This issue sees me in conversation with some of the best bands in metal right now. It has been great to talk to all of them but one of my personal favourite artists HELLRIPPER was a real treat for me! That aside there have been some great releases out lately some if which I cast an eye too later in the issue. As always thank you for reading. All my love guys.
D. Gilmore Out of Step UK
Hellripper is probably the most metal name for a band ever, what's the origin of the name?
I do think it gives a good idea of what you can expect from the music for sure! It probably came from somewhere subconsciously, but it was something that just popped into my head one day. I thought it sounded cool and fit what I was doing and that was that!
Being a one man show, how do you go about recruiting your live band? What's something you look for in musicians when they are performing your songs?
I look for people that I get along with first of all, and then of course they need to be able to play the songs. Usually the members are either friends of mine or they respond to an online post I’ve made. With the guys in the current line-up, Clarkie (bass) has been a friend of mine for around 10 years and we’ve played in bands together before, so it made sense to get him involved. Joseph (guitar), played in a local indie band in Aberdeen and had purchased some merch from me so I assumed he liked the music! I knew he was a fan of Motorhead and Metallica, and so when I needed a new guitar player, I got in touch with him! Max (drums) replied to a post I made on Twitter about needing a new drummer. He sent me a few drum play through videos of Hellripper tracks the next day and that was that!
Do you let or encourage the guys to add their own parts or interpretation when playing?
Yeah, if they have an idea that fits the vibe of the song then I’m all for them doing something different! We often add additional guitar harmonies, Joseph takes some of the guitar solos and Max likes to add his own twist to some drum beats and drum fills especially.
One man metal machine Hellripper has just released his best record to date, one that is a serious contender for album of the year. Inspired by Scottish folklore "Warlocks grim and Withered hags" is a beast. The man himself is an articulate and intelligent musician and a pleasure to talk to.
The latest single "Warlocks grim and Withered hags" is awesome, could you tell me a bit about the track? Would you say it is a good representation of the album as a whole? Thank you very much. The track is something quite different to what I usually do with Hellripper. This track is much more mid-tempo and has a good swing to it, which was a fun challenge to write and record. It was good to get some bagpipes on there too!
Lyrically, the track is primarily based on the works of Robert Burns, the poems ‘Address to the Deil’, and ‘My Heart’s in the Highlands’ in particular, with the title of the song (and album) coming from a line in the former.
I don’t think it represents the album as a whole. It’s actually probably the biggest outlier on the album due to the tempo and vibe - the rest of the album is mostly fastpaced. Listening to Hellripper is like stumbling into an unknown Venom, Death or even Motorhead record. How much influence did bands like that have you as a musician? Venom and Motorhead especially, influenced me greatly. I am influenced by a huge number of bands from different genres of music, but the sound of Hellripper is rooted in bands like Venom, Motorhead, Toxic Holocaust, Darkthrone, Sabbat, TANK, Warfare, Metallica, Bathory etc.
Your upcoming tour with Warbringer is sure to crush! Are you looking forward to it?
Thank you, and yes I am very much looking forward to it! Warbringer are a band that I became a fan of just when I was starting to get into metal, and are still one of my favourite bands to this day. So it’s great to be sharing a stage with them, and it’ll be nice to see their live show a few times.
I'm sure we can look forward to hearing some new tracks on that tour. Which are you most looking forward to perform? We will play some new songs for sure, but we are unsure which yet! It all depends on the vibe of the room and how long we get for our set! “The Nuckelavee” and “Goat Vomit Nightmare” are tracks that I am looking forward to playing though!
I understand the new record draws heavily from Scottish folklore and legend. What's your favourite piece of legend from Scotland?
I do like the tale of The Stoor Worm (which I explore on this album in the closing track) - a tale about a giant sea serpent that devours seven virgins every week and torments the land, before being defeated by the son of a local farmer. The teeth and corpse of the Stoor Worm then became various islands including the Orkney Islands and Iceland.
At this point in your career what's next for you to achieve?
I want to keep creating good music most of all. If I can continue to do that, then I’ll be happy!
Of course, there are still places we’d love to visit like the US and Australia for example, but that will all come in due time!
