Yet another brilliant cover designed by VOVOID drummer AWAY.
The fact that VOIVOD have finally released their sixteenth album, is a triumph for not only their fans, but all of metal in general. As one of the progenitors of Progressive Metal as a sub-genre, you can make a case that many of today’s bands are influenced by the style VOIVOD pioneered in 1980s. Although this is their first album since 2009′s Infini, and their first for Century Media; the band has been crushing it with projects galore for several years now. Rather than rest on their laurels like so many others, the band has turned in another stellar album, full of all of the twists and turns that made them respected to begin with back in the day.
Starting off with the title track, the aggressive, and technically impressive first song has everything in it you love about the band. From its winding guitars and urgent beats, to SNAKE‘s sneering lead vocals, the song is gem. All of the trademark melodic interplay between the guitar and bass is there too, owing a lot to the return of bassist BLACKY, in his first recorded Vv action in over twenty years. The driving pace of the song is not without a few left turns into the weird zone. Like much of the album it has all of the Thrash, Prog and bizarro Jazzy stuff you can handle, and some you likely can’t!
“Kluskap O’Kom” is about as straight up thrashing a song as this band has ever conjured. The verses have a clever melodic bent, but keeps the same tempo as the rest of the song, blistering. The chorus parts are pure shout-a-long fun. Dan (Chewy) Mongrain has stepped out of the shadows of PIGGY (RIP) and really taken up the mantle with his brilliant writing and playing. “Empathy for the Enemy” is a moody jam with Snake again chirping in with his awesome vocal performance. This may be one of my favorite overall performances from him in years. “Mechanical Mind” was the single, but in true fashion for this band, it is far from a typical musical piece. AWAY‘s tremendous drumming carries this track, but really all of the members contribute memorable parts. Angular riffs and jazzy cymbal hits transport the listener to a different head space. This is easily my favorite track of the album, and one I would love to hear played live. “Warchaic” is another song that is just full of sick changes. Mellow and introspective one minute, space rock-opera the next, and razor wire riffage of the highest order. The last 3/4ths of the song is just insanely good. “Resistance” again has that punky MOTORHEAD proto-metal feeling track the band does so well. Then it shifts gears into a creepy crawl of chords and strange beats and hits. “Kaleidos” it a track that the band started playing live over a year ago. Hearing it now recorded properly, it definitely proves to be another of the strongest tracks here. I think in the live setting, some of the slick guitar effects were lost a bit. No matter. “Corps Étranger” is a track that calls to mind the earlier work of the band and is simply majestic. I highly doubt even the most accomplished modern guitar players will be able to pull off some of these parts. Oh and Snake raps in French (Canadian) and it totally rules! “Artefact” has a touch of doom to it and some killer tribal sounding drums. Away remains one of the finest drummers of this or any eras, and does so without resorting to the trickery of others. Finishing off things like a death blow, “Defiance” is a minute and a half of weird, rage and mind bending technique. It fades out raging, a fitting close to another brilliant chapter in their legacy.
Another year, another twisted masterpiece for VOIVOD.
Delivering his fourth solo album, former EMPEROR front man IHSAHN continues to defy both convention and in some cases his legion of fans. Admitting that he has long left the confines of traditional metal, black metal or other types of music, his vision allows him an outlet of total artistic freedom. Naturally some fans pine for the glory days of old when he led EMPEROR through their ground breaking career, shaping the genre of Norwegian Black Metal for legions of admirers and imitators. Then again, if you have made it this far with him you know the music coming from this man is not just unpredictable, it is down right impossible to categorize.
