Archive for April, 2012
Monday, April 30th, 2012
Tragic Idol (Century Media)
For album number thirteen in their illustrious career, the members of long running Gothic doomsters PARADISE LOST went back to basics. The band known for their genre defining albums early in their career, have continued to evolve slowly over twenty years. As time marches on in an artists career, there is usually no accounting for how copycats shape a sub-genre. Most critics tend to judge the originating group(s) on whether they stay the course or not, which is often a mistake. In the meantime while everyone has their thumb up their collective asses (or arses), PARADISE LOST has turned in a stunner of an album. One worthy of note as one of the best in their storied career. As is the case in these days, we’ll shall see if the thunder of the sound is matched by the praise and fanfare they so richly deserve.
Epic in scope from the very first notes, Tragic Idol feels like a landmark album right away. “Solitary One” opens with the melancholy angst you’ve come to expect from these dark masters. Nick Holmes’ downtrodden voice has never sounded stronger or more exasperated at life’s folly. The deft sense of melody Holmes is known for injecting into his lines has not softened over time. Perhaps energized by his side project VALLENFYRE, Greg Mackintosh, has written some of his heaviest and most unforgettable riffs on this album. Second track “Crucify” has an opening lick full of the fire and flash that the band has missed of late. The main riff of the song is an instant classic and Holmes singing is terrific. Right away the pulse pounding beats from Adrian Erlandsson (VALLENFYRE/AT THE GATES/CRADLE OF FILTH/THE HAUNTED/NEMHAIN) are really classic in composition and exciting to hear. When the song slows down to half-time towards the end of of the track, you feel the full weight of the emotions of the music. These first two tracks are very evenly matched and make for a good blueprint for the rest of the album. “Fear of Impending Hell” has the grim, but catchy sound of the band you love. You almost want to flick open a lighter and wave your arms to and fro for this one. Steve Edmondson chips in some fine bass guitar work on this one too. “Honesty In Death” is another slow head-nodder. The riffs are crisp, yet there is a great guitar interplay going on between Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy. Holmes poignant lyrics are driven home with amazing melodic sentiments. “Theories From Another World” is just a ferocious cut with a great main lick and more great guitar work. The dynamic shifts and rhythms build great drama as the track progresses. “In This We Dwell” is an equally vigorous metallic workout. Such fine songwriting has to be fully appreciated in this time of throw-away music. “To the Darkness” is also an upbeat number that continues to mine angst and rage for the venerable band. The doomy breakdown in the middle might be the highlight of the entire album. It is certainly one of this years’ heaviest musical moments. The title track follows next and does more of the same, bridging heavy sounds with heartfelt feelings. “Worth Fighting For” has some fine percussive moments that call to mind some of today’s leading Pagan metal bands, some of whom owe a debt to this band in some slight way. The final track “The Glorious End” sounds just like it’s title, huge. This is sure to be a release that delights longtime fans and makes news ones wonder what they ever listened to before.
 PARADISE LOST: Better as time goes by.
GRADE: A
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: bassist Steve Edmondson, Century Media, doom, Draconian Times, drummer Adrian Erlandsson, epic lyrics, Goth Metal, goth rock, gothic, guitar interplay, guitarist Aaron Aedy, guitarist/producer Greg Mackintosh, Host, melancholy themes, metal reviews by Keefy, One Second, paradise lost, singer Nick Holmes, songwriting, Tragic Idol, UK metal, “Honesty In Death”
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Friday, April 27th, 2012
Ridge “Deadite” Briel recently caught up with Varg Vikernes of the legendary band Burzum to discuss his upcoming new album Umskiptar and other issues, such as setting the record straight on exactly how to classify his music, what he thinks of the Lords Of Chaos book, and what sort of music he listens to.
Deadite: Ever since you got out of prison, you’ve been recording new music like crazy. Were most or all of these songs written while you were locked up?
Varg Vikernes: No. Only of a few of the tracks on Belus were written whilst in prison or before I went to prison. The rest is all new material.
Tell us about Umskiptar. What does the title mean and what is the overall storyline of the album? What is the backstory of the painting that adorns the cover?
The title means Metamorphoses and it is a musical interpretation of the poem Völuspá, a Norse poem dealing with the metamorphoses of nature. The cover painting is a romantic image of the goddess of the night, Natt, by P. N. Arbo, a Norwegian painter. The lyrics deal with the metamorphoses of the year, and the cover art the metamorphoses of the day and night. After Night comes Day, and then Night again, and so it goes of for ever…
What is it that stands out to you about the poem Völuspá enough to make an entire album about it as compared to other sections of the Prose Edda?
It is a very misinterpreted peom, understood for more than a hundred years as a creation story and a story about the end of the world. So I wanted to present it in another light. If understood in context with Sorcery and Religion in Ancient Scandinavia, it will grant the listener a new perspective of a poem thar deserves our attention.
What equipment did you use for the recording of this album?
As far as I remember the same as on Fallen, only I also used a lure and an old grand piano as well. Actually, I think I used another bass this time – but I cannot remember its brand or anything like that. I pay no attention to such things when I record.
Tell us what a typical day in the studio would consist of. Did the lyrics come first or the music? What influences you when writing this type of atmospheric black metal?
This is not black metal. Burzum has not been so-called black metal since before Filosofem (made mostly in 1992, recorded in March 1993)…. Burzum is Scaldic Metal.
Anyhow, I recorded each instrument first and then did the lyrics. A typical day in the studio would be hard work from the morning to the evening.
Why have you chosen to do a return to the roots of Burzum, the more atmospheric portion that is, instead of creating the kind of music that was on Fallen and Belus?
Well, I think you (and it seems most others too) have misunderstood what I said in the press release. I said I returned to my roots, but my roots are not early Burzum. My roots can be found in European classical and traditional music.
