Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Seattle area concert calendar: APRIL
Seattle area concert calendar by Metal Bulletin Zine (Washington state).
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April 5 Primordial Atrocity, Bloodgeon, Defenestrator, Hereticon at The Highline, Seattle, WA
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April 7 Steve Grimmet's GRIM REAPER, Skelator at Studio Seven, Seattle, WA
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April 7 Blasphemous Creation, Vultra, Dilapidation at Funhouse, Seattle, WA
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April 8 Power Trip, Gag, Lower Species at The Highline, Seattle, WA
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April 8 Dokken at Malibu's, Vancouver, WA
April 9 Dokken at Tony V's Garage, Everett, WA
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April 10 Voltanic, Vesuvian, A Moment Alive at Funhouse, Seattle, WA
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April 11 Absu, Witchaven, UADA, Imperial Triumphant at The Highline, Seattle, WA
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April 11 Iron Maiden at Tacoma Dome
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April 11 Perpetual Dementia at Funhouse, Seattle, WA
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April 12 The Desolate, Pile of Priests, Dilapidation, Oxygen Destroyer at The Highline, Seattle, WA
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April 14 Iron Kingdom, Skelator, Substratum at The Kraken Bar and lounge - Seattle, WA
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April 16 Sarcalogos at Cryptotropa - Olympia, WA
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April 18 Malevolent Creation, Pyrexia, Abiotic at Studio Seven - Seattle, WA
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April 22 Ghost Ship Octavius at Studio Seven, Seattle
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April 23 Ghostblood, Kommand, Hexengeist, Dilapidation at Funhouse, Seattle, WA
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April 23 D.R.I., Wolfpack at El Corazón, Seattle, WA
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April 28 Rhine, Deathblow, Xoth, Hexengeist at The Highline - Seattle, WA
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April 29 The Devils Of Loudun,Oxygen Destroyer, Ghostblood, Rhine at The Kraken, Seattle, WA
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April 30 Fear Factory, Soilwork, American Wrecking Company at El Corazón - Seattle, WA
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April 30 Napalm Death, Earth Control, Rot Monger, Narrow Minded, The Drip at Mainstreet Studios, Walla Walla, WA
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April 30 Holy Grail, DevilDriver, Incite, Hemlock at Studio Seven, Seattle, WA
Seattle area concert calendar: APRIL
Seattle area concert calendar by Metal Bulletin Zine (Washington state).
April 5 Primordial Atrocity, Bloodgeon, Defenestrator, Hereticon at The Highline, Seattle, WA
April 7 Steve Grimmet's GRIM REAPER, Skelator at Studio Seven, Seattle, WA
April 7 Blasphemous Creation, Vultra, Dilapidation at Funhouse, Seattle, WA
April 8 Power Trip, Gag, Lower Species at The Highline, Seattle, WA
April 8 Dokken at Malibu's, Vancouver, WA
April 9 Dokken at Tony V's Garage, Everett, WA
April 10 Voltanic, Vesuvian, A Moment Alive at Funhouse, Seattle, WA
April 11 Absu, Witchaven, UADA, Imperial Triumphant at The Highline, Seattle, WA
April 11 Iron Maiden at Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, WA
April 11 Perpetual Dementia at Funhouse, Seattle, WA
April 12 The Desolate, Pile of Priests, Dilapidation, Oxygen Destroyer at The Highline, Seattle, WA
April 14 Iron Kingdom, Skelator, Substratum at The Kraken Bar and lounge - Seattle, WA
April 16 Sarcalogos at Cryptotropa - Olympia, WA
April 18 Malevolent Creation, Pyrexia, Abiotic at Studio Seven - Seattle, WA
April 22 Ghost Ship Octavius at Studio Seven, Seattle
April 23 D.R.I., Wolpack at El Corazón, Seattle WA
April 23 Ghostblood, Kommand, Hexengeist, Dilapidation at Funhouse, Seattle, WA
April 28 Rhine, Deathblow, Xoth, Hexengeist at The Highline - Seattle, WA
April 29 The Devils Of Loudun,Oxygen Destroyer, Ghostblood, Rhine at The Kraken, Seattle, WA
April 30 Napalm Death, Earth Control, Rot Monger, Narrow Minded, The Drip at Mainstreet Studios, Walla Walla, WA
April 30 Holy Grail, DevilDriver, Incite, Hemlock at Studio Seven, Seattle, WA
April 30 Fear Factory, Soilwork, American Wrecking Company at El Corazón - Seattle, WA
April 5 Primordial Atrocity, Bloodgeon, Defenestrator, Hereticon at The Highline, Seattle, WA
November 29 Sonata Arctica at El Corazón, Seattle, WA
November 29 Sonata Arctica at El Corazón, Seattle, WA
Monday, April 4, 2016
NEWS: Rapheumet's Well
NEWS:
Rapheumet's Well
The Exile
release date: March 18th, 2016
label: Test Your Metal Records
The sounds of Rapheumet's Well offer a progressive twist while keeping the music well within the genre of symphonic extreme metal with both extreme and melodic vocals. The band must have spent lots of time making the album because it is meant to be a professional recording that will appeal to the audiences into bands like Dimmu Borgir and Septicflesh. Below you will find some informative official information about the band.
