Posts Tagged ‘touring’PETER TÄGTGREN: THE METAL ARMY INTERVIEWWednesday, March 27th, 2013Metal Army chatted with PETER TÄGTGREN about the new HYPOCRISY album End of Disclosure (Nuclear Blast). In a lengthy interview, Omar (@Ojayy666) Cordy talked to the legendary multi-instrumentalist and producer about the new album, writing and recording, his other projects, and much more.
 PETER TÄGTGREN: Mad genius.
 SOILWORK: THE METAL ARMY INTERVIEWTuesday, March 5th, 2013Metal Army caught up with BJORN “SPEED” STRID, front man of the band SOILWORK to discuss their brand new album, The Living Infinite, out on 3/5/13 in America (Nuclear Blast). Bjorn discussed at length the concept for the album, the choice of making a double album, existentialism, the renewed writing chemistry in the band, recording, touring and much more. by Keith (@Keefy) Chachkes THE AGONIST: THE METAL ARMY INTERVIEWThursday, June 7th, 2012We caught up with singer Alissa White-Gluz of Montreal metallers THE AGONIST. Alissa is not your typical artist in any way and is starkly candid compared to many in the business. In our interview she revealed her unique perspectives on topics like her bands’ new album, the evolution of the group, the value of a trusted producer and much more.
 Prisoners came out this week on Century Media.
MAA: The new album is coming out soon, so what can you tell us about it? AWG: The album is called Prisoners. It comes out June 5th in North America and June 4th in Europe. It was a pretty lengthy process to record this album so we hare really happy to have it finally done.
MAA: How would you characterize the evolution of the band from the Lullabies for the Dormant Mind album to now? AWG: It’s hard to say because the album is so new. I still think Lullabies is the best. On Once Only Imagined, Danny was the sole instrumental song writer. On Lullabies.. Simon wrote a little bit because he also plays guitar. On this album we also had Paco writing. So it was Danny, Simon and Paco; though mostly Danny. I have always written all the lyrics and vocals. I think the difference for this album from the last is that our musical influences have diverged. Rather than having a really coherent idea of what we all wanted to do, it was more of a struggle. That is why it took so long. The result is Prisoners.
 THE AGONIST in 2012: Forward into battle!
MAA: What does Christian Donaldson (CRYPTOPSY) as a co-producer bring to the band that you continue going back to him? AWG: Oh he’s amazing! It’s convenient since he’s in Montreal and he’s a friend of ours, really understands us and he’s very efficient. For me personally, I love recording vocals with him. I would go with someone else, and I have recorded with other people for guest vocals, this and that. He’s a really patient person. He picks up on things quickly. He’s also a really musical person so its great to have that person who understands what you are trying to do and be able to guide you in the right direction. We did want to go with someone else just to get a different feel, but Christian does such a good job it was enough of a reason to go back with him.
MAA: THE AGONIST is out on the road supporting KITTIE. How is the tour going? AWG: We are actually on the road right now, rolling on our way to Houston. The tour has been really good.
MAA: What made you want to be a writer and a singer in the first place? AWG: I can’t actually, really cite anyone. I was just talking to my drummer about this a few minutes ago. I never really sat around as a teenager and admired bands and said I want to be like that or do that. I had friends with bands who needed a singer and I just sort of fell into it. I had done some plays and theater so I was like ‘Okay, whatever. I’ll give it a shot.’ After I joined my first band is when I started listening to metal. I thought “This kind of sounds like what we are doing, so I will try to do this or that.’ Writing wise I just never really studied anyone. Honestly, I just kind of do it. I’ve never planned anything out. If the result is good, that’s really lucky. I definitely didn’t train for it the way that maybe some other people have.
MAA: You are well known for your interests outside of the band like activism, fashion, painting etc. Is it all under one umbrella as “art” to you, or do you need to compartmentalize things to achieve your goals? AWG: No it really is, that’s a good way to put it, compartmentalize. It’s more than just art, I consider it expression. Whether I’m performing a show, or giving a speech on animal rights, or talking to somebody that needs advice I’m just expressing what I think is good for someone to hear, see and know. It’s not really individual goals, it’s who I am and what I do. I am not cut out for public figure status. I’m not into everyone knowing my name or recognizing me. I like to pass on messages. That’s why I write lyrics the way I do. That’s why I’m active in the causes that I care about.
MAA: Why is Montreal such a fertile place for bands and artists to come from? AWG: It’s hard to say because I am was born and raised in Montreal and I have never lived anywhere else. Maybe we’re complacent because we have so many good bands. There is always political issues going on. The two languages (English and French) probably add to that. There are so many different races of people. Montreal is so eclectic. You’ll have people that tour in metal bands and then they go home and do Rap, or they do Jazz or they play lounge music. There is really a good amount of talented people. It’s probably the same in other places. From touring I do know that for example, there are definitely certain cultures tied to certain cities. Like, for example Dallas, which is tied to cowboy culture. Portland has a hippie culture and perhaps Montreal maybe doesn’t have one specific culture, we have many. And that is probably what helps make really strong bands.
MAA: Why is it such a priority to reach your fans on social media like Twitter and YouTube as much as you do? AWG: I just started doing it because there were so many fake profiles of me online, like fake band and Alissa pages that were giving out false information on us. We were hearing from fans ‘why did you cancel your show in Argentina?’ And we never had a show in Argentina. There were these fake sources giving false info and I had to do something. I just started taking control of it so there would be one specific thought that people could go and find the real information and make people pay attention to the official sources. And also to divert attention away from the fake sites. It’s a double-edged sword and you have to be careful. People tend to think that they know you. People need to realize that I talk to thousands of people each week. As much as I want to respond to every question, and I say this on my bio on Facebook, there are lines of respect that have to be there. Most people are still strangers to me. If people treat me like a human being with respect, then I have no problem meeting them and getting to know them. In most cases people are losing all sense of common courtesy when it comes to meeting performers after or before a show. MAA: Well I’m not totally shocked by that! Thanks for sharing that and good luck on the tour. AWG: Thanks and goodbye!
By Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
SONATA ARCTICA: THE METAL ARMY INTERVIEWMonday, May 28th, 2012Finnish prog metal masters SONATA ARCTICA has a new album out called Stones Grow Her Name. Henrik “Hennka” Klingenberg checked in with Metal Army about the new album, their twenty plus year career, their new music video and other influences.
MAA: What is the concept behind Stones Grow Her Name? HK: There’s really not any big picture-type of concept, but we went in with the notion and general idea that we would make a simpler, more accessible and rocking album suitable for the stage. We also decided to drop most of the symphonic elements that were pretty dominant on the last album.
MAA: The band is almost twenty years old now. Do you feel any pressure to keep topping your previous efforts? HK: Not really, I think the main thing is that as long as you feel like you’re working on your best album every time you hit the studio, then at least you’re on the right path. Naturally we do make an effort to top ourselves every time and become a better band, but I think that if you force it too much, then it might backfire so we’ll just keep on working our asses off and hope for the best.
MAA: Beyond the obvious, what is the song “Shitload of Money” really about? HK: It’s really more of a warning. You should not sell things that you can’t buy back, like your privacy or honesty or stuff like that. The song wants to make you think about the true value of things, in my opinion.
MAA: Please discuss the inspiration behind the “I Have A Right” video? HK: Originally, we saw this thing on YouTube where a girl was telling a story by drawing in the sand and we thought that would be a great way to do a music video but since we didn’t have access (= money) to do that, we went with another artist and instead of sand painting, it was done as regular painting-style storytelling (if such a thing exists). Naturally, the story pretty much follows the lyrics and emphasizes the story in the song.
MAA: Much more than Power Metal, I hear lots of Progressive Rock influences in the band. Any favorites? HK: I think I’m the most prog-dude in the band. RUSH is one of my all-time, most important bands and of course I’ve listened to a lot of KING CRIMSON, YES, even FRANK ZAPPA, some of the earlier GENESIS, and what have you.
MAA: Does the artwork on the cover of the album tie into the story as well? HK: It ties a little bit into the story of the two “Wildfire” songs I think, where the main point is that we should be concerned about how we treat our planet or Mother Nature will have her revenge and humanity will come to an end. Come to think of it, the world wouldn’t necessarily be such a bad place without all the shit we people do, so our planet might well be better off without us. I’m not volunteering to leave, though.
MAA: Any chance the band will ever record another covers EP? HK: Of course there’s always a chance, but personally I prefer to do originals. I know some of the guys like to do covers more than others, but we’ll see. We always do one or two cover songs when we record an album, so eventually there will be enough to put together a covers EP.
 Henrik "Hennka" Klingenberg.
MAA: Is there an instrument or a type of voice the band would like to try to incorporate into the music that you haven’t had a chance to yet? HK: Yeah, I think there are a lot of stuff we haven’t tried yet, but I don’t want to give anything away so you’ll have to wait until the next album to see what we come up with. Personally speaking, as long as it sounds good, we will use it no matter if it’s a pig squealing or a grand piano being thrown down the stairs.
MAA: What kind of touring schedule does the band have planned for supporting the release? HK: We’re doing festivals in Europe during the summer and then club shows in Finland and the rest of Europe during this fall. In 2013, we’ll hit North & South America, Japan, and what have you. It will be a long world tour once again. I’m really looking forward to it and luckily the shows will start really soon!!! Cheers!!! (Special Thanks to Hennka, SONATA ARCTICA and Nuclear Blast). by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes HANK 3 – THE METAL ARMY INTERVIEWFriday, March 16th, 2012Metal Army America was lucky enough to catch up with music legend HANK 3 last fall to chat about many topics. Hank discussed his three recent simultaneous releases (Ghost To A Ghost/Guttertown, A.D.D. and 3 Bar Ranch- Cattle Callin; all on Hank 3 Records), touring life, his many influences and inspirations and living with a huge musical legacy that is his famous family.
 The best of the three of Hank 3's 2011 releases is a double country album. Man he looks like his grand dad here! MAA: Please tell us about what inspired you to put out these three albums all at once? HANK 3: A) It’s just me trying to do something a little different. I’ve always tried to go against the grain in my ways of thinking. My main thinking was trying to do something that has never been done in the music business before. Also, I’ve never been able to sell a CD at my own show because I used to refuse to sell Curb records products. I also wanted fans to have the choice to by either the country record, or the doom record or the weird cattle calling/speed metal record. There has also people who have written things about me that say I can be country or Hellbilly or punk rock, but no one has ever really had a chance to hear how diverse I can be. That is really the best way to sum it up.
MAA: Catlin Calling in particular is really unique. How did that album come about and how did you connect with all the callers? HANK 3: The inspiration really came from my fascination with the speed of the chants, really. I thought it would be a different kind of twist with the heavy metal music behind it and using the auctioneers. I basically would find guys on YouTube and track em down. And I would kind of explain that ‘you’re not going to like the music, but in the end you gotta know that I am not making fun of your industry. I’ve been raised around farms and cattle all my life, I’ve branded cattle, I’ve milked cattle and my grandfather used to bring me to auctioning barns so I know about what yall do.’ It was hard. About 50% of the guys I wanted turned me down and backed out. So that was a pretty heavy blow not being able to use a lot of the really, really fast guys. Then again thanks to guys like Tim Dailor and Joe Goggins and Dan Clark they didn’t even hesitate. They would say ‘Man! I like your vision, it’s something new and different and maybe shed some light on what we do and inspire some younger people.’ Personally it’s been the most intense for me and the most fun. By day we would record the country in the day time and then work our way up to letting it loose by the end of the night.