HELLRIPPER’S LATEST RECORD “WARLOCKS GRIM AND WITHERED HAGS” IS OUT NOW
Belgian Extremists Amenra are force in metal and music at large. The quintet push boundaries with their original take on atmospheric driven, heavy music. The band play this years Damnation festival I what will undoubtedly be one if the set of the weekend.
What was it that brought the band together in the first place?
Friendship and unbridled drive to prove ourselves to the world, I would presume. When you’re 18 years old you are pretty much trying to figure things out in this world, We attempted to do that together.
As your career continues are what new influences have crept into your writing?
Through the years we’ve grown more receptive for other styles of music compared to when we were teenagers. Everything was pretty much Black of White then, but now we see different shades in everything. There’s an interest In performing arts, contemporary dance, opera and ballet.. Everyday beauty, and life’s shadows. That’s where we draw our blood from,
That’s what we tap into mostly – Life in general.
Who would you say are the bands biggest musical influences?
Everything changes and evolves during the course of 25 years. It’s an ongoing and expanding thing for us. If I’d have to name some of me personally, I would go for Tool, Crowbar, Woven Hand, and above all Neurosis. From there we evolved into what we are today.
This years Damnation festival will be the bands first appearance in the new venue, are you looking forward to it?
Of course! We have played Damnation festival in Leeds twice in the past. But not in Manchester. We are looking forward to all our future shows!
Touring, particularly overseas, is getting more and more expensive for bands and many have had to cancel whole tours. Has this affected you guys at all?
Yes, travelling to the UK and USA from mainland Europe has become logistically almost impossible for us. The taxation and payments to be Made for work visas, together with all the bureaucratic logistics are beyond ridiculous.
I’ve heard fans and critics describe your live show feeling like a “ritual” is that something you’d agree with?
I can concur. It is something that needs to be felt instead of just seen, or listened to. It’s the whole package that tells the story right.
I hear comparisons to real rituals of audience members or attendees. I would assume they feel like they are invited to dig deep into themselves,
Self reflect and grow from there. Or that we seem to take weight off their shoulders.
What does the band have planned for the rest of the year? Touring, recording?
For me, your records feel as though they need to be listened to whole rather than just a track or two. Is this what you intend when you are writing an album?
No, we don’t really intend for it, but it’s just how it turns out to be with most things we write or make.
We’ve recorded last month now we’ll be focussing on playing live shows, and touring. The plan is to move forward!
AMENRA’S LATEST RECORD “DE DOORN” IS OUT NOW
Downfall of Gaia is a name that every metal head should know. With the help of their newest record “Silhouettes of Disgust” that is becoming more of a reality. The band perform a blackened metal that is as bleak as it is heavy. The group bring some truly awesome concepts with them and are a pleasure to talk to.
Who are the bands biggest musical influences? Are there any current bands you draw influence from?
Dominik: I'd say there are a lot of influences in general. It's a constant process, for us a band but also as individuals. But by far the biggest influence on how things have evolved and how we sound as a band has probably been the punk/neocrust/DIY movement in general. Bands like Remains of the Day, Tragedy, His Hero is Gone, Ekkaia, Leadershit...stuff like that had an infinitely huge influence on everything. Of course, more and more influences have been added over the years. When I think of black metal, I think of Altar of Plagues for example. Or Neurosis and Cult of Luna, when we think of the more experimental / post-ish sounds. But when it comes to current bands, I have to admit, we're not really up to date anymore.
Damnation festival will be an exclusive show for UK fans, are you looking forward to it?
Definitely! This is our first time, but of course we are familiar with the festival itself. It will be a real pleasure to be part of the line-up!
What was it that brought the band together in the first place, did you know each other before the band?
Basically, Downfall of Gaia was born out of the ashes of Anton's and my old band Toxic Nation, which we formed in 2006. Anton and I grew up in the same neighbourhood, same friends, same shows and all that. In Toxic Nation's two years, our sound changed from D-beat/punk to more atmospheric sounds. In 2008 our first drummer Tim introduced us to Peter, he joined the band and we changed our name to Downfall of Gaia.
