Freethinkers

2011 recap: The top 5

2011-12-30T00:40:00.000-08:00

So yeah, who needs another "top this, top that"-post? No one. Except for oneself though. It's fun to do it, and I think everyone should do at least one of those lists.

So even if no one's gonna read it, here's my top 5 of 2011. Keep in mind though that those are not necessarily records that were released in the course of the year 2011, but the records that I've listened to the most.

Let's start

1. Trivium - In Waves

In Waves is the "Black Album" of our time. I've said it before and this opinion still stands. In Waves features some of the catchiest, most stripped-down Trivium songs up to date. Yet, at the same time, the Orlando four-piece manages to stay technical at times - just when the song asks for it. And that's the crucial thing about this record: the song is always in the main focus. And that's one of the things that sets Trivium apart: they can write actual songs that stay in one's mind. On top of that, you got one of the best sounding records of this year (no wonder with Colin Richardson producing), and a great visual concept that sets standards.
In Waves thus isn't only a mainstream-metal-masterpiece of our time - I'm sure it will influence other "generations" of musicians as well.

2. Born of Osiris - The Discovery

I was never a huge fan of Born of Osiris. I always thought their songs were kinda messy and out-of-place. I then listened to their old songs while doing research for the interview with them. The interview was going to be the first one for the blog, and I had no idea if it'd work out. Naturally, I was a "little" nervous.
But yeah, the interview worked out great. I knew what I'd still have to work on, but the basement had been set up so to speak.
BoO played a phenomenal show that night. I was blown away by their live-ability at such a young age. They also happened to play two new songs off of their then unreleased record "The Discovery", which were filmed by my good friend who also filmed the interview.
So the next few days, thinking about the interview and what I'd do to make things better, I watched those live videos. And since then I'm sold.
The Discovery is a total new take on what's been done before. The songs are extremely technical, with odd time-signatures and insane leads. But BoO has put more focus on songwriting on The Discovery. The songs are more thought-out and better structured in my opinion. Joe Buras finally gets more room to breathe on this record and really adds a unique touch to the whole listening-experience.
We can expect a lot from this band, and I hope that they'll be around for a long time. They work hard, tour their asses off and still manage to top themselves with every record.

3. & 4. Misery Signals - Controller and Mirrors

How could I miss out on such a great band for such a long time? I can't even remember how I finally came across those guys. But what I can remember is, that I was blown away right on first listen. I didn't exactly know what was going on, but I knew I liked it.
Misery Signals really aren't your standard metalcore-band. They combine odd timed riffs with great melodic hooklines and a huge chunk of anger and frustration. The thing I love the most about them is vocalist Karl Schubach's ability to express real feelings through his vocals. This ability combined with some of the lyrics had me coming back again and again to those two records - I can really relate to songs like "Labyrinthian", "One day I'll stay home" or "Reverence Lost".
The best thing about Misery Signals is, that they've finally put a touring line-up together and are writing new songs as we speak. I personally can't wait for their next record!

5. Sylosis - Edge of the Earth

What do you get, when you combine Rush with Death? Sylosis! I know this assumption seems a little bit too ambitious. But I dare anyone to listen to those guys. Epic melodic parts go hand in hand with thrashy, almost deathy riffs and huge choruses. The thing about Sylosis is, that they can write 7-minute songs that won't get boring. There's just so much going on that you're being held in awe for the whole 75 minutes this record goes on. We're talking value for money here. What's really mindblowing about them is, that lead guitarist and mastermind Josh Middleton has taken over vocal duties as well. So now he's not only doing the insane leads, but he's also the frontman of the band. This guy is nuts. In a positive way though.
Sylosis really need to get on huge tours and get their name out more, they deserve to play bigger venues. I have to finally catch them again live - and you should do too.

Opeth Interview

2011-12-01T00:26:00.000-08:00

Opeth

Opeth's latest record Heritage led to a little bit of a turmoil in the metal community. More jazz, more prog and - that's what a lot of people disliked most - no growls anymore.

So when the swedish death metal prog rockers came to vienna, we took the chance and had a little chat with their mainman: Mikael Åkerfeldt.

We talked about Mikael's love of the 60s and the 70s, Opeth's musical heritage and much more.

After having talked to him, I came to the conclusion that Mikael is a hippie - a very peaceful, obliging person. The only difference is, that he's still into Death Metal. So let's just call him a Death Metal Hippie.

Part 1

Part 2

After our talk, Opeth played a phenomenal set - with no growls at all. The band's apperance, the light-show, the production and, of course, the music, almost made me feel like it actually was the 70s.

If you get the chance to witness Opeth, you should do so - you won't be disappointed.

DevilDriver Interview

2011-11-19T01:43:00.000-08:00

DevilDriver

One of the most relentless spearheads of neo-thrash came to town: DevilDriver!

The well-oiled touring-machine paid a visit to Vienna in support of the "Eighth Plague Tour" with Machine Head and others. And guess who was there to have a talk with Jeff Kendrick (Guitars) and John Boecklin (Drums) - you guessed right - we did.

The guys were kind enough to answer us some guestions regarding their future plans, Jeff and Mike's (Spreitzer, Guitars) AllAxess Guitar Community, meeting their idols and much more.

Watch the chat below:

DevilDriver - Dead to Rights official video

Machine Head Interview

2011-11-14T14:23:00.000-08:00

Machine Head

Being biased in a positive way before an interview is not the perfect setting. I know that. But in this case, I don't care. Why? Because I had the chance to talk to the mighty Machine Head!

Ok, so now I'm going to out myself as a total Machine Head (or Mushy Ned, if you will) fanboy. I've been following them for years, I even drove to Prague and Luxembourg for them, and I'll fly to London this year to see them lay waste to Wembley Arena.
For me, they are one of those "larger-than-life"-bands. Their music and especially their lyrics have been so inspiring for me, that, at times, it even was a little scary, as to how much I could relate to them.

They've helped me through some very rough times, and still continue to do so. The fact that I absolutely love their music only adds to that.

So yeah, I talked to Robb and Adam on 12th of November, when they were playing the Gasometer in Vienna. I gotta say, I've done quite a few interviews so far, and I thought I'd be somewhat self confident. But when Adam and Robb entered the room, I just couldn't keep things together. My first move actually was dropping my sheets...

The weird thing was, even when I hadn't seen them, I just could feel that they had entered the room. They have such an enormous presence. Yet, they are very nice and obliging. Considering what they've been through themselves, I respect them even more now.

So what did I ask them? I tried not to focus on things that have been asked yet, to keep it more interesting for the recipients. Here's how it turned out:

Machine Head - Locust (Video)

Trivium Interview

2011-11-08T08:47:00.000-08:00

Trivium 2011

Trivium was one of the first metal bands I listened to. Back in the days, I had already spun Ember to Inferno quite a few times, and I found it pretty good. So when Ascendancy was released, I figured I'd check it out. Oh if I had known how Ascendancy would blow me away. I was hooked.

