodate me despite me getting closer and closer to emailing them a week in advance launch, so then, it will be very of concerts, I got really angry. Being simple for people to view our someone who wants to work in music, database and submit information FEATURI NG HALF ACCESS PRESIDE NT CASSIE WILSON how was I supposed to do that if it on venues, including their personal PHOTO BY ANDREW LE wasn’t accessible to me? I quickly experiences at them. We’re also realized nothing was going to change working with booking agents to ccessibility is not talked How did Wilson’s disability affect her magically overnight and decided to gather a lot of information in a about enough. For Cassie show-going experiences, and when turn that frustration into productive quicker way.�

Wilson—president of Half did she know it was time for a change? energy and started Half Access.�

Access, a nonprofit dedicated “We’re going to have a blog where to bringing accessibility standards “For a long time, I would just ‘deal In 2017, Wilson was the recipient of we will be sharing interviews with into the music scene—it is her with’ being front row at general- an Alternative Press Music Award, disabled folks in the music industry, loudest conversation. Wilson was admission concerts in my manual and Hopeless Records and Sub City as well as disabled concert-goers. born with a case of dwarfism that wheelchair, because I felt like, granted her $10,000 to take Half We’ll be writing articles about has proven to be an issue for her despite how unsafe it was, that was Access to the next level. Despite what accessibility really looks like, bone growth, requiring multiple the only way I would have an equal already having a website, Wilson why accessibility should matter to surgeries and leaving her standing concert experience and be able to created a team to redesign it and everyone, what accommodation 3 feet 8 inches tall. She can walk see. I didn’t care about my safety really push the nonprofit into the processes are like, and what but uses a wheelchair to do more because I didn’t recognize that I, public eye. it means to be an ally to the strenuous daily activities, like going and other disabled folks, deserved disabled community.â€? to shows. She also is one of the a space where we could view the “Our main project right now is building a most avid music fans and voices in show and not have the weight of database of accessibility information “I hope to see Half Access become the Portland music scene, having a crowd pushing against us and on as many venues as possible, then a reliable resource for people with started her own media site, Sick people stagediving onto us.â€? people with disabilities can look up disabilities, bands, promoters, and Snaps, and raising awareness of info on venues they’ve never been booking agents who are looking an issue that has passed over many “When I started asking venues to and have a better idea of what to for accessible places to attend and for a safer place to be, the expect when going for the first time. play shows.â€? heads—but not hers. pushback I received and feelings We currently have 100 venues in “Half Access is ultimately working of powerlessness that I was left our database from cities across the Wilson is making more than a to raise awareness about the current with made me realize just how States, and even some from outside small murmur in the scene: she’s lack of accessibility at concert venues, inaccessible venues are. Even as of the U.S. We hope to also create an earthquake with a seismic goal help people who are disabled be a person with a visible disability— resources for venues that want of change, awareness, and a safer better prepared when buying meaning I use a mobility aid—I’ve help in understanding how they place for all. đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł tickets to shows at venues they’re rarely been offered somewhere can improve their spaces and will not familiar with, and work toward safe to be upon entering general- use information in the database making actual changes at venues.â€? admission venues, and I learned to work with them and make

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PHOTO BY KAT NIJMEDDIN

SPOTLIGHTING THE IMPORTANT WORK OF THOSE WHO ARE CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE OF OUR MUSIC SCENES WITHOUT PLAYING A SINGLE NOTE...

PHOTO BY STEPH MILL

B

efore Kat Nijmeddin could accept the position of Creative Director at Pure Noise Records, she needed her soonto-be boss to do one thing: ask her dad for permission. It was November 2016, and Nijmeddin and her dad were at Ace Of Spades in Sacramento to see The Wonder Years, Real Friends, Knuckle Puck, Moose Blood, and Seaway—“I take my parents to shows pretty often because it’s sick,� she says. At the time, Nijmeddin was a college student and an intern at Pure Noise.

“The person I was interning under was also at the show, and I had him talk to my dad. Like, ‘Can you go tell him that you guys want to hire me and make sure it’s OK, basically?’� she says. “It worked out, and now, I’m

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living in Los Angeles, working for Pure Noise. But at first, he was super-cautious, because he didn’t want me to live in L.A., live so far from the family. And I still had to teach [my parents] that working in music is an actual job.�

Nijmeddin’s parents will be happy to hear that at the age of 23, their daughter has turned music into not only an actual job but a thriving career. As a graphic designer and illustrator, Nijmeddin has designed tour posters and merch for Jimmy Eat World, Backtrack, Have Mercy, and Knuckle Puck, to name a few. About a year ago, she added photography to her arsenal and is now a fixture at L.A. shows, capturing everyone from TouchÊ AmorÊ and Terror to Tiny Moving Parts and The Maine.

Although she jokes about having to signs all the promotional posters. As a teach her parents that her work is young Muslim woman in a predomiindeed real work, Nijmeddin says nantly white, cis male scene, Nijmeddin her dad—who immigrated to the says To The Front is a nice reminder United States from Jordan as a child of all the different people who exist and grew up on classic rock—is the in music. one who got her into music. “When I was younger, he had a huge CD “When I first started going to shows, collection, so every night, he’d pick even now, there’s usually not anotha CD, and he’d make us listen to it er person who looks like me. On a rare occasion, there will be anothand teach us about it,� she says. er hijabi girl in the crowd,� she says.

He’s also the reason she was able to “Younger Muslim girls will come up go to her first show at age 15. She to me at shows and are so fascinatwas in the hospital for knee surgery, ed that I’m able to be part of the and as they were giving her anes- music scene but also wearing hijab thesia, her dad said she could have and still being Muslim.� whatever she wanted. “‘I just want to see A Day To Remember!’� she And for those 15-year-old girls who recalls saying, “and while they were are currently begging their parents wheeling me down the hallway, I to let them go to a show, Nijmeddin started singing ‘If It Means A Lot To can sympathize. “Going to shows was a big deal,� she asserts. “When You’ loudly until I passed out.�

I was in high school, if the sun was Today, she says her parents under- down, I was not out of the house. stand her career and music more, and This one girl tweeted me the oththey’re not the only ones who have er day. She goes, ‘Kat is setting the taken note. Nijmeddin is part of To The standard for Arab girls that have to Front, a traveling exhibit that showcas- leave shows at 9:01 p.m.’â€? Nijmeddin es the work of women and non-binary laughs. “It’s kind of nice to have this photographers and designers. She’s thing and literally break the barriexhibited at two of the shows and de- ers on this.â€? đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł

PHOTO BY KAT NIJMEDDIN

NEW NOISE

9

THE NEW WHAT NEXT

LATE BLOOMER

LYDIA

INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST LEIGHTON ANTELMAN

BY NATALEE COLOMAN If there’s one thing that keeps Arizona’s Lydia going, it’s their dedicated fanbase.

Thanks to this dedication, the band will release their seventh full-length, Liquor, on July 13 via Sony imprint Weekday Records. Vocalist Leighton Antelman says the fans are the main reason the band have stayed together for 15 years, fueling their constant desire to create new music and play shows. “The fans still keep coming to shows and buying and streaming our records, and that’s really why we can still make records,� he admits.

INTERVIEW WITH JOSH ROBBINS AND NEIL MAUNEYÂ

BY JOHN SILVA

“

,

PHOTO BY BRIAN TWITTY

.

,�

Late Bloomer bassist Josh Robbins says.

Change seems to be one of the underlying themes on the Charlotte, North Carolina-based trio’s third album, Waiting, out June 29 on 6131 Records.

heavier and thicker,� guitarist Neil Mauney shares. “I liked them on the old records, but they were a little thin for what I wanted. I think we wanted to focus on writing more cohesive songs, stuff people maybe wanted to sing along with.�

From the beginning, Late Bloomer’s guitar-heavy rock has sounded like the natural output of punks who have evolved beyond the traditional punk of their youth.

With Waiting, they’ve evolved even more.

Like many involved in the DIY scene, the members of Late Bloomer have witnessed “I feel like we’re noisier than our older recordings—and heavier, for lack of a better a cultural progression over the years. “In word, than some of the recordings were really Charlotte—it’s hard to speak for other places—it’s become definitely more inclu- capturing,� Robbins says. Indeed, Waiting is heavy, guitar-driven, and fuzzy while sive,� Robbins explains. “There’s so many simultaneously being catchy, riff-driven, more women in bands, and just all across the and hooky. The album sounds warm, even spectrum, with gender non-conforming and trans artists in our scene. That wasn’t some- through some of its darker subject matter. thing that we grew up with in hardcore and fast punk and all of those other scenes that The music was influenced in part by behewe were a part of. It’s changed exponentially moth producer Justin Pizzoferrato, whose since even we started as a band, basically in past work includes iconic bands like Pixies 2012 when we first started playing shows.� and Dinosaur Jr. Pizzoferrato has worked However, there will always be change-resistant people, and some of the songs on Waiting—such as “January� and “Life Is Weird�— address men in the DIY scene who are trying to hold onto the way things were. “I think with that inclusion, there’s kind of like that last breath of toxic masculinity that just threatens all that,�

Robbins says. “I think they feel threatened, like they’re an endangered species.�

While the lyrics on Waiting frequently visit the theme of cultural change, the music represents a shift as well. “I wanted the guitars to sound

10 NEW NOISE

with some of Late Bloomer’s 6131 Records peers, and the band were confident when approaching him. “I think people put them on a pedestal, probably because of their great work,� Robbins says of high-profile producers, “but sometimes, these people wanna work with newer bands too—or bands that aren’t, like, Dinosaur Jr. We just never really thought that way, like that was possible.�

With Pizzoferrato’s help, the trio have put together a mature punk masterpiece that speaks to both older and younger members of the DIY music community. đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł

Lydia’s fans have further proven their love by getting numerous Lydia-inspired tattoos. Antelman says the band have an average of two or three fans at each gig who show them their tattoos. “I get a lot of requests to write lyrics out, and I had to stop, because people would get the lyrics tattooed and I just have terrible handwriting,� Antelman jokes. “It’s flattering, but I [want to stop] as a service to them. I don’t want them to have awful handwriting on their body.�

Liquor’s release follows two years of writing and producing, proving that good things really do come to those who wait. “We took our time with this one. Now that it’s actually being released, it feels so surreal, because it’s been so long,� Antelman shares. “We just like to make music and would do it regardless of putting out albums.� Following Lydia’s previous releases, this album will provide a full set of songs that are all uniquely themed and assembled but without a unified pattern. “We just always try to make a new experience,� Antelman adds. “My ultimate goal is to have someone be surprised and think, ‘Oh shit, that’s Lydia?’�

The band recently finished their spring tour with Moose Blood and premiered a video for “Sunlight,� along with the single “Goodside.� “I’ve always been a really big fan of artists releasing music videos alongside the song,� Antelman says. “I’m excited for fans to visually see the song along with hearing it for the first time.�

Lydia also announced their U.S. record release tour, which kicks off July 25.

Antelman says he is super excited to get back on the road and meet more fans. “It’s crazy after a show, just going out to the crowd and humans going up to you with tears in their eyes,â€? he says. “It’s so cool that I get to do this for a living.â€? đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł PHOTO BY KAT NIJMEDDIN

THE SPLIT SECONDS

Attention left off. It’s a fast, fun ride of tongue-incheek social commentary on love and loss, with a solid smack of in-your-face ’70s-styled punk often targeted inward toward their own scene.

of today’s dominant culture. We come from the original punk style and ethos, which stands for the liberty to think dangerous thoughts, look honestly at uncomfortable realities, cause offense, and stand firmly apart from the crowd.�

“We didn’t set out to write songs with an overt cultural message,â€? frontman Drew Champion “Center of Attention was essentially a solo effort for me, while Counterfeit Reality was says. “We’re basically just normal guys with the same mundane joys and tragedies as every- a more collaborative effort,â€? Champion adds. “I still wrote the songs, but having evbody else, and we just want to have fun and erybody else there to bounce ideas off of write and play music we’re proud of. But our and to generate arrangements let us write experiences as a punk band in D.C. pushed the album in the direction of social commen- a stripped-down, punchy record. Touring tary. It’s inaccurate to call P.C. punks count- has been a lot of fun and something we’re looking to do a lot more of in the future. We er-cultural in the modern context; they spout INTERVIEW WITH FRONTMAN DREW CHAMPION B Y J O S E P H G R I M M the same talking-points as nearly every major love getting out of D.C., hanging out in different cities, and meeting all the great peoWashington D.C.’s The Split Seconds released approximately 14 months after their criti- corporation, entertainment institution, media their sophomore full-length, Counterfeit cally-acclaimed debut, Center of Attention. institution, university, and even church nowa- ple who come out to our shows.â€? đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł days. P.C. punks are just the nasty hall monitors Reality, on June 8 via Altercation Records, Counterfeit Reality picks up right where Center of

DUMB INTERVIEW WITH GUITARIST NICK SHORT

BY CAMERON CARR

rhythm, increasing the drive, and focusing the perspective. Amid angular guitars, vaguely funk-tinged rhythms, and yelped lyrics, vocalist and guitarist Franco Rossino returns to the theme of money and consumerism as implied by the title. It’s shown most clearly on the 12th track, “Mint,� which wittily borrows its name from Mint Records, who worked with the band for the first time on this release. Short assures that it’s not a call-out, just a tongue-in-cheek reference to the push and pull of money in our lives.

Getting their start in the underground music scene of Vancouver, British Columbia, the DIY mindset was fundamental to the growth of post-punk quartet dumb. Before the band’s newest album, Seeing Green, dumb recorded, mixed, mastered, and even dubbed the tapes for three releases themselves—with the exception of 2016’s Beach Church, which was mastered by Jordan Koop, “Of course you have criticisms of capitalism who returned to produce the new album. or something like advertising or just general money and consumerism,� he explains, “There was no pressure,� guitarist Nick Short says. “It didn’t feel like it had to be super good “but you also love it, and it’s this weird guilt of dealing with that in your head—that you in the beginning. I think we were just doing it want things, but you wish you didn’t want for fun.� them or you know you shouldn’t.�

On Seeing Green—out June 22 via Mint Records—dumb’s jagged sound has been sharpened like a knife, tightening the

STRINGER

Despite the clear focus on some tracks, the album’s 14 songs function more as stories

PHOTO BY IVANNA_BESENOVSKY

and observations than criticisms. Short says that dumb never set out to write with a specific agenda; only once the album came together did any themes become apparent.

What makes this so effective is the unweighted commentary of the lyrics, which never

quite pick a side. “Seeing Green is not super positive or negative,â€? Short says of the album’s title. “It’s just like: you’re seeing it. It’s not about how money is terrible or capitalism is terrible. There are arguments for that, but that’s not what we’re trying to say.â€? đ&#x;’Ł

I N T E RVI E W W I T H VO C A L I ST/GU I TA R I ST M A X K AG A N

BY JOHN B. MOORE

Brooklyn, New York, band Stringer came together thanks to a shit-ton of booze and sleep deprivation. “[Guitarist] Mark [Fletcher] and I got together 15 hours into a 24-hour show while in a deeply inebriated, trip-like state,� vocalist and guitarist Max Kagan explains. The two were at a noise show at their hometown venue and clubhouse, Shea Stadium. “[Drummer] Johnny [Spencer] played in another project with Mark, and [bassist] Riley [Zimmer] was— and still is—Mark’s most amusing roommate to date.�

Fletcher, Kagan, and Spencer formed and dissolved a handful of bands over the years since that fateful, substance-enhanced night at Shea Stadium, but it wasn’t until Zimmer came into the fold that Stringer were officially christened. Not too long

after, the band went on to record the four-song Dead Ass EP in 2015. “The first EP featured an equal number of songs by me and Mark, as well as our dear friend and former Stringer, J Boxer. Each songwriter’s tunes were distinct and are very reflective of the individual writer,� Kagan says. “The full-length features tunes that are more collaborative and road-tested. Also, it was written in the dawning of the Trump era and, hence, reflects those anxieties.�

That new full-length, My Bad, comes out June 29 on Wiretap Records. Stringer worked with longtime friend and scenemate Adam Reich to produce the new album. “Working with friends can always be tricky,� Kagan says, “but we’re a tight family, and we wouldn’t have done it any other way. At this point, Adam could basically be considered a member of

PHOTO BY MAVERICK INMAN

the group. He also produced our old band Heeney’s LP, Colorado, which has since become a sort of cult classic amongst our tight-knit group of friends.�

Along with the much more collaborative nature of the LP and the added ingredient of the Trump administration, time was

more of a luxury with this go ’round. “The first one we busted out in a day or two with songs written privately, while the fulllength took about nine months of labor and group song-structuring,â€? Kagan shares. “We demoed 20 songs, tracked 17, and ended up with 14.â€? đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł

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THE NEW WHAT NEXT

DENS

INTERVIEW WITH SHAUN HYPES AND JOSH TOMLINSON

B Y J. P O E T DENS make music that’s finely balanced between the dense, overwhelming sound of loud distorted guitars and calm, almost ambient interludes. The songs on the Richmond, Virginia, band’s new EP, No Small Tempest—out June 29 via Facedown Records—are based on the Old Testament’s Book of Jonah and portray the struggle between worldly cares and the tranquility that faith can bring into one’s life.

“We used to play hard rock music in high school and college, but we were also leading the worship services at our church,� vocalist Shaun Hypes explains. “Along the way, those two came together: the riffs and power of alt-rock and the melodies and nuances of worshipful music. The music isn’t what many people may consider ‘churchy’ music,

but we wanted to write music that spoke to us. We want to play in secular places as well as Christian festivals and churches.�

The quartet—bassist Josh Tomlinson, guitarist Josh Waltman, drummer Brandon Osborne, and Hypes on vocals—dominate any room they play, sacred or secular, and they display that same impressive energy on the tracks of No Small Tempest. It’s even more extraordinary considering the music was recorded at Hypes’ home studio. “We used regular electric rhythm guitar and put some baritone guitar on top of it, with a little bit of keyboard stuff, then bass and drums. The creative process was collaborative. We all knew “We want the music to illustrate the struggles what we wanted, and everyone wrote lyrics of life,â€? Hypes concludes. “The songs are for different songs, trying to hear what the interwoven with themes of hope and salmusic was telling us. When we write, we like vation. There are mountaintop experiences bouncing ideas off of each other.â€? and times when you’re down in the valley. It doesn’t matter if you’re one of the 99 sheep “This is a project I’ve wanted to do for seven years,â€? that stay with the Master or the one that Tomlinson says. “We looked at every chapter in goes astray, God is always seeking us out. the Book of Jonah and, after a lot of Bible study, That’s the message that runs through everytranslated those chapters into songs.â€? thing on the EP.â€? đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł

PHOTO BY TIFFANY HYPES

E W W I T H G U I T A R I S T J I M M Y JA M E S K HARRAH TERRITORIES IBNYTNE R VII C tion of another. “It was a hard thing to do, but it happened,â€? guitarist Jimmy James admits of shutting Knucklehead down. “Then, about a year later, the four of us got together, and we had a beer, and we decided that we still had a few songs left in us. Like, it didn’t feel quite finished. [‌] We’re really stoked on [the new record].â€?

Sometimes, you get better with age. Sometimes, you think nobody cares, and you have no idea you got better with age. This is the story of Territories. Four “old dog� friends from the Calgary, Alberta-based punk staple Knucklehead decided to get

GIANT PEACH

INTERVIEW WITH FRANCES CHANG AND MIKE NAIDEAU BY CAMERON CARR

back together and write some songs, and, next thing you know, they’re doing something nobody’s ever done with a record.

While Knucklehead went on hiatus in 2013, the death of one band led to the incarna-

ing home from the studio, so began a long process of home recording and tweaking, changing drummers and waiting.

The end result—released by Dead Broke Rekerds, with Don Giovanni handling vinyl—is a collage of an album, full of thickly layered vocal harmonies, field recording transitions, “Maybe part of the reason that this record and densely fuzzed-out guitars, all mainhappened so late is because, me and Mike taining a sort of ’90s aesthetic appeal that [Naideau], we’re Tauruses—we have to take Chang admits is one of the few descriptors our time,â€? Frances Chang says. She and that’s stuck with giant peach throughout their Naideau have been songwriting partners time as a band. Much of that sound is due to in New York’s giant peach for the better part the unintentionally extended recording proof a decade, and their new album, But You cess. “It just lent this personal touch that we Made Me Such a Beautiful Thing, was finally released on June 1 after two years of waiting. were missing for a long time,â€? Chang explains. “Once we became a full band, we were both When the band’s previous full-length, struggling to kind of go back to that place that we started, which was a really personal tarantula, came out on Don Giovanni bedroom project, and we never knew how to Records in 2016, recording for But You Made Me‌ was already finished, but after com- fit that into a studio setting.â€?

12 NEW NOISE

With songs about love and hate, war and peace, and unity and strength, Territories find a firm pulse and position against emerging fascist and xenophobic tendencies, and with this opening salvo, they will no doubt give Knucklehead fans—and punk fans in general—something to shout right back out into the world. As if to prove they aren’t gonna stop anytime soon, Territories After sending Pirates Press Records the are already recording a sophomore effort. raucous yet polished punk rock anthems “It feels really good at this age to start somethat comprise Territories’ self-titled debut— thing new and have other people be excitdue out Aug. 18—the label got stoked on it too. ed about it,â€? James says. “I thought we were As part of the release, the band will unveil just kinda old dogs, and, you know, nobody individual picture flexis and lyric videos for would really care,â€? he laughs. “It’s really each song. “That’s all Pirates Press,â€? James cool to play music together for this long admits. “That’s totally all them, and it’s and to put out something that we think is all totally amazing.â€? Director Chris Curtis, good and we’re really proud of—and [that] who has worked with Green Day and other people seem to enjoy too.â€? đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł Dropkick Murphys, was recruited to do the videos. “People can kinda figure out what we’re about, like, right away,â€? James says of the videos.

The roadblocks and sidetracks that at one point delayed the album grew to be the key to its sound. The home recording accents, in particular, are central to But You Made Me‌ and can be heard in the openings of “Sean Guess Who I Am,â€? on which wind chimes and traffic noise hide a barely-there guitar, and in “In the Cool Evening,â€? on which Chang arranges a mini choir by layering her vocals. “That approach allowed us to fully realize the songs,â€? Naideau says, “which I don’t think is something we’ve necessarily been able to do in recordings up until this point.â€?

Both Naideau and Chang describe But You Made Me‌ as their most personally satisfactory album to date. It’s a grand 60-minute guitar rock journey—and it’s one that couldn’t have been made any other way. đ&#x;’Ł PHOTO BY MIKE AND FRAN

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HERE LIES MAN INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST/GUITARIST M A R C O S G A R C I A

BY T H O M AS P I Z ZO L A

I

n 2017, Antibalas vocalist and guitarist Marcos Garcia unleashed the first album from his new project, Here Lies Man, on the world. The Los Angeles band merge the rhythms of Afrobeat with the crunch and fuzz of early ’70s proto metal.

Their self-titled debut—which was released in April of last year through RidingEasy Records—garnered many accolades and allowed them to tour Europe and play select dates in the U.S. Now,theirsecondalbum, You Will Know Nothing, has been released through Riding Easy on June 15. Expectations are a bit higher, but Garcia has it all figured out. “I have a roadmap, a trajectory of where the albums are going,� he says. “Does this have the urgency of the first album, or is it too polished? Sonically, we wanted to be more developed in the mixing process. That’s why it took longer to make.�

Garcia need not worry, because the new album retains all the urgency and raw emotion of its predecessor. Here Lies Man— whose lineup also includes drummer Geoff Mann, percussionist Rich Panta, bassist JP

Maramba, and keyboardist Will Rast—have avoided the dreaded sophomore slump. You Will Know Nothing takes everything about the band’s debut and improves upon it.

However, lest you think Garcia is going to rest on his laurels, he already has enough material for a third album and plans to release it as soon as possible. You see, the first three albums fit together as a trilogy. “The idea is to get it out nine months after this one,� he reveals. “It’s already been recorded. It depends on how long it takes to mix. Ideally, it would be nine months, but if it takes longer, it takes longer. I’ve already started writing the fourth one. It’s like a fire that cannot be quenched. I have this vision for the band, and once I had Geoff onboard, I could see this vast landscape open up in front of me and I wanted to explore every inch of it.� Some might consider the band’s music to be an odd combination of sounds, but Garcia doesn’t see that way. He is just doing what comes naturally. “I’m interested in West African rhythms and how they developed in the New World. I’m Hispanic,� he shares. “I

PHOTO BY REZA BAHRAMI

also was influenced by the aggression of hard rock and punk. I grew up with these different forms of expression. All these currents are a part of me. I don’t consider what I do as mixing; it’s just a natural expression of who I am. It’s just how I write.�

After the attention the first album received allowed Here Lies Man to tour Europe, Garcia was encouraged by what he encountered. “In Europe, we definitely encountered a mixed bag of fans,� he admits. “There were definitely metalheads at the shows, but they didn’t have the typical look. I was glad there were people from different age demographics at

the shows. Though, [mostly], I was happy that there was a room full of people there to see us on our first tour.�

If Europe was encouraging, the response the band got at their select shows in the U.S. blew it out of the water—specifically, the response they received when opening for stoner rock stalwarts Fu Manchu. “I wasn’t sure how their crowd would react to us,� Garcia recalls, “but we got this overwhelming sense of acceptance from them. They were really getting into it, clapping and cheering during the set. They were like a Viking horde. We were blown away.

I hope we can do that again.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

SELF DEFENSE FAMILY I N T E R V I E W W I T H V O C A L I S T PAT R I C K K I N D L O N

BY BEN SAILER on social media without even realizing they’re a band, since their Twitter profile photo is Wesley Snipes and most of their posts are disjointed musings on the human condition. Hell, according to Kindlon, even having a consistent name is technically an unnecessary trapping.

PHOTO BY JOE CALIXTO

There’s no objective measure for defining what is or isn’t punk, but most would agree that doing things your own way is a core tenet. That describes Self Defense Family’s approach. While their music frequently ventures beyond genre boundaries, the philosophy behind their execution has remained unwavering for over a decade.

According to frontman Patrick Kindlon, the band have put out “maybe 35� records in that time—and counting full-lengths, splits, singles, and EPs, that’s probably an understatement.

