RMP Magazine #16 by RMP Magazine

RMP Magazine #16

THANKS TO

CEO

Jarrod Makaua

Kenny Leys // CEO

Carl Battams

David Marote // Managing Editor

Giulia sebastiani

James Cross // Photo coordinator

Jenny McCord Wil Barnes Lisse Wets

Design Jolien Krijnen // Chief designer Mallory Guzzi Benjamin Goossearts

Writers Cameron Smith // Copywriter liaison David Gilmore Charlotte Davidson

Editors Frederik Geuvens // Editor in chief Krystal Cole

Photography Daria Colaes Charlotte Davidson Dirk Mai Alex Tran

www.rock-metal-punk.org 2

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Roel Vanobbergen Stefan Van Den Broek Arne Vangheluwe Emily Simons Paul Mckee Ken Yamamoto Jesse Mouart

CONTENT

Inter view//Amercin HiFi

Inter view//Darkest Hour

12 I n t e r v i e w / / Beartooth

I n t e r v i e w / / Ice Grill$

20 Inter view//Lagwagon

28 Photo special //Reading 2014

Album r eviews

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Thanks To

A W

FROM THE EDITOR

Hello again! Days are getting shorter, the sun is hiding and chilling wind takes over, September is here and it looks like it’s about to stay while it bumps out the summer on its way in. But what a summer it was, filled with music, laughter and good times at some of the best festivals and shows we could imagine, from the trenches of Ieperfest to Pukkelpop and crossing oceans for Hevy fest and Reading/Leeds. We at RMP Magazine have tried to capture some of those festivals and shows that took part this last month to share with you. As always we have reached out to some of the visiting bands to lend us some time to introduce themselves. Lagwagon, Beartooth, American Hi-fi and Darkest Hour are some of the bands we recently met up with. But the party isn’t over yet. We prepared a whole new batch of fresh reviews, an up-to-date festival guide and a delicious new column dedicated to cooking and food. Summer may be gone but our song isn’t sung yet, the future looks promising with tons of shows ahead. The exclusive show of Beartooth in Mechelen for instance, or maybe a benefit festival like Aresfest with its diverse line up ranging from The Priceduifkes, Generation 84 to Overlord. Looks like our team won’t be slowing down anytime soon. Ah well, sleep is for the weak.

David Marote

Managing editor RMP magazine

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YOU MAY WANT TO LIS

STEN TO... I r o n R e a g a n – T h e Ty r a n n y O f W i l l Sometimes you start to listen to a band based on someone’s raving critique about the band on social media or other forms of gathering information. In about 95% of these cases you end up hitting yourself for listening and you wish you could get that time back. In some cases you discover something that just sets you up with a grin from ear to ear when hearing just the beginning notes. Iron Reagan is part of that 5% that can make your day look a lot more interesting. Just looking at the line-up for this band, including members of Darkest Hour, Cannabis Corpse and Municipal Waste, you know this band will pound like a hell hammer. And that’s what Iron Reagan does indeed. Crossing over thrash metal, punk and hardcore into 24 venomous fireballs that get spit out like bullets from a Tommy gun. “The Tyranny Of Will” contains tracks that reach out from classic Slayer to Suicidal Tendencies and are dead certain to get every metalhead, punk, crust, youth crew kid or whatever you call yourself, banging their fists to titles as “Eyeball Gore”, “Bill Of Fights” or “Four More Years”.

The Dir ty Nil

– Cinnammon b/w Guided By Vices

Sometimes the logo of a record label slapped onto a release almost acts as a seal of approval. For me, Fat Wreck Chords is one of those quality labels that never cease to amaze me with their new signings and releases. Next to being the bar for quality punk rock the gang from sunny San Francisco already surprised me these last years with the folky punk of Old Man Markley or the tropical tingle of Uke Hunt. And they did it again with The Dirty Nil, it’s not your typical Fat punk rock as many might expect but instead we set foot in one of America’s best hidden garages to witness some garage rock madness. A band formed in their highschool years that has been breaking out of their garage the last three years to wreak havoc on those whose path they cross. Looks like they crossed the right one if Fat Mike picks up on this threesome! Two tracks are all they need to get you hooked on their chaotic rocking out.

Control State

– The Delta Pack

Control State hails from Ypres in Belgium, world renowned for WWI but also for their Ieper hardcorefest that attracts thousands of international hardcore kids each year. Being a band from the West-Vlaanderen area aka H8000, they must have been influenced and/or involved by the hardcore and metal bands that once ruled that territory. But instead of regurgitating that style Control State took things into own hands. Based in metal and hardcore as experienced during their youth they evolved their sound into a modern and more diverse version of just plain old American metalcore. From brutal riffs to delicate breaks guided by melodic vocals, Control State shifts shape in the blink of an eye and takes no prisoners while doing so. “The Delta Pack” is their latest release holding the new revived line-up and displays a very diverse metalband with sense of melody that doesn’t fear experimenting with their sound. “The Delta Pack” walks the delicate line between beauty and madness with its melodic soothing parts but turns into a ferocious brutal monster just seconds later.

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Writer // David James Gilmore

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AMERICAN HI-FI 2

014 sees the fifth studio release from pop-punk veterans American Hi-Fi. The record â&#x20AC;&#x153;Blood And Lemonadeâ&#x20AC;? sees the band at arguably their best shape since their debut in 2001. We caught up with the band to discuss how they feel about the new record, past hits, touring the world and working with the wild child of pop

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INTERVIEW // AMERICAN HI-FI

You have a new record “Blood and Lemonade” out in September. How do you feel about the album? We are really happy with the way the record turned out! I feel like it is some of the best, most personal lyric writing I have done, and the band is really firing on all cylinders. After listening the record seems more mature and focused than your past releases. Was this a conscious effort or something that happened organically? I agree that it is much more mature and focussed. It did happen organically, by way of a conscious decision to evolve as human beings. Are there any moments on the album that you are particularly proud of? I’d say the lyrics again, but also the general feel of the record. We tracked it live, all 4 of us playing together in the room.

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Does it bother you that many people who might not be too aware of your music remember you primarily for “Flavour Of The Weak”? Not at all! I am really proud of that song! I still love playing it today. We are really lucky to have even had that moment. It is so hard to reach people and have a connection like that. We lucked out with that one! How do you think the band stands up with your peers in 2014? I think we can hold our own! We are a really good guitar band. There are not that many of us left out there these days! In May this year you played London’s 100 Club which was your first UK show in quite a while. What are your memories of the show? We were thrilled to be able to play that show in London. That fact that so many people wanted to see us was a victory in and of itself,

and the fact that they knew every word and were having as great a time as we were was an absolute blessing! Can we expect to see you back on our shores any time soon? I certainly hope so. We all do other things outside of Hi-Fi, so it can be tricky to manage our schedules. If there is demand for the band, we will work it out! Your latest single “Allison” has a real Foo Fighters vibe to it. Were they an influence when you were writing the album? I’d say it has a HUGE Foo Fighters vibe. They are a massive influence and we try to rip them off whenever possible. You recorded the album in your own studio called “The Deathstar”. How was producing and recording the record yourselves? Yeah, we made the record at my place.

