tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575771556014215512024-03-13T22:40:55.775-05:00The Metal InstituteTaylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-67203553901284799602009-06-11T18:03:00.016-05:002009-06-12T23:06:28.473-05:00Circus Maximus interview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SjGPYjJMcgI/AAAAAAAAADs/vsQGDbqsgIM/s1600-h/CM.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SjGPYjJMcgI/AAAAAAAAADs/vsQGDbqsgIM/s200/CM.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346211884578927106" /></a><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:-webkit-monospace;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px;font-size:13px;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; font-family:-webkit-monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;color:#CCCCCC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">In this new interview, we speak with Mats Haugen, guitarist for the phenomenal Norwegian progressive metal band Circus Maximus...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;color:#CCCCCC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For starters, </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">can you give a brief history of the band for those unfamiliar with Circus Maximus?</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; font-family:-webkit-monospace;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px; color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mats Haugen: After playing together for several years, Mike, Truls and myself finally got a full lineup with Glen on bass and Espen on keys. We wanted to do a full length album after a couple of years doing some well received demos. Then after hooking up with Intromental, Frontiers and Sensory records we finally, in 2004, recorded </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">T</span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">he 1st </span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">C</span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">hapter</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. The reception was overwhelming and we got tons of great reviews. It gave us the necessary boost to do a follow up. Then Espen quit the band and Lasse filled his spot. Then we released </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Isolate</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> in 2007. The band was tighter than ever and the songwriting was taken to another level. We got to play alot of great shows with bands like Kamelot, Queensryche and so on, and of course the tour with Symphony X... The years so far have been great!</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:-webkit-monospace;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; font-size:13px;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We are now in the making of the 3rd chapter. Cant wait to get on the road with it. The upcoming album will contain some seriously drop down in the basement riffs... hehe.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; "><p></p></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Who are some of the bands/musicians that have influenced your music?</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For my part, I have tons of bands that influence me. Lately Opeth, Muse, Coldplay, Mew, to name a few, have been repeating a lot on my iPod.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; "><p></p></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How do you think the progressive metal scene is doing these days? Is it growing?</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Few bands do Progressive metal better than Opeth these days. Metal in general! So if the genre is growing, they should get alot of credit for it.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; "><p></p></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How is your style received in Norway?</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It's not top of the pops, but we are getting there. :)</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; "><p></p></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Is there a favorite Circus Maximus song you have?</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">They happen to change all the time. For the moment I think "From Childhoods Hour" might be our best song. "Alive" is also up there. Hell, I love em all. They are like our kids. Some ugly, some pretty!</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; "><p></p></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Could you walk us through the songwriting process that occurs when Circus Maximus comes up with a new tune?</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It usually starts with me working out ideas in my homestudio. I program the song then I present it to the band. If it sounds good when we rehearse, it usually ends up on the album. We also bang our heads together in the studio on new ideas. Lots of cool stuff comes out when we jam. In the end, of course everyone contributes to get the final work done.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; font-family:-webkit-monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Can you tell us anything about new material in the works for your third album?</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We have more or less 60-70% of the songs ready. The plan is to hit the studio in October, November.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; "><p></p></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Do you have any advice you'd give to aspiring young musicians or bands?</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you want it bad enough it will most definitely work out for you!</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; "><p></p></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Last of all, can you think of any interview question you've always wanted to answer, but that no one has ever asked?</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Who is your favorite drummer? Hehe.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A big thanks to Mats Haugen and all the members of Circus Maximus, for making this interview possible. You can find the band's official website at: </span><a href="http://www.circusmaximussite.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">www.circusmaximussite.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, and their official MySpace at: </span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/officialcm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">www.myspace.com/officialcm</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></div></span></span></div></span></span></div></div></span></span></div></span></span></div></span></span></div></div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-65060097279225468692009-02-25T13:16:00.002-06:002009-02-25T13:22:21.589-06:00Manilla Road interview with Mark Shelton<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SaWaad7BjbI/AAAAAAAAADc/yqDzonhwPiA/s1600-h/mroad.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SaWaad7BjbI/AAAAAAAAADc/yqDzonhwPiA/s200/mroad.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306817515425467826" /></a><br /><div>(Originally from 10/02/07)</div><div><br /></div><div>Mark "The Shark" Shelton of the classic heavy metal band Manilla Road gives us a brief moment of his time to discuss the new album in progress, the work that has gone into his music, and many other aspects...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">To start off, can you give us a brief description of the band - for those who may not be familiar with the history or music of Manilla Road?</span> </div><div>Shark: We started as a heavy space rock band and over the first 3 albums between 1980 and 1983 we turned into what we called an Epic Metal Band. After 14 albums released we still try to experiment with fusing different styles of music into the metal. We have been to Europe touring several times now and always show up somewhere in the U.S. to do shows but our main concern is putting out the recordings.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">I'll cut right to the question I'm sure fans want to hear answered the most - what can you tell us about a potential new record?</span> </div><div>Well, it is almost finished. I am finalizing the mix in our studio right now. We are hopeful to have it out by the first part of 2008. As for what it sounds like. I think it is a little darker and heavier than our last album <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Gates Of Fire</span>. I'm not going to give up the name of the album yet but it is a concept project timing out at a little over one hour long. I am the only lead singer on this album. Bryan did not work on this project with us except to engineer a little bit in the studio. I think he will be touring with us though in 2008. I think the project has songs on it that seem to be a bit of a turn back to the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Mystification</span> style of writing.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Does it get any harder coming up with new songs or albums after Manilla Road has been around for 30 years? </span></div><div>It's just getting harder to top what we have done before. You don't want to be stagnant and put out songs that are just repeats of past hits. So, yea, it does get harder as time goes on.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Can you tell us who are some of the bands/musicians that have inspired you?</span> </div><div>Michael Schenker, Pink Floyd, Sabbath, Hendrix, Rush, Hawkwind... man the list is huge. I have been inspired by everything that I have ever heard that I liked.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Do you have a favorite Manilla Road song?</span> </div><div>Usually it is the one that I am currently writing.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Would you describe the songwriting process that occurs when the band is coming up with new tunes?</span> </div><div>I start off by writing the guitar parts first and forming vocal melody lines to that. After I get a good arrangement together then I sit down and decide on the concept of the song and proceed onto the lyrics. Then I bring that to the rest of the band and they add their ideas to it as well.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What specific techniques or practice routines do you personally use to improve your playing ability? </span></div><div>Top secret stuff there. If I told you I would have to kill you. Actually I just practice as often as I can, which is everyday, whether it be with amps or acoustics. Always keep searching for new chords and approaches to the music.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">I have some relatives who actually live in Wichita, and from what I've seen it doesn't look like a very active place. Is there, or has there ever been much of a metal scene in Kansas? </span></div><div>It is small but the metal fans that are here are steadfast.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Is there any advice you might give to aspiring musicians, bands or guitarists? </span></div><div>Dedication and determination. Just don't give up. Follow your dreams. Adapt, improvise and overcome.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">And last of all, is there an interview question you've always wanted to answer, but that no one has ever asked?</span> </div><div>Shark: Yes, Shark loves to eat pussy.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Special thanks to Mark "The Shark" Shelton and all the guys in Manilla Road for making this interview possible. You can visit their official website at <a href="http://truemetal.org/manillaroad">truemetal.org/manillaroad</a> and their MySpace page at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/manillaroadofficial">www.myspace.com/manillaroadofficial</a>. </div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-15847326234834913592009-02-22T11:07:00.003-06:002009-02-22T11:13:31.498-06:00Reverend Bizarre interview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SaGHtnVaJtI/AAAAAAAAADU/UOcp3w5_Er0/s1600-h/rb.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SaGHtnVaJtI/AAAAAAAAADU/UOcp3w5_Er0/s200/rb.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305671053741795026" /></a><br /><div>(Originally from 5/16/07)</div><div><br /></div><div>Reverend Bizarre is the name of the mighty doom band hailing from Finland that has sought to revive the old, traditional ways of the genre ever since their debut in 2002. Now as their time together draws near the end, Father Peter Vicar (Kimi Kärki) - guitarist in the band - gives us insight into the mentality behind their music, a small description of their upcoming final album, and more!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">I'm sure you've probably answered this a million times before, but for the sake of the unknowledgeable, can you give us a brief background and description of Reverend Bizarre's music and how the band came to be? </span></div><div>Peter Vicar (Kimi Kärki): Uhh, yes I have indeed… I'll put it shortly.</div><div>Reverend Bizarre is doom metal down to the bone. We are very strict musically, following the footsteps of the mighty ancestors such as Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, Pentagram, Witchfinder General, Trouble, and so forth. We decided to start the band in 1995 to honor the beforementioned titans and add our mad flavor to the tradition. We have done that with three official albums, some EPs, collections, and vinyls. I dare to say we have succeeded in what we aimed for and it's a good moment to kill the band now, before the end of this year.</div><div><br /></div><div>We are now spreading out musically, Albert and his The Puritan will go to dark pits and abyss with their slow and torturing brand of music. Void will continue his many different bands he does not want to be mentioned, and I will continue with Orne (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Conjuration By The Fire</span> is out from Black Widow Records) and Lord Vicar (featuring Christian Linderson of Count Raven / Saint Vitus / Terra Firma fame in vocals, Daniel Nyman of Oak in bass, and Gareth Millsted of Centurions Ghost in Drums.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The word has gotten out that the band intends to split up after the next full-length is released. Could explain why that decision has been made?</span></div><div>Our personal chemistry was never very good, and as some of us have severe mental problems it was easier to let it go finally, to ease the burden, pain and stress this band had brought. At the same breath I must say that once the decision was reached the mood was actually quite pleasant, and the last shows we did were unforgettable. The last studio sessions were, then again, mad and obsessed, but there was not too much tension… just madness. I must say that in the end I have great respect and love to my fellow Reverends. Hope they will prosper at least spiritually in their future.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Speaking of the next full-length, can you tell us anything about the new album, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">So Long Suckers</span>?</span></div><div>It's now been mastered. The album is going to be a double-CD, very very heavy, seven songs in all. The musical adventures take us to different places within that record. Perhaps my favorite album of them all, and certainly the most rich album we did musically. Some may be surprised to hear some of the passages. It should be out in early August, and the single “Teutonic Witch” at the end of this month.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What bands/musicians are you influenced by the most?</span></div><div>All of the true doom metal bands. And in some twisted way all of the fucking poser stoner rock, “gothic metal”, and death doom bands we hate. Or at least used to hate, hah hah!</div><div><br /></div><div>As a person I am also in love with old folk and progressive records of the late 60s and early 1970s. In my other band Orne I follow that tradition.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">How does it usually occur when Reverend Bizarre writes new material?</span></div><div>Albert has written most of the material for Bizarre, as he already had an unhealthy number of finished songs when we started working seriously with the band at the turn of the millennium. We never jam, it's been either Albert or me completing the riffs and lyrics, and then teaching them to the others. Some minor arrangement details usually vary at the time of the recording, but mostly it's always been one vision at a time.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Is there a Reverend Bizarre song that you personally like somewhat more than the others?</span></div><div>There are some favourites, like “The Hour of Death”, “Sodoma Sunrise”, “Cirith Ungol”, “The Demons Annoying Me”, “The Wandering Jew”, “Cromwell”, “Sorrow”, “Anywhere Out of This World”… But I really cannot pick up one particular song. I love most of our material.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What guitar and recording equipment have you used on the upcoming record?</span></div><div>I always use the same Gibson SG Special through Laney tube head (though on <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Crush the Insects</span> I had to use George Dennis Mighty Mouse, and was not as happy with the end result). The sound was taken in a separate room from cabinet to some good microphone obviously. We used Pro Tools for the first time which had its ups and downs. In solos I usually use phaser pedal and small Musicman combo, but this time I did most of the solos through Line six as I wanted some more variation. Some Cry baby wah in some parts as well.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Are there any sort of practice routines or techniques you use to improve your guitar playing or songwriting?</span></div><div>No. And we hardly ever rehearsed anyway. I just play the songs that come to my mind, until I am happy with them. I usually have the song title first, and when the narrative starts to shape in my head I listen to the riffs in my head and pick up the ones that fit the concept. Then I usually demo them with my laptop, try the vocal melodies and write the lyrics. For me it's not about the scales or technique but rather about the ideas and minimalism.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Do you have any advice you'd give to aspiring young musicians or bands?</span></div><div>Read a lot. Try to hold on to your passion despite the disappointments. Never think about money. Get a VERY flexible dayjob that makes you survive financially and allows you to tour.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Lastly, can you think of any interview question you've always wanted to answer but that no one has ever asked?</span></div><div>“Why do you keep on ranting about C.O.T.D. and true doom metal when there are so few fans to slow and boring riffs anyway?” I will not bother to answer that anyway as it should be evident when you read what is mostly written about the music we love.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, feel free to visit our online living room at <a href="http://www.hellridemusic.com/reverendbizarre">www.hellridemusic.com/reverendbizarre</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Try to stay clean but use strength if needed! Love is the law, love under will.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Great thanks to Peter and everyone in Reverend Bizarre for letting this interview happen and for making such excellent music over the last several years. Their new album, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">So Long Suckers</span>, is slotted for an August 8th release on Spinefarm Records. You can visit their official website at reverend.shows.it and the official RB forum at <a href="http://www.hellridemusic.com/reverendbizarre">www.hellridemusic.com/reverendbizarre</a>.</div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-36658356522442914292009-02-22T11:01:00.003-06:002009-02-22T11:07:19.004-06:00Martyr interview with Daniel Mongrain<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SaGGOoEQtSI/AAAAAAAAADM/rnlZUpOyHRY/s1600-h/martyr.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 197px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SaGGOoEQtSI/AAAAAAAAADM/rnlZUpOyHRY/s320/martyr.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305669421850735906" /></a><br /><div>(Originally from 5/15/07)</div><div><br /></div><div>Martyr is a Canadian death metal band that plays a very technical, complex brand of the genre. Vocalist/guitarist Daniel Mongrain has graced us with an interview opportunity detailing the work put into their newest album, as well as his guitar tips, personal influences, and more...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">For those who may be unfamiliar with the band and music that is Martyr, can you give us a brief history and description?</span></div><div>Daniel Mongrain: Martyr began in '94. My brother (Francois) and I formed the band and we wanted to express ourselves throughout metal-prog music cause we liked the aggressiveness of metal and the experimental side of prog music. We recorded a demo in 95 and recorded <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Hopeless Hopes</span> in '97. We played a lot in Quebec and then recorded <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Warp Zone</span> in 2000, we toured Canada in 2001 and then released a live album: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Extracting The Core</span>. We had musician changes as Patrice in 1997 on drums and Martin in 2003 for the guitar. Then we recorded <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Feeding the Abscess</span> which is our new album. Our sound is a fusion of bands like Death, Meshuggah and Cynic with a very technical and progressive side. I think we have forged our sound throughout the years and that the new album sounds just more authentic for us. It sounds more like we have found our own vocabulary to express our thoughts and feelings throughout music.</div><div><br /></div><div>Martyr's intricate and aggressive technical metal style is built on complex structures which ally a multitude of emotions from many different musical approaches. The music is not limited to the conventions of traditional metal music, the band striving to push those limits to create a more open-minded concept.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">I have yet to hear the new album, but how has the response been thus far?</span></div><div>The response is great, reviews are great! We're very happy with the sales and there's a lot of people showing up at our shows, so everything is great so far!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What types of recording/guitar equipment was used?</span></div><div>We recorded in 4 different studios but basically drums and guitars were recorded at Wildstudio (Pierre Rémillard studio). Yamaha rock tour custom drums and my custom Liberatore guitar. Bass was done at Newton Communication studio with Sebastien Cloutier and the vocals were done at Clef de Fa studio with Breen Leboeuf (ex-Celine Dion bass player, solo artist, now with April Wine).</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Who are some of the musicians/bands that have inspired you?</span></div><div>Allan Holdsworth, Mr.Bungle, Scott Henderson, Pat Martino, John Colrane, Greg Bissonette, Jason Becker, King Crimson, Voivod, UK, Sting, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton, The Simpsons, Danny Elfman, Zakk Wylde, Steve Vai, Marty Friedman, Jimmy Bruno, John Williams, Alan Sylvestri, Quentin Tarantino, Jack Nicholson, Christopher Walken, Larry David, etc... all which makes me twist my mind, makes me think, makes me feel odd, surprises me in a good or a bad way. Any kind of art which is accomplished with authentic creativity, that includes nature.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Can you give us an idea of the songwriting process Martyr usually goes through when crafting a new tune?</span></div><div>In fact, it took a long time to find our way for this album. I remember starting writing material in 2001 and still working on some songs from then to 2006. Things were much clearer from late 2003 when everyone decided to put an extra effort to get this done. Big difference is, this was really a team work and it felt just right through the whole process. I write most of the music but the new album was much more of a team work. We usually write a song from beginning to the end so it gives a logical progression to the song, at least for us. The ideas just come up naturally and then we write them on music sheets so everyone in the band can understand it and play it. It takes less time that way than to show everything by ear and there’s no misunderstanding of the parts. Then we develop around the ideas by playing them and listening to them, and imagining what could be the next part of the song from there. What do we want to hear after that part? And is there a better link we can do between those two parts? We worry a lot about the keys too, so the songs are not all in the key of the open big string. There’s no bad method to write music, I like to try different ways for each song so we never know how its gonna end up. After we get enough material, I record some parts and program the basic drum parts. Then I send the demo to the other guys and we play it together and work on the songs in the rehearsal room.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Do you have a personal favorite Martyr song?</span></div><div>My two faves are "Endless Vortex Towards Erasing Destiny" from the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Warpzone</span> album, I'm proud to have composed this one and I like to play it a lot. And "Dead Horizon" from the new album (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Feeding The Abscess</span>), its a 4 part song, very progressive and everybody in the band worked on it so it sounds more tri-dimensional. It's spooky, brutal, psycho, technical, prog... at the same time.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Are there any specific techniques or practice routines you like to use to improve your playing?</span></div><div>I used to practice a lot of alternate picking, sweeping and stuff like that but now I'm more into exploring different concept and colours throughout jazz improvisation, scales and chords. I do warm up a bit before a gig, playing modes scales and riffs but I rarely practice this stuff when I'm home. I just stay in good shape and apply different concepts in my playing. I play almost everyday though.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What is your opinion of the death metal scene today and where do you think Canada falls in that aspect?