“Arrival” kicks off the proceedings with the sounds of shovels being dragged on the ground, possibly in a graveyard or a roadside quarry. Launching into the song, you are met by a driving rock beat and some interesting choppy rhythm guitars. IHSAHN’s initial vocal stylings are indeed the howling, blackened madness of old and it made me smile to hear it. Keyboards augment the riffs greatly and when the chorus hits, Einar Solberg of prog metallers LEPROUS takes over. His voice soars over a glorious melody and compliments IHSAHN greatly when they sing together, IHSAHN covering the lower register. This is one of several great collaborations on the album like DEVIN TOWNSEND and JEFF LOOMIS. The song also features a terrific, trademark shredding solo from the master as well. Drummer Tobias Ørnes Andersen helps keep the beats hectic pace up, but under control. “The Paranoid” again, strikes high on the heavy meter with spiraling licks and blast-beats. These chaotic moments are tempered with occasional moments of gentle guitar interludes in the style of classic progressive rock. The riffs are stout and definitely rough enough for most metal fans. The chorus is a neat little slice of melodic heaven, with great vocals punctuated by poetic lyrics. “Introspection” sounds like its title and is a slowed down, contemplative piece at first. You are lulled into a false sense of peace before the crushing second verse and pre-chorus comes in with alternating death vocals and clean singing parts, provided expertly by DEVIN TOWNSEND. The combination of these two leading lights of the genre is terrific. As a singer and a great instrumentalist in his own right, there is little IHSAN cannot achieve and this proves it. “The Eagle And The Snake” also touches on many styles. Jorgen Munkeby (SHINING) lends his saxophone to the rhythm section, giving musical brass balls to the chords. Shirting in and out of dynamic changes in an instant the entire track is an emotional workout. There is a breakdown, complete with sax solo that is mind blowing. Bringing things down a notch and falling into a chill, but heavy groove is “Catharsis”. A great mid-album break from the mania of the other songs. “Something Out There” reverses that feeling and is borderline insane. Death metal, tech death, prog and even jazz influences all collide to create a unique track that still works as a song. Key and tempo changes abound. After a short interlude ,“Grief” comes “The Grave”. Although “The Grave” holds many of IHSAHN’s more modern musical aspects in it, it is ungodly harsh and the most “black metal” sounding track he has done in a while. It is so grim and sad, that it is bound to make the old school fans smile (when no one is looking) under their corpse paint. It is no surprise that themes on the album touch on life, death and coping with loss since Nietzsche on the album cover. “Departure” closes the album out with a sweeping, heavy and majestic track fully of little surprises. Not the least of which is IHSAHN’s wife Heidi S. Tveiten (STAROFASH/IHRIEL/HARDINGROCK/PECCATUM) who’s vocal turn is revelatory. The deluxe edition includes the track “Recollection.” This album does not just comprise the new work of an old master, but another chapter in his ever rising legacy.
IHSAHN: Still one of the most powerful forces in heavy music.
Metal Army America caught up with Dave Davidson and Phil Dubois-Coyne of REVOCATION outside of The Worcester Palladium, right before playing on the main stage of The Worcester Deathfest. They are out on the road supporting SIX FEET UNDER on the “18 Nights of Blood Tour” and still supporting their excellent 2011 release Chaos of Forms (Relapse). Keeping their tongues planted firmly in cheek, they made a lot of jokes and attempted to trip each other up several times. We talked about the band, life on the road, The Worcester Palladium and also had a lot of laughs.
Metal Army caught up recently with the band HUNG at the annual New England Metal And Hardcore Festival in Worcester, MA. The band had just gotten off stage after playing a tight set early on Day 2 and we all piled into their van to discuss how the band came together, their influences and their debut self titled album, which is out now on ReThink Records/The End Records.
Queen: Days of Our Lives (Directed by Matt O’Casey)
We don’t often discuss mainstream institutions here at Metal Army such as QUEEN. Usually bands of that stature get mentioned in interviews as an influence to many, but few have to explain why. You can hear their vast influence in metal today from artists as varied as DEVIN TOWNSEND, OPETH, IHSAHN, KYNG, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, IRON MAIDEN, YAKUZA, JUNIUS, USX, THE ATLAS MOTH, PARADISE LOST, ARCH ENEMY, DREAM THEATER, ICED EARTH and many others. They are so ingrained in the culture of music fans that even casual music fans can name five or six songs by the band. Matt O’Casey’s documentary Queen: Days of Our Lives recounts the their history from their earliest beginnings to their enduring legacy as on of their generation. Metal Army was privileged to participate in the TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL for a second year in a row, where the festival held a sold-out screening in late April.