Touring, particularly overseas, is getting more and more expensive for bands and many have had to cancel whole tours. Has this affected you guys at all?
We are experiencing this right now with our release tour. Many promoters want to play it safe, so we as a band have to take more risks. These are difficult times for smaller bands. We just hope that the shows are well attended and everything will work out in the end. But if touring was our main source of income, then it would really be a disaster with the way things have developed.
What can the Damnation fans expect from a "DOG" live show?
We haven't played for three years now, which has basically never happened to us. So we hope we still know what we're doing on stage.... but hopefully it's like riding a bike haha of course, we try to transmit the energy and atmosphere of the album live as well as possible.
Are you familiar with the other bands on the bill? Are there any you ll be checking out on the day?
Absolutely! Ahab, Amenra, Rotten Sound...I'm excited to see what other bands will be announced soon!
Do you have a favourite track on the album?
Hard to say at this point, because everything is still so fresh. Let's see which song will be left in the end. But at this point i would say Bodies as Driftwood.
I love the bleakness from the artwork on "Existence of Awe". These days album art seems, unfortunately, less important than it used to be. Do you agree?
Your new record is out soon, is there an concept for the record or a more free form structure?
The album tells the story of 8 different people, with 8 different stories, as residents of a fictional metropolis. Each person with their own worries and struggles. Loneliness, addiction, the fear of tomorrow, pressure from society/work and others, the everyday compulsion that everyone is at the mercy of whether they like it or not. Things that many of us probably know all too well. You have to play along somehow or you fall through the cracks. And once you're down, it's hard to get back up. Selfishness and ignorance, the general way of dealing with each other - you're one, surrounded by millions, surrounded by so many things you want to avoid and hate. Surrounded by 'Silhouettes of Disgust'.
The two singles you have released so far have been very well received by fans, will the rest of the new record be what fans expect from a DOG Album or are there any surprises?
There might be a few surprises here and there. Nothing too crazy, but we tried to add a few unexpected nuances here and there.
In a certain sense, yes. Many things have changed in recent years and the trend is moving more and more towards digital. People are releasing fewer albums, it's more and more about singles and playlists. The focus is on clicks and less on the "product" itself. I'm not a big fan of this trend. Many things are rushed just to be able to fire them into the world and to compete in a world of clicks.
I understand its been three years or so since you last toured, are you excited to be back?
We are! And we are a bit nervous about that as well haha But as said before – hopefully it is like riding a bike :-)
Full of Hell/Primitive Man - Suffocating Hallucination
Sounding like a cross between the feedback from your guitar becoming sentient and the noise Godzilla would make whilst passing a particularly compacted stool. "Suffocating Hallucination" sounds much like the title implies. The hardcore fans will undoubtedly love this record as the uncompromising slab of static, discordant noise that it is. Personally I'll stick to "Weeping Choir" for the time being. Both bands seem to be working in another dimension. One where my mind is ill equipped to travel. A record for the more open minded amongst you.
Suicide Silence - Remember, you must die
It amazes me how a band that were once one of the best of their genre and real pioneers of the scene can become so, well, boring. The band have been treading water so long even the sharks have gone to find fresher more interesting meals. This record is painfully uninspired and at times I genuinely forgot it was playing as my mind wondered to more interesting things, like what would Boris Johnsons favourite pokemon be? Or how much longer is this fucking record going to last. Thirty nine minutes of dick chokingly bad deathcore. Avoid unless you need something to put you into a coma for awhile.
Downfall of Gaia - Silhouettes of Disgust
Creating an atmosphere thicker than a Tory MP when asked about minimum wage, Downfall of Gaia's latest record, "Silhouettes of Disgust" is one of the most impressive albums in recent memory. The blackened death metal is oozing with anxiety, fear and hopelessness like checking your bank account after a heavy night on the WKD blue. Each track comes from the viewpoint of another protagonist which lends a different yet familiar angle to each one. In line with the bands previous records "Silhouettes...." is an incredible album that begs to be listened to front to back each time. Think Silent Hill (the games, not the god awful film) cuddling up to the T100 and you are halfway there.
