January 24th, 2012
Global Flatline (Century Media)
The first death metal masterpiece of 2012 has arrived and just for laughs it tells tales of the end of life as we know it. Would you expect anything less from ABORTED and their twisted mastermind Sven DeCaluwé? With few exceptions, I have been anticipating this album above all others for the first quarter of new metal releases. If you are like me and you have waited patiently for ABORTED to drop a new record, your faith will be rewarded in blood and body parts. They are back to satiate your hunger for all things gore and eardrum damage inducing aural punishment!
The opening track “Omega Mortis” is a portend of what’s to come with panicked news reports talking of the war, zombies, plagues and famine decimating the earth. The eerie music sets the tone for the mountainous riffs that are about to fall on your head. The title track lurches to life like a real monster ripping his restrains off and murdering the entire lab. As soon Ken Bedene’s (ex-ABIGAIL WILLIAMS) insanely fast double kick beats lift off and the main riff kicks in, it becomes a musical clusterfuck, in a good way. Svencho decries the state of mankind and its swift descent into oblivion over the course of a little over three minutes of crazy blast-beats and grooves. As usual Sven’s vocals are harsh, yet he is one of the most understandable vocalists in all of metal. This to me is a plus since he is a gifted wordsmith. Track three is the single, “The Origin of Disease”. The song is a non-stop blast and gore fest with Julien Trunchan of BENIGHTED joining in for some sick duel lead vocals. In addition to some cool distorted bass lines from JB Van Der Wal, the track features some stunning work from guitarist Eran Segal who shines throughout the album. Segal is joined by Bedene’s old band mate Mike Wilson who also jams out, contributed some songs. “Coronary Reconstruction” gets a savage face-lift and is now more brutal than the EP version. The shift between Sven’s shrill scream and low howls is terrific and the solos by Segal are some of the many highlights for me here. He has really stepped up and asserted himself in the band as a writer and as a player. “Fecal Forgery” and “Of Scabs and Boils” both have a certain grindcore flavor with the later occasional revealing crust/grind beats and almost punk rock chords. Don’t worry though, the bands penchant for breakdowns, quintuple-time endings and the occasional bass drop are all still intact. My favorite track on the album is “Vermicular, Obscene, Obese” and features Trevor Strnad of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER. The two master level front men working against each other is just madness. The track is so rough that when it breaks in to a brutal, near hard rock type groove, it just works. “Expurgation Euphoria” is slow and demented sounding like a bad trip. The piano part at the end is really haunting and lonely. Coming right back with “From A Tepid Whiff”, we have the other top track from the EP, ratcheted up with 100% evil density. “The Kallinger Theory” is another grind and groove workout. Other top tracks include “Our Father Who Art Feces” featuring Keijo Niimimaa from ROTTEN SOUND, “Grime” featuring Jason Netherton of MISERY INDEX and the nihilistic guitar-epic closer “Endstille”. Everything you love about this band is present on this recording from the songs, Jacob Hansen’s production and the gross artwork. Even the bonus tracks rule! What a treat for old and new fans a like.
GRADE: A
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: abigail williams, aborted, bassist JB Van Der Wal, benighted, blast beats, Century Media Records, death riffs, deathmetal, drummer Ken Bedene, Global Flatline, gore, Grindcore, guitarist Eran Segal, guitarist Mike Wilson, Jason Netherton, Julien Trunchan, Keefy, Keijo Niimimaa, metal reviews by Keefy, misery index, rotten sound, shredding solos, Sven DeCaluwé, the black dahlia murder, Trevor Strnad
Album Reviews, Reviews |
January 17th, 2012
Metal Army recently asked Lacuna Coil’s own Cristiano Migliore (guitar) about the band’s new album, Dark Adrenaline, problematic cover songs, and Spinal Tap moments. Read on for the exclusive interview!
METAL ARMY: Lacuna Coil’s new album, Dark Adrenaline, comes out on January 24th in the US. Lyrically, what is the album about? What is “dark adrenaline”?
CRISTIANO MIGLIORE: Well, I can’t really tell you exactly what the lyrics are about because they were written by Andrea and Cristina. What I can say though, is that we wanted to have lyrics that would reflect the darker atmosphere of the new songs we were writing. Also, usually lyrics are based on personal experience or stuff that happens around us. But it could also be a book we read or a movie we watched. It could be anything, really… Dark Adrenaline was a title that we thought was greatly fitting the new material that we had.
MA: Most recently, you guys (and gal!) released a music video for the single “Trip The Darkness”. What is the meaning behind this video?
CM: The video wants to show the duality that lies within each one of us. There’s a bit of good and a bit of evil in everything, and the idea was to have two versions of the band facing and battling one another…
MA: On the track “My Spirit”, theres an interlude where Andrea speaks in Italian. What do these lyrics translate to in English?
CM: They’re basically the Italian translation of the chorus. We thought it would be cool to have something said in our own language to remember a lost friend…
MA: On Dark Adrenaline, there’s a cover of the R.E.M. classic “Losing My Religion”. Why did you choose to cover this song?
CM: We had in mind to try and record a version of that song for a while, and we finally thought this would be a good time. Marco (our bass player) came up with some really good ideas for it, and it was obvious since the beginning that it would’ve worked great. When Andrea and Cristina put vocals on it, it was finally decided that it would be included in the new album because we thought it sounded great!
MA: Previously, Lacuna Coil also covered Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence”, Dubstar’s “Stars”, and Cristina appeared on a re-arrangement of the Megadeth track “A Tout le Monde (Set Me Free)”. What’s another song that you would like to cover in the future?
CM: It’s hard to say, really. Sometimes stuff just comes natural, but some other times it’s really hard to cover other bands’ songs. It also has to be something that would work in our style… When we were trying to find a song to cover for Karmacode, we also tried to rearrange Depeche Mode’s “A Question of Time”, but it just didn’t work. We also tried to come up with our version of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun”, but that also didn’t sound right…As you can see, it’s a complicated thing and it doesn’t always work right.
