Welcome to the newest feature here at Metal Army America, one we’re really excited about! Two of our esteemed writers will tackle a controversial subject in metal and debate each side of an argument. Each topic will be examined like an experiment, analyzed philosophically and pontificated on like …..like a pontiff! (Editor’s note: bad pun intended, sorry.) Well, maybe if that pontiff was Papa Emeritus of GHOST! A thoughtful debate between Metal Army America writers on topics concern metal music, its culture and the fans is what we are aiming for. These debates won’t always be as simple as pro versus con since issues like these are rarely cut and dry. Our hope is you will read these blogs and join in the conversation (respectfully, always) with us here in the comments below or on our Facebook page.
And…. here….. we….. go!
RELIGION AND METAL:
Keith (Keefy) Chachkes: I have always been fascinated with the role religion plays in music, specifically metal. BLACK SABBATH was really the first band I learned of as a child who exploited people’s fears of religion in their music. This was pretty potent to the listener when their use of the tri-tone (“The Devil’s note”) was heard in their first recorded notes ever, gave birth to metal. They had songs about Witchcraft and Satanism, while constantly warning against the false righteousness of the other side. Original black metal bands like VENOM and CELTIC FROST were outwardly evil sounding and promoted The Devil as the enemy of normal society, and the prowess of the occult over anything else. This has influenced everything that has happened in heavy music in the last thirty years.
American bands like EXODUS, SLAYER and POSSESED were the next generation bands to reference it heavily, often pitting Christianity against metal as a whole. Most of the old-school death metal bands, when they weren’t fixated on gore, were quite blasphemous (hats off to you DEATH & GLEN BENTON!). Being anti-religion of any kind is enough to get you censored and threatened with jail in most societies, just ask NERGAL of Behemoth or the guys from WATAIN. From church burning Norwegian bands in the 1990′s to modern Neo-folk/Pagan Metal, your favorite Norse/Viking metal bands, modern black and death metal bands and even the recent “occult rock” bands all use religion to attract fans, draw endless topics for songs and define themselves.
“Jesus, you say? I don’t believe we’ve met.”
With all the energy spent on hating Jude-Christian values, there is a flip side rarely talked about by fans. If religions didn’t exist, what would they be angry at? I’m sure there would still be plenty of shitty things in the world to sing about if there were no religion. Personally, I can enjoy the music of bands like THE CHARIOT, FOR TODAY, and MY CHILDREN MY BRIDE who use their music as a platform to promote their beliefs, even if I find the on stage preaching distasteful. They certainly have a right to do it, as does NILE to talk about ancient Sumerian beliefs, as does CHTHONIC does to discuss their historic religious culture in a modern political context. It’s all good to me and makes a more interesting world of heavy music to listen to and write about.
Dave Williams: Since being handed this assignment, I’ve been struggling somewhat with my potential approach. For those who know me only superficially, my position should seem obvious. My feelings on religion (Christianity in general) are quite public, and I play in a band that exists solely to question/attack the theistic masses.
Was this a good thing or a bad thing?
That said, there is the part of me that very strongly believes that music’s true purpose (particularly in the case of metal, hardcore, punk, and any other ‘rebel’ music) is the unbridled expression of our passions, regardless of what those might be. As members of these subcultures, we have always been beacons for free speech, and to draw lines as to who should be allowed to say what seems rather hypocritical…
However, then there is my true stance on this matter: Metal (and again, hardcore/punk/etc) was born as a reactionary position against the purveying herd mentality of the Western hemisphere (and has obviously expanded its scope quite significantly since), and part of that mentality, undeniably, is the pox upon our species that is Christianity. For eons, the befuddled masses have commandeered and swept countless cultures and histories under the proverbial rug, and the co-opting of rebel music as a form of ‘praise’ is simply another example of the slow, steady trampling of the world’s beauty beneath the lumbering feet of a billion filthy, bleating sheep.