 "Cattle Callin" is a ground breaking mix of speed metal with Cattle Auctioneers.
MAA: I think I heard a bit of Layne Staley vocal influence on “Mad Cow”. HANK 3: There is definitely a lot of Layne Staley inspiration on the doom record and the cattle calling record. And of course Mike Patton too! STRAPPING YOUNG LAD and all those bands, you can hear the all inspirations on some of my vocal performances. After I’m on the road for about a week my voice could never hold up on the road on some of those high notes. When we are on the road I’m not necessarily singing as much. Most people are pretty tired since it’s been like a three hour and twenty minute performance that we’ve been doing. We start with the country set, then the Hellbilly, then the punk and doom and finally the cattle calling.
 A.D.D. helps Hank 3 get out his doom jones.
MAA: A.D.D. is pretty amazing. Did you set out to make a strictly sludge and doom album? HANK 3: I’ve been playing a little more of the upbeat, hardcore stuff for a long time with ASSJACK. I had yet to get the feel of the music for a long time, to push more air. So it was just a different sound and style I’ve been wanting to get into for a long time. It goes back to trying to freak people out with the fast, slow and then fast again by the end of the night (Editor’s note: at his live shows). As far as history’s sake I have reunited all of SLEEP’s Jerusalem era gear. I got Matt Pike’s green cabinets and Al Cisneros’s bass cabinets are what I’m playing through. MAA: Holy Shit! HANK 3: When we start the A.D.D. show we always start with a SLEEP song. That style of music has always been important to me and a lot of fun for me and my drummer to sit down and jam out to it. MAA: Was that cover “Dopesmoker”? HANK 3: It’s “Dopesmoker/Jerusalem”! MAA: Cool!
 Hank3 is putting on a free show in New York City on 3/17 at the Gramercy Theater. Details below.
MAA: Ghost To A Ghost/Gutter Town are amazing old school sounding country. Why is important to you to keep this part of the music alive? HANK 3: I think a lot of people need it for our shows out there and in general. The family name is connected to a lot of folks out there. Yes, I talk about partying and living hard and all that. The flip side of it to that is I am helping people just get by, live through the day and keep on keeping on through the music. I think we are crossing some boundaries out there. I think if I was just a heavy metal band it our audience would be as diverse and as unique. If I was country singer, our audience wouldn’t be as cool as what it is. While I have the energy to put it out there, that’s what just makes me different. It’s just me trying to carve my own niche. At the beginning of the night there will be a 1000 people. Towards the end of the show there maybe will be just 200 left standing. (laughs) That’s the way it’s always been. A lot of my fans just feel really connected to the country thing I do. I try to respect the lineage. But also, on the new record there is maybe four or five real country songs and then there are some songs like “I Don’t Want To Go Home” that are not really country at all. I’m getting people used to seeing me have my creative freedom out there. It’s a new beginning for me. That is why there is a little bit of a change on the Ghost To A Ghost/Guttertown records.
MAA: Do you think you have converted more metal fans to country or vice versa? HANK 3: I hear a little bit of both. I hear a lot of the metal fans say hey I don’t like country, but I like the energy you are putting out. And then I’ll meet some country fans who will say ‘all this pop country stuff is just making me crazy, but when I see you or hear your music is helps me out.” And there is a lot of heavy metal kids, thanks to working with guys like PHILIP ANSELMO there are some people in the metal world who have helped me cross over. Some of them get it and some of it don’t. It is a little bit of both worlds. Both the metal world and the average guy who I’ve heard say ‘man you’ve converted me to this style of music.’
MAA: Where is Guttertown and what does it represent to you? HANK 3: If it was out there it would be way down in Louisiana. There has always been a strong connection with the Williams family. My grandad had a huge connection to that area with songs like “Jambalaya” and other songs. My dad was born in Baton Rouge. I myself got to go there a lot as a kid. Whenever I have been in a dark place or feeling very uncomfortable I can put on that old Cajun stuff and it helps me out quite a bit. It would be way back in the Bayou. The only way to get there would be by water. It would be way off the grid and back woods, like an old Wild West Bayou town. Back in the 1800s kind of feel. Just a lot of foot stomping and be in touch with it. Don’t worry about playing the right notes, just feel the song.
 Hank is no stranger to massive, 3 plus hour concerts. Photo by Jeff Mackie.
MAA: You’ve got some great guest appearances on Ghost To A Ghost. How did those come together? HANK 3: Starting out it was both with heroes and friends. Like Alan King from HELLSTOMPER. He used to sing a song that went ‘You can steal my girl and drive my truck, but don’t you sing my songs!’ And I called him up and I said ‘hey I got a song that kind of sounds like HELLSTOMPER and I can’t do it with out you. Do you want to co-write on it and would you sing on it?’ and he said “You damn right!” Then Dave Sherman from EARTHRIDE and T-ROY from SOURVEIN were in town on tour and I got them over to the house to do on vocal tracks to “Ghost To A Ghost”. And then TOM WAITS came in an finished it off. We’ve know each other over the years and finally got some face time. He was more comfortable on the push box/accordion type vocals so we did that. And LES CLAYPOOL, I’ve been a fan of his forever. You can’t say he’s been this style or that style. He’s been a big inspiration to me as far as being diverse and being myself. He was in Nashville and I bought him a country and western shirt gave him a box of old records and said ‘I got this song on my new album, would you sing on it and he said yes’. It was as simple as that and I’m really proud of it.