Why I returned to my roots? Good question… probably because the circle has been completed, and I have to start all over again. Or perhaps because I have been visiting different places and realise that the best place was were I started.
I’ve read that each of your albums is supposed to be a type of spell that first makes them susceptible to magick, to inspire a trance like state of mind, and then to carry the listener into a world of fantasy. Is there a specific function that each album has that isn’t shared between them? And if so, what is the function of Umskiptar?
Ooooh. Your use of the term magick is very misplaced in relation to Burzum. You could use the term magic or rather sorcery, sure, but never magick. I detest Crowley and everything he stood for.
The purpose behind the music was to enable the listener to enter a fantasy world, to return to our Golden Age, so to speak. «Umskiptar» is a voice of the forefathers; a call from our past, reminding us about our Pagan origin and responsibilities.
In reference to the album From The Depths Of Darkness, why did you choose those specific tracks to re-record as compared to other tracks? Do you plan on re-recording any more tracks in the future?
No, I have no plans to re-record anything else. I think both HLto and Filosofem are fine as they were recorded the first time. The tracks were chosen based on my personal preference only. Some tracks needed more than others to be re-recorded, and others I just wanted to re-record.
Are there any music artists or bands that you would recommend to others? What sort of music do you personally listen to on a day to day basis?
Personally I like some of The Cure a lot, like their fantastic Disintegration album, and I also like the beautiful Within the Realm of a Dying Sun by Dead Can Dance.
In Belus, you had two previous tracks that were re-worked to fit the album. What compelled you to re-write these songs into the album? Is there anything like that on Fallen or Umskiptar?
No, all the material on Fallen and Umskiptar was new. I used old tracks for Belus because I really liked these old tracks. That’s it really.
What is your view of the old bards of Norway? Do you feel that the culture has lost some of it’s value due to the disappearance of the bards and their lost tales?
Norway never had bards. We had scalds. Gaul and Britain had bards. It is basically the same thing, but being a bit pedantic I just had to stress the difference…
Yes, we have lost much due to the disappearance of the bards and scalds, or rather we lost our bards and scalds because of Judeo-Christianity, so we lost much due to the appearance of Judeo-Christianity.
In a nutshell, what is your overall view of Anton LaVey and Satanism? Do you agree or disagree with the nine Satanic Statements? What sort of values do you feel people should incorporate into their everyday lives?
My view of Anton La Vey and his so-called Satanism? Anton Le Vey’s original name is Howard Stanton Levey (which is the same surname as Levi), so in other words he was a f***ing Jew. I detest that Jew and all his teachings; they are created to break down European morals, ideals and ideas, just like Christianity was, much earlier by the Jew Paulus (alias Saul). Levey’s Satanism is just another form of Judaism for non-Jews, just like Freemasonry, Christianity, Islam, et cetera.
I don’t know about people, in the sense that there are different races of humans out there, and ever different human species (see atala.fr of proof of that), so I will only talk about my own race and species; the Europeans! We should embrace our traditional (Pagan) values of honour and rightousness. Nothing more, nothing less.
What are your views on the Lords Of Chaos book? There are a lot of contrasting views spread over the internet, so maybe we can set this straight once and for all.
There are contrasting views only for those who don’t know that the only reliable information you can find about Burzum and me can be found on burzum.org.
The book is written by a Laveyist, Michael Jenkins Moynihan, and his humanist idiot companion, Didrik Søderlind, and if you want my view on their worthless book you can read this; http://www.burzum.org/eng/library/lords_of_chaos_review.shtml.
Is there any sort of literature you would recommend people to read and to gain knowledge from?
You should read Baron Julius Evola’s books, for sure, as well as the classical Greek stoic philosophy, and if you have an interest in Scandinavian mythology I can also recommend my own book, Sorcery and Religion in Ancient Scandinavia.
Any last words for your fans and what people can expect from Umskiptar?
From Umskiptar you can expect more of Burzum…. slow, atmospheric and mythical.
Trust only the information you get from burzum.org!
By: Ridge “Deadite” Briel
Tags: Atmospheric, black metal, Burzum, Deadite, reviews by Ridge, Scaldic Metal, Umskiptar, Varg Vikernes
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Tuesday, April 24th, 2012
Carved Into Stone (Long Branch Records)
PRONG is possibly the most respected, yet underrated band in metal. Coming out of New York City almost twenty-five years ago and pioneered a sound that was the bridge between the 1980s thrash, hardcore, avant garde experimental music and the later the power -groove and industrial sounds of the mid-1990s. Few bands were also as consistent with the bands’ early albums all being a classic. Still, they seem to have flown under the radar, despite the brilliance of their front man Tommy Victor’s high profile side gigs (DANZIG/MINISTRY). Following up the excellent Power of the Damager, Carved Into Stone finds the band with a new lineup, new label and a reinvigorated sound.