T

Punk isn’t exactly the most efficient means of funding a 401k, and with that kind of pedigree, it’s fair to ask what could compel an adult to continue living a self-sabotaging lifestyle in the pursuit of artistic fulfillment. That’s exactly what Self Defense Family explore on their most recent

14 NEW NOISE

full-length, Have You Considered Punk Music, due out June 29 on Run For Cover Records.

Confusing fans isn’t the most efficient means of driving up their SoundScan numbers. Then again, neither is promoting a new album with a music video for the title track shot entirely inside a calzone shop, looking like B-roll from a local news station with subtitled commentary relating the struggles of small business ownership to running a band. However, in practice, extracting insight from esoteric minutiae— whether on record, on social media, or in a video—is this band’s forte. Expression is the end product, and it all comes from the same place, regardless of the medium.

According to the band, it’s “a record about making records.� More than that, it’s a record about realizing no one cares about your passion and reconciling that with a creative lifestyle. “Until you have that moment where you realize the world doesn’t care, you are approaching everyone like “The band is not me, it’s a lot of people,� Kindlon says of Self Defense Family’s social media theyshouldcareequally—andthattheydo,�Kindlon says. “That is great for passionately selling things. presence. “But my music career, my life within that, is fully expressive. It’s a holistic activity. It’s It is bad for being a well-adjusted person.� not like I’m King Diamond and I’m wearing face paint to take the stage, and then, I leave and Self Defense Family have long gone against go work on my house. It’s not like that. The full the grain of conventional wisdom. To wit, they product is my life, I just happen not to be selling operate like a collective rather than a single those parts. I just occasionally sell music.� cohesive unit. Band photos may or may not represent the exact lineup playing on tour or Have You Considered Punk Music marks the on record. One could follow them for months

band’s most polished effort to date. That’s partially a matter of chance—Kindlon says “the next one might be more difficult and less easy to listen to� depending on which members decide to write and record it—and partially a response to critics commenting on the raw sound of previous releases—if they didn’t like those records because of the recording quality, they’ll need a new complaint this time around, Kindlon explains.

Meditative and mid-tempo, it’s a difficult record to pigeonhole, but according to a promotional playlist on Tidal, its influences range from Amebix to Lungfish. “Never once have we come anywhere close to the influences we thought we were bringing into the studio,â€? Kindlon says. “That’s still rather exciting. To open a black box with no idea what’s inside is always exciting.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

NEW NOISE

15

IMPENDING

If one were to select a single word to define both the sound and ethic of Impending Doom, one would choose the word conviction. Each release finds them further whetting the indomitable spirit of their songcraft, never deviating from their primary elements. Regardless of the fiveyear gap between releases, The Sin and Doom Vol. II shows nary a sign of tarnish or rust. It’s like Impending Doom never really left. “It was just like a train going off the track for the first eight years or so,� Sittig reminisces. “We were just holding on for dear life, going 120 miles an hour!�

DOOM INTERVIEW WITH BASSIST DAVID SITTIG

BY GRANT SKELTON ndeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one,� wrote Screwtape to his hapless nephew Wormwood, “the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.� Affectionate Uncle Screwtape’s advice, compiled by C.S. Lewis in the form of “The Screwtape Letters,� aids neophyte Wormwood in tempting “the Patient� away from uprightness and toward destruction. The temptation should be subtle, even subdued. More like lulling than haunting—a velvet glove that coddles the soul into soporific submission.

"

I

who succumb to the bedeviling of their infernal tempters. The album brings with it an entire arsenal of milestones and signposts, entrenching them in the earth with such violence that the gates to Hell are rattled from their blackened hinges. Impending Doom are a portent for modern times, their message is simple: to awaken those who wander onto the safe road, oblivious to the horror at its destination.

Unfortunately for both Wormwood and his “Start to finish, we really love this album and worked really hard on it,� bassist David Sittig uncle, California “gorship�—a portmanteau explains. “[We] spent a good portion of of “gore� and “worship�—band Impending the last two years writing and recording it.�

Doom have returned from their five-year The painstaking effort behind The Sin and sabbatical. Their new album The Sin and Doom Vol. II—out June 22 via eOne Music— Doom Vol. II is immediately evident from the eerie album opener, “The Wretched and augurs suffering for those human patients

Godless.� Fans who expected a return of the pig-squeal vocals employed on Impending Doom’s 2007 debut, Nailed. Dead. Risen., will notice dashes of this vocal technique throughout the new album.

For those who may be unaware, the title The Sin and Doom Vol. II harks all the way back to 2005. That year, Impending Doom released a demo called The Sin and Doom of Godless Men. “Last year was our 10-year anniversary for Nailed. Dead. Risen.,â€? Sittig elaborates, “and we were kinda getting into reminiscing and the old days. The songs themselves and the riffs themselves kinda reminded us of [‌] the feeling we got writing those early albums.â€?

VELD W

16 NEW NOISE

The album has all of the conviction, vigor, and venom of the band’s previous releases.

From their hiatus, they have emerged with amplified fervor and refined devotion.

Everything may indeed be “fake in this day and age,� but Impending Doom are most assuredly not.

Heed the warning, friends. The road is not safe. Heed the warning and choose a different path. đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł

“All of the art ideas belong to me, and I am very satisfied with [them],â€? he says. “On the two front covers, we can see the possessed woman with terrible sins, which break out of her interior. I think this image is very suitable for our lyrics and music—ancient darkness, enigma, evil atmosphere. Demonic and blasphemous.â€? đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł

hile there are no confirmed studies to support the assertion, there is clearly something unholy in the water in Poland. The former Eastern Bloc country continues to export the most vile, vitriolic, and venomous blackened death metal in the world.

Chief songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist Kirill Bobrik is a master at balancing the perfect ratio of menacing atmosphere and necksnapping riffs. While the default setting for many bands who sound like Behemoth or Hate Eternal is to blast beat themselves into

are ‘The Wretched and Godless,’ [and] I love ‘War Music.’ We all like ‘Everything’s Fake,’ because the entire time, it’s like the droniest: slow and heavy.�

An aura of evil permeates every aspect of the group’s output, and S.I.N. is their clearest expression of that frustration yet.

Veld have always taken care to produce album artwork that reflects the product inside. While Bobrik contracts the work out, he utilizes a hands-on approach to ensure the collaborators are on the same page from a creative standpoint.

I N T E R V I E W W I T H V O C A L I S T/G U I TA R I S T KIRILL BOBRIK BY NICHOLAS SENIOR

The Polish-by-way-of-Belarus band Veld are readying one of the most blasphemous and triumphant examples of the style with their Listenable Records debut, S.I.N. (Spawned in Nothingness). The record—due out July 6—is a profane testament to the power of maniacal death metal, ushering in a new cardinal of the anti-Catholic Polish un-Vatican.

The Sin and Doom Vol. II is the latest woeful oracle in Impending Doom’s musical canon.

Sittig comments thusly on his choice cuts from the new release: “My favorite tracks

tinnitus, there is a much greater care to the quality of the recording here. Bobrik notes that the album’s production spanned three countries and five months.

That’s the type of dedication normally attributed to Catholic monks. However, it’s safe to say the members of Veld—named after the famous Ray Bradbury short story “The Veldt�— are about as far from Catholic missionaries as one can get without leaving Earth entirely.

While the group’s previous album, 2015’s

Daemonic: The Art of Dantalian, focused on demonology, S.I.N. leans heavily into the band’s standard lyrical wheelhouse. In short, Veld’s feelings toward the Christian faith are similar to N.W.A.’s opinion of the boys in blue. “[S.I.N.] touches on the same themes of [our past work],� Bobrik explains, “the lies of the Catholic Church, hate for [liars and hypocrites], and believing in nothing. They will destroy you with their false books.�

THE LION'S DAUGHTER

I N T E R V I E W W I T H V O C A L I S T/G U I TA R I S T R I C K G I O R DA N O B Y CA L E B N E W T O N ith their new record, the striking St. Louis, Missouri, metal band known as The Lion’s Daughter aimed to craft something that is unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. The album, Future Cult—out via Season Of Mist on July 20—blends a diverse array of elements into a grueling mixture that, true to name, stands as simultaneously experimental and harsh.

W

Future Cult remains close to the harshly exacting traits that made heavy music stand out in the first place. For vocalist and guitarist Rick Giordano, the point was largely to follow the path of his musical creation wherever it took him. “I go into a lot of this stuff without intentions at all,� he explains. “I kind of just stumble through it and see where the writing shows me what it’s going to be. So, there wasn’t an overall concept or idea; there was a vibe. There

was something there, it was just a matter of exploring through different songs to figure out what it was. Then, linking all of the songs together, I could see the big picture.�

Opening himself up to the artistic winds led Giordano to find the initial inspiration for Future Cult in a random article that featured the work of Mothmeister. A piece from the artistic duo became the cover art for Future Cult, and when Giordano set about imagining what the photograph might sound like as an album, the record took form.

When crafting the thematic content of the album, Giordano continued letting the writing process take him places. “Often, the way I’ll approach lyrics is I try to close my eyes and I try to really not even think about it or pay much attention,� he shares. “I just kind of listen to the song and see what kind

PHOTO BY JOSH ROWAN

of imagery pops up in my head and try to put into words whatever the music is trying to get across.�

That process allows for a unique blend of “We’ve played together for a really, really long themes and references to bleed into The Lion’s time and are comfortable with each other,�

Daughter’s music. Giordano feels that within he adds. “We have a certain weird chemistry.â€? the song “Suicide Market,â€? one can even hear unintentional hints of the movie “Halloween Concurrent with that uniquely human bond, III: Season of the Witch.â€? That unique, loose The Lion’s Daughter formed something thematic tie-in to horror stories is reinforced special that is ready to be discovered by by a more intentional musical element on the fans of extreme art. Giordano feels that, all record: synth music that feels like it’s taken from things considered, Future Cult is something a classic horror film soundtrack. As opposed he can totally get behind. As he puts it, “I do to the more casual relationship between the actually feel like we have something special themes on Future Cult and the horror world, on our hands that could potentially do adding in those synths is something Giordano pretty well. You can’t predict what’s going says he “always wanted to do.â€? to happen next, but the trajectory definitely seems like it’s going a good way.â€? đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł Allowing Giordano to proceed with his aims for the band’s music, he explains synthesizers and trumpets that fade in and out of the shadows. Rather than draining the emotion from the songs, this thicket of textures gives the record shape and color, creating a more personal experience.

Lach’s background as an English teacher really shines in the lyrics. Every word is chosen carefully, helping to keep the intricately crafted metaphors intact. Together, Ness Lake have created a massive record permeated with a sparkling intensity.

NESS LAKE PHOTO BY STEPHANIE GALCZYK

I N T E R V I E W W I T H V O C A L I S T C H A N D L E R L AC H B Y YO N G L O S

thick layers of meticulously crafted soundscaping, wrapping the listener in a shroud of emotion.

avigating the negative blossomed from a “graveyard for songs.� experiences in our lives can Lach collected song after song in a private Across Kicking, Lach focuses on the process be exhausting, but taking the Bandcamp account as way to measure his of personal growth. Each track carries time to reflect on those moments is how growth as a musician and a person. “The the weight of its own lesson, which come you grow as a person. Michigan trio Ness only way to learn is by doing,� he explains. together to fit within the larger picture.

Lake use their songwriting to do exactly “So, I spent a lot of time learning to turn Despite the personal nature of each song, this. Their debut full-length, Kicking, was thought into song.� In the span of a few short Lach’s voice brims with confidence and hope. released everywhere via Take This To Heart months, Lach had over 30 songs stashed “It’s a theme that took me a while to articulate— Records on June 15. Throughout the record, away in his secret collection. or took me a while to appreciate—because it the band dive headfirst into a whirlpool wasn’t something on the forefront of my mind,� of emotions in an attempt to understand When it came time to piece together the he says. “I feel like that came with maturity themselves and those around them. band’s first LP, Lach enlisted the help of and so did some of these songs.� some friends to bring new life to these According to Chandler Lach, the brain songs. Kicking crawls along slowly but Lach’s vocals lay buried in a sea of eerie and voice behind Ness Lake, the band deliberately. Each track comes with tones. Beneath the guitars is an orchestra of

N

that he and his bandmates—bassist Scott Fogelbach and drummer Erik Ramsier— “work really good as the trio that we are.�

The band’s roots in their local DIY scene have taught them a lot about themselves as well as what it means to be part of a community. Lach recognizes that learning to relate and connect with everyone is an important skill, regardless of whether they’re your friends. It’s all about respect. “With any group of people—and I speak as a high school teacher here—no matter what, you’re gonna have conflict,� he says. “How you approach that conflict makes or breaks it.�

Lach admits he’s already started writing new music, but whether anyone will get to hear it is the real mystery. “I have a new secret Bandcamp for my secret Bandcamp project,â€? he says. Until then, Kicking captures the most personal parts of Ness Lake, shining a light on the insecurities and memories that have left physical and emotional scars. But learning to grow from these experiences is part of being human, and the band are eager to help others find merit in the things that scare them. đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł

NEW NOISE

17

IM PE R I A L TR IU M PHAN T INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST/GUITARIST ZACHARY ILYA EZRIN

BY THOMAS PIZZOLA he metropolis of New York City has inspired many artists and musicians, but few are able to channel the dark heart of the city quite like Imperial Triumphant. Their boundarypushing black metal manages to capture the city in all its opulence and squalor. It’s enthralling and terrifying in equal measure.

All of this chaos and beauty can be heard on Imperial Triumphant’s new album, Vile Luxury, which drops July 13 on Gilead Media. Those expecting rote, bythe-numbers black metal will be taken aback. Vile Luxury takes some interesting left-field twists and turns, which only add to the power of the music. That’s the point. “Our music is constantly evolving.

The sum total of all [our] band members’ “The concept of this band has evolved since musical upbringings, our environment, and its inception. It’s largely a product of our surroundings—that is, the city we’re in,� observations influence our sound,� Ezrin says. vocalist and guitarist Zachary Ilya Ezrin “This diverse sonic palette allows us to dig deeper into the rich musical history from past says. “We observe all kinds of lifestyles from to present. As we play together, our music the low-level subways to the magnificent evolves. It’s really an organic process.� skyscrapers and see people suffering within them. The big city isn’t a typical subject in most metal, but it’s a very real darkness. Of course, The new album is wrapped in a gorgeous New York City is the apex of many things great cover that brings to mind Fritz Lang’s and even more things evil. It’s filled with ancient “Metropolis� gone evil. The ideas put forth by symbols that fascinate us, and the Art Deco that movie and its director fit perfectly into themes have so much style that we find very Imperial Triumphant’s music. “‘Metropolis’ is fitting in our black metal world.� a massive symbol or reflection of the civilization we’re born into and its creators,�

Ezrin says. “New York City is undoubtedly The city serves as a perfect muse for their our ‘metropolis,’ so we wanted our artwork dark art. “This place is spiritually vexed—or to represent this. It could’ve been Berlin, haunted,� Ezrin says. “Everything here has London, Cairo, Paris, Tokyo, Beijing, etc., but a way of being expanded and condensed we’re here, so it’s the New York metropolis.� all at once, and it is within that vice grip where one’s true nature emerges. This city is a constant reflection of said circumstances, The band’s commitment to an unnerving and its resplendency shines brightly, just as it aesthetic also applies to their live has for all prior power centers in antiquity— performances, where they don mask and aka a hellhole for [the] non-opulent.� robes. This gives their shows the feeling of an unholy ritual. They didn’t start out

T

CRAFT t’s been seven long years since Craft have blessed our ears with new music. For the past two decades, these nihilistic Swedes have been cranking out—dare we say, crafting—some of the most visceral and rocking black metal in the game. They may not be the most famous corpse-painted lads around, but for those in the know, the band’s landmark records like their 2000 debut, Total Soul Rape, and 2005’s Fuck the Universe are flat-out unfuckwithable.

I

Now, the band are back with another dark-side metal banger, White Noise and Black Metal, out June 22 on Season Of Mist.

18 NEW NOISE

that the types of influences, particular tastes, and artistic goals we have most likely find their home in a city such as this.â€?đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł

Be very afraid. Imperial Triumphant’s urban black metal is rooted in a very real darkness. This is no cartoon, no gimmick.

It’s a reflection of their surroundings. Black metal needs bands like them, and so do their city and scene. “All bands fit into the N.Y.C. metal scene, as it’s quite diverse,�

Ezrin says. “It’s highly probable, however,

magic, and it’s absolutely glorious. “We friends—we were sitting around drinking used to do everything ourselves,� guitarist beers, and one of them just blurted it out.

Joakim Karlsson says of the band’s He said, ‘White Noise and Black Metal,’ and meticulous DIY recording history, “but this time, it was a really good title.� when I started mixing the album, I felt it took too long and took up too much time. We hired “I said I was going to write a song called that, a guy to mix it, and he did a very good job!� but I never did. But I still liked the title so much—too much!� he says enthusiastically. “I thought, ‘Why not get a real professional “It’s so difficult when you’re releasing an and make it sound really good?’� he album. We work so long on the album, and recalls. “I don’t listen to much new black when you’re done, you don’t know if it’s metal, so I didn’t know how it sounds good or it might suck! There’s no distance compared to anything.� between you and the album. You can’t listen to it objectively in any way, but I had After just one spin of the album’s opening a suspicion it might be a good album—but track and first single, “The Cosmic you never know.�

Sphere Falls,â€? it’s apparent that Craft circa 2018 sound like a million friggin’ Trust us, folks, the rumors and suspicions are bucks. Blast beats and pristine buzzsaw true. Craft are back, and they’re craftier guitars permeate the song’s bleak sonic than ever. White Noise and Black Metal is landscape, guided by some especially where it’s at—and now, you know. đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł torturous vocals. It still probably sounds like an exorcism to the average Joe, but as far as black metal goes, White Noise and Black Metal sounds downright immaculate.

The band’s trademark doom-and-gloom misanthropy is alive and well, but the booming production amplifies some of the gorgeous guitar melodies in songs like “Undone� and “Tragedy of Pointless Games,� which makes this new record the most pleasantly sinister Craft record—ever.

I N T E R V I E W W I T H G U I TA R I S T J O A K I M K A R L S S O N B Y J A M E S A LVA R E Z

This new album—the fifth in a long line of awesomely-titled records—is easily the best-sounding release of the band’s career. Since their inception, Craft have kept the low-fi, True Norwegian Black Metal aesthetic close to their hearts. On White Noise and Black Metal, they update their sound with a little 21st century HD studio

this way but consciously moved in this direction. The band feel it perfectly fits their concept. “We wanted something that reflected the music and the aesthetic,�

Ezrin says. “The masks were custom made for Imperial Triumphant. They are meant to spark curiosity and draw people into our world. Each person in the crowd should feel like Bill Harford in Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Eyes Wide Shut’: curious and scared.�

PHOTO BY JENNIE PETTERSON

“For the first time, this was not a title that I came up with,� Karlsson reveals. “One of my

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NEW NOISE

19

KHEMMIS I N T E R V I E W W I T H V O C A L I S T/G U I TA R I S T BEN HUTCHERSON B Y N I C H O L AS S E N I O R

PHOTO BY ALVINO SALCEDO

hey say those who can’t do, teach.

Well, that’s horse caca, and Khemmis’ incredible third album is a mighty compelling argument against it. Desolation, out June 22 via 20 Buck Spin, feels like a dissertation on what has made decades of heavy metal so memorable and bewitching. Each of the record’s six songs contains numerous instances that hit the listener in the gut, neck, and that special spiritual place that only transcendental art can tap into. The riffs, melodies, solos, and, most importantly, impeccable arrangements feel tailor-made for timelessness.

T

Vocalist and guitarist—and PhD candidate in sociology—Ben Hutcherson has spent many moons thinking about, researching, writing, and performing heavy metal.

However, the Denver band’s latest batch of sonic excellence is far from a stuffy exercise in mathematical precision. That is due, in part, to the group’s collective comfort and maturity. “This album is certainly the moment where we are comfortable with this general notion of what Khemmis is and what Khemmis can sound like,� he explains. “As a result, our aim was to dive into some different influences and to push the boundaries of the band in ways that we couldn’t before, because we are not only more confident in what this band is, [we’re] more confident and comfortable with each other.�

Desolation carefully spreads Khemmis’ creative vision, crafting a darker and more menacing version of the group’s melodic identity. There may be a reason to be angrier and more pissed than a few years

ago‌ “Totally! Human beings are social creatures and are shaped by their social environments,â€? Hutcherson says. “You can’t ignore what’s going on in this country and around the world, but also, the things that we’ve been through individually. It has been a real tough couple of years for us as living, breathing people.â€?

culture and history. So, has any of that research creeped into Khemmis or Desolation? “At this point in my life, I can’t really disentangle what I do academically with what I do musically, in part because I’ve been writing and researching about underground music for—shit, way too long at this point,� he laughs.

Ultimately, while Hutcherson spends untold Desolation delves into time and its effects hours researching, thinking, and writing on our collective souls. “It wasn’t like we sat down and wanted to discuss time,â€? about heavy metal, none of it matters if the music doesn’t connect with the Hutcherson clarifies. “It came across as a listener. With Desolation, Khemmis have natural byproduct of the sort of emotions distilled everything about heavy metal’s we were trying to tap into and the way the past, present, and future into an album lyrics needed to complement what was that feels like it will stand the test of time. going on in the music. Not only that existential Hutcherson sums up the bare essence of concern about time but the experience why his band can so effortlessly captivate: of time itself. I feel like the older I get, the quicker the happy moments—the flashes of “We can be hoity-toity about it and talk about the meaning and history of art, but joy—go by and the more drawn-out the dark at the end of the day, we’re just four dudes moments feel. [‌] I think we were playing plugged into a bunch of amplifiers, singing around with the idea of time: how time shapes and screaming about being alone in the our attitudes of what we do with our lives and universe and trying to make sense of being how it shapes the ways in which we think back alive and what it feels like to be alone.â€? on the good or bad things in our lives.â€?

Hutcherson’s education and research involves the sociological study of metal

“At the end of the day, it’s just heavy metal.â€? đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł

KISSIN' DYNAMITE INTERVIEW WITH DRUMMER ANDI SCHNITZER

BY NICHOL AS SENIOR hile they don’t hail from Boston, German act Kissin’ Dynamite and their dynamic and bombastic Metal Blade debut, Ecstasy, are certainly more than a feeling.

W

PHOTO BY PATRICK SCHNEIDERWIND

choicest cuts is about the mind’s power to convince itself there are drugs in its system with the help of the world’s most commonly tested substance, “Placebo.� Indeed, Ecstasy is truly a joyous listen.

Thankfully, the record—due out July “Ecstasy is all about feeling good and having 6—has nothing to do with the preferred a good time,� drummer Andi Schnitzer recreational drug of basement raves. elaborates. “People have enough to Instead, every ounce of this energetic and think about in their lives, so we made it to our emphatic record doles out a liberal dose mission to give their brains a little vacation and, of feel-good fun. It’s the type of high that hopefully, provide them with some ecstasy.� releases boatloads of dopamine in that special way that only the classics of the ’80s The letter for the day is E, as Ecstasy provides hard rock scene were able to do. clear and unabashed escapism.

Kissin’ Dynamite want the listener to get high without drugs, and one of the record’s

20 NEW NOISE

“On [our last record, 2006’s] Generation Goodbye, I wrote some deeper lyrics with

social critiques with a philosophical touch,� where we wanted to fix the band’s name,�

Schnitzer explains. “It was like we zoomed Schnitzer explains, referencing their 2002 out completely and looked at the world to 2007 stint under the moniker Blues Kids. from the outside. If you do this instead of “My ringtone at the time was an AC/DC song. being inside your own world, you can see It clearly was a sign, so we tried to make our how crazy it all is. On this album, we did own version of the feelings we get from the the opposite and zoomed in, directly to the classics.� single human and his feelings. Now, the way is cleared for pure rock ’n’ roll.�

So, when you need some detonation, set the fuse alight with Kissin’ Dynamite. đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł Ecstasy is just the latest in Kissin’ Dynamite’s already decade-long, five-studio-albumdeep career, but the rock ’n’ roll seed was planted from the very inception of the group’s current incarnation. “The band’s name arose when my phone rang, back in the day, during a meeting

OUT

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have too many cooks in the kitchen, to do multiple tracks, to work as hard as we possibly could, to get a great album, and to not walk out of the studio until we knew we had a great album.�

STREET DOGS WORKERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!

PHOTO BY JASON COOK

Street Dogs have already booked a few tour dates for June, followed by some European dates in August. They plan to fill the gaps throughout the rest of the year with other shows and festivals. “The band needs to get better and better live,�

McColgan says. “We can never rest on our laurels. We have to play it and say it better and better as we go forward. That is critical, and we all take it deadly serious. People take time and money out of their lives to come see us play. The least we can do is give it all we can possibly give and give them a hell of a show.�

McColgan is also encouraged by the various side projects he and the other band members are involved with. “Another INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST MIKE MCCOLGAN challenge to ourselves is to write more songs collectively that fire us up and get us pumped on making songs together and to also spread our wings t’s been eight years since That struggle can be heard individually in other projects Boston’s Street Dogs throughout the band’s sixth so that, when we come back to last released an LP—the studio album, Stand for This album’s lineup features Street Dogs, we are stronger for eponymous Street Dogs—and Something or Die for Nothing, out McColgan and longtime bassist all having gone and done other despite lineup changes and other June 22 via Century Media. The Johnny Rioux, as well as drummer things,� he says. “I have already commitments like jobs and families, album is crammed with the Pete Sosa and guitarists Lenny seen Street Dogs get stronger band founder and vocalist Mike singalong punk choruses the Lashley and Matt Pruitt who all as a result of guys in the band McColgan was always pretty band are known for and covers joined the band a little over five branching off and doing other sure the band would be back. a lot of ground politically, years ago. “We just completed things. I definitely saw this as we “Honestly, I think inherently, we all starting with the record’s first our best record to date, Stand reconvened to make Stand for know this band means so much single, the working-class anthem for Something or Die for Nothing,� Something or Die for Nothing. The to so many, and we have never “Other Ones.�

McColgan says. “How many new record is our best to date.â€? taken that for granted or taken bands of our ilk, 15 years in, can đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł that lightly,â€? he says. “I think we’ll Like many artists of late, Street say that and [have] it be true? be around for a while. Time Dogs have found plenty of lyrical Not too many, I would [venture] won’t leave this band alone, it inspiration thanks to the current to say. We are grateful and seems. We have tried breathers, presidential administration. fortunate for that and for every sabbaticals, and breaks, and “We found ourselves even more single fan we have. We would be they have never held or fully fired up and disenfranchised zero without our fans.â€? come to fruition. Also, the fight, with this illegitimate, treasonous the struggle, and the battle on so-called administration than He adds that this is the band’s the behalf of the working class we did during Dubya’s era Ă la most collaborative record as and organized labor always [2006’s] Fading American Dream,â€? well, a decision they made from finds us and calls to us. We have McColgan says. “Sadly, a lot the start. “Yes, it was a conscious skin in that fight, and we shall not of bands, it seems, are sitting decision to have input from be moved from that battle.â€? these abysmal times out and not everybody,â€? he confirms, “to

BY JOHN B. MOORE

I

22 NEW NOISE

stepping up and sounding the alarm. That’s wrong. Now is the time to sound the alarm. History is watching, and it will not be kind to bands who played it safe.