(I should mention that my feelings on the presence of other ‘religions’ within the genre are not quite as strong. Granted, this is inevitably somewhat personal as Christianity simply hits closer to home, but as I attribute nearly all of the modern world’s ills to the spread of the Christian disease, any counterpoint is at least slightly welcome)
To melodramatically drive my point home, I leave you with this: To me, metal is the Cerberus-guarded gates that separate true humanity from celestial, dead-eyed lunatics. Metal is the fucking nails that bind their fictional savior to the planks that adorn a billion fools’ walls the world over. Simply put, metal is a pure expression of freedom (in an entirely non-patriotic, non-nationalist sense), and spiritual surrender is its fundamental opposition. Follow Metal Army contributor Dave Williams at: his website and on Twitter.
ANCIENT VVISDOM, pronounced ‘Wisdom’, unless you’re German. This here be the semi-acoustic project of Jake and Nate from INTEGRITY, along with Justin from a band named IRON AGE, which I haven’t heard yet. With this supergroup-esque gathering of guys from some well-respected Crossover Thrash/Hardcore bands, you’d be forgiven for assuming this project would be a brainchild that shared at least some trace of DNA. What we have here is, in the parlance of our times, a curve-ball from hell in the form low-key paeans to the “Dark One” ideal for a drinking circle with wild woodsmen around a fire rather than a circle of moshers.
“Alter Reality”
As I mentioned earlier, with members hailing from Metallic Hardcore bands, one would be fooled into thinking this is one of those “calm before the storm” tracks. After all, this album is called “A Godlike Infucken’ferno“, so it’s gonna be a firey hellstorm of blazing riffs, machine gun double bass, and larynx punishing shouts, correct?
Instead you’re treated with some softly sung, yet eerie vocals over a steady mid-tempo guitar riff. To use a clichéd word, haunting lyrics take the stage, and soon after comes an electric guitar playing a riff that you’d probably hear on the radio had it not been accompanied by lyrics that are definitely a bit too Pagan for your local Rock Block. Some odd metallic clanking chimes in with the electric guitar almost like pickaxes hitting iron or a sword being forged, along with a sort of marching drum cadence to seal the deal as far as the militaristic vibe goes.
“The Opposition”
Continuing along in the wooden direction, we have our second in a line of 8 songs about challenging God to a rock’n'roll showdown and being damn proud of being a sinner. This one’s a tad bit heavier than the last, with a bit more of a stomp’n'clap set-up. Where the last was a march to a battlefield, this is a rallying cry to Lucifer, unabashedly Satanic with lyrics like “Hail to thee, God of the Underworld/I sing praises to thee, and I suffer no more.” Not exactly grade-A poetry, but it gets the message across. Boasting a larger hook than “Alter”, this comes across as a hit single gone to the dark side.
“Necessary Evil”
A bit more of a dusty, sun-burnt country vibe opens this track, with a little bit of tambourine giving an out-of-place celebratory feel. The atmosphere just screams abandoned old-Western town, and I dig how well they managed to capture both the spooky and accessible, making combining them look easy. If BIGELF didn’t employ weird accents and made morose country, this is probably how it would come out. Completely eschewing the electric guitar this time, it maintains an organic body throughout, allowing the rumble of bass drums to resonate all the more clearly.
“Forever Tonight”
What could this track possibly sound like? Folksy acoustic guitar driven Blues rock with lyrics about Satan and the occult? Perhaps, but let’s not jump to conclusions, and move on to uncovering Atlantean ruins.
“Lost Civilization”
This song makes no bones about opening up with a rockin’ riff and a plodding drum beat. My one complaint about this otherwise very catchy and well-done track is that the lyrics are so base that you’d be better off ignoring them. If you can get past that, then you may enjoy your reward of the first guitar solo on the album, which comes as a pleasant surprise after the release was starting to drag into the Doldrums of monotony and tunnel visions of Satan. Too bad it’s the track that’s written in such a way you want to sing along. Even though it’s half a minute shorter than “The Opposition”, which is the longest track, it feels like it drags on for a couple too many.