Since then, I followed the band through their young career. My first real "metal-concert" was a Trivium show. Actually, there was a little gem supporting that night: Annihilator(!), with Sanctity opening.
The headbanging, the fist-pumping, mosh-pits and even a cirle-pit - those young guys from Orlando introduced me to all of that. I still remember thinking to myself how badass all of this was.

What's funny is, that Trivium actually introduced me to checking out YouTube guitar lessons and the sweeping technique, but I digress...

Naturally, I've developed quite a bit during all those years. I'm now drawn to different music, other things are important in my life. But somehow, Trivium has stayed. I still love listening to Ascendancy and thinking back to those "good old days" as they say.

So when In Waves was released, I bought it like the good citizen that I pretend to be. And I somehow rediscovered them. Their whole new approach to songwriting and the visual presentation - the out-of-the-box thinking - it all made them interesting for me once again.

So when the possibillity to interview one of my favourite bands came around, I got excited and nervous right away. What would I ask them? What could I ask them? Would they take me seriously? Would I be able to somehow hide my excitement?

Well, here's how it all turned out:

Part 1

Part 2

Video for In Waves

Video for Built to Fall

Review - Carnifex - Until I Feel Nothing

2011-10-27T00:31:00.000-07:00

Carnifex 2011

Cover Artwork

Tracklist:
1. Deathwish
2. We Spoke of Lies
3. A Grave to Blame
4. Dead but Dreaming
5. Creation Defaced
6. Dehumanize
7. Until I Feel Nothing
8. Never Forgive Me
9. Wretched Entropy
10. Curse My Name

The executioner strikes again

Breakdowns, tremolo picking, growls, screams, blastbeats and a playtime of a little over 30 minutes. All the same in the Carnifex Camp you think? Well, not completely.

Continuing the development started on "Hell Chose Me", the San Diego-based deathcore outfit tends more and more to traditional death metal. The main riff of the title track being one of the main examples.

But that's not all. With the help and advice of producer Tim Lambesis, the band has focused on writing more fluent songs with actual hooklines and catchier melodies. Just check the underlying melody of "Dead but Dreaming" or the black metal influenced riffing on "Curse My Name".

The plan hasn't worked out completely though. Acoustic elements, even featuring strings ("Creation Defaced", "Until I Feel Nothing"), do loosen up the songs a little bit. Yet, at one point or another, the songs are a little bit too samey. The fact that the drums are slightly too loud only adds to that feeling.

Speaking of the sound of the record: For a modern metal production, it is top notch, especially the bass sound stands out. The clean parts fit well into the audibility of the record, which often is a problem.

With "Until I Feel Nothing", Carnifex develop more and more into a more traditional death metal band while staying true to their roots.
I hope we'll see more of that development on the next record. For now, we should enjoy Carnifex for what they are: A simply brutal modern death metal with heavy break parts.

Carnifex - Until I Feel Nothing Official Video

Carnifex - Studio Episode 1/4

Never Say Die!-Tour: Suicide Silence Interview

2011-10-24T06:42:00.000-07:00

Suicide Silence are currently headlining the Impericon Never Say Die!-Tour. The huge package tour stopped in Vienna too and laid waste to the legendary Arena.

After talking to Mark back in summer, when they were playing Szene Wien, we once again met up with Suicide Silence's shredder, who seems to be chill all the time. He even remembered us, and it was just as nice to talk to him as last time.

The guys seem to have no problem with random blogger dudes invading their backstage area and stealing their precious off-time.

The chat can be watched here:

After the interview, Suicide Silence played a phenomenal live-set which consisted mainly of their hits and a bunch of new songs. The crowd response was mind-blowing, but consequential to the band's relentless touring activities; the band played extremely tight and the sound was powerful all the way through.

Mitch Lucker, whose ferocious screams seem to get higher and higher, had the crowd in his hands and mobilized their energy after 6 bands and 4 hours of constant dancing, screaming and moshing.

For the last song, No Pity for A Coward, Suicide Silence had fans storming on the stage to perform the song together with them. And that's just another testimony to the band's connectedness with their fans.

March to the black crown / Wake up live @ Vienna, Austria

You only live once live @ Vienna, Austria

The Sorrow Interview (English subtitles)

2011-10-02T04:40:00.000-07:00

The fifth All Austrian Metal Night had Austria's most successful and strongest metal outlet headlining: The Sorrow.

After attempting to interview them at their show supporting Slayer, it finally worked out. Though the first attempt didn't go wrong because of the band, they were really sorry that it didn't work out. And that's already the first hint of the band's attitude. The rockers from Vorarlberg are such down-to-earth, obliging guys - they treated us like we were some old friends, who just happened to interview them.

After being a fan and follower of the band for a long time, I had quite a few questions ready for them. Tobi (Bass) and Mätze (Vocals, Rhythm Guitar) answered them thoroughly and tongue-in-cheek. Which goes to show how relaxed and refreshing The Sorrow approaches the whole music business, which, as we all know, can be very hard at times.

But, see for yourself: The Sorrow talks about overcoming hurdles, the austrian and german music scene, their relationship to vienna, the visual concept behind the band, touring-plans and much much more.

Part 1

Part 2

The Sorrow

Is a metalcore band from Vorarlberg, Austria. Their debut effort "Blessings from a Blackened Sky" (Drakkar Records) got a lot of positive response from both press and fans and helped them gain popularity in the austrian and german metal-scene.

After touring relentlessly, the band released their third, self-titled record in 2010, which was a shift towards a more self-contained sound.

The band is currently in writing-mode and entered talks with different labels.

Catch the band live while you can!

The Sorrow - Farewells live @ Arena Wien

Review - Animals As Leaders - Weightless

2011-09-30T06:21:00.000-07:00

Animals As Leaders 2011

Cover Artwork

Do you know the feeling when you've experienced something outstanding and you want to tell everyone about it, but you can't because what you've experienced was simply indescribably good? Well, that's the exact way I'm feeling about Weightless by Animals As Leaders. I shall try to put my thoughts into words though.

Animals As Leaders' debut was written solely by Tosin Abasi. After touring with Javier Reyes (guitars) and Navene Koperweis (drums) for nearly two years, they've become firm members though. Consequently, weightless was produced by Navene and mixed by Javier. Which makes Weightless a very clear sounding record with a distinctive, massive drum sound. That's not the only thing they've added to Animals as Leaders though.

Navene's outstanding polyrhythmic powerhouse drumming definitely ameliorates the band's sound altogether. While, and that's just my impression though, Javier added a little bit of a rocking vibe to the band. Furthermore, they seem to have integrated more electronic bits and parts.

So what can be said about the songs? Lying in my bed, listening to the songs, I tried to find a word for the feeling the record gave me. The first thing that came to my mind was (and this may sound really stupid and cliché): the feeling of flying freely.

Weightless sounds just like that: The djenty, thick underground helps you get up in the air, the more melodic, mellower songs with their underlying harmonies lead you gliding through the air and Tosin's outstanding guitar work sharpens your senses to avoid obstacles while you're reaching heights that haven't been reached before.