MA: If you could collaborate with an artist on a song, who would it be?
CM: Wow, I don’t know really…There are a lot of people out there that we respect and love! It’d be interesting to work with somebody that has nothing to do with metal, maybe? I don’t know, we’re also very busy and it’s hard to find the time for anything that’s not Lacuna Coil…
MA: Now for a few non-Dark Adrenaline related questions. What’s an album that you hate by a band that you love?
CM: Wow, let’s see…Tough question, for sure! When you really love a band, it’s hard not to love something they do. Even their worst album still has something cool that you’ll love. When everybody bashed Paradise Lost for their Host album, which was completely different than anything they’d done before, I still thought it was a great album. Different, but great…
MA: What’s something that you’ve never told an interviewer before?
CM: Honestly, I think that with all the interviews I’ve done in my career, there aren’t many things I haven’t told… People come up with the weirdest questions and now only those things that REALLY can’t be said are left, so… 
MA: Can you share some Spinal Tap moments that have happened to you throughout your career?
CM: Ha! There are so many! I think the most Spinal Tap one though was when we played a show in Milwaukee, and to get to the stage from the dressing room, we had to go through a series of basements and corridors and it just took forever! We didn’t get lost though…
MA: Thank you for answering our questions! We look forward to seeing Lacuna Coil on Gigantour in early 2012. What can your fans expect to see at this show? Will Cristina perform “A Tout Le Monde (Set Me Free)” along with Megadeth?
CM: Well, unfortunately we won’t have much time, but we’ll try to play some of our classics and, of course, at least 3 new songs. The good thing is that the album will be out by the time we start the tour so our fans will have had the chance to listen to it. Also, it’ll be exciting for us to be part of such a great bill. I don’t know if Cristina will sing on “A Tour Le Monde”, she did it before but I think it’d be a great honor if she was asked to do it again.
Thank you and see you on the road!!!
Lacuna Coil’s Dark Adrenaline is available in North America on January 24th, 2012 via Century Media Records. In support of this release, the band will be heading out on Gigantour with Megadeth, Motorhead, and Volbeat. For a full list of tour dates, click here.
–the metal maiden
Tags: Dark Adrenaline, Gigantour, lacuna coil
The Bunker |
January 17th, 2012
Metal Army caught up with Sven de Caluwé, the charismatic front man of death metal and gore gods ABORTED. On the eve of the release of their excellent new album Global Flatline (Century Media). Sven shared his thoughts on the new record, songwriting, choosing producers, making videos and playing in several different bands at once.
 Justin Osbourn did the artwork for Global Flatline.
MAA: Congradulations on Global Flatline! How have the changes in the line up of the band affected the new record?
SVEN: Well, I think it influenced things quite a bit. It felt like there was a fresh spirit in the band. People who are really motivated to work and everyone is happy to be there. Only Mike (Wilson) joined right before the album. Everybody else in the band was involved for two years or a bit more. It went great! Everybody put in a great effort which was good.
MAA: The trademark sound of the band is still there, but I hear some experimentation musically as well. Was that intentional?
SVEN: Not really. Actually the main intention of this record was to go back to something more visceral and more extreme than the last two records we did, which I think we succeeded in. At the same time we also wanted to do things on a different level to add a more melodic aspect, I guess. Yes there are melodies, but we did it in a way where it is more dark sounding rather than sound Swedish or riffy or whatever if you want to call it that. We wanted to stay away from that type of stuff which is boring. There are also some new things like guitar textures and some doomy riffs we have never tried before.
MAA: Some of the guitar work has an almost classic metal feel. Is that Eran Segal really asserting himself now as a writer?
SVEN: Yeah! The biggest part of the record was written by me, Eran, and J.B. (Van Der Wal) the bass player. I would go to Eran’s place and for a long time we did that, worked on ideas. Then Eran and J.B. Flew out here for a few weeks to work on more songs. The three of us worked together for a long time. Ken Bedene wrote one song and Mike Wilson wrote another song so it really came together. It’s a group effort, but definitely Eran’s work was great being that he has been in the band longer now and he really found a space to contribute a lot of songs as you said.
MAA: You worked again with Jacob Hansen who has made some of the best ABORTED albums. Why bring him back in this time around?
SVEN: First of all, we brought him back in because we are familiar with him since we have stayed in touch for years.. Plus he recorded my other band SYSTEM DIVIDE two years ago. Since he did the Goremageddon album and shit he’s improved vastly as a producer since he has done stuff outside of metal too, and a lot of those bands that have gotten very big. Knowing the band and knowing what we were going for was huge. His work for SYSTEM DIVIDE really sealed the deal for me to go with him for this record because I knew exactly what to expect. It was a great experience. It was kind of nostalgic in some ways to go back there and work with him again, watch him in the recording and mixing process. He’s such a good guy and an amazing producer so we really had a blast.
 Songs from the Coronary Reconstruction EP wound up on the new album.
MAA: Is Global Flatline a concept album? A lot of song lyrics, titles and samples seem to be quite anti-religion.
SVEN: It’s not really a concept record. The only song that is actually anti-religion is “Our Father, Who Art of Feces”. The album is really about the end of mankind through mankind. As you can see on the cover artwork we were trying to suggest some of the ways that man will end the world. Religion is one of the big ones since it is very prominent in the foreground of the art.
MAA: “The Origin of Disease” video is totally sick. Tell us about the making of the video.
SVEN: It was quite a trip. It was shot in the UK. We played the Party-San festival in Germany. We drove to Holland to catch a plane. Flew into the UK and shot the video. I think we performed the song 40 times in eight hours! Then we drove to Amsterdam and played the Summer Breeze festival that afternoon, the same day. It was crazy!
MAA: I bet after that the song was perfect live that night!
SVEN: Oh we didn’t play it that day at the show. I think if we did we would have killed ourselves.
MAA: Well it worked out. The end of the video is so disturbing I couldn’t look away!