I ask myself frequently, ‘What would Joe Strummer do? What would he be saying?’ That’s where I find my inspiration.�

TEEN NOW YOU’LL HAVE TO DANCE AGERS FOR THE TWO OF US

INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST/GUITARIST JUSTIN GOLDMAN AND GUITARIST JORDAN SHROYER

BY JOSHUA MARANHAS

T

he power of punk rock is varied. Sometimes, it’s fun and games. Other times, it’s a mechanism for emotional protection or selfpreservation. One could argue that Orlando, Florida’s Teen Agers use the music they play to cover all these bases.

“The band was supposed to be [a] ‘three guys who had just got off of work’ type of sound, because that’s really what it was,� vocalist and guitarist Justin Goldman says. “We’ll get a case of beer on a Friday night, hash out the stuff.� “The songs became a lot more interesting after [2013 debut LP], I Hate It,� he elaborates. “The content, the way the songs were

written, we all became better players, brotherly bond, fast forward a whole bunch of years.�

but its message comes from an emotional place after the loss of a friend. Goldman explains, “We all decided as a family that “As a rhythm section, it’s the tightest the best thing to do is to write a we’ve ever been,� guitarist Jordan record in his honor.�

Shroyer notes. “It’s a new chapter in this band, but we’re fucking “The lyrical work itself is the music dorks. We love doing this most honest stuff I’ve ever put more than anything.� down,� he continues, opening wide about the theme of When “In the last year, we’ve been able We Were. “A lot of people go to construct an album that we’re through this and don’t really really proud of, and the recording have an outlet. Us having an far surpassed my expectations,� outlet, that power of expression, he adds. “I’m really, really happy I felt as though it was a good with this record.� opportunity to just put it all out there: play the music I’ve always This upcoming release, When We wanted to play, the style I’ve Were—out July 13 via Smartpunk always wanted to play, sing how Records—runs the gamut of I’ve always wanted to sing, and punk. Its sound is fun and games, do it for my friend.�

Teen Agers are veterans of Gainesville’s FEST and are going back for more in October 2018.

They started early, playing two shows in Saint Petersburg and Orlando in May. “FEST is our bread and butter,� Shroyer explains. “We’ve been playing it since our very first year as a band, and it’s our favorite thing in the world.�

After that, Shroyer is pretty clear that the future is both exciting and a little scary. “All four of us feel like we need music,â€? he concludes. “It’s not just our therapy, it’s something that our lives would be too empty without.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

PHOTO BY JEN CRAY

NEW NOISE 23

BAND TO

CONVERSATION

CULTURE ABUSE’S NOTHING’S

WAS RELEASED VIA EPITAPH RECORDS. IS DUE OUT VIA RELAPSE RECORDS.

A

24 NEW NOISE

David What’s up?

Where are you at right now?

Domenic I’m sitting in my apartment in New York City right now. We’re recording on this GarageBand setup where I do all of our demos pretty much. It’s starting to rain in New York. Where are you at—you flew out of the Bay, right?

David Yeah, we got a three-hour layover in Washington D.C. right now. We flew from San Francisco to Washington D.C., and then, we fly from here to London.

Domenic Who went out last night before today?

David We just had to actually pack and do a bunch of shit, so everyone just took a bunch of edibles. So, by the time we were just sitting at the airport, everyone was just high out of their mind.

Domenic We have this thing that we do when we get on an airplane. It’s funny, ’cause [drummer] Kyle [Kimball] didn’t always drink, so in the early days, he would just be watching me and Brandon—but I’m prescribed Lorazepam, so as soon as I get on the airplane, I’ll hand out these Lorazepam to everyone pretty much. At first, it was just to go to sleep, and immediately, an hour in with one cocktail and the Lorazepam kicks in, we eat more Lorazepam and start ordering little Jack Daniels and scotch bottles. It’s pretty funny—we always get conversations going with the stewardess, because we’re just so wacked-out on pharmaceuticals and can’t stop talking.

David The stewardesses always love our drummer Ross [Traver].

Domenic Shit, everyone loves Ross, don’t they? It’s his beard.

David [Laughs] He has a thick beard, dude. Mine doesn’t grow that thick, so no one really talks to me. I heard Nick say recently, “Dude, if you shaved that beard, you’d look so weird.”

BETWEEN

Domenic Like a wet cat.

David I think he said that his

DAVID

KELLING

the band and then be like, “OK, I have to find a guitarist.”

chin is “hella pointy.” [Laughter] It was never about writing; I Domenic I think that’s a good was always able to write, but way to tell how much better of a performing, I eventually just got vibe you guys have than us. You so sick of dealing with people guys are happy and free and that I was like, “You know what? can eat the edibles with no issue.

I’m just gonna teach myself how None of us in the band—besides to sing and play guitar.” I sat in [bassist] Aaron [Heard] now, a basement, and I just started cause Aaron’s a pothead—can writing shit. I just played every day leave the house high, ’cause we’re and just started singin’ it. I still am all anxiety- and stress-ridden. pretty awful at it, but it definitely The thought of me eating edibles helped me mentally to have at an airport is literally the most confidence doing what I was doing. terrifying thing.

David When did you start David Dude, I haven’t been playing guitar? smoking. I’m freaking out a little bit.

Domenic My brother always Domenic [Laughs] I don’t played, and I think he was out of wanna try to freak you out now. his punk [and] hardcore stage Like, “Yo, you should be a lot more and moved into his shoegaze scared than you are right now, point, and that was probably man.” Don’t look at Ross and think around the time all of this stuff about him without a beard while was actually coming out, in the you’re stoned.

David His pointy-ass chin. ’90s. He was really good and was Domenic I would be staring playing The Smiths—rippin’ on at Shane’s big eyeballs and these Johnny Marr riffs—but at his glasses, probably having a that point, I was starting to get into meltdown internally. the Misfits. Also listening to awful David Dude, I actually got shit like Green Day or whatever a couple questions that I’m was on the radio. I know you like interested in. Why have you always Green Day, so I don’t mean to been the singer in a band? offend you.

David I haven’t really checked Domenic That’s a good ’em out, so I don’t know. [Laughter] question—never thought about Domenic Those were the first that before. It probably originally songs I was learning, you know, stemmed from lack of talent for songs off Dookie. But also, at the anything music-wise besides same time, learning Minor Threat attaching words to things. That and Misfits songs at that awful was something I’ve always had point of punk rock where you don’t a knack for. I played guitar at really know anything, but you really an early age but never had any traditional lessons or anything like wanna push it that you do.

David I feel like that’s the best that. It was always just whoever spot. Almost like when you don’t I was around that also played know—I was reading something, guitar just showed me shit. I think and they were talking about it finally just got to a point where I started taking the music shit a little creativity, and they were talking about how the less you know, the bit seriously—and being such a better. I don’t know if you feel the hands-on individual and getting same way I felt. I don’t wanna sick of having to deal with bozos all the time that I had to kick out of know what The Beatles did.

OF

CULTURE

ABUSE

I don’t wanna know every chord.

Domenic When you were playing in All Teeth, you sang in that band too, right?

David I just sang, but I still wrote all of the guitar parts.

Domenic Did you start playing guitar when you were in Murphys, [California]?

David I wanted to start playing around 12, and since I have cerebral palsy, that affects my right side— Domenic I don’t mean to interrupt you, but I was actually going to ask you about the cerebral palsy.

David When I was in my mom’s stomach, my umbilical cord wrapped around my neck and

AND

DOMENIC PALERMO

cut off the blood circulation, and they did an emergency C-section.

It just affects the right side of my body where everything moves a little bit slower. It’s delayed. It’s kind of a crazy thing, and I feel a little bit luckier than someone who had something traumatic happen in their life that changes them, because I was just born with it. It makes all of the muscles, all of the tendons, and everything super tight. I had to do physical therapy from 4 to 15, but then, I got too angsty-teenager and treated it like it was piano lessons or something. I actually need to be doing constant physical therapy.

Domenic I never feel like I notice it after meeting you and hanging out a few times. You’re kinda all over the place like a little ball of energy anyways.

David It affects the right side of my body, so I couldn’t really hold a guitar pick or hold chords with my right hand, so I just instinctively wanted to play with my left hand.

If I air-guitared, I air-guitared it left-handed, but I can’t hold a chord with my right hand. I have trouble holding a pick with my right hand as well. After a while, I asked my parents for a guitar.

OF

NOTHING

We were broke as fuck, so it wasn’t just like “whatever,” but they debated not getting me a guitar, because they didn’t know if I could even do it or not and were trying to protect me, I guess? My dad found a guitar on the side of the road that had all these holes in it, and he took rubber cement and plexiglass and filled this guitar. It was a child’s nylon string guitar. It was so fucking heavy, and all of the frets were, like, dead, but I played that thing every single day—and we lived in this onebedroom cabin thing.

PHOTO BY DAVID KELLING

NEW NOISE

25

Domenic How old were you around this time?

David Probably like 12 or 13.

We had the VW Bus parked out front, so every day after school, I would just go in there by myself and play guitar. I played it for a year, and then, when Christmas came around, they gave me this guitar that was my cousin’s—who didn’t give a fuck about it, and it was just out in her room, sitting there in the sun, got all sunwarped and cracked—and that’s the guitar that I still have now. I was super embarrassed of it, ’cause it was still cracked from being in the sun. I’ve written everything on it.

Domenic I hope you’re not bringing that thing out on tour anymore.

David I brought it on the last one, and the neck got cracked. I brought it into a guitar shop to get fixed, and they were like, “Dude, this is not salvageable or worth it.”

I was like, “Whatever, I’m willing to pay $500 to fix it.” Then, he started playing it and said, “Dude, this guitar rules!” So, it’s in the shop now. Hopefully, when we’re back from Europe, I’ll be able to pick it up and it’ll be brand spankin’ new.

Domenic When we went to Europe last, I brought this notebook I had that had all of the original lyrics to all of our old stuff, and I fucking left it on an airplane in Portugal—probably because I did that thing that I talked about earlier with the fucking Lorazepam. I left it in the back of the seat, and I literally still think about it constantly. It had such history, and I lost it. It crushed

26 NEW NOISE

me. I was just hoping, one day, someone was gonna come across with this thing, but I knew it was probably never gonna happen and went right in the trash, ’cause it looked like a fucking homeless person’s memoir the way it was just bound together and shit.

David I can only imagine. I know, on my last tour that we did with you guys, you got the van broken into, and your bag got stolen with your notepad with all of your shit.

Domenic That was my second attempt at trying to start one— and then, that happened. Now, I literally do not write on paper anymore. It’s heartbreaking. But I don’t ever want to ever see that happen to that guitar either, so keep it at home. I had another question, and it kind of ties into this shit we were talking. I mean, obviously, dealing with that illness, that had to make growing up a little bit rougher than it already is.

I know how people can be. That’s the reason why I got into punk rock in the first place, because I always felt isolated from people and I was teased, and everywhere I ended up, I just never felt like I fit in. I’ve seen you drunk onstage, which is the easy way out—which is why I’m always wasted—but I’ve seen you on sober nights, and you’re very comfortable onstage.

I’m curious, was that always how you were as a kid? Were you very outgoing like that, or is it something that you kind of just built yourself into as you grew a little bit older?

David I don’t know, it’s weird just being born with it, because I don’t know any other way.

Domenic I don’t even necessarily mean because of the cerebral palsy. Being onstage in general is a terrifying thing, and most people can’t do it. How do you juggle both of those things and still manage to go out there and put yourself out there and perform? Was that always how you were? Were you, like, a kid that was just comfortable with yourself, always? It’s a really triumphant thing to do, and there’s a lot of people that would never be able to put themselves out there in that situation. It’s amazing that I’m even able to get Brandon onstage anymore, because he’s such an anxiety-ridden dude, you know what I mean? To me, it’s just cool to see that happen, and it’s

probably great for other people to see that as well.

David I feel like when we go on tour, I just go into this weird little mode where it’s pretty much “Let’s just fucking get through this.” Just trying to make it through it. It’s like how you said about drinking—that is the easy way out, just fucking get wasted, and then, you just don’t care, but at the same time, it’s like screaming. You can maybe relate to this too. Before, I just played in punk bands where I compensated for everything I was insecure about by just fucking screaming my head off. I’m still trying to figure out how to just sing and stand there, you know?

Domenic Who else, growing up, especially around the time you first picked up a guitar, were your idols then? What were you listening to then? When you write songs, it has an early rock ’n’ roll, doo-wop kind of feel to it a lot of the time.

David Since I was born, my mom’s the biggest music fan, and she used me as her little buddy to show mixtapes. Until I was in fifth grade, I literally only listened to The Beatles and Motown and ZZ Top and old music. My mom would always be making me new tapes.

Then, when I got in fifth grade and people were like, “Oh, you don’t know who Green Day is?” I discovered this whole alternative world, and I was like, “Oh shit.”

Green Day and Third Eye Blind, and I started diving more into punk and just being like, “This is the same.” It just made sense to me to go from listening to The Beatles and then, like, listening to Misfits or listening to Sex Pistols or The Clash.

They’re still songs, but they have attitude and a message and a reason to do what they do. When Rolling Stones and The Beatles were doing it, they had a reason.

They’re all different reasons, but it had a point, and they’re still just songs and beautiful.

Domenic It all follows the same path, pretty much. I just always love when we would sit backstage, and we would fuck around and play Strokes songs or play each other’s songs that we were writing that could be future songs for our respective bands or whatever. I just always enjoyed that—it always had a bit of that early rock kind of feel to it.

David When you write a Nothing song, I know it’s you in your apartment with your

acoustic guitar just playing. When Nothing songs are finished on the record, is it what you imagined it being when you’re sitting in your apartment? Or is it, like, a completely different beat?

Domenic Sometimes it is, but most of the time, it’s like if you

envisioned a painting that you were about to paint, and you were staring at a blank canvas and you were just like, “I’m gonna paint a self- portrait” or “I’m gonna paint David.” What you think is going to be on that canvas is going to be completely different than what it’s actually gonna wind up looking like.

I think it’s just weird hearing yourself coming through back at yourself.

It’s always going to be strange, especially with vocals. I hate hearing my vocals, but you know, a lot of time, the brilliant part—or not the brilliant part, but the cool part about me and Brandon’s relationship with this stuff is what we bring to each other’s songwriting.

We occasionally do our own songs, but it’s very rare that we don’t have a hand in something that’s involved in each other’s work. It always just elevates it a little bit, having someone around that you respect well enough that you can confide in them completely like that. There’s only been a couple times where we’ve ever really argued about a song and the direction it’s going in.

We argue about everything else, but we never argue about songwriting. I know you know about that. with DAVID KELLING

PHOTOGRAPHY

BY RYAN LOWRY

David Do you like that struggle is always attached to your music?

There has to be this struggle or pain that created this thing, but isn’t that life? Doesn’t everyone go through it?

Everyone goes through it.

Domenic It’s tough getting to a point where you finish this record, and now, all of a sudden, you have this team that’s around you, which is still new to me and we’re three records in now. I always feel like I’m on a balance scale with what’s authentic and what I’m being asked to service as a narrative. The one thing that rings true, always, is that—you’re right, life is essentially always just filled with pain, and that’s obviously why I play music. It’s always been my motivation since the early days of playing in punk bands: to sing from pain. I get that it’s a natural thing, but as I mature into this philosophy that I’m always trying to jam down people’s throats, I get more and more comfortable with the fact that I know that this is what this existence is. It is about balancing the pain and moving forward.

It’s utterly the only reason why we’re here, is to struggle. With this record—this past couple years

have been—with head injuries and stuff like that, just dealing with all these new emotions and feelings. It is a little bit easier for me, these days, to just laugh it off a bit more instead of dwelling on it and just become more and more comfortable with what everything is. I wanna be careful not to disguise it and act like it’s not there. I wanna form myself to be callused enough to know exactly what it is and to be OK with that and to sit in the flames and just be able to be in the flames—you know what I mean?

David Yeah, I had someone do an interview that was like, “When you guys did Peach, all of this stuff went wrong for you guys,� but now, you do this new record and “everything seems to be going great.� It’s like, “It’s been two years!� I don’t know about you, but how often is it: “Oh, two years, nothing bad happened—it’s all been great.� It was almost like if I didn’t have something juicy, then what would we talk about?

Domenic Yeah, “What is the selling point of this record?� That’s a question that comes through by publicists and management and label. They wanna know, “What’s the scoop?� You know, “What was going on with you during this time?�

You kind of say it, and then, all of a sudden, it’s this story. Then, you’re like, “OK, well, that’s what happened, so fuck it,� and then, all of a sudden, it starts to travel on a press report and you see it popping up in several different publications. Then, you’re getting interviewed, and it’s the only questioned you’re asked, and you feel like you’ve exploited yourself because of a simple story—that did happen and was a major part of everything that’s going on, but now, it’s the centerpiece for this thing, and it just seems like now you’re just fucking complaining.

That’s never your intention.

David Yeah, yeah—it is kind of crazy sometimes when it gets made to feel like it’s just looking for your pain.

Domenic Yeah, I’m guilty of it too. I look at my favorite poets, and 85 percent of them killed themselves. I’m attracted to the pain, because I feel like there’s a lot of content in it that’s inspiring.

That’s why I try not to beat myself up too much over it, because people are gonna do what they want with these stories, but the

people who actually need this stuff and are dealing with mental issues, like depression or physical incapabilities, if they’re able to go home and squeeze something out of it and have a nicer day—I know it’s not going to save their lives in any sense, but if it could make them have a decent halfhour, that’s pretty fucking cool.

Every time I get a message from someone saying something like that, it doesn’t make me happy, but it makes me feel a little bit more content with what I do.

David Simple question and simple answer: Do you like your new record?

Domenic I do, I do. I usually have a hard time listening after the record is finally mixed, because I’m very hands-on with that as well. I get to this point when we finally have a decent David It crazy, because there’s mix where I go in, get stoned as so many times that I was just losing fuck, put headphones on, and my mind on it. We worked on it dig in. When I’ve finally done that collectively for, like, three months, and, then, working on videos and and then, when the record was hearing a song again and again finally done, me and my girlfriend because of that, I’m like “fuck put it on and laid on the floor in this.� I already hate hearing myself our room and were both were anyway, and I get bummed. But crying. We, [the band], listened this record is different to me for in the van driving from San some reason. I don’t know why.

Francisco to Cleveland from start Having [producer] John [Agnello], to finish, and everyone at the end he did a lot of the heavy lifting, was like, “Why are you crying? Why which I’ve grown to find out is are you crying?� the best kind of partners you can Domenic You also stepped get to work with. When you find into a beautiful studio this time out you don’t have to interject with a producer, and Fender is as much, that’s what a healthy giving you guitars, you’re into partnership is: when you can trust that thing now. You guys are just them. He did a lot of the heavy ballin’ and having this time and lifting initially, so those first mixes space, and it’s this whole new sounded great, so there was less environment. You immediately dissecting and more just enjoying turn around and look back at it what was coming out. So, I like and think, “I should’ve done this. most of it, yeah, for sure. What I shoulda done that,� and I think about you? that’s completely natural.

David [Pause, sigh] Yeeeaahhh— David I just saw a text from 30 yeah. [Laughter] No, I— minutes ago that said we’re about Domenic You can’t say no, to board our flight to London. man! You gotta sell this record!

Domenic That would be sick [Laughter] if you missed your flight for this David I can’t say no? [Laughter] interview.

Domenic I love this fucking David I still need your full record, man. You know we talked record. about this so much during that Domenic Too bad, we don’t tour, our love for the same music: want you leaking it!

Lemonheads, Strokes, all this cool David You know I will. I’ll be stuff. It seems like such a natural selling it. I bet someone in the U.K. progression from the first record will pay top dollar for it. or the Spray Paint the Dog stuff.

Domenic: I don’t know, U.K. It’s progressively growing into are cheap bastards, man. Their so much more than it originally money’s too expensive. Drink a cider started, and I’m thoroughly over there for me. Love you, man. impressed, so I want to hear what David I’ll drink two. Love you too. you think of it as well. đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

with DOMENIC PALERMO

NEW NOISE

27

DIY DESERT PUNK

S LO P E R E C O R DS

INTERVIEW WITH OWNER THOMAS LOPEZ BY JANELLE JONES

"We’re a tou ring label.

We’re still a DIY label ."

I

n the two-and-a-half years that Phoenix-based label Slope Records has been around, it’s become quite a vital voice in the punk scene. From its humble beginnings, first envisioned by founder Thomas Lopez on a friend’s porch in Austin, Texas, the label has gone from hatching the idea to put out a friend’s 7�— Tempe’s Insurrection, to be precise—to sponsoring Punk Rock Bowling and boasting a roster of punk rock royalty, including Arizona legends Exterminators and Feederz and Boston-turned-Arizona residents The Freeze.

Lopez is still super hands-on with Slope, which he runs from his home, and even plays in a band on the label: the fun and snotty synth-punk outfit The Blankz, who release their debut 7� single, “White Baby,� on July 13.

Lopez first considered the now well-respected label to be just a hobby, and he explains that originally, “it was kinda local-centric, because I wanted to pay homage to the seminal bands like The Consumers, the Exterminators, all those bands that came out of here that were influential on other bands.� At the time, he confesses he didn’t know too much about the music business and didn’t look at Slope as a business venture. Rather, it was a way to “archive� Arizona’s rich punk history. He soon realized, however, that even though the immense “passion for the music was there,� it’s costly to operate a label. “I still have the same passion,� he assures, but he soon became more business savvy.

Lopez also enlisted friend and Meat Puppets bassist Cris Kirkwood as a frequent collaborator of the label. “One day, me and Cris were driving, and I said, ‘It’d be interesting if you gave a shot at producing some records with us,’� he relates. Kirkwood ended up producing around six or seven of Slope’s projects. Though he doesn’t produce everything, he is an integral piece of the puzzle.

The label’s vision has evolved over time, but “it’s still DIY,� Lopez assures, explaining that he is, at this very moment, preparing to send out promo packs for The Blankz record. Though he now has a couple of people helping him in different aspects, Slope is still a small label and has “the same core vision as when it started,� he says. “Ultimately, I wanted to represent bands that influenced me personally and other Arizonans, but now, we’re reaching out more.�

28 NEW NOISE

The Slope roster now includes bands such as the aforementioned The Freeze and Seattle’s Grindline The Band. Their releases slated to come out soon include a fulllength by Feederz, an EP by The Linecutters, and a record from Butthole Surfers guitarist Paul Leary’s new band The Cocky Bitches. They also have a forthcoming series of nine separate singles, which will then, in an innovative move, be compiled into one full-length.

Lopez sticks to the following criteria when choosing who to add to Slope’s roster: “The music’s good, [and] they have the dedication to tour. If they’re not willing to get on that bus and start getting out on the road, it’s pretty much not happening.� “That bus� references the amazing “44-passenger, 35-foot-long bus� Lopez had stripped and made into a vehicle fit for long-haul touring. The label now, in fact, boasts two such DIY vehicles that Lopez wants out on the road.

On Slope’s meaning and mission at this time, Lopez succinctly concludes, “We’re a touring label. We’re still a DIY label. We converted passenger busses.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

| \\N ULL|ZĂ˜N STRAIGHT TO TAPE E// INTERVIEW WITH FOUNDER MICHAEL POTTER

BY CHRISTOPHER J. HARRINGTON

G

rowing up in the 1980s in rural Georgia, musician and \\NULL|ZĂ˜NE// label founder Michael Potter found solace in the magic of cassette tapes. “I spent a lot of time walking around in the woods listening to music on a cassette Walkman,â€? he laughs, “or driving around dirt backroads listening from the cassette deck of my 1986 Nissan Maxima.â€? This would lead to a lifelong passion for analog magnetic tape.

Potter first started making music with cassettes on a Tascam 4-track. He put out his first solo album at the age of 16. “I produced a few copies with a dual-well Sony deck and handed them out to the couple friends I had at school,� he remembers. “Cassettes have always held a special place in my heart—from the look to the sound to the feel.� From the very start, it was a special connection for Potter. Something tactile and whole—a means of production that could be handled economically and spiritually.

\\NULL|ZĂ˜NE// is a cassette-only label that puts out experimental music by Potter and his fellow artists. The roster is full of a wide variety of noise, Dada, psychedelic, and avant-garde musicians, each with a unique and totally uncompromising approach. This was one of the most fundamental elements in founding the label. “I had been kicking around the idea for a while to have a label that focused on all the great experimental music being made in the Southeast in general and Georgia specifically,â€? Potter explains. “I finally put together a compilation near the end of 2016 with a variety of DIY sounds that would fall somewhere on the experimental spectrum. That compilation, titled Exterminate All Rational Music, really got everything started.â€?

with them by working together on these releases.� Bands and artists on the label include the weirdo art punk improv of Flesh Narc; the awesome avant-glitch of x.nte; the cool smooth art synth of Wet Garden; The Electric Nature, sound art drone of which Potter is a member; and many more. Such intricate and wild notions, the totality is very much outer-space-driven. A massive soundtrack could be made for the third “Blade Runner� film by meshing together these artists.

Ever since, \\NULL|ZĂ˜NE// has been a steady and influential force, popping out 10 to 12 releases each year. Potter’s penchant for true outsider music makes the label extra ordinary. This is stuff you might never, in a zillion years, get to experience. “Anything that is DIY and outside the popular music format is what I am interested in,â€? Potter says. “I’d love for folks stumbling onto the label to get a broader appreciation for weird music and sound art and see that it can be really infectious and intoxicating in a different way than pop music.â€?