</span></div><div>I like many new bands but I think we've lost a bit of originality in the underground scene. I would say I like bands who find their own way of doing things. I mean, being influenced is okay but being a clone of a clone is not interesting. You don’t have to sound like In Flames or Dillinger Escape Plan. They are already there. I like to be surprised by a band. I think there is too much of a fashion going on in the metal scene now, for some bands at least.</div><div><br /></div><div>We are from Quebec, Canada, probably the most metal province in Canada. There are many great bands here and most of them are all sounding very different and unique. That's what happens when you have lots of bands in a low population place. You have to sound different if you want to grab people's attention but it is also part of the heritage from Voivod which sound so unique, and bands like DBC, Obliveon, Annihilator, Gorguts etc... They have put the standards very high.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Is there any advice you would give to aspiring musicians or bands?</span></div><div>Practice, do it seriously and most important - have fun doing it. Persevere, don't be pissed off or arrogant, don't expect to be a rockstar. Be open minded to constructive comments and flush the destructive ones, be able to discern what's a constructive or destructive comment. Don't be a rip off, find your own way of doing things. Don't do it for the money or the fame, you might be very disapointed.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Finally, can you think of an interview question you've always wanted to answer but that no one has ever asked?</span></div><div>Would you like to be a fire extinguisher? No, I wouldn't.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>A big thanks to Daniel Mongrain and all the guys in Martyr for making this interview possible. Their newest album <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Feeding The Abscess</span> is out now on Galy Records. You can visit their official website at <a href="http://www.martyr-canada.com/">www.martyr-canada.com</a> and their official MySpace page at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/martyrcanada">myspace.com/martyrcanada</a>.</div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-78432138147807528662009-02-22T10:57:00.002-06:002009-02-22T11:01:01.121-06:00Slough Feg interview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SaGEyOsRNII/AAAAAAAAADE/dc6F14x29IU/s1600-h/slough_feg.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 201px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SaGEyOsRNII/AAAAAAAAADE/dc6F14x29IU/s320/slough_feg.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305667834491253890" /></a><br /><div>(Originally from 5/10/07)</div><div><br /></div><div>Slough Feg is an interesting metal band that plays a style kin to the gods of old such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath. Their music also has some Celtic themes in both the lyrics and riffs. Guitarist/vocalist Michael Scalzi provides us with a few ideas of the work that goes into their material and his thoughts on the past, present and future...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">For those who may be unfamiliar with the band and music of Slough Feg, can you give us a brief history and description?</span></div><div>Michael Scalzi: Not really. There are many places to find this info, and I'm sick of answering this question. Let's just say we've been around for 16 years and we've been through hell. We're putting out our sixth album and have been through hell, blah blah blah, you can probabaly guess the rest.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The band's full formal name is actually "The Lord Weird Slough Feg"; where does this come from and who came up with the idea for using it?</span></div><div>A comic book based on Celtic Mythology.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What types of guitar equipment do you like to use in your live set-up?</span></div><div>I use a Gold Top Les Paul and a '77 Marshall four input JMP through a newer Marshall cabinet with four celestion vintage 30 (60 watt) speakers. The amp has no master volume and I won't get it modified cause that would sound like shit, so I use an old DS! Boss distorion pedal. That's it.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Who are some of the musicians/bands that have inspired you?</span></div><div>Maiden, Priest, Sabbath, St. Vitus, Queen, Black Flag, Thin Lizzy.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Can you give us an idea of the songwriting process Slough Feg usually goes through when crafting a new tune?</span></div><div>I just write songs in my room on my guitar into a boom box. I write a riff, or some times I think of a melody in my head. Then I play it on guitar into a boom box and record it, and then I show it to the band and we play it over and over and add things. That's about it. Then I write lyrics and usually come up with th vocal melody later, over the guitar melody. Its really simple. Alot of other ideas come out later, in the studio or in the practice space. There's no theory to it. I play guitar and come up with riffs, like Tony Iommi did, and then it turns into a song.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Do you have a personal favorite Slough Feg song?</span></div><div>NO. But I really like "Wickerman" and "Agony Slalom" and, well a bunch of them. I like them all, otherwise I wouldn't have writen them.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Are there any specific techniques or practice routines you like to use to improve your playing?</span> </div><div>No. Maybe that's why my playing doesnt improve much. I've pretty much been the same kind of guitar player since I was like sixteen, or maybe twenty. I play alot, but I don't really consider it practicing. I'm more interested in songwriting. I spend all my time writing songs, plus I'm not really trying to get better at playing fast or anytthing, I just want to write better songs and solos. I guess I practice solos quite a bit, but there's no real technique to it, I just play them over and over until I have it down. The best practice is live practice though.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Is there any advice you would give to aspiring musicians or bands?</span></div><div>Yeah, give it up and go to college. Haha!! Actually, I have no idea what its like to start a band right now, and I am still an aspiring musician, so I think I'm the one who needs advice!! What the hell should I do? If you're in a band, you probabaly have to have a job or something, and what you do everyday for the most of the day has got to be enjoyable, or you'll be miserable. So I suppose if you have a job to support your musical career, or hobby or whatever, you better enjoy it, cause you only live once and you don't want to go through the whole thing miserable. So get a good job, or sell out and play nu-metal so you can enjoy a life of making shitty music, or something. I don't know, go to college!!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Finally, can you think of an interview question you've always wanted to answer but that no one has ever asked?</span></div><div>Oh, wow. How about, "Do you think that the music scene has changed so much in the last 15 years that being in a band is nothing like it was 15 years ago?" and my answer is yes, I think so. Being in a band back then was totally different, for me at least. Right now I can't see the forest for the tree, I mean, I'm so steeped in this life of making records and having toured, and touring in the future, and just having to do it along with the rest of my life that I don't really see outside of it. I'm going to continue to do it, I can't imagine life without it, but that's alot different than bands that started now, or even three years ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>I can't see outside of my own little bubble, my own experiences. I guess no one can, so I can tell all sorts of stuff about what to do in a band or how to create music or whatever, but really you have to come up with it yourself, cause I'm trapped over here in my little mind. If you're trying to make money you're in the wrong business, I guess that's clear to everyone at this point. Just find something you do well and do it, people are kind of scared to do things well sometimes, because they feel like they'll be trying too hard or something and its not cool. I think alot of musicians are too shy about this, they want to say something but they hold it back because they're afriad of what everyone might think. That's silly, because the truth is no one is really thinking about them, they're too busy thinking about themselves and being shy about something else!! So you have to realize that none of this stuff really matters because no one's really looking at you anyway, and if they are, they'll forget about you soon enough and start thinking about themselves. So play some good music and stop worrying. In the end you're really just trying to entertain yourslef, that's what you have to remember, so just have fun with it.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I would like to thank Michael Scalzi for taking time to participate in this interview. You can visit the official Slough Feg website at <a href="http://www.sloughfeg.com/">www.sloughfeg.com</a> and their official MySpace page at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/sloughfeg">www.myspace.com/sloughfeg</a>.</div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-75900113580013826782009-02-20T01:14:00.002-06:002009-02-20T01:17:59.194-06:00Psycroptic interview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZ5ZIpghgcI/AAAAAAAAAC8/2JM8BcoORCw/s1600-h/psycroptic.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZ5ZIpghgcI/AAAAAAAAAC8/2JM8BcoORCw/s320/psycroptic.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304775416205115842" /></a><br /><div>(Originally from 2/26/07)</div><div><br /></div><div>We've had Cryptopsy interviewed on this site before, and now we have another great technical death metal band to add to our "roster" of interviews! The Tasmanian group Psycroptic has been gaining quite an international fanbase and reputation over the last few years, and now Joseph Haley (guitarist) takes us down memory lane, through their present day success and into the potential future of the band, along with some guitar tips and music suggestions!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">To start off, can you give us a brief description of the band - for those who may not be familiar with Psycroptic's history or music?</span></div><div>Joseph Haley: Well, my brother Dave and I started a band way back around 1997 called Disseminate and played gigs locally in Hobart for a few years, and also managed to get a demo out as well which will never be found anywhere I have no doubt (and a good thing too). By about 98, Dave and myself were kind of wanting to head in a different direction than what we were doing in Disseminate. I actually remember playing an early Psycroptic song to the other guys in Disseminate ("Isle of Disenchantment" I think it was) and they hated it. That was when my brother and I decided that we’d start a new band. We wrote about 7 or 8 songs together in a sort of technical thrash/death style and got our high school mate Cam on bass and Chalky on vocals. We recorded <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Isle of Disenchantment</span> in ’99, before we had played any gigs, and once it was released in 2000 we tried to do as many gigs as possible to promote it and managed to make quite a name for ourselves in the local scene. With the release of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Scepter of the Ancients</span> in 2003, we tried to extend ourselves even further by doing many national tours that in the end led to an international tour in 2004 with, who were soon to become good friends, Dismember. Unfortunately Matthew Chalk, our vocalist at the time, wasn't really committed to doing the tour and we were forced to replace him with long time friend Jason Peppiatt. Because of these touring problems with our original vocalist we were forced to let him go and replace him permanently with Jason. Things have just been heading up for us since then, as we try to tour as much as possible, and I think its helping to get our name out there a lot more. We released our third album <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Symbols of Failure</span> early 2006 through Neurotic Records, and in that time have toured with bands such as Nile, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Black Dahlia Murder, Behemoth, etc.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">I have not heard the new album yet, but how has the response been so far?</span></div><div>The response so far for <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Symbols of Failure</span> has been really good – much better than the older albums considering the amount of time that the album has been released for. We were a little bit worried at first, having a different vocalist and all, because we knew that there were many fans of our old vocalist out there. But in the end Jason was very well received, especially as a front man for the band. I think our music on this album is finally starting to come together into the style that we have been progressing towards, and I think that the next album will be the sound that we have been after.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What kind of guitar/recording equipment was used for the record?</span></div><div>The guitar sound that I used, and what I also use for my live setup, was a Mesa-Boogie triaxis preamp, which I personally think is the best preamp out on the market. I also had that running through a TC-Electronic G-force effects processor, but all I used on that was the gates and a tiny bit of EQ. The rest was the triaxis. And I think I had all that running through a Marshall JCM2000 head and a 4x12. I have a very similar setup live, but I usually run it in stereo on stage, just to give it a bigger sound. The recording of the album was done very cheaply. We recorded the drums in the studio, and then did everything else on my computer at home. Also mixed it at home as well and then had it mastered by the great Tue Madsen.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Can you tell us who are some of the bands/musicians that have inspired you?</span></div><div>Well, I myself haven't really listened to a lot of metal for quite some time. Its usually the bands that we tour with that inspire me the most, with their stage shows and great attitudes. I always find myself listening to a lot of bands that we have toured with in the past. Guitar wise though, I try not to listen to too much metal because I don’t really want other metal players to influence me too much. I usually listen to different kind of guitarists, such as Guthrie Govan, Brett Garsed, Scott Henderson, Greg Howe, and im a really big fan of Devin Townsend’s work. Everything he does is genius.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Do you have a favorite Psycroptic song?</span></div><div>My favorite Psycroptic song is always the latest song that we have written, so my favorite Psycroptic song would be some of the new ones that my brother and I have been working on which isn’t on any albums. But I guess my favorite recorded Psycroptic song would have to be either "Cleansing a Misguided Path" or "Merchants of Deceit" as they were the last songs that were written for the last album.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Would you describe the songwriting process that occurs when Psycroptic comes up with new tunes?</span></div><div>These days, its mainly Dave and I that deal with most of the writing of new material. We tend to write the songs in sections. It usually starts with myself writing a section (or a group of riffs tied together). Then we’ll just jam on these sections, which would essentially be the beginnings of new songs, and keep jamming on them until we both naturally change into a similar idea at the end of them. Then I’d go off on my own and write another section based around that idea. Then we’d come back and do the same thing on that section. This keeps happening until we finally finish the song. Sometimes we’d have a section set aside for months at a time, after we’ve written several other songs, until we finally figure out what right kind of change suits that particular section. It’s probably a peculiar way of writing songs but we find it way more enjoyable to be jamming on the songs while we’re writing them, rather than just writing the whole song, and then jamming on it.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What specific techniques or practice routines do you personally use to improve your playing ability?</span></div><div>Well, I don’t really have any strict practice schedules that I follow or anything. I think that over time, playing this type of music, your technique seems to really improve itself. I think the only thing that I try to keep conscious about is trying to move my hands as little as possible. I spent a fair amount of time over the years trying to keep my fingers as close to the fret board as possible, and keeping my picking technique as efficient as possible. I think that is the key to having good technique, not only for death metal but the playing of all styles.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">How's the death metal scene in Australia today? Do you have a good following in your home town?</span></div><div>We do have a really good following in our hometown, unfortunately we’re quite isolated in Tasmania and there is a fair lack of decent venues to play at. Because of this we don’t really do many gigs in Tasmania. But when we do, the shows are always really good for us. Most of the shows that we do in Australia are done over in Melbourne or Sydney, but we still try not to overplay. Don’t want people getting bored of us. We have a really good following in the rest of Australia also, but our main priority at the moment is trying to play overseas as much as we can. The overall metal scene in Australia is pretty good at the moment – a lot of variety. Heaps of Different styles, not just death metal. It makes the shows great, because fans of all styles of metal come out to see the shows since there are always bands of different styles playing.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Is there any advice you might give to aspiring musicians, bands or guitarists?</span></div><div>Just stick at it, and don’t be afraid to experiment. Don’t feel like you have to play a certain way or sound a certain way just because everyone else does. I think that the more you don’t sound like anybody else, the further your music will take you.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">And last of all, is there an interview question you've always wanted to answer, but that no one has ever asked?</span></div><div>Hmm, nah.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We'd like to extend a big thanks to Joseph Haley and the entire crew in Psycroptic for making this interview possible. Their new album <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Symbols of Failure</span> is out now on Neurotic Records. You can visit their official website at <a href="http://www.psycroptic.com/">www.psycroptic.com</a> and their official MySpace page at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/psycroptic">www.myspace.com/psycroptic</a>.</div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-23148230772388250952009-02-20T01:04:00.002-06:002009-02-20T01:12:27.143-06:00Alkemyst interview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZ5X1VQX5vI/AAAAAAAAAC0/acdwbcr0Ur8/s1600-h/alkemyst.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 100px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZ5X1VQX5vI/AAAAAAAAAC0/acdwbcr0Ur8/s200/alkemyst.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304773984839526130" /></a><br /><div>(Originally from 2/24/07)</div><div><br /></div><div>Alkemyst is a lesser known metal band from France that incorporates progressive elements into their speed/power metal style of music. Guitarists Arnaud Ménard and Séverin Bonneville join us for a look from their 2003 debut to their upcoming sophomore release, as well as some insights into their writing routines, and practice techniques...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">To begin, can you give us a brief synopsis of the band - for those who may not be familiar with the history and music of Alkemyst?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Séverin Bonneville</span>: Well, we started to play as Alkemyst in 1998, this is the time when we managed to form a steady line-up. Our music was very influenced by German speed metal bands like Helloween for example. We would play concerts in our area (France). In September 1999, we recorded our first 2 track demo CD called "A Path To Heaven", whose outcomes were rather positive for us in terms of reputation: a lot of people wanted to know more about us and our music. Meanwhile we had to find another singer as we didn't agree on the musical orientations for the band. As we couldn't find the right singer in France, we decided to reach someone we would be proud to work with on our first album, his name was Ramon Messina (singer of the Italian metal band Secret Sphere). Ramon was glad to take part in our project and joined the band in September 2000. We recorded <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Meeting in the Mist</span> between 2001 and 2002 at the NSR studio, France but we had to record it twice because of a severe hard disk crash! During the recording of the album we had reached several record companies and Nuclear Blast gave us opportunities we couldn’t' miss. Therefore, our first album, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Meeting in the Mist</span>, was released in 2003 worldwide on Nuclear Blast. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">As I'm sure the fans would like to know, what can you tell us about the possibility or progress of a new album? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Séverin</span>: The recording of our new album is almost finished now and we’re looking forward to having you hear it guys! This album will be much more extreme in many ways with more dreamy and progressive atmospheres and very fast and agressive songs too; we really tried to reconcile different aspects of our musical personality in this album. Another point is that we really wanted it to be original (some people thought our musical influences were too easily recognizable on <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Meeting in the Mist</span>), that’s why this album will probably sound more personal than the previous one I think. Currently, only the choirs and the arrangements are to be recorded. The mix will finally take place next summer in Geneva, Switzerland, and the album will be released in September hopefully. We can hardly wait...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Can you tell us who are some of the bands/musicians that have inspired you? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Séverin</span>: Personally, as a guitarist, I'm a huge fan of skilled people who use technique to create beautiful things. That's why I find John Petrucci's work very inspiring in Dream Theater. I think bands like Pain of Salvation or Beyond Twilight are great as they manage to bring something truly new and personal to the European metal scene. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Arnaud</span>: I have always been more inspired by riff/songwriters than by shredders, even if I was interested in some lead guitar player’s incredible performance. Marc Mc Gee (Ex: Vicious Rumours), Mike Wead or Jason Becker - the most impressive ones, to name a few, are maybe the ones I like the most, because everything they play is beautiful. But the ones which had the strongest influence on me were the songwritters. I wont give you the whole list, because they are too numerous for this interview. Your readers can ask me with a personal email, if they want to know more (laugh).</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Do you have a favorite Alkemyst song?</span> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Séverin</span>: The next one to be written! I'm kidding, I really like listening to "It's Time" as it combines powerful riffing with dreamy atmospheres. To sum it up, just listen to the chorus, you'll find the perfect embodiment of the speed melodic style to me. Moreover, I love the song entitled "Nameless Son": It's a 12 minute epic and catchy song. I think it's the most complete song we've written so far. Of course, there's a bunch of great songs coming up in our next album but I need to step back and wait so I can figure out which ones are my favorites.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Can you walk us through the songwriting process that occurs when you're coming up with new tunes? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Séverin</span>: Well, basically Arnaud Menard comes over or I go to his place with new material, we usually start out a song with a guitar riff. Then we try to get those riffs organized, giving a coherent structure to the future song. Once we're satisfied with the backbone of the song, each one tries to think it over to find how the song could be improved in terms of structure (intro, ending, etc...) and various arrangements. It's quite a long process, it can take weeks. Then, after the music, come the lyrics. On our following album, all the members of the band (including Ramon) worked together, trying to match some of the lyrics we had written with catchy melodies coming from our subconscious minds. It's a very interesting process: everyone feels involved and we're satisfied with the result! You see, the bottom line of the Alkemyst songwriting process is to make sure that we don't write that kind of ''Uhh, I think I've already heard that before'' song: we want each song to be unique, even though we know it's a difficult task, it shouldn’t remind us of one of our songs or one of any other band we know. Personally, I'd rather write a couple of albums in a lifetime than writing an album every two years. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Arnaud</span>: Concerning the new album, things changed a bit because we wrote one song almost together, and three titles have been composed from drum rhythms Arnaud (Gorbaty) invented at home. Then, we would find some goods riffs on it. Quite an original way of working, but a very efficient one, since drums are the basis of rock'n'roll!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What specific techniques or practice routines do you personally use to improve your playing ability?</span> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Arnaud</span>: Well, I'm not proud of what I'm going to say but I'm rather lazy on my instrument these days so it's rather difficult for me to answer such a question. However, I always love to do some warm up exercices: I usually play intricate riffs trying to work my way up and down the neck chromatically, and I like to work on the accuracy of my right-hand too (always picking down, up, down, up...). But there’s still a lot of work left you know...