Starting with “Eternal Heat” and its thrashy opening riffs, the sound of the record is an immediate return to the early days of the band. Frenetic tempos and inspired down picked riffs roll out and crush you. Tommy sounds as gritty and angst ridden as ever vocally and the playing is inspired by all. Drummer Alexi Rodriguez (ex-3 INCHES of BLOOD) has really proved to be a great addition over the last few years. He has the chops and the flair to really make his parts count and not just be a backing guy. This track could have easily come out in 1990 from the sound of it, but it is modern enough for current fans of heavy music. “Keep On Living In Pain” is another top track in the early going. With the patented PRONG call and response chorus, you can just imagine this song being huge in the live setting. One of the things Tommy is known for is switching up his rhythms from verse to verse, keeping the writing inventive and your ear locked in. The chugging breakdown would call to mind MACHINE HEAD, if you didn’t already know that they got that signature style MH part from Force Fed, the earliest PRONG album. Straight ahead, rocking and angry, “Ammunition” is another tou-de-force. The middle section has a really soulful guitar solo which add some drama. My favorite song on the album is “Revenge Best Served Cold”. Similar in meter and urgency to the last albums’ music, this song has the PRONG sound down to a science. One of the keys to their style is the ability of chord changes to move over rolling bass lines and drum parts. Tony Campos (SOULFLY/MINISTRY/STATIC-X/ASESINO/POSSESSED/OTEP) has stepped in and filled this crucial role extremely well. He has even displayed a little more range and melodic sublties than he has in the past. “State of Rebellion” is a gruff bruiser with an industrial beat and sweet riffs. “Put Myself To Sleep” is similar in tone as well. These uptempo cuts add a lot of fun to the album and when the band puts its collective heads down and pedals the riffs in triple-time, it’s magical sounding. Sort of straddling modern metal, thrash and punk all at once. “List of Grievances” is pure speed metal. Three straight minutes of angry awesomeness. The title track comes next and has a bit of a doomy, DOWN type flavor. Tommy injects his vocals with some clever major key melodies; which contrast nicely with the track. There is some more stellar lead playing to sink your teeth into as well. Of the remaining tracks, the closer “Reinvestigate” is the best. I wasn’t sure they could top their last album, but Tommy Victor is ever the perfectionist and has done just that. This album is sure to excite the blood of the old-school fans as well as mint new ones.
 PRONG in 2012: back in attack mode. GRADE: A
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: bassist Tony Campos, Carved Into Stone, drummer Alexi Rodriguez, guitarist/vocalist Tommy Victor, hardcore, inventive riffs, Long Branch Records/SPV, power groove, Power of the Damager, Prong, punk, Speed Metal, thrash
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Monday, April 23rd, 2012
English Dogs Interview by Joel Grind
The Metal Punk legends are back!
There has been a bit of controversy over the fact that there are two lineups of the English Dogs active right now, the Punk lineup that plays the early songs and the Metal lineup that plays To the Ends of the Earth and beyond material. This interview is with the Metal version of the band.
This interview with Gizz and Pinch took place in Cleveland, Ohio during a successful run across the U.S.A. with Havok, my band Toxic Holocaust and the Casualties supporting them. It started out as a normal interview and then kind of morphed into a conversation.
I wanted to start the interview off by saying that this tour has been a dream come true for me, never thinking I’d get the chance to see the English Dogs live, let alone play with you. How are you enjoying the tour so far?
Gizz: Well, Joel it’s a real pleasure to be on this tour with some really like minded people. The enthusiasm of each band member of every band has been really inspirational. It’s wonderful to be playing with these very talented guys from different genres.
That’s kind of what I like about this tour, it combines a lot of different influences together but it all seems to work. The fans coming to the shows seem to be digging all of the bands, even if they came for just one particular band they end up staying for the whole show.
Gizz: This whole tour is kind of like a circle. Havok is the most straight up Metal band of the whole tour, then you’re (Toxic Holocaust) kind of coming a bit from that angle of…um…you remind of Hellhammer a bit and Celtic Frost a bit, plus Venom and Motorhead. That’s kind of where the English Dogs come in because we kind of have that Motorhead / Metallica / GBH thing and at the end the Casualties get the GBH bit.
This is the Punk Metal tour! I can’t even remember if there ever was a true Punk Metal tour back in the day, we kind of weren’t even aware that it was happening, we were just doing it.
The scene you guys kind of helped create in the UK has been hugely influential to me with bands like Onslaught, Sacrilege etc doing the whole Metal Punk thing.
Gizz: I really enjoyed Sacrilege, the first 12”. I used to listen that a lot. There was a band from the states called Excel that I used to like a lot too. That’s how this whole scene kind of started, just through underground tape trading. But I think in the case of Sacrilege, as you probably know they went step too far with the Metal thing. That’s kinda when they seemed to have disappeared.
Yeah that’s funny you say that, we did a tour with Napalm Death and I asked those guys if they know what happened to Sacrilege’s singer Tam and they had no info about her. It’s weird in this day and age to not be able to find any info on someone.
Gizz: Yeah it’s like she just fell off the face of the Earth.
Since this tour is going well, do you have any plans to do more touring or doing a new record?
Gizz: We are talking about all of those things. When the tour was first talked about it was gonna be just this one thing, but then we realized how much we liked it. So now we are talking about doing some fresh writing. I’ve been working on some riffs, I’ve been pulling out some old tapes and we’ve been talking about how we want the style of the writing to be. We definitely want to tour the states again.
There has been a lot of bands that I’ve seen that have reformed and its been pretty lackluster for the most part. But this is kinda what I imagined seeing you guys in the 80′s would have been like.
Gizz: It helps because of things like Youtube, I saw some old footage of us like the one with us at the Olympic Auditorium and I was throwing myself all around with this big blonde mop and I thought “fucking hell…this is what I’ve got to do again”. My initial thoughts were that this might be my one only time to get this lucky break, this tour is a gift to me.
When the thought of reforming came up were you already in contact with Adie and Pinch or did you have to search them out?
Gizz: It was thanks to Facebook really. Facebook has brought everything together. Because Pinch is in the Damned it was kinda hard getting a hold of him because he’s been busy. I had to wait till the Damned toured England and I saw him at the gig and we made a date to meet up. Then Facebook came along and I found Adie. We all talked about the logistics of doing it and then we decided to go for it.
(Pinch walks in “What Kind of shit is this guy giving you?!)
Ok, You guys knew I was going to ask, Is there any bad blood between the two different versions of the English Dogs?