“I’ve been a fan of science fiction since I was a small child,� Potter explains. “My sister was a championship swimmer, so my family went on a lot of swim trips when I was very young. I was left alone at many hotels while they were at events, which let me take in all the great ’80s sci-fi movies. ‘Dune,’ ‘Tron,’ ‘The Last Starfighter,’ and so many others really did a number on my young and impressionable mind. Still, to this day, my dreams are mostly science-fiction-type scenarios. I can’t escape it, nor would I want to. I love thinking of the unknown and unknowable.�

Running a label like this is a labor of love, and the challenges it presents are more aesthetic than financial. These types of challenges are more welcome, and productions like this showcase the intense diversity and creativity that exists in the underground right now. “The only challenge, really, is getting folks interested in something they didn’t realize they might be interested in,�

Potter notes, “which can be hard with so many things out there competing for attention. But really, I just treat it like, ‘It’s cool if folks find it and dig it; it’s also cool if it stays unknown.’ I just enjoy doing this. I enjoy connecting with so many diverse artists.

I love listening to their music and building a better relationship

Those early sci-fi classics had a certain DIY quality to them that most of today’s films simply can’t muster. \\NULL|ZĂ˜NE// is completely futuristic and of the moment, but its heart and electric system is an homage to a forgotten world. The DIY spirit is a bridge to that universe. “DIY is so attractive to me because of how personal it is,â€? Potter says. “There’s no long line of hands molding a work for optimal public consumption. There’s just someone—or a small group of folks—making these very special things that only a few people will enjoy. I personally find so much more enjoyment experiencing art and music this way.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

, AND INK S B O N K , S CHORD

Y J. P O E T DAN SMITH B T S I L A C O V T/ WITH BASSIS EG JA CO BS PH OT O BY GR INTERVIEW

S

harp/Shock don’t waste any time delivering their message.

They play music that’s wild, rowdy, and truthful. Youth Club—their second album, released

by Heart & Skull Records on May 25— delivers 12 tracks in less than 20 minutes.

fast and keeping everything simple,�

Smith says. “We were really happy with the way the first record was made, and we did this one almost immediately after. Recording live means you don’t have a lot of time to overcomplicate anything. Since Davey’s a producer and engineer, we’re able to be as prolific as we like. He usually comes to the studio with the songs all prepared. If it’s not on the page, it’s in his head, and we work through them together, adding what we need to. We don’t let anything get in the way of making a great song.�

“Songs don’t need to be long if they’re good,� bassist and vocalist Dan Smith says. The trio—Smith, vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and producer Davey Warsop, and drummer Jared Shavelson—are traveling to a gig in Santa Ana, California, and the “We only waited to release Youth Club noise of freeway traffic hangs in the because you can’t put out two albums background. “Our music is loud, fast, back to back,� he adds. “We wanted to and melodic,� Smith adds. “Whatever tour a little bit and play the songs you think you need is on this record.� on the first record for people before  we released this one.�

Like their 2016 debut album, Unlearn Everything, Youth Club was written Smith and Warsop are British and recorded in a three-week burst expatriates, and both have been of creative energy. Warsop wrote the playing in bands since they were 15. songs in two weeks, and the band cut “I was born in England and grew up in them live in the studio in five days. New Zealand,� Smith says. “I’ve been “We’re fans of getting the music down in L.A. for about 15 years. Davey came

30 NEW NOISE

over [to America] around the same time.

We were both in other bands when we met, and we stayed in touch over the years.�

YMCA,� Smith explains. “Being we’re all in our mid 30s, age is something we think about. How do you keep the youth vibe and be conscious of it as the years tick by? We felt like it was a fitting title for the record. Even though you grow out of going to the youth club, you don’t really age as far as the music is concerned. Music keeps you young.�

Smith is also a well-known tattoo artist and dropped out of music for around five years to concentrate on building a client base for his shop. “I was still going to shows and playing at home, but I needed a break from The band are serious about playing, touring,â€? he notes. “A few years ago, touring, recording, and maintaining I ran into Davey again. He asked me their identity as an individual, if I’d like to hear some of the songs self-sufficient unit. “We’re all very he’d been writing and maybe play on DIY,â€? Smith attests. “We don’t have a them. We’re both in our 30s now, so we manager or booking agent. We tour didn’t feel any urgency. We let the with bands Davey knows from working collaboration breathe and grow in a in a recording studio and I met at my natural, organic way. We both liked tattoo shop. I was on a TV show called Ramones, The Jam, The Specials, and ‘L.A. Ink,’ so between me doing that Madness, so a bit of that ska and and our drummer Jared playing in so punk energy drives the songs. We’re not many bands, we have a wide circle of afraid to name our influences, ’cause we friends to tour and gig with. We all wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.â€? have other things going on in our lives as well, so we don’t push it or Sharp/Shock called the album Youth make any decisions that we don’t Club as a tribute to the land of their want to make. It’s been rewarding and birth. “In England, it’s a place where therapeutic so far, and it looks like kids can go and hang and spend time it’s getting better and better.â€? đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł đ&#x;’Ł with their peers, maybe similar to the

Bedlam Affinity Co. All Sewn Up PHOTO BY DERRICK MACKENZIE

INTERVIEW WITH FOUNDER ARMANDO REYES

By F. Amanda Tugade

A

rmando Reyes doesn’t consider himself an artist—or rather, a fashion designer. He’s just a car salesman from northern Los Angeles who has turned his hobby of sewing and knack for styling into a clothing business with a growing clientele. “I kind of like that—the juxtaposition, you know?� Reyes says about his day job and his passion project. “It’s a lot of opposites, a lot of clashing. When I show up to work on my day off, everybody’s like, ‘What the hell?’�

“I’ll just hear, ‘This guy‌’â€? he laughs. “I like that. I like that I’ll still go to punk shows and get in the pit, and then, tomorrow at 9 a.m., I’m selling cars here.â€?

On Instagram and Etsy, Bedlam Affinity Co. boasts a catalog of custom shirts, crewnecks, and leather jackets. Every tear in a sleeve, uneven stitch, or

crooked patch on an overdyed item is intentional. These pieces aren’t only made for wear; they’re a reflection of Reyes and his gratitude for the punk and DIY community, where he picked up on the concept of originality.

Those middle and high school days proved to be influential for Reyes, who started “dressing up like punks� with his friends, painting and drawing on his band shirts and thrift store threads. Little did he know that playing with those fabrics would ultimately lead him to debut his first creation for Bedlam: a Smiths-inspired vintage black leather jacket. Flip the jacket on its backside and you’ll see “How Soon Is Now?� smeared in baby blue paint. From there, Reyes began experimenting, taking in the rejects from his friends’ screen printing apparel piles and seeing what he could do with them.

Each carefully distressed and strategically damaged piece serves a purpose. Whether Reyes is paying tribute to Pixies or messing around with the Descendents’ mascot Milo, there’s a method to his madness.

He makes sure to take his time— especially when completing custom orders—and enjoys seeing his works evolve and take on a life of their own.

Working with different textiles can be difficult. Some fabrics are too delicate for dyes, while others are so tough they have broken Reyes’ sewing needles. “I’ll hit a wall,� he admits. “Say I’m like, ‘OK, I really want this to look a certain way [with] a splatter or dye effect.’ Then, I’ll wash it, and it

PHOTOS BY MAYRA ARELLANO

didn’t come out the way I thought it would. I’ll just put it aside, and then, I work on something else.�

Owning those “mistakes when I fuck something up� is what makes Bedlam unique, Reyes says. “That kind of fits the whole punk [and] DIY thing,� he notes. “I embrace imperfections, and sometimes, I don’t want it to look perfect or bought out of a store. I want someone to notice that, like, some dude made this, you know?�

me better than how [teachers] show you, like, ‘OK, take these measurements, and you can do this and that to make these pieces.’ That proved to be more difficult than winging it and fixing little mistakes and stuff.� Reyes runs Bedlam mostly online and through social media alongside his recent recruit Thomas Massarotti. The 15year age difference between them has brought in more music fans, who typically send requests for unique attire by way of DMs and emails.

Every now and then, the pair make an appearance at a pop-up shop event or set up a booth at a local flea market.

As for learning the basics—like hemming a pair of pants or altering the size of a t-shirt—he credits his mother, who was a seamstress for years. “When I started, I had a dozen pieces His fondest memories include helping online,â€? Reyes says, looking back at her make Halloween costumes for the the last three years. “I wasn’t really children in their neighborhood. “I confident in what I was doing, so a lot went to community college a little of times, I was wearing the stuff I was bit to take their fashion certificate making. You know, I didn’t really care. class, and I went in there already I just made it to make it. Now, it’s cool knowing how to make clothing because to hear from people: ‘Hey, this is great! my mom had taught me,â€? he recalls. “I I like this. I like that.’â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł liked doing it the way my mom taught

NEW NOISE 31

JAYE JAYLE

I N T E R V I E W W I T H E VA N PAT T E R S O N B Y C H R I S TO P H E R J. H A R R I N GTO N

V

ocalist and guitarist Evan Patterson is known primarily as the frontman for Louisville, Kentucky, indie-punk trio Young Widows, but his passion project, Jaye Jayle—now a fully touring band—is perhaps where his total heart lies. Theirs is a surreal and haunting sound, something with an unmistakable realism to it.

The band’s second full-length, No Trail and Other Unholy Paths—due out June 29 via Sargent House—is earthly and celestial, like a heartbeat in midair. “All the songs are written initially on an acoustic guitar,�

Patterson relays. “Then, I transfer it to synthesizer. The ideas for the drumbeats were literally tapped out on my guitar.�

Simplicity refined. However, while the record is sparse, it is all-consuming, like a tidal wave of postmodernism. It’s an artful take: the calmness and repetition of Krautrock twisted with a futuristic Americana on the edge. You can see this stuff on the open roads. “A lot of the basic ideas of the songs have a strong visual element,� Patterson says. “It’s about taking you somewhere with the music—a journey.�

Patterson first hooked up with frequent David Lynch collaborator Dean Hurley for the band’s 2016 debut LP, House Cricks and Other Excuses To Get Out, but the duo helped

the new record break into a universe of its own design. It’s progressive and homey, like folk rock through a techno blender, with dusty innuendo and nightclub— see the end of “Accepting�—slickness.

According to Patterson, working with Hurley has been nothing short of amazing. “It’s great to hear what he is able to do with the sounds,� he quips. “He takes the big ideas and really runs with them.�

As someone who’s about as DIY as humanly imaginable, Patterson’s mode for initially reaching out to Hurley was pretty neat. “I looked him up online and sent him an email asking if he’d be interested,� Patterson laughs. “He was.�

With a producer like Hurley onboard, Jaye Jayle have become something bigger in substance. No Trail and Other Unholy Paths is still underground music but with a universal might. “This is the longest I’ve ever spent on an album,� Patterson notes. “It’s usually get the record done, and on to the next one. Never has it been this involved.�

The depth can be felt. From dark-folk scrapers like “As Soon as Night� to Steve Reich-inspired drone like “No Trail (Path One)� and futuristic post-punk like “Cemetery Rain,� the new record breaks

out in kaleidoscopic ways. The feeling can be science-fiction-ish, but the heart is pure DIY. “I think experimenting with music is the most DIY thing you can do in your life,� Patterson muses. “It’s the exact opposite of a capitalistic approach. I’ve somehow lived by this mantra for 37 years, and I’m going to continue to do it this way.�

Jaye Jayle are big on ideas: a dreamer’s sequence flying through the outer ridges. “Explore what you can do with art,â€? Patterson says. “That’s what it’s about.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

LIZZY BORDEN F

or 35 years, Lizzy Borden has been one of leading figures in theatrical rock and metal. Now, the vocalist is back with his first new album in more than a decade. My Midnight Things will be issued

by Metal Blade Records on June 15, and to Borden, it feels like a fresh start. “It feels brand new again,� he confirms. “This is a total reboot, so that is the way I’m looking at it.�

On My Midnight Things, it was important for Borden to take control of his art. He accomplished this by utilizing a DIY approach and coproducing the album alongside his drummer and brother, Joey Scott. “I didn’t want to be under someone’s timeclock,� he explains. “I needed to make the record that I wanted, and I did not think that could happen in a cookie-cutter situation.�

Borden is slow to compare My Midnight Things to his now-classic early material. “I think all of my albums are different,� he offers. “The thing that makes them a Lizzy Borden record is my voice, but I try to make them all unique. For this one, I think I’m a better songwriter than I was, and I don’t want to repeat anything that I’ve done before.� Borden’s familiar voice is definitely front and center; it’s clear and strong and seems to be defying the aging process.

Despite his vocal chops, Borden is often

32 NEW NOISE

I N T E R V I E W W I T H VO C A L I ST L I Z Z Y B O R D E N

BY TO M C R A N D L E

lumped into the category of “shock rocker,� but that’s not how he defines himself. “Even though they call me a shock rocker, I never go out of my way to shock,� he says. “It was easy in the ’80s, but I lost interest in that very early on. I think it’s because I’m more of a performer than a headbanger, and most people are not used to seeing that these days. I try to do something a little different, and that seems a little shocking these days.�

Throughout his long career, Borden has been known for his spectacular, theatrical live shows. Fans will be glad to hear that it’s a tradition he intends to continue. “I’m working on the [My] Midnight Things show right now, and the plans are very exciting so far,� he shares. “I think this will be the best show I’ve ever done, just based on technology alone. I get to play the new songs and make them come to life.�

Borden also gives a preview of what the setlist will look like, revealing, “With every tour I do, I support the album and play at least seven or eight songs. The new show will be based around the [My] Midnight Things theme, but I will add some back-catalog songs in there as well.�

The record business has changed radically over the course of Borden’s three-and-a-

half-decade career. For his part, he’s done “The challenge is still the same,â€? he continues, his best to adapt and take advantage of “to try to make everyone aware that I have a new record coming out. You would think the new DIY possibilities. “It’s a whole new world now,â€? he says. “Some of it is better, that with the internet that would be much easier. In some ways, it is, but you have to and some of it is not. I miss the things that sift through the clutter—and there’s a lot used to be better and embrace all the cool of clutter. My hope is that I made a good things we have now that we did not have record and that it will rise to the top and way back when.â€? find a home on everybody’s playlist.â€? đ&#x;’Ł

NOFX resurrect FAT’s Live in a Dive series with a ripping live performance of Ribbed!

OUT AUG 3!

info and pre-order at fatwreck.com

NEW NOISE

33

“HELLO, MY NAME IS HENRY�

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR MICAH SCHNABEL

BY ROBERT DUGUAY

YOUR SUMMER READING LIST

D EV O

“DEVO: THE BRAND� | “DEVO: UNMASKED�

MAY 1977, (L-R) MARK MINUS TROUSERS, PHOTO: “DEVO LIVE AT CBGB, NEW YORK, BOBBIE WATSON WHITAKER CHEETAH CHROME DANCING, JERRY IN MASK� CREDIT TO:

Life in America’s Rust Belt can be a very dreary one. The region is scattered with small towns, fallen heroes, has-beens, and never-weres, and only a few make it out. “Hello, My Name Is Henry,� the first novel by Micah Schnabel of Columbus, Ohio, alt-rock band Two Cow Garage—released May 22 via White Gorilla Press—captures this narrative through the life of graveyard shift convenience store worker Henry Sterling. He’s in his late 20s, wishing he had a way to leave the mundanity of a life in Brooksville, Ohio, that leaves him dealing with his overworked and underpaid mom, addicts, shady characters, and an irregular sleep schedule. It’s a complex representation of the Midwestern millennial who has no path other than the one dealt to him. “It was scary and super challenging tackling a novel-length piece,�

Schnabel says. “I think it’s like climbing a mountain. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I can’t wait to do it again.�

BY JOHN B. MOORE You didn’t actually think DEVO would put out just another traditional rock star bio, did you? On July 13, Rocket 88 will put out a two-in-one upside-down book by DEVO cofounders Gerald V. Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh. “DEVO: The Brandâ€? is crammed with photos, artwork, and memories from the iconic Ohio band. Also nestled inside the soft, rubberized cover is “DEVO: Unmasked,â€? which contains discussions of their pre-DEVO bands, Kent State-era art happenings, proto-DEVO doings, and much more. Half of the book is printed upside down—naturally—so you have to flip it over to get the full story. Diehards can preorder the book at devobook.net! đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

34 NEW NOISE

Schnabel’s novel provides an honest look at life’s struggles and the division within the United States. Sterling discusses how he and his mother view eating fast food as a luxury, while dreading having to eat Valu Time brand bologna and white bread.

He also talks about how poor and uneducated white people often blame immigrants and people of color for their problems instead of reflecting on themselves, positing that it has to do with the lack of jobs and income inequality that the government is ultimately to blame for. The conflict between rich and poor is examined as well, with the main character stating that poor people know the meaning of hard work better than most rich people, who have never had to deal with being poor.

“My biggest influence would have to be [author and musician] Willy Vlautin,�

Schnabel explains. “I’m lucky enough to call him a friend, and we were playing shows together when his first novel, ‘Motel Life,’ was getting ready to come out. I remember thinking how cool it was to know someone who had written a book. When I read it and saw the way he was able to be plainspoken and so heartbreakingly honest, I remember thinking, ‘I could do this.

I could write a book.’ I hope that doesn’t sound arrogant or dismissive of Willy’s writing. He’s my favorite author. It was just the way he writes made writing feel approachable for me, and I could never thank him enough for that.�

Sterling’s life takes numerous twists and turns from page to page. He seems to be on a self-guided mission to never be anything like his abusive grandfather, who acts as a black cloud that hangs over him. There are also the numerous correspondences between him and his best friend Josh, who has moved to the city, that touch upon the differences in their outlooks due to their different surroundings. One event involving a car accident serves as the climax, putting a lot of these pieces together in a crazy, messed up puzzle. By the end, the reader isn’t sure what’s real or fake due to the existential crisis Sterling confronts. “Hello, My Name Is Henry� is a captivating read that’s unapologetic in its representation of small town life in America’s heartland. It’ll leave readers thinking about certain elements that stick in one’s mind, but that’s part of the book’s brilliance.

Schnabel’s consistent theme of antiglorification is what makes his first novel shine. It’s a real story that the average Joe can relate to. đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

“AR S UM BR A: TH E AR T OF ES TE R SE GA RR A�

INTERVIEW WITH PHOTOGRAPHER ESTER SEGARRA

That path has been littered with blood, smoke, fire, and corpse paint.

From Tom G. Warrior pouring his soul into her lens to Abbath Doom Occulta scarfing hotdogs in the streets of London, Segarra has captured the heroes of the metal realm like no other. With a catalog as vast as hers, it was a miracle that Segarra was able to narrow it down to the 150-plus photos inside “Ars Umbra.� “I had been told many times I should put a book together, but it never really felt right until 2015 when I embarked on this project,� she says. “I felt the urge to look back at what I had done, to somehow make sense and piece it together. I was faced with my own death and in need of a new chapter, and I couldn’t think of a better way to mark it than making a book.� “As Michelangelo said, ‘Every block of stone has a statue inside it, and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it,’ so it was mainly a process of discovering and unveiling the book that was calling to be made,� she shares. “It was not an easy or quick process; it was a very emotional one. Also, deciding to have the musicians telling the story behind many of the pictures was not an easy task, although it was very rewarding in the end! It is a book made with a lot of love for the music that has given existence to the pictures and for everyone involved in making it happen.�

PHOTO BY TINA K

F

or the past 15 years, Ester Segarra has been shooting the sickest photos of the evilest bands on the planet. Her portraits of extreme metal titans—like At The Gates, Mayhem, Ghost, Watain, and Electric Wizard, to name a few—have appeared on magazine covers, music blogs, and #heavymetal Instagram posts around the world.

Now, the undisputed queen of metal portraiture is getting the rock star treatment herself. On July 6, Season Of Mist will release “Ars Umbra,� a meticulously crafted anthology book of photos spanning Segarra’s illustrious career. “It was a picture of a sunset in a book that I saw when I was about 6 years old that sparked my interest in the power of photography,� Segarra says, describing her formative years as a traditional Catholic lass in Barcelona, Spain—that is, until a secret

photography class opened her eyes. “When I was about 16, I had a chance to do a photography course as an extra class,� she reveals. “My parents [were] opposed, wanting me to do something useful like computers, arguing as well that I didn’t even have a camera.

Remembering the effect that the sunset picture had on me, I thought, ‘Fuck It! I’m doing it anyway!’ and borrowed a friend’s camera.�

BY JAMES ALVAREZ sion’s Uno Bruniusson and has the rough dimensions of an LP sleeve. “It is designed to fit in your record collection and [comes] with a soundtrack to add another layer of artistry to the whole experience,� Segarra confirms. “It has been done with the same love, care, and dedication as I have put in my work for the last 15 years, and it has nearly killed me!� “Growing up in Spain, photography was not a valid choice, and the idea of being a music photographer was even more surreal,� she concludes. “I never thought I could do it, nor that I would do it. All I knew is that I would try. I would try to dedicate myself to photography as much as I could. If that meant living in poverty, I would, and I did. There were no excuses, only finding the way. I did, and I worked bloody hard for it! But fuck all the blood, sweat, tears, and fears. Fuck it! I did it!�

Hopefully, Segarra will keep doing it and there will be more rad anthology books to come. đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

“Ars Umbra� is paired with an original soundtrack composed by Proces-

As for her inevitable walk down the sonic left-hand path, a certain album cover opened her ears to the devil’s music. “It was in 1991 that I came across a tape of [Guns N’ Roses’] Use Your Illusion,� she recalls, “and it had a sticker on the cover with a warning: ‘This album contains language which some listeners may find objectionable. They can fuck off and buy something from the New Age section.’ It made [me] hate New Age and set my path forever.�

NEW NOISE 35

THE turbo a.c.'s

I N T E R V I E W W I T H V O C A L I S T/ G U I TA R I S T K E V I N C O L E B Y J O S H U A M A R A N H A S He adds that, musically, “the integrity of The Turbo A.C.’s is the balls-to-the-wall energy. You know, we’re fighting, living to win. It’s about speed and killing—stuff that inspires us to move. It’s what makes rock ’n’ roll or punk rock interesting [and] exciting, at least for this band.�

The Turbo A.C.’s lost their backline during Hurricane Sandy, and, since leaving Las Vegas, Cole shares that the road has “been a little brutal.

This is our first time back out in a long time. A lot of preparation, getting the backline sorted out. It was a Cannonball Run to get to Punk Rock Bowling, which we anchored the tour off of.�

W

hile out on the road—touring from forward to the release of the band’s Punk Rock Bowling in Vegas to St. latest album, Radiation, on June 22 via Louis, Missouri—lead vocalist and Stomp Records and Union Label Group. founder of The Turbo A.C.’s, Kevin Cole, can’t help but look back on the last “The new album, it’s been a while in the few years: leaving New York after making since [2011’s] Kill Everyone,� Cole Hurricane Sandy, moving to Puerto explains. “The different thing about Rico and opening Revolution Pizza Radiation, we always had that concept in Shop, and living through Hurricane mind—it’s a reference to the movie ‘Repo Maria. Now, he’s finally looking Man,’ which we reference a lot.�

Maria in 2017. Reflecting on the disaster, Cole notes that he “didn’t have power or even a phone signal for at least a month. People weren’t sure if I was alive or what was happening.

That was intense.�

Exemplifying the DIY ethos, The Turbo A.C.’s and their fans raised over $11,000 in disaster relief for Cole using GoFundMe. “I think they wanted me to go back home [to New York, but] I wanted to stay and continue to try to make a difference there,� he says. “I was there for my team and my employees—I kind of always have a punk rock staff. I’m going back to Puerto Rico and getting ready for the next one.�

“It’s been a wild ride so far,� he summarizes. “It’s been long drives, big shows, and big celebrations afterward.

It’s just what we do, and we love it.�

After that, Cole says The Turbo A.C.’s will be out on tour a lot—including heading to Europe in September and October—but for now, he’s just excited for Radiation’s release. “I can’t wait Once the band wrap up in St. Louis, for people to hear it,â€? he says. “The they plan to head home for a bit. people who have heard it [have said], For Cole, that means heading home to ‘Aw, man, it’s awesome!’ That’s a good Puerto Rico, which is still suffering feeling. I’m really happy with it.â€? đ&#x;’Ł after the devastation of Hurricane

WAYFARER

era of social media can help bands like them further their visibility. “We use our social media platforms for the basic purpose of spreading the word about our music and shows, and I N T E R V I E W W I T H G U I T A R I S T S H A N E M C CA R T H Y B Y M A R I K A Z O R Z I [we] don’t see much need beyond that ith a reflection of the Rocky Their roots definitely have an impact Chris Bruni and Profound Lore has for anything else,� McCarthy explains.

Mountains and High Plains of their on Wayfarer’s new album. “Colorado been an ideal situation, top to bottom. “It is not something we value too much; native Colorado, Wayfarer are back to brings a very strong confluence of We have always been a fan of his we are here to write music and play tell a story that is uniquely American. both mountains and plains, as well as a label and the integrity he operates shows. Social media is just kind of a Drawing influence as much from the storied history as a piece of the western it with, and working with him on this necessary tool so that people know dusty, dark Americana of the “Denver frontier,� McCarthy says. “The landscape record has proved that to be more these things are happening.�

Soundâ€? and scores of epic Westerns has always had a strong effect on us as than true,â€? McCarthy shares. “A label as they do from the fury and melody people—and therefore, in our music—and like that has a strong following “We came up as a band playing in a of black metal, with their new album, the history has as well, especially on because people trust their taste and very DIY scene, doing DIY tours,â€? he World’s Blood—released via Profound this latest album. Also, there is a strong the respect they put into releases. So, adds, “and this is where it belongs, in Lore Records on May 25—Wayfarer bring music presence here, from the burgeoning it helps with a band like us, who were a ‘by the people for the people’ kind something original to the table with metal scene that we kind of cut our teeth relatively unknown before, to have of scenario unadulterated by bigger a sound that is at once aggressive and in to the old ‘Denver Sound’ kind of all these people with open minds to commercial concerns. This keeps the honest. The album paints a hallucinatory gothic country stuff like Wovenhand, 16 what it is we are trying to portray.â€? integrity in the hands of the people picture of the western frontier and the Horsepower, [and] Slim Cessna’s Auto Club creating the music, and that’s the haunting presence of blood in the soil that has had a strong influence on us as Even if Wayfarer prefer a DIY only place it should be.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł from a culture lost to time. approach, they agree that this new a band.â€?