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">How do you think the progressive metal scene is doing today?</span> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Arnaud</span>: I don’t know if it is up to us to express a judgement on the whole scene. Well, we used to name "progressive" every metal band playing a lot of notes, writing intricate-structured songs, using different kinds of time signatures... Even if we have obviously been influenced by bands like Dream Theater or Symphony X, we have maybe a different idea of what is being "progressive"; I mean, the more we get old, the more we are into the building of atmospheres, just like the rock bands in the 70's.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today, I would call "progressive" a lot of good bands, but not necessarily the ones you could guess: Opeth, for example, are just amazing; Pain of Salvation, Ark, Beyond Twilight, or even Emperor; they all wrote masterpieces in a very complex but understandable way, full of emotions, with deep atmospheres, and an incredible skill, without being too obviously "prog". They just make the music progress – in the right sense of the word.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Is there any advice you might give to aspiring musicians, bands or guitarists?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Arnaud</span>: First, do your best to write songs you can proud of for a lifetime: good music might imply talent, but a good song doesn't come out without lots of work. In Alkemyst, we strive and sometimes fight for weeks to end up with a good song. The important thing is to be convinced of your point of view, but be able to consider other people's ideas too. You see, you can feel you're right about a song but you might be surprised to find out somebody else comes up with a different but excellent idea too. So, be truthful to your music and the people you work with, listeners will probably feel that into your songs.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Lastly, is there any interview question you've always wanted to answer, but no one has ever asked?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Arnaud</span>: How come we haven't seen you on stage in the US? Well, that's probably because nobody there has invited us!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Lots of thanks to Arnaud, Séverin, and the other guys in Alkemyst for providing the opportunity for this interview. Their 2003 debut, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Meeting In The Mist</span> is available through their official website and still through several online stores. You can visit their website at <a href="http://www.alkemyst.net/">www.alkemyst.net</a> and their official MySpace page is <a href="http://www.myspace.com/alkemystmusic">www.myspace.com/alkemystmusic</a>.</div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-9874939652564426512009-02-20T01:00:00.002-06:002009-02-20T01:03:48.521-06:00Candlemass interview with Lars Johansson<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZ5Vs0ni7SI/AAAAAAAAACs/czHnLsRokFs/s1600-h/candlemass.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 162px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZ5Vs0ni7SI/AAAAAAAAACs/czHnLsRokFs/s200/candlemass.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304771639616138530" /></a>(Originally from 11/29/06)<br /><div><br /><div>Lead guitarist Lars Johansson of the legendary doom metal band Candlemass has blessed us with the chance for an interview and a brief look at the past, present, and possible future of the band...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Starting things off, can you give us a brief introduction to the band, for those who may be unfamiliar with the history and music of Candlemass? </span></div><div>Lars Johansson: Well, the full story is long and would not fit in this document, but we are playing slow and heavy at the same time, 5 piece band: bass, vox, perc, axe and lead axe… somewhere a touch of the 70's but yet melodic and "modern" thinking... We always trying to build an atmosphere around the songs, so they also can work fine live...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">I'll go right ahead and get straight to it - what can you tell us about the possibility of a new album? </span></div><div>Well, all the music is recorded, so of course there will be a new album.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">How is the search for a new vocalist going?</span> </div><div>It's out in the press by now, so we'll see what's hidden there. We have a couple of guys we have to check out...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Can you tell us who are some of the bands/musicians that have inspired you and the rest of Candlemass? </span></div><div>I think we all have roots in the 70's, with bands such as: Black Sabbath, Uriah heep, Rush... bands like that... But we all have a wide range in our listening-spectra.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Do you have a favorite song that you've written with the band - or perhaps even a favorite album? </span></div><div>Leif is writing all the songs for Candlemass (exept for 3 songs on the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Chapter 6</span> album, that I wrote) And for me that’s fine, he is doing a fine job as it is... I write my own material in my corner for CreoZoth...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What do you think of the doom metal scene today? Are there any new bands around in the genre that you like? </span></div><div>I listen a lot to different kinds of music you know, but I have noticed a few that can both play & act like they really are in to it. But hey... the music industry pops a lot of crap in every shelf, and not so many bands stays longer than 2 or 3 albums, unfortunately...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Can you walk us through the songwriting process that Candlemass has gone through in the past for coming up with new tunes? </span></div><div>Now that we are old and lazy :) we don’t hang around the rehearsal room more than we have to... So Leif is sitting down for a couple of months, then we call eachother and make some moves in the agenda, then Leif puts together a cd with the riffs and drum-machine and support vocals, so you know where you are in the woods of riffs :) Then we listen to that for a while and then we rehearse the stuff and check out how it works...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What specific techniques or practice routines do you personally use to improve your playing ability?</span> </div><div>Well I just sit down on my bed, grab a guitar and jam with it for a 30 minutes or so. Then a little finger gymnastic exercise that I make up at the time I'm doing it, and after that maybe some riffs start poppin up... :)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Is there any advice you might give to aspiring musicians, bands or guitarists? </span></div><div>Listen to a lot of different kinds of music, get inspiration from more than the instrument you are playing (piano, saxophone, harp). And the most important thing is to go with your heart and listen to what each song needs from your axe...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Last of all, is there any interview question you've always wanted to answer, but no one has ever asked? </span></div><div>People ask me about pickups, strings, amps, effects... So in a way I think you covered most of the "other" questions...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>A big thanks to Lars and everyone from Candlemass for making this interview happen. You can visit the official website at <a href="http://www.candlemass.se/">www.candlemass.se</a>.</div></div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-89382913659225341222009-02-16T12:35:00.002-06:002009-02-16T12:42:43.816-06:00Trouble interview with Jeff Olson<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZmzoELlC8I/AAAAAAAAACk/soE2hK-EvBM/s1600-h/trouble.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZmzoELlC8I/AAAAAAAAACk/soE2hK-EvBM/s320/trouble.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303467537103915970" /></a><br /><div>(Originally from 9/30/06)</div><div><br /></div><div>Trouble is a legendary name in the doom metal genre, often mentioned in the company of other infamous names like Black Sabbath and Candlemass. The group has been around for more than two decades, has released some undeniable classics, and now prepares to unleash their first new album in over 10 years. Longtime member and drummer Jeff Olson gives us a brief glimpse of the past and future for Trouble...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Getting started, can you give us a brief introduction to the band, for those who are unfamiliar with the history/music of Trouble?</span></div><div>Jeff Olson: Started in 1978 by Rick Wartell....a five piece dual guitar format with double leads and scratchy vocals... low tuned by a step in the 80's and different tunings since... Members are Rick Wartell, Bruce Franklin (Guitars), Eric Wagner (Vocals), Chuck Robinson (Bass), and Jeff Oly Olson (Drums).</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">I'll just go ahead and cut straight to the chase - how is progress coming on the new CD scheduled for a 2007 release?</span></div><div>Good it has been finished for a while... and it is ready... it sounds great!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">With the exception of Sean McAllister, this is the first time the original Trouble line-up has been together again in over 20 years. What brought about the reunion of the line-up and are you guys finding it any easier or more difficult to write new songs after all these years?</span></div><div>It was a lot of individual writing this round... we turned in the songs and voted on them... It was a tough process.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Can you tell us who are some of the bands/musicians that have inspired you and the rest of Trouble?</span></div><div>Alice Cooper, Deep Puple, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, old Judas Priest, Doors, Beatles... for me jazz and be bop and modern orchestral... oh ELP.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The early Trouble albums seem to have some heavily Christian themes present in them, and although you guys have never really aligned with the Christian metal industry, the lyrics changed quite a bit around the time of the self-titled album. Was there any particular reason for this, or was it just time to branch out more?</span></div><div>We were too preachy...It trapped us in a catergory.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Do you have a favorite song that you've written with the band - or perhaps even a favorite album?</span></div><div>I wrote "Victim Of The Insane", "Till The End Of time", "Sorrows", and "Fly"... my favorite album is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Run To The Light</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What do you think of the doom/psychedelic rock scene today? Are there any new bands around in the genre that you like?</span></div><div>Love it!!!!!!!!! Tundra Trash Radio!!!! All of it is awsome..... Sleep... War Horse... Electric Wizzard.... Today Is The Day... Mastadon.... Lamb Of God... Kyuss.... Sunn O))).... Spirit Caravan... Typo... and Wet Animal, Super Shine, Lid ,Tortured Soul and Retro Grave.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Can you walk us through the songwriting process that Trouble has gone through in the past for coming up with new tunes?</span></div><div>Team ups like Eric and Bruce... Rick and Bruce, Ian Brown before... Sean Mac wrote "The Tempter", "Wickedness", "Endtime" and "The Last Judgement"! We would learn riff by riff on the couch unplugged... we called it chicken pickin'... "Bastards" was written to my double bass beat and they just played a rhythm and added that double lead....Barry played a groove for "Scuze Me".</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Is there any advice you might give to aspiring musicians, bands or drummers?</span></div><div>Never Stop... always Jam...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Do you have any specific techniques or tips you use to improve your playing ability?</span></div><div>Rudimental techniques and playing all of Brann Dailor's music!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Finally, is there any interview question you've always wanted to answer, but no one has ever asked?</span></div><div>This is a pretty cool question! ...Yes! Do I have a new record coming out?... Yes! Not to be confused with the new Trouble record... I am putting out a record called <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Retro Grave</span>... by a branch of Trouble called "Trouble Again"... sort of like the Kiss records...they all did a project with the Kiss logo... the Trouble cross will show up on <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Retro Grave</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>My thanks to Jeff for making this interview possible, and to everyone in Trouble for making great music. Trouble's new album, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Simple Mind Condition</span>, will be released through Century Media records, estimated for early 2007. To visit the band's official website, go to <a href="http://www.newtrouble.com/">www.newtrouble.com</a>.</div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-21129606060957484722009-02-16T12:16:00.003-06:002009-02-16T12:25:13.840-06:00Helstar interview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZmvguH0HwI/AAAAAAAAACc/9BGW6Tf0_SE/s1600-h/helstar.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZmvguH0HwI/AAAAAAAAACc/9BGW6Tf0_SE/s200/helstar.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303463012876951298" /></a><br /><div>(Originally from 7/13/06)</div><div><br /></div><div>Helstar is a thrash metal band from Houston, Texas that made it's mark upon the metal community in the mid-to-late 80s with the release of two of their most infamous, classic albums: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Remnants Of War</span> and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Nosferatu</span>. In 2006, the band has re-united under the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Remnants</span> line-up and guitarists Rob Trevino and Larry Barragan give us a look at the past, present, and future of the band - including the progress on a long-awaited comeback record!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Kicking things off, can you give a brief synopsis for those whohaven't heard of the band's history, evolution and the style of music you guys play? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Larry Barragan</span></span>: Well, Helstar is a Texas band that has been around since about 1982 or so. We started off with our roots in Maiden and Priest but we evolved into a more progressive power metal type band. Although back then we didn't call it progressive metal we just called it metal with technical parts. The band has put out I think like 7 albums since the early 80s. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Rob Trevino</span>: Yup, not much to add there! Larry started the group when he was still in high school. I would also say that our style evolved as it was influenced by some of the other (then) underground bands of the era. Helstar is definitely a band that never followed any trends, but we were aware of what our peers were doing...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">After many line-up changes, you've recently re-united as the line-up that recorded the legendary </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Remnants Of War</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> album. What exactly brought this reunion into effect?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">LB</span></span>: Robb Chavez of Robb's Metal Works came down to Houston to see our other band Eternity Black play and after the show while drinking some beers we got on the subject of who he was going to get to play his annual showcase. He asked what would it take to get the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Nosferatu</span> line up back together. I basically told him that really wasn't realistic. I told him it would be easier to do the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Remnants of War</span> line up since Rob and I were already playing together in Eternity Black. Also Russell Deleon is playing with us as well and he had been a member of Helstar during the later years. It just kind of snowballed from there. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">RT</span>: Just like Lar said. I am pretty sure that he or James would not have even considered the other possibility even if Andre and Frank were still actively playing. Not because of any conflicts or animosity between any of them, but I mean, you basically had 3/5 of the band already playing together in another band. It just made more sense.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">I'll go ahead now and ask the question that I'm sure all the fans want to know: is there anything you can tell us about a new album in the making? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">LB</span></span>: We have a couple of songs finished and we have others in the working stages. I guess it's going to sound like<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> Remnants</span> meets <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Nosferatu</span>. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">RT</span>: We are working on it, but due to family and work schedules, it is a longer process these days! Not to mention that Larry, Russ, James and I all have other projects. Plus, we've been entertaining offers to perform and that is taking time as we have to rehearse and re-learn some more of the Helstar catalog for them. Once we get through our August shows we will begin writing in earnest. Of course, if an idea comes to Larry or me right now, we'll record it at home and work on it individually or via email until we can present to the rest of the band. And of course there is Jerry's material to go through... Whatever it is, it will be heavy!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Eleven years have passed since the last Helstar studio album and twenty years have gone by since the current line-up was last together. Do you feel that it gets harder to write new material after such a long time? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">LB</span></span>: Yes and no. I'm not looking for the easy way out and try to do <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Nosferatu</span> part two or <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Remnants</span> part two. I would like for it to sound like Helstar, that neo-classical meets power metal sound that is sort of our signature. At the same time I want it to sound original and fresh and most important of all, HEAVY. Writing comes sort of natural. I just have to sit down and start playing. Sometimes an idea will stick and I record it and see if Rob can run with it from there. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">RT</span>: I don't think so. We are both riff machines! haha... Sometimes we work on a riff immediately if we feel like it's an easy one to finish. Others we just shelve until we're ready to explore them. We just record them and name them whatever we think of at the time. some of the names can be pretty funny. Larry and I have been playing together (again) for the last 3 years and we've gotten really good at working together. We pretty much have a writing partnership now that we didn't really have 20 years ago and it works really well.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Who are some of the bands/musicians that have influenced your guitarwork and the music of Helstar in general? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">LB</span>: In the early days it was Black Sabbath and Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. We just tried to take it a step further. As far as guitarists go, Randy Rhoads and Yngwie. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">RT</span>: Man, too many! The big ones, Sabbath, Priest, Ozzy, Maiden, etc, but there are so many others. As for guitarists, I am with Larry; my main influences are Randy and Yngwie, but I really like Tony Iommi, Eddie Van Halen, Angus Young, Michael Schenker, Uli Roth, and on and on...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">How do you feel about the thrash scene today? Are there any bands around now that have influenced you? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">LB</span></span>: I think the scene has obviously enjoyed a resurgence. I like a lot of bands that may not be considered thrash but are still super heavy. Off the top of my head I like Killswitch Engage, Mastodon quite a bit. A Life Once Lost is another great band. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">RT</span>: I feel that there has definitely been a resurgence. Let's see, I'm sure I have been influenced in some way by some of the newer bands... I don't keep up with everything out there, but I know of several newer bands I like, such as Lamb of God, Chimaira, Killswitch... I don't know what is considered what anymore! Some people consider Helstar thrash- we used to call ourselves a power metal band with technical parts! Hearing some of it now, I can hear elements of thrash in the music.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Being a native Texan myself, I can't say that there are many metal bands that make it beyond local territory and into international distribution. You guys started out on the infamous Combat Records label and then switched over to Metal Blade a few albums later. What was it like getting signed to such reputable labels - was it difficult to gain exposure inititally? How were you guys noticed? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">LB</span></span>: It was exciting to say the least. We thought we were on our way when Metal Blade picked us up but for whatever reason it just didn't happen for us. There was a lot of talent in Texas back then and still today. Back then Watchtower and S.A. Slayer, Militia out of Austin. People just didn't think of Texas as being a heavy metal factory but it really was. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">RT</span>: It was really cool! I remember before <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Remnants</span> was released, we came out on the Combat compilation "Bullets" alongside other Combat artists. Megadeth was on it as well as a bunch of other bands and I was like, "I've made it!" Well, yeah except that we didn't have any money! Haha! I quit the band just before it signed to Metal Blade, but I was there in the beginning of the whole Metal Blade relationship. Bryan Slagel and Mike Faley came to Houston and attended one of our shows and that pretty much sealed the deal. I think that Helstar was initially noticed out of the tape trading scene of the early 80s. That's how a lot bands got signed. The Burning Star demo somehow landed in the right hands and the rest is history.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Out of all Helstar's albums, do you have a favorite? What about a favorite song? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">LB</span></span>: I still am very partial to <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Nosferatu</span>. It was my best writing effort and my playing was probably the best it's ever been. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">RT</span>: I don't really. I know Larry is partial to <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Nosferatu</span>, but there are really a lot of great songs on all of the albums. As for overall production, I'd have to say <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Remnants</span> hands down is the winner. It just has such a heavy sound compared to the others.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Do you guys have some sort of tried-and-true method for writing each new Helstar tune, or does the music kinda just "come to you"? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">LB</span>: No, no formula to writing. Like I said I just kind of start playing around and hope that I can come up with at least two good ideas and build on it from there. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">RT</span>: Like Larry, I really don't have a method. 95 percent of the riffs I come up with are just a byproduct of sitting in my room jamming alone.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">How long have you been playing guitar? What are some of the ways you practice now to stay fresh and keep developing your skills? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">LB</span></span>: Well, I started when I was 13 and I'm 41 now so you do the math. I've been playing a fucking long time. I don't practice like I did back in the "Nosferatu" days. Back then I'd practice for about 6 to 8 hours a day. Now I'm lucky to get in an hour a day. I still practice with a metronome. It's the best way to develop a clean and precise playing style. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">RT</span>: I have been playing 26 years. It has been harder to really get 'better' as I've gotten older. Mainly because I have a day job, family, etc. However, I do believe my 'feel' has gotten way better than 20 years ago. I will sit and try to make one note sound as many different ways as possible. I try to keep my speed, what little I have, up by practicing with a metronome. Re-learning these Helstar songs has done wonders for my overall dexterity!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Is there a single piece of wisdom that you think every guitarist should know? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">LB</span>: Hmm, I think every guitarist should try to learn to play slow before they try to play fast. Speed should come naturally and your playing should be clean. I'm not the fastest guitarist around but I choose my notes well and I try to play my parts cleanly. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">RT</span>: I agree with Larry; focus on learning to play cleanly and the speed will come.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Lastly, can you think of an interview question that you've wanted to answer before, but has never been asked? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">LB</span></span>: Can't think of anything at the moment. Thanks for the interview. You asked some great questions. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">RT</span>: Nah, not at the moment... Thanks for the interview! Hope to meet you sometime at a show...