SVEN: (laughs) Great! Thanks!
MAA: You seem to be very busy between ABORTED, SYSTEM DIVIDE and other projects like BENT SEA. How do you keep your vocal chops in shape?
SVEN: That’s a good question. When I’m not on tour we don’t practice since no one lives close to each other. So I actually don’t do shit! (laughs) We were writing a lot so we took our time with that. ABORTED will start touring from February onward so right now we are very busy. We also just finished a tour in Europe. We are busy, but we work in concentrated periods since everybody lives abroad.
MAA: Even though Dirk Verbeuren (SOILWORK) had to step away from ABORTED, will you still work together in BENT SEA?
SVEN: Oh, of course! Right after we tracked the new ABORTED album, we recorded the new BENT SEA album. So yeah!
MAA: The band has some amazing tours booked, including OVERKILL and THE NEW ENGLAND METAL AND HARDCORE FESTIVAL. You haven’t been to the states in while, right?
SVEN: It’s been since 2008 since we have been to the states. We are really excited to get back out there!
(Thanks to Sven de Caluwé and Century Media.)
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: aborted, BENT SEA, Century Media Records, Coronary Reconstruction EP, Drik Verbeuren, Eran Segal, Global Flatline, Goremageddon, Hansen Studios, Jacob Hansen, JB Van Der Wal, Keefy, Ken Bedene, Metal Interviews with Keith (Keefy) Chachkes, Mike Wilson, Sven de Caluwé, system divide
Feature Interviews, Interviews |
January 10th, 2012
Anniversary (Metal Blade)
Oh how we will all miss Cathedral. Being on the forefront of the doom metal scene for over two decades, they have brought listeners some of the best and heaviest metal to our ears. With the release of their first live double album Anniversary, which was recorded on December 10th at London’s Islington Academy, they started the night at playing their entire debut album, Forest Of Equilibrium (considered one of the greatest doom metal albums of all time, if not one of the greatest metal albums), with the original lineup, and then playing a selection of latter day material with the current lineup.
With the stellar performance of the first track “Comiserating The Celebration (Of Life),” they give fans a rarely seen look into their early days, with the ultra heavy guitars that feel like an unstoppable train going at 25 MPH. At 11:13, it’s also the longest song on the album. They perform with such fluidity that it feels like they never broke up (in reference to the original lineup).
When the hit the first chords for “A Funeral Request,” you can just feel the still energy from the crowd waiting to erupt. Feeling the utter gloom and despair, as is with the whole album, one can only wish to be there to witness it for themselves. The vocals capture the band at its finest moment on this track, combined with the fast paced section near the end to break up the doom just a little bit. They keep perfect timing throughout this entire album, which really captures them at their prime.
O the first track of the second disc “Funeral Of Dreams,” they turn things up to a new level by bringing out the current lineup and throwing in some of their progressive song structure and retro 70’s rock elements (such as the retro keyboards), all while retaining the extreme (and faster) metal of the modern Cathedral we have come to know.
For some real old school sounding stuff (complete with fuzz covered heavy metal), “Upon Azrael’s Wings” is the way to go. Regardless that it’s only 6 years old, it still has a awesome old school 80’s metal sound that few bands can replicate successfully like they can. Bringing it home with the hard hitting ending sets up for the more mellow track “Cosmic Funeral.” One of their slower tracks in the catalog, it also has a small dose of the retro keyboards. Musically alone, it could be an awesome movie intro. It has a down to earth vibe compared to most other songs, keeping it progressive yet simple.
The first disc really showcases the band when they were more extreme and heavier than they are now. A lot slower and doom-y then the more progressive (and 70’s rock laced) Cathedral that we know today. The perfect live album that encompasses Cathedral’s entire career, this is a must have for any metal heads collection.
Grade: B+
By: Ridge “Deadite” Briel
Tags: 70s rock, Anniversary Live Album, Cathedral, Deadite, Doom Metal, metal blade records, Progressive Metal, reviews by Ridge
Album Reviews, Reviews |
January 6th, 2012
No doubt the first thing you’re asking yourself is “Who the hell is Dave Monomania, and why do I give a dang what records he liked from last year?”
Fair. I’m just some dude without long hair who sings/plays guitar in a band that isn’t even metal. However, my opinions on the subject are pretty much gospel, so just trust me ALRIGHT?
That said, here are my Top 10 Records of 2011, some not even metal per se, but still totally worth your time.
1. Between Earth and Sky – Of Roots and Wings 12″ (Refuse)
Without a doubt my most anticipated release of the past many years, BE&S are the new band featuring vocalist Greg Bennick from Trial, drummer Alexei Rodriguez (Trial, 3 Inches of Blood, Catharsis, Prong, etc) and a cast of other hardcore/metal veterans. And not surprisingly, this is the best hardcore record I’ve laid my ears upon since who-knows-when. Of Roots and Wings is by no means a complete departure from Trial’s Are These Our Lives? sound, but with an added sense of dark melody and dynamics (coupled with Bennick’s always thought-provoking and heart-wrenching lyrics). An incredible, cerebral, sincere, near-perfect record. The debut LP is due later this year, and I’m already chomping at the bit.
2. Burzum – Fallen LP (Back On Black)
Sure, some people will probably give me shit for rating someone whose politics are as ‘questionable’ as Varg’s this high up on my list (particularly right under a record like BE&S’) but for some inexplicable reason (that I won’t even try to make excuses for) I can’t help but love Burzum (at least the BM records). And I think Fallen just might be Varg’s masterpiece. Certainly not ‘necro’ as far as production goes (although it’s hardly radio-ready), and featuring more melody and clean singing than ever, but man, this record is brilliant.