“ I met Miley, heard her

“

sing, and signed up immediately! She is the real deal and I love working with her!

I’ve had the studio for 12 years now, so we feel pretty comfortable in there. John Fields produced the vocals with me. He is a good friend and an amazing producer. It was great having him on the other side of the glass while I was singing. I find it difficult to produce my own vocals. How involved was your record company with the album, did they give you an idea of what they wanted or did they let you do what you wanted? They left it up to us. They reached out after they heard we were making a new record. We are really stoked to be working with Rude Records! I’ve heard that you and Jamie play in Miley Cyrus’ band. How did that come about and how does touring with her compare to being in American Hi-Fi? Yeah, Jamie and I play in Miley’s band.

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INTERVIEW // AMERICAN HIFI

He plays guitar and I am her musical director and drummer. We have been with her since the beginning… Going on 8 years now. I produced a band that her former manager was working with and he asked me if I would be interested in the job.

will be your fifth. What have you learned over the years playing all over the world for so many different people? Be authentic. That’s the best lesson I have learned. Anytime I have chased something, stepped outside of myself, it hasn’t worked.

I met Miley, heard her sing, and signed up immediately! She is the real deal and I love working with her! Touring with one of the biggest pop stars on the planet is quite a bit different than touring with a rock band. We never had our own plane in American HiFi!

Do you have a favourite country to play in? Japan. I love the culture and the people. I love the food, the shopping, the shows. It’s a unique place. It feels like another planet at times.

Does that aspect of your musical careers impact the rest of American Hi-Fi? Yes it does. Miley keeps us quite busy. We have to plan our gigs around hers. You’ve been around for quite a few years now and this latest album

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What is the best thing about being in the band at this point in your careers? The fact that we can call the shots. We are doing everything on our own terms. Whether we succeed or not is beside the point. We do this because we love it. American Hi-Fi has become a club, a brotherhood.

What advice would you give the 2001 version of yourselves? Relax. Don’t micromanage. Everything will happen the way it is supposed to happen. Finally, why should people go out and listen to your new album “Blood and Lemonade”? They should listen to our new album if they like big guitars, pounding drums, and what I think is pretty damn good melodic rock music. We poured our hearts and sweat into this record and I hope that translates when people listen to it. Next Album : “Blood & Lemonade”

September 9th

facebook.com/americanhifi

Join us at Twitter twitter.com/RMPMag

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Writer // By Stefan van Den Broek

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hen youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in a band for twenty years, people come and go, the world changes and so does your band. Darkest Hour is one of those bands that has been around for over twenty years and had their share of the cake. But now they are back with a new label, bass player, drummer and a new album. Darkest Hour is their self-titled release and we tried to find out more about that new album along with their views on progression,their past and much more.

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INTERVIEW // DARKEST HOUR

It took you 1.5 years to release this new self-titled album. How hard was it to write this album? Well it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t so much how hard it was to write as it was how much time we needed for reflection. The songs themselves came together each at their own speed. Yet, having the time to reflect on songs, order of the songs, and even the songs that made it on the record were essential to making this the record it needed to be. We definitely put the dudes through the ringer but everyone definitely rose to the occasion. I would say we have never pushed ourselves this hard and I think the music shows that for sure. A lot younger bands think releasing an album is just recording it,

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but I think you guys know better. Can you give us a brief description of what happened between February 2013 (pre-production) and august 2014 (release)? Man, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think there is a shorter way to say it then this: the album was recorded in at least four or five studios, both on the west and east coast of the USA. We used four or so producers and had a lot of input and reflection as I mentioned. We recorded demo after demo and I think we recorded about three albums worth of stuff over that time but the cream needs time to rise to the top, you know. For this new album you had Travis Orbin join you as a drummer. Did this change the writing/recording process?

It makes you feel young and music is a time machine, it feels like itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s from the future as much as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s from the past.

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INTERVIEW // DARKEST HOUR

Is it safe to say that the band’s music style changed with the new album? Why do you think this is? Is it because of the new label? I think there were a lot of elements that changed the sound of this record. You have a new drummer, Travis Orbin, you have a new bass player, Aaron Deal, you have a new label, Sumerian Records. Lastly you have a new vibe in the band. We wanted to break out of our mould, try things, grow, if you will. Now I am not saying the sound is going to stay this way forever. We have changed and developed over the years but one thing is true, we love heavy aggressive metal with a melodic thing and that’s what you get to hear in a new form. Your self-titled album has been released a

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few weeks ago, what were the first reactions? Well it did better on the USA charts than ever before and for the first time we are having some real success on the radio. Sure there are some diehards that just need some time for this album to sit with them. It’s nice to have a new fresh vibe after 20 years. It makes you feel young and music is a time machine, it feels like it’s from the future as much as it’s from the past. Is there something on the record you already second-guess? No, if anything: I have learned to love it even more! The band has been around for ages; almost 20 years! Are you doing something special to celebrate this? Tour

the world? What goals does the band have left? Would another 20 years as a band work? I would love to get everyone together for a big

new music and new memories. We are not much for nostalgia; to me it makes you weak. No time to celebrate the past, it’s time to live in the present you know.

show, a big 20 year celebration but we’ll see if time will yield that present for us. Otherwise our biggest gift is that we get to create

The band has had a lot of member changes in the past. Do you guys have a special ritual/ teambuilding when a new person joins? Honestly, it always just felt right. Over the years as people move in and out of their time in the band you just kind of learn to adjust and everyone has known each other or been friends for a long time and it’s nice to have that vibe. Honestly, things are great internally and that helps turn our sights against the world!

Of course, we like to keep in touch. Some of the older dudes I don’t talk to that often but we always have an idea of where people are and it always feels great to see any of those guys. I mean you definitely don’t lose brotherly vibes for good and worse. Once you join this band you join a pack of crazy brothers and well, there is just no escaping it. New Album : “Self-titled”

Out now!

facebook.com/Darkest HourDudes

Are you still aware about what happens to the past members?

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HEVY Fest UK, 2014 Photographer // Carl Battams

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Writer // By Paul McKee & Ken Yamamoto Photoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s // Alex Tran 20

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izuiki Ishi is the head of the rising poppunk and hardcore label Ice Grill$ Records. For several years now he’s been trying to push Western bands that may not necessarily get their chance through other Japanese labels in Tokyo because there aren’t that many labels that want to put out newer punk and hardcorde records. By doing this, Mizuki is also trying to bring exposure to local Japanese acts and to expand the punk scene within Tokyo and across Japan. We meet him at his small record store called ‘Nerds’ where there are t-shirts and merch from The Story So Far, Fireworks, and A Loss for Words hanging on the walls and displays for several local Tokyo bands near the counter. It’s small, but quaint and intimate and soon we’re all sitting over drinks at a café across the street.

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INTERVIEW // ICE GRILL$

So how and when did Ice Grill$ (IG) first start? The first release was 2010, June. Ice Grill$ started about 6 months before the release. When you started what was the goal of IG? The label that I worked at mainly released a lot of melodic punk bands, also a lot more pop-oriented music. I wanted to do a little bit more of pop punk music that was influenced by hardcore, something that Japan didn’t really have yet. And also at the time they were thinking of not releasing any more foreign bands at the old label. So, I was thinking of quitting anyways and, for me, it was perfect timing to start a new label. So, your last label, the one you worked at before, that was the same label Ellegarden was on, correct?