While Animals As Leaders definitely have revolutionized progressive music per se, they not only prove that they are miles ahead of any other bands, but that they can easily outdo themselves as well.

Weightless is my tip for Album of the Year and if you're interested in witnessing a completely new approach to music, you're definitely in for a treat!

Isolated Incidents live @ Chelsea Vienna

Review - Mastodon - The Hunter

2011-09-28T05:06:00.000-07:00

Mastodon 2011

Cover-Artwork

Mastodon: The quirky prog-boys go back to their rock roots.

Crack the Skye was Mastodon's proggiest effort ever. The sheer amount of different riffs, drum-fills, breaks and tempo changes made it the most complex Mastodon-record to date. At the same time, it was the end of a concept of the 4 elements, which had started with Remission.

So what does a band do after playing their most complex record as a whole every night on tour and now having a "new" artistic freedom at hand? They go back to their rock-roots, of course.

And in Mastodon's case those are, among others: Thin Lizzy, Foreigner, Boston and King Crimson. Not the shabbiest bands to draw inspiration from. Now imagine those classic/prog-rock roots combined with Mastodon's ability to write rocking riffs and their qurikyness: You get straight prog-rock songs with hilarious song-titles like "Octopus has no Friends", "Bedazzled Fingernails", "Blasteroid", "Creature lives" or "Stargasm".

I don't even have to mention that the technicality of the songs is at an extremely high level, do I?

While most of the songs deal with funnier, less serious stuff like 80s-games for example, the title-track is dedicated to the death of Brent Hinds' brother. You can definitely tell that Brend has poured a lot of emotions into this song. What also stands out, is Troy's (bass) vocals performance: he's never sounded more like Scott Kelly from Neurosis.

The Hunter to me seems like Mastodon combining the structures and energy of Remission with the feel of Crack the Skye. A big number of Mastodon fans probably won't like this record, because it is a step away from Crack the Skye. But, as the band has mentioned several times, the last thing they want to do is repeat themselves. And isn't that the main idea behind prog?

Video for Curl of the Burl

Review - Machine Head - Unto the Locust

2011-09-26T01:54:00.000-07:00

Machine Head 2011

Cover Artwork

The Blackening was named album of the decade. Machine Head were on tour for nearly 3 years straight to support their most successful record to date, headlining Wacken Open Air and With Full Force. They toured with none other than Heaven & Hell and Metallica. Metallica took them on tour, because they stated that The Blackening inspired them while writing Death Magnetic.

Who can top that? "No one" I hear you saying? Well, I'd like to disagree here: Machine Head can.

To me, Unto the Locust feels like a huge journey through the emotions of the band.

You get anger and rage (I Am Hell, Pearls before the Swine, This Is the End), hope (Be Still and Know) disappointment (Locust), a huge testimony to music itself (Darkness Within) and last but not least: strength and self-confidence (Who We Are).

Unto the Locust roars, whispers, screams, weeps and contemplates, yet manages to stay interesting throughout the whole time. Every break, every solo, every drum-fill falls into place after a few listens - that's when Machine Head's most precious asset comes into play: their songwriting craftsmanship.

Technically, the band reaches new highs: Dave McClain's drumming is spot-on (you even get blast-beats!), Phil Demmel's solos are technical yet memorable. But the thing that stands out the most are Robb Flynn's vocals: his screams are as ferocious as we know them, but his singing has never been better.

The immense impact that the touring cycle for The Blackening has had on the band (Phil Demmel's sickness, the death of his father, Robb Flynn and Adam Duce fighting) seems to has been worked through with this record and the band is now at an ultimate-high.

But, most importantly, Unto the Locust is not The Blackening Part II. - it stands completely on its own, which probably is the biggest accomplishment that any band can achieve.

Locust

Making of Unto the Locust

Between the Buried and Me Interview

2011-09-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

Between the Buried and Me

Prog masters Between the Buried and Me came to town and quess what - we were there to have a little chat with them.
Tommy and Paul were kind enough to answer me a few questions - some of them more, some of them less serious.
But let's keep this one short - see for yourself:

Part 1

Part 2

Between the Buried and Me

Or often referred to as BTBAM is a progressive metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina. They are known for their lengthy songs and unique sound.

They are currently signed to Metal Blade Records, where they released their EP entitled The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues.

The band is currently on a headlining-run through Europe. Catch them while you can!

All Austrian Metal Night XXL - Live Review

2011-09-17T07:48:00.000-07:00

Österreichs Aushängeschild in Sachen Metal - The Sorrow

Die österreichische Metal-Szene wurde oftmals verlacht, nicht ernst genommen oder gar totgesagt. Lange war man der Meinung, erstklassige Bands kämen nur aus Deutschland, dem Vereinigten Königreich oder gar aus den USA. Dunkel hingen die Wolken über Österreichs Metal-Himmel.

Doch der Verein All Austrian Metal Night hat es sich zum Ziel gesetzt, diesen Irrglauben gänzlich zu entkräftigen. So fand am 9.9., bereits zum fünften Mal, die All Austrian Metal Night statt. "XL" lautete der Zusatz in diesem Jahr. Denn erstmals konnte eine Zuschauerzahl erreicht werden, die die Große Halle der Arena füllen konnte.

Dies lag in erster Linie wohl am hervorragendem Programm: Die etablierte Größe The Sorrow wurde von den Senkrechtstartern Devastating Enemy unterstützt. Für das Aufwärmprogramm sorgten Emily's Bleeding, die Metalchamp-Gewinner Four in A Cage und As God Created.

As God Created, die sich sichtlich abrackerten und noch einige Probleme hatten, konnten Dank (offensichtlich mitgebrachter) Fan-Unterstützung für gute Stimmung sorgen, und brachten die noch nicht gänzlich volle Arena-Halle auf Betriebstemparatur.

Gestählt durch zahlreiche Gigs, lieferten Four in A Cage dann eine beeindruckend professionelle Performance ab. Bullet for my Valentine mögen beim Songwriting Pate gestanden haben, doch die nahezu fehlerfreie Darbietung wurde vom Publikum zu Recht honoriert. Nach der Show gab's sogar einige "Zugabe"-Rufe.

Beeindruckend professionell - Four in A Cage

Emily's Bleeding aus Wr. Neustadt hatten es da nicht ganz so leicht. Mit einigen Soundproblemen zu Beginn der Show und einem noch nicht ganz integrierten neuen Sänger starteten sie in ihren Gig. Doch Erwin (Vocals, Selling the Drama) konnte seine Nervosität nach zwei Songs ablegen und, unterstützt durch eine sehr tighte Rhythmusfraktion, besserte sich die Stimmung sowohl auf, als auch vor der Bühne danach gewaltig.