The band is originally from North Carolina, U.S. In terms of biography, the band gave the following summary of its history in an interview with Pest Webzine (You will find the link to the full interview at the band’s Facebook page.):
“The root of this band begins about 16 years ago. The original members Jonathan Finney, Ralph Barnett and I (Joshua Ward) formed a project called Deadspeed. It was a turbid time in my life as I was only thirteen years of age and the other two were in their twenties. Due to “complicated” issues, I was forced to leave my home and staying with Jonathan and developing my music skills. The band was a sanctuary and to this day is my passion. Unfortunately, Ralph Barnette had to leave due to person issues but he was instrumental in the making of this band. We picked up Aaron Rogers who help introduce an ambient synth mix to our emerging symphonic metal sound. Tripp King and Daniel Presell joined in 2014 as our vocalist and guitarist. These two truly brought a unique and brutal element to our mix that is what represents us today. Recently, in light of the new album we picked up two more members Annette Greene and Hunter Ross. Annette had a remarkable voice as she has many awards in her High-school choir; she has since taken over as the keyboardist in light of Aaron’s recent departure. Hunter Ross, also being of High-school age is an unbelievably talented guitarist, bringing a new technical aspect to our music. Each member comes from many walks of life including a nurse, an acupuncturist, skilled labor, a professional painter, a science teacher, all joined by our passion for metal.”
Additional information on Facebook states:
Formerly known as Blue Man's God, Rapheumet's well experimented with many variations and genre's of music including classical, ambience, (and of course) metal. Rapheumet's Well was created in March of 2008.
The first demo was completed on june 11th, 2012. Rapheumet's Well members composed and produced the 2012 demo.
The first full-length, final-production album was released on October 31st, 2014, and is entitled, "Dimensions". The album was recorded by the band members, mixed and mastered by the drummer Josh Ward (Nasaru) with a dab of preferential input from the other members. The album features 10 songs which (from first song to last song) progressively tells its own section of a larger story portrayed in the style of an epic.
Future albums will continue this story, some in prequel and some in sequel to the album "Dimensions".
www.facebook.com/Rapheumetswell
THE END
interview: The Shiva Hypothesis
The Shiva Hypothesis
The Shiva Hypothesis is an extreme metal band from Holland. They sent in their “Promo 2015” recording, about which this publication reported not too long ago. Given the suggestive title of the recording, curiosity led to finding out more about the band’s plans, which indeed does include an album coming up. MvS, the band’s vocalist, explains more about The Shiva Hypothesis.
Thanks for sending your music. What can you tell us to introduce the band to the readers? Who is answering this interview?
It was our pleasure! To introduce ourselves; we are The Shiva Hypothesis, a four piece blackened death metal band from the east of the Netherlands, formed in 2012. The singer will be answering your questions today.
You all live in Holland, correct? How are things for your band there?
Correct, we all live in cities in the east of the Netherlands. I suppose we can say that we live in a favourable country to base a metal band in, one that allows freedom of creative expression and also has a somewhat active metal scene. We’ve played in several venues around the country, eliciting good responses all around. There definitely seems to be an audience for the specific kind of pandemonium we provide.
You sent in your "Promo 2015." What are your plans in terms of recording?
The promo serves as a teaser for the album that we’ve got coming out this year. It is going to feature 7 tracks, but we’ve still got plenty of other material lying around. Plans are to immediately start recording an EP after the album is finished.
How would you describe your extreme metal?
We’ve taken to adopting the moniker “blackened death metal”, which is a relatively accurate description of the music. In addition to the typical metal instrumentation for this genre we also make use of some more ambient sounds for added atmospheric emphasis. Since we’re all music-lovers first and foremost and have been around for some years there are many bands that have inspired us, ranging from bands in the black metal genre, like Behemoth, Gorgoroth and Ved Buens Ende, death metal bands like Death, Nocturnus and early Sentenced as well as non-metal artists like Fields of the Nephilim. Judging by the reviews we’ve received so far we have however succeeded in not sounding like a clone of any of these bands.
What does your name mean?