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No, I didn’t work at that one, I was just managing Ellegarden. Oh okay. So, when IG started it was All Heart that was first released? Yes, All Heart. So you said you wanted to focus on foreign bands and now, with one exception, your roster is all American and European bands. Was that intentional or did you want to have Japanese bands at first? [Laughs] I had no intention of signing a Japanese band when I first started the label. I focused on foreign bands, but, realistically, when it comes to touring, it is always better to have a domestic band of some sort to help the tours. And if I had a couple of bands on the label, it wasn’t necessary, but of course it’s helpful to have one or two bands that work here mainly.

Of course, having a Japanese band on tour is very helpful. So you do a lot of driving and booking and setting up for tours. When it comes to actually going on tour with the (foreign( bands, what are some of the difficulties that you experience? [Laughs] That’s a difficult question. Communication is a problem. Also, equipment. Bands can’t bring all their stuff over. So getting that set-up is kind of an extra kind of trouble. Besides little communication, but for the most part I can’t really think of anything that’s so hard. It’s pretty smooth because I can speak and understand a good amount of English. I guess some cultural differences come into play as well? Yeah.

Going back to Japanese bands, you said it’s helpful to have them. Do you have any actual plans or do you have your eye on any bands, you don’t have to say any names, for bands that you would potentially sign right now or in the near future? No [Laughs] I’ll take it [laughs]. So how long have you been in the Japanese punk scene? About 9 years. Is that just working? Yeah. So, not necessarily just going to shows as a kid? Oh man [laughs]. I started going to shows in high school. So it’s probably going on 15, maybe 20, years. So in your experience, since you work with a lot of Western bands,

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INTERVIEW // ICE GRILL$

how has Western punk influenced Japan? Since Japanese bands don’t necessarily have as big an influence in American punk. What has been your experience in how Western punk has influenced Japanese punk and what is the Japanese punk “identity” I guess you can say? That’s difficult [laughs]! That’s pretty difficult! Of course Western bands need to have some sort of name until they come to Japan. Japanese people don’t really know the local scene in Western culture. Our local scene is something that’s already either signed or like a pretty big name. You have to have some sort of name to get your name heard in Japan. So as an influence, you have the big bands coming over. So, of course, musically, the Japanese bands get influenced by it. And the Japanese scene al-

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ways sees a following. There’s a following that Western bands have. So they get influenced by that, like how the kids should be, how the fans should be, like what they want their live performance to be. Like I said, these bands are a little big and they have good following so Japanese fans see the Western fans too.

There aren’t that many bands that are ‘just playing’. So what’s the current direction of IG? Of course Basement is coming to Japan and later on A Loss for Words. You’re releasing Four Year Strong’s album and Basement’s album as well. But what do you have

As a Japanese identity thing, the big cultural difference in Japan and Western culture in music is that I believe a lot of bands here are very strict about music. So they go into the studio maybe like twice a week and they keep that up. So in the end, on a local level, Japanese bands maybe a little bit tighter. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, the expression might not be as free as America sometimes, but they’re just tighter. Bands are taken very seriously.

“...where I can put a spotlight on every single release I have whether it be a big band or small band.“

planned for the future? As far as the speed of the label signing bands, it’s going be the same as usual. Signing Four Year Strong was very big for me because the American scene is getting bigger, but it’s hard to say the Japanese scene is growing at the same pace. If anything, it’s getting a little smaller. By signing FYS, I already see the difference in the way the music business in the punk scene see me and IG. So the value of IG went up just by signing them. So I want to use that as a bridge to keep on doing bigger things: signing bigger bands, playing bigger events. So more than IG’s name being bigger in the States, I want to create a bigger scene in Japan. Okay, a bigger presence in America and Japan altogether. Let’s see, last question. Regarding Nerds, how

do you plan for Nerds to help IG and the Japanese punk scene? Is it just going to be a record store that’s there or do you hope to use that as an influence for the local scene and make not only Western punk bigger, but Japanese punk as well? We have huge record stores here like Tower Records. But the problem with Tower Records is, for IG, we have Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! which is a bigger name and we have, obviously, Four Year Strong. Tower will take them and they’ll really advertise them a lot there and promote those bands. But for the smaller bands, it’s either they reject them or they put them in a really small section so nobody really sees them and they kind of get forgotten. So I want Nerds to be a record store where I can put a spotlight on every single release I

have whether it be a big band or small band. Also Nerds is a record store that has half pop punk and half hardcore. This kind of goes back to the first question, but I believe that’s a really good way through the tours that I put on. I book bands that are also hardcore a lot. I want hardcore and pop punk put together and create the scene through that and have them connected. I want to make the scene bigger by adding other genres and getting rid of borders. Also, I want to book instore shows. You have to be a big, big band to do in-store shows in those other record stores. So it’s an opportunity for bands, any band, also for Japanese bands. I want to make the scene bigger by focusing on the local scene. facebook.com/icegrillsjp

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Vlamrock 2014, Belgium Photographer // Giulia sebastiani

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Writer // Emily Simons 28

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n the underground music scene in the U.S. , Beartooth, and of course Attack Attack, are well-known. But in Europe, Beartooth is pretty new to the scene! Word is, Beartooth had already started to form when you were in Attack Attack;

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INTERVIEW // BEARTOOTH

Can you tell us a bit more about that backstory? Well at the end of Attack Attack is when I started writing all of the Beartooth songs, and it just kind of happened! I had the songs written, and I didn’t really plan on touring much, and I just wanted to play some local shows. It would just be a studio project or whatever. So I just asked some of my good friends, some who toured with Attack Attack previously as crew members, and was like ‘Hey, would you guys be down to play shows with this music and whatever’ Everybody said ‘yeah’ and it all just kind of spiraled out of control to what it is now! Not long after it all came to fruition, you signed with Red Bull Records. Was this your “Point of No Return” when you decided

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to go “full-force” with Beartooth? Yeah! A friend of mine, who is one of my managers now, expressed interest in doing work with me for quite a long time. I just kind of thought, ‘Screw it! Why not, see how it goes!’ Then Dave Shapiro, my booking agent, got involved. I’ve worked with him for all of the time I’ve been in the music industry. He’s an incredible dude and a really good agent. He got involved and then the whole typical label thing started. Red Bull just clearly to me seemed like the best place to go! I couldn’t be happier with them. Definitely then is where it was like, ‘ “Yeah. This is kinda ‘go-full-force,’ I guess we’re doing it all again!”’ Did you ever worry if your fans of Attack Attack would get angry or just lose interest or not support you? With all due to them,

and this isn’t to be disrespectful, but I just didn’t really care because I was kind of doing it for myself. I mean that’s the whole point of the music. Where it started was just me to kind of have my own personal outlet. So to me, where it goes or who cares…who likes it or doesn’t like it, I don’t really care. I just want to have a good time and play shows and enjoy it, you know?! Hell yeah! And your first full-length release “Disgusting” was a huge hit following your success with your EP “Sick.” How was the writing and recording experience for you this time around? You had a lot of involvement with producing Attack Attack’s music; Did you find it a lot different this time? Yeah, the difference I’d say is that its just me working on it and there’s no preconceived,

“I just want to have a good time and play shows and enjoy it,...”