W

“The history of the Western settlement “We all grew up so deeply affected by and tragedy of it all is very haunting; so much music,� McCarthy continues, it’s a strong presence,� guitarist Shane “and wanted to contribute something McCarthy says. “We have always had a of our own to that well we’ve drawn deep interest in it, as it’s a beautiful from all our lives. With this album and respectable culture—and one that in particular, it was to tell a has been largely ignored by a lot of hallucinatory story of the American history, as the accounts paint the U.S. West and all of the power and in a negative light, so that gets buried violence and tragedy therein.� intentionally. But it is fascinating and tragic, and it is real. These sorts World’s Blood also marks Wayfarer’s of things transpired on the land where debut with Profound Lore. “We were ready for a change, and working with we live, so that is hard to ignore.�

36 NEW NOISE

PHOTO BY ALVINO SALCEDO

E C HO B E D S D enver industrial duo Echo Beds displayed some extreme resourcefulness on their latest record, Buried Language, due out Aug. 17 via The Flenser. Their gear and practice space were null and void, thanks to a nationwide crackdown on DIY spaces. After a fire in an Oakland warehouse space known as Ghost Ship led to 36 deaths in 2016, artists across the country had a rude awakening. “When the warehouse was closed, it was literallay overnight,� vocalist and bassist Keith Curtis says. “Big signs over the doors.

They claimed the spaces weren’t safe. So, you come to work, and there’s no place to play.�

Thankfully, Echo Beds are a band built on adaptation, a group who thrive in their altered and harsh environmental reality. Their musical output is a fling of the boomeranging sounds of a decaying urban landscape: the scraps, the clangs, and the deathly emptiness

of progress. “I think here in Denver, you had the gold rush, and today, you have the massive amount of condos being built,�

Curtis says. “You don’t recognize the place anymore. You’re standing in a once-familiar spot right next to a six-story building from out of nowhere—it’s crazy.�

Without Echo Beds’ typical setup, Buried Language was a practice in inventiveness. Learning new computer software on the fly, the band were able to muster a convincing post-industrial noise system, channeling the despair and the dying symbolism of capitalism: its manifestations and fears. “The record’s reactionary,�

Curtis explains. “The narrative is socially-driven. It feels as lost as we felt. It’s an exposed nerve.

Everything’s broken, and you oftentimes get lost in that.�

Nine tracks compose a haunting completeness: a nightmare and a

S pir itua l Cra mp PHOTO BY MICHAEL THORN

I n te rvi ew w i t h M i c h a e l F e nt on, M icha el Bin g ha m, a n d St ewa rt Ku hlo By T im Anderl

H

ot on the heels of their breakout debut EP, Mass Hysteria, and a brief, albeit impactful, tour with American Nightmare, No Warning, and Pissed Jeans, San Francisco’s Spiritual Cramp deliver the Police State EP via Deranged Records on June 8.

While their introductory effort—perhaps unintentionally— introduced a broody, goth-leaning side of the band, Police State shows them settling into a headlong trajectory in punk and dub directions. While the band can recognize the difference, it may not be by design.

Interview with vocalist/bassist Keith Curtis By Christopher J. Harrington ray of hope. In a world built on the backs of the exploited, on the destruction and destabilization of natural resources, Buried Language, like the bleak Euro post-punk of the ’80s, is able to apply its intention directly.

It’s a melding of perfection and imperfection, of the human spirit set against the odds. One makes do with what they have. They inhibit their reality, force themself to create within the system that is offered—turn the coldness into life.

As an artist living in an environment in flux for many years, Curtis knows the value of using one’s surroundings to offer a realistic take. Echo Beds’ new album is a spark of concrete truth: destruction and imbalance. “It just surrounds you,â€? Curtis says, “creeps into your consciousness.â€?đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

“The goth thing was not really am I?â€? and “Do people see me as I intentional, at least not an see myself?â€? These are struggles intention of mine,â€? bassist guitarist Stewart Kuhlo says the Michael Fenton says. “Since a few members of the band all tackle of the songs on Police State were from time to time. around a bit longer, I think we may have been more comfortable “In a sense, a lot of us in the playing them, hence feeling a bit band come from really different more aggressive. I definitely was places—be it geographically and/ trying to get a little more into or upbringing—but ultimately, I the dubby aspect of the band on think there is this shared sense of ‘850’ but feel like it was kind of struggle to just be alive,â€? Kuhlo an obvious move rather than a says. “Like, every day, questioning who you are, what you’re doing, quick left turn.â€? trying to make sense of the fucked “I don’t think [Police State] will up way of things, trying to care leave anyone scratching their for the people you love.â€? heads,â€? vocalist Michael Bingham adds. “If you listened to the first “I don’t think it really has to EP, you could probably guess do with age, but rather, just we’ll be doing some crazy shit being a person cast into this in the future. It’s definitely world without any say and, then, an appendage to the first set of forced to deal with everything that comes with that,â€? Kuhlo songs.â€? concludes. “It may be a privilege Recorded by Grace Coleman at to consider this, but it sure as Different Fur Studios in San fuck doesn’t ever feel like it.â€?đ&#x;’Ł Francisco, Spiritual Cramp’s second effort continues to tackle existential questions like “Who

NEW NOISE 37

THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES PHOTO BY ALAN SNODGRASS

T UP

INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST DICKY BARRETT BY JOHN B. MOORE

D

icky Barrett, vocalist and cofounder of Boston ska punk legends The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, always knew they would finish their trilogy—even if it took almost a decade to do it. “I always knew this other record was coming,” Barrett says.

“What I sort of worried about was Ted’s availability, but somehow, the stars lined up and it worked. He’s busier now then he’s ever been, and that’s because the guy is so fucking good.”

Dropkick Murphys, Lucero, and, of course, The Bosstones. “The sound and the quality and the consistency of the albums he works on is remarkable,” Barrett says. “I can’t say I equally love, across the board, the artists he works with, but I like the records he makes.

First of all—and there’s so many ‘first of all’s with him—he goes at it with the same kind of head that an artist goes at it. He’s not trying to pump out records. He’s an artist. I’m glad that we were smart enough to get on that train when we did, and I’m really proud of the trilogy.”

Ted is Ted Hutt, a former member of Flogging Molly and the producer The final record in the trilogy is the band’s latest, While We’re At It, out behind some of the most standout punk rock albums of the past 15 June 15 on the band’s own Big Rig Records. It follows 2009’s Pin Points years, including records by The Bouncing Souls, Gaslight Anthem, and Gin Joints and 2011’s The Magic of Youth.

PHOTO BY ALAN SNODGRASS

Barrett says the idea for the trilogy goes back to that 2009 record. “It was kind of always in my head that this was how it was going to work,� he explains. “I wasn’t saying that when number two came out, but it was always in my head. You never know what’s going to happen, but it was always my intent to do that and to do three albums with Ted Hutt. The songwriting and the way I approached the songs was all done in the same way. It really explains itself if you listen to all three albums, and then you go, ‘Oh yeah, that’s definitely a trilogy.’�

Once you listen to all three records chronologically, you do begin to realize that some of the characters surface again and again.

Beyond that, Barrett is a little coy about the themes tying the three albums together, preferring listeners come to those conclusions on their own. “You just need to go back and listen to all three,� he says. “It’s the way I envisioned it, and it’s the way I planned it. No one can argue or deny it once they listen to it.�

The band have never been ones to shy away from socially-conscious songs, and While We’re At It is no different. The current sociopolitical environment can be heard throughout on songs like “Divide� and “Here We Are.� Both are particularly poignant given the times we are living in. “Here’s the thing, I’m not knocking anyone’s guy,� Barrett says when asked if he’s afraid of alienating anyone. “I’m looking at the situation and telling you how I feel about it. The real problem is that we have always been hedging toward splitting everyone in half, and we’ve officially done it. You’re either drinking Coke or you’re drinking Pepsi, and the guy drinking Pepsi is a fucking asshole and the guy in the Red Sox shirt sucks. It’s right down the middle, blue [and] red or however you want to classify it.� “The album does a very good job of saying exactly what we want to say right now,� he continues. “Evaluating the world and life and the way things currently are, this is what I see. If you like it, fine; if you don’t, fine. We’re not here to preach. You know how we feel, and we wear it on our sleeves.�

Last year, The Bosstones celebrated the 20th anniversary of their breakout album, Let’s Face It, a record that also deals with plenty of social issues throughout. “The lyrics still hold up; these things still happen,� Barrett says. “You still have to mention to people, ‘Hey, it’s not about the color of somebody’s skin. It’s not about somebody’s sexual preference. That’s not who the enemy is.’ I never, in a million years, imagined that 20 years down the line, we’d still have to talk about this. In some cases, it’s getting worse.�

As The Mighty Mighty Bosstones prep for a major tour that will take them across the U.S. and Canada, do they envision anymore album-focused shows? “We did Devil’s Night Out, our first record [from 1989], at Punk Rock Bowling a couple of years ago,â€? he says. “It’s kind of hard, you know? You’re plowing through songs you never really got your teeth around, but sure, why not? If people would enjoy it. Someday, we’re going to do the entire trilogy, and it’s going to take all night.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

PHOTO BY ALAN SNODGR ASS

MAD

CADDIES Never Mind the Brass Section

M

ad Caddies have been riding the third wave of ska for more than 20 years, carving out a nice little checkerboard niche within the punk rock community.

Being in a band that long is just like maintaining a successful marriage: every once in a while, you gotta spice things up. You know, feel like kids again. That’s what the Southern California sixpiece did for their new album, Punk Rocksteady, out June 15 on Fat Wreck Chords. Recorded at San Francisco’s Motor Studio, the record consists of 12 punk classics performed in various reggae and ska styles à la Mad Caddies.

Punk Rocksteady is the brainchild of Fat Wreck owner Fat Mike, who brought the idea to the band years ago. There it sat on the backburner until vocalist and guitarist Chuck Robertson agreed now was the right time. “Fat Mike had been bugging us for years,� he confirms. “This was his idea for us to do this cover album of punk classics done easy ska [and] reggae style. Last fall, he said, ‘You guys really need to do it.’ It just so happened the timing worked out perfectly.�

40 NEW NOISE

INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST/GUITARIST CHUCK ROBERTSON

BY DEREK NIELSEN Picking which songs went on the record was a team effort between the band and Fat Mike, who also produced the record. As with any collaboration, compromises need to be made to move things forward. “Fat Mike wanted a Descendents song on there, and we said, ‘Then we get to have a Green Day song!’� Robertson recalls. “He was like, ‘OK—but it can’t be one of their hits.’ So, we picked ‘She.’ But, at the end of the day, this was his pet project.�

Hate.� Guitarist Sascha Lazor took the reins on the arrangement, and the results might surprise both fans of the Misfits and Mad Caddies. “It’s so cool. I don’t know how to describe it,� Robertson says. “It’s Sascha’s baby. He used a baritone guitar, there’s a creepy piano part, we put saxophone on it. It sounds like a vampire-Tikilounge-zombie-reggae thing. It’s weird. It’s my favorite track, but it’s like, ‘Whoa, that does not sound like the Mad Caddies.’�

When Mad Caddies agreed to cover Propagandhi’s â€œâ€ŚAnd We Thought That Nation-States Were a Bad Idea,â€? they planted their tongue firmly in their cheek, giving the full ska treatment to a song written by a band who have gone on record stating that “ska sucks.â€? “That song has been getting a really good response, because it is the most punk out of all those songs,â€? Robertson explains. “We made it the most cheesy ’90s third wave ska it could possibly be, just because “‘She’ was the first single, Playing with other artists’ it’s Propagandhi, and they wrote because it sounds like a Mad material proved liberating for that song. We love those guys, Caddies SoCal reggae cover of the band, allowing them to but we had to do it.â€?

Green Day,â€? he adds. “All we did remove personal stakes from the different was add a guitar solo to songs and just focus on enjoying All joking aside, he admits, “I am it. In the original song, there’s an themselves in the studio. “It’s just so proud singing the gospel of instrumental break where they myself, Todd [Rosenberg] on those lyrics to audiences today. just play the chords, so we broke drums, and Sascha,â€? Robertson That song was written 10 or 15 the rules and put a solo in. We shares, “three people who years ago, but those lyrics could also broke the rules by not doing have written songs together not be more relevant than they the high harmony that everyone for 20 years, who have grown are today. [When] done in the sings. We did a low harmony, together as songwriters. There’s easy ska, reggae style, and we’re which I think makes it sound really something so liberating about harmonizing them and singing cool, especially when we play it removing ego from any kind of a little bit slower—man, you can live, because the crowd gets to collaborative project. It felt like hear every word. And they need sing the higher harmony.â€? being a kid in the studio again. to be heard today.â€?đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł We were spending half the time On the opposite end of the sleeping at the studio in San familiarity spectrum lands their Francisco, and I swear to god, I rendition of Misfits’ “Some Kinda felt like I was 25 again.â€?

BAR STOOL PREACHERS

I N T E R V I E W W I T H V O C A L I S T TO M M C FAU L L

BY J O H N B. M O O R E

B

of both the extreme left and right wing, will show people what the band can really “The name comes from the explosion of ritish punk and ska band The Bar Stool the lack of belief in modern politicians,�

Mount Etna,� McFaull recounts. “I heard a do. That follow-up, Grazie Governo, has Preachers realize expectations are high McFaull reveals. “It’s hard, though, as we’ve been teased by the release of three limited- true story when I was out in Sicily, and it stuck for their sophomore effort. Their 2016 been saying for years now that it’s a bigger edition 7�s and will be out digitally on Aug. with me. Countless times, the locals had debut, Blatant Propaganda, garnered a lot of problem than just a two-year scope can warned the government of Etna’s impending positive praise in both Europe and the U.S., 3 and available on CD and vinyl via Pirates show, and a lot of these things have been eruption; countless times, they petitioned for Press on Aug. 24. and they have spent the better part of the help; and countless times, they were ignored, happening for years.� last two years on the road playing those songs “We’re lucky that we didn’t have the age- their lives deemed not worth the expense. week after week.

So, as the lava poured toward their homes, “If you look at social indicators such as old problem of putting all the songs we’ve crime rates, housing prices, wage and toward everything the government had independently written [over] the last 20 “More pressure, definitely,� vocalist Tom inflation increases, and the growing gulf deemed not worthy to save, one old man years on the first album and, then, struggled McFaull says. “Having toured the first album between rich and poor, you can tell that set out a table and chair, cracked a bottle for ideas,� McFaull says. “There are five pretty damn extensively, we were aware that these things have been in effect for years,� of wine, and in huge red letters, wrote on the both the band and the fans wanted new stuff. writers in the band, we write together, and he adds. “It often takes a long time for side of his house: ‘GRAZIE GOVERNO.’� the ideas flow, so ask us on album number We don’t feel pressure as writers, as we write the everyday person to see the impact of six when we’re drying up!� from the heart, but we definitely felt a need to negative governmental action, but we’ll The title is not the only place where politics go further with the second album.� always try to highlight [and] fight it when we appear on the record.

Like many great punk song and album see it.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł titles, Grazie Governo—Italian for “Thank You, To hear McFaull describe it, the first record “We sing about local funding cuts, the rise Governmentâ€?—has its origin in a true story. was a “great handshake,â€? but the follow-up

COMEBACK KINGS

YearS Hiatus

By Nicholas Senior

It’s normal to fear the unknown, but when faced with the idea of coming back to music after a decade away, one must confront their fear of the known: the physical, emotional, and spiritual toll of recording and touring, the frustration of label disputes and troubles, and the fact that making art with one’s friends doesn’t always bring riches or fulfillment.

However, once that creative spark is lit, the fire never really dies. It’s easy to focus on the frustrations it caused, but this particular candle has a milelong wick that rarely flickers and only burns brighter as time passes. In 2018, a 10-year hiatus has allowed two of the best and most creative bands of their era to fortify their creative fires.

The result? Two of the best—and most unexpected— records of the year.

42 NEW NOISE

I N T E R V I E W W I T H G U I TA R I S T C H R I S E M M O N S

M

etal has been obsessed with necromancy for ages, but few get to live it. No matter how hard Charon has tried to ferry their souls across the river Styx, the past few years have borne witness to a number of New Wave of American Heavy Metal greats refusing to pay the toll and coming back from the dead.

THE AGONY SCENE

10

Tulsa, Oklahoma’s The Agony Scene have spent the past 11 years sailing the waters of Styx and Acheron, but Tormentor is their musical Phlegethon, a current overflowing with pentup creative fire. Their astounding comeback record—due out via new labels, Outerloop Records and Cooking Vinyl, on July 20—must have been inspired by Dionysus while the band lingered in Hades, as their creative juices are beautifully fermented like a fine wine.

Few lost souls raised by Hecate retain the memory of what made them great in their past lives, but Tormentor is a master of fury, energy, and—impressively—mood. Guitarist Chris Emmons notes that The Agony Scene’s varied past helped shape their future. “One thing that is weird is how each record, to me, is very much its own,” he says. “On the new one, you can hear elements of the other stuff. The thing we did want was to sound fresh. We didn’t want some rehash, and we weren’t trying to please everyone. There are people who still love our [2003 debut] self-titled record, but we were kids when we wrote that. We wanted to keep it fresh, and the result is really what came out. The only intention we had was to make what we wanted, to make sure we were really happy with it.”

“I remember looking back at moments where one of us wasn’t feeling something, and I’d say, ‘No, I think it’s fine,’” he continues.

“Retrospectively, if I thought it was ‘fine,’ it wasn’t good enough; we should’ve kept working on it. I don’t think anyone goes into it with the

When one successfully wakes the dead, it’s tough not to shout it to the heavens, but the band made sure all of their ducks were in a row before announcing the record. “We decided to keep quiet until we had something real to present,� Emmons explains. “It was hard to not say anything, but we didn’t want to speak too soon. We wanted to take care of business first.�

During the time Emmons spent in creative Hades, how often did he think about old times? “I would daydream quite a bit,� he admits. “I miss being different places. I love being at home. Sure, when I’m on the road, I miss home and want to be here, but it’s cool to be in California every few months and see your friends out there. I daydreamed about travel quite a bit. We all had the spark during our years apart, but when we finally played together, that’s when it really lit up and took ahold of us.�

“In fact,� Forrest chimes in, “we were thinking about calling it a different project. One of the key names we had tossed around was Arbiter, so that ended up becoming the name of the album.�

I N T E R V I E W W I T H V O C A L I S T J AY F O R R E S T A N D G U I TA R I S T D U S T I N N A D L E R

A

rbiters get a bad rap, due in large part to how awful arbitration can be. However, their ability to allow two sides to work out their issues without the baggage that comes with courtroom proceedings shouldn’t be forgotten. Sometimes, you just need to talk, have someone else listen, and come to a mutual understanding.

Those initial jams brought everything back to the beginning of the band, Nadler acknowledges with a laugh. “When we wrote those four songs, that was kind of a milestone for us,� he says. “Until the prospect of Equal Vision Records came about—it’s so funny how after everything that’s gone on, it’s all come around full circle. We wrote records and toured, and after all that, it was three of us in a practice space saying, ‘If we can write three or four songs and catch the ear of a label, we can maybe even record an EP.’�

Part of the hesitation around using Such is very much the case for the the band’s original name was that soaring, emphatic comeback album Hopesfall, the brand, had too much from Charlotte, North Carolina’s baggage—positive and negative— Hopesfall. Arbiter—out July 13 via Equal attached to it that may weigh down Vision Records and Graphic Nature the sound of a few friends banging Records—is the sonic equivalent of the out some jams. “I was very reluctant band’s last three records dueling it out in to call it Hopesfall,â€? Nadler notes, a binding arbitration. “only because I was concerned that putting the name [on it] would Except, that’s not entirely true. immediately and rightfully create a Arbiter certainly takes the best certain expectation or put a certain aspects of Hopesfall’s past—stunning stamp on what we were doing.â€? soundscapes, visceral and ethereal riffs, and Jay Forrest’s emotionally Forrest concurs, noting that not resonate vocals—and amplifies them, using the Hopesfall name allowed laughing at the idea that a band with the band to avoid missing the forest 11 years of silence may have musical for the trees. “I think it’s good that, in cobwebs to dust off. Regardless, the beginning, everyone was writing the band members still needed to without that name in mind, because resolve their fear and anxiety about then, you start thinking about the reviving their innate desire to create. business of Hopesfall and the frustrations and all that stuff,â€? he says. “After the split, we decided to give it a “I don’t think we wanted to lose that good break,â€? guitarist Dustin Nadler initial feeling of friends bonding and explains. “A handful of years go by, playing together. It was important to and—it’s weird, I was kind of content focus on the bond and love of music.â€? on the idea that I’ll never play again. The passion is always burning, Nadler chuckles, stating that the especially listening to new releases labels flat-out told the band that from other bands when they come Arbiter should be a Hopesfall out. We decided to get up and start record—and wisely so! “Maybe I was jamming around 2010. We just started unbelievably naĂŻve,â€? he says, “but playing together and writing some riffs now that I look at it, [it’s] all of the and having fun, like we used to do. It members of Hopesfall playing songs was all about doing it for the sake of that sounded a lot like Hopesfall. The trying to get together and drink a few common denominator for each of us beers and write music.â€? was how we poured our blood, sweat, and tears into the band and the way “There was no intention of writing it shaped us with the way that it just a Hopesfall record, initially,â€? he fizzled after [2007’s] Magnetic North. continues. “We got these four songs Now, we actually have that name and together and decided to show them all that we accomplished opening an to a few people, including Mike Watts opportunity for us. We realized that at VuDu Studios. Once the guys at we can’t not embrace the name. It is Equal Vision and Graphic Nature what it is, and Hopesfall has opened heard it, it took off from there. A up this opportunity.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

HOPESFALL

Tormentor is The Agony Scene’s most musically unified record, timeless in its purposeful flow and passion.

That’s no accident, as they took an old-fashioned approach. “We wanted mood,� Emmons asserts. “We were looking for more than just riffs, heavy parts, and fast parts.

We wanted to have an atmosphere without being too atmospheric, throwing in tons of keyboards or interludes. You can get caught up in riffs all day, but if it doesn’t have the right feeling, it doesn’t stay with you.�

big part of their interest in having us do this was the realization that it sounded like Hopesfall—which made sense, because it came from the guys in Hopesfall. We just hadn’t wanted to call it that, so it caught us off guard.�

PHOTO BY NATALIE BISIGNANO

mentality that good enough is just good enough, but it just happens sometimes, and we made sure that didn’t happen this time.�

“It only makes sense that we really wanted to focus on making a record that flows and has a feeling and is actually very cohesive when the industry is less and less concerned with records that do that,� he continues. “Of course we come and do that at the most inopportune time, when most people are most concerned with singles. It all makes sense for us.

Yeah, why would we quit our jobs to do something that was good for our career, right?� he laughs.

However, it’s that focus and drive that makes Tormentor shine. Comeback records are rarely more ferocious and venomous after a band spend a decade-plus out of the spotlight, but The Agony Scene’s time away allowed for reflection. They stoked their creative fire, and it burns brighter in 2018 than ever before.

These Oklahomans weren’t going to lay down and die with coins over their eyes: their creative purgatory only further ignited their creativity and passion. đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

NEW NOISE 43

Still Immortal did not go gently into the night. Demonaz and longtime drummer Horgh vowed to continue

What came next was another potential death blow for the mighty Immortal. Iconic frontman Abbath Doom Occulta—who cofounded the band with Demonaz—left the group in 2015, taking with him all of the songs that had been written for their new album. That material became Abbath’s self-titled solo debut, released in 2016.

There have been bumps along the way, of course. Foolish mortals might even be forgiven for having thought Immortal were done for when the band announced their split in 2003— right after one of their greatest triumphs, 2002’s Sons of Northern Darkness, no less. But four years later, the band were back in action, playing a series of lives shows. Then, 2009’s All Shall Fall picked up right where Sons… left off.

The Norwegian band’s latest album, Northern Chaos Gods—due out July 6 on Nuclear Blast—consists of eight vicious tracks of absolutely furious black metal. In other words, it’s vintage Immortal. Or as vocalist and guitarist Demonaz Doom Occulta describes it: “Dark, cold, timeless, and grim.” Immortal were founded in 1991, almost 30 years ago, but bands half that old struggle to muster the kind of feral energy they channel on Northern Chaos Gods.

It’s really starting to look like Immortal may never die.

The title of the new album is lifted from a lyric Demonaz wrote for the Sons of Northern Darkness track “One

By One.” The lyrics he penned for Northern Chaos Gods are, once again, meant to transport listeners to

Demonaz says he and Horgh never even considered putting Immortal to rest after Abbath left, but he does credit their former bandmate’s departure with allowing them to focus on the music for the first time in a long time. “After all these problems were solved in 2015, it was all about music again,” he confirms. “No disturbances. I locked out the world. I thought, ‘Well, fuck everyone. Let’s do this properly now and focus on the music.’ Then, it was easier, in a way.

It’s not difficult to shut out the world for me, because I’m a loner, in a way, when I write and when I make songs.”

He had one simple goal, really. “I always want to bring the listener the 110 percent Immortal frozen package,” he laughs. “I wanted to make the ultimate Immortal album, and a better one than the one before.

You always go in with that attitude, right? Like into a battle. It’s like, ‘This album is going to kick everybody’s ass.’ That’s what you’re thinking whenever you start an album, you know? It was the same way this time.”

did he consciously want Northern Chaos Gods to hark back to the band’s ’90s black metal roots, though it certainly sounds like they’ve tapped directly into the purest vein of the genre. “It was not like, ‘Let’s go back to the roots,’” Demonaz confirms.

Interview with vocalist/guitarist Demonaz Doom Occulta B Y M I K E G A W O R E C K I

NEW NOISE

45

Immortal’s tour plans will not be made until after this summer, Demonaz says, but he not only anticipates going on the road to support Northern Chaos Gods, he hints at even more timeless black metal to come from Immortal in the future.

Demonaz hoped to channel that force in the music too. “I just want the music with the fast blast beats and everything,� he says. “I seek power.