The Shiva Hypothesis is a theory that identifies patterns in mass extinction, followed by a period of fast evolution. To us, it symbolizes the concept of destruction and creation and how the two are intertwined. This very concept is the main philosophy of the band and can be found in artwork, lyrics and indeed, the music itself.
Recently, in Europe, terrorism has been a problem. You have lyrics about philosophy, mysticism and esotericism. How do you view the problem of terrorist violence?
My personal view, which I think many Europeans share, is that this recent surge of violence is best left unacknowledged. These assaults on the democratic lifestyle would succeed if we would start living in fear and avoiding the things we love to do. To link the situation to our theme; perhaps the world will be ready for a more peaceful time of creation, when this wave of destruction has passed.
What would you say are the goals of your band?
Our main objective will always be to create things that we believe meaningful and think worthwhile to share with other people (which can be music, lyrics, visuals, etc.) and in the meantime keep developing our means of expression and delve deeper into our musical and lyrical interests. If world domination and eternal glory can be achieved in the process that would of course be marvellous (!), but we much rather create something that is special to a select group of people than follow trends and/or compromise on things that are important to us to achieve short lived “success.” The future is hard to predict, but we will keep on making the necessary arrangements now to ensure a future in which The Shiva Hypothesis thrives. There are more releases on the way and we hope to cross the border for some gigs in the near future.
In your opinion, can record companies help your band or would you prefer to be independent?
This is a delicate question. There are positive and negative sides to working with a label. We would be inclined to sign up with label, but would need to make clear arrangements about artistic freedom.
Having a band consumes time and money. Is it frustrating to invest money in your band?
I reckon the band is a worthy thing to spend time and money on. The important thing to realize is that making the music that we like is above all a necessity/passion, in the sense that we would keep on doing it, whether or not we would make money. This however doesn’t mean that there isn’t a lot of hard work involved (that most people who simply click download probably aren’t aware of), so it is always great to hear that someone has enjoyed something you’ve created.
Since none of us are dependent on income from any of our musical endeavours, financial benefits only carry weight for us is in that they allow us to invest more and work faster. We do aspire to spread our music as far and wide as we can, but that stems from a desire to be heard, rather than a need to fill our bank accounts. In this attempt to distribute our music around the globe, we have found social media to be a helpful tool even if it can sometimes be a nuisance.
What types of lyrics do you have for your future songs? Are there particular ideas that you seek to convey to the audience?
As the lyricist, I find inspiration in many different fields. While the songs on the promo tackled mostly esoteric and mythological topics, the more recent works draw inspiration from works of psychology and anthropology.
As for conveying ideas; we have deliberately chosen not to adopt a strong political, social or religious agenda (for various reasons which would probably require another interview). We try to create experiences that we hope will affect and inspire people. If this makes someone pick up a book on one of the subjects and/or to think the lyrics through and create their own interpretation, that is of course great.
Finally, what news do you have?
Thanks for taking an interest in our music and offering us this interview. Be sure to keep an eye out for our upcoming album and live shows!
www.facebook.com/theshivahypothesis
www.the-shiva-hypothesis.bandcamp.com
www.soundcloud.com/theshivahypothesis
www.youtube.com/channel/UCTpCTMOWY4rM0s0GNzP9tgQ
www.twitter.com/Shivahypothesis
THE END
Sunday, April 3, 2016
free album: symphonic power metal: Harmonium
free album: symphonic power metal: Harmonium
Harmonium
Symphony of Steel
release date: April 1st, 2016
label: independent
The devoted supporters of symphonic power metal definitely should check out this free/name-your-price recording by the international formation known as Harmonium, which was founded in 2013. The project lists as the hometown: Georgia, Colombia, Mexico, Italy, Greece, Czech Republic, and Brazil. However, there is a lot more going on because all you have to do is look at the personnel involved:
Multinational Symphonic Power Metal Project
Kakhi Kiknadze - Guitars, Composing, Mix and Mastering
Jorge B. Canchola - Bass, Composing, Mix
Dani Zapata - Vocals (Battlestorm, Elfhaven Forest, The Longest Journey Back Home)
Iliour Griften - Vocals (Elfhaven Forest, Warrior's Revenge, The Longest Journey Back Home, Black Dragon)
Andrea Bicego - Vocals (Battlestorm)
Mari Chakvetadze - Vocals (Warrior's Revenge)
Davit Mikautadze - Vocals (Heroes)
Apollo Papathanasio - Vocals (The Longest Journey Back Home)
Angel Huerta - Album art, Guitar(Battlestorm)
Victor Hugo Santafe Ossa - Lead Keyboards (Battlestorm)
Michal Jankuliak - Guitar (Warrior's Revenge)
Claudia Corona - Vocals (Black Dragon)
Levan Osefashvili - Drums (Heroes)
Bob Katsionis - Mix and Master (Elfhaven Forest)
Harmonium
The recording is:
1.Rising (intro) 01:10
2.Battlestorm 05:00
3.Warrior's Revenge 07:53
4.Elfhaven Forest 05:02
5.The Longest Journey Back Home 13:53
6.Heroes 07:16
7.Black Dragon (Luca Turilli cover) 05:05
total time 45:19
www.harmoniumband.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/Harmoniumband
Inverloch (review by Akerblogger)
Inverloch
An All-Consuming Dismal Mire: Inverloch - Distance | Collapsed (2016)
Gathering and reshaping the mucoid toxins of 90's death-doom druids Disembowelment, drummer Paul Maziotta and guitarist Matthew Skarajew merged Voidchrist bassist Chris Jordon, vocalist Ben James and Guitarist Mark Cullen to form Inverloch - a chest-crushingly heavy band integrating the suffocating atmospheres of funeral-doom and the oppressiveness of ungodly death-metal. It's a dragging album, one that hooks into the ear-drums and slowly pulls the listener down into a dismal mire.