Sorgten nach einigen Startschwierigkeiten für großartige Stimmung - Emily's Bleeding

Nun war die Arena vollends aufgewärmt und bereit für Devastating Enemy. Im Vorfeld war mir bereits aufgefallen, dass die Band in Sachen Merch mit den Headlinern The Sorrow locker mithalten konnte. Doch was sich jetzt auf der Bühne abspielen sollte, brachte mich dann doch zum Staunen. Energie, Spielfreude, Posing ohne Ende, dazu passend eingestreute Samples, glasklarer Sound und ein Bass, dessen Inlays grün leuchten - Devastating Enemy räumten an diesem Abend vollkommen ab. Zu Beginn der Show erwartete sich die junge Band vielleicht etwas zu viel - doch spätestens ab dem dritten Song waren die 5 Melodic Deather vollkommen tight und hatten die zahlreichen Zuschauer bestens im Griff.
Von dieser Band wird in Zukunft noch Einiges zu erwarten sein - also Augen und Ohren offen halten!

Devastating Enemy - Buried in Oblivion live @ All Austrian Metal Night

Wie sollte The Sorrow, der Headliner des Abends, das noch toppen? Richtig, gar nicht. Denn The Sorrow stehen nicht im Konkurrenzkampf mit anderen Bands. Sie ziehen ihr eigenes Ding durch. Nach kurzer Umbaupause legten die Vorarlberger los und schon waren Devastating Enemy vergessen. Eine beeindruckende Licht-Show, perfekt abgestimmt auf das visuelle Konzept von The Sorrow, ließ die Zuschauer in ein Meer aus violett und grün eintauchen. Der druckvollste Sound des Abends und eine großartig gelaunte Band sorgten für ausgelassene Stimmung. The Sorrow sind zu einem Live-Garant geworden. Frontmann Mätze, der ausgesprochen gut bei Stimme war, weiß genau, wie er mit dem Publikum umgehen muss. Die sympathische Art der Band sorgt darüber hinaus dafür, dass kleine Live-Patzer ohne viel Nachsehens verziehen werden.
So wurden alte (Knights of Doom, The Dagger Thrust) und neue Klassiker (Crossing Jordan, Farewells) laufstark abgefeiert, und Wien kurzerhand zur neuen Lieblingsstadt von The Sorrow erkoren.

The Sorrow - Crossing Jordan live @ All Austrian Metal Night

The Sorrow - Farewells live @ All Austrian Metal Night

Mit der All Austrian Metal Night setzte die Österreichische Metal-Szene ein großartiges Lebenszeichen. Mehr davon!

Musicians up Close - Tosin Abasi - Animals as Leaders

2011-09-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

Animals as Leaders Up Close

As we all know, there are countless skilled musicians out there. Be it speed, sweeping, tapping - we've seen it all and it's really impressive.

But then there are musicians that really distinguish themselves from others. Tosin Abasi is definitely one of those.

His technical skills, combined with his brilliant songwriting abilities make him one of a kind in today's music scene. But that's not all - his retro-influenced style and his reserved behaviour make him an interesting character as well. The press quickly seemed to realize this. And so did a lot of music fans.

When Animals As Leaders finally came to Vienna to present their self-titled debut record live, there was a considerable number of people there just to see Tosin. A lot of them from neighboring states of Austria, actually. From what I have witnessed, they even sold more merch than Between the Buried and Me, who were the headliners of the show.

Of course, we were there too and thankfully, we were able to have a chat with Tosin. I was really interested in his musical background. Where he came from - what inspired him and so on.

So how can I describe Tosin? I think he has a clear vision of how he wants to come across. Be it his style, his statements, and, of course, his songs. Furthermore, I think that he isn't yet able to cope with all the attention he gets from the press and the people. When there are too many people around him when he isn't playing a show, he seems a little uncomfortable.

But more can be seen in the interview we did with him anyway (notice the little joke I tried to make, which totally didn't work out)

Part 1

Part 2

So what can be said about the show?

Animals As Leaders live

They played flawlessly - the set was extremely tight. The lack of movement onstage was compensated by the sheer technical madness going on. Navene (drums) sometimes interpreted the songs completely different than on the record - a friend of mine, who is a jazz-taught drummer was blown away by his performance.
Javier, the second guitarist, is probably one of the best rhythm guitarists out there today. Yet, he was contained throughout the whole show, always serving the songs, not his ego.
Tosin seemed to have some monitor-problems, but no one of the visitors could tell a difference. My guess is that there were 75 % musicians in the audience - and they all were in awe.
Unfortunately, the show went by really quickly. I wish they would've played 3 shows that night, so I could have watched every musician throughout one show.

Animals As Leaders - CAFO live @ Chelsea Wien

What really makes the band special is that, although they are an instrumental band, you can tell that there is some sort of communication going on between them and the audience. Unspoken, expressed through their music - check this band out as soon as possible, if you haven't already!

Animals As Leaders - Isolated Incidents live @ Chelsea Wien

Tosin Abasi performing Wave of Babies

Navene Koperweis performing Tempting Time

Musicians up Close - Bernd "Bernth" Brodträger

2011-09-09T03:59:00.000-07:00

Travelling the world playing music? Making a living doing what you love? Sounds like a dream come true right?

Bernth seems to be living the dream - being only 20 years old. He tours world playing the lead guitar for Belphegor, while he works on his own band Bled Dry when he's off duty. But what does one have to sacrifice to reach this level at such a young age?

Bernth doing what he does best - shredding

When did you first consciously get in touch with music? What is your oldest

childhood-memory concerning music?

I think the first musical piece that really caught my attention was 'Out of the Dark' by Falco in '98. My father told me about his accident, when we were playing the track in our car. I felt like I'm listening to a dead man, who wants to come back and reach the light of life again. The song itself was so dark and full of emotion, maybe that defined my taste for music later on.

Although you are always working on music, you seem like you’re not challenged

enough. Do you have any new projects lined up that would reveal your full

potential?

In the past years, there has been no day I have not spent in a creative way. I work on my career 24/7 and I gave up everything else, that I ever cared about. It's just me, music and art.

The secret of constantly growing is challenge – and I challenge myself in lots of different ways.
For example, since I started playing guitar I compared myself and my skills with all the big guitarists. It was never like 'Oh well, I do this for fun and I'll never be that good' – I always wanted to be the best at what I'm doing.

The project that challenges me the most right now is the new Bled Dry record. The songwriting started one year ago and I have written over 20 pieces, 9-12 will make it on the record. Recording is scheduled in February/March 2012 and there will be some news concerning the album soon.

Hesu Advertisement featuring Bernth

You have the chance to travel the world through music at a very young age. Did you

set yourself the goal to pursue a career in music? Or did it happen „accidentally“?

As I said previously, I always wanted to be the best at what I'm doing. So when I picked up a guitar for the first time, I felt that this is the thing I wanted and needed to do. If I would be a spiritual guy, I'd talk about destiny and all that stuff but it just felt right. I never forced myself to practice for hours, it just happened. But I wouldn't say that it happened accidentally because without all of the blood, sweat and tears I wouldn't be where I am now. I also didn't feel like I set myself that goal, it just evolved and evolved, from band to band and from status to status, I just never gave up fighting.