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Once again, I would like to thank Rob, Larry, and all the guys in Helstar for allowing this interview to happen. You can check out their official website at: <a href="http://www.helstar.com/">www.helstar.com</a> or their official MySpace page at: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/helstar">www.myspace.com/helstar</a>.</div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-36735513246762527502009-02-16T12:06:00.003-06:002009-02-16T12:14:10.105-06:00Arghoslent interview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZms5UUF1iI/AAAAAAAAACU/wpBCmXZMXSw/s1600-h/arghoslent.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 130px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZms5UUF1iI/AAAAAAAAACU/wpBCmXZMXSw/s200/arghoslent.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303460136910968354" /></a><br /><div>(Originally from 3/27/06)</div><div><br /></div><div>Arghoslent is a band that has been surrounded with quite some degree of controversy over the past several years, due to their bold message of hatred and their unorthodox brand of death metal. We have been given the privelege of interviewing the guitarist and one of the founding members, Pogrom, as he fills us in on some of the latest happenings with the band...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Firstly, for those unfamiliar with Arghoslent, can you give us a brief run-down of how the band came to be and what it's purpose in music is? </span></div><div>Pogrom: The bass player KOMMANDO and I started playing music in high school. We both played in a band called GENOCIDE in 1988, then the year later after acquiring other members we changed it to ASFYXIA. Both bands recorded death/thrash/speed metal demos but it wasn’t satisfying because we weren’t such good musicians back then, and the ideology of the band was not really extreme or even defined. We eventually recruited another drummer and called the band POGROM (played one show with that name in 1990) briefly just prior to recruiting GRAVEDIGGER on vocals (which we used to change our name to ARGHOSLENT). In 95, VON DEMONICUS joined as vocalist and has been with us ever since. A year prior to that, HOLOCAUSTO joined on second guitars as well during the recording of our “The Imperial Clans” demo. Our main goal was to play DEATH METAL the way we saw it proper. ARGHOSLENT’s mission has been only to generate prejudice, intolerance, and incorrigible bigotry, never to generate any income or profits. Our determination, our stance, our need to do things as we see them fit, has plagued us with so many mishaps and barriers while making us unique at the same time.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What does the name "Arghoslent" mean?</span> </div><div>The word ARGHOSLENT is a hybrid between the Greek root word ‘Argo’ and a derivation of the word ‘Slave’ being ‘slent’: Slave of the universe, pawn of a higher constellation, mercenary of the order, soldier of the ARGHOSLENT KOMMANDO.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What is your opinion of the metal scene today?</span> </div><div>What scene? The one that that prays for our disappearance? Our banner of hate stands alone. The scene gets a failing grade for musicianship, originality, and bravery. Labels are responsible for breeding and encouraging clones, posers, and rock-star attitudes. I hold labels primarily at fault for the degeneration of character and talent in the underground. Some labels have more culpability than others, but I am not here to expose the obvious. All I’m saying is that if you took up metal (and its profitable endeavors) to avoid the hardships of working for a living, you’re a fucking pile of dollar-green shit. Expose yourself and return to fucking Tel Aviv!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Arghoslent has a very unique and distinctive sound that is somewhat like nothing I've ever heard before and yet also like a combination of everything. What bands or musicians have influenced your music and lyrics the most? </span></div><div>My very first guitarist influence was Eddie Van Halen, and from then on stuff like IRON MAIDEN, SCORPIONS, OZZY, KILLER DWARVES, ARMORED SAINT, etc… As I became more involved in the heavier side of things my tastes became more extreme and the old thrash/speed metal were my point of attention like METALLICA, EXODUS, and KREATOR, FLOTSAM & JETSAM, ANTHRAX, MEGADETH. As far as the band’s musical inspiration goes, its inspiration has roots in metal bands, and some hardcore/punk bands. CARNIVORE, POSSESSED, RAZOR, RIGORMORTIS, FORCED ENTRY, AUTOPSY, VADER, DARK ANGEL, FATES WARNING, SLAYER, CORONER, INCUBUS, WARGASM, BLOOD FEAST, and VIO-LENCE taught us how to play effective, violent, thrash/death metal. I cannot deny that as musicians we carry a bit of each band with us. There are of course bands we respect although I don’t think is reflected in our compositions. Touches of BATHORY’s <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Twilight…</span>, MERCYFUL FATE’s <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Melissa</span>, SLAYER’S <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Reign in Blood</span>, VIO-LENCE’s <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Eternal Nightmare</span>, RAZOR’s <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Violent Restitution</span>, and CARNIVORE’s <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Retaliation</span> are present in our music at all times. We do, however, strive to be original, and a step above all of our influences. We are not readily mistaken for any other band, and that’s our main goal. Nowadays, I’m not too impressed by much and it has been the case for a good number of years.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Do you think it's important to connect ideologies with music and vice-versa these days? </span></div><div>If there is no message behind the music its just abstract noise. It is crucial for our band, and any band, to perfectly portray the lyrics through the music. Total negativity, misanthropy, and divine extermination are important ideas expressed through our music. Death metal means DEATH, destruction, nuclear terrorism, depravation of human rights, violence, slavery, biological warfare, genocide, arson… Our music deals with paramilitary adoration, religious abnegation, androgenic colonization. Our message is that of a ‘TRUE’ death metal spirit; extreme, aggressive, and anti-religious.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">How does the band typically go through creating and recording a song for a release? What steps are involved in the writing process? </span></div><div>Most of the members contribute to the songs one way or another. Holocausto and I come up with riffs on our own then really brainstorm to combine them and make them into one piece. The most difficult part of this is not writing the riffs, but assembling them and knowing how many times to play them. It is a huge task really to piece all of this music together to make it sound coherent, entertaining, unique, crude, and offensive. Sometimes the song structures are modified by our drummer. We approach writing lyrics in the same manner. Perhaps myself and others come up with a raw idea of some lines before the vocalist polishes them up and places them in our music. It is quite interesting as well to hear the final product. On a couple of occasions, we’ve written songs while in the studio, for example the song “Archaic Invincibility” was assembled in minutes right before we started recording our second album. Some other songs contain riffs that have been lying around for years, literally, and finally find their place. At the moment we may have about 2 album’s worth of material written and ready.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">It struck me as a little odd that a band which stands so firmly and proudly in its beliefs would censor the eyes of the members on it's website and practically all online photos. Was this just a precaution or has the attitude towards Arghoslent really been so threatening at times? </span></div><div>The journey has been treacherous at times and it’s better to remain visually anonymous for our jobs’ sakes, and our families. Photos are not necessary to create good albums. If someone purchases an album based on the band photos, then we’re speaking different languages altogether.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Of all the songs you've recorded so far, is there one which is your personal favorite? What about a favorite album? </span></div><div>One of my favorite songs has to be “Banners of Castile” from our first album. Another song that deserves mention is “Heirs to Perdition” from our second album. As far as whole albums go, I’d have to say that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Incorrigible Bigotry</span> is our best album as far as length, musicianship, lyrics, and concept go.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Even though it rarely happens with the band's controversial content keeping you guys out of certain clubs and bars, are there any plans for Arghoslent to tour or play many live shows this year? </span></div><div>Yes, the plan is to return to the stage after a 6 year coma. Another possibility is also to play some selective shows in Europe with the help of some comrades, not to the same 10 drunks that have gone to our shows in the past.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Any plans for new merchandise or other releases coming soon? </span></div><div>We’re working on about 12-15 songs, most which will be recorded for our 3rd full length album this year. The rest will be used in splits, 7”eps, or compilations. Some new songs are “The Grenadier”, “Atop the Crags of Recalcitrance”, “Once Upon a Shoah”, and “Fragrance of the Octaroon”.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Is there an interview question you've always wanted to answer, but no one ever asked?</span> </div><div>Yes. “How come your guitar leads on live tracks are different from the recorded ones on albums & demos?” Our answer: Because most of the guitar solos on all our recordings have been improvised and on the spot, and we don’t know how to play them again. Our live sets are usually graced with different solos each time.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Finally, if you could give some advice to aspiring musicians/bands, what would you say and why?</span></div><div>There have been thousands of shitty bands for the last 17 years that I can think of. The albums keep getting worse, and worse, but there is no difference now than in 1992 or 1995, or 1999. If you plan on becoming one of these folk, I would suggest dropping your guitar off at the local pawn shop. If you strive to be a Xerox copy of another band, don’t even bother.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks once again to Pogrom for providing this opportunity and to all the guys in Arghoslent for producing quality music. You can visit their official website at <a href="http://www.arghoslent.cjb.net/">www.arghoslent.cjb.net</a>.</div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-24561433326127449782009-02-15T00:59:00.001-06:002009-02-15T01:03:53.156-06:00Napalm Death interview with Barney Greenway<div>(Originally from 9/15/05)</div><div><br /></div><div>Our "investigative reporter", Matt Cinatl, once again brings us a fantastic interview with one of the big name metal bands, this time featuring Napalm Death. Widely known as forefathers to the grindcore genre, today the group has become an entirely different entity, with no original members remaining. Vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway gives us a brief look into the band's past and present, as well as the suspected future of the legendary Napalm Death...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Matt Cinatl: A massive thanks for doing this.</span></div><div>Mark "Barney" Greenway: No problem.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: England, for a long time there's been a lot of musical innovation there. Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath. Everything. Then, Napalm Death. What happened, what went wrong?</span></div><div>BG: (Laughs) Yeah exactly. I don't man, I mean, obviously England has been a hotbed for a lot of quite original, unique stuff down the yeaars, I've thought about it before but have never really come up with an answer, to be honest. I guess it's, I don't know. Maybe it's because England, Europe in general, is sort of open to embrace a lot of different things, you know? As opposed to some places which are a little more conservative. I don't know, it's a tough on to call really. And from our perspective we just really wanted to make music by making stuff that could be considered, maybe, deeplym un-musical, at some point. It's a difficult one to answer.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: Any conditions that stand out?</span></div><div>BG: Not really, Birmingham, where I come from, is particularily notable for, as you mentioned, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, that's the town where that stuff came from. If there are any factors, it's a working class town, maybe there's something there about working class musicians being under a lot more pressure that other people.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: And how did you get your start with death and grind music, were there any bands you were in before Benediction?</span></div><div>BG: Not for me, I had a couple of small project things, but nothing really. I just grew up with the underground, the tape trading scene, which had a very big impact on my involvement in the music.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: One really interesting thing about Napalm Death to me is that the Napalm Death of now is a completely different one than that of say 1987, with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Scum</span>. But you guys have really overcome the original line-up.</span></div><div>BG: Possibly, but is it really different from 1987? I don't think it is. Yes we've evolved and taken to certain places, but it's not entirely that far removed from the original blueprint of the band. All 10 or 12 albums down the line from <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Scum</span> you can still hear that which is definitely Napalm Death.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: You guys have been really busy. Two albums within the past couple of years, touring, action figure is out...</span></div><div>BG: (Laughs), Yeah...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: So what's next?</span></div><div>BG: We're going back home in a few days, then we're back on the road in Europe doing something called "The Resistance Tour" which is called "The Persistance Tour" now, actually. Which is us, Agnostic Front, Hatebreed, and a couple of other bands. So that's going up till Christmas, but by the looks of things we're coming back to America in February with Kreator.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: And the new album, it's great, and was dedicated to the legendary Jon Peel. What influence did he have on the band, and even personally?</span></div><div>BG: I didn't really know Jon Peel real well, Shane knew him a little bit better than I did. But of course he had that spirit of doing what he wanted to do, not being subject to playlisted slavery on the radio, and stuff like that y'know, which is a great thing. Not only did he become synonymous, but he flat out refused. Of course anything like that is going to run parallel to what we're doing with Napalm Death, because we do what we want to do basically. No one tells us what to do, no one has any creative control over the band, and obviously that allows us to do what we want musically, and just as importantly, lyrically.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: And just one look in the back catalogue in the band and you can see just about every social issue has been covered, has there ever been a point where you've thought you'd run out of things to say?</span></div><div>BG: No, because the world is as it is. There's the struggle between rich and poor, y'know, if you like 'The Invaders and the Invaded', so the world is a constantly shifting place in which there are a huge number of issues to deal with. If only they would get dealt with on the literal level, rather than having us just sing about them all the time, maybe the world would be a lot better place.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: One of the cool things about Napalm Death is that the songs are all fast, they're all crazy, but they really maintain their identity.</span></div><div>BG: Fantastic.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: Yeah, so is there a consious effort when you're putting together a song to say "Oh let's have this part sound like this", or "We need a good hook here"?</span></div><div>BG: No no, it's very simple. We get the riffs and the drums ready first and then I'll go and finish off the lyrics on top. There's no real masterplan behind it. All throughout the process, it's just to make the best album we can in the time that we've got. And anything that comes out in the rehersal studio that doesn't quite sound right will be changed. That doesn't mean to say that we've got some grand plan about where to take an album. Very often, these things always hit the peak when you actually get into the recording studio. When your in the rehersal studio, things sound good, but when you take it into the recording studio they reach a whole new level. SO you can't always ascertain 100 percent how things are going to work.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: One of my favorite songs, "Twist The Knife", which oddly enough was featured on the Mortal Kombat soundstrack...</span></div><div>BG: Yeah!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: When you listen to the album it's like "Techno, techno, techno, Napalm Death, techno..." How did you end up on that soundtrack?!</span></div><div>BG: I don't remember how it worked out, to be honest. Y'know, we're always big fans of video games and stuff. Someone just came along and wanted the song. I really can't remember how it came about.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: And one of my long time questions for you has been where does the nickname Barney come from?</span></div><div>BG: Ok, it's a really old nickname, really old. It's just the fact that when I was younger I used to drink quite a lot, I had a real problem with drink. One time, which of course, isn't particularily funny. The whole Barney things comes from well, to make a long story short from drinking a lot and causing damage. Not on purpose, it wasn't malicious damage, it was just being drunk and stupid. Turning things to rubble, Barney Rubble.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: Oh ok!</span></div><div>BG: Yeah, it's a very tenuous link, but a link, nonetheless.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: Alright! Thanks so much for taking the time out of your schedule to do this interview.</span></div><div>BG: The pleasure was all mine, I hope to see you out there.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>A big thanks to Mark "Barney" Greenway and Matt Cinatl for making this interview possible. Visit the official Napalm Death website at: <a href="http://www.enemyofthemusicbusiness.com">www.enemyofthemusicbusiness.com</a>.</div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-73409547856831865942009-02-15T00:49:00.004-06:002009-02-15T00:59:06.377-06:00Rob Rock interview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZe9N085V5I/AAAAAAAAACM/5twuJSpXUDg/s1600-h/holyhell.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZe9N085V5I/AAAAAAAAACM/5twuJSpXUDg/s320/holyhell.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302915131502057362" /></a><br />(Originally from 6/30/05)<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:Verdana;font-size:12px;">Rob Rock has one of the finest voices in power metal these days, drawing obvious influences from Ronnie James Dio, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden. Though his solo career began only a few years ago, he is no stranger to metal, with a history in bands such as Impellitteri, M.A.R.S., Axel Rudi Pell, and many more.</span><br /><div><br /></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Some people have wondered about the title of the new album, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Holy Hell</span>. What made you decide to go with this title, and what is the message you try to get across in the title track?</span> </div><div>Rob Rock: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">HOLY HELL</span> -The title is meant to be strong and draw attention - The song is about the struggle between the Holy Spirit and the carnal Flesh. The album deals with the age old struggles of good and evil, heaven and hell, holy and unholy, end times and life struggles.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The new album also has some of the heaviest material you've ever done. Did anything inspire this change, such as the addition of ex-Iced Earth drummer Bobby Jarzombek? </span></div><div>Well. Bobby certainly was a positive addition to the heaviness of the album but the songs were written first by Roy Z and myself as we usually do, and we were going for a more aggressive album this time from the very start.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">How do you usually go through the process of writing and recording a new album or new songs?</span> </div><div>Each album kind of takes on a life of it's own once we get rolling in the direction we want it to go. Certain songs, riffs and ideas fall to the wayside if they don't fit the vision, and other songs flourish as we get excited when the magic starts happening. We usually start with a large group of guitar riffs and vocal ideas, then mold them or drop them to fit our general conception of the vision for the album.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Are there any favorite songs you have recorded? </span></div><div>Well, usually each song gets treated as my favorite when I'm recording it. That keeps the album strong with good songs and production. It's always important to write the best songs you can and some songs eventually stand out as special and I have lots of them over the years. Some of my favorites include "Forever", "Streets of Madness", "The Hour of Dawn", "Eagle", "Holy Hell", "Father Forgive Them", "When A Blind Man Cries", "I'm A Warrior", "Sun Will Rise Again", "The Future Is Black", "I'll Be Waiting For You", "Writings On The Wall", "Crying Out For Love", and "Fields of Fire".</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Your solo project has featured quite a few guest star musicians; what typically leads them to collaborate with you on an album? Are you friends with many of them, do you get many volunteers, or do you just ask the musicians? </span></div><div>I know all of the guys on my records, they are my music friends and I feel comfortable enough to ask them to play and I think it's great to help each other out and support each other whenever we can.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Rob Rock website still says the American release date of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Holy Hell</span> is to be announced. Do you have any update on that for us? Is it difficult getting label distribution in the US when your largest market is Europe? </span></div><div>The album comes out on September 6th on Candlelight/Caroline Records. Candlelight has joined with AFM Records to release <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Holy Hell</span> here in the States. I find the hardest thing to get here is touring and promotion commitments but hopefully Candlelight will come through with that for my new record.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">In your lyrics, you definitely do not shy away from your Christian beliefs. What is your opinion of the separation that still seems to exist between secular metal and Christian metal? </span></div><div>Honestly, I am not that familiar with the Christian Metal scene. I've always been signed to secular labels and I think the difference is that Christian metal is marketed to a Christian audience. My beliefs come through my songs because I write from my heart but I don't limit myself to any certain audience.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Who are some of the bands/musicians that you grew up with or currently listen to that have inspired your music? </span></div><div>Dio, Ozzy, Judas Priest, Styx, Boston, Black Sabbath, Foreigner, Deep Purple and Rainbow, I love the early metal, not much currently has been very inspiring to me.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Since you are a fan of guest star line-ups, I'll ask this question: if you could recruit any musicians, living or dead, into the band with you - who would be in it and why? </span></div><div>I would recruit these guys in their prime because they were all so influential in metal: John Bonham on drums, Eddy Van Halen on guitar, Yngwie Malmsteen on guitar, Jon Lord on keyboards, and Geezer Butler on bass...now...let's jam and write some songs!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">There are several vocal tips you've posted on your website, but what do you think is the one key tip that every singer should know? </span></div><div>Your voice is your instrument, a gift from God, you must remember that you can't send the road crew down to the local music store and replace it or fix it or buy a new string when you need it, so don't take your voice for granted and remember that it's a 24 hour a day maintenance program - and a good sleep is always the best remedy.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Finally, do you have any last words of advice for aspiring musicians or rock/metal bands? </span></div><div>Songs Songs Songs - after you learn to play, learn to write good songs because songs are character of the band and the longevity of the album. Good songs will last forever.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>A big thanks to Rob Rock for taking out time for this interview. His new album, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Holy Hell</span>, was released in Europe on April 4th, 2005 and is scheduled for a September 6th release in the USA. Visit the official website at <a href="http://www.robrock.com/">www.robrock.com</a>.</div></div></div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-36291429883847973402009-02-15T00:41:00.002-06:002009-02-15T00:47:38.888-06:00Nile interview with Karl Sanders<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZe6hiOse2I/AAAAAAAAACE/TWIdocIA6gk/s1600-h/karl-and-matt.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 185px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZe6hiOse2I/AAAAAAAAACE/TWIdocIA6gk/s200/karl-and-matt.