Distance | Collapsed opens with the the eight-minute plus 'Distance Collapsed (In Rubble)', a fittingly all-consuming Goliath of an opening track that moves from a lead-heavy and pummeling old-school death opening to a thick and atmospheric closing, tinged with melody and melancholy. The vocals are deep, gargled and prolonged, reaching through the murky heaviness like a sulfurous cloud. There is such a depth to the album's sound. It's crushingly heavy - each chug and each crash reverberates with the force of entire forests toppling to the ground, bringing buildings to the ground, rumbling with a eerie constancy. Yet the album transitions to something more brooding with 'From the Eventide Pool'.
There is a certain dreamlike melodic quality to the lead guitar that flutters above the crushing barbarism of the rumbled vocals and the crunching riffs; it's rather tender and beautiful in a perverse and unsettling way. This is an album of juxtapositions, however, and 'Lucid Delirium' writhes into paranoid existence - a song rid of tenderness and humanity. It's a crunching assault of cavernous death-metal, a song that demonstrates the truly demonic side to Inverloch; even less accessible than the first track, 'Lucid Delirium' is a cascading force of grating, almost monotone, doom-death - slower and toneless, into the abyss deeper we're dragged. 'The Empyrean Torment' is similarly dense; seven-minutes of steady mortar-fire like drums, ice-cold growls like wind through desolate fields and somber riff progressions collapses into a passage of more unforgiving intensity. It ends with 'Cataclysm of Lacuna' that carries on the from the last but with a solitary and somber lead resonating like a funeral-song above the collapse.
This is a genuinely dense and heavy album that shows that incessant and grating noise and violence is not always the best at creating atmosphere; Inverloch manage to balance elements of tenderness and heaviness, channeling them as one through cleverly thought out song progressions. Many bands attempt to smother their listeners into a tormented state of despair but only a handful genuinely succeed: Celtic Frost, Triptykon, Vallenfyre, Anaal Nathrakh, Wormed, Indian, and Darkspace are those, in my opinion, who have really succeeded in creating absolutely soul-destroying atmospheres in the past few years: Inverloch are now added to that list.
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Novembre (review by The Man of Much Metal)
Artist: Novembre
Album Title: Ursa
Label: Peaceville Records
Date Of Release: 1 April 2016
This album has proved to be one of the most difficult to write during 2016 so far. And the reason for this is the simple fact that this album has had me torn in two for such a long time. However, I have more or less put myself back together and have settled on a final opinion of it.
The album in question is ‘Ursa’ from Novembre, the Italian’s third full length and first in the better part of a decade. The fact that the atmospheric and doom-laden metal duo of Carmelo Orlando (guitar, vocals) and Massimiliano Pagliuso (guitars) have made a return for the wilderness is, in itself, a reason to be joyous. Their previous work was always very well received in the metal underground and many have longed for a return. Well, after nine long years since the release of ‘The Blue’, that patience has been rewarded.
On a first listen, I was almost euphoric about this, Novembre’s eighth full-length release. I have a genuine soft spot for heavy, gloomy, atmospheric and melodic music and right off the bat, I loved what I heard. The opening trio of ‘Australis’, ‘The Rose’ and ‘Umana’ had me gushing over social media almost immediately, such was the initial impact of the material.