MAA: What is your favorite Hank Sr. song? HANK 3: That is always a really hard question for me to answer. It’s a question I’ve been stumped on that one before. There are so many songs that are so deep it’s really hard for me to say one song for sure. There are so many songs that are so diverse, I’ve never been able to answer that one.
MAA: Do you think it is hard to come from a family with this big a musical legacy? HANK 3: That is what has made myself different and my fans are lot more unique. They respect the fact that I am out there trying to put on the longest show for the cheapest ticket price. I started out in 1994 with a crew and van for $7 a ticket and nowadays it’s between $18 and never more than $25. I am trying to keep the working man in mind where they can come out, buy a beer, buy their girl a t-shirt and go home with $20 in their pocket. I have been a firm believer in giving it away for free as much as possible. Bootleg the shows, videotape the show whatever. Another thing is sticking around after the show shaking hands and signing autographs .That’s the old country way “do you show and say hello”. And it’s not all great man you rock! There are some negative and some positive responses. I have had some of my heroes in the rock world and the country world kind of snub me and be dicks. And I never want to be like that to my fans. I want to be there for them and carve my own way. Most people do their show and take off and there is nothing wrong with that. Money can’t buy feeling connected to your fans and being there for them. I just live day by day and hope for the best in the end. I have never seen a dollar from the HANK WILLIAMS estate money. That’s what it is. I hope karma comes back to take care of me later for putting out there all these years. MAA: I think they will Hank! Thanks for your time! HANK 3: Thank you! In the meantime fans can go straight to www.HANK3.com to buy records straight from either me or my mom. I’ll see ya next time on the east coast run!
(Special thanks to Hank 3 for his time and generosity. He is playing a free show in New York on 3/17. Details can be found here.) by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes TESSERACT: THE METAL ARMY INTERVIEWWednesday, November 9th, 2011Metal Army recently caught up with James Monteith, guitarist of UK progressive/djent merchants TESSERACT. They are out on the road supporting BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME and ANIMALS AS LEADERS and winning over new fans nightly. Life for a young band these days is not without hurdles as they are breaking in new lead singer Elliott Coleman (ZELLIACK/ex-SKY EATS AIRPLANE) who replaced Daniel Tompkins who retired over the summer. James chatted about this, touring, American breakfast habits and the future of the band who is still supporting their excellent release One (Century Media) from earlier this year.
 One was released this past March. There is also an instrumental version available.
MAA: How is the tour going so far? JM: Hi there! Tour’s going great thanks.. it takes a few days to settle in and adapt to the road lifestyle, but we’re off to play our fifth show today so we’re in full swing now. It’s pretty awesome to be on the road with two great bands, BTBAM and AAL and we’re playing some great venues too.. so yeah.. it’s good!
MAA: How has the experience of touring the US been? JM: Touring the US is always great; the people are welcoming and it always amazes us that so many people over here listen to our music. I’m probably seeing this through rose tinted glasses, but the American crowds seem to be very open minded to what we do, which is awesome and has helped us pick up new fans at most of the shows so far. Previously we’ve traveled the states in a small van and trailer, but this time we’ve upgraded to an RV, so the long drives are a lot more comfortable which makes a massive difference. However, we do have to smell each other each morning which I’m sure will become more potent the further south we go. The other great thing about the RV is that we can cook and store our own food, so we don’t end up in diners every day. Don’t get me wrong, I love American cooked breakfasts – meat, butter, maple syrup, butter, Texas toast, butter, more meat, super-size shakes, cream, biscuits and (more) butter are all awesome. But I think we all nearly died from fat poisoning on the last tour! The other great thing about being over here is being able to use our ‘accents’, which comes in very handy if you’re trying to blag something!
MAA: Why do you think some of the fans have been slow to adopt Elliott? JM: I think the majority of the Fans who are taking a while to come round to Elliot are possibly ones who have fairly recently got into us and are genuinely disappointed as they dug what Dan did and to an extent it’s understandable – you get into a band then a key member leaves – and especially with vocalists this can massively change the dynamic of the band. However, I urge those still unsure to check out the new “Eden”, and also come to see us live. You can even download “Eden” here for free, so there’s no excuse:
http://soundcloud.com/centurymediarecords/tesseract-eden-2-0
Elliot is different, as he’s a different person, but he brings a load of different and exciting sounds and strengths to the band and we couldn’t be more happy with how he’s working out. I remember when Keith Caputo left LIFE OF AGONY and being gutted as a kid, but I checked them out with Whitfield Crane on vox, they still slayed and all faith was restored. Not that I want to pull a direct analogy, as I doubt Dan will have a sex change and rejoin TESSERACT in 5 years…not sure he’d make quite as hot a chick as Keith.
 TESSERACT are opening on of the best tours this fall. MAA: For those not familiar with you who are the influences of the band? JM: As individuals we take influence from a huge rang of influences ranging from prog rock, metal, electronica, jazz, classical. We probably have most bases covered between us. However, the main influences which can probably heard in TESSERACT are PINK FLOYD, MESHUGGAH, THE DOORS and anything with groove!