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302912171538938722" /></a><br />(Originally from 4/29/05)<div><br /></div><div><div>With <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Annihilation of the Wicked</span> coming out soon, what a great oppurtunity to meet with Karl Sanders and have a little chat about the new allbum, touring, and even hear a great Nile story. Our unofficial operative Matt Cinatl brings this to us without further adieu...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Matt Cinatl: First and foremost I’d like to thank you for taking time out of your tour schedule to do this. </span></div><div>Karl Sanders: No problem, glad to be here.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: Perfect place to start would be right in the beginning, even pre-Nile, how did each of you guys get into music, more specifically metal, and even more specifically death metal? </span></div><div>KS: Um, well, I got into music probably like most kids my age did, listening to Kiss albums. Kinda sparked that inner demon to want to play guitar. As soon as I hit that first E chord, I was hooked.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: And how did you get into death metal, just natural progression? </span></div><div>KS: Natural evolution, yeah.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: Had you played in bands before Nile? </span></div><div>KS: Of course.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: Death metal? </span></div><div>KS: Not exclusively, all sorts of different kinds.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: And obviously you guys weren’t put here by the sun god Ra, so how did you guys form?</span> </div><div>KS: Well, I’d been playing in bands with Pete Hammoura for about 10 years and we started another band called Nile and it seemed to stick, it seemed to do something.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: Alright, now that we’re done with the standard interview questions we can move on. Oh, and by the way, what interview question do you hate the most? I see everyone asking you about the whole Egyptian thing… </span></div><div>KS: Yeah, if another person says to me “So, when did you first get interested in Egypt?”, I think I’ll fucking strangle them. (laughs)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: So, you guys got a new album coming out pretty soon. I’ve gotten the very special honor of hearing it and not to be to prophetic, but once it was over all I was thinking was “Death Metal Album of the Year”… Did the recording of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Annihilation of the Wicked</span> feel any different than past albums and at what point did you say “We really have something special here”? </span></div><div>KS: Well, we knew in the rehearsal room when we were writing the songs that the songs were pretty darn strong. But, it wasn’t really until we were driving home and listening to it that it really struck us that “Hey, wow, this stuff is pretty fucking amazing” And, we laughed ourselves all the way home from Chicago to Greenville.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: So it was recorded here in Chicago? </span></div><div>KS: We mixed here in Chicago.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: One of the most outstanding things about the album is the production. How was it working with Neil Kernon and how was he chosen? </span></div><div>KS: Well, I thought Neil Kernon did a fabulous job. He’s given us a very clean production, you can hear everything and there’s a really good balance. And, actually Neil had been a Nile fan for quite awhile so when we went about looking for a seasoned producer.. (At this point the interview stops as a girl gets out of a car)…Oh my god, look at that, in the black shirt. Black shirt, blonde hair. Check it out, check it out. Man! They grow them fine here in Illinois.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: Maybe she’s a death metal fan. </span></div><div>KS: Somehow I don’t think so. She IS wearing all black.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: That’s true </span></div><div>KS: Look at that! Daaaammmn! Um, so when it came time to look for a seasoned producer, a veteran producer Neil seemed like the right guy.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: The best thing I can say to describe the new album is that it’s everything Nile has been about except with way more conviction and passion poured into it. It’s Nile magnified. Was there a different approach to the recording of this album than past albums? Perhaps a different mindset or attitude? </span></div><div>KS: Well, we were pretty damn serious this time about what we were doing. We were really intent on making a savage metal album.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: What was the most difficult part of the recording process for you? What were the most difficult songs to track? </span></div><div>KS: Yeah, ‘Burning Pits of the Duat’ is a pretty tough one. ‘Chapter of Obeisance Before Giving Breath to the Inert One Under the Presence of the Crescent Shaped Horns’ is pretty intricate too, there’s some pretty tough shit in there as well.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: Do you know the band Bal Sagoth?</span> </div><div>KS: Oh yeah.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: That’s exactly what I thought of when I heard that song title. </span></div><div>KS: If you say it fast you can get it out in one breath.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: It’s obvious that you guys tell stories through your music, but what are some of the themes or morals of the stories you tell on the new album? And overall, what would you say is the goal of the band lyrically? </span></div><div>KS: Mankind deserves to be destroyed and annihilated, that’s it.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: Pretty simple.</span> </div><div>KS: Yeah.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: Now my introspective question, do you think that you guys have recorded an album yet that realizes your full potential? </span></div><div>KS: Well, who knows. We’ve still got a lot of ideas, a lot of fucking burning desire to do new stuff. And we got a new drummer, a new bass player. We got a fucking really fresh intensity. So, who knows? It’s yet to be seen. I certainly have no intention of letting up any time soon.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: Now, King Diamond and Nile, that’s an interesting combination. How did that happen? How much influence do you have on what bands you tour with? </span></div><div>KS: Well, this is King Diamond’s tour so we don’t have much influence. Other than when they were looking for a fourth band we were quick to say “Get Behemoth, get Behemoth!”.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: So, other than Behemoth, what are some of your favorite bands to tour with? </span></div><div>KS: I’m really fond of Krisun, Immolation. Morbid Angel and Cannibal [Corpse] were great to tour with, but, y’know what? They’re headliners in their own right. They’ve certainly been around longer than we have and sold more records. So, I mean, y’know, it doesn’t really make sense to tour with them anymore.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: What do you guys prefer, recording, touring, or even writing? </span></div><div>KS: I like it all, it’s all part of music.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: What would you say has been Nile’s crowning achievement, that breakthrough point?</span> </div><div>KS: Well, there’s lots of them along the way. One of the first one’s and the most meaningful was when we made it all the way to Seattle, on the first Morbid Angel tour we did. And I look out onto the Pacific ocean and I thought to myself, “Y’know what, my music has taken me all the way across this mother-fucking country.” And, uh, that was one of those moments. Another one was when I was looking out over the Colosseum and feeling that same feeling. “Wow, our music has brought us all the way around the world”.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: What’s your opinion on some of the bands out there now who are following in your footsteps, integrating Egyptian themes into their music? </span></div><div>KS: Like who?</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: I’ve heard something about a Darkened Shrines, there are a couple of them all over. </span></div><div>KS: No kidding, I don’t know about any of them, so, there you go.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: Do have any advice to kids out there now who want to start a band?</span> </div><div>KS: The advice that I would give is just go do your own fucking thing and don’t let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do. Just go and play your hearts out.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: And, could you give us your best Nile story? </span></div><div>KS: My best Nile story?</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: Yeah, this is always my favorite question. </span></div><div>KS: My best Nile story, well, since we’re here at the House of Blues Chicago. We were here in, I think, ’99 with Morbid Angel. And it was the Sunday Gospel Brunch. Alright, and we couldn’t set up our gear until the Sunday Gospel Brunch was finished. Ok, so, while they’re carrying on doing their gospel thing, we go up to our dressing room, which, unbeknownst to us, that’s not actually supposed to be our dressing room until the Sunday brunch is finished. So, I go in there and of course we’re on tour, and this is the first chance I’ve had at a shower all week. So, first thing I do, I’m alone in the dressing room. I go in the shower. When I come back out, step out with just a towel around me, I’m surrounded by at least thirty, maybe thirty-five, African American gospel singers of either sex. Which, it was quite a different room from when I stepped into the shower. So, we got to talking and laughing…</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: After you got dressed? </span></div><div>KS: …Uh, yeah I got myself dressed, combed my hair. They’re all standing around asking us what kind of music we do and I’m trying to explain it to them. And, it’s just not registering with them. So, it hits me, we got this song, at the time the album out was <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka</span>, which has got this song called Die Rach Krieg Leid der Assryche. It’s that big chant-y tribal thing so I’m trying to explain it to them. So, I take the big cart, that’s like a service cart to bring food and drinks. And I say “Well, it’s got a beat like this”. And I start pounding out the rythym with both fists. Now, next thing that happens is that this chorus starts singing this line. So I’m pounding the rythym, I’m singing the (Karl starts to hum out the main theme to the song), that bit. And, there’s like thirty of the gospel singer, right. So, they pick up on this right away. So now I got thirty people joining in, singing the background part. So, I’m pounding the drums out, they get it going. They’re clapping and stomping. So I start singing the lead vocal. And I’ve got the whole song happening with all these gospel singers and right in the next room Trey Azagthoth and Steve Tucker [Morbid Angel] start hearing this ruckus, right? And they come in and they’re like “What the fuck is going on in here?”. And it was a genuine Nile Gospel throwdown.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: That’s great! Alright, do you have any final words? </span></div><div>KS: Well, I’ve had a blast doing this interview and re-telling old Nile anecdotes, it’s quite fun.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC: Alright thanks again, not only for doing this interview, but what you guys are doing for death metal. Good luck tonight! </span></div><div>KS: Well thank you.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>A big thanks to Matt Cinatl, Karl Sanders, and all the guys at Nile for this interview! The new album, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Annihilation of the Wicked</span> comes out on May 24th, and you can visit the official Nile website at <a href="http://www.nile-catacombs.net/">www.nile-catacombs.net</a>.</div></div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-25679858753240703322009-02-11T01:23:00.003-06:002009-02-11T01:34:28.425-06:00Cryptopsy interview with Lord Worm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZJ_f_urBMI/AAAAAAAAAB8/f7vz4SGqN8s/s1600-h/worm.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZJ_f_urBMI/AAAAAAAAAB8/f7vz4SGqN8s/s320/worm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301439899028358338" /></a><br /><div>(Originally from 4/03/05)</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks to Matt Cinatl, we have the privelege of hosting a very recent interview with vocalist Lord Worm who has joined back with Canadian death metal band Cryptopsy in these past few months.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – First and foremost I’d like to thank for the opportunity to do this interview. Alright, a great place to start would be right in the beginning, how’d you get started singing with Cryptopsy and were there any bands that made you want to get into metal? </span></div><div>LW – Primarily, I guess, the two bands that really got me going were Montreal’s own Agression, and Sodom. That first EP, In the Sign of Evil, did so much for the entire metal world. I wonder if Angelripper knows that. I want to tell him if I ever meet him. But, no, the first guitarist on the demo and “Blasphemy”, Steve Thibau, and I started the band back in may 88.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – So did you play in any other bands before Cryptopsy? </span></div><div>LW – Well, under different names, different incarnations of the same people.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – When you draw up a list of, say legendary front men it’s usually Glen Benton or George Fischer, what shaped how you sing, it’s a very distinct style obviously?</span></div><div>LW – That’s just the way it comes out (laughs). I remember back in Quebec we have this post high school / pre university, couple years, I took some history of art courses and eventually we got into expressionism including the Datist expressionism that just assaults all the senses. And I thought that was a good idea, let us assault the senses as much as possible.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – And even the name, Lord Worm, it’s so recognizable, was it a nickname or where did it come from? </span></div><div>LW – That would be from a British sorcerer living in Montreal. He gave me that name back in early 90, I guess it was. We used to go around scavenging for dead animals and old food and whatever else we could in dumpsters and back alleys. Because we are garbage, and so we fit in. Well, he gave the name one day after I’d kicked him awake. Because I felt like it. Well, we were listening to Bathory at the time, how can you not kick someone awake when you’re listening to Bathory? “Oden’s Ride Over Nordland”, to me that says kick him now. (laughs)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – Aside from the voice, your lyrics are probably the most distinct out of everything, where does that come from? </span></div><div>LW – The style of writing actually comes from Gary Neumann, he had a habit of keeping pen and paper with him at all times. If he was sleeping he had it on his bedside table, always in easy reach. I don’t know if he had it in the bathroom with him, but I would recommend that to. Because you never know when the thoughts are going to come up and you have to take it down now while it’s perfect. And then work over it later.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – And that’s what you do? </span></div><div>LW – That’s what I do, and the words can come for whatever reason. It could be my dyslexia playing with letters or words and I see something really weird and think ‘Ok, that’s cool’ Or something that I’ll hear in a movie or something brief that just sounds really neat. It can be Shakespeare. Wherever it is, if I like it, I grab it and rework it in my blender and spew it out and there it is.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – 1995, Obviously “<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">None So Vile</span>”, What do you think went into that release that made it so special, it’s a landmark in death metal. </span></div><div>LW – See, that’s weird to hear even now, a year and a half after I’ve rejoined. Because when I left, mid to late 96, I guess it was, it was just the second album we’d done, I hardly remember doing it. There was a lot of beer and whiskey in that studio. All I can remember is listening to post-production afterwards and the guys were thinking “Yeah, that’s good, it should turn a couple of heads” But that was it, there was no thought of it becoming a popular seller much less what it’s become. And here we were still freaking over Suffocation, Morbid Angel and Deicide at the time. There was not way we would be compared to them, we were early Cryptopsy, who’s that?</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – So, after <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">None So Vile</span> you left the band for awhile, could you go into that a little bit?</span> </div><div>LW – Other than just working basically, and being part of the, how shall we put this, the statistical population. There was nothing happening in music for me, I mean, I wanted to but I’m a paranoid human, there aren’t very many people I trust. I can trust their talent but trust their outlook and there weren’t that many that I wanted to work with that would have worked with me at the same time and not engender some conflict of interest. I didn’t want to pull anyone out of another band. I probably would have worked with Steve Thibault, the aforementioned Steve Thibault, because he wasn’t doing anything musically either. Just would have gotten two to complete the lineup but it just never happened.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – There was a rumor about you leaving to join a black metal band, there wasn’t any truth in that? </span></div><div>LW – Say again?!?</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – You joining a black metal band? </span></div><div>LW – No, for a brief period I managed one.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – Who was the band?</span> </div><div>LW – Frozen Shadows of Montreal. No, I am black metal, I’m as fascist black metal as you can find but I never joined a band or formed one. But if ever there’s interest, and there will be interest on my part. I like shrieking at people.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – Is there are favorite Cryptopsy song of yours? </span></div><div>LW – Phobophile is probably the most fun to do at any given point, and it’s probably the on that’s got the most unique signature, the way it starts, the way it continues, the way it ends, and everything about it, it just works.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – By the way, who wrote the piano intro for that? </span></div><div>LW – Eric Langlois, bass man, sitting right over there (points to a semi-comatose Canadian bass player)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – Other than Cryptopsy, did you have any other jobs, occupations?</span> </div><div>LW – Yes, I’m an English teacher.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – Very cool… Like a lot of other people I just stumbled across the news that you’d returned to the band, how did all that happen? </span></div><div>LW – Flo gave me a call, it was just that simple. It was a Thursday night and he got around to “Oh, what are you doing Saturday night?”. Ok, I see where this is going. So, ok.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – This is the first US tour for you, how is it going so far?</span> </div><div>LW – Yeah, I like Americans. I have to be honest. I had misgivings at first only having met American band members, to wit, Internal Bleeding, Suffocation. And they’re all fine folks, but musicians and audience members are not quite the same people. I had misgivings, but so far no, reception has been really nice. Y’all good people.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – There’s a big buzz about the stage show… </span></div><div>LW – You’ll have to see that. I guess it’s more the energy level and just the non-stop, frenetic action.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – And you’re playing all of None So Vile? </span></div><div>LW – Yeah, we open with all of None So Vile. That’s song one with four to follow.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – Could you go into a little bit about what your tour schedule is like on a day to day basis?</span> </div><div>LW – You mean the suicide tour? Generally, depending on how long the drive is between cities, we’ll spend the AM driving, arrive mid to late afternoon at the club, and usually wait until the place opens up. We’ll do load in, get everything ready on stage. If everything’s ready we’ll do sound check. And once we’re done we sit around and wait for hours and hours and hours until it’s our turn to play. Sometime in that time period we’ll have supper. Once the shows done, sit down, have a beer, relax for a little while. Tear down, load up the equipment and either drive because it’s long or find a place to crash.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – So is life on the road one big party or mostly business? </span></div><div>LW – Depends on how long the drives are. If it’s not long we’ll allow ourselves a little leeway. And just relax, often with members of the other bands. If it’s a long drive, you got no choice, just go.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – Do you prefer playing live or recording in the studio, or even writing?</span> </div><div>LW – Writing, hands down. Writing new stuff, seeing how it works and reactions to it.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – About the new album, any date expected for release, how much of it is recorded?</span> </div><div>LW – We did three songs worth of pre-prod, one of which is available on the Cryptopsy website.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – Carrionshine?</span></div><div>LW – That’s the second one on the album. Nine songs, basically ready to record once we get off this tour.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – A lot of the Mike DiSalvo fans are worried that it’s going to be None So Vile II, is there anything you can say about that? </span></div><div>LW – I don’t blame them for worrying because it would be tempting, for sure. But it’s not going to be None So Vile II. There are moments where it could resemble old Cryptopsy, but some will resemble the newer Cryptopsy. And there will be many moments where it won’t resemble anything we’ve ever done. So, it’s not to antagonize the many Mike DiSalvo fans, I’ve had to work on my delivery. So that I can incorporate some of his style into that. Just so we don’t lose any fans and hopefully gain a few more with the new stuff.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – Any secrets about the album, song titles? Artwork? Anything?</span> </div><div>LW – I don’t know what the art looks like, that’s going to have to be looked at eventually, I guess. (To Erik Langlois) Song titles, am I divulging those?</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – I heard something about Adeste Infidelis… </span></div><div>LW – Ok, well, if you heard that one, that’ll be the third song. The seventh song, actually, has a really weird title I like spewing at people, Angelskin Garden. Yeah, so, the lyrics are back as well.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – Is there anything Cryptopsy fans can expect in the future, DVD, anything like that?</span> </div><div>LW – DVD on sale right now. Flo’s instructional drum DVD, cross your fingers for a late spring release on that one I guess. Plans for yet another one, maybe two DVDs and more merch as well. Actually, just an aweful lot of projects.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – More touring? </span></div><div>LW – Yeah, that too. Not enough days in the year.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – Where do you see the band in 5 years, 10 even? </span></div><div>LW – Will I be alive? I’d rather not be alive so I don’t know. There’s rumors we could be around that long. There are still an awful lot of ideas floating around, a lot left to be done, a lot left to be said.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – Any advice to kids out there who want to start a band?</span></div><div>LW – Oh god…. I don’t know if it’s advice or just words from an old hand. If it gets tough you’ve got two choices, pack it up and shut up or keep on going no matter how stinky the crap goes that you’ve got to slog through. Do it anyway, eventually just by mere fact that you did it yourself things get done. People do notice. Once people notice, imagine a stair case, yeah, you’re tired when you get to the top but look what you’ve done. So either do it or shut up basically.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – Could you give us your best Cryptopsy story? </span></div><div>LW – Mine?</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – Yeah, I mean, I’m sure there are tons.. </span></div><div>LW – Ok, (To Erik Langlois) Salami sandwiches and mosquitoes, is that a good story? Yeah, that’s a good story. It was truly horrific, that’s why I say if you can’t take the heat stay out of the kitchen. Well, we took the heat. And let me tell you (laughs) crap, we cooked. Ok, tour ’95, late spring early summer, we’re out in Western Canada at a picnic area and picnic table. All we could afford at that time was $5 per person per day food budget allotment. And what we would do was pool out resources and buy bread, cold cuts, butter or margin, lettuce if we could afford it, mustard and just make bologna or salami sandwiches. And that was it, that was the food on any given day. One meal, that was it, sandwiches. And once the bread was done, well, that was it. So we installed all the necessary stuff on the picnic table and when we were making the sandwiches we realized that the skeeters were out. And so what we had to do was basically jog around the picnic table and have a line of joggers making sandwiches and eating them. As much as possible keep these skeeters away. When we were done we lit back into the club wagon, slammed the door shut and all we had to our name, at this point, was one piss warm 6 pack of old Moosehead. Yeah, nice and pitiful. (laughs)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – (laughs) Alright, are there any bands out there right now that impress you? </span></div><div>LW – Yes, impress me personally or as a band? Is there anyone we all agree on? It would probably be a non metal band whoever it would be. Hard to say. There’s a lot of stuff we listen to, sometimes often, sometimes not. We all probably love Queensryche, in particular Operation: Mindcrime. There are moments where Cypress Hill or Eminem will do the trick. Sometimes it will be The Doors or Led Zep. Other times, if it’s metal, it could be (Iron) Maiden or some of the newer bands. Suffocation is always good, so is Morbid (Angel). It depends on the mood.