‘Australis’ for example, begins with the soothing sounds of the sea lapping against the shore intermingled with a gentle clean guitar and soothing, almost breathy male vocals. It’s not too long before the heavy doom-esque guitars enter the fray and the tone of the six string when combined with a rumbling bass is wondrous; full of power but also full of stark beauty as well. The drums sit behind laying down a muscular beat, full of mid-tempo double-pedal action and a fair amount of groove. A rich growl enters the fray as the track develops but what really pricks my ears are the melodies. They are strong, memorable and addictive. The twists and turns hint at a progressive element and the accompanying atmospherics create a palpable sense of drama and urgency.
‘Umana’ is probably my favourite track on the album. Again it is dominated by elegiac melodies, lashings of layered atmospheres and that heavy dark/doom metal crunch that I find so compelling. The injection of spoken word segments are spine-tingling and fill the track with a raw emotion that tugs at all the right strings and, coupled with a sense of understated hope and euphoria, it’s the classic rollercoaster ride in musical form.
However, as I listened further into the album, I found my initial elation waning and with it, my interest. I listened again the following day, assuming that it was the late hour and my own fatigue that was to blame. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be. The middle portion of the album just didn’t have the same impact upon me as the opening tracks. At this point, I actually shelved ‘Ursa’ in a fit of disappointed pique.
It was a few days later that I found myself listening to some music on headphones on shuffle. I heard a couple of Novembre tracks quite by accident but actually liked them a lot more than I had and decided to give the record one last try.
Overall, I’m glad I did because there is an awful lot to like about ‘Ursa’. I still have to say that the mid-section of the album isn’t quite as brilliant as the rest. I do like the vibrant, up-tempo nature of ‘Annoluce’ for example but I’m not sure that the melodies are as strong on the whole meaning that I struggle to pick out any other genuine highlights. Given my personal and irrational dislike of brass solos in metal, the saxophone solo in ‘Oceans Of Afternoons’ isn’t particularly welcome. And I’m not the biggest fan of the jaunty and quirky folk-like tone of ‘Agathae’ at the beginning, although the more savage death metal elements towards the end are rather interesting.
But when Novembre get it right, they really get it right. In addition to the aforementioned tracks, the heavier and more aggressive approach of ‘Bremen’ is a delight particularly when juxtaposed as it is with calmer, more serene melodic moments within it. Those clean, ethereal vocals are the perfect accompaniment and come to the fore magnificently here.
The album then closes with ‘Fin’ that opens in a sorrowful manner but then explodes with a cracking guitar riff and tortured gruff screams. The latter stages of the track hint at post-metal and ambient influences, bringing the album to a serene and majestic conclusion.
All in all then, the majority of ‘Ursa’ is a sensationally entertaining and engaging dose of melodic, highly atmospheric and emotional dark doom metal. For this reason alone, it is worthy of your time and attention. If only the entire album was as strong throughout, ‘Ursa’ would have been guaranteed a place in my year-end best of list. As it is, I still really like ‘Ursa’ and I would definitely recommend it to those of a similar disposition with a penchant for atmospheric and melodic doom. But it just falls short of being a jaw-dropping classic.
The Score Of Much Metal: 8.0
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Saturday, April 2, 2016
interview: Corners of Sanctuary
Corners of Sanctuary
Non-trendy metal music can be a difficult area to be in, but some bands are tough enough to stick to what they believe, regardless of fashions. Corners of Sanctuary (USA) is one such band. They play traditional heavy metal in the sense of classic-style and foundational heavy metal. People say that the music business is rough, but how hard is it when your band plays unfashionable heavy metal? To get some answers, Mick Michaels (guitar and keyboards) took time to explain it all. Thanks to Mick for such an informative and professional interview.
First of all, thanks for sending in your music. What can you tell us to introduce the band to the readers?
Thank you for offering us this opportunity to share Corners of Sanctuary with your readers. We greatly appreciate it.
We are Corners of Sanctuary, a New Wave of Traditional American Heavy Metal band from Philadelphia, PA. Corners of Sanctuary formed in early 2011. The band grew out of a short-term reunion project Sean, James and I were involved in back in 2010 for a band called Seeker. During that time, Sean and I began discussing starting a new project that focused on our metal roots. We wanted to write the kind of songs that we weren’t hearing anymore. We starting rehearsing and about six months later we brought James onboard and Corners of Sanctuary was born. In the beginning, Sean was acting as drummer and lead vocalist. However, we realized pretty early on that the band would require someone who would helm the front person position exclusively. In 2013 Frankie joined the band filling that spot.
Corners of Sanctuary includes:
Frankie Cross: vocals
Sean Nelligan: drums and backing vocals
James Pera: bass and backing vocals
Mick Michaels: guitar and keyboards
Are you from Philadelphia, as Metal Archives says. How’s your band doing in that city?