Image used with permission of The Tribeca Film Festival.
Using an exhaustive collection of archival footage, concert footage and current interviews with the living band members, their former management, friends and critics their story was told. From their humble beginnings as college students in England, to their eventual rise to fame, it is a warts and all story. Brian May, Freddy Mercury, Roger Taylor and John Deacon certainly had an undeniable chemistry together live and in the studio. At one point early in their career’s they were broke, hated by the UK press and on their last leg as a band. Impossibly, they later wound up becoming on of the most endearing acts of the 1970s and 1980s as a result of the run they had, beginning with 1975′s A Night At the Opera. Beyond being memorable song writers, QUEEN had many other talents. Their earliest music was more in line with the progressive rock acts of the day, but they increasingly focused on rock and later funk, dance and pop music over time. They somehow always maintained their identity and for the most part, their fans often welcomed the sometimes radical departures in style. The film covers all the ways they were innovative before they got really big such as recording techniques, tour promotions, music videos and creative stage shows. Once they became more successful, their ability to put on gigantic stadium only tours the world over revolutionized concerts the way we know them today. In addition to becoming world-wide hit makers, they were the headline act at the biggest musical event of the 1980s, Live Aid.
An image from the groundbreaking video for "Bohemian Rhapsody".
There was naturally a down side to this success. In addition to taking quite a while to break out and reach stardom, they signed a disastrous deal at the start of their career that held them back for a long time. There were ego clashes and all the excesses you expect from a band of that stature. There are some interesting parallels to modern times and bands of today, other than the technology being used to make records. On the way to becoming musical and cultural icons, the band made a lot of mistakes, had a ton of bad breaks and of course as many losses as triumphs. The band hit their low point when Freddy Mercury died of Aids in 1991, after having been sick for many years. He was likely sick the last five to seven years of his life, yet worked tirelessly. This included the world tour that became the Live Magic album and concert video, their last official tour together as the original band. To Freddy’s credit he made music with the band practically until he was on his deathbed, a tribute to his amazing spirit. Ironically, the film notes that the band has existed for over forty years, but is as big or bigger in the twenty-plus years since Freddy died, if that is possible. The band has continued on with May and Taylor carrying the torch (John Deacon retired in 1997) with various incarnations and types of shows keeping their name out there, for better or worse. The film is already out on DVD and in stores now.
Metal heads tend to be some of the most open minded fans of music I have ever met (except for you elitist hipster fucks). I might not have believed it in my younger days when I was even more cynical than I am now, had you told me about all of the successful sub-genres of metal. Not just because I didn’t think it was possible, but the two guitar band/ lead singer format has been so endearing to music lovers since the inception of rock music. Still, new bands and their little fiefdom’s of fans are coming along every day and people are enthusiastically repping them. More often then not it is more about the way a band combines influences of sub-genres, rather than invents a new one from scratch. Such as the case with New York City’s HUNG, who shows off their considerable talents on their debut album which is on Chris Adler’s (LAMB OF GOD) ReThink Record imprint.