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INTERVIEW // BEARTOOTH

“this is what the music needs to sound like,” or “this is what this song needs to sound like,” or “I can’t sing during this part because that’s not what this band would do.” I mean there’s no limit to whatBeartooth is. Literally it is just me writing songs in my basement…So I have a lot of freedom! It’s really cool to be able to just do whatever I want. It’s definitely a lot different, and it’s a lot more fun for me. I love it! Your album is definitely an emotionally driven piece. Do you want to dive into any of your inspiration for that? I mean the inspiration for it, a lot of it was… all really just emotional. Its whatever really I’m feeling in that moment.

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When I’m in my basement writing songs, there is not really much of a limitation on what I can write about. And I try not to put a limit on it because

it’s just my therapeutic session to get my emotion out. That’s pretty much the inspiration for it; And obviously, I just want the music to match what I’m talking about and it’s usually very aggressive and intense. So, it all just flows out and turns into what it is now. Spoken like a true artist! You just got to let it happen!

in a sense, the whole point is we need to be honest with ourselves about whatever we’re writing about. There’s not really a limit to what I’m writing and

Because of your success, you got onto Warped Tour once again! How did that experience feel? I mean obviously you’ve been there in the past, but with your new band, that has to feel awesome! Yeah, for sure! That was my favourite Warped Tour I’ve ever done! I don’t know if

I’ve ever had more fun playing shows than I have on this year’s Warped Tour that we just got on. I mean, just everything! All the stage crew was always super nice and super helpful, all the other bands were really cool and there were a lot of fun bands to watch. It was just a really great experience. I had a great time! Do you have any crazy stories that happened, or perhaps more memorable experiences that stick out for you? I mean…We played the main stage for four days in a row randomly! I don’t know what was behind that! We just woke up and looked at the schedule and we were on the Main. So that was pretty neat, that was ridiculously crazy! But, I think for me, in general what was so crazy was the fact that the record came out three days before Warped Tour

started; The fact that it just got such good reception and support from everybody that came and watched the show was very apparent. It was really uplifting and encouraging in general, so that was just great! So now you guys have two super rad tours coming up. First off, you are doing a small European tour with a few shows in the UK and an exclusive free show in Benelux—which that venue I hear caps at 200 fans! How stoked are you guys about the tour? After being on Warped Tour, How do you feel about playing to more intimate crowds? Oh yeah absolutely, I can’t wait!....I mean since we’ve been supporting other bands its usually been in a lot bigger venues with barricades; Warped Tour, bigger venues and barricades. It’s just going to be nice to play

intimate shows again because those are definitely my favourite kind of shows! Then Beartooth is going on tour once more, supporting Pierce the Veil & Sleeping With Sirens, that’s a big deal! Yeah! That is going to be a completely different kind of experience but I think it will be equally as cool! It’s going to be nice to play to a completely different crowd. Its going to be a wild experience... It’s going to be really big crowds! Hopefully people will enjoy it! New Album : “Disgusting”

Out now!

facebook.com/BEARTOOTH band

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HEVY Fest 2014, UK Photographer // Charlotte Davidson

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agwagon has been a cornerstone of the Fat Wreck Chords label for over 20 years. Unfortunately their releasing schedule only holds seven studio albums over the span of their career so far, next to numerous compilation and live albums. But 2014 will give birth to studio album number eight. The new album has been revealed and will be titled “Hang”, it’ll be released at the end of October. Time for RMP Magazine to get some more inside knowledge from mr. Joey Cape himself during their recent visit to Pukkelpop. The wagon is back on track!

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Writer // David Marote

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INTERVIEW // LAGWAGON

Welcome back to Belgium. It’s been a while now. Thank you. I’ve been here with The Gimme Gimmes in February, but Lagwagon was 2012 I guess. That was the show in Bruges? Yeah, it’s so lovely there, it’s an amazing town. The band has a new release coming out October 28th on Fat Wreck Chords titled “Hang”. What can we expect from the new album? Well, it sounds like a Lagwagon album but maybe it is a little bit more focused on more guitar riffy stuff we used to do in the older days. And there’s a lot less pop on the record, it’s really aggressive and there are the lyrics I wrote over

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about two years’ time, which sort of make it’s a conceptual record. In loose terms, it’s kind of social commentary on now, what I see. And I’m really happy with it, I mean the most happy I’ve ever been time with any record I ever made. The whole bands is proud of the record and excited to play this record. This thing when you make a good record and you know it, you feel like you can’t wait to play those new songs. Which we’re not doing as we’re waiting to play the songs until the album comes out. It’s almost painful on this tour because maybe at a soundcheck we’re playing one of the new songs but we can’t play them in the set. The release of “Hang” was much anticipated since the last real

Lagwagon album was “Resolve” in 2005. Nine years we had to waitfor a new Lagwagon release, what made it such a long process to release? We put out an EP in 2008 but it’s doesn’t count, it’s not the same as a full-length record. It’s going to be the first in 9 years or something. I always say the same thing: we’re a band that doesn’t want to rush things. If we don’t feel proud or really good about it then we just don’t make a record. It’s been probably unwise to act this way for our career but I think it’s more important that you look back someday and say that we were very proud of everything we made and did and made ourselves happy. I wrote a number of other records

“If we don’t feel proud or really good about it then we just don’t make a record.“ for different projects that I have but I didn’t have that Lagwagon album in me for a long time. I didn’t want to change the band too much, I know what my band likes to play. It just took a long time and about two year ago ‘the light over the head’-thing happened. So I went to the guys with those ideas and material and I wanted to do something darker than I’ve done before. It was kind of funny since everybody was liking the riffs and the

music but everybody was already kind of concerned about the concept. Especially the title and the news on the cover and all these things but now that it’s done everybody in the band is really, really happy. Sometimes it takes a long time. I do think many bands try to keep up this one to two year schedule of releases and I think this is why a lot of time there’s like one or two good songs on the record and the rest sounds like something

of the other stuff you heard better before. I like everything on the record and there are many things on this record we haven’t done before. For the new album you’ve recently recorded in the Blasting Room Studios with the legendary Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore. How has this been and any funny stories that happened during the recordings? We did drums there and the final mix,

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INTERVIEW // LAGWAGON

we mastered it there. But all the guitar, bass and vocal parts were done at a studio called Orange Whip studios which I worked in for like twenty years. We just did most of the music there because two of the guys live like in the town close to the studios. The two guys that work there are really old friends whom I played in another band called Bad Astronaut with.

We recorded the whole record live at our drummer’s house and we took the live recording and tempo, mapped it so that we could record to a grid in Protools. But almost within every bar there were tempo changes, we kept the feel of the band and then we went out and kind of replaced. I’ve done this once before with Bad Astronaut and it works really well.