You have an insight in today’s music business. If you could change one thing about it

− what would it be?

Well, business is about money. And we all know, that those people behind the scenes in music business want to make money with music. I despise the fact that when a trend comes, artists are forced to follow it or they die.
Those bands who stand out for me defined their style and maybe changed it sometimes - but you never had the feeling that they did it without good reason.

If I had the power to change something, I would try to convince people to buy CDs and stop downloading.

Do you have something like a „Plan B“ if your music career, for whatever reason,

shouldn’t work out?

That could happen extremely fast. Imagine if I loose some fingers or break certain bones in an accident – then it's over. But it's also about that risk that's woven into this kind of career. If you pursue this, you have to be totally determined, there is no 'trying' - there's just 'doing'.

If that would happen, I would focus on my job as a designer I think.

Besides your music, you’re also working as a designer. Creativity seems to be an

important factor in your life. Yet, all your work has a „dark-touch“ to it. What’s the

reason for that?

Creativity is the ONLY factor in my life! Yes, I work for Udio Media and do CD artworks, shirtdesigns, displays, banners, flyers,... pretty much everything a band or company could ask for. I started learning how to do this because I wanted to create the artworks for my bands myself. Those pieces are very important to me since only I exactly know what it should look like. After years I can finally do it on a professional level.

Almost everything I do has a dark feeling/vibe to it. The negative sides of life always inspired me the most and I wrote the best songs when I was going through hell. As much as it hurts, suffering and emotions in general are my fuel to creation. I often write songs and design artworks depending on my mood and how I feel, those are the best to date.

Bled Dry Artwork by Bernth

Do you have any final words for your fans and friends?

I would like to thank my endorsers Ibanez, Laboga, EMG, Intunegp and Hesu for their trust and support and everyone that still stands on my side and is a true friend.

Review: Trivium - In Waves

2011-09-07T01:08:00.000-07:00

Trivium 2011

Cover Artwork

In Waves Artwork by Danny Jones/Yasly

In Waves - A Mainstream Metal Masterpiece

The sound of an off-tune piano, creating an uncomfortable feeling, accompanied by a drum-rhythm, calmly lures the listeners in. Suddenly: "In Waves" - Matt K. Heafy's scream wakes them up and takes them on a 60-minute-journey.

What follows then is a blueprint for mainstream metal. In Waves features some of Trivium's catchiest songs. Yet, at the same time, Trivium are more brutal than ever, while some of the songs are really technical.

The record was written collectively: Matt K. Heafy's love for Queen is undeniable, Corey Beaulieu was responsible for writing some challenging leads and Paolo Gregoletto probably contributed the most to the structure of the songs.

Nick Augusto (drums, ex-Metal Militia, ex-Maruta), who has replaced founding member Travis Smith is just what Trivium needed: his drumming adds a new level of musicality to the band. His blast-beats almost work like an own instrument.

The band has mentioned it in several interviews: They took a lot of time and stripped the songs down to make them more accessible. This plan was a total success. The hooks on this record are undeniably catchy, while, at the same time, the more intricate songs keep the listener coming back.

The production was handled by Colin Richardson, who did an outstanding job - In Waves must be one of the best-sounding modern records.

What really sets In Waves apart and makes it special is the visual concept that goes hand in hand with the music: not less than 5 visual artists have worked for 1 year on the concept - the live-show, music videos, merchandise, band photos, the packaging of the record - all of those are coordinated which not only makes the band memorable but creates a picture in the listener's head whenever he hears a song.

The Special Edition features a dvd with a live-show recorded at Chapman Studios and a documentary on the recording-session. Whether or not you like the music, such actions have to be acknowledged, because they offer great value for money for fans.

Trivium have reinvented themselves. In Waves is one of today's milestones in music - you can quote me on that. This record sets standards and is on par with records like The Black Album. It is definitely worth checking it out.

Visual Artists on this Record:
Jon Paul Douglass
Megan Giese
Danny Jones
Ramon Boutviseth
Wes Sumner

Packaging Details

Video for In Waves

Trivium live @ Wacken 2011

Review - All Shall Perish - This Is Where It Ends

2011-09-05T05:16:00.000-07:00

All Shall Perish 2011

Cover Artwork

All Shall Perish are back - and go overboard

"Awaken the Dreamers" was All Shall Perish's masterpiece. Technicality, brutality, hardcore beatdowns and acoustic parts had never been combined in a more coherent and fitting way.

Unfortunately, then-lead guitarist and shredder extra-ordinaire, Chris Storey, quit the band together with founding member Matt Kuykendall (drums).

It didn't take long until new members were found. The live-shows (and videos) showed that Adam Pierce (drums) and Francesco Artusato (a Berklee-graduate, lead-guitar) have the technical skill to fil the holes left by the ex-members.

Now, with the new record "This Is Where It Ends" they had to prove their songwriting abilities. And, unfortunately again, it seems as they wanted too much.

This is Where It Ends is as technical as ever (the beginning of "Spineless"!), features acoustic parts ("Procession of Ashes", "In this Life of Pain", "The Past Will Haunt us Both"), Black Metal-Parts ("Rebirth"), and has some of the fastest drumming ever on it.

Eddie's vocals vary between high-pitched screams, death metal-growls - his vocals seem to carry more emotion than ever before. Those are the good things.

The bad things are, that, first of all, the production of the record makes the songs sound blurred. Plus, the record is mixed really loud.

And, as mentioned above, All Shall Perish go a little overboard on this record. The record goes on for more than 55 minutes. While that usually is a good thing in my book - in this case, it isn't: it's simply too much. Some of the songs are too repetitive and not memorable. Less would've been more in this case.

Furthermore, it seems to me that the band has lost it's melody-machine with Chris Storey. While Francesco Artusato is an outstanding shredder, his leads aren't as distinctive as Chris'.

Nonetheless, "This Is Where It Ends" is a really good record, to me it just isn't as breathtaking as its predecessor. And: it proves that bands that have risen during the Deathcore-Trend are legitimate as well.

Video for: There Is Nothing Left

Pearls in the Making - Beyond Creation - The Aura

2011-08-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

"The Aura" Cover Artwork

Tracklist
1. No Request For The Corrupted
2. Coexistence
3. Chromatic Horizon
4. Omnipresent Perception
5. Injustice Revealed
6. Le Détenteur
7. The Aura
8. Social Disability
9. Elevation Path
10. The Deported

Technical death metal from Canada? Yes we've heard that before. But Beyond Creation has a special asset: an insanely talented bassist playing a fretless bass.

So what can you expect from The Aura? Take a little bit of Necrophagist, mix it with some Cryptopsy and add a little bit of Pestilence to it. You'll get 53 minutes of technical metal madness: breaks, solos and high-speed powerhouse drumming.

But the really interesting thing about Beyond Creation is their ability to slow down at times ("Coexistence", "The Aura"), and not to overstrain their technical abilities. They even know how to write solos and leads with real feeling - something that has become rare these days.