MAA: The video for “Eden” was just released and I think it’s terrific. Is there a meaning behind the video? JM: I think our director Ganesh Rao can explain this the best -
Ganesh Rao Director- “This symbolic piece represents the unnatural habits we find ourselves hard to break away from, and our weakness to control its effects. Desensitized to the harshness of reality, we carry on with our artificial lives. We can sense that our only Eden is dying, but we’re too tied up to try and save it”
MAA: Do you feel the band can transcend the “djent” genre and do other music down the road? JM: TESSERACT was a project that started in 2003 by Acle (guitarist) and we started jamming as a band in 2006, way before the popularization of the word. From the beginning the band has always been on an evolutionary path, so as great as it is to be part of a current popular scene, it will no way restrict us musically. The demos we’re working on from the second album are already veering away from the standard ‘djenty’ sound as a result of our material progression. Don’t worry, we’re not releasing a collection of smooth lounge numbers with a bit of twinkly clean guitar over the top. There are a lot of heavy riffs in there, but we’re definitely exploring other musical ideas.
 over the summer the band completed a successful tour of Australia with PERIPHERY.
MAA: Has the band already begin writing the follow up to One since Elliot joined? JM: To be honest we’ve not done all that much as our primary focus has been to get the band up to scratch to tour this Autumn.. (Fall?!) although we’ve been working on a few ideas and we’re really excited about what Elliot is bringing to the mix. He has a very groovy, soulful edge and also the most brutal aggressive roars, so has injected a whole new dose of excitement and enthusiasm! We’ll be releasing an EP early next year, so make sure to check that out.
MAA: What is on tap for the band for the remainder of the year for touring? JM: The BTBAM/AAL tour takes right up to the 11th December, so that’s pretty much what we’ll be doing. The Deserts of Utah, the sun of Cali and the snow of Ontario await us! Please check out the dates and come down. Following the 11th we’ll all go into hibernation until the work on album two kicks off properly in the new year!
(Special thanks to James Monteith, TESSERACT and Century Media Records) by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
KAURA: THE METAL ARMY INTERVIEWFriday, November 4th, 2011Front man Malcolm Guess of the band KAURA (pronounced Kay-Aura) chatted with Metal Army America recently about their just released album That Which Defines Us. Malcom’s intellect and intensity at describing the creative process should be no surprise to anyone who has heard his bands’ haunting, multifaceted music. He touched on a variety of subjects that give a deeper look into the workings of this up and coming band.
MAA: That Which Defines Us just came out. How has the band evolved in the last few years between records? MG: There are a few central concepts that form the base of what KAURA is, so I think, as we continue to explore and expand on those concepts they’ve become more crystallized. The vision for this band is something akin to an ice block that we keep chipping away at to get to the sculpture that we see in our minds eye. Each new song we create is different corner, edge or surface of that sculpture that we explore and refine. The more we chip away at it I think we get better at revealing what’s we’ve always known to be beneath.
 In a short span of time KAURA has opened up for TOOL, ROB ZOMBIE, A PERFECT CIRCLE and others on the west coast.
MAA: Some of the new album was recorded with Sylvia Massey. What was it like working with her? MG: Sylvia is great! She’s such a sweet person who’s also exceptionally talented. She’s built an amazing studio facility…actually more like village. She’s expanded her Radiostar studios to encompass several buildings in the small town of Weed where it’s located. Her studios, her staff, her husband and herself all make the Radiostar experience immensely pleasurable and super creative. Although we didn’t leave the tracking room much but when we did, just being able to step outside and take in the sight of the snow-capped mountain of Mount Shasta was really inspiring.
MAA: You can hear a lot of the modern influences of the band. Who are some of the more obscure or unusual influences on KAURA people might not realize? MG: I think for each of us it’s different, but for me I have a few that have been really influential. The band MACHA, who’s no longer together, was a great band. Their first two records were really inspiring for me. I also really draw inspiration from soundtracks like The Last of the Mohicans, Les Miserables and the DAFT PUNK Tron Legacy score. I think that relates to where I get most of my inspiration from which is my experiences of traveling to places like Nepal, Laos, Bali etc. The landscapes are so epic that when just being present in those places and taking in the vast beauty of the surroundings, music just starts playing in my head. It’s like there’s a little composer in my head creating a score to my experience while in the moment living it. It’s always these super majestic, sweeping, enrapturing melodies and songs that I guess would be most closely described as being like the soundtracks I mentioned.
MAA: Where do you get your lyrical inspiration from? MG: Like every lyricist, I draw my inspiration from my experiences, but I think to rephrase the question by answering with my choice in how I go about choosing what things to sing about or what my approach is, might be more meaningful. I’m not really interested in singing about trivial stuff like…what he said to me…or what he did to me or things like that. That’s all just transient, incidental stuff that comes and goes which doesn’t have much depth in and of itself, in my opinion. I’d rather focus on the evolution that might come from experiences like that…the awakening that transpires from situations of hurt or pain or love and joy. I tend to gravitate towards singing about more universal topics of substance. If I’m gonna have to sing a song for years to come I don’t want be singing about silly stuff or some girlfriend from 10 years ago or whatever.
MAA: What is the status of your acoustic album/DVD? MG: Well we did a Kickstarter campaign just this past month and raised 114% of our goal which is fantastic! We’re super grateful and excited to finally be able to wrap up the production on it and get it out there. We should be finished with it by December if there aren’t any technical snags along the way.
MAA: The band has been very skilled at social media early in its career. Why do you feel that is so important? MG: It’s the lifeline to our fans! With the architecture of the music business changing by the day, the one thing that will always be necessary is our connection to our fans. Social media is the channel that we use to stay connected. We’re not with a label or an entity that handles the throughput of information between us and the rest of the world so we handle it ourselves. I’ll be honest in saying that it’s a blessing and a curse. There’s been many times where we’ve had to spend more time on the social media and promotional aspect of the band than actually making music but that’s a part of the process. If we make the most killer tunes ever but don’t create a means by which to share it; it’ll never be heard beyond the walls of our studio. It can get to be a lot of tedious work at times but it’s all very necessary.