Silly Goose - The Streets Heard It First
With rap metal you can seemingly go one of two ways; Rage against the machine or Limp bizkit. As you can probably guess "Silly Goose" Park themselves firmly in the latter camp. That isn't to say the band can't throw down when they want to. The track "Take from me" being a prime example. The band have made a fun and heavy record and I'm very much here for it.
Rotten sound - Apocalypse
Like the state of your mum after a night down the docks "Apocalypse" is a filthy beast of a record. Rotten sound has produced a viscera coated grindcore classic with this album. The band have always been interesting but, like Jesus said to the Romans on the cross, they have really nailed it this time. As intense and pounding as the fourth wank of the day "Apocalypse" hits all the right notes for a grindcore album in 2023. Rotten Sound are the band we needed right now. Gentlemen, well done.
Pest Control - Don't test the Pest
Think 80s thrash crossover with the youthful energy of a dozen cans of monster and you are somewhere near Pest Controls debut record. Fast, heavy and well executed like a truck of revolutionaries rolling downhill. However, like most of my sexual conquests, "Don't test the Pest" is over far to soon. A great debut from a band worthy of your attention.
Think Parkway Drive with a serious nark on and an interesting mix of heavy metalcore combining some progressive elements and you will arrive somewhere inside an intimate venue in Budapest listening to city natives Heedless Elegance. The band have been making waves on social media with their track “The Blaze of Glory” let’s find out more....
For me the most obvious influences in your music are bands like Cane Hill (in your vocals) and System of a Down (in some of the guitar lines). Would that be true? What other bands influence your music?
It is funny to hear that, I have never listened to Cane Hill but System of a Down is my all time favourite band. I’m sure some of the influences came from them, but in the band each of us came from a different genres circle and i think this makes it so interesting that everyone can bring something different. From Iron Maiden to Thy Art is Murder.
I first became aware of the band through YouTuber/TikToker Ohrion. Do you find more people become fans of the band from less traditional sources like social media?
To gain more followers is more diverse these days especially with TikTok, mostly everyone in the industry is guessing what’s gonna be famous and what is not, so I think it is a good way to pay attention on different platforms for your music. After the video from Ohrion, our numbers has been significantly better, so it looks like it is definitely helpful.
I understand the band is from Budapest. What is the metal scene like at home? Are there any bands people should listen to from Hungary?
It is a strange place. The music life is surprisingly big in Hungary, there are a lot of great bands from each genre out there, big venues, big festivals, but mostly it is a bit harder to show yourself for bigger audiences if you play a sub-genre. Sometimes you can say your music is more welcomed abroad. The overall representation of the newcomers of Metal in the mainstream is close to 0% and there is no proper industry behind it, so you really need to pay attention on opportunities to succeed. I would recommend LAZARVS, Subscribe and Antares, they are exceptional bands, and would deserve more international recognition.
Do you have any upcoming tours planned soon?
What are the chances of seeing the band in the UK?
Currently we are focusing on our new releases , probably 2024 will be the more show oriented year for us. We would love to play in the UK, we are always looking for opportunities to play in as many places as possible, hopefully next year we will, who knows?
Much has been made about the cost of bands merchandise at shows lately. Is that something you have had to deal with to combat rising touring costs etc?
Unfortunately the prices are very high right now, and to be in a band is not an exception from the upcoming problems of this situation. These days merchandise is the main source of income for a band, so it need to be adjusted to keep the production of it and maybe make profit so they can continue touring in some scenarios. We truly hope the situation will change around the world and the prices will change to a balanced situation.
Are there any plans for the follow-up to the last record “Libra” anytime soon? If so how far along are you? Could you tell be abit about how it’s going?
It is closer than you think. This year we will release our third album, and the first single from it will be out in April and through the year we will drop some interesting contents about some of the songs. The album is expected on the end of the year.
Thank you for your time guys, lastly is there anything you’d like to say to your fans in the UK?
We are glad if you guys are out there and we hope it wouldn’t be so long to play for you. Until then, we encourage you to pay attention on any of our social through the year, cause there will be a lot of interesting stuffs for you! Love you all!
Heedless Elegance’s new record “Libra” is out now!