We mixed it up a little bit but I really like how we did it, the Blasting Room was amazing and it would have sounded probably as good but there’s something good in stuff in different places where you know what you will get. Bill and Jason are great, I didn’t get to see them on these recordings since our drummer went out there. We did something that we never done before.

Because when your band is playing a song there’s a lot of give and take and it’s real easy to get into the studio and sort of that sterilize all of that vibe. So no one needed to go but the drummer because he was basically playing with the band. It’s cool, you just replace everything with better sounds and then it sounds the way your band would play it live.

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Lagwagon started in 1990, so next year you’ll be a band for 25 years. Anything special planned to celebrate this event? ‘88-‘89 actually, I think ‘89 really, I mean like right at the end of ‘88, beginning ‘89. I think they always put that ‘90 on us, something with the label. It’s pure lazy that we don’t go change that. We didn’t do a twentieth anniversary either. It’s funny, the subject comes up and everybody kind of goes because it’s like, every band does that and it seems almost like kind of using that as a premise to draw people to something that’s going to be the same thing. But I feel it’s nice that we made a record that we all feel is the best record we ever made right at our 25th year. That’s nice that old guys can still do it.

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INTERVIEW // LAGWAGON

Lagwagon also recorded a track for the Tony Sly Tribute album, you chose “Discomfort Inn”, why that song in particular? Yes, I did a lot of touring with Tony over the last few years of his life and that was a song on his last records that just... I remember when he was recording that

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album, which was just down the street, like five minutes from my house. So I went over there like every couple of days and hang out. I even sang on one of those songs of the record. But that one was the one that just killed me when I heard it. I thought the lyrics were so good, I don’t mind a repetitive melody if it’s that catchy. It’s just really a lyric song. It sounded like a song that would translate well to Lagwagon as a punk rock song, our kind of punk rock as you can call it punk rock, I don’t really call

us a punk rock band. It just made sense to me, there are a lot of songs we could have done since he’s an amazing songwriter. I’m a huge fan of his and everyone in the band is. It was a tough call but it just made sense. I like the idea of in an acoustic setting doing one of the band’s songs and as a band doing one of his solo songs. Then you’re doing something different. I think often when bands cover a song and they do the same arrangements and basically the same instrumentation it’s kind of silly. You already have a better version of this song by the people who originally did it. I like the idea that we did an acoustic one. Last year the Facebook page of Lagwagon mentioned something about recording for a

live DVD and even a Lagwagon documentary, what’s the status on that project? Not that well, we’re going to do it but it’s going to come out maybe... I don’t even know now. Originally the plan was to this DVD and depending how long it was we were going to give it as a bonus feature with the pre-order of the new album. It’s nice to have something special. If we felt it was strong enough, we’ve been filming it for three years. But we decided to just make a more modern depiction of what is happening in the band rather do than what most bands

our age do. Just get a bunch of stock footage from the old days. We tell a lot of stories and we talk a lot about our history but we didn’t use a lot of old footage.

We had a guy travel with us for three years. I think most nights he was too drunk to film. So it’s a lot of bad footage of us getting drunk. If anything it might be funny. I haven’t seen it but I just

heard the other day that it won’t be done in time. So now there’s talk of the possibility of a partial piece of it being included with the pre-order or maybe work on it another year and actually try to make a full-length feature. It kind of scares me, there’s so many of these things out there. I love doc’s, rockdoc’s. But we don’t have 200 people working on it like the Foo Fighters would. I don’t know what we have but the guys making it seem to be really happy with it. I’m certain I’ll see it and I’ll go, that I say that, I’m such an asshole.

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INTERVIEW // LAGWAGON

That will be the only reaction I’ll have, that I’m such an asshole. [laughs] Joey, you recently started your own digital label, One Week Records, please tell us

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something more about that? I love producing but there’s this kind of era that we’re in now. A lot of like indie labels don’t really have a whole lot of money to throw at records. I occasionally produce records for a band but I always

find that their clock is ticking so fast on these things. You’re dealing with drums and whole bands and everything, I’ve just done a bunch of acoustic things in my home studio; and I kind of realised that what I preferred were these really small tight

schedules where we have to do almost everything live and you have to find people who can actually play. I think it’s also gotten a little out of control with production. You know I can take a pretty bad band and make them sound good with the

tools that I have. So there’s something special about when you get a really nice sound or take of a song. It reminds me of the many, many times in my life I received a demo from a friend, like ‘check out these new songs I wrote. I think it’s great.’

Then you get used to hearing that stripped down version and then the band will go into the studio and make this big produced record and it kind of loses some of its heart. There are not a lot of these in the world.

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INTERVIEW // LAGWAGON

There’s like the BBC sessions. But they’re generally really short. There’s something like Daytrotter in America where all these bands on tour will stop, Lagwagon did one. This was an idea I had that I think in seven days I can make a record with a single artist or a few people. The last band I did was like an Americana band and they have a cello player and a guy in the band who plays banjo. We basically did it live and we did a few overdubs here and there. It’s just fun. It’s really creative, we do a lot of pre-production and talk about the songs a long time beforehand. But the most important reason why I did it, was really selfish. I have this polarized life. I spend most of my life on tour and when I’m home I’m with my family, my wife

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and my daughter. It’s weird, and this became a nice excuse to have someone come to my

really excited. It’s really fantastic that way, I get to produce and be creative.

house for a week. And they have breakfast with us and coffee in the morning. We cooked for them and my daughter gets

I prefer the studio to almost every part I do. Lagwagon even has his own international Lagwagon day on May

16th, a date that is based on one of your songs. How does it feel as a band to have your own holiday? It’s cool for sure. That was the day I launched One Week Records, because you’re trending that day or something. So it thought I launch the label then. But that’s stupid like, it makes me laugh a little, we have a song and it happens to be a date. It probably is our most popular song. It was on the Tony Hawk skateboarding game on Playstation. Bands like us don’t really make videos or do radio promotion normally, that was kind of like our hit song from this video game. It’s sort of bad but I’m okay with it. Joey, what is the future for The Scorpios? Maybe someday, John Snodgrass talks about it a bit and I think for a

long time what we discussed was just finding other Scorpios. But it still feels kind of too soon for me with the loss of Tony. I’ve been so busy with other things that it’s just way on the back burn. Someday, it’s a funny concept and it’s a good excuse to get together and tour with people. But it’s especially nice because it narrows the amount of people you can do it with. We have to tour in October and November, that’s the other thing, because we did a few of them and they are always when it was our birthdays.

listened to them and it was really like not for me. I would love to see The Editors but they’re playing the exact same time as us. I think it was the band American Authors that was playing earlier today that I really like but I didn’t get the chance to get to the stage. They had a very Arcade Fire thing going on. Next Album : “Hang”

October 28th

facebook.com/lagwagon

While you’re here at the Pukkelpop festival, are there any bands you want to see or recommend today? I’m going to watch Frank Turner, I love the guy and the band. I was told to go see Die Antwoord, but I just

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BEST THREE PARTY’S

Three of the biggest parties taking place over the next couple of months. Do all those concerts and festivals make you feel dizzy? Don’t you really know where to start or do you just want to try something new? No worries, we’ve put out some of the top upcoming events that you sure as hell don’t want to miss.

GET YOUR TICKETS!