“Devil Brain”
Oh Satan, how I missed you for five minutes. This song continues the hard rockin’ formula of the last one, and with even cheesier lyrics, and a cheddar-drenched title. I really hope they didn’t just run out of ideas for good songs near the end of the album writing process, because that would be a huge disappointment. The chorus riff reminds me a little of the main riff from GEORGE THOROGOOD’s “Bad To The Bone”, so I get some odd imagery of Satanic biker gangs.
“VVorld Of Flesh”
Another guitar solo, though nowhere near as bombastic as that on “Lost Civilization”, opens up under some chilly acoustic noodling. The vocals on the chorus kind of hearken to another Doomy rock’n'roll band, GHOST, with the same chilling effect. ANCIENT VVISDOM’s strength is in the slow and brooding songs, though there is some heavy riffing and pounding drums, but it’s never allowed to rev up too high for its own good. Around the 3 minute mark the song speeds up a bit, and manages to not topple over itself. Another searing solo, this time piercing the heavens! Starts strong, ends strong, is strong, like Mother RRRussia.
“Children Of The Wasteland”
With a completely mellow closer, a real ‘one sad man and his guitar’ feel takes over for the conclusion. If COREY TAYLOR were a better musician, this is the song he could’ve written for SLIPKNOT’s Vol. 3 album instead of the excessively wimpy “Vermilion Pt. 2″.
THE VERDICT: A strong release with a lot of potential, with room for improvement, mainly in the lyrical department.
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.
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.
The Ukraine, that’s where, because this time we’re giving a metal spotlight and some written love for Astrofaes, and the reissue of their debut LP, Dying Emotions Domain on Negative Existence Records.
Now, I’ll fully admit and cop to the fact that yours truly has missed the boat on these guys for years now, but hearing this excellently raw sounding reissue stirs up a desire to seriously check out this mysterious black heathen metal band’s recent material, STAT. Astrofaes have featured within their ranks multiple members of the infamous Ukrainian black metal underground over the years, with musicians from such groups as Drudkh, Nokturnal Mortum and Hate Forest spending time unleashing their musical vitriol upon the unsuspecting masses.
Dying Emotions Domain originally hit the streets back in ’98 on Ancient Nation Productions after a small handful of demos circulated throughout the underground trading channels. The cracking guitar work and evocative keyboard textures still sound powerful today, however; a fitting testament to the particularly high level of songwriting Astrofaes had going for them at this time. Each song-though chaotic in nature and produced in typical, raw black metal fashion-takes the listener through misty, dark dimensions of old school metal feeling, evoking memories of a time when the genre still felt dangerous and special…a ‘cult.’
The space age folk elements of ‘Path to Burning Space” provide a clear album highlight here on Dying Emotions Domain, creating such an unsettling, jaw-dropping atmosphere that one feels tempted to drop the Norwegian and Swedish scenes altogether and simply become a devout worshiper of Ukrainian acts EXCLUSIVELY. Friends, that is how good Dying Emotions Domain is: a proud and headstrong example of talented musicians creating music in which they firmly believe. Track it down.
Hungary’s Thy Catafalque have remained a long suffering anomaly in the underground for quite some time now, their own avant-garde tendencies sometimes serving as their own worst enemy.
Whether it’s been their difficult band name, challenging album titles or even more challenging music, Thy Catafalque have nevertheless emerged as an inventive voice for weird, ‘out there’ extreme metal; a brand which combines disparate genres while pushing forth progressive boundaries at the same time.