3. Blood Ceremony - Living with the Ancients LP (Metal Blade)
The occult-rock thing seems to be having one hell of a resurgence recently (pedestrian wordplay intended), and to my ears, no band is knocking it out of the park like my fellow Canadians (and even Ontarians!) Blood Ceremony. Their self-titled LP was great and showed a lot of promise, but dang, Living with the Ancients is on a whole other level. With the Tull quotient upped significantly and a darker, dare I say more EVIL mood, these cats have written the record to beat in their particular subgenre (and that includes the brand new Devil’s Blood LP!).
4. Austra – Feel It Break LP (Domino)
Yep, this is a gloomy pop record that takes plenty of cues from Kate Bush, but goddamn it, it’s dark and brooding as hell and is absolutely recommended. Vocalist Katie Stelmanis is a trained opera singer and manages to incorporate that style into these songs without coming across as cartoonish or over the top whatsoever (as operatic vocals have been known to do when used outside of their intended world). These songs are bleak yet upbeat, moody yet danceable, and, in a word, bewitching. Plus, I’ve rarely seen a more impressive live vocal performance. This woman is mesmerizing.
5. In Solitude – The World, The Flesh, The Devil LP (Metal Blade)
I don’t imagine I need to say too much about this band or this record, as it seems to have found its way to a shit-ton of Top Tens this year, but if you dig Mercyful Fate/King Diamond mixed with a hearty dose of NWOBHM (all without sounding like too much of a retro-copycat thing) than I can’t recommend this any more highly. Possibly the best straight-up metal record of the year.
6. Today is the Day – Pain is a Warning LP (Black Market Activities)
I will say that when I heard the opening track from this record, I thought that just maybe TITD had created their magnum opus. Hell, even track 2 (all with the help of Kurt Ballou’s punishing production) is among Austin & co.’s most vicious aural assaults. However, the rest of Pain is a Warning tends to meander occasionally into some less-than-spectacular, middle-of-the-road hardcore/metal (even hard rock) territory - but overall the record is still a total slayer. It’s just no Temple of the Morning Star or In the Eyes of God… but what is, really?
7. Ringworm – Scars LP (Victory)
One of the angriest bands in the history of hardcore/metal (and definitely one of my all-time faves) dropped a fucking scorcher on us last year in the form of their fifth full-length LP, Scars. And, while it’s undeniably a Ringworm record, with each successive release Cleveland’s favorite purveyors of devilry and whoredom inject even more metal into their venomous design, and have now put out their most ambitous record in their catalog (we’re even talking a 7-minute song here!). Essentially, if you dig what the band’s done to date, you won’t be let down. On the other hand, if you typically dig a little more metal in your heavy than these maniacs have spit out in the past, Scars just might be your ideal Ringworm point of entry.
8. Integrity – Detonate World Plagues 12″ (Holy Terror)
Fitting that this would come right after the Ringworm LP (historically Integrity’s musical sibling). This record is a collection of everything that Integrity frontman Dwid has recorded with his current axe-wielding partner in crime Robert Orr (not to be confused with the NHL’s finest defenceman of all time!). These tracks pretty much continue what began with The Blackest Curse LP, and you’ll get no complaints from me about that. Anyone not familiar with Integrity’s trendsetting brand of metal/hardcore/crust (since 1988!) is encouraged to check out pretty well any of their evil, dense, pummelling output (I’d personally start with Seasons in the Size of Days). Absolutely one of the most important, influential hardcore bands ever.
9. Cold Cave – Cherish the Light Years LP (Matador)
I KNOW. Another dance-y record. I can’t help it if two terrific gloomy-yet-ass-shaking pop records came out in the same year. And y’know what? I’m not going to apologize for it either. I fucking dig A LOT of poppy music, and Wes Eisold (American Nightmare/Some Girls) happens to be one hell of a pop songsmith. If you enjoy the darker side of the New Order/Joy Division/Cure/Depeche Mode/etc catalogs, then there’s very good chance you’ll be feeling this slab of wax as well. Just check it out.
10. 40 Watt Sun – The Inside Room LP (Cyclone Empire)
It’s been a long time since I’ve been this into an entirely slow, sludgy record. After the flood of Neur/Isis copycats earlier in the new millenium, I was pretty much soured on any band that namedropped those bands in their influences list, or were tagged under the ‘sludge’ umbrella. But when reviews started rolling in about the 40 Watt Sun LP, I couldn’t ignore the hype. The enthusiasm was almost universal, and after one listen, I was no exception. All the shoegaze/indie pop comparisons have already been made, but I will say this: metal has never sounded as sincerely pained, downtrodden, and heartbroken as it does on The Inside Room. This record is devastating.
All in all, 2011 was an incredible year for heavy music, and with the slew of highly-anticipated upcoming releases for 2012 (Ghost, Converge, Burzum, Municipal Waste, Neurosis, High on Fire, ahem Crusades mhm…), this year should be no different.
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twitter.com/davemonomania
crusades.ca
Tags: 40 watt sun, austra, back on black, between earth and sky, Blood Ceremony, Burzum, Cold Cave, Crusades, Dave Monomania, In Solitude, integrity, METAL BLADE, RINGWORM, Today is the Day, top ten 2011
Album Reviews, Reviews, Top 10 Lists |
December 23rd, 2011
Metal Army caught up with Mark Evans, the bass player for AC/DC from 1975-1977. As the first regular bassist in the band he went on to play on the seminal albums T.N.T., the re-release of High Voltage, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Let There Be Rock, and ’74 Jailbreak. Mark published his memoir Dirty Deeds: My life Inside/Outside of AC/DC. Mark is the first member of the band to tell the story of the early days of the group from a first hand perspective. He has many terrific stories from the bands early days making it a must read. The book also has many great anecdotes about Mark’s life, the band and the legendary late front man Bon Scott. What follows is an excerpt of a longer chat.
 Dirty Deeds came out in November from Bazillion Points Publishing.
MAA: How did you come to write your memoir at this time?