It’s a powerful title, powerful battle, and Northern Chaos Gods [is] like the name of the ultimate winner, you know, the ultimate battle winners.�

the frozen wastelands of Blashyrkh, but this time, Demonaz wanted to evoke a doomsday spirit. “Everything will extinguish,� he asserts. “It’s like the big final battle where everything is just going to explode. Northern Chaos Gods is the title, but it’s also a power, you know? The horns of Blashyrkh. The Northern Chaos Gods are like a force.�

“I never thought Immortal would stop, because I can’t stop it,â€? he says. “I can’t. The riffs are coming, my inspiration is there, and I always want to make something better. I think this is the most honest and complete album for a very, very long time. I believe it’s timeless. And I really hope Abbath’s solo album turned out to be the fans agree with me that there was pretty damn good, but one-upping no point in putting it down, because his former bandmate was not what there’s so much more to do with it.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł Demonaz set out to accomplish. Nor

Demonaz’ guitar chops show no sign of the lengthy hiatus he was forced to take. He slays the guitar on this album, and it’s a weighty offering indeed. He reckons that “Northern Chaos Gods,� the title track, is perhaps the fastest song in the Immortal canon, while album closer, “Mighty Ravendark,� is the longest, originally clocking in at over 10 minutes before it was trimmed to a relatively slim nine minutes and 15 seconds.

“So, of course, it would be a bit different,� he says of the new album’s sound. “Maybe we’ll see what I brought to the table for the band for all the albums, in a way.�

“This time, Abbath was not involved, so it was easier for me to bring my things—my style or my contributions—to the whole album,� Demonaz says. “I composed everything myself with no influence from anybody else. Earlier, Abbath brought music to the table normally, but this time, I did it on my own.�

on. This was no mean feat, considering Demonaz hadn’t played guitar on an album since 1997’s Blizzard Beasts due to acute tendonitis he developed in his arm, limiting his playing ability.

Now, he’s been surgically patched up, and he wrote all of the riffs—and lyrics—and played all of the guitar parts on Northern Chaos Gods.

46 NEW NOISE

PHOTO BY SEAN P. SULLIVAN

The EP’s seven tracks were recorded in early 2018, soon after the band’s formation. Their synchronicity is due to consistency: World Demise was engineered, produced, and mixed by Nik Bruzzese at The LumberYard in Hammonton, New Jersey. Mastering duties were handed to hardcore luminary Alan Douches at West West Side Music in New Windsor, New York. Add guests like vocalist Brendan Garrone from Incendiary to solidify this outing. đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

Hardcore and punk are intended to be about the music and the message. Few bands exemplify—or personify—this ethos more ardently than Seattle’s Regional Justice Center. The mastermind behind the band, Ian Shelton, had already been expressing his frustrations through varied instruments, but after grappling with the Washington State penal system in order to speak with his brother Max, who was awaiting sentencing, he formed Regional Justice Center. For 18 months, Shelton watched helplessly as Max endured the clusterfuck of shady attributes that define our correctional institutions.

sG se

PHOTO BY JACKI VITETTA

BY H UTCH

f

T

our Fac e O f

Having only released an EP in 2015, Gospel of War, and a single in 2016, Beg For Life : Pray For Death, Purgatory have gained notoriety from their furious live shows, opening for Cruel Hand, Harm’s Way, Twitching Tongues, Ringworm, Terror, All Out War, Blood For Blood, Stigmata, Leeway, Merauder, and Knocked Loose, plus an April tour with Since The Flood and Absolute Suffering. Vocalist Matt Anderson and guitarist Josh Mata have added new members from the likes of Orthodox and No Victory. The new energy and focus emanates profusely from these new tracks. Pissed and unapologetic. đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

uaranteed

Musically, the band’s debut LP, World of Inconvenience—out June 15 via To Live A Lie Records, adagio830, Forever Never Ends Records, and Straight & Alert Records— recalls Infest, Phobia, and, say, Paint It Black if they were a powerviolence or grindcore band. The record is a foray into the melee of our country’s justice system, mired in bloated bureaucracy and guided by profit and arbitrary guidelines meant to dehumanize and exploit the incarcerated.đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

Summer Re lea

lt Y Me

REGIONAL JUSTICE CENTER

These New Jersey hardcore upstarts were just formed in April, but with a spot at This Is Hardcore on July 27 and their debut selftitled EP out on Flatspot Records, World Demise are poised to pounce. The band cultivate their challenging riffs from the old guard, like Cold As Life, Merauder, and Hatebreed. Adding that groove-based metallic crunch to some New Jersey outlook and attitude, World Demise formulate a crushing hardcore sound. An infectious bounce and blistering breakdowns combine to serve a refreshing twist on NJHC.

o

PHOTO BY JONATHAN VELAZQUEZ

Brutality has a new name: Purgatory. But there is no limbo here. This band go all out in one direction. Purgatory’s Cold Side of Reality—released June 1 on Stigmata bassist Buddy Armstrong’s Unbeaten Records— is eight tracks of menacing beatdown hardcore. The full-length debut, from a label that has given us Left Behind and No Victory, is racing with catchy riffs and hardas-nails drumming. The nodding rhythms, often riding a double bass, find an alliance with bitter, scathing lyrics.

WORLD DEMISE

NEW NOISE 47

D E AT H G RAVE INTERVIEW WITH GREG WILKINSON AND ANDRE CORNEJO BY ADDISON HERRON-WHEELER

DeathgraVe push the envelope. Even their name seems to be the very essence of death metal and grind, the bare bones of the sound. And while the San Jose, California, band have always embraced a heavy, brutal sound and aesthetic, they are going even harder on their new record. So Real, It’s Now—out June 22 via Tankcrimes—takes the DeathgraVe aesthetic to a whole new level.

“On a personal level, I feel the band has evolved into its own entity,� guitarist Greg Wilkinson explains. “The music has made a strange turn into something bizarre, horrifying, chaotic, and even nauseating at times while still having fun with lyrical content and keeping a grind [and] sludge edge.�

According to Wilkinson, the lyrics “got gross while keeping some satire� and include topics like digging up a buried pet, tearing one’s hair out, and being killed by an unborn child. “Our early material didn’t feature much of the darker, deranged sound, because

we were all over the place lyrically and musically,� vocalist Andre Cornejo adds. “I think we all subconsciously started gravitating toward a slimier style and repulsive lyrics, so our sound began to augment. As far as recording goes, it was a blast making a record with the homies and raging afterward. I feel everyone did a great job with the takes and it was a sick week. Greg worked the whole time.�

While honing their aggressive sound and grimy aesthetic, the group were also acutely aware of the issues plaguing the world today. However, they didn’t let it completely bog down their lyrical material. “When splitting the atom, all of our administrations have been pretty evil and monopolized by the same corporations,� Wilkinson says. “Trump takes the cake, but it is also known that when writing political music, you will only reach a politically-driven target. When I write lyrics and riffs, personally, I want to remain semi-ambiguous as far as lyrics to keep things fun and more poetic.�

Delving into the seriously gross and touching on taboo topics, So Real, It’s Now takes it back to the grimy roots of grind. Look for the record in June and keep an eye out for DeathgraVe on their West Coast tour from June 28 to July 14. East Coast dates are coming soon! đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

PHOTO BY MICHAEL THORN

I N T E R V I E W W I T H V O C A L I S T/ G U I T A R I S T M A T T H A R V E Y

BY TOM CRANDLE Orlando, Florida’s Death were undoubtedly of the band,� he says. “I think that is a heavy one of the most important and influential thing to think about, so I put it out of my mind heavy metal bands of all time. Chuck when I’m writing the riffs and stuff. I think of it Schuldiner and a rotating supporting cast more as a fun thing for myself to enjoy.� were crucial in the development of death metal and other extreme music. Tragically, “At the same time, I’ve been listening to Death came to an untimely end in 2001 Death for 30 years now, and they’ve been when Schuldiner died of brain cancer at an important influence on the stuff I’ve the age of 34. done the whole time,� he adds. “So, there’s a part of me that thinks, ‘If not me, then Gruesome are a metal supergroup devoted who?’ You know? You need a bit of hubris to celebrating the musical legacy of Death. to take that first step out your front door The project is the brainchild of vocalist and start the adventure. Luckily, I work with and guitarist Matt Harvey of Exhumed and fantastic band members, and everyone drummer Gus Rios, formerly of Malevolent else around the band is great, from our Creation. Both were involved with Death producer Jarrett [Pritchard] to the folks To All, a touring tribute to Death, and the at Relapse to my friends who were former outing was their original inspiration for members of Death. They would tell me if the writing new songs in the style of early Death stuff we were doing sucked.� albums. The California- and Florida-based PHOTO BY RYAN TAMM quartet are rounded out by guitarist Daniel In a day and age where bands often take Gruesome’s sound has progressed in the [1995’s] Symbolic, and [1998’s] The Sound of Gonzalez of Possessed and bassist Robin years between records, Gruesome already same way that Death’s did. According to Perseverance, so I’d say we have our work Mazen of Castrator. have four releases in their four short Harvey, this was part of the master plan. cut out for us,� he says. However, Harvey years of existence—not counting several has no intention of taking the sound further Gruesome released their second LP, demos and a single. Harvey has a logical “It’s 100 percent a conscious decision,� he elaborates. “This band is quite different in than Schuldiner was able to, due to his short following 2015’s Savage Land, through explanation for their productivity. “We that it’s now become totally planned. It’s life. “Not with Gruesome, no,� he concludes.

Relapse Records on June 1. Twisted Prayers have a handy blueprint to follow, which almost an academic process of analyzing “The band exists to honor the legacy of is an homage to Death’s 1990 masterpiece takes a lot of the heavy lifting off of my all aspects of Death and, then, reproducing Death and the work of Chuck and the guys.

Spiritual Healing. shoulders,� he says. “We never have to them with our own songs.�

To take that and do our own thing would be look for a direction, you know? That helps disrespectful to the source material.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł Harvey admits that it can be a bit a lot, but I’m also a prolific writer overall.â€?

Harvey is candid about the avenues left for intimidating trying to fill such big shoes. Hearing is believing. Gruesome’s ability Gruesome to explore. “There’s still [1991’s] “Obviously, Death is a band that means a lot to duplicate the classic Death sound Human, [1993’s] Individual Thought Patterns, to a lot of people, including the members is uncanny.  Â

48 NEW NOISE

VEIN INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST ANTHONY DIDIO BY NICHOLAS SENIOR

In our circulatory system, arteries get all the love—their blood does come directly from the heart after all—followed by our sense of awe that capillaries look like majestic spiderwebs. However, it’s the vein you need most when you want to get to the, uh, heart of the matter. Veins bring your used and spent blood back to the heart and lungs to be used again, and it takes a lot more energy to carry blood against gravity.

All that care, energy, and chaos feeds into the incredible new record from Boston’s metallic hardcore heroes, Vein. Out June 22 via Closed Casket Activities, errorzone revels in contrast, contradiction, and a bloody-good dose of vivid experimentation.

Like a perfectly efficient circulatory system, errorzone flows masterfully, even as its violent beauty continues to surprise along the way. Just like life itself, the record is over too soon.

Vein feel like a throwback to the time when metal and hardcore acts poured every ounce of creative blood into every aspect of a release: music, art, and videos. Vocalist

PHOTO BY JOE CALIXTO

Anthony DiDio’s passionate and powerful attention to vocal and lyrical detail only bolsters the staying power of—whatever an errorzone is. “Our art and visuals are just as important to us as the music,� DiDio explains. “I don’t view our art as violent but, rather, graphic. It’s raw and vivid, just like how the music is. We initially developed a strong aesthetic vision for the record that we did not let go of but let evolve gradually over time.� “My lyrics will always be self-reflective,� he continues, “however, this record in

particular holds no absolutes in lyrical content. It contradicts itself in perfect harmony. I think that in itself represents a big theme behind the record. As a whole, it’s all tied together with a lot more selfrealization than before and embraces a bigger-picture perspective across the board, more so than the previous releases have. They are words we created that visually represent the thematic ideas behind the album—like a universe that you can enter and experience.�

A lot of credit goes to Vein’s sound, which

B AP T I S T S

PHOTO BY TAYLOR FERGUSON

As Vancouver anger management crew Baptists celebrate the release of their third album, the blistering Beacon of Faith, on May 25 via Southern Lord, guitarist Danny Marshall is quick to point out that it features more of the same maniacal, metal-doused hardcore the band have become known for. “I don’t think there’s a big difference on the new album, and that’s purposeful,� he says. “I don’t personally dig it when bands change a lot album to album. Like, when you have one certain album by a band that you love,

and then, the next one comes out and it’s drastically different, even if it’s cool, it doesn’t really sound like what that band should sound like. Baptists is our vessel to make this specific kind of music, and I like it that way.�

That specific kind of music relies on a signature heavy production sound courtesy of Converge’s Kurt Ballou. Baptists have recorded with Ballou at his Godcity Studio in Salem, Massachusetts, on all three of their albums: 2013’s Bushcraft, 2014’s

is somehow familiar and referential yet fresh and vibrant. DiDio concurs, “There’s definitely a broad span of influence that goes into what we do, but we don’t aim to wear those influences on our sleeves. We don’t listen to something and say, ‘Let’s make this like this,’ because then, we’d just be paying pure tribute. Our influences are more subconscious in that regard, and the catalyst that makes them come together is whatever new and unknown idea we want to explore for Vein. At times, it is almost selfinfluential.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

INTERVIEW WITH GUITARIST DANNY MARSHALL

BY JASON SCHREURS

Bloodmines, and now, Beacon of Faith. highlighting the lyrical themes from Marshall says he and the rest of the band the band’s earlier material, including could hardly fathom not using Ballou. “I substance abuse, mental health, and the love being at his studio and working with deeply flawed Canadian legal system. him. We rarely have to explain to him about “Andy has had a variety of pretty intense anything that we want,� Marshall shares. jobs that not a lot of people would be “At this point, when we were doing guitar mentally fit for—just high-stress jobs sounds for this record, as soon as I was with high-risk people, like foster kids or, happy with the sound in my mind, he turned now, repeat offenders at the Vancouver around and said, ‘OK, I think that’s good.’ courthouse,� Marshall explains. “He sings No one else would understand what we are about a lot of that stuff as an outlet, for sure. going for more than him.�

His themes are really similar to past records, such as hating humankind and how we’re all Formed in 2010, the Canadian foursome the problem, that kind of thing.â€? are rounded out by vocalist Andrew Drury, bassist Sean Hawryluk, and drummer Nick Although he makes light of the serious Yacyshyn. Yacyshyn also plays in Sumac topics Baptists tackle, Marshall says he and was once given the endorsement of a understands how vitally important it is to lifetime by none other than Dave Grohl, who have a creative outlet. “The high energy of cited him one of his favorite new drummers. our music can be channeled into positive or Marshall says sharing their drummer with negative. Writing songs that sound anxious Sumac is a sacrifice the band are happy with an uncomfortable tension is a big thing to make. “All of the members of Baptists are for me, and it’s more about the physical busy with kids and work, so we’d never be exertion of it rather than an emotional able to be a heavy touring band anyway,â€? outlet,â€? he explains. “But when you get in he says. “If we have to share Nick with a room with a bunch of your friends, and anybody, sharing him with Aaron Turner, you’ve had a shitty day, and you’re playing Brian Cook, and Joe Preston, it’s fine. We fast, loud music, you couldn’t possibly think can’t really hold it against him!â€? about anything else while you are playing it. So, it’s a pretty good emotional release Featuring 13 tracks that seep festering rage as well.â€?đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł and despair, Beacon of Faith continues

NEW NOISE 49

II

f a band hope to survive in today’s digital landscape, they need to maintain a professional DIY mentality. Sometimes that means engaging with social media—while unleashing some gnarly-as-hell death metal.

TOMB MOLD I N T E R V I E W W I T H G U I TA R I S T D E R R I C K V E L L A BY M I C H A E L P E M E N T E L

For the Toronto death metal monstrosity known as Tomb Mold, a huge part of the DIY approach involves connecting with fans. As guitarist Derrick Vella puts it, the band are happy to see the love they get from their home country and the States. “Sometimes it feels like we have more traction in American cities than our own,� he shares. “Not a knock on what is happening here, though.

Canada is so spread out that I think it’s hard to have a tight-knit community that can span provinces the way it can span states, if that makes sense. That said, we’ve had people reach out from across Canada the same way people reach out across America. It’s great.

I think the DIY mentality shares similarities across the board.�

Beyond writing and recording Manor of Infinite Forms, Vella remains aware of how important it is to engage with fans. “I do my best to try to respond to everyone that reaches out, I try to be available to chat at shows we play, and I really appreciate that people feel comfortable enough to approach me,� he says.

Tomb Mold are set to release their sophomore LP, Manor of Infinite Forms, on June 8 via 20 Buck Spin. The album’s seven songs are nothing short of grotesque—in the best way possible. From start to finish, the record promises a relentless barrage of sadistic death metal.

Now, two full-length albums into their career, Tomb Mold are on their way to making quite a name for themselves. When asked if he has learned anything unique about managing his creative and business ethics, Vella offers a modest yet insightful reply. “I don’t know if I’ve learned anything extremely eye-opening, just a repeat of things already known,â€? he admits. “Don’t be afraid to reach out to anyone, be nice, be appreciative, [and] maintain good relationships, especially with promoters—shout out to Ripping Headaches. Don’t give flimsy interview answers, don’t be a punisher, always be down to trade, set reasonable expectations, don’t have a big head about anything, [and] don’t work with people who don’t respond to emails.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

Vella says that creating Manor of Infinite Forms has been positive and brought much joy. “The most satisfying thing for me is just creating music with people I care about,� he says. “That motivates me more than anything else. That said, from a lyrical perspective, the universe we create in our music holds deeper meaning. [Vocalist and drummer] Max [Klebanoff] and I split the lyric-writing duties. Mine do serve as a platform for deeper themes of loss and searching for inner peace.�

I N T E R V I E W W I T H E V A N M O R E Y, J A R E D S T I M P F L , A N D E K I M B Y T H O M A S P I Z Z O L A In 2014, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania-based sludgy noisecore trio Secret Cutter unleashed their debut album, Self Titled, on an unsuspecting world. The album drew praise and accolades from all facets of the metal community and raised their profile. Now, the band are set to self-release their follow-up, Quantum Eraser, on July 6, with distribution through Holy Roar Records and Deathwish Inc. It might have taken them a while to get to this point, but that’s just their modus operandi. “We take a long time to get things the way we want. It’s just how it happens! I think we

50 NEW NOISE

Vella also shares what inspires him to create music and what bands have played a role in that inspiration. “I’m inspired by any band that does what they want to do with no compromise,� he states, “no matter if that means collaborating with artists outside of their genre or being willing to write records that don’t conform to your previous sound. I really respect Full Of Hell’s approach to music in general. Of Feather And Bone redefined their sound, and it’s incredible stuff. For me, Dead Can Dance is the best example of continuous growth.

They started at a high level and managed to continue growing over their time spent being a group.�

recorded the record three times in various forms to explore what the songs needed,� drummer Jared Stimpfl says. “If we were forced to make this record a year after Self Titled, it most definitely wouldn’t be what it is.

We’ve changed as people, just as time changes everything—and so do the songs.�

Secret Cutter must be onto something, because Quantum Eraser is a worthy successor to Self Titled. It takes their sound and pushes it further. Once again, the band have succeeded in creating a unique piece of loud, aggressive metal. “We want it to be heavy

without being generic,� guitarist Evan Morey says. “We want our records to jump around stylistically but to still ‘sound like us,’ for lack of a better term.�

actually is in this universe but grasping that there is way more than you understand. It’s a high-tech approach to a very old existential crisis: ‘What does it all mean?’�

Stimpfl concurs, “I feel like we just let things be as authentic as they can be while being brutally honest about our feelings with the material.�

Ultimately, it’s clear that Secret Cutter care a lot about doing things their own unique way. “We did Self Titled by ourselves, and we were very happy with the reaction and coverage we received,� Morey says. “We have a distribution deal with Holy Roar Records in the U.K. and Deathwish in the U.S. Having our record available in record stores was the most important thing to us. We do like the idea of having a large amount of control over our music, as well as retaining the recording rights and whatnot, [but] we are not opposed to signing with a label if the right situation presented itself.�

Being brutally honest also applies to vocalist Ekim’s lyrics. Like many musicians, he uses them to vent, but there is a method to his madness. “There is actual meaning to the babbling,� Ekim says. “I basically speak about the past, present, and my overall outlook on life. Things that leave scarring when all is said and done, but I tend to write lyrics in the third person. If people actually read the lyrics,� he laughs, “it will paint them a picture they can relate to—or break shit.�

“I think we’re all in a better position to jump at any opportunities that arise as far as touring In addition, Quantum Eraser’s title has a deep- goes [too],â€? Stimpfl says. “I don’t think we’re er meaning. “The title comes from the dou- a band that will tour for months on end, but who knows? I think we know there’s no money ble-slit experiment. It was a groundbreaking discovery in quantum mechanics,â€? Morey ex- in our kind of music, and we don’t care about that.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł plains. “The experiment basically proves that time and space are not linear. The album title is about not fully understanding what your life

I

INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST/GUITARIST STEFFEN KUMMERER

BY NICHOL AS SENIOR

magine you are part of a committee put together with the goal of creating and destroying a universe. You and a small group of colleagues are required to plan out each of the four steps along the way.

How you want to create, evolve, influence, and, ultimately, destroy your creation is up to you.

Now, imagine that halfway through your 10-year planning process, some of your extremely talented colleagues up and leave to join other planning committees, leaving you to reassemble your universe with a new team.

Now, imagine trying to write music for this complex and challenging narrative you started over a decade ago.

That’s exactly the journey vocalist and guitarist Steffen Kummerer of Germany’s Obscura embarked upon, and with the release of the final album in a quartet the band kicked off with 2009’s Cosmogenesis, 2011’s Omnivium, and 2016’s Akróasis, he has shattered even the highest expectations.

Through all of this turmoil and intellectual rigor, Obscura have come out of their four-album cycle at their creative pinnacle. Diluvium—out July 13 via Relapse Records—is the band’s most complex, progressive,

52 NEW NOISE

and immersive record to date, offering a whole host of sonic and thematic references to their past works. It’s the prog-death version of a director actually nailing the end of a cinematic universe.

Kummerer has been the only constant in Obscura’s impressive creative run, and it’s a huge credit to his fortitude that the group have improved upon each of these four successive releases. For Diluvium, Kummerer acknowledges that he and the band had a lot of fun completing this cycle. “Actually, both at the same time. All of those four records are linked musically, but also especially in the lyrics,� he explains. “With Diluvium, it was really nice to put out the last piece of this. It took, like, 10 years. We started this in 2007, and some songs are older than that.

Finishing everything was relieving and rewarding at the same time. It was a long journey, but at the same time, I’m just happy that we made it.

You have four records with the same visual artist, four records with exactly the same producer, and I think we evolved from a death metal band with clear influences into something that I would call our own musical identity, so to say. I’m very happy with where we are now.�

However, there was an important element of self-study that helped put

Diluvium over the top. “There are [a] first chord you hear on Cosmogenesis. couple of easier-to-get songs on the Whatever ends with Diluvium begins record—like ‘The Seventh Aeon,’ as with Cosmogenesis.â€? well as ‘The Conjuration’—which is a different aspect of the band and “[Diluvium] is dealing with the ultimate actually goes back to the early days, apocalypse. This is the life cycle that when we started as a blackened death starts and ends and repeats itself,â€? metal band in 2002, 2003,â€? Kummerer Kummerer continues. “This shall be says. “It’s kind of funny that, as a the ultimate end of all ends, so to coincidence, we brought this back into say. I wrote a couple of songs about the last record of this four-record cycle. how some witnesses might watch the whole procedure, especially the We end where we started.â€? opening track, [‘Clandestine Stars.’] This four-record cycle is not unlike the It’s about the end of all being and Ouroboros: the snake eats its own tail, having the consciousness, being everything ends where it begins. How aware that you’re part of a nevermuch of that was on purpose? “Some ending cycle.â€? pieces have been intentional; others have been evolving,â€? Kummerer “It’s more or less the end of all ends. notes. “When we started with this It’s more black metal than any black four-record concept, it was clear that metal band could ever be,â€? he laughs. we wanted to have four records, and đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł we had a rough idea of what we are going to do and how we are going to do. At the same time, we had so much freedom to put what we wanted into those basic ideas. It’s very funny to go back to what we have done 10 years ago and relate to it, because you have a lot of mostly positive memories of this life cycle. These four albums represent a life cycle that is turning on and on again. There are so many Easter eggs put into it, musically and lyrically. For example, the very last chord on the last song on Diluvium, [‘A Last Farewell’], is the very

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SMILE THOUGH YOUR HEART IS ACHING

N

egativity bias is the notion that things of a more negative nature have a greater effect on one’s psychological state than neutral or positive things, even when they’re of equal intensity. Put simply: we have an actual explanation for why we, as humans, focus on the bad shit.

Throughout their storied history, Utah-based deathcore group Chelsea Grin have gleefully sailed into different coasts along our hearts of darkness.

On their upcoming fifth studio album, Eternal Nightmare—due out July 13 via Rise Records— the band have forged ahead with a new voice and an even greater fervor for musical and lyrical horrors. The new record is vocalist Tom Barber’s wonderful and menacing entrance onto the scene, and the former Lorna Shore growler resembles an unholy mixture of Willy Wonka and Freddy Krueger, leading listeners on a fiendish and furious ride in a world of pure imagi-nightmare.

INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST TOM BARBER

BY NICHOL AS SENIOR Grin sharpening their craft to a deadly edge. Rhythms swirl and undulate with emphatic urgency, and death metal riffs are punctuated by a haunting blackened atmosphere.

Put another way: one of the biggest deathcore acts in the world have reached an impressive creative zenith, despite their penchant for plunging into a harrowing range of lyrical hellscapes.

How easy was it for Barber to channel that negativity? “I feel like the world is a beautiful place,� he asserts. “I feel like people fall short, and I feel like people connect more with negativity nowadays than people did back in the day. It’s really easy to feed into [negativity] if you really want to feed into that shit. It’s not hard, because it’s always around us—we’re all fucking struggling.

I tend to be more of a positive person, especially when I see that everyone else is negative. You want to be that light in the dark.�

Barber had to stretch outside his comfort zone in crafting the few songs he wrote for Eternal Nightmare.