As I've mentioned before, the intriguing thing about this band is their bassist - Dominic "Forest" Lapointe. His fretless bass is audible throughout the record and adds a wierd feeling of unpleasantness to the songs, which makes them really stick out. (Tip: "Le Détenteur) I don't even have to mention that he's insanely talented - they're from Canada, right?

The only let-down of the record is the vocalist for me. I'm not saying that he's bad by any means. He's just not as special as the other musicians.

"The Aura" showcases, how Pestilence would sound like if they would still be awesome.

I highly recommend checking this band out!

Beyond Creation - Coexistence

Beyond Creation - Bass Video - Omnipresent Perception

As I Lay Dying Interview

2011-08-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

Right after our interview with A Pale Horse Named Death, I sat down with Nick Hipa from As I Lay Dying. I gotta say, I've been a huge fan of them for a very long time now. So I was really nervous when I was doing research and when I was preparing the interview. After we finished our talk with Sal, my heart started bumping really hard. I thought I wouldn't be able to do it.

But when I finally talked to Nick, all my excitement was blown away by Nick's obliging, humble and simply friendly character. We talked about his goals as a musician, his inspirations and his love for music.

Check the Interview out:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

As I Lay Dying

Is a metalcore-band from San Diego, California. They were founded by Tim Lambesis (vocals in 2000. They soon got very popular in the underground. As I Lay Dying is known for their high-energetic live-shows

Last year, they released "The Powerless Rise" via MetalBlade Records.

Cover Artwork

Video for Anodyne Sea

A Pale Horse Named Death Interview

2011-08-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

On Day 2 of Picture On Festival, we paid a visit to the small city "Bildein", close to the Hungarian border. Initially, we werea little bit pissed off because we missed The Dillinger Escape Plan. But after getting there, and talking to the festival organizers, all negative thoughts were erased. Picture On is a really relaxed festival with a diverse line-up and a nice location. The great weather made things even better.

And when we first met Sal Abruscato - known from such class-acts as Type O Negative and Life of Agony - our moods were brightened even more. I can't even begin to describe what a down-to-earth and humble dude he is. Considering how stuck-up he could be, given that he's a living legend and all.

Sal really took the time to answer our - sometimes intricate - questions thoroughly. I can't even thank him enough. So here's our in-depth interview with Sal about switiching to the guitar, Life of Agony and the follow-up record to "And Hell will Follow Me"

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

A Pale Horse Named Death

Is a gothic-rock, alternative-band from New York. They combine elements of their previous bands: Type O Negative, Life of Agony and Biohazard.

The debut record "And Hell will Follow Me" was released via SPV records. The band is currently touring in Europe and is planning to return in autumn.

Cover Artwork

Find out more about the band here:
Homepage
Facebook

Musicians up Close - Jörg Varga

2011-08-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

Another german post! This time it's the same reason as before. This interview shouldn't be altered in any way. I'm introducing the new section "Musicians up close" with this interview with:

Jörg Varga - Bassist of Devastating Enemy, Mondstille (ex- Thorns of Ivy)

Jörg Varga

Vergleiche Musik mit einem Gericht.
Im Prinzip ist Musik doch ein Gericht und das ist offensichtlich. Du brauchst für eine bestimmte Speise die richtigen Gewürze wie du die richtigen Elemente für einen Song brauchst. Sogar bei der Zubereitung fängt man zuerst mit dem Groben an und fügt die Details und die genaue Dosierung erst später dazu … also ist Kochen eigentlich fast schon wie Songwriting! Sogar in der Nachhaltigkeit kann ein Song wie gutes Curry sein … es schmeckt auch noch kalt sehr gut.

Du hast einen schweren Unfall. Entweder du verlierst deine Arme und kannst nie wieder Musik machen. Oder du wirst taub und kannst keine Musik mehr hören. Wofür würdest du dich entscheiden?
Angenommen durch dieses hypothetische Beispiel, dass ich auch nicht mit meinen Füßen Musik machen könnte würde ich mich lieber dazu entscheiden nicht mehr hören zu können. Ich würde es nicht aushalten kein Teil der Musik sein zu können und auch Musik nicht mehr formen zu können. Wenn es die Musik für mich nicht mehr gibt, möchte ich sie zumindest noch für andere spielen können.

March of the Clockwork - Acoustic Bass

Was sind einige deiner „guilty pleasures“?
Naja, wenn andere davon nichts wissen sollten, würde ich diese Frage nicht beantworten, oder? Aber ich stehe zu meinen „guilty pleasures“ und muss zugeben, dass ich noch immer gerne Bands wie Paramore oder Fall Out Boy höre, schon allein wegen dem jugendlichen Punkrock Feeling, das dabei entsteht. Auch Christina Stürmer schaut öfters auf meinem I-Pod vorbei.

Was war das letzte Album, dass dich richtig vom Hocker gehaut hat?
Obwohl es kein Album sondern eine Split EP ist hat mich die Split von HAUNTED SHORES und CYCLAMEN mehr als nur überzeugt, vor allem der Haunted Shores Part der Scheibe. Es ist schnell, das Songwriting ist sehr rund und dynamisch und die Chord-Voiceings zeichnen die LIeder sehr aus. Die Songs wirken druckvoll und vor allem melodisch, ausserdem spürt man ein wenig den Djenteinfluss von Misha Mansoor bei Songwriter Mark Holcomb. Auf jeden Fall sehr empfehlenswert.

Let the Music do the talking – Gibt es einen Song, der einen bestimmten Lebensabschnitt von dir beschreibt? Welcher Song wäre das? Welchen Lebensabschnitt beschreibt er?
Oh ja, den gibt es sogar und zwar „People = Shit“ von Slipknot beschreibt den Sommer als ich 15 Jahre alt war. Zu der Zeit wurde ich von einem Mädchen so richtig abserviert und das war auch die Zeit als ich sehr intensiv Metal gehört und ein Album nach dem anderen verschlungen habe, aber ich bin immer wieder zu „Iowa“ zurückgekommen. Der Sound war so rau und das Songwriting so intensiv und ehrlich. Das ganze Album war wie eine Hypnosetherapie, der ich mich immer wieder hingegeben habe.

Was war die letzte CD die du dir tatsächlich gekauft hast?
Die letzte CD von einer österreichischen Band, die ich mir gekauft habe war ANCHORS AWEIGH von DEATH MENTALITY, einer Deathcore-Kapelle aus Niederösterreich (Produziert von Norbert Leitner). Meiner Meinung nach machen die Herren verdammt guten Deathcore aus dem Lehrbuch und „Kub“, der Frontman klingt wie ein Dinosaurier und so solls auch sein.