Photographer // Carl Battams

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BEST THREE PARTY’S

BEARTOOTH EUROPEAN TOUR 2014

// Europe, starting 9th of September ‘till 20th of September.

The summer is coming to an end and all the epic festivals are going into hibernation. This could only mean one thing: touring time! Beartooth is one of those bands who will be amusing us now fall is creeping in. Together with Climates and Dead Harts they are coming on a headliner tour in Europe for the first time. The first band Climates aren’t traveling that far. With their hometown of Lincoln in the UK they are no strangers to the European crowd, but we cannot blame you if you haven’t heard of this ‘new’ hardcore band before. We believe that this tour will surely help them to get placed on that map. You could almost say that Dead Harts are faraway neighbours from the opening band. The Sheffield boys are known for their overheated and energetic live shows that will get you pumped in no time. Their hardcore sound, with an obvious experimental touch, fits the global picture of this tour perfectly. The rising popularity of Beartooth has a lot to do with the lead singer being no one else then Caleb Shomo (former Attack Attack!). You could consider this band Shomo’s playground. Writing the whole album “Disgusting” by himself, it seems clear that there is a part of his very own soul inside those melodies. What you get is a mix of energetic hardcore, with some punk rock elements topped with the occasional clean vocals. Seems like a deadly cocktail if you’d ask us.

By Jesse Mouart

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BEST THREE PARTY’S

AFTER THE BURIAL EUROPEAN TOUR 2014 //Europe, starting 17th of October ‘till 8th of November.

If you are more into the progressive and experimental stuff, you probably bumped into After The Burial before. If you really like that kind of stuff we have some good news for you. Their European tour companions are coming from that same progressive alleyway. Together with Tides From Nebula, Dead Letter Circus and Monuments, they will show you a different kind of music. Tides From Nebula is a Polish post-rock band, that very well mixes electronic elements in their music. They choose to keep the band instrumental, but the lack of a lead singer doesn’t bother at all. They tend to keep things interesting and really know how to make you doze off with their intelligent music. We believe that this more or less easy band is a perfect opener for this touring company. The build-up to the headlining act goes slow but grows. The Australian Dead Letter Circus will bring a more energetic kind of alternative rock while also combining the electronic elements, just as their predecessor. This time however with a very characteristic voice that because it’s so specific and fragile turns this act in a real “make or break” kind of situation. When you really came for the harder work, you will probably start off with Monuments. Their progressive metal sound is not for the faint of heart. Their even djent-kind of riffs will only end you up getting a seizure or something like that. For the ones that do like this (and we really can’t think why you would not) be ready for some serious beatdown action that will mess with the average ninja’s head. The cherry on the pie for the evening is the progressive metal band After The Burial. If you like the djent sound, you are on the right address. In a nick of time you will be all over the place, grooving together with them. The music of this evening will take you on your very own acid trip and you will leave this venue remembering this abstract art.

By Jesse Mouart

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BEST THREE PARTY’S

SUICIDE SILENCE EUROPEAN TOUR 2014 //Europe, starting 14th of November ‘till 11th of December.

With the death of Mitch Lucker we all feared that this would mean the end of the deathcore formation Suicide Silence. We were also very thankful with the introduction of Eddie Hermida. This means that the extreme metal acts together with Suicide Silence are here to stay. Talking about extreme metal acts, what do you think about Thy Art Is Murder and Fit For An Autopsy supporting this brutal band? Well, we sure think it is a treat! The first act of the evening is the deathcore band Fit For An Autopsy. Coming from New Jersey, you could get some prejudices about the Jersey Shore, fist pumping and all that. Well, these guys might be like the new kids on the block, but as their name kind of gives it away, they will probably be more likely to fist pump your face. Thy Art Is Murder is a real force to be reckoned with. The Aussies might have come a long way but they are no strangers to the deathcore scene. They’ve visited festivals throughout the whole summer, so if you are into the heavy works, you must have seen them before. Get ready to re-enter the pit and experience total destruction at its finest. If a band loses its front man it is normal that the new guy gets rated a lot. You will get the haters and the lovers, but we think that Eddie Hermida is one of the best choices to complete the Suicide Silence family once again. There new album “You Can’t Stop Me” really hits it like a bombshell and proves that the new Suicide Silence still is the leader of the deathcore genre. But will they kill it live as hard as before? We can assure you that they can!

By Jesse Mouart

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BLOG // FOOD

There is no love sincerer than THE LOVE OF FOOD.

Writer // ........... Photo’s // Jarrod Makaua

TRUFFLE AND WORCESTERSHIRE SPICED BEEF CHECK AND MUSTARD SLIDER //Ingredients • 200G BEEF CHEEK • 1 ONION • 1 CARROT • 1 STICK OF CELERY • 10 G OF GREEN PEPPERCORNS • 1 BAY LEAF • 6 SPRIGS OF THYME • 1 SPRIG OF ROSEMARY • 4 GARLIC CLOVES • 1 L WORCESTERSHIRE AND 1 L BEEF STOCK • 3 T CUMIN

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• 3 T PAPRIKA • 3 RED CHILIES • 20ML OF TRUFFLE OIL OR SHAVED TRUFFLE • 2 SLIDER BUNS • ANY CHEESE (YOUR CHOICE) • MUSTARD (OPTIONAL) • 4 CORNICHONS • FLAT LEAF PARSLEY • 200ML OF GOON

//Method 1. Seal or brown beef cheeks with spices, herbs, vegetables and peppercorns. Then deglaze with a red wine. 2. Add liquid and 2 chilies. 3. Cover and transfer into oven at 160 degrees for 3 to 4 hours. 4. After cooking, they will fall apart. Place the meat in a pan, and add a little stock and more Worcestershire. Add 1 chili. Reduce until sticky, then add fresh chopped parsley and season to taste. 5. Meanwhile lightly toast slider buns

//Assemble Place meat onto buns, add the cheese of your choice and burn with an oxy torch or simply melt over beef, add a smear of mustard and chopped cornichons, and drizzle with truffle oil or shaved fresh truffle.

Recipe from chef Jason Anderson Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the head chef at BREW instagram.com/chefando

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READING FESTIVAL 2014 Photo special Photographers // Jenny McCord & Charlotte Davidson

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PHOTO SPECIAL // READING 2014

CHARLOTTE DAVIDSON 1. Letlive 2. Mongole Horde

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PHOTO SPECIAL // READING 2014

CHARLOTTE DAVIDSON 3. The Wonder Years 4. Baby Godzilla

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PHOTO SPECIAL // READING 2014

Jenny McCord 1. Architects 2. Of Mice And Men 3. We Are Scientists

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PHOTO SPECIAL // READING 2014

Jenny McCord 4. We Came As Romans 5. Letlive 6. The Wonder Years

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MIXTAPE

“Play it fuckin’ loud!” Mixtape from

Kennedy Brock From The Maine

1. Wilco - Spiders (Kidsmoke) It’s beginning to be recording time, and there is much to be learned from this band and their interesting sounds 2. Alt J- Left Hand Free I Loved the first record, and I love when bands don’t repeat themselves 3. The Rolling Stones - Midnight Rambler I was on a plane flight the other day and had an hour long convo about the stones, with a guy who just couldn’t believe I listen to them. Of course I do! 4. Radiohead - Stop Whispering Because Radiohead. 5. Cake - Shadow Stabbing The man on the street might just as well be... me. 6. Ryan Adams - Give Me Something Good This song is the first released song off of his new, soon to come out, album. 7. T. Rex- The Slider I love the lazy blues sound. 8. Snow Patrol - You Could Be Happy Such a simple song, as far as actual instruments are concerned, but still so moving. 9. Electric Light Orchestra - Moment In Paradise The piano melody that carries the song has such an eerie part that makes you feel that thing inside, that all great songs inexplicably do. 10. Joan As Police Woman - Flash Sometimes your friends show you new music. John showed me this song on our last tour and I fell in love with it.