One of the songs in particular touched on universal feelings “Think of it this way,� he continues, of anxiety. “‘See You Soon’ was “when you see a car accident, you written for the Warped Tour, like a almost want to see somebody ‘[hopefully] everybody knows these ripped in half. It’s not that you words and bounces along [and] want to see somebody maimed has a great time’ type of song,� he or dead, it’s just that the mind explains. “The loose message of always goes to the darkest that song has a feeling of anxiety place. How many times do you and just feeling like you’re letting see somebody fall and people people down, that you keep fucking around them laugh? We as up. A lot of people connect more in people enjoy the suffering of a negative manner nowadays, so others. It’s very strange.� when I was writing, I thought about how everybody’s down and has That’s not to say Barber and anxiety about something. People Chelsea Grin are gleefully suffer depression or don’t have cashing in on this negativity bias. the ability to say what they want to Instead, Barber understands It doesn’t hurt that Eternal say. The song is all about saying, that by being able to talk to and Nightmare finds every member of ‘I’m fucked up, but everybody is in connect with people, you can this new incarnation of Chelsea some way.’� overcome those barriers and

54 NEW NOISE

create positive relationships. “It’s sad, because back in the day, if you had negative people in your life, you just chose to not congregate with them,� he says. “Nowadays, it feels like you can’t escape it with all our technology. But it’s good that people talk. If people don’t talk, then you don’t understand them, and that’s where ignorance happens. You need to hear people speak and feel that connection.�

Spending so much time discussing negativity and nightmares is clearly no easy task, as Barber is always quick to mention how much he’s craving pizza—and now, you are too! It’s these little moments of humanity that we relate to, but it’s also important to open up and share our anxieties before finding a nexus point for further relational building.

All that aside, if you’re willing to spend half an hour with some of the most crushing, visceral, and maniacally fun metal to come out in 2018, Chelsea Grin will have done their job. It’s been a whirlwind couple of years for the band, but on the strength of Eternal Nightmare and a spot on the final run of Warped Tour, the Utah act will keep you grinning through the negativity. đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

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55

ZEAL & ARDOR

B LO O D AT T H E R O OT hen the unintentional becomes intentional, the results can be beautiful— and so it is with Zeal & Ardor. One man’s project has evolved into a full-fledged band, fronted by SwissAmerican creator Manuel Gagneux.

Webster’s definition of zeal speaks of great energy or enthusiasm. Ardor means intense passion. When spun into a dark energy and an intense passion for praising the master below, Zeal & Ardor become the epitome of their name’s meaning.

It’s an extension of that thought, [because] people aren’t just hanged anymore, they’re stabbed and shot.�

W

The artwork for the new album features a different kind of strange fruit, a green apple on a purple background. The apple appears to have stab wounds and a hole made by either a bullet or an arrow. Gagneux says it represents the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. “Also, The Beatles had this green apple [logo], so we thought a fucked up version of that would be nice,� he laughs.

It all began with an anonymous request Gagneux posted on 4chan, asking folks to give him two musical genres to mash up and create a song. Users requested a combination of black metal and slave spirituals—though, being 4chan, not in so many words. These suggestions gave birth to “Devil Is Fine�—eventually released on the band’s official debut album of the same name in 2017—a song that made listeners forget everything they thought they knew about music.

Now, Zeal & Ardor are two albums in.

Their second—released on June 8 via MVKA Music—is entitled Stranger Fruit, produced by Zebo Adam and mixed by Converge’s Kurt Ballou at

GodCity Studio. “This time around, I had time to think about what I wanted the whole thing to sound like,� Gagneux says. “I also had a budget to bring people onboard to help it sound not shitty,� he chuckles. “It’s, like, worlds apart [from the first record].�

Zeal & Ardor issued their first single off the album, “Gravedigger’s Chant,� on March 30. “It was a two-part thing we wanted to do,�

Gagneux states. “For the intro, [‘Intro’], we also had a video we wanted to do where we would have one shot, and as it would get bigger and reveal more stuff, it would kind of tell a story. [‌] For ‘Gravedigger’s Chant,’ it’s the resolution of that story, in that you see

56 NEW NOISE

why these people are shocked and why this person is hanging.�

Stranger Fruit features 16 tracks of rage-rousing, thought-provoking darkness constructed after months of writing in the basement venue of a bar Gagneux co-owns with some friends. It is more classic Zeal & Ardor for those who are brave enough to listen, laden with weighty gloom, depicting stories of doom. Just when the listener thinks a song has shocked the hairs right off their head, Zeal & Ardor put shocking to bed. With dead bodies and rattling chains, hand claps and satanic chants, the time for Stranger Fruit is drawing near.

“Since the song is about gravediggers, The caption for the album’s it’s apt to have someone die,â€? announcement reads, “There’s a Gagneux mentions. storm out there,â€? and that couldn’t be truer. Zeal & Ardor have been Zeal & Ardor have forged their storming festivals hard, including own path through the overturned Download Festival in the U.K., soil of music’s graveyard of genres. Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium, Gagneux leaves Stranger Fruit Hellfest in France, and more. They open to interpretation yet teetering have also planned a U.S. tour and on the edge of sinister surmise. will be announcing dates soon. “The name Stranger Fruit is actually Until then, Zeal & Ardor will be a reference to the Billie Holiday summoning the beast and rocking song ‘Strange Fruit,’ in which “Devil Is Fineâ€? and “Gravedigger’s Billie Holiday describes strange Chantâ€? across Europe. đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł fruit hanging from the poplar trees,â€? Gagneux explains. “She’s actually talking about the hanged people, the lynched people. [‌]

NEW NOISE 57

MAYDAY PARADE THE SUNNY DAYS OF YOUTH

INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST DEREK SANDERS B Y B R I D J E T M E N DY U K

S

unnyland is more than just an album to industry vets Mayday Parade.

It’s their past, present, and future—an ode to consistency while disrupting the status quo of who they’re presumed to be.

Bigger and bolder, Sunnyland—out June 15 via Rise Records—is an homage to the band’s past and how grateful they are to be present in the moment.

It’s named after an old abandoned hospital about a mile away from lead vocalist Derek Sanders’ current Tallahassee home that he and his friends used to sneak into as kids. “It was just so much fun, going in there with your friends and kind of exploring,� Sanders says. “There was some of the old furniture and hospital beds and everything in there, and it was just really cool. They tore it down, and it’s just one of those things that stands to look back on and think about that part of your life that’ll never be back again.�

After finishing the 10th anniversary tour of their hit debut album, A Lesson In Romantics, last year, Sanders shares that homing in on those memories and what worked for the band from their first album to their, now, sixth was “eye-opening.� Picking apart melodies and changes in instrumental patterns, dissecting their discography and putting together a collage of their best selves is how Sunnyland came to be their boldest move yet. “It’s not so much a theme, necessarily, but I think [nostalgia] comes up more than anything else—looking back at the past, then, at the same time, being hopeful toward the future,�

Sanders says. “I don’t think we ever would have dreamed that we would have made it this far, that we’d get six albums. There’s just so many bands that don’t ever make it this far, so we’re just super grateful to still be here.�

With the whole team chipping in on the writing process, Mayday Parade’s first single from Sunnyland, “Piece of Your Heart,� has what Sanders calls a “Goo Goo Dolls vibe� with the acoustic prowess of a love ballad. Their newest track, “It’s Hard To Be Religious When Certain People Are Never Incinerated By Bolts of Lightning,� holds booming guitars and poppy melodies: an eclectic mix of the band’s previous work with a fresh twist.

Disenchanted by the current state of affairs, Sanders used the song to get his frustration out. “I just was so astonished that something like that was even possible, that we could elect such a horrible person to be a president,� he says. “That was where some of that came from, but I still think that song has a hopeful outlook toward the future. It’s not all dark and negative, necessarily. I feel like it is just the best way to deal with some of those darker emotions of sadness and anger.�

58 NEW NOISE

PHOTO BY CATHERINE PATCHELL

Twelve years in the making, Mayday Parade have had their ups and downs, but getting their start thanks to Warped Tour came full circle as they embarked on the last run of the cross-country tour one more time on June 21. As the theme of nostalgia creeps its head around the corner, Sanders reminisces about the early 2000s, when the band followed Warped selling CDs. They managed to sell 11,000 copies of their selfmade EP in one summer, which eventually led to a deal with Fearless Records. “We feel we credit so much of that early success to Warped Tour—and really, all of our success,� Sanders says. “I keep thinking the very last show is going to be just so sad. Once we finish and it’s all broken down for the last time, I think that’s going to be such a strange, strong moment.�

On Sunnyland’s title track, Sanders sings, “I left something important back at Sunnyland / It’s something that I know I’ll have to find.� He says the line is a “metaphor for my childhood.� If Sunnyland represents anything, it’s the resilience of Mayday Parade, from their humble beginnings to their everlasting residency in music.

While the youthful light of Sunnyland is pleasant to visit, Sanders says the group are always looking toward the horizon. “We’re always changing and growing,â€? he notes, “and [we] try to put that in our music.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

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59

BOSTON SHIPPING UP TO

INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST JACK “CHOKE� KELLY BY JANELLE JONES

oston hardcore greats Slapshot are back with their latest album, Make America Hate Again—released June 1 via Bridge Nine Records—a blazing 11-track primer on the style they’ve crafted and honed since the band’s beginnings over 30 years ago.

B

take-no-prisoners approach that has always made Slapshot so appealing, and with that non-issue out of the way, what’s left is a great album. A testament to the band, Make America Hate Again doesn’t

Slapshot’s lineup has changed over their long career, but Kelly is confident in this current rendition. “I would say this is gonna be the lineup that stays,� he says. “I like playing with these guys, and we have a good time together, so we’ll keep it like this for as long as we can.�

Just to get it out of the way: there is nothing political about the title or the songs on the record, but fans will be forgiven for that assumption. “I think as soon as I told [guitarist and songwriter] Craig [Silverman] the title, that’s exactly what came to his mind,� frontman and sole original member Jack “Choke� Kelly explains. “I kinda said, ‘You know me better than that.’�

It’s not the vocalist’s style, after all, to write about political subjects. “I might have a couple jabs here and there, but I think there are bands that play it better or are a little more—like a punk band. They’re better at it than I am,� he confesses. “I try to stick to more personal stuff. I like controversial, but it’s not politics at all.� “No one wants to hear my opinion, anyway,� Kelly adds facetiously.

Politics aside, the title just seems to be in keeping with the

stuff I would be happy with.

Unfortunately, they had to wait,� he explains, “but in the end, we’re happy with what we “We’re not out to be liked by came up with. It’s better to wait everybody,� Kelly elaborates. than rushing to get it out just to “We are what we are. We have get it out.� to go too far outside that little circle, and everything’s gonna be OK.�

Slapshot are on tour in Europe until July, but when asked whether they’ll embark on an extended U.S. trek, the frontman explains, “At this point, we’ll do long weekends here and there. The drives are too long. You’re away from home too long.�

With a laugh, he adds, “At this point, I’d rather be—I’m too old for this shit.� deviate from what Slapshot do best: pummeling East Coast hardcore that keeps the listener engaged. “It’s another Slapshot record. We didn’t try to reinvent the wheel,� the vocalist says matter-of-factly. “We realized a long time ago: stick to what we do best, try not

Though they might not go out our fanbase. If you like us, on a full-fledged tour across good. If not, oh well, that’s OK.â€? the States, Kelly says Slapshot will play wherever there is Kelly confides that the new a need. “Book us,â€? he insists. album could’ve been out nine “We’ll play anywhere as long months ago, but it just wasn’t as it’s not too difficult—as long ready. “It was [either] write as I have a good time. If I was [lyrics] I wouldn’t be happy doing this for the money, I about or wait until I wrote would’ve quit years ago.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

SLAPSHOT

60 NEW NOISE

V

NEW YORK INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST FREDDY CRICIEN BY JOHN SILVA

S.

STATE OF MIND

ew bands have managed to maintain the same level of longevity as Madball, much less bands in the DIY scene.

Originally launched as an Agnostic Front side project, the New York band have grown into one of most notable acts in hardcore over the course of their 25-plus year career. Although the journey hasn’t always been easy— in 2001, the band thought they were done for good—their hard work has helped them grow a rabid fanbase across the U.S. and abroad. Lead vocalist Freddy Cricien says that their relentless nature is part of what keeps them going. “We somehow managed to stay relevant with the different generations that are coming up, and I guess we’re pretty tenacious—like, we just go at it. We try to put out quality music and stay consistent touring-wise,� he explains.

F

Madball have benefited from the rapid increase in hardcore fans over the past few decades, but they have contributed to it as well.

Despite the notable growth, the band still subscribe to a DIY ethic and are hands-on in every aspect of their work. In the early days, they didn’t pay much attention to the business

sustainable without losing sight of their DIY principles. “As we got a little older, it became a little more important to make sure we could sustain ourselves,� Cricien explains. “We just didn’t want to leave things in the hands of anybody else, and, creatively, we’ve never let other people take the wheel. Doesn’t

Alongside Henderson, For the Cause features guest spots from notable musicians like Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, Steve Whale of The Business, and rapper Ice-T. “I think having those people on the record made it really cool, and honestly, I think the way it all came about is even cooler, because none of it was forced,� Cricien shares.

“I attribute it to hard work, really,� he adds. “And the scene’s gotten bigger and gotten more global, so that doesn’t hurt.�

Indeed, over the course of Madball’s extensive career, the band have witnessed the scene grow immensely. “From my childhood to now, it’s crazy, because it was such a niche kind of scene—so small, so underground,�

Cricien says. “It’s still, to me, very much an underground music scene, but it’s not quite as underground as it once was when I was introduced to it going to [the] A7 [club] with my brother, [Agnostic Front’s Roger Miret], and stuff like that. There were, like, maybe 50 to 100 people tops who were involved in the hardcore scene, period.�

extra special is the people who were brought in to help make it. The record sees the return of guitarist Matt Henderson, who hasn’t appeared on a Madball recording since 2000. “Last time we were together, he was sort of in a producer role and still writing a lot with us, so it was kind of different,�

Cricien says. “[This time], he didn’t really write the songs with us, but he did come toward the end and put his little Matt Henderson touches to things. Matt Henderson is a very accomplished guitarist, so he added a certain flavor and did certain things that we couldn’t have pulled off without him.�

PHOTO BY CATHERINE PATCHELL

side of the band, but after their hiatus matter how big this band gets or from 2001 to 2002, they started taking where it goes, we’re never gonna let it more seriously. Cricien says, “After other people control us. We’re never that period, I decided to sort of take gonna have, like, 10 managers and control of the band business-wise all this craziness.� and so on. Before that, I didn’t really care about that part of it. I was just like, Madball’s upcoming studio ‘Yeah, all right, let’s go play, let’s have album, For the Cause—out June fun, whatever.’ This was an outlet for us; 15 via Nuclear Blast Records—will it was therapeutic for us.� undoubtably be beloved by their loyal fanbase. The album’s 13 tracks After the hiatus, the group are heavy, urgent, and pointed. started working to become more Something that makes the album

Armstrong produced the record and the group planned to have him on one of their tracks, but the other appearances happened organically—friends dropped by the studio, and Cricien asked if they wanted to spit out a few words or a guitar solo. Most of the cameos were unplanned, but each person helped flesh out the music and make For the Cause a special record. “It was cool,â€? Cricien says. “Everyone did a good job and complemented what we were doing.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

MADBALL

NEW NOISE 61

HARDCORE BREAKDOWN SPINE

BIRDS IN ROW INTERVIEW BY SEAN GONZALEZ

INTERVIEW WITH ANTONIO MARQUEZ AND JOHN HOFFMAN B Y R E N A L D O M ATA D E E N

hree years after their latest Row put forth in one frantic, two-and-arelease, the 2015 EP Personal half-minute melter. “When we introduce War, and six after their debut ‘Love Is Political’ onstage, we often say, LP, 2012’s You, Me & the Violence, ‘Love and friendship became political French cathartic hardcore band Birds acts,’� the group reveal. “That’s how we In Row are back with We Already Lost the feel and why we wrote that record: to tell World. The Deathwish Inc. release hits people that all this competition [and] all listeners’ ears on July 13 and is already this violence are deeply unnecessary gaining traction thanks to its first single, and counterproductive.� This thought “15-38.� The gritty song shows the band process ties into the lyrics: “Love is in a different sonic light than before, defiance, defiance is necessary / Love is utilizing clean vocals during the first act, disobedience, love is political.� rupturing into urgent yells in the second, then coming to a rather apathetic end, In this sense, Birds In Row recognize that during which the album’s title is howled the DIY ethos helps music continue to thrive, be visible, and be reveled in. “When over and over. you start a band, there’s so much to do on “We just try to do things honestly, hoping your own,� they say. “You know no one, personal, but all of Antonio’s lyrics are people will get caught in our songs the know nothing, all you have is a will to share really personal. I think this record is just a same way we get caught in those of bands your art and ideas. We have the massive lot more focused theme-wise. It’s almost we love,� the group—whose members are privilege to evolve in a community that like a concept album.� known only as T., B., and Q.—comment as allows you to do so without a professional a unit. “Because, at the end of the day, the structure—that you can’t afford when Disenchantment seems to be the most apt most important thing in music, to us, is what you start, anyway. This solidarity and description. “The world is a disappointment, it makes you feel and makes you wanna support you get from the DIY community not just with people we personally associate build rather than how it makes you look.� is always taken for granted, but it’s good with but with society, government, etc.,� to remember how lucky we are to have Hoffman adds. “This album is about losing For Birds In Row, everything is natural. it and how you should take care of it by faith in everything and coming to terms with They write together and give their songs being involved.� our war with pretty much everything we know, combined with the personal struggles Antonio has been through. Overall, we’ve just gotten a lot better as a band, and Faith shows that 100 percent.�

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ake no mistake: hardcore is a genre that’s as beautiful as it is chaotic, and Chicago- and Kansas City-based band SPINE embody this to the fullest. Through Bridge Nine Records, the band are putting out another frenetic, relentless, emotive album in their sophomore effort, Faith. Out June 15, it builds on previous records like 2016’s Deny and 2014’s Time Has Gone and finds the quartet at their most mature.

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According to vocalist Antonio Marquez, the record is about breaking down the old world and forging something new. “The music and lyrics are in lockstep from the beginning to the end,� he says. “After Deny, But the narrative isn’t just about loss as my life was turned upside down. I was heard on “Gone,� Marquez’ tribute to dealing with the loss of my mother and what his late mother. It’s also about not being I wanted out of life. I fell out of love with the satisfied with the social constructs of the woman I was with for six years. We simply modern world. Marquez emphasizes, grew apart, and I wasn’t happy with where I “The record continues to march on with was in my life. I felt like I was being held back [songs about] getting rid of toxic people, by so many things. I was a mess.� killing the person I was in ‘Time To Grow,’ all the way until the end with the title track, “Faith is definitely a lot heavier, more Cro- ‘Faith,’ which deals with no longer being Mags-influenced, like The Age of Quarrel able to trust anyone, or even yourself— and Best Wishes era,� drummer John putting blame on others, never taking PHOTO BY JOE CALIXTO Hoffman shares. “We have progressed responsibility.� with our songwriting, and it’s just a lot the proper space, emotion, and sound Birds In Row are not known for highlighting better material. I’d also say it’s more He may be cynical, but the vocalist is needed for them to thrive. “Being a three- their individuality but for being an entity in brutally honest about what he’s trying piece is really interesting in terms of energy. a surrounding storm, adding to the thunder. to convey on “Faith.� “[It’s about] people We all need to be involved,� they explain. When listening to We Already Lost the World, being robbed of their intelligence by “That’s why we like to see our band as an its best to appreciate the album as a whole putting their logical thinking aside and entity and not several individuals. It really rather than tackle it song by song. There’s letting the news and social media make is. We never think about how cool a guitar a moving narrative within these nine tracks. their decisions for them,� he expounds. riff is, we always talk about how the music “Since our very first steps, we’re told we evolve “This world, as of 2018, is fucking out of as an ensemble speaks to us or not.� in a world that works a certain way and that control, and the people in it are just we need to follow,� the band explain. “So, it getting worse and worse.�

The ensemble that makes up each creates a huge determinism. Your life is traced song on We Already Lost the World flows up in front of you, and you’ve got no “We never intended [Faith] to be a beautifully, building into a soundtrack of choice. You gotta pay the bills, you gotta theme record, but it kind of is,â€? Marquez orchestrated carnage and commenting satisfy the social pressures, you gotta concludes. “It’s the progression of where on the state of the Earth. “Love Is Politicalâ€? match the profile. We Already Lost the World I was a few years ago, ending with me is a highlight of the record, with an means it’s not in our hands yet, but it could be blowing it up—no more faith in anything.â€? intriguing depth of meaning that Birds In if we worked together for the common good.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

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I N T E R V I E W W I T H G U I T A R I S T S H I V M E H R A B Y JA M E S A LVA R E Z

PHOTO BY JAMES ALVAREZ

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eafheaven’s new album, Ordinary Corrupt Human Love—out July 13 on Epitaph and ANTI- Records—is finally upon us.

That’s the sort of anything-goes vibe that sets Ordinary Corrupt Human Love apart from Deafheaven’s previous trilogy: it dives headfirst into musical territory they want and need to explore, The past five years have been a whirlwind for the Deafheaven scene police and critics be damned. “We had the time to sit in the camp. Their 2013 breakthrough album, Sunbather, catapulted the studio and really think stuff through. On ‘Near,’ we ended up using San Francisco band from underground obscurity to, quite literally, three different drum tracks,� Mehra reveals about the fourth track, the world stage before the record’s tour cycle was through. 2015’s a wondrous bath in Slowdive-y shoegaze waters. “There’s different New Bermuda proved their success was no fluke and cemented production details we got to finally take our time on, so sonically, I their status as a black-metal-meets-shoegaze tour de force for hope it came out the way that would be the most pleasing to your ear.� the ages. Which brings us to the present and the band’s new watershed moment—where anything and everything is possible. The blast beats on “Glint� still ring true, and the pianos on “You Without End� still part cloudy skies. It’s just that on Ordinary Corrupt “Conceptually, the meaning and idea behind [vocalist] George Human Love, these two aspects of the band’s sound converge more [Clarke]’s lyrics and everything is supposed to be about a fresh start,� than ever, feeling less like a Frankenstein’s monster of loud and soft guitarist Shiv Mehra says, explaining the new album’s overarching dynamics and more like a sonic tapestry woven by master craftsmen. theme. “It’s a separation. He sees Sunbather, New Bermuda, and [2011 debut LP] Roads to Judah as a trilogy that goes together. There’s so much to unpack with this new album: the soccer chants, Essentially, this album would be about branching off and being able the band’s foray into clean singing, their super rad Chelsea Wolfe to do more things.� and Ben Chisholm collaboration on “Night People�—hint, it’s as dark and beautiful as you’d imagine. “This album came forth with more And oh, the things they do. Ordinary Corrupt Human Love sounds sobriety and clear-headedness,� Mehra says candidly. “There was like a band liberated, not writing this type of song or that type of more clarity with our writing; heading into the studio not hungover, riff to placate anyone. Rather, Deafheaven 2018 sound like fired not feeling like shit, brought more of a positive feeling on the album.� up musicians doing exactly what they want to do, for themselves.

This is the core of that no-fucks-given start of something new that “Honeycomb,� the album’s first single, is a vast web of all the best Mehra alluded to earlier. At this point, it’s clear that Deafheaven are Deafheaven-isms to date. It’s heavy, with double bass and blast determined to do whatever the hell they want to do. Who knows where beats galore, but before you know it, you’re rocking out with the top the future will take them? Only Mehra, McCoy, Clarke, Tracy, and their down alongside a scorching guitar solo. Then, the gorgeous kumbaya new bassist extraordinaire, Chris Johnson, can say for sure. piano section hits, and world peace suddenly feels attainable.

These bits alone aren’t new. Hell, Deafheaven blew up because Whatever happens next, Ordinary Corrupt Human Love is the here and they mastered the art of extreme metal and extreme introspection. now, and it’s a hell of an experience, deserving of several honest spins.

What’s so extraordinary about this record is how often—and how Let the blast beats and world-peace anthems wash over you. đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł seamlessly—the band switch gears between jagged metal discord and brilliant “imagine all the peopleâ€? harmonies in a single song. “It took [guitarist] Kerry [McCoy] and I a long time to piece these songs together with [drummer] Dan [Tracy],â€? Mehra shares. “The complexity comes with finding the perfect chords that flow together, where the song actually flows.â€?

Speaking of flowing, the gargantuan “Canary Yellowâ€? moves like a goddamn river and just might be one of Deafheaven’s most epic tunes. At over 12 minutes, it’s the longest song on the album but easily the most rewarding. It builds and builds to a massive singalong climax with the words “on and on and on‌â€? echoing in the background, prompting your subconscious to secretly wish the song would keep doing so forever. “The ending of ‘Canary Yellow’ is pretty awesome to me,â€? Mehra says proudly. “We finally got to do our Oasis soccer chant.â€?

“There was more clarity with our writing; , not feeling like shit, .â€? ď Ś

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Started From the Bottom, Now the Whole Team Here

STATECHAMPS I N T E R V I E W W I T H V O C A L I S T D E R E K D I S CA N I O B Y A N N E T T E H A N S E N

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ight years and three studio albums in, State Champs are at the top of the pop punk game. The Albany, New York, band’s career was kicked into high gear in 2015 after the release of their sophomore album, Around the World and Back, which took them from up-and-coming to headliner-worthy. In the nearly three years since, the members of State Champs have watched their band grow into something they didn’t quite expect.

That mindset wound up being a prevailing message woven throughout the record, a message of struggle and triumph. “I guess another idea of Living Proof is, like, everybody goes through ups and downs, everyone has rough patches in their life,� DiScanio says. “It’s up to you to kind of surround yourself around the right people and around the right environments and find the light and get through things and overcome.�

PHOTO BY JACKI VITETTA

With their career at a significant high, 2018 is shaping up to be a strong year for the band with the release of their third full-length album, Living Proof, on June 15 via Pure Noise Records. Their latest work is a culmination of learning from past mistakes and gaining a firm grip on who they are as a band. “It’s crazy that we’re finally there, because we played such a waiting game with this [album],� vocalist Derek DiScanio shares.

Living Proof has become a representation in itself of how the band’s career has evolved and how the members have persevered and grown along with it. Having brought themselves up from a new struggling act to one of the most significant forces in the current wave of pop punk, State Champs are “living proof� that the best things are worth working hard for, no matter what obstacles one must overcome to get there.