Devastating Enemy - As Bloodshed Begins Bass Cover

Welcher Song soll bei deiner Beerdigung gespielt werden?
Meshuggah – In Death is Life

Beschreibe deinen typischen Tagesablauf an Hand von Musikrichtungen
In der Früh: Deathcore (vor allem auf dem Weg in die Arbeit)
Vormittag: Progressive Metal (Opeth, Tool)
Mittag: nichts, stille
Nachmittag: Postrock (this will destroy you)
Abend: Djent
Nacht: Akustikmusik

Meshuggah - In Death is Life

Special: Interview mit Patrick von Azrael Design

2011-08-08T02:00:00.000-07:00

Caution: As this interview shouldn't be altered in any way, it'll only be available in German.

Patrick arbeitet mit (Metal-)Szenegrößen wie Heaven Shall Burn oder Whitechapel zusammen. Er hat die Möglichkeit, seine Kreativität in vollen Zügen auszuleben. Ganz nebenbei verdient Patrick damit auch noch sein Einkommen.

Dies klingt für viele wie ein Traum. Genau das ist es auch für Patrick – nur ist der Traum für ihn wahrgeworden. Besser bekannt unter Pepe gestaltet der in Göttingen, Deutschland ansässige Grafiker Designs, Logos und Merchandise für zahlreiche Bands, Unternehmen und Organisationen.

Pepe

Patrick, wie und wo bist du aufgewachsen? Wie würdest du deine Kindheit beschreiben?

Ich bin in Süddeutschland in einem relativ kleinen Dorf in der Nähe von Offenburg aufgewachsen und habe eine ziemlich idyllische Kindheit erleben dürfen. Also das volle Naturprogramm, inklusive auf Bäume klettern und wieder herunter fallen.

Wie kam es zu deinem Interesse für kreatives Arbeiten? Wann bist du zum ersten Mal mit Musik der härteren Gangart in Kontakt gekommen?

Mein Vater hat mich da glücklicherweise sehr früh herangeführt und ein paar der frühesten Erinnerungen aus meiner Kindheit bestehen aus gemeinsamem Zeichnen mit ihm. Musikalisch haben meine Eltern da bestimmt auch Grundsteine gelegt. In unserem Haus war Musik eigentlich immer ein Thema; meine Mutter spielt Klavier und mein Vater kommt aus dem professionellen Jazz-Bereich.

An die härtere Musik kam ich dann aber doch eher durch überspielte Tapes von den großen Brüdern meiner Freunde. In der 8. Klasse hatte ich z.B. klassischerweise das „Master of Puppets“ Album von Metallica im Walkman.

Patrick

Wie sah dein Ausbildungsweg aus?

Naja, im Grunde kann man sagen, dass der Ausbildungsweg im künstlerischen Bereich in meiner Kindheit begann und ich schon immer einen Stift und Papier in der Hand hatte. Auch hatte ich einen der ersten Homecomputer, einen Commodore 64 und hatte so früh Zugang zum Selbststudium von Pixeldesign und auf Basic aufbauenden kleinerer Programme. Ich habe aber regulär mein Abitur gemacht, danach 2 Semester Wirtschaftswissenschaften studiert und im Anschluss mein Diplom im sozialen Bereich abgeschlossen, wobei ich ehrlich gesagt schon während des Studiums mehr Zeit in meine Selbstständigkeit mit Azraeldesign investiert habe als über die Möglichkeit nachzudenken, später in einem sozialarbeiterisch orientierten Berufsfeld zu landen. Allerdings habe ich besonders durch den Schwerpunkt "Bildkommunikation" während des Studiums jede Menge für meine Arbeit im Design-Bereich gelernt.

Erzähl uns bitte etwas über die Geschichte von Azrael Design – wie kam es zu der Gründung? Verlief alles glatt?

Eigentlich lief es fast schon zu glatt. Ich habe kurz nach Beginn meines Studiums angefangen in der regionalen Musikszene von Thüringen Kontakte zu knüpfen und kleinere Jobs im Bereich Flyer, T-Shirt Design und Web Design anzunehmen. So hatte ich die Möglichkeit, mein Wissen parallel im digitalen und im Printdesign-Bereich zu erweitern. Dadurch, dass ich wahnsinnig viele nette Leute kennen gelernt habe, bekam ich die Möglichkeit, meine kreativen Ideen direkt in reale Designs umzusetzen. So war irgendwann einfach der Punkt erreicht, meine vorerst nebengewerbliche Arbeit zu meinem Hauptberuf zu machen. An diesem Punkt muss ich John von Deadlock und Alex und Maik von Heaven Shall Burn erwähnen, die mich ganz besonders in der Anfangszeit sehr unterstützt haben.

The Sorrow MySpace - Layout von Patrick

Hat der Name Azrael eine bestimmte Bedeutung für dich?

Ja und Nein. Vor etwa 8 Jahren, als ich einen Namen für meine Firma gesucht habe, hatte er vielleicht eine etwas andere Bedeutung als jetzt. Azrael ist in der jüdischen Mythologie und in frühen christlichen Aufzeichnungen mit der Idee des Todesengels verbunden. Ich habe und hatte schon immer eine Affinität zu Engelsfiguren, was sich auch schon immer in meinen Arbeiten zeigt, allerdings finde ich es mittlerweile auch sehr amüsant, dass die Katze von Gargamel aus der Trickfilmserie "Die Schlümpfe" Azrael heißt. Insofern habe ich da mittlerweile einen eher entspannten Blick auf beide Aspekte des Namens und das spiegelt auch den Blick auf meine Arbeit wider. Man muss nicht alles zu ernst nehmen, solange man die wesentlichen Dinge nicht aus dem Blick verliert.

Gab es schon mal Projekte oder Unternehmen, für die du keine Designarbeiten erledigen wolltest, weil sie deinen Vorstellungen nicht entsprachen?

Ja, die gab es natürlich auch. Im härteren Musikbereich zeigen sich ja oft härtere Sichtweisen auf bestimmten Thematiken. Das finde ich absolut gut und würde mir wünschen, dass auch im populäreren Musikbereich diese Art der Ernsthaftigkeit häufiger zu finden wäre. Allerdings heißt das auch, dass es nicht gerade wenige Bands gibt, die sich mit genau dieser Ernsthaftigkeit auch in ideologischen und politischen Bereichen bewegen, die ich persönlich nicht mit meiner Lebensphilosophie vereinbaren kann. Das heißt ich habe schon öfter Design- Anfragen von Bands abgelehnt, die aus einer faschistischen oder extrem antichristlichen Ecke kommen, da beides aus meiner Sicht menschenverachtend und nicht unterstützungswert ist. Ich denke, jeder soll seiner Idee folgen, sofern er sie für richtig erachtet, aber ich muss da für mich einfach auch eine Linie ziehen, wo aus Toleranz Gleichgültigkeit werden würde.

Deadlock - Shirt Design von Patrick

Was würdest du als den negativsten Aspekt deiner Arbeit bezeichnen?

Gute Frage. Nächste Frage? Nein, im Ernst, ich liebe meine Arbeit und kann mir tatsachlich wenig schönere Arten vorstellen, meinen Lebensunterhalt zu verdienen. Natürlich birgt jede Selbstständigkeit die Herausforderung, Privatleben und Geschäft sinnvoll zu managen und das Thema Zeit spielt immer eine Rolle. Aber lieber sehe ich auf die Uhr und erschrecke mich, wie spät es schon wieder ist, als ständig daran zu denken, wann endlich Feierabend kommt.