MAA: What is the origin of the bands’ name? MG: It started with me just fishing for a name or sound that would describe the feeling of what Kaura’s music would sound like. No word or name that already existed fit that description so I just started putting together sounds phonetically. I came up with masculine sound of “K” combined with the softer, feminine sound of “aura”; which felt to me to capture the energetic dynamics of what the music would impart. I ended up looking up KAURA to see if there was anything out there with that name. It turned out that it’s an Indian name which describes the person that it’s given to as being someone who feels or experiences things beyond words. I was pretty amazed by what I found and was like ‘yeah, if there’s anything that I’d like for people to experience when listening to our music, it would be that!’ So it all made sense and we kept it. Although, since that time I’ve also been told that it’s the name of a beer they have in Finland.
MAA: What are the touring plans for the band for the near future? MG: We’re hoping to do a west coast tour this winter to follow up the release of the album. Stay tuned for more details!
(Special thanks to KAURA, Malcolm Guess and Adrenaline PR) by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
EDDIE HERMIDA OF ALL SHALL PERISH: THE METAL ARMY INTERVIEWFriday, September 16th, 2011Metal Army caught up with Eddie Hermida, vocalist of ALL SHALL PERISH at this year’s ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL. He gave one of the best and most surprising interviews of the day. We hung out for quite a bit and we had a heartfelt discussion about the impact on him and the band being part of the tour, their new record, the writing process and inspirational lyrics. We also talked about his awesome Star Wars tattoos, sadly off the record. What follows is an excerpt of our chat.
 One of my favorite albums to jam out to this summer.
MAA: How does Mayhem Festival compare to other festivals ALL SHALL PERISH has done? EH: Mayhem has been something that we were really intimidated by. When we got the news that we got the deal, but not only that they wanted us, but they also wanted to pay us. My heart jumped and I went with it. It was one of the most intense feelings in my entire life. I called my mom. I almost cried, I was so choked up. This is the culmination of everything we have been working for all this time. Everything I’ve ever been all about is being able to step out to a bunch of really, really dedicated fans and show them why they should be dedicated to All SHALL PERISH. We go out there and we kill it everyday. We give everything, just like we do every show. Just like we do every tour.
MAA: How is the new material going over from This is Where it Ends? EH: You always get nervous. When you are writing a song, you don’t really know how people are going to react to it. You are just writing, going from the gut. It’s more like this is a new song, this is what I’m feeling. The crowd has been responding a lot better than I thought they would. I was very nervous to see how they were going to react. I wasn’t sure they were gonna get it. I genuinely believed people weren’t going to see the direction that we took or that they were gonna judge us too hard. Ultimately people are loving it, which is makes me really happy because this is my favorite record we have done.  ALL SHALL PERISH were one of the best side stage acts at Mayhem.
MAA: The new record is definitely a step over Awaken the Dreamers. How does ASP write an album? EH: The way we work in ALL SHALL PERISH from beginning to end: the guitarists get together a couple of riffs and then they get together with the drummer. They piece the song together from there. Then the bassist comes in and adds all the color. Then the lead guitarist comes in and he destroys the thing and then they send it to me to put it back together. When it comes to me I really try to soak in the music and I spend three or four straight days and nights with it. I sleep with the music on repeat until I come up with something. First, I free flow parts over the music and try to come up with patterns until I decide what the song is trying to speak about. Then I write lyrics. I try to talk about how the music makes me feel. I draw upon my memories and I draw upon my good times and my bad times until I come upon what the song is about. Other than that the band comes together really well and I think this is the best lineup of ASP.
MAA: This is Where it Ends still comes hard with the thought provoking lyrics. Why is it important to you to have serious lyrics on your albums? EH: The first memory I can really draw back from is something my mom told me. She said I could be anything I wanted to be. Which is the typical thing a parent can say. But she also said she didn’t care what I do, just that I would be the best at what I do. I try to write something that I would be inspired by. Something that if I heard it I would be totally taken back by. You can’t really draw millions of peoples’ thoughts into one thing. I don’t know how I do it, but I try to. I try to keep it verbose and I try to establish myself as a poet as well as a singer. A big thing for me when I was a teenager was I really loved the lyrics from Corey Taylor on the first SLIPKNOT record. He was using a lot of huge words I didn’t understand and it really inspired me. And I wanted to do the same too.
MAA: And now you are doing it en español! EH: Oh I was really nervous about pulling that off (the Spanish version of the track “Royalty in Exile”). There was a lot of pressure from Nuclear Blast. They wanted me to utilize that side of what I can do. It wasn’t like “you need to do this to to sell more records!” The record company was like “you should try to express that side of you more.” And I was really nervous to do it, but it came out great and I was really happy with it later.
MAA: What is essential for you to survive a summer tour? EH: I need weed and sunscreen. I got a baseball mitt, a ball and a couple of condoms laying around! (laughs)
 Eddie Hermida is a pretty deep guy, but you can tell he loves his job!
MAA: What does the band have on tap for touring the rest of this year? EH: We are going to be hitting the road in October with THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER and then Europe, Southeast Asia and Australia. Then I would love to come home and do a big headline tour.
MAA: Thanks for your time Eddie! EH: Thanks for the support!
(Thanks to Eddie Hermida, Nuclear Blast and Curtis Dunlap Photography)
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes OLAVI MIKKONEN OF AMON AMARTH: THE METAL ARMY INTERVIEWFriday, August 26th, 2011Metal Army had a chance to catch up with AMON AMARTH guitarist Olavi Mikkonen between stints of their wildly successful US tour. Here is an excerpt of our chat:  If you miss this tour you will be without live viking metal for what will seem like an eon.