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – Alright, any final words?</span></div><div>LW – No, any from you?</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">MC – Nah</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Special thanks again to Matt Cinatl and Lord Worm, as well as all the guys in Cryptopsy for making this interview possible. Visit the official Cryptopsy website at <a href="http://www.cryptopsy.net/">www.cryptopsy.net</a>.</div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-71428981967014306412009-02-11T01:15:00.004-06:002009-02-11T01:23:02.091-06:00Mercenary interview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZJ8zk-T8YI/AAAAAAAAAB0/WNprSVdjVFY/s1600-h/mercenary.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 235px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZJ8zk-T8YI/AAAAAAAAAB0/WNprSVdjVFY/s320/mercenary.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301436936908697986" /></a><br /><div>(Originally from 3/15/05)</div><div><br /></div><div>Mercenary is a type of "hybrid metal" band that takes elements from rock, death metal, power & progressive metal, opera, classical, and tons of other music styles, combines them, and forms something unique and impressive. Our interview is with guitarists Jakob Mølbjerg and Martin Buus. Join us as they give us a look into the history and the creative process of Mercenary...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">For those who haven't heard of Mercenary before, can you give us a brief description of the band and how it came to be? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Jakob</span></span>: The band was actually formed in the early nineties, as a death metal band. Only Kral (bass/vocals) remains from the original lineup, and there’s been a lot of changes in the history of the band. Many members have come and gone, and the style of the music has also evolved constantly. When we released the debut album First Breath in ’98, the style was a sort of melodic death-thrash. For the next album Everblack, we changed our sound drastically, by recruiting a permanent keyboard player (Morten) and an extra singer (Mikkel). So far, Kral had handled all vocals duties alone, and created a lot of variety by ranging from screams, to a sort of melodic shouting, to brutal growling. With an extra singer we could take the musical variations even further. I think Everblack got a touch of something new, an epic dimension using Mikkel’s heavy metal style vocals in a perhaps unusual contrast to the rather dark and heavy background/atmosphere. With our new album 11 Dreams, we’ve written all the tracks with all the new possibilities in mind, it’s allowed us to take our expression a lot further. Check it out, I’m sure you’ll find it very diverse…<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Your latest album, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">11 Dreams</span>, is quite unique and diverse musically. Is there anything that helped to inspire this diversity and approach to the songwriting? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Martin</span>: I guess it’s the result of six people’s different approaches to creating music. All of us are into a lot of different genres and bands and this affects the music. The six of us contribute with our different ideas and we work on them until we have something solid that we are all satisfied with.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What creative process usually goes into making a Mercenary song - from the music to the lyrics?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Martin</span>: Usually, somebody has an idea; a riff, a theme, a groove or whatever and we’ll just jam on it until some solid ideas start to happen. Then Kral, who writes most of the lyrics, tries to capture the mood of the song and begins to jot down some ideas for the lyrics. After a while, we have a Mercenary song.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Do you have a favorite Mercenary album so far? Favorite song?</span> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Jakob</span></span>: That’ll be the new album for sure, and the song’ll probably be “Firesoul”.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What kinds of musical and recording equipment were used on the production of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">11 Dreams</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">?</span> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Martin</span>: Jacob Hansen (Producer) uses ProTools and bunch of different outboard gear. I don’t remember exactly what kind of mixer and different outboard gear we used, but take a look at www.jacobhansen.com and find out for yourselves. As for guitars, we used Ibanez, Schecter and Fender guitars…</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Jakob</span></span>: As for amps and so on, we used a combination of a Bogner Überschall and a Mesa Boogie Rectifier for rhythm guitars, a Bogner Ecstasy for leads, and erhm, some amp or another for clean guitars, I can’t actually remember the model, haha! We’d actually borrowed a lot of different gear and only ended up using some of it, which is probably why the details are a bit hazy…</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Can you tell us who some of your inspirations and favorite musicians/bands are? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Martin</span>: The first time I heard Steve Vai I was blown away and he’s still one of my favs. As of now, I listen to a lot of jazz. Especially Joe Pass...that guy was amazing! Some years ago, I was very much into Pantera, Dream Theater and Death and I still listen a lot to them but I’m into so many groups now that I can’t really think of somebody that I particularly like more than the other.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">If you could form a band out of any musicians, live or dead, who would be in the band and why?</span> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Jakob</span></span>: Chuck Schuldiner, Dimebag, Simen Hestnæs Sverd and Gene Hoglan...badass metal band!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">And lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring musicians or bands that you wish you'd have known when you started out? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Martin</span>: Practice, dammit! Seriously, you have to practice a lot in order to develop as a musician. In my opinion, you shouldn’t limit yourself to playing and listening to only one type of music. Expand your territory! Even if you don’t like the music at first, there’s, most likely, a lot of cool things to discover and learn if you dig a little deeper...so challenge yourself and play as much as you can.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I would like to thank Jakob Mølbjerg, Martin Buus, Heather Smith at Century Media, and everyone else at Mercenary for making this interview possible. Again, the new album is titled <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">11 Dreams</span> and is out now in stores and available online. Visit the official Mercenary website at: <a href="http://www.mercenary.dk/">www.mercenary.dk</a>.</div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-36737918754006242382009-02-11T01:09:00.003-06:002009-02-11T01:14:22.054-06:00Matriarch interview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZJ6ymSOsEI/AAAAAAAAABs/mg3vunATSWY/s1600-h/matriarch.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 296px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SZJ6ymSOsEI/AAAAAAAAABs/mg3vunATSWY/s320/matriarch.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301434721057550402" /></a><br /><div>(Originally from 2/06/05)</div><div><br /></div><div>Matriarch is an all-female Puerto Rican black metal band thats out to prove that women can be just as good at the music in the extreme metal scene. Our interview is with the band's drummer, Shamara, so join us as she tells us what it's like to be playing music in a genre so often dominated by men.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">First off, can you tell us a little about the band and how Matriarch began?</span> </div><div>Shamara: Matriarch began in June 2002. Formed by Shamara-Drums and Ara Vocals-Guitars, we started the band with our metal and non metal influences to create what we called at the time "The Black Apples". Later Michelle-keyboards was added to the line up followed by Vanessa-soprano and guitars. This line up walked together the line of sin and wrote some material. After tried a couple of bass players we finally found Isabel. Isabel not only came as a bass player, also she brought an evil high pitch kind of vocals that made the band instead of having 2 front women have 3, what could be described as the perfect combination. Then with the addition of Isabel the band started a new beginning as Matriarch.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Describe what its like to be in an all-female black metal band. What kind of reactions does the band usually get?</span> </div><div>Being in an all female metal band is like being in any other band, is just that people make it a big deal. The people like Matriarch a lot and usually we get a good reaction because they like the concept of the melodies and the mix of the vocals.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">You have a demo out titled "Black Apples". Are there any plans for a follow-up release?</span> </div><div>We are working on new material so we can record our first album. In the summer of 2004 we recorded our first single “Sinful Decadence”.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">How do you normally write a song for Matriarch, and what kind of planning goes into it? </span></div><div>The songs are written either by individual members as well as the whole band mixes up ideas.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What type of equipment do you use? Live rig? </span></div><div>In the states we usually use the equipment that other bands lend us because we came all across Puerto Rico and we can’t be with a lot of equipment. We just carry our instruments.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">For those of us who are unfamiliar with your homeland of Puerto Rico, what's the extreme metal scene like over there? Is it "female friendly"? </span></div><div>Here in Puerto Rico there’s a lot of criticism and “machismo”, but we are proving them wrong little by little.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Who are some of your favorite musicians/bands that inspire your music? </span></div><div>I love black, power, doom, death, and thrash metal. Some bands that had inspired me are: Moonspell, Borknagar, Dimmu Borgir, Vader, Kreator, Decapitated, Old Mans Child, and many more more more…</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">If you could form a dream band of any musicians, live or dead, who would be included and why?</span> </div><div>Chuck Schoulinder and Mustis, both are some of my favorite’s musician, I love how they play, and how they make their music.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Can you give us any idea what we could expect to see in the future for Matriarch? </span></div><div>Matriarch is now working on new material, planning on macking our first album, a dvd, and the most important thing to make better music each and every day.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">And lastly, what advice would you give to other metal babes or female bands?</span> </div><div>We as women can have the same talent as men, and maybe better, so don’t be shy to express your art.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>A special thanks to Shamara and all the girls of Matriarch for allowing this interview to happen. You can visit the official Matriarch website at <a href="http://www.matriarchpr.com/">www.matriarchpr.com</a>.</div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-53292697166968020562009-02-06T12:22:00.002-06:002009-02-06T12:33:42.943-06:00Obituary interview with John Tardy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SYyCg5tSLqI/AAAAAAAAABk/Jy5nGS-AFrI/s1600-h/johntardy.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SYyCg5tSLqI/AAAAAAAAABk/Jy5nGS-AFrI/s320/johntardy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299754363266412194" /></a><br /><div>(Originally from 11/28/04)</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the original bands caught up in the Florida death metal scene of the late 80s and early 90s, Obituary has released some monumental and inspirational albums for their genre over the years. We welcome vocalist John Tardy in this interview as we get a look into the band's upcoming new album and what the future may hold for Obituary...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">For those who don't know of Obituary, could you give us some background on how the band started? </span></div><div>John Tardy: Obituary started when we were still in high school. We would get out of school and jam every day until my parents made us stop. Growing up in the Tampa area we had bands around like Savatage and Nasty Savage. Knowing those guys got us really into music and made us work really hard. We were always happy just jamming and never really planned on doing album number one but it just kind of fell in our lap. 8 albums and 20 years later we can't wait to do number 9!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Obituary has been around for almost a decade and a half, with your last true studio album released in 1997. Now there's news of a new album in the works; what can you tell us about this upcoming CD? </span></div><div>We are really excited about this new album. We have been having a great time with it and I think it is some of the heaviest stuff we have done.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Do you find it ever gets any harder to write music over this long of a timespan?</span> </div><div>Not really. We have never been a band that says hey we have to put out an album every 12 months...bla bla bla...we do what we want and when we want to do it. It is not good to put pressure in anyway when writing. It should just come naturally.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What does Obituary usually go through when writing a song, with lyrics, music and anything else? </span></div><div>Starts off having fun. If we feel like writing we do. If we just feel like jamming we do that. If we don't feel like praticing we say fuck it and go out side and shoot some hoops or get on the motorcycles. When we do write it is usually one of the guitarists, either Trevor or Allen and Donald and myself. From there it is easy. We just get into it and what comes out is what it is.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Do you have a favorite Obituary album? Favorite song?</span> </div><div>"Til Death" is one of my favorites because it is probably the first song we ever wrote. I probably listen to the live album more than the others because it has songs off all the records and ITS LIVE!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Who are some of your favorite bands or influences?</span> </div><div>I listen to a lot of stuff in all styles of music. From Blues to Metal to Classic Rock to Country...I just love music!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What is a live Obituary show usually like? Do you think this will change any since several years have passed now?</span> </div><div>I love to play live. Obituary live is the way the music should be heard. We just did 15 shows in Europe last month and it felt like old times.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Aside from the upcoming album, what else do you think we might expect to see in the future for Obituary? (Perhaps a DVD performance?) </span></div><div>Right now the new album is the focus. We are booking shows for next year and hope to do a couple of DVD's. We have a lot planned but are going to do them one by one.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Is there any interview question you've always wanted to answer, but no one ever asked? </span></div><div>Question: Would you like that million dollars in cash or check? Answer: Either way! Ha Ha. Thanks for the interview and thanks for the support.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Finally, if you could give some advice to aspiring musicians/bands, what would it be?</span> </div><div>Make sure before you sign anything for anybody that you get advice from a trusted person. Always have a good time with your music!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I would like to thank John Tardy and all the members of Obituary for making this interview possible. Keep your eyes open for the new album, and visit the band's official website at <a href="http://www.obituary.cc/">www.obituary.cc</a>.</div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-61915554666900279752009-02-06T12:14:00.002-06:002009-02-06T12:20:34.921-06:00Orphaned Land interview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SYx_bvX3vuI/AAAAAAAAABc/snZCpvbXYBs/s1600-h/orphaned_land.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SYx_bvX3vuI/AAAAAAAAABc/snZCpvbXYBs/s200/orphaned_land.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299750976058015458" /></a><br /><div>(Originally from 8/30/04)</div><div><br /></div><div>Hailing from Israel, Orphaned Land plays a bizarre and very entertaining blend of numerous genres and music styles, ranging from classical to Eastern folk music and even to death metal. We invite you to have a look with us behind the band that is changing music and breaking down the strict definitions of genres, as we interview Orphaned Land guitarist <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Matti Svatizky</span>...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">For those who are unfamiliar with Orphaned Land, can you tell us a little about the band and how it got started? </span></div><div>Matti Svatizky: Orphaned Land started in the year 1991. At first, it was called "Resurrection" and had only 4 members: Kobi Farhi - vocalist, Uri Zelcha - bass, Yossi Saharon - guitars and a guy called Danni who was the drummer. After one show the line up has changed. Sami Bachar replaced Danni on the drums, and I, Matti Svatizky, joined as the second guitarist. We started working on new material together and when we were ready we entered the studio and recorded a demo called The Beloved's Cry. After this release we got a deal from the French label Holy Records and we recorded 2 albums for them, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Sahara</span> (1994) and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">El Norra Alila</span> (1996). After the latter we went on a "short" 5 year break, and came back recently with a new album titled <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Mabool - The Story Of The Three Sons Of Seven</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Orphaned Land has a very unique style, integrating all kinds of Eastern ambience and instruments along with a kind of melodic death metal approach. What gave you the idea to do something like this?</span></div><div>We felt like we just had to make something original and new. For us, making the same old death metal that was out back then was just out of the question. We had the need to innovate; to make something that hadn’t been made before. We tried many different approaches, and than one day Uri came with a riff which had an oriental sound to it and we thought: "hey, playing Metal with constant oriental touches in it is something that no one has ever done", so we went for it. I'll just add to this that we very much like folkloric music, and that we enjoy very much dripping it into metal.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">How does your homeland view the style of music you play and what is the metal scene like in general over there? </span></div><div>Metalheads back at home like our music very much. It’s sometimes a little bit hard to digest our style and not everyone always understands our motives, but all in all we have huge support from the Israeli scene. I think that the scene in Israel is very much like scenes in other countries, except maybe for the fact that we don't get too much exposure to outside live acts. For big festivals we have to fly to Europe, and plane tickets are very expensive. The average age for Metalheads in Israel is about 18; we usually don’t survive in metal beyond this age. But, the scene is quite lively, there are many local acts and the crowd is unbelievably warm.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Who are some of your favorite bands or musical influences?</span> </div><div>The musical tastes in Orphaned Land are really diverse. Each band member is a whole separate universe regarding to his musical taste. We like all styles, and we learned during the years to appreciate music on several levels. This past year or so I found my way a little bit back into Metal, and learned to appreciate many new bands on the scene for their new sounds. But except for Metal, I like bands like Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Depeche Mode, U2, and so on. Also anything that is progressive goes for me, styles like Jazz, Fusion, Progressive rock and etc.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Is there a favorite song you have off of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Mabool</span>?</span> </div><div>No, not really. I really can't choose only one song from the album. I think they are all good.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Walk us through the process of writing songs with Orphaned Land. What usually comes first, music or lyrics? How much creative input is there before a song is considered complete?</span> </div><div>The songs usually start with the music, and the lyrics come on a latter stage. Some band member comes to practice with a riff or a tune that he thought of, or a bunch of riffs, and we glue them together with riffs other members have composed. We have special sessions in which we work on putting together these riffs. During this work we also compose roles for all the instruments through the song. After this work is done we start working on the songs with a drummer and the vocal parts usually come last, after all the composing is done.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">For decades, there has been debate over whether religion or Christianity belongs in metal. Since Orphaned Land uses themes from Islam and Judaism, how do you feel about the controversy of metal and religious beliefs?</span> </div><div>I think that music has no limits and that no one is obliged to any rules or terms in whatever comes to what he likes or what he would like his own music to sound like. If someone wants to sing about the eggplants that he grows in his back yard - that's fine by me, and if someone wants to sing about his beliefs - that's cool also. I think that those who are debating are the ones who are wrong, not the ones making the music.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">What kinds of guitars, amps and effects were used on this new album?</span> </div><div>On Mabool we used different gear than on our previous albums. We thought that it was time to get a better guitar sound so we experimented in the studio, tried all kinds of different options until we got where we wanted. For cabinets, we used a 4X12 Marshall speaker and drove it a Mesa Boogie tube amplifier head, model - 50/50. We also used a Marshall pre-amplifier, model JMP1 - from it we got the distortion sound. For guitars - Yossi plays an Ibanez S540. I play a Fender Stratocaster Set-Neck. To get a thicker and a heavier sound we multiplied all the guitars and we used an Ibanez RS series 6 strings, with a 011 set for the job. Also on some parts we used an Ibanez RS series 7 strings in order to get a heavier sound. We also used a standard Fender Strat for one role, a Takamine acoustic guitar and a Yamaha electrical classical guitar.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">If you could form a dream band of any musicians, live or dead, who would be in it and why? </span></div><div>I think I'll have David Gilmour on one guitar, Steve Vai on the other guitar, Flee from Red Hot Chili Peppers on bass, Vinnie Caliuta on Drums, and Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode as a vocalist. Jim Morison would write the lyrics and John Petrucci will compose. And anyone who doesn't know why I chose these persons should explore their music more.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring musicians and bands? </span></div><div>I'd say - always do what you like to do - never compromise with anyone except for with your own band-mates. Try to innovate and as much as you can to bring fresh air into whatever you do. Always keep an open mind and try not to stay stuck with only one musical style. Listen to anything that is good. Keep practicing, keep believing, and the most important thing: always enjoy what you do. The storm still rages inside…</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>A big thanks to Orphaned Land and Century Media Records for making this interview possible. The new Orphaned Land album, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Mabool</span> is out in stores now, and also available through this website from the reviews section. Check out the artist and label websites at: <a href="http://www.orphaned-land.com/">www.orphaned-land.com</a> and <a href="http://www.centurymedia.com/">www.centurymedia.com</a>.</div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-69870988560532703542009-02-06T00:11:00.002-06:002009-02-06T00:15:53.209-06:00Emperor interview with Ihsahn<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SYvVlBlDRPI/AAAAAAAAABU/JOCIRaaHEM8/s1600-h/emperor.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SYvVlBlDRPI/AAAAAAAAABU/JOCIRaaHEM8/s320/emperor.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299564218587235570" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">(Originally from 5/18/04)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Emperor is a legend, not just for black metal fans, but for a great portion of the entire metal community also. Around 1994, with their album </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">In the Nightside Eclipse</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">, Emperor was enthroned a-top the underground metal scene, and praised for bringing black metal more into the public eye. With their next release, 1997's </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">, the band received even more praise, for taking black metal to new heights with their "trademark" complexity and experimental concepts. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">In 2001 Emperor disbanded, but the legacy lives on. Emperor's frontman, Ihsahn, has recently remastered and compiled a 2-disc set of Emperor's greatest hits, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Scattered Ashes: A Decade of Emperial Wrath</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">. A re-issue of the 2000 DVD is also in the works, as well as Ihsahn's own solo project coming. From this interview, I only hope you atleast gain even the slightest insight into the legendary force that once was Emperor...