Yes, we hail from the City of Brotherly Love. Philly is a very diverse and rich music scene. There is a lot going on but metal is alive and well here. Our style of metal tends to lend itself towards the more classic or traditional sounds of the genre. Thrash and death Metal tend to be more of the popular styles in Philly, but this also seems to be true for most music scenes around the country today based on our experience. Regardless, Corners of Sanctuary is able to hold their own and we are proud to be part of scene with such a strong presence and a long and celebrated musical history.
You sent in your album "Metal Machine." What happened after the release of the album?
“Metal Machine” released last year in late October under Metalizer Records in Germany. We also had a limited run Special Edition US release of the album as well which included three bonus tracks. That pressing has since sold out, which was very exciting.
Overall, the album has received positive reviews and has helped take the COS awareness up another notch. We have also released two videos for tracks from the album, “Left Scarred” and “Wrecking Ball”. We plan to release a third for “Tomorrow Never Comes” in the coming months.
We started promoting the album’s upcoming release last summer and since then have been supporting the album non-stop with live shows throughout the Southern and Northeast regions. During that time we have been fortunate enough to work with Tantric, Butcher Babies and Grim Reaper. In May we are heading out to the Midwest for a string of shows as well as putting together a West Coast tour for October. In between we will be at the NEPA Metal Meltdown Fest and performing as part of this summer’s Metal Eternal Fest Tour.
How did you arrive at your style?
We have always considered ourselves just heavy metal. But we learned that what we consider heavy metal is not what heavy metal is considered today. We were being classified as many different things such as American power metal, or old school thrash and even just classic hard rock. We felt that our roots grew out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal era, but were also inspired by the early American metal that coincided. We decided to take the best of both worlds and came up with the New Wave of Traditional American Heavy Metal moniker.
Our style is definitely a traditional mix of many of our influences, but with our own personal twist. That twist is constantly evolving and maybe in time what we call this particular style of metal will change, but for now it is what it is and we are proud of it. People still tend to classify us as something different but that’s okay. We have learned that people will call it what it feels like to them, or based on their tastes or experiences. In the end it really does not matter. What matters is that the music resonates with them. Whatever they call the music is fine with us.
If there is no commercial success, does that matter to you? In what ways does the approval of an audience affect your desire to continue making music?
There is always a concern with regards to money and keeping to budget. This is true for anything not just being in a band. That concern can be beneficial, however, as it tends to foster more creativity and out of the box thinking.
I think success is important to everyone on some level. I guess commercial success can be measured in a lot of different ways. It’s all a matter of perception. By the old standard, many of us would most likely be falling short. I think that if someone is in it just for the money, that notion will quickly fade and new interests will be pursued once a little time is spent pounding the pavement. The music scene has a way of weeding out artists who are not dedicated to the process. You either love creating music or you don’t. That has nothing to do with style, genre, talent or money.
Crowd approval is a catch-22 situation. If you don’t offer something that the crowd likes you are considered a failure by the general public. If you give exactly what the crowds likes, you are considered a sellout by your peers and could be accused of following trends or doing cookie-cutter art. With anything there is a balance to be had. What that balance is becomes an individual thing. We have found that we write songs that we would want to hear as fans. That was one of the purposes of forming this band: to create music that we would want to hear. That idea has helped us remain focused and honest with what we do. If we find that something is not working, it is often because we are doing something that is not being true to ourselves and to the music. People can sense that and that is a big turn off. People can also sense honesty and often tend to gravitate towards that.
What is your opinion of social media for your band?
Social media is definitely an intricate part of a band’s marketing and public awareness. It is a great way to connect with people all over the world, making it much easier to promote and campaign. However, as it does provide a global canvas for artists to work upon, the scope is often too large to handle. I feel we are often misled by the seemingly powerful vast landscape it offers artists. We can become blinded by what, in reality, is a false sense of security. Social media should be taken as an important tool to build connections and used appropriately. However, the cornerstone for any band is to connect with people through the live shows. An invite to a “like” in Russia doesn’t necessarily help fill the venue at a show in Kansas City. Working locally, regionally, nationally and globally all have its benefits.
What type of lyrics seems to be prevalent in your songs?
One of our primary song topics is that of war and battle. “Metal Machine” is entirely about war and the soldier. The title itself is a metaphor for a tank, or fighter plane, or a battle ship or the soldier themselves. Though it was written in a way that the lyrics could be interpreted as other things, such as heavy metal music itself, the underlying concepts are of war and battle, which I imagine could also hold some political and social undertones.
Another one of our song subjects is self-empowerment, a sort of rising to the occasion against insurmountable odds idea. Music is a way to inspire others. Music has always inspired us. That’s why we are doing it, because we were inspired and hope to do the same for others. Music is also a positive creative outlet and the world needs more positive and less negative.