Rengeteg (see what I mean about ‘challenging album titles?’ DAMN!) is the band’s fifth effort overall, and makes the black/death of their Sublunary Tragedies debut seem like a far away dream in comparison. Thy Catafalque 2011 is serviced by thick, heavy walls of riffage, complex-but-not-confusing drumming and a subtle sense of melody which creeps on in through the back door. Spearheaded by multi-instrumentalist and singer Tamás Kátai, Thy Catafalque blends in a bombastic pagan metal groove to the proceedings, as well, with Katai’s subliminally memorable clean voice serving as one of the band’s secret weapons in the end, creating a charismatic presence which leads the songs of Rengeteg onto the battlefield with convincing confidence.
Not for the weak of heart or those who like their metal placed in nice, convenient little genre boxes-Solefald fans should definitely apply-Thy Catafalque break on through to other side here with Rengeteg, proving there’s more than meets the eye here than just a weird little name.
One of the most interesting people in all of metal is Heri Joenson. In addition to being a great songwriter and gifted musician, Heri is an intellectual giant when it comes to philosophy, history, politics, religion, anthropology and music. Coming from the tiny island nation of the Faeroe Islands (total population 80,000) Heri has led TYR to become one of the most popular bands in the folk metal sub-genre. Throughout the interview Heri was candid and gave detailed answers on a variety of fascinating topics.
MAA: What is the concept behind the new album Lay of Thrym?
HJ: There is a political concept and a mythological concept. I first picked the political concept. I wanted to write about the political conflict in North of Africa and the Middle East and I picked the mythological concept after to fit that political concept. The Lay of Thrym is about Thor going to recreate his stolen hammer and just parallel to downtrodden people going to reclaim the power from dictators. So Thrym is equal to the dictators and Thor is the equivalent of the rebels.
Heri leads TYR in a concert at the Worcester Palladium in 2010.
MAA: Why do you think these modern times translate to classic themes?
HJ: I think the same things happen over and over again, only in different context. So I’ve written, I wrote earlier albums also like this: you have a myth, before you write what you write about, but you have a completely different thing in mind. When you write about or when you think about it. It reminds you of the present day situations, even without any effort. You don’t have to try and project a theme, it’s just apparent, at least to me. I think stuff just repeats itself. There’s only so many different combinations and that’s why.
Heri of TYR throws his fist in the face of what he sees as political and religious hypocrisy.
MAA: Musically this album is more straight forward compared to the past. What influenced this
change?
HJ: Well we sort of wanted to do the same thing with the last album, although I think we, we uh, hit it a bit better this time. I think the big change was between the Land album and the Northern Star album we really went away from the direct, extreme of direct folk music approach and away from some of the progressive side of music. For this one we didn’t try anything radically different, only fine tuned a little bit, and well to be honest it’s an attempt to hit a broader audience without selling out or becoming totally commercialized in a way. I think, well, we did that judging on the feedback I have so far, I think we did that. Yeah!
MAA: There is still a lot of trademark unmistakable Tyr guitar work on the album. How do you and Terji (Skibenaes) come up with the parts and divide the responsibilities when writing?
HJ: I usually play the more basic guitar, of course because I have to sing at the same time. So the easier my guitar playing is the better and I let him do the fancy noodling (laughs). I write most of the music myself, Terji comes up with some stuff himself, and Gunner (Thomsen) as well. I found the most interesting parts are by me so I also tend to decide who plays what. Then, of course I combine my guitar playing and singing, so that it’s doable. Some of is very difficult to record and so I would say that is the leading factor.
MAA: You have a very powerful and distinctive voice. Who are you heroes as a singer?
HJ: RONNIE JAMES DIO is the first and the biggest, after that there are quite a few like ROB HALFORD, BLACKIE LAWLESS, BRUCE DICKINSON and to some extent ERIC ADAMS from MANOWAR. Plenty of great, great metal singers out there. Guys who have changed music single handedly.
MAA: You mentioned DIO and I know there are two covers on some editions of the album. They both have to do with DIO, right?