Pinch: There’s bad blood that has been created by their side. Its really unfortunate. I was never aksed to do the lineup that Wakey is doing. It was just presumed that I was too busy because I was with the Damned. Wakey did it with pretty much the original lineup but because Wakey is Wakey, he’s one of the worlds great eccentrics in good and bad ways. His bad ways are really horrible and he can be a nasty person. At heart he is a hilarious fucking genius natural lunatic. He was my best man at my wedding. He’s a really great guy, but when he gets a bee in his bonnet about something he’s a really nasty bastard. It’s just unfortunate because it’s like they feel that we are stepping on their toes of something they’ve created when the reality of it is they play ten shows a year and I don’t feel that quality of the band that he’s got now is worthy of the English Dogs name whereas I know that quality of this line up is fucking worthy of the name.
Gizz: Pinch started the fucking band.
Pinch: Yeah, I asked Wakey to join. It was my fucking thing. And if you look at the discography we always were kind of two bands. There was the Wakey era then when we recruited Gizz and Adie we became something else but because we still had John Murray it still was the English Dogs. I think to the Ends of the Earth really captured what we were after with out it going to far in one direction or another. I think if we do stuff in the future I think that’s the direction that we are going to be aiming in. Keep it available to both Punks and Metal fans.
Yeah, I know when we do tours with Toxic we get a pretty even amount of Punks and Metal heads at the shows even though most people just consider us a Thrash Metal band.
Pinch: See I don’t see it that way, I see a lot of Discharge influence with you guys and a lot of hardcore punk, I don’t really see a huge amount of the Metal in your stuff.
What were some bands or records that you guys first got into that made you want to start a band?
Pinch: Well it was kind of the opposite effect for me. There was this initial blast of punk in 1977 and the by 1979 and 1980 it seemed like it had already run it’s course. We were doing these bus trips packing like 50 punks in and going to see bands like Stiff Little Fingers and the Stranglers and I felt like it needs to be more than this. It seemed like it had already turned into a cabaret side show where the pioneers had laid the path and no one had really followed the path. Everyone started wanting to be faster, louder and dirtier and you weren’t getting it. You were getting like finely crafted pop songs with a punk tinge and the music was just so bad so that’s what inspired me to do something. Then of course bands like Discharge and GBH came along. That was my first ever gig, seeing those two bands together. It changed my life.
Gizz: I really like Bad Brains “Green Tape”. Like Pinch was saying, a lot of the Punk stuff was very controlled but when that came along that was like letting go. It was like there was no barriers.
Pinch: I mean GBH is basically like a stripped down Motorhead. They took Motorhead’s no frills approach and stripped it down even further.
Why are there so many different versions of the cover artwork for Forward into Battle? I have a German one, and Italian one and the U.S. one and they all have different artwork.
Pinch: The original cover art came about kinda like our songs came about. I was doing tons of acid, we were all doing loads of drugs all the time. I was into fantasy art and shit like that. I was reading this book from the library of fantasy artist and there was this Boris Vallejo picture in the that just really stood out to me. “That would make a great record cover”, so I just sliced the pages out. It was a two page piece, sliced it out and stuck em together with tape and sent it to the record company. On the album you can actually see the join in the middle of the two pieces. I think all the different versions are because of the slimy bastard who put that record out licensed it around the world with out letting us know, without giving us any money for it, just did it and I think they felt they had to do a different cover design either because its a Boris Vallejo design and they thought they would get sued or they though they could get out of paying us like its a different album. No, its our fucking album! It might be a different cover but that’s still our songs on that record.
Well, that’s pretty much all I have, is there anything you’d like to add or like to plug?
Gizz: Go to our Facebook page and stay in touch. It’s easy nowadays.
Pinch: If you are a fan of us and have one of our records tell people about us and play it for them or rip em a CD. I’m all about giving the music away. I’m pretty sure if we do a new record we will just give it away for free as a download.
Gizz: Cheers Joel!
Tags: Damned, english dogs, metal, Metallica, Motorhead, napalm death, onslaught, punk, sacrilege, Venom G.B.H.
Posted in Interviews, Q&A, The Bunker | No Comments »
Friday, April 20th, 2012
Throes Of Absolution (Century Media Records/Basick Records)
The highly anticipated new album from 7 Horns 7 Eyes is finally here, and it’s every bit as good as you would expect. Atmospheric progressive metal cannot be done any better than Throes Of Absolution. If you’re already familiar with 7 Horns 7 Eyes because of their 2007 EP, disregard everything you know and listen to this with a completely blank mind to allow yourself to become immersed in their majesty.
Beginning with a broad and dismal atmosphere in “Divine Amnesty,” that soon changes with sheer brutality and composure. The pace of the track is at a slight Opeth kind of standard, but that only touches the tip of the iceberg with this band. They are completely original, which is extremely rare in today’s world. Shiv’s growls are used in tandem with the strings as a kickstarter into layer upon layer of metal that works like a reverse peeling of an onion, although much better on the palette.
Speeding things up a little, “The Falsehood Of Affliction” shows them playing faster riffs that thunders in with a tinge of sludge overtone. It’s like this album was engraved in stone, then played out by the band. The drums is the centerpiece of the atmosphere. No matter how crazy the guitars may get, the drums is the fence no one ventures out of. And if they start to, then Shiv herds them all back. There are some awesome technical riffs played, including an inspiring guitar solo near the end.
Every song begins with a lengthy intro that serves as a beginning of things to come. But by the time you get to the end of each song, you mind is blown by how much they’ve stuffed into each track. Perhaps showcasing the biggest atmosphere is “A Finite Grasp of Infinite Disillusion” is a masterpiece not only in their catalog, but in metal in general. It’s also the most uplifting song on the record, as shown through their choice of guitar licks and tuning.