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I know you've probably been over this a million times before, but for those who are unfamiliar with Emperor, can you give us some details on what led to the band's formation?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Ihsahn: Me and Samoth had been playing in different bands together for some years, from more straight forward Metal trough Trash and Death Metal with keyboards and all. At a point, Samoth wished to take things more back to basic, in the vein of early Bathory, Celtic Frost and Hellhammer, and this is what lead to the forming of Emperor. After the rather “minimalistic” demo, Wrath of the Tyrant, we soon brought in keyboards and started working on a more “epic” style.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">What are your thoughts on some of the ideologies in black metal today? Did Emperor ever start with an ideology?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I’d rather say that the ideology came with the music, and that the two developed side by side over the years.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">What influenced the decision to end Emperor?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Over 10 years with Emperor and even more with me and Samoth playing together, we naturally came to develop musical differences. Well, these differences have of course always been there, and has, I believe, developed much of the Emperor sound in a constructive way. Though, we came to a point where they no longer “blended” naturally, and we decided that it was better to leave it while it was still good, and not go on for the wrong reasons. Emperor started out as an uncompromising act, and I think we ended it in the same manner to pursue new musical challenges with the same sincerity.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Do you have a favorite Emperor song? Album?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I guess all the albums have been personal favourites at some point, and I guess in chronological order. But looking back, I do of course have some favourites from each album, but rarely the same as public opinion!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">How did you usually go about writing lyrics or music for a new album?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">In most cases, the music came first, and lyrics later. Often in the last minute too. In the early years, I guess we worked traditionally as a band, combining and developing riffs and ideas at rehearsals. But on “Anthems…” we actually did much by exchanging recorded tapes and I also started sequencing a lot of the arrangements. Since then, it has only progressed more in this direction, till the last “Prometheus..” album where I did a full pre-production of the songs in the studio, and then re-recorded it after a short period of rehearsal. Today I am very dependent on the tools of Steinberg, and usually work much with computers from idea to finished product.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Who are some of your influences, or favorite musicians/bands?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">There are so many. Both old and new and from a variety of genres, and also for different reasons. So, I can’t really start on a list!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">You also play with your wife in the band Peccatum, can you tell us what thats been like?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Peccatum is a rather experimental constellation and is often hard to describe musically. Our latest release “Lost in Reverie”, combines the extremes of metal with electronics, jazz and sound-collages, but is consistent in its dark and decadent atmosphere. Both I and Ihriel share a passion for this experimental approach to musical work, and I think the experience gained by seeking new challenges is of great value for all future work, be it with Peccatum or other projects.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Besides Peccatum, do you have any other future plans as a musician?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Well, “Lost in Reverie” is the first release on our own label, Mnemosyne Productions, and apart from being an outlet for our own music, we now wish to work with new acts too, and hopefully take on some production work in Symphonique Studio. We’re currently working with some new Peccatum material, and I’ve also started working on an Ihsahn solo-album. I’ve also recently transcribed 13 songs from Emperor’s “Scattered Ashes”, for guitars and bass, which hopefully will come out as a book this autumn.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Finally, do you have any advice for aspiring musicians or bands?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I always think it’s important to keep an open mind to all kinds of music, as you can usually learn something from all of them. If you don’t like the music, there may nevertheless be technical aspects that are interesting. Also, I would like to emphasize the importance of musical theory, at least the basics, to be able to communicate with other musicians as well as for achieving a better understanding of both your own and other people’s music.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I would like to thank Ihsahn for willingly taking the time to be interviewed. You can visit the official Emperor website at </span><a href="http://www.emperorhorde.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">www.emperorhorde.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">. Emperor's last "release", the compilation entitled - </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Scattered Ashes: A Decade of Emperial Wrath</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> is available for purchase, along with several of their other albums. </span></div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-31072010856290427422009-02-06T00:04:00.002-06:002009-02-06T00:09:18.132-06:00Dark Tranquility interview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SYvUCR3qSeI/AAAAAAAAABM/OXLQelTFS7s/s1600-h/darktran.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SYvUCR3qSeI/AAAAAAAAABM/OXLQelTFS7s/s200/darktran.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299562522153208290" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">(Originally from 4/25/04)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Dark Tranquility is one of the founding bands of the new and popular melodic death metal genre. They have been around for nearly 15 years, and continue to pursue their visions and musical direction. Guitarist </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Niklas Sundin</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> has graciously donated some of his time to discuss the future and past of Dark Tranquility...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">For those who are unfamiliar with Dark Tranquility, can you tell us a little about how the band got started?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Niklas: I guess that our founding steps don't differ that much from any other band; we were a couple of kids hanging out and listening to music and eventually deciding to try to learn how to play by ourselves. We're probably a bit different in that D.T. was the first band for all of us. Some of the members had less than a week of playing experience when we started out, so as you can imagine, it took a while before things began sounding good.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Dark Tranquility has been around for almost 15 years now. Do you find it gets any harder to write original music after so many years?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Not really; we've been playing together for so long and know each other very well, so it's seldom hard to write songs. We're very pedantic and tend to re-arrange things over and over again until we're 100% satisfied, but that's the way we want to work, so it's not a disadvantage.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">What kind of effects and guitar gear do you use on your albums?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I'm probably among the most clueless guitarists there is, since I'm not at all interested in the equipment aspects of playing. I never pay much attention to what specific brands or gear that is used in different situations, but I've came to the conclusion that Gibson guitars is right for me. In studio, I use my Les Paul standard or my Les Paul Gothic most of the time.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Do you have a favorite Dark Tranquility album? Favorite song?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Not really - after having spent so much time with the songs in the rehearsal room, in the studio and onstage, you tend to think that all of them can be pretty tedious, ha ha. My fave D.T. stuff is always the material that we're working on at the given time, since it's still being shaped and therefore is fresh and exciting.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Who are the musicians/bands that have inspired you the most?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">When we started out, there were a couple of bands, such as Kreator, Merciless (SWE), Sabbat (UK) and Helloween, that were huge inspirational sources. They definately played an important role in us deciding to form a band and try to create our own music. These days, we listen to lots of different music from all styles and genres, and it'd be way more difficult to name any specific artists or bands that motivate us.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Do you have a favorite guitarist or biggest musical influence?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Not really...As boring as it probably sounds, I tend to listen to music as a whole rather than focusing on what the guitarist is doing. I've never been into shredding or traditional guitar-hero playing and I don't really have a fave musician or "hero".</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">If you could form a dream band of any musicians, living or dead, who would be in it and why?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">This is one of those questions that are impossible to give a good reply to. I think I'd go for something generally silly and unexpected, groping totally people from totally different schools of music together, just to see what would come out of it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">What can we possibly expect to see in the future for Dark Tranquility?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">We just finished recording our seventh full-length album, which will be out after the summer. In addition, we'll have a double CD of rare and previously unreleased material entitled "Exposures - in retrospect and denial" released next month. As if this wasn't enough, our 2nd and 3rd album will be re-released later this year, featuring lots of bonus material and re-designed booklets.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring musicians and metal bands?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Let's see....apart from the obvious, that you should practice really hard and do your best to create something of your own instead of ripping your influences off, I think it's vital that musicians are patient. I have the impression that a lot of new bands get disappointed if they don't recieve any record label interest after the first demo, but a decade or so ago, you often had to spend 4-5 years of self-promotion and refining your skills before getting signed. This had the advantage of weeding a lot of non-dedicated bands out. Today, so many bands release albums way before they're ready for it, which only oversaturates the marke. Also, it's important to have realistic goals. Most metal bands, even the bigger ones that frequently engage in worldwide touring, have regular jobs to support themselves and don't earn many cents on their music, so if you're in it for the money you might as well get out right away, ha ha!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I would like to thank Niklas Sundin for agreeing to this interview, as well as the rest of Dark Tranquility. The new double CD </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Exposures - in Retrospect and Denial</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> is scheduled for a May 31st release. You can visit the official Dark Tranquility website here - </span><a href="http://www.darktranquility.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">www.darktranquility.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">.</span></div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-59346345543380134842009-02-05T20:26:00.005-06:002009-02-05T20:33:56.581-06:00Joe Satriani interview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SYuhGWwK8FI/AAAAAAAAABE/vlFRb3uailo/s1600-h/satriani.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 156px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SYuhGWwK8FI/AAAAAAAAABE/vlFRb3uailo/s200/satriani.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299506517090431058" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">(Originally from 4/23/04)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">This is one guitarist who really needs no introduction. He has taught some of the great shredders, like Steve Vai and Kirk Hammett. He pioneered instrumental rock music into popularity, and continues to re-invent the guitar with virtuosic determination. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Is There Love In Space?</span> is Satriani's 9th studio release, and Joe has generously given up some of his time to discuss some of the album with us, and to fill us in on his unorthodox guitar mastery...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Can you start by giving us a little background about how you got started recording instrumental albums?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Joe Satriani: I was just making tapes at home to jam over and explore new musical ideas when I thought it might be cool to start a record company and publishing company and release some music. I didn't think anyone would really like it too much, so I did it as a labor of love really.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Do you ever find that it gets hard to write original material after so many years of recording?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I still feel like I've got so much music to write and play, but just not enough time to do it!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">What or who got you started on music and playing the guitar?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">When Jimi Hendrix died I decided to be a guitarist, and I just never looked back.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">You used to teach guitar lessons for legends like Kirk Hammett and Steve Vai. Do you have any advice you'd like to give to teachers or students?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Sure; Learn every note everywhere on the guitar, learn every scale everywhere on the guitar, and learn every chord everywhere on the guitar... then we'll talk.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">You have a new album out now [</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Is There Love In Space?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">], and you sing again on a couple songs, something you haven't pulled off much since Flying In A Blue Dream. What made you decide to sing on this record?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">It was the style of the record, rock meets rock/blues, that made me feel a few vocals tracks would elevate the CD's overall feel. And, I seem to play differently on songs with vocals, so there was that added bonus.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Something I've always wondered: how do you usually come up with the song titles for all your instrumental tracks? Some of them are very odd, like "Raspberry Jam Delta-V" or "The Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing". Where do you get your inspiration for such song titles?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The crazy titles just pop into my head, I've got no idea how. Sometimes I find things in books like "Raspberry Jam...", or "Ice Nine" that seem to really inspire me to write as well.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Of the albums you've released so far, do you have a favorite? Do you have a favorite song you've done?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I like them all for what they are, a snapshot of my music suspended in time. I don't think I could ever pick a favorite CD or song.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">How do you usually go about writing a song for an album? Do you just compile some riffs you like? How do you write your songs with vocals?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Most of my music comes to me as a sudden inspiration, and I race to get it written down or recorded before it slips away. Some tunes take years to complete, some, just hours. There's just no telling! The vocal songs are more difficult because writing good lyrics is always a challenge, but I still enjoy it.<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Who are some of your favorite bands/musicians?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Deftones, Jet, Jimi Hendrix, Beatles, Stones, Tom Morello and Audio Slave, Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, Alan Holdsworth, etc...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">If you could create a dream band with any musicians you could pick, who would be in the band and why?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">It would be me and Jimi Hendrix on guitars, just jammin' on our own, stream of consciousness stuff, free form and spacey!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Can you tell us a little of what we can expect to see in the future for Joe Satriani?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I can only promise that I will follow my heart and try to continue to change and evolve into the future.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Finally, do you have any advice for aspiring or dreaming guitarists and musicians?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Try to be as original as you can, and only play what you want to play.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Thanks once again for taking some time out to do this interview!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">My pleasure, Bye!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The new album <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Is There Love In Space?</span> is out now. The official Satriani website is </span><a href="http://www.satriani.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">www.satriani.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">.</span></div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-48603600766355667832009-02-05T20:18:00.005-06:002009-02-05T20:26:27.846-06:00Sympathy interview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SYufJoeqEKI/AAAAAAAAAA8/uvFN4pjuCZ4/s1600-h/dharok.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 207px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SYufJoeqEKI/AAAAAAAAAA8/uvFN4pjuCZ4/s320/dharok.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299504374365163682" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">(Originally from 2/25/04)</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Sympathy is an impressive black/death metal band with brutal riffs and some very creative music. The production is very well done and the music sounds similar to Hate Eternal's first album, Suffocation, old Morbid Angel and Immolation. But the most surprising and impressive aspect of the band is that its only one man! Dharok gives us his perspective on metal and his own solo project...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Tell us a little about how Sympathy got started...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Dharok: I started Sympathy – under a different name – back in 1991. I was just out of high school and was a freshman in college. I managed to pull a few players together and do a few shows as a metal/thrash band. We recorded a demo in the fall of 1991 and then a really bad full length in the spring of 1992. After that, the band slowly started to fall apart. By 1995, I was totally on my own.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">You have a new album coming out now [</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Arcane Path</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">]. How do you usually begin writing your lyrics and music for each album?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Usually, I start by collecting song titles that I think sound cool. After that, I start assembling riffs and arranging them into songs. Once that process is underway, I begin to put all the drum tracks together with a MIDI sequence that will import directly into Pro Tools. After I have a pretty good grasp of the overall sound and shape of the song, I take a rough mix home and begin working on the lyrics. Vocals and leads are always the last thing to be done.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">What kind of effects and guitar gear do you use on the new CD?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">For guitars, on Arcane Path, I recorded with a custom BC Rich Warlock and a NJ Series Beast. Both guitars only have the factory pickups. There is a guitar-guy that I go to that does an amazing job setting up an instrument, so I always make sure that I keep everything in top shape because it makes a huge difference as to how the instrument plays. For all my amp tones and effects I used my Line6 AX2 amp. It has taken me a long time to make it sound good because there is almost too much onboard tone control. It is easy to make it sound horrible, but making it sound good can be a challenge. And for cabs, I used a Peavey XXX 4x12, Line6 4x12 and the AX2 combo. Hands down, the XXX cab was the best sounding and I used it for all the rhythm guitar tracks.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Of the few released, do you have a favorite Sympathy album? Song</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Yeah, I have a favorite song. The first Sympathy release for Fear Dark had a song called Realm of Disease on it. There is a song on </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Arcane Path</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> that is a conceptual continuation of Realm of Disease. The song is called Bearing the Plague and I think that the rhythm playing and vocals really come off well in that song. Plus, this is one of the songs for which Tim Roth – from the prog/death band Into Eternity – played a lead. I guess I would currently choose that song as my favorite..</span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">What are the advantages/disadvantages for being in a one-man band?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">One of the major advantages is that rehearsals are a lot shorter and less painful! But beside that, I more able to carry out my artistic vision for each song: I don’t have to bend to the wishes of other band members. But there are certainly disadvantages, for one, I do not get the benefit of the artistic input of other band members which might lead to a great bit of music that I would be unable to think of myself. Also, another disadvantage is that I have to be able to pull off all the performances on all the instruments. This can be very difficult at times.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">How much experience have you had recording and producing music individually?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Well, the very first time that I recorded with a band, it was self produced; and that was actually back in 1991. I have always self-produced and I am not sure I would be interested in doing otherwise. But besides my work with Sympathy, I have produced music for over 30 artists in various musical genres over the last four years. Producing is a skill that requires you to be well versed in all forms of music, plus you need to have a very good musical ear. I am constantly working at improving my ear and expanding my listening catalogue.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">How long does a full length album take for you to record and produce usually?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">When I work with clients in the studio, I usually instruct them that each song that is recorded with a full rhythm section will take a minimum of 25 hours to track, mix and master. Of course that depends upon how rehearsed the band is, how difficult the music is, and whether or not there are any serious technical problems along the way. So I guess a full length 10 song disc would take about 250 hours. Of course, if you put more time into it, the final product will sound better.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I think that </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Arcane Path</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> took me roughly about 180 hours to record. The reason that I have come in under the estimate is because I am very efficient in my use of time, and I am usually very prepared prior to the start of tracking. Invocation took roughly 120 hours.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Who are the musicians/bands that have inspired you the most?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">These days, the artists that I get the most musical inspiration from are Dimmu Borgir, The Legion, Cryptopsy, and Immolation. Each of these bands has something about their own sound that I like. Dimmu has the keys, Vortex’s voice, and the production of Studio Fredman; The Legion has their blackened death metal sound; Cryptopsy has Flo’s drumming; and Immolation has great riff arrangements and Ross Dolan’s voice. Strangely enough, I have also really been enjoying a lot of power metal lately. High on that list of artists are: Nightwish, Sonata Arctica, Symphony X, and Rhapsody.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">If you could form a dream band of any musicians, living or dead, who would be in it and why?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Well, I wouldn’t be in the band. I would rather just watch from the audience. To answer why I would choose these musicians, it is only because I like their performances with their own bands.