HJ: Yeah, they do. We had decided to cover the songs (“I” by BLACK SABBATH and “Stargazer” by RAINBOW) long before DIO fell ill even. But with our two other songs that we wanted to cover that were not by DIO as well. We decided to put those two songs precisely on the album when DIO passed away in his honor.
MAA: Why do you think pagan and folk metal themes resonate so loudly today with audiences around the world?
HJ: Well this has been going on for some time in the Europe, probably not in the U.S. By the sound of it. When it started in the middle and late 1990′s, I think it was a reaction that connected to the downfall of Communism in a way, that the great new conflict in the world would be between Christianity and Islam instead of freedom and communism. I think a lot of people have the reaction that this is getting too silly, and we want to go back to what you know, the European roots in a way. A lot of people have , sort of stepped out of the mainstream and moderate religions in Europe and went for something a bit more originally European. I’m not saying that is the right thing to do in that situation. I, of course personally I am Atheist. But I think that might be what happened. It’s just a theory. I don’t really have any statistics to back it up, but that’s my thinking at least.
MAA: Did you see the recent Hollywood movie about the Marvel Comics character THOR and what did you think of it?
HJ: I saw it. I saw it in 3D a few weeks ago. I liked it. It seemed a little bit too much setting up for a sequel than a whole movie at some places toward the end I think. Yeah generally, I liked it. Of course it’s not a very good representation of the saga, but then again it’s a very nice representation of the Marvel comics. I was a big fan of Marvel in my younger days.
MAA: When are you guys getting over to The United States next?
HJ: We have no set plans at the moment. I hope after our South America trip in the end of July, but if not then probably early next year.
Obsequiae-Suspended in the Brume of Eos (Bindrune)
Evoking atmospheres of majestic castles and grandiose court gatherings, the oddball Minnesotan outfit known as Obsequiae gather together a bevy of legit influences to create a unique and intriguing musical melting pot.
While upon the surface, Suspended in the Brume of Eos may seem like black metal, the level of musicianship and creativity makes Obsequiae sound like more than your average group o’ corpse-painted blasphemers. Guitars crisscross each other constantly, creating masterful melodies and counterpoint structures which are simply engaging and gorgeous to the ear. Vocally, things are pretty much a hollow-sounding scream, but the overwhelming medieval atmosphere bowls over the listener with a sound of which Obsequiae can truly be proud.
Elements of Summoning and Rotting Christ can be picked out here and there from Brume, primarily within the album’s unorthodox flow and unique riffing style. The album never comes across and indebted to any particular band or genre, however, choosing instead to walk its own proud path of sturdy, impenetrable metal; a class act of somber, yet masterfully bombastic music which should serve to impress even the most hardened, been-there/done-that brand of fan. Obsequiae are really on to something here…let’s just hope people are listening.
BLACKGUARD is currently touring the USA with their label mates in OTEP. Supporting their recently released album Firefight (Victory), the band is once again slugging it out on the road and taking on all comers. Front man Paul Zinay is one of the most engaging and fun guys I have had the pleasure of talking to. As we hung out in front of Webster Hall in New York City he discussed a wide range of topics during our chat. After the interview was over he hung out another half hour with me and we just continued to talk about metal, life on the road and the fans. As you will read below he is anything, but shy and very frank at all times.
Paul Zinay of BLACKGUARD
MAA: How is the tour going and how has the reaction been to the new material from Firefight?
PZ: This tour has been going surprisingly really, really well. I didn’t think we were going to be as well received as we have been over the last couple of weeks since the tour started. Sure enough every show has felt great! The crowds have been great and really responded well to us. I don’t know how else to analyze it really. A lot of the people that are coming to these shows are OTEP fans and I don’t think they have been exposed to our genre of music so to speak. I really think we are giving them something new, even though we are not reinventing the wheel. Looking out in the crowd it is a little more of a mainstream audience and we are used to an underground audience and running in those underground circles. People are digging it. People are having a great time and are rocking out with us and treating us really well. They seem to love the newer material. And we played two old songs tonight; the older folk metal songs in the set list also went over well so it’s great. I couldn’t be happier!