Definitely another album to add in the running for album of the year. Some people may get turned off by how top heavy this album is, but don’t let that fool you into thinking any less about it. As a music journalist, there is a sense of pride when a band takes everything good from their previous ventures (the self-titled 2007 EP, which was a metalcore release) and completely reinvent themselves anew. This album was well worth the wait. Go here right now and get the album for yourself: http://store.basickrecords.com/product/7-horns-7-eyes-throes-of-absolution-cd
Grade: A+
By: Ridge “Deadite” Briel
Tags: 7 HORNS 7 EYES, Aaron Smith, Atmospheric Metal, Basick Records, Brandon Smith, Century Media Records, Deadite, JJ "Shiv" Polachek IV, Progressive Metal, reviews by Ridge, Ryan Wood, Sean Alf, Throes Of Absolution
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Friday, April 20th, 2012
 BIOHAZARD is on the road touring behind their latest album REBORN IN DEFIANCE.
I make no bones about BIOHAZARD being one of my favorite bands ever. I grew up in New York and listened to metal in the 1980s therefore I jammed out to these guys a lot. People can argue whether they have ties to true hardcore or not or whether rap metal is inspired by them or perhaps they should carry some blame for the sea of weak imitators that followed them. I call BS on all of that talk. In spite of many ups and downs, the band has been largely consistent and has made some of the most enduring music of that golden era of 90s metal. After reuniting four years ago and recording a new album Reborn In Defiance; the band suffered two more potential set backs of late. Their album was slated to come out worldwide in January, but as of now is only available outside of the United States. Then Evan Seinfeld (ATTIKA 7) decided to quit the band to pursue his other interests. Rather than fold, the band has done what they always do, spit in the face of adversity and hit the road. In addition I got to see the show with my NYC homies Ojayy and Fahad from my old band SALTED WOUNDS, so I was ready to have an awesome time!
 New Jersey's Ninety Six plays hardcore the the right way: true.
After a long day of travel from Boston I made it to Poughkeepsie, NY to one of the most legendary venues in the northeast, The Chance Theater. I had only been there once years ago and basically it has not changed much. Big stage, narrow rectangular mosh pit floor surrounded by other vantage points to crow into to watch the show. I was there really early and there was already decent crowd that was filled to overflowing in just one hour. I managed to catch the first band, New Jersey hardcore upstarts Ninety-Six from the pit. Since there was no barricade to get behind and I was taking snaps, I beyond thrilled (sarcasm noted) to get roundhouse kicked in the back by a mosher during the first song. Upstate New York is not home to your little brother’s pit dancers. The old school, blood, guts and violence types were coming out in force tonight. Nevertheless I really enjoyed the band and their lead singer Corey Donohue. With his spartan style and steely stage presence, he is one to watch and a throwback to the old days before posturing and thuggishness took over hardcore. He has an honesty to the delivery of his vocals you rarely hear anymore too. These guys are in line with the sounds of HUNDRETH, BORN LOW and TRAPPED UNDER ICE and I expect we’ll hear more about them in the future.
Of the other early bands I really enjoyed LEFT IN RUINS the most since they are in my wheelhouse are really metal. These guys were the most straight up metal band of the entire show, but they won over the now full crowd. Their mastery of power grooves and thrash had the crowd going off with their three guitar attack. They made simple, powerful songs with vocals that switched between death growls, singing and occasional hardcore gang vocals. These guys have been around for a while, but their style and performance impressed me a lot. The other early opening band was local Troy, NY bruisers BRICK BY BRICK who came out next and did their thing. The night the pit was fully loaded with tough guys and girls ready to get it on. The band plays modern metal influenced hard core in the style of BURY YOUR DEAD, only heavier. Vocalist Rich Roberts looks like he has seen it all and lived to tell about with his gritty delivery and style. They played a short, fierce set of no BS songs and I dug it. I’ll be checking in on these guys again in the future. The next band up in a long night of bands was SWORN ENEMY who have been around the block a few times. They are always really solid live and got a big reaction from the crowd. They have walked the same roads as TERROR, EARTH CRISIS and HATEBREED for a long time and have gotten their due respect. Front man Sal Lococo always puts on a good show and motivates the crowd to move. When the band veers hardcore and metal I think they get a bit distracted at times trying to be too death metal focused, but overall the crowd loved them as evidenced by the first bloody faces of the evening. It was gonna be one of those nights!
 Sal Lococo of SWORN ENEMY lets it loose!
MADBALL was up next and I was amped to see them since it had been a while. I had yet to see them since they dropped their criminally underrated Empire album and I couldn’t wait to hear the old school and more recent jams. Of course Freddy Madball hit the stage like a maniac as always. He looked terrific and seemed fairly well pumped for the mayhem to begin. Of course there was a lot of extra security on stage and shout outs to the DMS crew from nearby NYC, but I think some of that was lost on a lot of the local kids. The band was tight and fired off hit after hit in rapid fire order. Cuts like “Hold It Down”, “Get Out”, and “HeavenHell” just crushed. Mid-set classics like their cover of AGNOSTIC FRONT’s “It’s My Life”; which pretty much set the band in motion in 1988 and “Set it Off” were amazing. I have a lot of love for long time bassist Hoya Roc who is always a champ, holding down the low end from his side of the stage. Mitts on guitar and new drummer Igor were also on point. After hearing almost twenty-five years worth of great hardcore and metal songs, the band seemed really fresh and invigorated. The closer “Hardcore Still Lives” had the entire floor going crazy and I think it was Freddy’s only smile of the night when he approvingly scanned the pit. I’ll be waiting on a new record from these guys, hopefully by the end of the year.
 Freddy Madball is still "demonstrating his style" after all these years. Set List:
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop
Hold It Down
Invigorate
For My Enemies
We The People
Get Out
Heavenhell
Empire
R.A.H.C 100%
It’s My Life (Agnostic Front cover)
Smell the Bacon (What’s With You?)