ME: My motivation has been two-fold. One motivation has been over the years people coming to my gigs have been so supportive of me. People always come up to me at the shows and say “Hey you toured the world with AC/DC” and “What was BON SCOTT like?”. I was just me paying back the genuine interest about my life in and out of AC/DC. It was just the right time in my life to take stock of things. To take a deep breath and immerse myself in a project. There were a few Australian publishers who were interested in my story. I didn’t take it really seriously at first. But it turned out to be the right time for me and that started in 2007. It’s been a real plus in my life since writing it. It’s been very good for me too, very cathartic to talk about my time in the band. This is the first time someone from inside the band has ever written anything. I have had the other books written about the band passed on to me over the years. Some of the stuff was at best really inaccurate. I am only qualified to talk about the years when I was in the band. Also, a lot of people are quite interested in Bon and it’s a great way to put some flesh on the bones and tell his story since he was such a great guy.
MAA: What originally inspired you to pick up the bass and want to start a band?
ME: I always had an interest in music from very early on. My siblings were a few years older than me. I got introduced into rock n roll through them like ELVIS PRESLEY, 1950s music, JERRY LEE LEWIS, FATS DOMINO and then the BEATLES. It wasn’t until I was 14-15 that I got into it, because I was nuts about football. That is, Australian rules football. Some friends of mine picked up the guitar and a few of my buddies started playing in bands. And they said hey ‘we need a bass player’. So I went down to the local second hand store and bought a bass. It was 22 bucks and it was bought with money that was supposed to be for my school books in high school. So I started on bass, moved to guitar and then back to bass. I always loved the bass. Initially it was just hanging out with my friends playing music. It was a great time for music. The early days of the 1970s guitar driven rock bands like CREAM, BLACK SABBATH and DEEP PURPLE.
MAA: What was the band like when you joined in 1975?
ME: It was a little bit odd. When I joined the band they were already known locally and the album High Voltage had been released in November of 1974. When I first joined we were playing the bars and pubs with maybe 10, 15 or 20 people at a show. Very, very early days. But the album started to hit right when I joined. Our first single started to really to hit when I joined, “Baby Please Don’t Go”. That was actually the B-side. Lucky for us the radio stations played the B-side, because the A-side of the single was this sappy thing called “Love Story” and it sounded like something out of SAVAGE GARDEN! (laughs) We got tabbed to be on a national TV show called Countdown. So I had been in the band literally three days and then I was on national TV. A few months later we were playing to thousands. The whole band had only been together 12 months at that time. People say the the lineup of Malcolm (Young), Angus (Young), Bon, Phil (Rudd) and myself, a lot of people call that the original lineup, but that isn’t true. There had been other people in the band before me. It moved and came together really quickly.
MAA: Please talk about the relationship between the Young brothers and the rest of the band during those early days.
ME: “Rob the Roadie” drove me home from my audition and told me ‘There is two things you need to know. It is Malcom’s band and we plan to move to the UK in twelve months’. The relationship with the brothers and how it was viewed in the band, and I mean (producer and older brother) George, Malcolm and Angus was very strong. They were the driving force behind the band. George was a mentor to me and pretty much to the rest of the band too. When you are in the band with three brothers working on the same project, it could be tense and George was very hands on. They would get pretty feisty and punches would get thrown and stuff. At the same time the positive far outweighed the negative undercurrent. Bon was very close to Malcolm and Bon was also very high up in the pecking order. I know for a fact Phil and myself had very little say in the decision making process. Bon had some influence, but any decisions were made by Malcolm, Angus, George and their manager at the time, Michael Brandon. And what a great guy to have helping you like George who had been through it all with the EASYBEATS. But it was very much Malcolm and Angus’ band. But we all had equal shares in the band, so no one was a hired gun. No one was in the band for personal gain. We were all in the band for a common goal. It mattered because we believed in the band. We had a common goal, to take on the world. Not to be too conceited, but we also all knew we were in a great band.
 Mark and Bon make a sandwich out of a girl.
MAA: You tell some pretty awesome stories about Bon in your book. Tell us something about Bon people might not expect.
ME: I think Bon felt a very strong responsibility and duty to his image. The Bon on stage was a larger than life figure. The crazy guy. The rock n roller. All denim and leather. But if you got him away from being Bon Scott, he was quite domesticated. He couldn’t wait to set up shop at home with a new girlfriend and settle down. He was a very warm hearted guy. He had impeccable manners. You could take him to a bikers club and he’d have a ball with the bikers. The next night you could take him to the White House to meet the President and he’d be the same way. He wouldn’t change. He’d still be Bon. He could deal with any situation. If it was getting too aggressive he could handle that too. I think he was very depressed and lonely on the road and missed home. If you want to get a good idea about Bon and his life I think the song “Ride On” is very autobiographical. Very much who he is. He was a very domesticated soul. Of course once he got a few charges in and a few bourbons, he was away! He was a partier of Olympic proportions. It’s a strange thing. He had many acquaintances. A lot of people wanted to know him, but he had very few real friends. I’m sure I could count them on two hands. We were all together in Perth for the funeral (Bon’s) which was really tough to go through. I have to say that that way the band handled it, with a lot of care and respect was great. I have a lot of respect for the way the band handled it, that whole situation. Then the way they came back with Back In Black was amazing. To come back that hard is impressive. But, they are pretty hard boys. I don’t think there has ever been a band in that situation that has had to make that kind of transition at their level.
MAA: Looking back on your departure from the band do you think I could’ve been handled better?
ME: I think the decision was made that they were better off without me. The answer Malcolm gave me at the time was they wanted to get a bass player who could sing, but that was kind of weak. It wasn’t so much of a surprise to me as much as it was a shock. It really knocked me over for a long time after that. I was like getting kicked out of a gang when your four best guys in the world say they don’t want to be your friend anymore. I was a very social person and maybe they thought I wasn’t as committed as I should be. At the same time I think it’s impossible to be any more committed than Malcolm and Angus have been. I have a very philosophical view of it now: had I been the right guy for them I would still be there. There was an element of relief too cause it could be very tense in the band. Bon at the meeting took great pains to let me know it wasn’t personal, but I took it very hard and very personally at the time. I would have appreciated a warning shot across the bow. In my ideal world that would have been great. Those guys can be pretty ruthless. They know what they want and you have to admire them for it.