Much of the last three years has gone into the making of Living Proof—with recording wrapping up in October 2017—but the time spent on its creation proved to be a next step in the progression of State Champs: going from a young band recording an album for the first time to more seasoned musicians capable of bringing their vision to life. “Now we know how to do this,� DiScanio says. “We know how to, like, pace ourselves and learn from two albums, and budgets are a little bit bigger, so we can put ourselves in rooms with different people and in better environments and cooler settings and just take our time with it.�

According to DiScanio, he’s truly grateful for the success he’s found with State Champs and the life he’s been able to build as a musician. “This is the most time we’ve had off [since] we finished recording Living Proof. We had about six months off, so I took a lot of time to myself before any of the songs had come out and was just like, ‘Man, what if this is it?’� he describes. “It kind of got real dark there for second, ’til the first song was released.

All the hype came back, and [I remembered] how not for granted I want to take this.�

Rising up out of the madness and exciting changes that came along with the success of their previous album, Living Proof has become a whole new mile marker for State Champs. “The idea with Living Proof is that in those two years after Around the World and Back, we exhausted ourselves with touring,� DiScanio explains. “It was all worth it, needless to say, but we joke around and say we ‘made it out alive.’�

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For State Champs, this most certainly isn’t a stopping point. “It still only feels like we’re just beginning,â€? DiScanio expresses. “It feels like a restart here. It feels like a second—third chance of making something really special happen, and I just can’t wait to keep it going with the band and make more memories and visit more places and just go as hard as we can. We’re not afraid to try to be the biggest band in the world here, so let’s see what happens.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

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TY PROLIFIC PROLIFIC VARIATIONS VARIATIONS

SEGA INTERVIEW BY R O B E R T D U G U AY

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very year, it seems like Los Angeles garage rocker Ty Segall is putting out at least one new album. Either it’s something stripped-down and acoustic, a scorching and electrified opus, or a melding of the two. His latest solo album, Freedom’s Goblin—released via Drag City in January—could be his most inventive release yet. Each track is distinct from the rest through various musical styles, ranging from punk jazz to elongated prog and psychedelic folk. It’s a record that promises not to bore, but instead, it explores.

“When I was a kid, my inspiration for playing music came out of not knowing how long I’d be able to do it or if opportunities would dry up,� Segall says, looking back on his prolific career. “For example, two labels want to put out two albums of mine, and I make those two albums, and it ends up becoming the thing you do. I want to try to make different records all over the place whenever the opportunities to do so happen. I think the only real difference between me and other musicians is that I tend to not really pay attention to the release schedule of albums.�

PHOTO BY ALAN SNODGRASS

was that each song should be as varied as the other ones as much as possible. It’s OK to have a couple songs feeling and sounding the same, but I wanted to really have a mixtape kind of vibe. The instrumentation is one thing, but I also wanted to use different recording techniques. That was the whole angle for the record.�

“If I had my way, I would be putting out even more music,� Segall exclaims. “Even though it would be a poor decision, because no one would listen to any of the records because it would be “I got more comfortable with trying to write stuff that was more a flooding of the market. I would do that because I have a lot funk- or soul-influenced on this record, even though it’s not of fun making records. There’s so many things you can do while exactly that,� he continues. “It didn’t end up being a direct result to my ears, but it ended up being a sideways version.� making one.�

From being a musician in numerous bands, including Fuzz and GĂ˜GGS, to being a solo artist, Segall has always had to adapt. “The main adjustment is that the other bands I’m in are all collaborations, so it’s a completely different kind of experience,â€? he states. “In that situation, the songwriting we’re doing is a group effort for everybody involved. When it’s my solo thing, it’s just me in my bedroom, and I bring in people to record with me and it becomes an collaboration in that sense. They’re both different headspaces.â€?

On the variety that’s present within Freedom’s Goblin, Segall explains, “That was the theme I wanted to go for; that’s what the genesis of the record was. The angle I decided upon

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Segall has collaborated with the likes of Tim Presley from White Fence, Dave Davies from The Kinks, producer Steve Albini, and John Dwyer from Thee Oh Sees via his label, Castle Face Records.

He is always open to making music with new people, and there are a few who he hopes to connect with. “There’s a lot of people,â€? he confirms. “I would love to record at Daptone’s [House Of Soul] Studio, and I’m trying to figure that out. I don’t know if they’d be into me recording there. I would like to jam with Sleep—be, like, the second drummer or something. I’d like to do something crazy like that, like being the monitor guy for Death Grips. I would just be chilling, pressing a couple buttons, and being able to watch people play.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

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nown as kings of All things considered, Orange Goblin I N T E R V I E W W I T H V O C A L I S T B E N WA R D B Y good-time thrashy, are taking some risks, ramping things A D D I S O N H E R R O N -W H E E L E R doomy rock, Lonup with their lyrical content, music, don’s Orange Goblin also recognize more darkness and He has a massive collection of vin- production, and concept—and Ward are lauded for a lot of things: their aggression. The new direction was tage amps and instruments, which couldn’t be happier with the results. musical prowess, their live-fast- encouraged, in part, by the studio we embraced to help create the die-young lyrics, and their title as the band used to make the record. varying sounds from song to song. It “It’s very hard to pinpoint [my favorone of the heaviest and most met- “The studio that we recorded at was a lot of fun and very eye-open- ite] thing about it, so I’m gonna have al rock bands out there. However, belongs to a good friend of ours ing after having made as many al- to say all of it,â€? Ward shares. “The they’ve never been known for in- called Jaime Gomez Arellano, and bums as we have. I think it’s important production sounds great, the songtrospective lyrics or a more serious we had been discussing working to try things like that and breathe new writing is the strongest of our career, tone—until now, that is. and each individual performance together for a few years,â€? Ward life into what we are doing.â€? on the record is better than anyexplains. “When the opportunity “We feel that it’s a natural progres- arose, we jumped at it, as Gomez Orange Goblin not only broke new thing we have done before. [Guision of what we have previous- has an amazing track record over musical ground with The Wolf Bites tarist] Joe [Hoare], [bassist] Martyn ly done with Orange Goblin, but recent years, producing the likes of Back, they also strayed into slightly [Millard], and [drummer] Chris there is a bit of a darker, more Ghost, Grave Pleasures, Cathedral, more political territory. In a world [Turner] have all excelled on this sinister side to this record, hence Paradise Lost, and more. The fact of Trump presidencies and Brex- album, and I personally feel that the album title and the artwork,â€? that the studio is so remote meant its, it’s not surprising that even the my vocal performance and range vocalist Ben Ward says regarding that there were zero distractions joy-riding rock anthems the band are better than any albums beThe Wolf Bites Back, out June 15 and we could all focus 100 percent usually pen waxed a little more fore. The lyrics were all written very on Candlelight Records. “Nothing on making the best record possible.â€? philosophical. “I always like to ex- last-minute, but I’m very happy with was preplanned; we just went into plore different things from album how they came out too, and we covthe writing process with very open In true mysterious doom fashion, to album, and most of what I write er a very broad range of subjects on minds and weren’t afraid to throw Orange Goblin retreated into the is inspired by whatever books I’m The Wolf Bites Back.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł a bit of everything into the mix. The British countryside—the perfect set- reading or films I’m watching at the results speak for themselves, and ting for an album about wolves and time,â€? Ward says. “For this record, I although it’s a bit of a clichĂŠ to say getting in touch with the primitive. was reading a lot more sci-fi, stuff this, I think it’s the best album we like Philip K. Dick, Robert Bloch, have ever recorded.â€? “I don’t know how much the environ- H.G. Wells, etc. There are also some ment influenced us during record- indirect political comments too, in After 23 years together and with ing, but I think that the final prod- the same way that Geezer Butler eight previous albums under their uct sounds typically British,â€? Ward used to write for Black Sabbath. belts, the band were ready to ex- says. “Gomez was incredible to There’s a tribute to Lemmy and a periment a little. Though the core work with too—not just his master- lot of doom and gloom in response essentials of Orange Goblin are ful knowledge in the control booth, to the planet being totally fucked. I ď Ś and suggestions think there is something for everystill there—the rollicking riffs, the but also his advice motorcycle vibes, the straightfor- on creating different sounds and one, and I like the lyrics to remain a ward bluesy metal sound—fans will encouragement to try new things. little open to interpretation.â€?

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their record with an ex-vocalist. It’s just another kind of weird thing that we do for the fans.�

Dance Gavin Dance have an insanely loyal fanbase, so it’s easy to understand the excitement that builds in Swan’s voice as he talks about debuting these new tracks on tour. “When you come to a Dance Gavin Dance show, you’re going to be able to hear everything, because everything is dialed in really well and we put the music first,� he explains.

PHOTO BY LINDSEY BYRNES

I N T E R V I E W W I T H G U I T A R I S T W I L L S WA N B Y N A T A S H A VA N D U S E R

Get Weird, Stay Weird Those unfamiliar with Dance Gavin Dance are missing out. The Sacramento five-piece sound like the cruise ship band on The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine after a trip on a drug that hasn’t been created yet. They’re imaginative. They’re unconventional. And their bizarre tactics have sustained them for eight studio album releases in just over a decade, the most recent being Artificial Selection, out on June 8 via Rise Records.

The eclectic stoner-post-hardcore band have had more lineup changes than some people have socks, but their current setup—which includes founding guitarist Will Swan, unclean

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vocalist Jon Mess, and clean vocalist Tilian Pearson—seems to be the perfect fit, as this is the fourth album to feature these three core members. “We’re always trying to progress,�

Swan says. “[Artificial Selection has] some of my hardest riffs. As usual, I try to write harder than I can play.�

Swan is referencing the track “The PHOTO BY KATIE SNODGRASS Rattler,� which is easily one of the fastest and heaviest songs the band have released. “I feel like this song for me, and then, when I got the “The emphasis is on playing the songs record touches on things we’ve never vocals back, the first time hearing it, the way people love to hear them, touched upon before,� he continues, I was like, ‘What is this? It’s so funny.’ and I think we do that well. That’s “as well as incorporating things that Totally not what I expected. So, at first, something we pride ourselves on.� people love about the band.�

I was like, ‘What? Why would you do that?’ But it grew on me, and now, it’s Dance Gavin Dance are kicking off the summer with a U.S. headliner Dance Gavin Dance created a broad one of my favorite songs.â€? running through June 22—alongside spectrum of sounds and themes for their eighth record. From quasi rock Another oddity present on Artificial Veil Of Maya, I See Stars, ERRA, and ballads like “Careâ€? to absurdist pop Selection is a guest spot from former Swan’s side project, Sianvar—where punk jams like “Story of My Bros,â€? Dance Gavin Dance vocalist Kurt they’ll unveil some of their newest singles, like “Midnight Crusadeâ€? and Artificial Selection hosts some of the Travis on the track “Shelf Life.â€? “Son of Robot.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł most dynamic tracks the band have ever written. However, the strangest “That song is kind of a throwback to track thus far might be “Hair Song.â€? the ‘Death Star’ era,â€? Swan notes, referencing the band’s 2008 self“‘Hair Song’ is actually literally about titled release, which is adorned with doing your hair,â€? Swan laughs. “It’s the Death Star and was the first pretty silly, so I’m kind of excited for album to feature Travis on vocals. people to hear that one. Jon said, “It’s pretty much Kurt the whole song. ‘hair song,’ so it’s just about doing Tilian does have a little part, and we your hair in all different kinds of ways just thought it would be a cool thing and just having fun with it. That song, to do. I mean, we’ve always liked to when I wrote the instrumental, it was do the unexpected, and I don’t think a more serious, emotional, heavy many bands have a guest track on

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TANCRED

A Portrait of the Artist

INTERVIEW WITH JESS ABBOTT

BY SEAN GONZALEZ “I wanted Nightstand to be an the song’s sensible beat, saying, intersection where I can explore “The chorus in that feels like vulnerability but still keep the ’80s rock. It pops in this little drive-y pop rock vibe of [2016’s] pocket of pop rock that I have Out of the Garden,� Jess Abbott never approached before. It’s comments about Tancred’s interesting, it feels like I went out latest album. of myself for that song, and I am happy I did.�

Nightstand—released June 1 via Polyvinyl Records—opens While these 11 songs still retain with “Song One,� an ethereal the pop rock identity that was orchestration of guitars, strings, vividly expressed on Out of the and Abbott’s quiet cadence. The Garden, this album digs more into song ends with the lyrics, “I will the core of the vocalist’s identity. not lie to you / These words will “I wanted to write something a be true.� little more vulnerable after the last record and get a little more Then, the pop rock bounces in in touch with myself in a different immediately on “Queen of New way,� she explains.

York.� Here, Abbott details her experiences in the world through Abbott wrote Nightstand in a her bubbly progressions. small town in Maine, which helped lend a particular “Hot Star� is another graceful character to the sound and tune that rides an upbeat pace of the record. “Where I am sequence, sliding through at in Maine is very familiar to me,� varying chord progressions she notes. “I grew up here, and I and guitar licks until a refined love it more than anything. It’s pop chorus booms through the a safe and quiet town where I speakers. Abbott addresses could feel comfortable enough

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELSEY AYRES

to really withdraw and just focus on what was going on in my head to write these songs. There were no external forces that were really affecting me. I could sit there and write songs being honest with myself and feel really safe about it.�

While the external forces were muted, the wars raging in the musician’s head are addressed numerous times throughout the runtime of Nightstand. “Underwear� has a dark ambiance to it, with Abbott digging into the core of herself and shedding her outer skin for the world to understand. The lines, “I don’t want to fight you / I’m already fighting me / And I’m losing,� are a self-aware snapshot of her current state of mind. “Writing songs helps me,� she acknowledges. “I am

sure my internal wars affect my relationships on a daily basis, but being able to touch base with it certainly helps, and writing music for sure does.�

Tancred’s latest record is a personal tale of what Jess Abbott experiences, tied together by the title. “The name of the album, Nightstand, ties all of the songs together,� she explains. “They kind of all trace back to my nightstand and are about experiences of love or experiences of isolation in my bedroom.�

This all collides on the final song, “Rowing,â€? which plays out like a personal letter to the world about the space Abbott presently inhabits, shining alongside the rest of her experiences as detailed in this somber but decadent record.đ&#x;’Ł

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FLY RIGHT INTO THE FUTURE

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE I N T E R V I E W W I T H G U I TA R I S T MICHAEL PAGET

BY NATASHA VAN DUSER

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ynths. Plugins. Electronica. Typically, these concepts are reserved for the EDM and pop spectrums of the music sphere, but as time has gone on and digital sounds have become the norm, synthetic music has slowly creeped into more old-school genres.

Fans have seen this happen with bands like Asking Alexandria and I See Stars and, most successfully, Bring Me The Horizon’s 2013 magnum opus, Sempiternal, but now, it’s time for metal powerhouse Bullet For My Valentine to dive into something new. That’s right, the Welsh band who rose to almost immediate fame with the release of their 2005 metalcore debut, The Poison—which is currently certified Gold—have taken on a new style for their sixth studio record, Gravity, out June 29 on Spinefarm Records.

bass drops or 808s. After all, Bullet For My Valentine are still a heavy metal band—they’ve just decided to modernize and expand on their old habits. “I just think it’s that timing in life, really,� Paget continues. “Everything is getting digital; technology is racing ahead.

I guess we just kind of want to go with the times a little bit and bring the band up to speed with everything else and everybody else. We’ve never tried anything like this before, so we thought we’d give it a go and see what happens.�

PHOTO BY CATHERINE PATCHELL

Samples and plugins aren’t the more than the other sort of deals. only additions Bullet have made It just seemed the best option for to their discography. They’ve album six and for moving forward. also introduced their first album- So, we signed with them, and released acoustic track, “Breathe everything is great.�

Underwater.â€? “We thought that it would be something different for us. At the end of 2016, the band [‌] The lyrics are really dark, and I dropped the stand-alone track, think it’s one of my favorites on the “Don’t Need You,â€? a precursor to “We wanted to do something a little album, because the lyrics are so the direction they were headed bit different,â€? says guitarist Michael good,â€? Paget explains. “It just kind in—so much so that the song made “Padgeâ€? Paget, who has been with of hits home a little more with me. the final cut on Gravity. “We knew the band since their inception Ironically, being a metal guy, I kind of we had something in that song,â€? in 1998. “[Frontman] Matt [Tuck], connected with that song a lot.â€?

Paget says, “and we just kind of being the main songwriter, sort developed that a little bit more for of led the charge with his vision Along with a revived sound, the Gravity.� Eventually, fans got a taste and talked us around and came four-piece bumped touring of tracks like “Over It� and “Letting up with this new idea to sort of drummer Jason Bowld up to an You Go,� the first two official incorporate electronics and official member and finally signed singles from the record, which different sounds and change the to a new label. After their five- were both designed to gratify that approach to songwriting a little record deal with Sony was fulfilled, big, rowdy festival feel. “The album bit. So, not so metal, which was my Bullet turned to Spinefarm. “We was written this way for [festivals concern,� he laughs, “but being in had a couple of offers on the and arena shows],� Paget explains. the band so long, I trust him dearly.� table,� Paget shares. “Spinefarm “We’re really hoping it’ll take off were really, really keen to sign us and catapult us a little bit.�

Gravity may feature synths, up and work with us. They ended overdubs, layering, and more, up putting in the best deal, and From a statistical standpoint, but fans won’t find any blaring they were just offering us so much Bullet have done it all. They’ve

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played with some of the biggest bands in their genre, from Slipknot to Avenged Sevenfold, and tour the world playing massive venues and festivals some bands can only dream of. In fact, their entire summer bill is booked with appearances at giant musical gatherings, including Germany’s Rock Am Ring and Download Festival in the U.K.—but they are always looking for more. “We’re still very hungry for more success, and we do want to be the band that’s moving forward and headlining these big festivals and getting back into arenas and being a solid arena band,� Paget notes. “We’re a very driven band.�

As Bullet For My Valentine transition with the times, so does their sound, but electronics or not, they remain metal at their heart. The band will be on the festival circuit overseas all summer followed by a U.S. headliner in September and October. đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł

EPs

CANDLEMASS: HOUSE OF DOOM: NAPALM RECORDS

Candlemass, the undisputed kings of minor-key songwriting, returned with a new record on May 25, obviously called House of Doom. The band bring the frenzied riffing, melancholy sounds, and warm Hammond tapestries that form the pillars of every Candlemass classic. Title track “House of Doom” comes with three bonus tracks. The brooding monster, “Flowers of Deception,” indulges in unadulterated doom heaviness, while the second half of the EP features the stripped-down ballad “Fortuneteller” and wraps up with the almost sludgy “Dolls on a Wall.” The Swedish pioneers of timeless slowness manage once again to distill the essence of epic doom metal on House of Doom and, at the same time, make waiting for their next full-length, due out in fall, even harder. –Marika Zorzi

FUCKED UP: HIGH RISE: TANKCRIMES

Toronto’s Fucked Up continue to punish record collectors for their obsession while delighting punk fans.

On High Rise, they eschew their creative impulse to erect epic journeys by returning to the under-threeminute format in which they shine so vividly. For 15 years, the band have blessed top indie labels like Deranged, Matador, Jade Tree, Havoc, Third Man, Deathwish, and more, but on June 15, Fucked Up team up with Tankcrimes to release their cover of The Trainspotters’ 1979 single, “High Rise.” Mixing pop and quirky punk is perfect fodder for Fucked Up. Backed with “Tower on Time,” this 45 is limited to 500 copies on black vinyl. –Hutch

HARLEY “CRO-MAGS” FLANAGAN: HARD-CORE (DR. KNOW EP): MVD

Rising on reputation and ready to riot, Harley Flanagan returns. Having recently opened for the reunited Misfits’ East Coast show, Flanagan gave his fans a continuation of the 2017 full-length CroMags on April 6. Flanagan whipped up six tracks of his stripped-down, bass-driven NYHC for HardCore, donating all the earnings to cover the medical bills of Bad Brains guitarist and Flanagan’s mentor, Dr. Know. Crushing, heavy riffs and streetwise lyrics have always been Flanagan’s formula, and that remains as true as Flanagan’s heart here. Familiar upbeat tempos with a full bass and drum dimension combine with gang choruses, bulldog-growl vocals from Flanagan, and some searing leads that exhibit Flanagan’s continued adoration of Bad Brains. –Hutch

REISSUES

PINK LINCOLNS: SUCK AND BLOAT: RAD GIRLFRIEND RECORDS

Those craving the snotty, funny punk rock stylings of Chris Barrows are in luck: Rad Girlfriend Records is rereleasing a classic from his past, as well as two new records from his other projects. The label will reissue the 1994 Pink Lincolns album Suck and Bloat, complete with artwork by Iggy Pop. At the same time, they are putting out a new LP from the Barrows-led supergroup The Spears, who also include members of Down By Law, D.R.I., Hated Youth, and Grave Return. The new Spears album, Ghosts, boasts a slew of additional guests including members of Black Flag, The Queers, Screeching Weasel, and Adolescents. Finally, Rad Girlfriend is putting out a new EP from The Chris Barrows Band. All are set for release on June 29. –John B. Moore

COLLECTIONS

DEVILDRIVER: OUTLAWS ‘TIL THE END: VOL. 1: NAPALM RECORDS

No band’s discography is complete without a cover or two, but DevilDriver do us one better with an entire record of outlaw country covers. “I feel we’ve done something different, something that’s never been attempted, and came out the other end extremely satisfied,” vocalist Dez Fafara explains. “I’m most proud of the guests who came forward to jam and give their all—not for money but for the sheer fact they loved the idea and wanted to jam.” Outlaws ‘til the End features a lot of special guests and covers everyone from Hank 3 and Johnny Cash to The Eagles and David Allan Coe. The country goodness will be unleashed on July 6, and fans of the band’s more classic stuff can expect more recording and touring in the near the future. –Addison Herron-Wheeler

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A fiery concept album by Grammy Award-winning songwriter and guitarist Mark Tremonti!

7/6

! DEVILDRIVER - Outlaws ´til the End Vol. 1 Available as CD, LTD Vinyl, Download and Stream!

VISIT OUR ONLINE STORE WITH OVER 30.000 ITEMS – SPECIAL EDITIONS, CDS, VINYL, DVDS, MERCHANDISE: WWW.NAPALMRECORDSAMERICA.COM!

OUT

ALIEN WEAPONRY - Tū NOW ! Available as LTD Digipak, LTD Vinyl, Download and Stream!

TREMONTI - A Dying Machine NOW ! Available as Digipak, LTD 2-LP Gatefold, Download and Stream!

ICONIC ACTIVIST ROCKERS OTEP ARE BACK WITH THEIR MOST CONTROVERSIAL AND AUTHENTIC ALBUM TO DATE! OUT

OUT

OUT

Teenagers Alien Weaponry connect modern thrash metal with their tribal Mãori roots, creating a sound that is truly one of a kind!

OTEP - Kult 45 7/27 ! Available as CD, LTD Vinyl, Download and Stream!

NEW NOISE

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PETITE: ELEVEN SONGS TAPE: RUNSTATE TAPES Portland, Oregon’s PETITE sound the way The Clash, Minutemen, and SleaterKinney sounded so many decades ago—that is, fucking real. Their sound is one of evenness and purity, no frills but many thrills, mostly via the clear and precise approach taken.

This is music made of passion and punk, the kind that inspires you to get up, pick up the guitar, play three chords, and sing about the abuses animals all around the world suffer in this fucked up place we live in or how corporations own every aspect of your commodity-angled multisphere.

It’s in the simplicity PETITE attack with that an expansive zone of pure emotion and creativity is reached.

Only through punk does this happen in such a unique and clean way. Simple and absolutely infinite messages, banged straight into your head—no ulterior motives, no hidden agendas, only pure heart, pure blood, and love.

VISITORS: NATURE DOCUMENTARY: \\NULL|ZØNE//

Visitors are an epic mesh of psychedelic pop, free jazz, and ’70s-ish Euro-prog—a sound like melting worlds and then mixing into breakfast-cool soup. “Art house” is a good way to describe the feel of Nature Documentary, the band’s latest, offering extensions in the form of uncalculated freedom of expression.

Synths fuse with over-patterns that stiffen and coalesce. Rasheeda Ali—the group’s lead vocalist and flutist—holds the fluxing universe together with her subtle and nuanced modes, circulating an inner-pattern like an invisible diamond made of water and light. You can really drift with this stuff. Like Bitches Brew-era Miles Davis and Yusef Lateef meet Soft Machine in the vineyards of Eden, you’ll cook up some fierce mind patterns, places you can let your mind wander and think of the beauty of living.

The simple fact that you’re alive and not yet dead—be modest and be kind to all living creatures. Pain and death is the end, the cold nothing. Live and smile.

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GROW FANGS: AN EVERY NIGHT MYSTERY: ALREADY DEAD TAPES AND RECORDS

The Grow Fangs say they made An Every Night Mystery as a soundtrack to “playing D&D, drawing, or doing anything where you use your imagination.” Yes, and the music is journey-laden and peaceful, in a ’roundthe-corner, right-at-the-Nebula sort of way.

Soft strokes of gliding guitar melt with minimalistic rhythm work, stationing your heart in the country, in the woods of the evergreen expanse, where the berries grow lushly, heightened by the slow glide of the moon and sun. You dream and you dream and you sink into the painter’s full gloom—a happy gloom, a dismal gloom that is carried in a basket over the funeral grounds of the ancient high-knights, the ones of gold and silver, the practitioners in animal rights, complete veganism: the forerunners. The Grow Fangs have abstract jazz in their hearts, and that washy patience is what really makes their new recording a nice trip. So, pop it in, eat a little mushroom, or just sway with the breeze here on E arth: ascension, without ever a hiccup.

PENTAGRAM HOME VIDEO: WALPURGISNACHT II: SELF-RELEASED

Dark ambient music has the knack for opening the doorway from the nightmare world to the waking—possibly realistic—world. This door is heavy and moves slowly. It creaks, though without a sound. The two worlds it connects are universally dependent upon one another. The contrast is seemingly easy to differentiate yet undoubtedly subtle and possibly incorrect. You begin to question what the door actually separates. Pentagram Home Video, from London, use heavy minimalism to create an ultraworld, one thick with notions of spirit and memory. It focuses on tragedy, or rather, possible tragedy: the walk between fatalism and existentialism. It’s also scary—psychologically scary. Like you’re walking behind someone slowly.

When the person stops, you stop. They turn, you turn and look away, but then, they turn while you’re fixed blank. They stare at you. That person is you: dead, walking home to forever. Yikes.