Set It Off
Infiltrate The System
Demonstrating My Style
All or Nothing
Look My Way
Nuestra Familia
Hardcore Pride
Pride (Times Are Changing)
Hardcore Still Lives
Well, it was high time for the headliners to take the stage. A large BIOHAZARD banner was hoisted up to the rafters and a cheer went up large and loud. Unlike the last time I saw the band when all of the know nothing kids jetted for the doors early, most everybody in the house stayed until the end. Upstate New York, you got my respect.
 BIOHAZARD! After a bit of a long wait the band took the stage to the piano intro of “Failed Territory” they opened up with “Urban Discipline”. It was pretty sick with everybody moshing and singing a long. The band seemed to be in high spirits considering there were reports they were under the weather collectively. You couldn’t tell from how hard they played or how strong they sounded. Guitarist/vocalist Billy Graziadei was now out in front a little bit more than he used to be, but basically the band sounded the same as ever. Scott Roberts did a great job on bass and vocals through out the set. The ripped through a few more classic songs like “What Makes Us Tick” and “Chamber Spins Three” before addressing the crowd. Billy said he appreciated the support for this mini-tour and the fans that have stuck by them through the years. Lead guitarist Bobby “The Skull” Hambel then spoke about the bands new record and about how the American release of the album didn’t happen. He suggested that everybody download it if they didn’t have it already. It was refreshing and funny to hear him say that considering how divided bands are on the issue. Launching into the new song “Reborn”, the band sounded as tough as ever and it was cool. Again, Roberts of Graziadei shared the vocal duties and kept the sound of the group intact which is what you want. The entire band was moshing around the stage themselves and having a good time. Billy did his usual guitar solo/dive into the crowd move which is always fun. Going back into some older material like “Down For Life” and “Retribution” the band picked their way through their early catalog and the new album some more. They have continued to skip the era from when Bobby was out of the band, which still bums me out because that is leaving a lot of good songs on the table. On the other hand you can’t complain when you hear great jams like “Howard Beach” and “Tales From The Hardside”. Hambel ripped out some amazing solos and he has been in great form every time I have seen him since rejoining in 2008. The venerable Danny Schuler also did a bang up job on the drums, throwing down his legendary grooves and style. After hearing the rarely heard “Love Denied” the band played their customary show-enders in “Punishment” and “Hold My Own”. Both were performed flawlessly and had more than one person after the exclaiming ‘Evan Who?’. I couldn’t agree more.
 Don't hold back Bobby. Tell us how you really feel. Set List:
Failed Territory (intro)
Urban Discipline
What Makes Us Tick
Chamber Spins Three
Reborn
Black and White and Red All Over
Down for Life
Retribution
Come Alive
Vengeance Is Mine
Shades of Grey
Howard Beach
Tales from the Hard Side
Love Denied
Punishment
Hold My Own
By Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: biohazard, BRICK BY BRICK, Concert Photos by Echoes In The Well, drummer Danny Schuler, Guitarist/vocalist Billy Graziadei, hardcore, lead guitarist Bobby “The Skull” Hambel, LEFT IN RUINS, madball, metal, metal concert reviews by Keefy, mosh pit, NINETY SIX, punk, slam kids, SWORN ENEMY, The Chance, thrash, thugs, Upstate NY/HC, vocalist/bassist Scott Roberts
Posted in Live Show Reviews, Reviews | No Comments »
Thursday, April 19th, 2012
True Defiance (Solid State Records)
When one goes back and listens to Demon Hunter’s 2004 album Summer Of Darkness (my personal favorite by them) and then listens to the brand new album True Defiance, you can see on so many levels how much more accomplished their song writing is. After a somewhat odd intro, “Crucifix” hits off with a bang as heavy metalcore beckons your attention. While the music isn’t all that adventurous, Ryan Clark’s vocals have gotten better than ever. Of course, that’s expected when you listen to all of Demon Hunter’s albums in chronological order.
Going for a slight alternative metal feel, “God Forsaken” is a slower and calmer track than the previous one. When the singing ends, the music shifts to a type of nu-metal groove, which is always welcome since they can pull off nu-metal right. Ryan Clark needs to be established as a legitimate vocalist, up there with the likes of David Draiman and Jonathan Davis. He can get menacing with the screams and truly sing from his soul with the clean singing. After an adventurous blues-y guitar solo and another play of the chorus, HOLY CRAP BRUTAL DEATHCORE BREAKDOWN FROM OUT OF NOWHERE!!
After you take a breather, 80’s nostalgia stadium metal kicks in “Tomorrow Never Comes.” This is easily the type of music where twenty thousand people sway side to side, lighters in the air, singing along to every word. The opening guitar licks have that old familiar tone, the mood is just right, the singing is clear and spot on, everything is done right. Although this will most certainly turn off people who grew up on Demon Hunter since the beginning, but this track helps show that this band can truly play any type of music and have sound utterly amazing.
One thing I didn’t like at all about this album was their experimentation with electronic fades on “We Don’t Care.” It honestly is extremely annoying to listen to on headphones. You will know what I’m talking about when you listen to it. Other than that, this is an excellent album and needs to be heard.
Grade: B-
By: Ridge “Deadite” Briel
Tags: christian, Deadite, Demon Hunter, metalcore, reviews by Ridge, Ryan Clark, solid state records
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews | No Comments »
Thursday, April 19th, 2012
Epochalypse A.D. (True Gemini Records)
Sometimes a band can be new to the public but, be blessed with a familiar sound or style. One such band is DAITRIBE, hailing from Chicago, IL. The band is led by guitarist Tristan “1690” Grigsby who besides being an accomplished shredder is best known from his appearances as part of the great PANTERA Home Videos (or DVD’s now) from the 1990s. In addition to appearing on several tributes to his fallen friend DIMEBAG DARRELL, Grigsby has put together a cool band and written a batch of tunes that call to mind the great power groove and thrash influenced metal of the decade before last. Another PANTERA association is the album was mixed by the bands’ famed producer/engineer and guitar tech Sterling Winfield.