 Mark was an integral part of AC/DC's early success.
MAA: What really happened with the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in 2003?
ME: I was quite surprise when a journalist friend of mine told me I was nominated. I was a little surprised. My initial feeling was like ‘Oh shit!’! Really? My first reaction when I got nominated that I might knock it back (turn it down) and get everyone off the hook. My relationship with the guys is I hadn’t and still haven’t really talked to the guys since 1981. Because I thought it would be very uncomfortable. What happened was after they said I was to be inducted with the band, they turned around and said my nomination was being “reviewed”. For the previous three times the band was nominated there was no issue with me. It was odd. The main thing is that washes up is the band richly deserved to be there and of course Bon had to be included. That sits well with me. What didn’t sit well with me was they put it on their website that I was accepted and then took it away. I would have liked an apology from the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. Overall, it’s good for the band.
 Mark Evans... today.
MAA: You have had a lot of rough times personally as well as professionally. How did get to the point where you are now perspective wise?
ME: I was very fortunate to come from a good environment all my life. I come from a family where we were always really truthful with each other. You try to look at things as they are. You just accept what you can’t change and live with it. If there is a message in the book for people who want to do music and start bands or anything else that is it. Take the time out to enjoy the good times. There’s ups and downs. You should look how to take success for what it is; recognition for hard work. And the same with the other times. You can learn a helluva lot more from a mistake than an easy win.
(Special thanks to Mark Evans and Bazillion Points publishing. You can buy Mark’s book and other BP titles here.)
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: '74 Jailbreak, ac/dc, Angus Young, Back In Black, Bon Scott, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Dirty Deeds: My Life Inside/Outside of AC/DC, George Young, High Voltage, Keefy, Let There Be Rock, life, Loss, Malcolm Young, Mark Evans, Phil Rudd, Rock interviews by Keefy, T.N.T.
Feature Interviews, Interviews |
December 20th, 2011
I had the pleasure of catching up with the members of BLACK TUSK a while back to discuss the release of their Set the Dial (Relapse) album. Andrew Fiddler, Jonathan Athon and Jamie May were cool enough to give me some of their time to discuss the band, the songwriting process, artwork and friendships. There is nothing cooler than a “round robbin” style interview as far as this intrepid metal reporter is concerned and I think you will dig it!
 Set The Dial came out on Relapse in October.
MAA: Please talk about the making of Set the Dial.
AF: We started writing Set The Dial right when Taste The Sin came out. We wrote a little of it before we put that record out. It came together pretty easy.
JA: It was in between weekends and weeks when we were on and off touring from Taste the Sin. We’d come home and get bored so we’d go into the practice space and just kind of write and get it down on our little tape recorder. And we kept revisiting it every time we were back in town. It just kind of took off from their
 Heavy Metal Parking Lot: Black Tusk Style!
MAA: You guys seem pretty prolific with four albums in five years. Are you always thinking about the next stage?
JM: We are usually thinking about the next step all the time. We get bored really easily and we don’t stop playing.
AF: We love writing music and making songs. We are constantly working on stuff.
MAA: Do you think the dynamics of being a trio affords the band certain writing opportunities?
JA: When you are a three piece like in our case, being that we are a three piece our equipment needs to be louder. You don’t it to be lacking because you don’t have four or five members.
JM: We want to sound more full. And we all three do vocals, so there is no dead space.
AF: You just have to think about what you are doing more because there is no someone to cover up for you if you are messing up a part.
 "Agatha" has appeared on many of the bands' albums, posters and other merch.
MAA: I love the entire creative package of the band with lyrics and artwork. How much thought goes into that?
JA: We usually start writing the music first. Within a couple of songs we’ll usually know what path we are on during the album. From there we start to fugue out a theme to go with the record and usually around that time we figure out what we want to cover. Then it’s ‘when can we talk to John (Dyer Baizley of BARONESS) and then get an idea of what is going on with him. That is pretty much that’s how it goes.
JM: Everything is intertwined: the lyrics, the music and the art are always interwoven in to each other, somewhere.
MAA: I was going to ask if you guys give John any directions or do you just let him go to work?
JA: It’s all thought through. All of our art work has symbolism and meanings from art history and old texts, stuff like that. Everything we do is referenced an we give him a strict outline of what we want, what everything represents and all the imagery we are trying to wrap up. We give him two pages of reference material and then he gives us back one cover. We want him to have his freedom because that is what is cool about his artwork and you wouldn’t want to take that away. At the same time we want certain elements to be represented there.
MAA: Do you feel a kinship with the other Savannah scene bands?
JA: Absolutely! We’ve all been friends for a long time. We try to help each other out. It’s cool, we’re all from the same place. We are definitely like a big family.
JM: It was always a friendship first, like doing our artwork before there was ever a business relationship.
JA: We don’t get to see them too much anymore since KYLESA is always touring and BARONESS moved to Philly. (laughs) But when we get together it’s just like old times.
MAA: Who are the the not so obvious influences on the band?
JM: We don’t really listen to any music and say we want to emulate that. It’s just what happens when we get together. That is just comes out.
JA: It’s a combination of everything, different genres all the music we listen to. It just comes from us. It vibes with us all the time and this thing we are trying to create, it just flows from us. It comes from us. We would never sit down and consciously think to try to sound like any band like ‘let’s get this sound over here and sound like someone else’. That doesn’t factor in our writing process at all.
AF: Our only boundaries with us is we make sure you can tell BLACK TUSK is playing. That is the only thing. Whatever we write, how ever it goes, we wanna play if it’s thrash or punk or metal or anything else we want our fans to know they can tell it’s us still.
 See the band live if you get the chance- they are killer!
MAA: What do you guys have planned for later in the year for touring?