MAA: The band is gearing for a second American tour with the “evening with” the format. Why the decision to do the entire new album on tour? OM: First of all I think when we did the first tour we kind of had a problem to find a decent support band. Then we said fuck it let’s try to do our own thing, us playing a little bit extended set a whole complete AMON AMARTH evening and it turned out to be such successful tour that we couldn’t wait to do it again! And then of course we wanted to since we cover the whole North America with the first one, and this time we’re doing the other states and cities so we thought we’re gonna give those fans the same treatment. So, (laughing) there’s not really more than that to it.
MAA: I like the very simple stage set up you use for the show. Do you think it helps fans focus on the music?
OM: I don’t know, I never really thought so much about it. I mean, I guess in Europe we have a little bigger one. We have more ramps and stuff that, but I think it’s more logistics. It’s not as easy for us to travel around with more stuff than we already have, banners and stuff that. It’s kind of easy to fill up the stage and of course, for us the show is about us and our music. It’s not about what kind of set up we have.(laughing) And I guess the more stuff you have, the more stuff you can hide behind. Of course it would be fun to have kind of a similar thing that we do in Europe for US, but it is what it is.
 Olavi and AMON AMARTH play a concert at the Worcester Palladium in 2010.
MAA: How does the band choose the songs for the second set of the night and will this new tour feature some different songs? OM: Oh, it’s mostly different cities and different areas, but of course there’s a few shows that are kind of near by so we kind of expect that some people will come to this tour as well. So definitely yes, we have changed around a little bit, the second set is perhaps fifteen songs, I would say seven are different. Definitely different. So I think It’s kind of, kind of older songs we haven’t played in the US for awhile and also for the older-wise crowd that we call them. We have so many albums to choose songs from, so of course there’s “The Pursuit of Vikings” or “Death in Fire” we always play. But definitely yes, we have a lot of surprises and I think that, probably three songs that we have never played in the US, if not four. So it’s gonna be a different set, it’s gonna be a lot of fun with props as well, play those songs again. I think there are some songs also from Twilight of the Thunder God that we have never played in the US before, so it’s gonna be good.
MAA: I find that Surter Rising (Metal Blade) has a more pronounced thrash sound than before? Was there anything in the band that influenced this change in the song writing? OM: I think it just happened. You don’t really make a master plan what kind of songs you’re gonna write or whatever. Whatever comes up, comes up. And as long as we feel the songs are great, we don’t really reflect too much. If it’s death metal, thrash or heavy metal or whatever as long as its metal, it’s AMON AMARTH. (laughs) We don’t really make a plan of what kind of songs you’re gonna write, just whatever comes up. Then of course, you play enough to try to not make too many songs that are kind of similar to each other on the same album.
MAA: How do you and Johan (Soderburg) split up the guitar responsibilities for solos? OM: The same thing there. Whatever is the easiest for the other guy to play, that’s the way we play it, I guess. If Johan has a solo idea for a song and he sounds good then that’s the solo. And if I have an idea that is say better, than that’s the one. You don’t really have a competition, who has the most riffs or the better solo. We always takes whatever suits the song best and also Fredrik (Andersson), the drummer he has a lot of ideas as well. So, we don’t really say alright, you get 20% and you get whatever. We just take whatever sounds best, that’s the way we always work and sometimes Johan has more ideas than I have and sometimes it’s the opposite so, we always try to gather the best ideas.
MAA:What is your gear set up for the tour? Any one piece of gear that you can’t live without? OM: Well, not really. I always play with a Gibson Explorer, but I have ten of those so I really don’t care which one of those I’m gonna play. Recording amps and pedals and stuff, I don’t even care. I would say that the most important thing is probably the guitar strap. (laughing) I mean I need it to be the right length. Probably that is the most important for me and then I don’t really care as long as the sound is good, it’ll be fine. And I’m not really into effects and stuff like that. Obviously I have, not a lot, but I have maybe three or four pedals. If it was up to me, I would play without them. I try to play the song the same as the CD so, that’s why I need some effects at some point. I’ve always been an easy guy. I just want to have an amp and a guitar and that’s it.  Here we see Olavi's most crucial piece of gear(according to him). His guitar strap.
MAA: After this next tour what are the plans for the rest of the year? OM: We’re gonna have a break for a month from the North American tour and then we’re gonna start in October until late November, almost two months that we’re gonna be in Europe. We’re gonna do all the cities that we did not do in May. So we have uh, quite a lot more touring to do. And then next year we’re gonna continue touring so, it’s a lot of touring. We’re not gonna come back to the US or North America for awhile. That’s also why we did the “evening with” shows because I don’t think we’re going to come back next year either.
(Special thanks to Olavi Mikkonen, EarsplitPR, Metal Blade Records and Return to the Pit.) by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes JOEL GRIND OF TOXIC HOLOCAUST: THE METAL ARMY INTERVIEWThursday, August 4th, 2011Metal Army America caught up recently with Joel Grind of TOXIC HOLOCAUST to discuss their recently released album Conjure and Command (Relapse). Check out the interview below!  A blistering slab of thrash, death and black metal. With a hint of hardcore too! MAA: The new album is really strong and is a step up from An Overdose of Death. Take us through the making of the album. JG: Throughout 2010 we had some time…. I was basically touring on Overdose up until the end of the year. We toured really heavily in 2009 and some of 2008 and finally in 2010 I got a little bit of time at home to start writing the record and stuff. I had a bunch of ideas, a bunch of riffs that I just quickly recorded and stuff. I finally got a time to actually piece it together and put it down and so that was 2010 and I basically wrote it all at home. Did a few tours in 2010 went out with DANZIG and did some other stuff, but a lot of the time was spent focusing on the record. Finally got a chance to record it in late 2010, in December. We recorded it ourselves at our drummers’ studio. We all took part in producing it. We all knew pretty much what we wanted ahead of time and we got the takes that we were comfortable with. We weren’t really trying to over do it. We tried to keep it where it still sounded like a live band playing, so it’s not 100% perfect. Again, I’m not a big fan of fixing everything in pro tools, relying on triggers and stuff like that. It’s pretty much just a straight up metal record, like they used to make them!