The album opens with the instrumental “Eos” which is highlighted by the interplay of guitar and lead violin. That’s right, lead violin played by the bands’ namesake Lyris Hung (TRANSIBERIAN ORCHESTRA). She is a world renowned performer and classically trained artist who also loves metal. The sweet, mellow tones of the opening track belie the musical storm about to come on. Second track “Desert of Sad” really lifts off and you get an idea of the band’s more fully formed style. Sounds from Swedish melo-death to thrash, to pagan metal all collide and it sounds like a beautiful chaos. Lyris alternates between rhythm guitar-style (chords, riffs) parts bowed on her violin, to cool solo flights where she sounds more like a shred guitarist than anything else. Vocalist Dmitry Kostitsyn’s snarling screams and growls alternately between verses and the mix works in spades. Later on the songs’ chorus he actually sings and adds one more melodic dimension. “Maria” continues the impressive writing with stunning lead lines from both Lyris and guitarist Jon Clark. Clark often plays counter-point lines to the violin parts, so when he does step out for a lead or a harmony line, his work really stands out. Kostitsyn delivers more of his rough hewn vocals and sounds a bit like Helmuth of BELPHEGOR when he wails in his high range. “Progeny” could be termed a full-fledged prog/tech-death work out. It has definite motifs of brutal heaviness and a mellow interlude that are also well developed. One of the reasons all of these shifting styles blend well together is because the band has a secret weapon, a killer rhythm section. Bassist Sam Roon can either hold down the low end or chip in some fine lead runs of his own while drummer Kenny Growhowski adds his unique approach to the mix. Grohowski has an impressive resume in the jazz world, which makes sense when some of the bands parts take on an OPETH/CYNIC type flavor. “Evil Tsar” might be my favorite song on the album. It has straight out speed metal riffs and just bananas lead playing again from Lyris. This is definitely the most fun song and best mosh pit track the band has to offer. Shifting gears yet again with the epic “Left For a New Life” which is sprawling in scope. It definitely has some prog and death metal elements to it, including one of Clark’s better guitar solos. After a mellow interlude of “Inertia”, “Infernal Redeemer” bites back with a funky bassline and a jazzy take on a power-groove tempo. Growhowski’s fills on this song are gonna have drum geeks losing their shit for months after this comes out! “Matter of Blood” starts off with some balladry before veering into the folk metal realm again. The final track “Sediments of War” is another track that encompasses all of the strengths the band has to offer. I feel like they are just scratching the surface of what they are capable of. We will be watching their career with great interest in the coming years.
HUNG: Breaking and blending boundaries all at once.
There is a familiar cliche that says imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. What then I ask is it when inspiration takes a hold of you so deeply that you create a tribute to your influences? This is the strange case of the quasi-super group (yep, another one in 2012) of SOEN. Masterminded by former OPETH drummer Martin Lopez, the group arrives with the much hyped Cognitive (Spinefarm). Having played on what is regarded as the best of the early and middle-era OPETH albums as well as the very first AMON AMARTH album, fans have long waited for the re-emergence of Lopez. Hopes have been high that perhaps he would pursue a heavier tract than his most recent work in his former band, as SOEN geared to launch last fall.
Right from the jump the trippy backwards-looped track of “Fractal”, a Gregorian Chant-style vocal creates a haunting warm-up of what is to come. “Fraccions” kicks in with its infectious, angular guitars and off-kilter drumming and you are caught in the swoon of the melody. It becomes apparent that the by far the primary influence on SOEN is TOOL. Anyone who has followed my scribblings on this site knows what huge fan of that band I happen to be. Most bands err too close to the actual sound of the artist they admire, and hinting at that comparison tends to bore me right out of the gate. However, with SOEN there is an originality to the writing and performance even if the band that inspired this music is definitely apparent in every song. Vocalist Joel Ekelöf (WILLOWTREE) definitely has a MAYNARD JAMES KEENAN vibe to his delivery, but reveals other influences too. There are certain moments in this first song and really the entire album where you hear traces of artists as disparate at the Gothic undertones of IAN CURTIS, the disappointment of DAVE GAHAN (DEPECHE MODE) and the anguish of TRENT REZNOR. The songs are definitely more a long the lines of prog metal than modern rock. The track definitely builds to a rhythmic climax towards its end, giving way to an A Capella chant vocal by Ekelöf which sounds great in comparison to the rage. “Delenda” has more of an OPETH/PORCUPINE TREE musical bent with some added weight