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Vocals: Ross Dolan – Immolation</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Guitar: Eric Rutan – Hate Eternal, ex-Morbid Angel</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Guitar: Doug Cerrito – ex-Suffocation, ex-Hate Eternal</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Keys: Kevin Moore – ex-Dream Theater</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Bass: Vortex (mostly for his clean vocals) – Dimmu Borgir</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Drums: Flo – Cryptopsy</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Many black metal and death metal bands have a message in their music that is very important to them. What is the message you hope to get across with Sympathy and how do you attempt to achieve that?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Well, music is entertainment and I – for one – get physically sick of musicians who think of themselves as profound social commentators or deeply insightful people. (ahem! U2. . . barf) Musicians are often the most out of touch and deluded people that you could possibly meet. I firmly believe that music is purely for human enjoyment, and I hope that people get pleasure from the music that I record. I should also say that if my faith colors the lyrics of my music and if it is a central topic for much of my music, then my art has only been consistent with who I am as a person.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">What can we possibly expect to see in the future for Sympathy?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Well, if you know, please tell me. . .LOL! Really, I am not sure. I know that I will keep recording as long as I can or until I loose interest in extreme metal. Now, whether that means that I will be recording and playing under the name Sympathy, on my own or with others, or in an entirely different incarnation of Sympathy, I do not know. Sometimes planning these things is too restrictive. I prefer to take things as they come.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring musicians and metal bands?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Always practice with a metronome.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I would like to thank Dharok for agreeing to the interview. The new album </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Arcane Path</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> is out now, but may be easiest to find online. You can visit the official Sympathy website at </span><a href="http://www.realmofdisease.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">www.realmofdisease.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">.</span></div></div></div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-84775632133986610132009-02-05T19:47:00.015-06:002009-02-05T20:13:15.461-06:00Tourniquet interview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SYuctQ7kIjI/AAAAAAAAAA0/4WAFoIC8kCg/s1600-h/luke.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SYuctQ7kIjI/AAAAAAAAAA0/4WAFoIC8kCg/s320/luke.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299501687984366130" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family:Verdana;font-size:12px;"><p align="justify" style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">(Originally from 12/17/03)</span></p><p align="justify" style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Tourniquet is a thrash metal band that has been around since the early 90s, but not just any thrash band - one of the first Christian thrash bands. They have had very good reactions to their music from the rest of the world and have become well known amongst the Christian and secular markets. Luke Easter has agreed to give us a look into the history of Tourniquet and their recent release: </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Where Moth and Rust Destroy</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">....<br /><br /></span></p><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">For those who aren't familiar with Tourniquet, could you give us some background on the band and how it came to be?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Luke Easter: Tourniquet was formed in the Los Angeles area, and the first album, Stop the Bleeding, was released in 1990. Soon after the third album (Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance) was released in 1993, the original vocalist left the band and I took over the vocal duties. Since then we have released 5 studio albums, a “best of” collection, a “live” acoustic album and several video projects. In March 2003 we released Where Moth And Rust Destroy on Metal Blade Records.</span></span><p></p><p></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">How did you come across to join Tourniquet, and what was it like for you?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> <br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I was a fan of the band. I had found about them early on, right after Stop the Bleeding came out, and I had all their albums. The local band I had been in had broken up, and I had heard that Tourniquet was looking for a singer. I contacted them, and sent a demo. About a week or 2 later I went to LA to audition, and soon after we went on tour to support Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance.</span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"></span></span><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Up to that point, I had not played outside my local area, and I hadn’t really played in front of more than 100-150 people at a time, so it was really exciting playing for larger crowds, and playing in different parts of the country. In a lot of ways, it was a crash course in live performance. It was fun, but initially, it was a bit intimidating at times playing with people whose albums you were listening to at home a couple of weeks before.</span></span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What process do you usually go through when writing lyrics? Do they come to you, or do you sometimes think on them for a while? Do you ever think of writing music?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I don’t really have a set process for writing. Sometimes I’ll have an idea for a topic I want to write about, or I’ll come up with a phrase that I think sounds cool, and I’ll keep in the back of my mind for awhile until the right time. Other times, I get handed the instrumental demo for a song and I have no idea what to write about.</span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"></span></span><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I’d love to be able to write music, but I really don’t play any instruments well enough, so I focus on lyrics and let the better qualified write music. In the past, I’ve written with people and I’ll have a basic melody and lyric in place when we get together, and they build the music from that. Does that count as writing music?</span></span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">How important is the message in Tourniquet's music?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The message is integral, but it needs to fit within the construct of the music. You can have great music, but really poorly written, cliched lyrics, and the words will negate the music. The inverse of that is true as well: great lyrics over bad music are just as counter-productive.</span></span><div><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The artist’s experience and state of mind will always be reflected in their art. We are Christians. That is our state of mind, that is the point of view that our life experience is filtered through, and that is a key element of our art. I think a lot of bands tend to get stuck at the point of salvation. They see the salvation moment as a destination, when it’s really a starting point. We believe in Christ, and we believe that a relationship with Him is the only way to find true peace and happiness in this life and beyond, but to stop at telling people that they need to know Him is selling the whole thing short. Believers deal with most of the same issues as non-believers, but they hopefully deal with them from a different perspective. That is what we try to do with our music. Because our relationships with Christ are so central to who we are as people, the message is very important, but there’s more to the message than just salvation.</span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">When did you all come to know about Christianity?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Ted and I have both been Christians since we were kids. I grew up in church, but I didn’t really make a commitment to Christ until my late teens.</span></span></span></span></span><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What are your thoughts about the pressures and demands on an artist as it relates to the relationship between fans and the artist and how some of those expectations and demands may cross the line?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> <br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The relationship between artists and their fans is a two-edged thing. On the one hand, you do or did something that they found appealing, and so now you have a following. On the other hand, if you don’t keep giving people what they want, you won’t have a following for too long.</span></span></p><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We’ve been very fortunate to be able to change things up from album to album, and still maintain a pretty high level of interest and devotion from our fans. All of our albums have a fairly distinct personality. None of them really sound alike, but there are elements from one to the next that make them unmistakably Tourniquet albums. In a lot of ways, people have come to expect the unexpected from us.</span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Even with that, there are always people who are not satisfied with the outcome when we release something new. Some people like a certain sound, or a certain style, and they cannot accept anything but that. Some people want us to just keep remaking Stop the Bleeding or Psychosurgery or Pathogenic… over and over again. Some people scratch their heads and go, “Huh!?!?”, when they hear a banjo or whistling or a flute on an album, because to them, that’s not metal.</span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Obviously, we want people to like us, but we can’t cater to their every whim. We are artists, and we do our best to challenge ourselves, and create music that is interesting and rewarding to us while still having appeal to as wide an audience as possible. We could be really self-indulgent and just make music that we like, but then there’s a good chance that nobody but us will like it. We could also just take a “paint-by-number” approach and churn out the same old stuff time after time, but then we would likely get bored and not want to make music anymore. We try to find the middle ground, and make both sides happy.</span></p></span><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">For the most part, people’s demands and expectations aren’t really invasive. Preference and taste are very subjective things. It’s when people start acting like they know better what we should do musically or sonically, and when they start second guessing our choices that it starts to encroach on us.</span></span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">How do the members of Tourniquet usually go about recording and composing a new album?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Again, there’s no real, set method. Usually, Ted starts coming up with riffs and drum parts. Once he’s got enough, he starts figuring out which ones go best together and builds them into songs. After that, work starts on the lyrics. In the past, Aaron and I wrote together, and he’d come up with music, demo out a rough version and send it to me, and then I’d write words for it. This time around, Ted and I collaborated for the first time as writers, and we worked pretty much the same way.</span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"></span></span><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">As the material is being developed, we work out a schedule with Bill (Metoyer, our producer) so we know when we’ll start recording. Once all the pieces are in place, we start the record. We work piece-meal for the most part: the drums go down first, and we build it up from there. Vocals and leads are usually the last parts to be recorded.</span></span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Who are your favorite bands or artists?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> <br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I like a lot of different kinds of music, and I like a lot of different bands and artists. I think Dream Theater is great. I love Bon Jovi. Stryper, old Van Halen, old Metallica, Megadeth….all the usual stuff. I think Disciple is cool. It all depends on my mood. Sometimes it’s a great day to listen to the Goo Goo Dolls, and other days I want to listen to Sanity Obscure.</span><br /></span></div></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left; font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I think that to listen to only one type of music, and nothing else, is very limiting, both as a listener and as an artist. I try to listen to a lot of different types of music, and I think it’s a great help when it comes time to do a record.</span></span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What is your favorite Tourniquet album? Song?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> <br /></span></div><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I really can’t answer that question. I don’t have any children, but I suppose that’d be like asking someone which of their kids is their favorite. I like all of our work. It all brings up different memories, and it all represents different points in time.</span></div></span><p></p><p></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">If you could perform with any musician, living or dead, who would it be and why?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I’ve never really given that a lot of thought. I admire a lot of different people, but I’ve never thought much about playing with them. I guess it’d be cool to play with the surviving members of Queen. It’d be great to play live with Marty. Portnoy does a lot of stuff outside of Dream Theater, and I imagine it be a nice challenge to be part of that sometime. I’d love to just be around Nuno Bettencourt. I don’t know…. I get to play in a band with Ted. I’d have to say that it can’t be too much better than that.</span></span></p><p face="Verdana, Helvetica" size="12px" style=" ;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">On the new album, Marty Friedman plays most solos. What is the relationship between Tourniquet and Marty, and how did you get him to play for the record?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> <br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Ted and Marty have been friends for a few years. He’s a very cool person, and he likes our music. When we were going to start recording Where Moth And Rust Destroy, we called him and Bruce Franklin and asked if they’d play on the album, and they both said yes.</span></span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I've been asked by a fan for you to describe the difference between your former contract with Intense/Frontline, as opposed to being on the Metal Blade label; the strengths and weaknesses, more/less opportunities with explaining your Christian faith.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">They’re very similar in that we get to write and play what we want. Metal Blade has a better distribution network in place, and promotes its bands better. Metal Blade is very cool about us being Christians. For them, its all about the music.</span></span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Tourniquet is also searching for a new guitarist at the moment, so how is the search going?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> <br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We have gotten some really good submissions, and we’re looking at a couple of people right now. It’s too soon to say whether we’ve found one yet, but hopefully soon we’ll be able to make some sort of an announcement.</span></span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">How well do you know some of the past members of Tourniquet?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I know some better than others.</span></span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring musicians or bands?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Figure out who you are, and what you sound like, both as an individual and within a band. Don’t follow trends. Be honest, musically and personally. People can spot a phony, and they generally don’t like phonies. If you’re going to be a “Christian band”, do it all the way; don’t be ashamed. If you’re going into the mainstream, don’t make excuses for it. Most importantly, be open to God’s leading. You may love music, but it may not be His plan for you. If He lets you play, enjoy it, and do it to the bast of your abilities; if He doesn’t, accept it, and be content in knowing that He knows better than we do.<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:13px;"></span></span></span></span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><br /></span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:13px;">I would like to extend my thanks to Luke Easter for doing this interview, and to all the guys from Tourniquet for making such great music! You can visit the official Tourniquet site at </span><a href="http://www.tourniquet.net/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:13px;">www.tourniquet.net</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:13px;">.</span></span></span></span></p></div>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257577155601421551.post-15502923690411033132009-02-05T19:22:00.017-06:002009-02-05T20:18:02.810-06:00Morbid Angel interview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SYuS57wvMoI/AAAAAAAAAAc/Xkd7h58Gyiw/s1600-h/morbidangel.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ErJ2leO0r6U/SYuS57wvMoI/AAAAAAAAAAc/Xkd7h58Gyiw/s320/morbidangel.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299490910523830914" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family:Verdana;font-size:12px;"><p align="justify" style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">(Originally from 10/27/03)</span></p><p align="justify" style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Morbid Angel is one of the founding fathers of the style dubbed "death metal". With brutal speed and riffs, plus low and powerful vocals, they established themselves in the genre when few had realized its budding potential. </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Trey Azagthoth</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, the guitarist and mastermind of Morbid Angel, gives us some insight into the band, some advice on professional musicianship, and some info on their new release: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Heretic</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. (In the photo, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:'-webkit-monospace';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">L to R: Pete Sandoval, Steve Tucker, Trey Azagthoth)</span></span></p><p align="justify" style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></p><p align="justify" style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Tell us a little about your music background and how Morbid Angel started...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "></span></span></span></p><p align="justify" style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Trey: I started Morbid Angel back in 1984. Inspired by the way I was moved by the music I listened too I just had to be a part of it. In Morbid I wanted to express feeling and imagination through music that would move people in a special way and offer a greater sense of what was possible in music. I never cared for theory, only for feeling and vision that transcended beyond so called "rules". Music has no meaning. It is pure energy, free from any limitation and it is about movement. My writing, playing has nothing to do with training or thinking, these conformations only hinder the sweetness of the expressions of the love.</span></span></span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">You have a new album coming out very soon. How do you usually go about writing your lyrics and music?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> <br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">For me in creating music its all about coming from that silence between thoughts. As for any lyrics I write, I come from the principles that allow creation to spark, make poetry that expresses the principles that allow the inner self to express with clarity.</span></span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What kind of gear and effects did you use on the new album?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">As with all the other recorded we made I use 2 Marshall JCM 900 high gain dual reverb amps and classic 1960s bottom cabs. For my basic tone I use the Rat distortion and a Rane EQ. Guitar into Rat into Rane into Amp. As for FXs I have a Univibe, MXR Phase 90, and a Morely Bad Horse WOW WOW, all of these go in front of the Rat. I have the Univibe on a midi effects loop to go in and out of the chain via midi because the Univibe is a nasty, leaky box. I use the Eventide H3000s in my rack, via the left and right effects sends/returns from my amps, to create the Stereo Imaging that builds the Lava Landscapes. I use the H3000s for my stereo delays and other cool textures. I got all kinds of guitars that have custom pickups and wiring for my solos, single coil pickups and /or humbuckers with split coil tap, phase switch. All kinds of tone options there in combining different pickups and electronics. Last but not least I swear by Mic_ing Technologies Mic_ing Techniques. Such innovative ideas as the Anti-Vacuum Culture and Wind Rift Mic_ing Techniques.These texturing tools are used all over this new cd as well as also used on Formulas Fatal to the Flesh and Gateways to Annihilation. Just listen the the solo in the first track on Heretic "Cleansed in Pestilence". I used the Anti-Vacuum Culture Mic_ing Technique on the right channel/speaker and the Wind Rift on the left channel/speaker. There are no "normal" microphone setups for that solo at all, and there are many other uses of the special Texturing throughout the Heretic cd. :)</span></span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What are your favorite artists/bands?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I'm a listener of music with snappy, groovy stuff going on.</span></span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Who is the one guitarist you admire the most? Why?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Eddie Van Halen is my fave. He inspired me with his style more than anyone else. His feeling and vision was unlike anyone.</span></span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What is your favorite brand of guitar?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Don't have one fave brand. I think they all can make quality stuff if they want to. I have fave guitar shapes for sure, reason is a combination of how awesome the shape looks and how comfy is it to play on. Strats are such an uncomfortable shape to chew up rhythms on. Something about how my right arm sits on it. Songs like Rapture with its picking style are very difficult to play on a strat shape. Other songs we play works fine on a strat such as the song Sworn to the Black, its a different type of picking technique. I use countless picking techniques throughout the vast style of Morbid Angel riffing. When the Ibanez 7 String Universe came out I had to get one to further broaden Morbid's style. This surfaced on the cd Covenant with songs such as "God of Emptiness" and then later on Domination with the song "Where the Slime Live". Since the 7 String was only available as a Strat I had to further stretch my technique and mold with that shape. Anyways, my fave and most comfy shape guitars to play would have to be the Gibson style Flying V and the BC Rich IronBird. I say Gibson style V because I don't really care to ever be stuck on a 22 fret neck such as how all the Gibsons come and I don't care for the other guitar comps' V's that they offer. I have a custom Hamer V that has the 50's Gibson V styling but with 24 frets, 2 humbuckers neck/bridge and a single coil middle with a 5 way selector switch, split coil tap and phase switch,......and of course a Floyd Rose locking whammy bar. All of my guitars have a Floyd Rose Wammy, even the Gold Label Charvel Explorer that I bought from the House of Guitars in NY. This guitar came with 1 humbucker and some junky going outta tune ass tremolo on it. Even though it is some kind of "classic" I guess, I still had it hacked up to suit my preferences by having 2 single coils, 5 way selector switch, phase switch and a Jackson Style Floyd Rose. I never tour with this guitar but I always break it out for solos on records. Funny enough but my favorites sit down in the couch in front of the TV playing guitars, which I used on countless solos on records including the solos in "Where the Slime Live" is my Bright Orange Ibanez RG Strat with a maple fretboard, 2 humbuckers, mid single coil. This is also my main tour bus guitar. Almost forgot, for my guitars I use the PAF Pro F spaced bridge pickup for my rhythm tone.</span></span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What is your favorite Morbid Angel album? Why?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> <br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I think they're all filled with cool ideas and feelings. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Domination</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> is my least fave only because of the mundane lyrics.</span></span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">If you could say anything to aspiring metal guitarists or death metal bands, what would you say and why?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> <br /></span><span style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Just play/express from within your heart. The mind is cool at keeping track of details, scales, whatever, but it is the higher source from which all CREATION comes.</span></span></p><p style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></p><p align="justify" style=" ;font-family:Verdana, Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I would like to thank Trey Azagthoth for taking some time to interview. Please visit the official Morbid Angel website at: </span><a href="http://www.morbidangel.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">www.morbidangel.com</span></a></p></span>Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500412975833428045noreply@blogger.com0