AF: After we do some dates with MASTODON in Texas, we are going to hit the road with MONSTRO AND THOU. We’ve known Juan from TORCHE a little bit, so we have done some stuff with them before.
MAA: That is great! Thanks for your time guys! Hope to catch you on the road soon!
AF: Looking forward to it man!
(Special Thanks go out to BLACK TUSK, RELAPSE Records and Freeman Promotions)
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: Baroness, bassist Jonathan Athon, Black Tusk, cover by art John Dyer Baizley, drummer James May, grooves, Guitarist Andrew Fidler, interviews by Keefy, Jack Endino, Keefy, kylesa, metal reviews, power-trios, Relapse, Set The Dial, stoner rock, swamp metal, three-headed vocals
Feature Interviews, Interviews |
December 16th, 2011
Decas (Metal Blade)
Rarely has a band released a compilation that truly holds its own among their past discography. On the latest As I Lay Dying release Decas, they have done just that. For a Christian metalcore band to have accomplished so much was rare to see back when they first started in 2001. Nowadays, almost every modern Christian metalcore band has to give As I Lay Dying thanks to popularizing the genre and making it more accepted, even among non-Christians.
Basically a heavy breakdown of a song with progressive elements, “Paralyzed” is an awesome track to add to AILD’s awesome repertoire. Definitely a stand out track, it’s full of chunky guitar riffs, metalcore progression, all while adding in an ambient overhanging guitar part that really sets it apart from most tracks. The melodic chorus fits the overall song structure perfectly, though it’s filled with the very familiar AILD song writing we’ve all come to know and love.
First we have the aggressive but mostly melodic song, now we head into a fast and furious song with a slowed down yet extremely heavy bridge. It’s a pretty awesome stand out track in their catalog, especially for its haunting guitar riff at the 1:15 mark. It’s also structured differently than most of their songs, with no set chorus line. Definitely should be included in their live set from this moment on as it has the potential to really get the crowd moving. Also recommended as a show opener.
It’s a little off-putting to see a Christian metalcore band covering a Satanic thrash band. Case in point, AILD covering “War Ensemble” by Slayer. Regardless, this cover is done very well. It sounds much cleaner and more refined than the original, yet it keeps together all of the elements that made the original a classic. It stays true, with the rapid barrage of riffs, intense drumming, and even the awesome solo, Slayer would be proud.
Throwing in not one, but two Judas Priest covers (“Hellion” and “Electric Eye”) helps keep the band close to their ties. They also keep these faithfully close to the originals, going as far as switching up the clean singing style to match Rob Halford’s. You rarely ever see a band that’s been around as long as AILD to go back and re-visit their debut album, yet they do so with a re-recorded version of “Beneath The Encasing Of Ashes.” Obviously for those who have heard the original, this version is much better.
EDM prodigy Big Chocolate has lent his talents for a remix of the classic AILD track “Elegy.” He keeps it dubstep with a slight mix of drum and bass that retains the energy that was present in the original track and makes it more upbeat similar to the style seen on the Hilion EP, specifically the track “Praise 2011” in terms of the dirty electro sounds that are used.
Definitely one of the best compilations ever released by a band that sums up their incredible history in the music scene instead of just recording a few brand new songs and releasing them in a greatest hits package like 99% of bands like to do.
Grade: B
By Ridge “Deadite” Briel
Tags: as i lay dying, christian, Deadite, Decas, Jordan Mancino, Josh Gilbert, metal blade records, metalcore, nick hipa, Phil Sgrosso, reviews by Ridge, tim lambesis
Album Reviews, Reviews |
December 15th, 2011
Being an independent one man black metal band is hard these days. Full of distorted guitars, fast tempos, blast beats and unconventional song structure, Fyrnask have delivered one of the purest forms of black metal I’ve seen in a while on the latest album Bluostar. Lyrically speaking, this is one of the deepest albums I’ve heard in a while. And it also covers different languages as well. Read on to satisfy your insatiable hunger for true black metal.
MA: I heard your demo Fjǫrvar ok benjar back when it was first released in 2010. What were the lyrical ideas for that demo? What were the stories behind each track?
Fyrnd: Fjǫrvar ok benjar had no concept in a sense of a story. The songs are dealing more with pain and despair in an individual, personal sense, than the songs of Bluostar. A point that was strange for some people were the amount of languages appearing on the demo. But this has also to do with, that the songs developed at different points of time. It was more like a compilation of works, done between 2008 and 2010. Songs like “A Thousand Winters To Come” deal for example, also with the neglecting of volition, and the origins of affliction, of course in a personal interpretation. “Forderver den første vanndråpen” (“Spoil the first drop of water”), is an approach to how to lose yourself, your life, your connectedness to this world, by losing yourself in the wilderness and to “give in” in a way. This is maybe something like typical “nature romanticism” one could say. All in all, topics like volition, the human will and so on, were also playing a role back then.
MA: By doing all of the instruments yourself, do you feel that this would hold you back from ever playing live?
Fyrnd: No, not really. Something more important to me is to do music with individuals that are thinking in the same aesthetic vein as I do and to not play live for just playing live. It’s important not to harm the atmospheres and ideas behind the project with doing something like a common “rock show”. So this should be worked out very carefully.
MA: What does Fyrnask mean?
Fyrnd: Fyrnask is old norse and means “to age”. It consists of two roots: Fyrnd or Fyrn- what means “age” and -sk, what derives from sik (modern Norwegian “seg”, modern German “sich”, modern English “oneself”). Fyrn can also be found in modern German as “firn”, which mostly describes corny snow that develops if snow dews and freezes again, but in its older meaning it describes something that is old.
MA: What made you want to add in the overall mystical and ambient aura into Bluostar instead of going a more straight-forward musical route like most black metal bands?
Fyrnd: To me it was important to capture the atmospheres of the concept and it craved in a way to do not just fast, hateful black metal. It was more that I felt some of the ideas and moods needed different kinds of musical backgrounds.
MA: What is the overall conceptual story behind Bluostar? Are the tracks lyrically related in some way or does each tell a separate story?