The album opens up with “Betray”, a manic down tuned thrasher. The beats and riffs are really heavy and compliment the demented screaming of vocalist Rich Collins. When the breakdown comes up, a brief but tasty solo section comes in for Grigsby to work his magic. The last third of the song slows down the pace to an AIC like groove that I really liked. “Control” ups the ante considerably and is an aggro workout with chunky riffs and more harrowed vocal wailing. Collins sounds to me a lot like old-school Pete Dolving of THE HAUNTED, just straddling the line between metal and hardcore vocals. The chorus is pretty decent and will have people singing a long live. Grigsby let’s another lead fly and has a really neo-classical flare at times. There is a definite nod to DIMEBAG in his style, especially his use of double tracking leads. “Loss By Distance” starts off with some ethereal sound effects, but then delves in to mid-90s FEAR FACTORY style machine gun riffs and tight drumming. Grigsby’s brother Michael handles the job behind the kit and does a fine job. The drumming on this track is among the best on the album. The band does a very good job of balancing older influences, but keeping up with modern metal sensibilities like LAMB OF GOD or UNEARTH would do. “My Eyes” has kind of a modern, heavy rock/arena metal sound to it and could be a surprise hit for the band. Neat grooves and some singing by Collins make for a catchy, solid tune. Bassist Ricky Riccardo lays down some cool mellow lines that help the track along. “Sanctuary” starts off like a gentle ballad, but then has an anthem like feeling not unlike JUDAS PRIEST or IRON MAIDEN. The single “I Hate Me” is another ripping jam. The band does a good job with pedal to the metal, straight-ahead licks with a bit of flare to them, but doesn’t throw in too many unexpected twists and turns. The chorus has yet another scream-along part that would be fun in a live setting. “Crime Legacy” is an interesting cut which rages most of the way until a chill breakdown switches things up. Other top tracks include “False Hopes” and “Liar Messiahs”. You can get the record directly from the band here.
 DAITRIBE: Carrying the torch. GRADE: B
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: AIC, bassist Ricky Riccardo, DAITRIBE, Dimebag Darrell, drummer Michael “the Cat” Grigsby, Epochalypse A.D., FEAR FACTORY, guitarist Tristan “1690” Grigsby, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Lamb of God, lead guitars, metal reviews by Keefy, modern metal, Pantera, power groove, shred, Sterling Winfield, THE HAUNTED, thrash inspired, unearth, vocalist Rich Collins, Watch It Go!
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Wednesday, April 18th, 2012
Metal Army caught up with MUNICIPAL WASTE front man Tony Foresta recently. We chatted about his bands’ just released album The Fatal Feast: Waste In Space (Nuclear Blast) , how the album came together, how the band approaches song writing and their various influences.
MAA: Please tell us about the making of the Fatal Feast?
TF: The idea has been knocking around since the first album. It was actually a song that was going to be on Waste Em All. We knocked it around. And then it ended up getting pushed back and got forgotten about for a few years. We have always wanted to to a “space” album. I don’t know why we have wanted to do that, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. This one is our venture into space. Any band that usually puts out five albums usually puts out a space album. It’s just something you do. This is our contribution to that.
MAA: Is the album a concept album?
TF: Um, not really. The sound and the style, it’s the same typical WASTE style. There isn’t any hidden, deep message really. Sorry. I don’t know if I’ll ever get a chance to do that, but it’s your typical WASTE record. (laughs)
 Tony Foresta leads MUNICIPAL WASTE during their recent tour with GWAR.
MAA: Would you say after five albums the band has making music down to a science?
TF: There is definitely a style there. Nothing really goes said or anything. But you know if somebody one busts out a riff and you hear it and say “that sounds like a MUNICIPAL WASTE song”. If not and then it doesn’t if it doesn’t fit. We’re really picky. We actually wrote about four songs that got left off the record because they just didn’t fit. We didn’t even bring those into the studio. I guess there is a style definitely. If you listen to the band and are familiar with the music you would know. You can tell that it exists. We have definitely axed songs that didn’t sound like MUNICIPAL WASTE.
 Ryan Waste knows what's up!
MAA: Can you talk about some of the guest appearances on the new album?
TF: I was really stocked to get Tim Berry. I’m from Richmond and I’m a huge AVAIL fan. The stuff that got me going to shows was that band. Some of my first shows ever, my first hardcore punk shows were AVAIL shows. I was really nervous to ask him. I finally worked up the balls to ask him. But he was really cool and said “Hell Yeah!”. Yeah, he’s a friend of the band. It’s not like we didn’t know him. He lives in the same neighborhood as Ryan. He was like “You guys remind me of THE ACCUSED, man!” which was fucking great because I love that band. And of course John Connolly (NUCLEAR ASSAULT). He’s on the song “The Fatal Feast”. It’s cool that we are getting known well enough now where we feel like we can approach these bands and ask them to be on our record. It’s cool that they were excited to be on our album! It’s awesome!
MAA: Any non punk or metal influences?
TF: The band or group that really got into playing music and really got me into performing and stuff was THE BEASTIE BOYS. When I was growing up I was just really obsessed with the BEASTIE BOYS. Two of my talent shows growing up, one in middle school and one in high school school I did BEASTIE BOYS impersonations with two of my friends. I used to dress up the like them rap over their songs. I really loved them. I loved that there was this band that could rap, but they were really funny and had a good time and they didn’t give a shit what anyone thought. I always admired that about them. I still love them.