in the guitars by Kim Platbarzdis. Also, the winding, ostinato bass lines of Steve DiGiorgio (DEATH/SADUS/TESTAMENT) are astounding and he is the perfect match for some of the more obtuse sounds on the albums. It’s a fair bet to say most people haven’t heard Steve play like this before and will be even more impressed with him here than ever. The band plays fast and loose with dynamic shifts as well, which of course only adds to the aura and mystery in these songs. “Last Light” is about as mellow as it gets on this album and could be considered a “single” if they were going to have one. Laconic waves of plucked guitar and doleful vocals will fill your ears up. The best track on the album might be “Oscillation” which starts off with a brutal main riff before breaking into tribal beats and contrasting single note guitar lines. Lopez shows his entire arsenal of ability playing a standard kit and other percussion instruments to a flawless degree. Platbarzdis and DiGiorgio bring back the machine gun tight precision later on, building up to a huge ending, before the jazzy coda winds it down. Another heavy track is “Canvas”. Meditative yet, raw it is one of the standouts of the album. Lopez and DiGiorgio often go from supporting rhythm section to lead instruments and back again in the same song. “Ideate” is more of an interlude than a realized track by itself. It serves up a good palate warmer leading into “Purpose” which is another rager. Ekelöf pours all of his passion and dismay in his vocal lines. “Slithering” is another excellent tune, with its whisper to a scream temperament. The last two minutes of the track are as deep musically as any nearly band has put out in 2012. “Savia” is a glorious and transcendent final epic, complete with that old familiar nautical feeling that gives off a peaceful vibe. I believe that over time SOEN will prove to be more than the sum of their famous partners or influences. For now they will settle for a great album of music, even if it is not the most original stuff you’ve ever heard.
In honor of today’s day being 2/1/12 or “2112 Day” or “International RUSH Day” or “Progressive Rock Day” as some are calling it, Metal Army chatted with notable metal historian Jeff Wagner. Wagner is the author of 2010′s Mean Deviation: Four Decades of Progressive Heavy Metal (Bazillion Points). In addition to being an authority on all things prog, death metal and thrash Jeff was one of the leading editors of Metal Maniacs magazine from 1997 until 2001. In a wide ranging interview we recapped the origins of Jeff’s book, the roots of the genre, it’s historical importance as well as it’s future. What follows is an excerpt of a longer chat we had.
MAA: What led you to write Mean Deviation?
JW: Well from a practical standpoint it was a book that had not yet been written. We are seeing a lot of metal books now because metal has a long enough history to provide for a bunch of books, and provide a bunch of different views covering all the genres. A book on prog metal had not been written and I was a long time fan of metal. I was also a fan that tended to gravitate toward the weirder, more experimental, more progressive stuff. More avant garde stuff. I look at my record collection and one thing I can say about it is there is not a whole lot of stuff that sounds like other stuff. I have always gravitated toward progressive sounds. I like my bands to be similarly unique in and of themselves. I like EMERSON LAKE AND PALMER, but I don’t like bands that sounded like them. There were a lot of obscure prog bands that sound just like them and I didn’t find them interesting. It’s an originator thing. I why I like DREAM THEATER, but not bands that sound just like them. Actually I can’t think of one that I like who sounds just like them. (laughs)
MAA: Your book identifies a “big three” of the genre. How did the their arrival on the scene change the game?
JW: Both QUEENSRŸCHE and FATES WARNING showed up at the same time and wore their influences on their sleeves. And those influences were obviously IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST. They took that template and took it to some different and more nuanced areas. They messed around with more long-form song writing. FATES WARNING on their second album is writing ten minute songs. They further intellectualized their music to the point where you go from Rage for Order or Operation Mindcrime and on the FATES WARNING side Awaken The Guardian and No Exit. QUEENSRŸCHE had a more theatrical image. Then DREAM THEATER came a long in their wake and they made a different kind of amalgam of it. Not only have the same bands in common that FATES WARNING and QUEENSRŸCHE did, they took it in two other areas. First I hear an even more melodic KANSAS- type rock sounds and even a more AOR radio rock from the 70s. I even hear some JOURNEY in early DREAM THEATER. And they even made it heavier with palm muting and double-bass drumming and took it some places other bands didn’t go to so they ramped it up even more. That’s why these three bands made their mark. They style was familiar and easy to get into, but also they were it challenging.