MAA: How do you feel about the term pagan or folk metal and does it apply to BLACKGUARD?
PZ: I don’t like the Pagan tag at all, because we are not a pagan band. Straight up, we are not Pagan. As far as folk metal tag is concerned we have had elements of folk metal in our music. Since the beginning of the band until recently there is always been elements of folk in the music. At the same time there is a clear difference between ourselves and a band like ELUVEITIE. We are not that kind of folk metal, but we still had those elements in our music. You have to embrace that tag, because that is who we were rolling with if you play this music. Did I ever feel supper connected to that title? No, I never did. We touched on some folkier themes and lyrical fodder in our music, but it’s not the focus by any means for our band. That is why we started tagging ourselves as “Epic Metal”. We use it as an umbrella term. When you think of Epic as a name we can have all of those elements so we could have the folk influences, have the power metal influences, symphonic elements and still have the death metal elements too.
MAA: Who are some of some of your main influences as a vocalist?
PZ: That is like a two parter because there are guys that have influenced me vocally and others as a front man. Are we talking vocally or as a front man?
MAA: Both!
PZ: The singer that influenced me the most singing wise was Dan Weylandt of ZAO. ZAO is one of those bands I started listening to at a young age. His voice and vocal styling really connected to me and made me wanna sing in band. His singing voice is great, his screaming voice is great and his lyrics are fantastic. He is the reason why I sing. I don’t know why, but I started screaming so I could be like him. Also James Lee (formerly) of ORIGIN. The first time I heard him, he is a guy I always tried to mirror my death metal growls after him. And I felt so lucky to tour with him and that band a few years ago on Sumer Slaughter and I am fortunate enough to have stayed friends with him. We still talk on Facebook we call each other up sometimes and it meant the world to me to tour with a band like ORIGIN that influenced me so much. As far as being a front man standpoint my two biggest influences I’d have to say first would be Bruce Dickinson from IRON MAIDEN and second Brandon Schiappatti of BLEEDING THROUGH. Two guys that give it their all on stage and don’t hold back. They have such a flow to them and they are two of the most captivating guys ever in my eyes.
MAA: I have seen BLACKGUARD several times and it seems like you guys will play with anybody.
PZ: Damn right! (laughs)
MAA: I saw you open for DEICIDE last fall and make a lot of new fans in front of a potentially tough crowd. Why does the band appeal to fans of so many different styles?
PZ: I have no idea man! (laughs) Honestly, the only thing I can think of is kind of in a general sense I think people are very entertained by what we do as a band. We pride ourselves on putting on a very energetic stage show. That translates past genres. We’ve had people come up to us after shows and be like “hey man I don’t really like your music, but you put on a great show”. I’m not gonna get mad at that at all. Some guys are just not gonna like our style. If you are a pure death metal head and don’t like our style that is ok. I’m not going to be offended if you don’t like my band. Do I recognize that to have someone say that they don’t like us objectively, but they can still appreciate you and that you are a good band live, I will never complain about that. That is the perfect compliment from someone that might not like my music.
MAA: What are the next tour plans for the band the rest of the summer?