 Phil" Landphil" Hall gives good bass.
MAA: Do you feel MUNICIPAL WASTE are the leaders of neo-thrash as a style.
TF: You know I hear that all the time. Whenever I read something about us and when I hear it when people talk to me. It’s cool. But when all this shit came around, this revival thing, we were writing our third record. We were almost done writing The Art of Partying. When Hazardous dropped there were a million bands doing what we do .It’s really cool, I guess but we don’t think about it. We don’t think about it. I just wanted to be a thrash band. I would like someone to listen to my band twenty years from now and be thought of as a great thrash/punk band. Like SUICIDAL TENDENCIES or something. I don’t pay attention about the “new wave” of this or that. I just want to write good songs and tour my ass off.
MAA: Is ST a big influence on you? They were for me.
TF: Oh totally! They are one of the coolest bands we ever toured with too. No rock star bull shit there, man. They were so amazing and so good to us. I had never toured with a band that big that treated us so well. They were so good to us and treated us with open arms it was unbelievable. They were like “Come on our bus! Come hang out! Tell us what you need, whatever it is you got it!” They were so hospitable and kind to us, it was amazing. They were the best tours we’ve ever done. We toured with them three times actually. I’d go out with them in a heart beat. Any day of the week.
MAA: Who is the most underrated old school-thrash or crossover band?
TF: You know I hate to say it, but don’t you think NUCLEAR ASSAULT is really a little underrated? I mean, they’re known. Everybody knows who they are, but I feel like they are soooo great. They are such a good band. I really feel like they never got the credit they deserved. There’s a lot of bands like that. I think KILL YOUR IDOLS is always kind of underrated, also never got the credit they deserved. They have some huge fans. They are not a thrash band or anything, but still. Normally I can rattle off a million of these. Bands like ASSASIN and TANKARD. Not a lot of people know about the,. I always feel like more people should know about TANKARD. They are kind of under the radar. And one of the bands that put out the one of the best hardcore albums, like fast thrashy hardcore is this band THE SPERMBIRDS from Germany. It’s crazy how many people don’t know about that band. They are really a hardcore punk band, but one of the greatest bands ever. I think Something To Prove is one of the greatest hardcore albums ever written.
MAA: TANKARD could really be like the grandfathers of MUNICIPAL WASTE!
TF: I agree! 100% man! I will give credit where credit is due. Me and Ryan used to always talk about that. We listen to TANKARD and GANG GREEN and shit like that. Just punk, fun, drinking music that is fast and aggressive!
MAA: If you could host dinner at your house with anybody living or dead, who would you invite?
TF: I would say my grandfather for one, because he died when I was really young and he was awesome. Old relatives and dead friends are always on the list, that’s kind of a given. I’ve met Kerry King before, but I’d love to hang out with Tom Araya, I’ve never hung out with him. I’d love to eat with with Anthony Bourdain, because there would be some good ass food. I’d really like to sit down with Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, because I am such a huge Mr. Show fan. (laughs) I love that shit. That would be really cool to hang out with those guys. Louis CK because we were just talking about him. Bob and David would be really cool. And I’d invite George Bush Jr. so I could poison his food, since the guy ruined our country. (laughs hysterically) That’s about it!
MAA: It’s been really good to talk to you Tony. See you at the GWAR show!
TF: Thank you very much!
(Special Thanks to Nuclear Blast Records and Tony Foresta.)
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: Anthony Bourdain, ASSASIN, AVAIL, crossover, Dave Witte, GANG GREEN, hardcore punk, JOHN CONNELLY, metal interviews by Keefy, Mr. Show, municipal waste, neo-thrash, nuclear blast records, Phil "Landphil" Hall, Photos by Echoes In The Well, punk, Ryan Waste, suicidal tendencies, Tankard, THE BEASTIE BOYS, The Fatal Feast: Waste In Space, THE SPERMBIRDS, thrash, Tim Berry, tony foresta
Posted in Feature Interviews, Interviews | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 17th, 2012
Dead Set On Living (Distort Inc.)
Although a certain someone could get tired of giving out good scores, some are not. Cancer Bats have released the highly anticipated follow up to Bears, Mayors, Scraps, and Bones entitled Dead Set On Living, and is in the running as hardcore album of the year. Starting off with the heavy yet catchy “R.A.T.S.,” Cancer Bats start off with a bang. It transcends into the metal realm with it’s almost 80’s era type of groove, but it still retains a hardcore, well, core for the lack of a better word.
In the running for single of the year, “Bricks And Mortar” is a heavy track that is more street oriented hardcore as compared to the other songs. While the music doesn’t really deviate much at all, it’s a reminder that you don’t need to be technically diverse to be an awesome band. “You can tear away my flesh / You can crush all my bones” is reminiscent of the kind of lyrics found on their last release. And when Liam speaks in a spoken voice “Grieve like a halo around my neck” is gold.
Going back to their older style, the title track is faster and just makes you want to get up and move while listening. “The day the doctor told me you’re gonna die / …you got another year at best” is another prime example of well written lyrics that really capture the mood of the album. One thing this song has that the album also shares is the constant, non-stop level of music that Cancer Bats are best known for.
Going at a more slower tempo than the last album, Dead Set On Living is definitely a different beast, but in no way is it bad. It’s another must have for your music collection and an album that should be played when the end of the world comes. Either that, or if you want really good workout music to get you pumped up.
Grade: A
By: Ridge “Deadite” Briel
Tags: cancer bats, Dead Set On Living, Deadite, Distort Inc., hardcore, Jaye R. Schwarzer, Liam Cormier, metal, METAL BLADE, Mike Peters, reviews by Ridge, Scott Middleton
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews | No Comments »
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