You have four albums. What have you learned about the music business after making four albums? Some people say that it is a dirty business with lots of backstabbing and lying. How has it been in your experience?
We actually have five albums if you count our Holiday album “Driven Snow”.
We have learned to make better records. We have gotten far more familiar with digital recording and the new way to market and promote the music. It really is a digital media world and that offers so many new avenues.
I think with any endeavor, music or otherwise, there always exists an element that lends itself to dishonesty and subterfuge. So to say that the music business is any more “dirty” than another form of business would be misleading in itself. We have found at times truth may be in short supply on occasion. We maintain a personal state of integrity that we use as a compass. Basically, honesty prevails. Not always reciprocated but always maintained on our end. We feel our word is golden. If we hold up our end and things still go wrong, no one can say that we tried to pull any punches.
Is there anything else that you would like to mention?
I would like to thank you again for giving us this time and for giving Corners of Sanctuary your support – we really are grateful.
The band is currently running an ongoing crowdfunding project to help raise funds for our upcoming May and October tours. We have a dedicated page on our website for those who would like to offer some additional support. The page outlines what we are looking to achieve as well as those we are partnering with to make this all happen. Support tiers are listed at various levels which include an array of COS merchandise. We are not asking for people to just give us money. We are offering something in return as well as a listing on our website naming them as a generous supporter.
We do have another video planned for release sometime in May for our next single “Tomorrow Never Comes,” so keep an eye out. And we will be releasing a “Best of” compilation in the very near future as a free MP3 download.
COSnROLL!\m/\m/
www.cornersofsanctuary.com/coscrowdfunding.html
www.facebook.com/CornersofSanctuary
www.twitter.com/COSnROLL
THE END
interview: Dead Samaritan
Dead Samaritan
Alright, it’s time to get to know these Finns a little bit better. This publication has been talking about the band for a while now, but the time for the interview is here. They have a cheeky-morbid name and they play extreme metal. Who they are and what they are you will find out right now! Thanks to guitarist Marko for providing such helpful and informative answers!
Greetings! What can you tell us about your city or nation and your band there?
Hi, and greetings from Finland! We are located around a city called Tampere, which has a nice and active music scene. There are also bigger and smaller metal gigs and festivals in the city every year.
We rehearse in a smaller town close to Tampere, as it is very cheap for us, and the distance to Tampere isn’t that big. I myself live a bit further away from the other members, but it’s not an issue, as I drive to rehearsals once a week, and that’s been a good rehearsing rhythm for us lately.
The metal scene in Finland is active and big, but clearly it is facing changes as we speak. It is more difficult for smaller or even medium sized bands to get gigs. Or if you get gigs, you don’t get paid or even fed at the venue or any compensation for traveling to play at the venue. When talking smaller gigs, you pretty much always need a surefire name to draw enough audience to get the expenses compensated, not to mention getting a full house. There’s simply been too much of bands and gigs for so long, so people are more selective these days.
We do gigs every once in a while, but only if the conditions are right and the opportunity is suitable for us. But to be honest we could do more live concerts, sure.
What is the history of your band and who is answering this interview?
My name is Marko, I’m the second guitarist and I mostly write our music (although our new songs will be more of a co-effort, it seems). Other members are vocalist Valendis, guitarist Matti, drummer Janne and bass virtuoso Eero, who also contributes to song writing sometimes. Janne and I are the only founding members left, but this latest line-up has been a solid one, as we’ve played together now since 2009. I personally wouldn’t like to lose any of these members.
We started under a different name in 2001, and took the Dead Samaritan moniker in 2003. We also adapted a bit more aggressive style that year. In the following years we faced some challenges with our line-up, and I had to finish my studies, so the band was on hold for more than a year before we started doing this again somewhere around 2008.
Dead Samaritan have played with some nice names like Swallow The Sun, Rotten Sound, Omnium Gatherum and Ranger to name a few.
In metal music there are many genres. What is yours?
Dead Samaritan is definitely death thrash metal, but we have influences from heavy metal, punk and even classic rock. Some ideas have even emerged from famous 80’s TV Shows’ themes!
I have been listening to your music. How many recordings do you have and where can people hear your music?
Glad to hear you’ve listened to us. We’ve recorded two full-lengths (The Devil Tunes in 2014, The Only Good Samaritan… in 2012) and four demos so far. You can find our records in Spotify, iTunes, Deezer and wherever. Or if you want the good stuff – as in physical recordings – I’d say Google is your friend.
What drove you to metal music?