 Joel Grind shreds during a show in Boston in 2010. MAA: A lot of copy cat bands have emerged since you hit the scene in 1999. Do you react to other bands ripping you off or can you change by staying the same? JG: I mean, of course it’s flattering. It’s also a shame a lot of times when the media lumps us in with a lot of the stuff that’s kind of more generic and not as real. You know what I mean? When you get lumped into stuff like that it kind of, it just kind of hurts your band and a lot of people think your a part of that whole thing. When that’s not really the case because you were doing it before all that stuff came about so, we just do what we do basically. With the support of the magazines and the media and stuff that’s really cool, when they get it right. When they lump us in with that kind of shit it kind of hurts more than helps, but I think those band have sort of weighed themselves out now and we’re still here and we’re still going strong and we plan to keep going. MAA: What is your preferred sub genere for a touring bill, black metal, neo-thrash, or death metal and why? JG: I usually like touring with a lot of, more like leaning almost more towards the punk aspect of it, because, I find in that kind of musical scene there’s less attitude. Less you know, it’s more just about having a good time and playing the music and stuff. The energy is always there and kids are always ready to go. I always find that we do better with those kind of bands, and a lot of the metal bands that have kind of more like a punk outlook or punk fan base or lean more towards that. We always go better with live them for some reason. I think our music kind of fits that way a little bit more than like…. you know black metal is great and stuff, but it’s like for a live purpose it’s not always the greatest form of music if you know what I mean. (laughs) It’s sometimes it’s just too fast and too over the top, there’s no real point in which the fan can really, you know, go crazy. I love shows like that where they are just totally wild and everybody is having a good time.  Toxic Avengers! MAA: Phil (Zeller) and Nick (Bellmore) have been in the band for a few years. Is this the permanent lineup of TOXIC HOLOCAUST? JG: Absolutely! It’s kind of a band that I was waiting for all of these years. TOXIC being a solo project, it really wasn’t the intended purpose of the band. It just kind of it morphed that way because it was really hard for me to find people as dedicated. A lot of people think I’m like a dictator or something like that (laughing), but that’s not really that way I am. It’s just I have a clear vision of what I want to do with the band and it’s hard to find other people that are that dedicated. I like touring a lot. I like making records on a regular basis. I like continuing and I don’t let the stuff like, getting fucked up and all that shit get in the way. There’s a time for all that stuff but, when it gets in the way of the band, which is a lot of the case I’ve had with past musicians, you try to do something. Everything comes first before the band kind of thing and that’s never a good thing. So yeah, it’s (Phil and Nick) been perfect. I definitely think we have a certain kind of chemistry that was missing and wanted for a long time for me. There was always that thing like it was cool, but there was just like this little element just missing and I think we finally got it. MAA: What is your strongest instrument and which is your favorite musical tool/gear for songwriting? JG: I would probably say guitar. I’m not, to be honest I’m not really that great at any instrument, you know (laughs). I know how to play the stuff, but I’m not really like a virtuoso at anything. I kind of just picked up guitar so I could write songs. It wasn’t really because I was so into guitar or anything it was just kind of a tool for me to write stuff I was hearing in my head. I never really take myself too seriously with that kind of stuff. It’s just that rehearsing and practicing with the band is one thing, but then sitting at home and like practicing scales is something I’ve never done. I always say guitar probably just because I played it live and stuff for so long. I’m pretty equally as bad on all the instruments.(laughing) MAA: What is your dream lineup of bands for a theoretical show TH could open? JG: I would probably say, there was a tour that happened back, it might not have even been a tour. I think it was just like a one off show in Toronto or something like that, but I saw the flier and I was like, “Man if TOXIC could play that show, it would be fucking great”, but it was uh, let’s see it was VENOM, SLAYER AND RAZOR. So I mean if we could play that show, that would be pretty freaking amazing! That was definitely one and than there was, there’s always been these weird little fliers that I’ve seen that are just like, unbelievable! There’s one, it was in L.A., and it was THE MISFITS and DISCHARGE. That’s another one that would be amazing, but stuff like that, it’s just cool to see (laughs).
MAA: What are your lyrical inspirations outside of music? JG: Pretty much I try to not to do the typical stuff. I try to find stuff that inspires me that isn’t necessarily the standard shit. There’s been a lot of cool books that I have read and you know when your on tour as much as we are there’s a lot of time to read and stuff like that. So I try to read just some various stuff. I like a lot of stuff about war, and, also just weird occult stuff that, you know just interesting old stuff. There was this book on necromancy that I was really I into. It’s called Tales of the Black Arts, and it’s all this stuff going on telling about like all this old necromancy. Ceremonies and stuff that they had back in the day. It’s just interesting, I don’t know, it’s just stuff like that I try to pull from, stuff that isn’t necessarily the same old shit. MAA: Thanks for your time Joel! JG: Cool! Thanks man, cheers!
(Special Thanks to Joel Grind, Relapse Records and Return To The Pit for the photos) By Keith (Keefy) Chachkes |
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