Fyrnd: The album deals with two abstract entities, two poles, one can say. On the one hand, there are attributes like will, power, the concept of the avenger in some respects, while on the other hand, a physical aspect, the hunted, the letting go of desires stands as an idea. Therefore Bluostar is also split in the middle, marked by change of languages.
There is a fairly obvious level that describes the process of sacrifice from the point of view of the sacrificed and the one who sacrifices, but there is still a deeper, less accessible reception level. It seemed important to me in the process to deal also with the tradition of thinking, and to pick up typical antonyms, such as life and death, light and darkness, hunter and hunted, etc. and also to dissolve them. It comes down to the symbiosis of very apparent opposites so that finally the process of sacrifice, not only as an apparent ritual sacrifice of a human being is described and considered, but also a sacrifice in a metaphysical and personal way. Here the term “self-abandonment” would probably fit well.
Certainly due to the linguistic constitution of the album, it is not necessarily easy to reach this core of the album, but I like to think that people who want to seriously understand Bluostar will find some of the ideas on the album, in a lyrical or musical way.
MA: Who are some of your biggest musical inspirations, both black metal and non-black metal?
Fyrnd: This is a hard question to answer as there is a vast amount of music I listen to. When it comes to black metal, the old stuff from Darkthrone is important, also classical stuff like Mayhem, Burzum, Hellhammer, Bethlehem of course, but this should be no surprise. But there’s also newer stuff that I like, as for example Lunar Aurora, Leviathan, Vhernen, Locrian, Valborg, Murmuüre, Fauna, Yoga or Echtra and so on. My non-black metal influences are also quite strong. Neurosis is very important to me and there were also releases from Esben and the witch, Master musicians of Bukkake, Halo Manash, The Goner, Barn Owl and many many others, which influenced me in one way or another, I think.
MA: Out of all the possible things to add into orders, the first 100 people to buy your album get a hand-crafted, deer- bone necklace. What is the significance of adding this in? Does it have to do with the ritualistic part of your music?
Fyrnd: It has to do with a very personal part of me, and of course also a connection to the concept. But the whole meaning would be far too personal to be described in an interview. But what can be said is that a “sacrifice” and a “bone” have connection to each other. Not to be misunderstood: this animal wasn’t sacrificed, but it reflects nevertheless some important aspects of Fyrnask. I mean, the deer theme is something that occurs also in the logo and on the artwork of the T shirt. It’s not chosen randomly.
MA: What other talents or hobbies do you have other than making music?
Fyrnd: I am studying, which takes a lot of time. I am into historic books, languages and so on. I am living quite withdrawn, and I try to read a lot– I like, for example, mountaineering.
MA: What was the recording process of Bluostar like? What was a typical day in the studio?
Fyrnd: I record in a very small place, where there are not many people and where I can focus on the music.
I do the recordings with a good friend of mine that I’ve known for many years now. In the end, it is the balance between all these technical issues you face when recording music, and a natural way to record it. I think between these two poles all the recording sessions took place. For me it’s like an escape from this world to go there and to focus totally on music.
MA: What sort of historical things do you tie into your music? What would you recommend people to study to gain a better understanding of your lyrics (other than knowing German of course)?
Fyrnd: There are a lot of things you can read about the topics connected with Bluostar. When it comes to Germanic offer-culture you can surely read Tacitus’ “Germania”. He was Roman, so of course it’s not historic reality he describes, but an interpreted view on German tribes as a whole, even though there were not as tied together, as described by him. When it comes to topics like dialectics you should of course read Hegel’s “Phenomenology of spirit”, as he describes there a modern interpretation of the term “dialectics”. When it comes to sacrifices in a greater perspective I would also suggest books like “Homo necans: the anthropology of ancient Greek sacrificial ritual and myth” from Walter Burkart. The explanations here have their starting point in ancient Greek culture, but they are discussing the whole topic in a greater view. There’s, as stated, really a lot to read about the topics that are important for the album.
MA: Do you have any other projects (musical and non-musical) that you would like your fans to know about?
Fyrnd: I do have other projects, yes, but they are not connected to Fyrnask. It’s mostly dark music that I produce, as this seems to be a way of expression that is natural to me.
MA: What does Fyrnask have in store for the future?
Fyrnd: We are working diligently on a new album and it is a very engrossing and rewarding process so far.Of course thanks to everyone who supports music and supports art.
-Ridge “Deadite” Briel
Tags: black metal, Deadite, FYRNASK, Fyrnd, interviews, One Man Black Metal, Temple of Torturous
Interviews, Q&A |
December 13th, 2011
May 13, 1967 – December 13, 2001
Ten years ago today saw the passing of a metal legend. Chuck Schuldiner – guitarist, singer, and composer for the bands DEATH and CONTROL DENIED. Known to many as the “Father of Death Metal”, Schuldiner’s lightning-fast guitar playing, influential vocal style, and definitive brutal-melodic songwriting served as a blueprint for death metal, and inspired many artists both in and outside the genre. Without Chuck, where would extreme metal be today?
DEATH has something for everyone. From the raw, original noise of Scream Bloody Gore, to the massively popular melodic tunes of Symbolic – Chuck’s legacy remains relevant and inspiring through the ages. The Florida native was unique among stars of the genre, in that he was a self-proclaimed “lover of life”, with an all-around positive attitude until the day of his death(which was, unfortunately, due to pneumonia while in a weakened state after radiation therapy for a brain tumor).
The music (and the cat sweater) lives on. In honor of “Evil Chuck”, take a moment of silence… then put on your favorite DEATH(or CONTROL DENIED!) record, practice guitar for 3 hours, and thank the gods of metal for granting us the all-too brief life and brilliance of Mr. Charles Schuldiner.
Official Death/Chuck site: www.emptywords.org
-Scarlett
Tags: " Death Metal, chuck schuldiner, control denied, death, RIP
General Press Releases, The Bunker |
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