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CLOTHING BLOG VERTIKAL APPAREL

WHO? We are Josh and Sam, the two founders of Verikal Apparel from Guildford. We’ve also had support and help from our friends Adam and Holly who have done shoots with us.

WHAT? We want to express our interests and creativity by building a unique brand that stands out. We aren’t just out to make a profit or to become the next big brand, as much of a bonus as that would be, but we want to do something we really enjoy doing and sharing that with others.

WHY? We’ve both wanted to start our own clothing line for a while, so we just decided to go for it. You can’t get anything done if you don’t bother trying so we threw ourselves straight to the wolves. It all started really quickly and on a very tight budget but we thought it was now or never, based on the spare time we have.

WHERE? You can find us at: vertikalapparel.bigcartel.com @ApparelVertikal Facebook.com/Vertikalapparel

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ALBUM REVIEWS

Empire! Empire! You Will Eventually Be Forgotten

Ill Nino Till Death, La Familia

The Copyrights No Knocks

Empire! Empire! brings back the old days of emo. It reminds me of any Shakespearian tale that takes place in the ‘ye olde days’. This album however sounds refreshing and not covered with layers upon layers of dust. Almost directly I feel the desire to compare the band with bands like The Get Up Kids and American Football. They have the same build-up in the songs, strong lyrics and a soothing atmosphere .

2001 saw the release of Ill Nino’s debut “Revolution Revolución”, a record that was intelligent, aggressive and a unique slam of Latin-infused Nu-metal, now we fast-forward to 2014 to the group’s latest record “Till Death, La Familia”. This album sits uncomfortably between uninspired drivel and an embarrassing clichéd mess resembling something coughed up by the family cat. The lyrics are excruciatingly bad unless you’re a ten-year-old and think swearing is cool. The music itself retains the Latin rhythms the group is known for but this is probably the only thing that could pass as ‘mildly interesting’. Trying to find any standout track here would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, if the needle was from an aids clinic and the hay was horse shit. In short, “Till Death, La Familia” is almost de-voided of any redeeming qualities and leaves you wishing that they hadn’t bothered in the first place, it’s a shame for a band that could be so much more.

The Copyrights just keep releasing material at a blazing pace. This time they teamed up with Fat Wreck Chords for a three song EP titled “No Knocks”. Fast pop-punk brought to you directly from the American Midwest, three scorching tracks that will leave you hanging for more of that goodness.

The record doesn’t really surprise me, but compiles a lot of really strong songs into a strong ensemble making it a pretty decent album. Empire! Empire! is a band worth checking out if you’re into the genre and want to make a dive back into the old days of emo.

By Arne Vangheluwe

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By David Gilmore

And guess what: if these three tracks about first world problems don’t satisfy you, you have to know that they’re releasing a new full album right about now on Red Scare. So no worries, you’re daily sip of awesome pop-punk is guaranteed to be extended after devouring “No Knocks”. But first start off your pop-punk adventure by turning this slap of wax into grey putty.

By David Marote

ALBUM REVIEWS

Stoneburner Life Drawing

Hawser Young And Restless

The slow rumbles of a beast fill the room with a gloomy echo. You’re sitting in a dark candlelit room waiting for the symbols to simmer down and the crack of a snare drum to fill the void. The Oregon–based sludge metal band Stoneburner will bring to life the aforementioned fictional description. Drummer Jesse McKinnon draws out his repertoire with sustainable drumming as Damon Kelly proves his worth with perfectly pitched demonic growls.

Hawser’s “Young and Restless” presents itself as an in-your-faceand-genitals album. Straightforward hardcore that makes you want to throw random objects through the room. Gritty vocals, raw guitars and a pounding bass make every song sound like an storm of energy running through your stereo. “Closet Full Of Skeletons” makes the biggest impression on me.

“Drift” and “Giver of birth” give the album peace of mind and tranquillity with chilled out classical guitar pieces. “Done” embraces an eerie take on life as it swiftly drags you down a smoky hole in the ground. The contrast of sound speaks true to the ever-changing landscape of metal. A bit too much on the sludgy side, but nonetheless a fine effort of musicianship.

By Cameron Smith

Starting off with some deep bass and raw lyrics it quickly turns into a song with swirling guitars, a second of silence before it explodes in your face. Guideline in this chaos is the raw voice of vocalist Stijn van ‘t Land who keeps a decent level throughout the album. “Young And Restless” is the kind of release you put on after a gruesome day at work where you had to team up with the worst colleagues you could possibly imagine and where murphy’s law is always just around the corner.

By Arne Vangheluwe

Dikembe Mediumship For their new album, Dikembe did what they were already doing quite well: making music. “Mediumship” is the expected sequel in their discography. The soft indie-rock/ emo-punk kind of album is a very nice addition if you’re a fan of that specific style of music. The songs are ‘soft and slow’ but can really explode from time to time which makes it enjoyable to listen to, it provides some variation. Although this might have seemed negative, music-wise it’s great from the beginning until the very end. It’s really noticeable how the guys from Florida have improved over the years! It’s doesn’t matter if you’re a fan of Dikembe or not, “Mediumship” is an album worth checking out.

By Roel Vanobbergen

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ALBUM REVIEWS

Venterrer Distorture

Homebound Coming Of Age

American Hi-Fi Blood And Lemonade

The London based outfit Venterrer consists of four dark souls who gather to produce a sonic trip to hell and back with their latest release “Distorture”. Their sound bounces between the more chaotic and metal-based influences such as Nine Inch Nails on one hand and on the other hand the pulsating electronic beats of Gary Numan or even the digital punk of Atari Teenage Riot.

Homebound is an upcoming UK pop-punk band. “Coming Of Age” is their first EP and is the total of a year’s work. The main theme is mostly about, and I quote, ‘that time in life when you start having to make decisions regarding your ‘future’’. Technically you feel that the band spent a lot of time in finetuning the songs. Inspired by bands like The Story So Far and The Wonder Years, they really preform to those standards.

American Hi-Fi launched themselves into the limelight back in 2001 with the hit single from their self-titled debut album “Favour Of The Weak”. For many music fans this is likely all they know about this band. However, five albums in and after a four-year break American Hi-Fi have returned with the brilliant “Blood And Lemonade”. They have released a great pop-punk album that is able to stand up with the big boys of the genre. The album opener, “Armageddon Days”, is an energetic and surprisingly dark lesson in what modern pop-punk should sound like. The album’s first single, “Allison”, sounds very much like the Foo Fighters in the best way possible and lastly “No Ordinary Life” is a great finale that shows how the group has matured. There aren’t any weak points to speak of on American Hi-Fi’s “Blood And Lemonade”. Anyone with even a passing knowledge of the group should check it out!