A prog metal classic!
MAA: A lot of people think of Spiritual Healing by DEATH as the album when death metal crossed over with prog and became more malleable. But it was really before then, right?
JW: I think for one thing if you think about death metal, it is not easy to play. To the novices’ ear a lot of death metal sounds like garbage or noise. There is a built in tendency to already be a good musician to pull off really good death metal. If you are really conveying something truly brutal it’s a skill and an art. Not only do you have DEATH, but you have MORBID ANGEL. I don’t know how progressive you wanna say they are, but Tre Azagthoth. He was really virtuosic about his playing. I think POSSESSED toward the end of their output was really musical. There is something really intrinsically musical about death metal that it doesn’t get enough credit. And then with DEATH, even the album before Paul (Masvidal) and Sean (Reinert) came in they were going in that direction. Chuck was even singing in a way where you understood all of the vocals and didn’t need a lyric sheet. That was innovative too. (laughs) And then the Human album just blows the doors off of what could be done with the death metal form. There could be with Jazz influences and Fusion. They gave it a fluid, lyrical and melodic tendency, but it was also a really brutal album. It showed how much depth the music can have. I think the Human album has four of the best musicians that have ever on one album.
The "father of death metal" was also integral to bringing in a progressive influence to the genre.
MAA: I think it’s interesting where the original prog rock bands were influenced by Jazz and the modern bands found Jazz thought the back door of prog metal. What do you say to that?
JW: The way I look at prog metal is there is not really one sound and one style. There are bands that have nothing in common. Other than the fact that they are trying to move the form forward, they might have little in common. Some of them have their own unique vision and style that no other musician will quite have.
MAA: Who are some of the underground bands of the genre that the average fan might not know, but are essential.
JW: I think if you go into with the right mindset WATCHTOWER is a band that was important. They were there way early on. They were throwing in RUSH and Jazz influences in `84, 85. Not even FATES WARNING and QUEENSRŸCHE were not even doing yet. And then if you get up to their 1989 album Control and Resistance they were tightly honed, but a bizarre group of different things. I know for a lot of people, they aren’t anything to listen to. Ron Jarzombeck is getting a lot of attention now for BLOTTED SCIENCE, but he is a WATCHTOWER alumnus. And of course I’m gonna talk about VOIVOD. I know people are gonna roll their eyes at this if they know me at all and say “oh there goes Wagner talking about VOIVOD again”. They remain really underrated. Their first six or seven albums: Killing Technology through The Outer Limits they were constantly changing, growing by leaps and bounds, using new technology and exploring new production techniques. They are the textbook example of what a progressive metal band really is. I think for one album CELTIC FROST need to get mentioned. Just for the Into The Pandemonium album. It’s so eclectic and brave. They opened up with a new wave cover song. Later on it has beat box song. There was a soul song. You have gloomy opera-type doom songs, new wave, jazz weirdness, a doom song. Just a weird album.
MAA: A lot of people hated them for it. My friends all hated them after that.
JW: Oh yeah I know. Talk about splitting your fan-base! But it was so weird and out there I really loved it. I was so intrigued I had to love it. They really blew apart their fan-base and their career. WATCHTOWER, VOIVOD, CELTIC FROST and others. That is the thing about my book. I didn’t want to just talk about the popular bands and the avatars. I wanted to discuss who the underrated bands were.
The best prog metal band ever in my opinion. (Keefy)
MAA: What is your take on more recent bands like MASTODON and OPETH who have abandoned their heavier ways for prog? Also, what do you think of the backlash against them?