My childhood friend listened to metal and lured me and our other friend to listen to it. And it didn’t take long when we formed cellar band. I was asked to play bass guitar then, and all I knew about the instrument was, that it looked like a guitar and it had four strings. Yet the very next day after that we already played Sabbath Bloody Sabbath!
I fell in love with traditional heavy metal first, but when I heard Metallica’s Fight Fire with Fire for the first time, I was flabbergasted. “How can they play guitar that fucking fast? I want to do that too!” So soon I discarded bass and switched to guitar.
Later during the 90’s when metal had been a bit “away” and I was listening more to punk, sludge and such, I accidentally bought Vader’s Sothis MCD. It totally blew me away and rekindled my interest in metal, it showed new quality metal music was being published.
What can people do to support your music?
Listen and buy our music, and come to gigs whenever were in town, and then buy our shirts. And of course you can always send us your greetings via Facebook, email etc.
Do you plan to tour?
We might do some shows later this year, but right now writing and rehearsing new music is the focus. We’ve been asked to do tours for a few times during the last year, but due to many circumstances (members breaking their limbs, getting kids etc.) in our private lives it hasn’t been possible now.
At the moment it is a bit soonish to talk about 2017, but hopefully we’ll have our third album under our belts by then, and that might open new opportunities, so who knows where we might end up next year.
Would you say that you play metal for fame and fortune? If not, why are you a metal maniac?
Metal’s gone into my DNA, and I think it has to be the same thing with the other members. Had it not, they wouldn’t have been doing this with me this long. Our style is so underground, so I don’t think we’ll ever make big bucks with this, but I wouldn’t mind getting at least some sort of reward for giving our hearts to this thing. But for me more important would be getting to play some bigger gigs and getting abroad again.
Some bands write lyrics about music or swords or violence or zombies. Are lyrics important to your band and what type of lyrics do you think work well with your music?
Lyrics are quite important to me. I mean our lyrics can be purposefully cheesy and tongue-in-cheek sometimes, but we always try to write them as well as possible. We’ve sang about swords, handguns, violence and zombies, and we’ll probably do so in the future, but even if we think the lyrics have to be good, they don’t have to be so serious every time.
I know that when Valendis writes lyrics for us, she usually goes the tongue-in-cheek way, and the same goes a lot for me. I suppose Eero goes a bit more in the traditional horror way when he writes lyrics, he’s stuff is the most violent too.
Some lyrics I want to have a bit more serious themes like religious madness or greed for power, but I never want to preach anyone, I rather want to encourage people to think for themselves and form their own opinions.
What else do you have coming up?
As already hinted, we’re writing new songs as speak. We have around five songs done now, but need a pile more to make it an album. Yet not to worry, we’ve rolled up our sleeves, so sooner or later the world will face the reality of the third Dead Samaritan album, and judging by the stuff already written, it will be our heaviest and best album so far, easily. For example you can already memorize the name of a song called Shadows of the Passed, it will kick some serious balls, and I so can’t wait to get to play it onstage!
Thank you for your questions, and all the best to the Metal Bulletin!
Dead Samaritan
www.facebook.com/DeadSamaritan
www.twitter.com/DeadSamaritan
THE END
Friday, April 1, 2016
interview: Bifröst
NEWS: Inherit Disease
NEWS:
Inherit Disease
Ephemeral
Unique Leader Records
release: 8 April 2016
In the world of modern ultra death metal the arms race continues. There's no rest for the wicked bunch known as Inherit Disease. They are ready like Olympians train to take on everyone. Enter the realm of brutality. You'll be thinking to yourself that this could be heaven or this could be hell. Make yourself comfortable, if you want brutality. Go the Facebook page to get a taste of what's about to come down the pipeline. Below is some official information so that you get an idea of how bumpy this ride will be.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION
Ventura, California-based technical death metal unit, INHERIT DISEASE, will release their third full-length on April 8 via Unique Leader Records. Titled Ephemeral, the follow-up to 2010’s seminal Visceral Transcendence was tracked at Seahorse Sound Studios by Samur Khouja (Condemned, Arkaik, Flesh Consumed) and will feature mixing/mastering by Sasha Borovykh (Epicardiectomy, Cerebral Effusion) from Tsun Tsun Productions. Once again adorned with the stunningly disturbing cover creation of Yang Guang, Ephemeral will explore the realms of our dark future.
Forged in 2002, INHERIT DISEASE have spent the last thirteen years perfecting their style of straight forward, yet original, innovative brutal death metal. Various lineup changes over the years have attributed to the band’s artistic growth, though the band solidified their cast adding second guitarist Tom Wilson in 2012 to promote more diverse song writing structures and to enhance the intensity of their live shows.
www.facebook.com/InheritDisease
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