All these have been synthesized into “Distorture”, industrial fused with rock and a haunting voice to set the grim tone. The album breaks from heavy riffs to soothingly calm parts and repetitive drums drag us back into the madness. Venterrer holds a certain dark atmosphere that I have grown into lately.

By David Marote

RMP Magazine #16

Vocalist Charlie really gives it all throughout the entire EP, but really stands out in title track “Coming Of Age”. The flagship of this EP is one of those reasons why you always keep an eye out for those new bands with refreshing chorus, a touch of really fine guitar play and lyrics which most 18-years olds can identify with. Homebound still has a long way ahead of them but this “Coming Of Age” gives them a head start to tackle the remainder of their lives.

By Arne Vangheluwe

By David Gilmore

ALBUM REVIEWS

Me Vs Hero I’m Completely Fine

Did you have a bad day and feel the need to just let it all go? Well, it might be a good idea to put Me Vs Hero’s new album “I’m Completely Fine” on. Not that it would make you feel relaxed or poised, no, it’s more about letting your frustrations go, jumping up and down, smashing things (preferably some pillows) and screaming along to heavy, empowering choruses because just like on their first album, Me Vs Hero produces a sound that’s a mixture of pop-punk and heavy metal. The album is technically good, maybe even a little better than the first album and probably everything fans of this genre could have hoped for. However, you could say that sometimes the songs sound a bit too messy and a little more diversity could probably make Me Vs Hero’s music even better. But they’re already on their way. Especially interludes like “I’m Completely Fine” and “Truth” and songs like “Virtues” and “Things We Know” show potential growth for the future. All in all, I think this is one of those albums everyone needs every once in a while.

By Renske Gommers

Rude Awakenings No Hope No Morality

Rude Awakenings lives up to their name. This isn’t pussy Sunday morning music but straight to the bone hardcore that lifts you out of your bed right into a raging mosh pit. From track one until track ten they deliver some of the finest HC-tracks. Everything you’d expect from a band who calls themselves an ‘honest and true’ hardcore band. Giving it all, they performed as the supporting act for HC-legends like Madball several times in the past year. It isn’t hard to find the same passion and resemblances between the two bands. Fast, hard instrumentals guided by society-critical lyrics with the necessary ‘F*** you’ every now and then. For everybody who’s into the old-school hardcore: “Collateral Damage” is a must-have in your record collection.

By Stefan van Den Broek

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ALBUM REVIEWS

Martyr Defiled No Hope No Morality

Vanna Void

Vanna is the one band from my childhood years that pulled me into the harder genres of metal music, a band with melodic swings and breakdowns, something that my eardrums hadn’t heard before and I loved every inch of it until they seemed to collapse as a band. Now, years later, they released an album, which tended to be heavy and overwhelming, and something you won’t expect from Vanna. Are those words real promises or just some loose words? Well, it’s time to find out! The best thing about “Void” is definitely their vocalist, Muise. His vocals are one of a kind! The instrumentals are set for more rage than previous albums. So let’s be fair: they were right with that statement. The riffs are more metal-focused, and the drums make the rage complete. Still, the album also has a big con and that’s the use of clean vocals. A band like Vanna just has a vocalist who is powerful enough to finish of that area by himself. You will also see that these chaps have some good kind of humour when you read some of the lyrics and track names, examples are: “Pornocapia” and “All American’t”. So, did they keep their promises? I can say they did and you can assure yourselves that Vanna is back, hopefully for many years to come!

By Stefan van Den Broek

RMP Magazine #16

UK, the country of the Big Ben, fish & chips, Queen Elizabeth and of course, Martyr Defiled! This fairly unknown deathcore offset has been called one of the most brutal acts in their genre and they released their sophomore record “No Hope. No Morality” four months ago.Will they remain the most brutal of them all, or will this release give them their ticket to ‘hey, another deathcore band’ heaven? Let’s start off with the fact that this album really damages your ear drums because of the tremendous amount of wellplaced breakdowns! Also the vocals seem to take some hints from other bands, but still, the way Martyr Defiled brings their mixture in the songs, is amazing, I mean, have you ever heard 3-4 different heights of growls coming from the same vocalist, in just one single song? The couple “No Hope” and “No Morality” achieved to raise the bar of the deathcore genre in my honest opinion, the roughness of the guitars, the breakdowns which spawn from the left to the right are simply amazing.Thank you Martyr Defiled, for letting me believe in the ‘deathcore’ genre again, you guys really earn the name of the most brutal band from the UK.

By Stefan van Den Broek

ALBUM REVIEWS

Alestorm Sunset on the Golden Age

“Yar har, fiddle lee dee, being a pirate is alright with me, do what you want ‘cause a pirate is free, you are a pirate!” The jolly sounds of the Scottish joy called Alestorm with the raw metal riffs and a gnarly voice, mixed with the happy pirate lyrics made them for me one of the best live performances this year! Now, one month later, they surprised me with a new record called “Sunset on The Golden Age”. But can this effort keep up with their good ol’ classics like “You Are A Pirate” and “Keelhauled”? And yes, they actually succeeded again to make some awesome sing-alongs. The harsh voice of Christopher Bowes is still the same as we’re used to, only the tales on the record changed. The big con about all this is that it’s getting a tad of repetitive after seven albums, and they need to give us something fresh and new that shows that even a band with that many albums can do something new now and then.Well, they actually did that by covering Taio Cruz, and yes I’m not kidding about this, they actually covered a pop song. They really made the mediocre song called “Hangover” something heavy and worth listening to! Also “1741”, which is like 7 minutes long, caught my attention, with some video game-ish sounds on the intro, lovely if you ask me! So, it can be a repetitive ride for long-time listeners, but the sing-along factor, the cover and the theme of the music all let you forget that in a second. All with all, a solid record from our favourite pirates! By Stefan van Den Broek

Boris the Blade The Human Hive

Boris the Blade is a deathcore band hailing from Melbourne, Australia, and released their album “The Human Hive” three months ago through Siege of Armada Records. Is this something else than the stuff we’re used to get from deathcore bands, and will their Australian roots contribute anything? First off, don’t let the genre fool you, because Boris the Blade is a mixture of different genres, especially death metal, metalcore, black metal and technical death metal. Yes, tech. death metal, and not just some riffs, but a whole lot of it. And that’s one of the biggest cons of this band and the album. Most of the technical aspects are being used in the songs “Mortal Procession” where the dynamic and speed get at their best in the whole record, and “Desolation” which lends the tech aspects from the former named track, but in a slightly different way. One big problem on this record is that the album tends to pace down towards the end, also some repetition in the songs isn’t helping in that area. I still love to listen to the record from time to time, but not as much as I would expect to do, therefore the album isn’t that bad at all, and if you like some Australian deathcore with some nice tech elements in it, you sure will love this one!

By Stefan van Den Broek

RMP Magazine #16