PZ: This tour runs until mid-July or July 14, somewhere around there. Then we have a month off. Before we head back out we’re gonna do the HVY MTL festival in Montreal. It’s gonna be huge, amazing and I can’t wait for it! We’re gonna share the stage with a lot of friends and acquaintances we’ve made the last couple of years. So I’m really excited. Easily the biggest show we’ve ever played. And it’s in our hometown! Even better. So I can show up, play the show, drink and get wasted, have fun and take a cab home and not worry too much. Then we are going on tour with KAMELOT, ALESTORM and THE AGONIST. For a nice North American run. I’m really looking forward to that tour. This is great because we haven’t done a folk metal audience in a while. ALESTORM is gonna draw huge on that tour. Their music is very high energy and goes well with us. And we’re finally getting a second chance to play with KAMELOT when Roy ducked out on the last tour we were supposed to support them on. We run well in power metal crowds too. So with those bands and the aggressive crowds for the THE AGONIST and their fans I think we’re gonna fit just perfectly. I’ve been a huge fan of KAMELOT for quite a few years. But not only that having Fabio Leone of RHAPSODY singing for them will be unbelievable. RHAPSODY is one of the bands that got me into metal period. They are the sound track to a lot of my high school days and that tour will be a real treat for me.
"Epic Metal" on the rise.......
MAA: What about Montreal makes it such a great city for metal of all kinds?
PZ: I’d like to say that Montreal started off as being a real hotbed for death metal. Some bands just set the bar, you know like GORGUTS AND CRYPTOPSY. With CRYPTOPSY, I love to go back and listen to their older records and compare them to all of the crap that is out there right now from technical death metal. Not to call it all crap, but it’s like if you listen to Whisper Supremacy, None So Vile and And Then You’ll Beg: that stuff is so far ahead of today. What they did then is still just as relevant now and better than a lot of stuff coming out. Man, I bet if you those guys would go in and re-cut those records note for note with a cleaner production it would still blow everyone away and put all those bands to shame. So there were a lot of bands that set the bar like GORGUTS with progressive death metal and CRYPTOPSY another technical progressive band and we all looked up to them. All these bands that came after had to look up to these bands. We felt we had to play as good as those guys. And I grew up in the scene with guys from bands like BENEATH THE MASSACRE, ION DISSONANCE and DESPISED ICON. And we all grew up looking up to and respecting those guys in the scene before us. We all loved CRYPTOPSY and huge fans. VOIVOD is another huge and influential band we all looked up to. KATAKLYSM is another band that really made waves. All of the forefathers of Montreal metal set the standard and we either were going to be that good or we weren’t going to cut it. We don’t play death metal, but just being surrounded by all that talent it has to influence you in some way.
(Speacial thanks to Paul Zinay, Victory Records and Return to the Pit)
Primordial-Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand (Metal Blade)
Given that this is Primordial’s seventh studio outing, not much should be expected when it comes to change or progression.
This has been both a blessing and a curse for these Irish black/pagan metallers; a semi-albatross which has followed Primordial throughout their career. Although vocalist Alan Nemtheanga and crew have remained remarkably consistent in terms of quality control since their 1995 debut, Imrama, the fact remains that Primordial inhabits a very niche corner of the extreme metal realm; a place where-despite possessing their fair share of fans-the band has languished within a predictable songwriting pattern for many years.
Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand, for better or worse, doesn’t do anything to extradite itself from this fact, utilizing the same, churning chords and mid pace, martial drumming which has thus far been the band’s stylistic trademark. Nemtheanga, of course, is as passionate as ever on the vocal charge; one of Primordial’s strongest assets and most iconic elements. Unfortunately, even Alan’s delivery has become predictable when placed upon his bandmates’ one eyed vision of composition; it’s as if we’ve heard all this before, and it’s starting to become old.
Of course, some fans feel safe, knowing they can expect a measurable amount of delivery and quality from their favorite bands. Yet, I’ve always felt that Primordial was both capable of better and DESERVED more than they’ve achieved. There simply needs to be more of an exciting dynamic within the guitars of Ciaran MacUliam and Micheal O’Floinn in order to breathe life into these songs, however passionate.
Honesty just isn’t enough these days for Primordial, particularly when Nemtheanga has so expertly spread his wings with the Blood Revolt project recently. Maybe it’s time for some fresh blood, and a new approach, but Redemption At the Puritan’s Hand sounds like every Primordial effort before it…whether or not this appeals to you, the listener, is the real question.