JW: I say more power to em! They proved that they can do this modern epic metal. They can be modern, be different. And they started off as a very different band. They followed their heart. I don’t care if you’re KISS or MASTODON, I don’t think any band owes anything to your fans in terms of where they go with their music. That is not to say they don’t love their fans. When those guys are writing new music, I mean who wants to hear the same old shit? (laughs) You can tell I feel strongly about this. OPETH could’ve come out with another Deliverance, another Ghost Reveries and another Watershed and it would have been very good. OPETH are so influenced by all these bands that really epitomized all of these prog rock bands. It was about time they made their prog album. I love it. Why would fans expect Mikael Akerfeldt to be boring and stay bored and do the same thing again. Compositionally it is one of his best records. I fully support those bands and what they do. It’s about wanting to be surprised and wonder what is around the next corner. It depends what kind of fan you are. If you like a band like OPETH, if you love MASTODON or OPETH you want what those bands do and are all about you want them to follow their hearts. And I was especially surprised at the OPETH fans because I thought they were more open minded. Allow these bands to do what artists do, let them change rather than be beholden to expectations.
MAA: How important is a band like RUSH and an album like 2112 to the music still being made today?
JW: I think hugely. For me when I sit in a dark room and listen to 2112 that is part of that experience for a guy like me or any fan that treasures the band. But the other thing about your question is: it’s huge because of the influence from a band like RUSH has had. They have influenced not just prog rock bands or prog metal fans. RUSH has influenced metal bands, death metal bands, grindcore bands and even indie rock bands and all other kinds of musicians. If you took a survey of bands from a wide outgrowth of all music, RUSH is a very important band. I think that ten or fifteen years ago they were a little more like a guilty pleasure for some people. Now it is okay to say you like RUSH now. Their influence is incredibly vast.
MAA: Looking back at the longevity of some of the bands that were around at the time when you joined Metal Maniacs, do you feel proud of the role the magazine helped play promoting metal bands to a wider audience?
JW: I was just a part of the Maniacs legacy and certainly all the magazine did was reflect the legacy of the music itself. I am amazed and sure I’m proud. When I started at Maniacs it was 1997. I felt like I was down in the trenches. It was one of the first times in metal’s history a lot of people thought it was dead and it didn’t have a lot of juice anymore. We all knew different at the time. It is pretty incredible. Especially when you are seeing demos and re-issues of albums that are selling really well, being sold and repackaged. Metal now in 2012, it just has a longevity that shows it will never die. Even if no new music came out, there is so much from what has come before this music will never die. It’s history is kind of staggering. For guys like me that have been with the music for a long time, we do feel proud that we have come through the other side. It’s legitimate and here to stay. Not to sound really cliche’. It is part of popular culture.
Metal Army caught up with CYNIC front man Paul Masvidal who is out on the road promoting the bands’ new EP Carbon Based Anatomy (Season of Mist). Die-hard fans fondly recall their debut Focus or the work Paul and band mate Sean Reinert did on DEATH’s Human album. However, Paul is all about moving the CYNIC legacy forward and not being too nostalgic. He discussed touring, the creative process, the current scene of prog metallers and the next CYNIC album with us including some surprise answers as well.
Carbon Based Anatomy is out now on Season of Mist records.
MAA: How is the tour going so far?
CYNIC: Going great. Fun shows, cool cities, interesting people. Fantastic collective energy with our crew and touring party.
MAA: Carbon Based Anatomy is out now. Is this music a foreshadowing of the next Cynic album’s direction?
CYNIC: Not necessarily. CBA, much like every album we make is a snapshot of where we are at a particular time in our lives. This album represents the past year and was written/recorded in six weeks over the summer of 2011.
One of the top concerts of 2010 was when CYNIC performed all of the Focus album among other tracks.
MAA: Do you think the tour last year performing Focus had any influence of the current direction?
CYNIC: I don’t think so. Performing live for me is a completely different animal and not much related to an album writing process.
MAA: These days what is the writing process like for you?
CYNIC: I write on acoustic guitar or piano and record bare bones vocal demos of what feels like a realized tune with solid harmonic/melodic ideas and core lyrics. I then give those demos to Sean. He get’s them in his ears and we take these tunes into our rehearsal room and jam/improvise around the song until we get something we like. It’s a very free, spontaneous environment where anything can happen and we just let our instincts run the show. Once we have an arrangement we like, we begin a more flushed out Pre-production process before recording the actual album.
Paul (R) and Sean Reinert (L) are the two mainstays of the band.
MAA: Are Brandon Giffin and Max Phelps going to do the next full length album with the band?
CYNIC: Too soon to say, but anything’s possible at this point.
MAA: How do you feel about the current progressive metal scene? Are their any bands that stand out to you?
CYNIC: I like where Opeth are going with the new material in that they’re trying something new. I think Tosin’s has some great moments with AAL (ANIMALS AS LEADERS). There are a handful of bands I’m appreciating out there, but not too sure of their names. Haha. Sorry.
MAA: In almost every interview I have done this year someone has mentioned CYNIC as important. Why do you think the band has had such a profound influence on other bands?
CYNIC: Who knows? Maybe it’s cause we’ve always followed our hearts, and created something new as a result. The ultimate job of an artist is to inspire other artists and if we’ve provided even a touch of inspiration to others, then that’s beautiful.
(Special Thanks to Paul Masvidal, CYNIC and Freeman Promotions)
The Animation of Entomology EP (Eclectic Electric)
The highlight reel style year of prog influenced death metal (or is it death metal influence prog?) continues with the arrival of the new BLOTTED SCIENCE CD. The brainchild of Alex Webster (CANNIBAL CORPSE) and Ron Jarzombeck (WATCHTOWER/SPASTIC INK) is back with another insanity inducing, mini-masterpiece of musical wizardry. This time they are joined by none other than skins-man supreme Hannes Grossmann (OBSCURA) who has enabled this album to ever surpass the previous effort of the band. No small feat considering previous drummers in the band were Chris Adler, Derek Roddy and Charlie Zeleny. Although it is only a scant twenty four minutes short, the music is a spectacle and takes your ears and mind on a hell ride of thrills and chills. As a matter of fact the music was envisioned as a horror/science soundtrack by Jarzombeck to accompany films of bugs and bug behavior, perhaps with malicious outcomes. That’s fairly geeky and awesome too!
Kicking off the mini-opus with “Ingesting Blatteria” (or roaches, I had to look it up) the track begins with a preposterously fast blast beat announcing the song before angular, prog metal riffs creep in. The second theme of the song is definitely eerie slasher film sounding style that makes me think of terrible things happening with the human body and bugs. The music of the track and in fact the entire album takes many insect like personalities, mimicking their forms with notes. For a second record in a rod Jarzombeck invented a unique 12 tone scale for he and Webster to write and play with. Riffs cascade down and scurry away while Webster’s muscular, fluid basslines explore the territory in between. He has several amazing lead runs in the course of the song. Grossmann just kills his kit, shifting tempos and pushing and pulling the rhythms. The song has a mind blowing shredding solo, another eerie part followed by a prog-style rave up for the ending. “Cretaceous Chasm” is another bug inspired musical tour-du-force. The opening of the track sounds like its own death metal take on “Flight Of The Bumble Bee” with a remarkable amount of daring speed and dexterity shown by the trio. Grossmann in particular shines here with his precision off-time cymbal hits and great snare work. The song is so hard and so tight it’s not even fair. “Vermicular Asphyxiation” is another terrific and original piece of music. Not only it is over the top structure wise, it has a jazz breakdown that would give all the “djent” heads a run for their money. The ascending chromatic riffs and more amazing soloing elevates the track as the best on this EP. Finally the four part piece “A Sting Operation” is an exercise in clever writing and upper echelon playing. Although each piece is short, they are distinctly brutal and tuneful at the same time. Jarzombeck plays a brilliant recurring melodic guitar theme that will stick in your ears for days. Although each member of the group has ample opportunity to shine the songs themselves live and breathe. This is the thing that bands of many styles are missing these days is that being able to play like this is a gift, but songs still matter. You can purchase the album from the band here.
"Betcha can't play this" just took on a whole new meaning.