Denkst du, dass die jüngere Metalszene manchmal zu sehr Wert auf Äußerlichkeiten legt? Kritikerstimmen lassen vernehmen, dass die Musik zusehends in den Hintergrund tritt und lediglich die buntesten Designs und krassesten Namen zählen?

Teilweise stimmt das vielleicht, aber ein Verfall der Werte wird ja jedem gesellschaftlichen bzw. kulturellen Bereich nach einer gewissen Zeit vorgeworfen. Aus meiner Sicht tritt die härtere Musik in den letzten Jahren immer mehr auch in den populären Musikbereich ein und dadurch gibt es eben auch viele Bands, die ihre Musik weniger als Sprachrohr für eine revolutionäre Gegenidee nutzen, sondern eben "nur" als Musik und den ideologischen Aspekt eher hinten anstellen. Aus meiner Sicht gib es immer noch viele Bands, die etwas bewegen wollen und der Fakt, dass auch Kids aus gemäßigteren Szenebereichen Zugang zur harten Musik bekommen, weil das ganze auf breiterer Ebene anerkannt ist, sehe ich eher als Vorteil. Vielleicht werden dadurch ja ein paar Menschen mehr erreicht und zum Nachdenken angeregt. Das gleicht die zehn Bands ohne Message wieder aus, hoffe ich.

Du warst Vegetarier und lebst mittlerweile vegan. Wie kam es zu der Entscheidung? Wo hast du dich informiert, um deine (vegane) Ernährung möglichst ausgeglichen zu gestalten?

Mittlerweile bin ich seit Anfang dieses Jahres vegan und sehr zufrieden damit. Ich habe vor fast 8 Jahren den Entschluss gefasst, keinen Alkohol mehr zu trinken, bzw. zu Rauchen oder andere Drogen zu nehmen und im Grunde war das der Wegbereiter. Wenn man anfängt, über den Sinn und Unsinn von Konsum im Allgemeinen nachzudenken, dann kommt man auch an der Frage nach dem Sinn von der Ausbeutung von Tieren nicht vorbei. Bestimmt haben auch viele Bands beide Entscheidungen mit beeinflusst und meine Aufmerksamkeit verstärkt in diesen Bereich gelenkt. Aber letztendlich hat es ein paar Jahre gedauert, bis sich das Mitleid und der Frust gegenüber so viel sinnlosem Leid dann auch in einem konsequenten Entschluss auf tierische Produkte zu verzichten manifestiert hat. Der Dokumentarfilm "Earthlings" war mit Sicherheit einer der drastischsten Momente in meiner Entscheidungsfindung und generell habe ich mich viel über PETA und PETA2 informiert. Da ich sehr viel Sport treibe bin ich sowieso schon sehr lange dabei, mich über gesunde und ausgeglichene Ernährung zu informieren und ich denke, die vegane Ernährung ist dafür absolut geeignet und ermöglicht mir eine sehr harmonische Lebensweise, sowohl geistig, als auch körperlich. War das jetzt zu dogmatisch? ;-)

Was würdest du selbst angehenden Vegetariern/Veganern raten?

Ich würde Ihnen raten, das ganze nicht zu streng anzugehen um eventuelle Frustration zu vermeiden. Die Entwicklung zum kompletten Verzicht ist aus meiner Sicht ein Verlauf, der sich erst festigen muss, und der in einer frühen Phase schnell durch zu harte Herangehensweise zu Rückfällen führen kann, wenn man noch nicht sicher genug ist. Das sollte aber nie komplett entmutigen. Man kann sein Leben ja jeden Tag ändern.

Ganz wichtig ist es meiner Meinung nach, gesund zu essen, also sollte man sich verantwortlich gegenüber seinem Körper verhalten und sich belesen, was er an Nährstoffen braucht, um zu funktionieren. Kränkliche, dürre Veganer sind kein gutes Aushängeschild für unsere Idee.

World to Ashes - CD Artwork

Was hörst du privat für Musik? Gibt es unbekannte Bands, die du zurzeit empfehlenswert findest?

Ich höre eigentlich alle möglichen Genres, weil es in jeder Muskrichtung tolle Bands und Musiker gibt. Zur Zeit stehe ich besonders bei der Arbeit sehr auf "Arms and Sleepers" und generell auf ruhigen Elektro oder Neo-Klassik. Aber das wechselt alle paar Wochen und zum Glück gibt es ja eine schier unbegrenzte Menge an guter Musik. Da sollte man sich nicht einschränken, sonst entgeht einem zu viel Gutes.

Die letzten Worte gehören Dir!

Ich bedanke mich erst mal bei Dir für die Möglichkeit dieses Interviews und kann ankündigen, dass es in den nächsten Wochen und Monaten wieder jede Menge neue Projekte von mir zu sehen geben wird. Neben vielen neuen Banddesigns kommt zum Beispiel bald eine kleine exklusive Shirt-Kollektion von mir auf den Markt und auch im filmischen Bereich ist einiges geplant.

Ich denke also, es bleibt spannend in Zukunft.

Review - Decapitated - Carnival is Forever

2011-08-07T04:38:00.000-07:00

Decapitated 2011

Cover

Tracklist

1.	The Knife
2.	United
3.	Carnival Is Forever
4.	Homo Sum
5.	404
6.	A View From A Hole
7.	Pest
8.	Silence

Decapitated are back - and they're kicking ass and taking names

So we all already know the sad story about Vitek and Covan. I'm not gonna go on about that. This review will be solely about the music.

Let's start right away. Carnival is Forever starts off with intricate, poly-rhythmic riffing. Nothing new here - that's how we all know the polish tech-death outfit.

The first thing one realizes though, is the organic sound of the record. You can hear right away, that no triggers, over-dubs or anything for that matter were used on the album. Which gives it a lively feeling.

A real surprise comes with the title track, though: An epic 9-minute-journey which combines soft, mellow, acoustic parts with Morbid Angel-esque riffing and ferocious blast- and double-bass parts. Intense.

This new addition to Decapitated's sound is kept over the record: "A View from A Hole" has acoustic parts - and the final track "Silence" is completely acoustic. In alteration with high-speed, violent attacks like "404" and "Pest" this makes for a great diversified record, which makes you want to come back and listen to the record again - because you know that there are still some little kinks to discover.

A great example would be "Homo Sum", with it's typical Decapitated riffing and a progressive middle-part.

Let's focus on the new line-up: Krimh's (Drums) performance is outstanding - he knows when to hold back and follow the riffs, yet, at times, showcases his technical abilities. Rafal's vocals are more shouted than growled, which, to some, might be off-putting. For me it's just fine. We'll see how he does on older Decapitated songs.

So what can you expect from "Carnival is Forever"? Fans will be surprised by some of the most progressive songs yet. Death Metal fans that are unfamiliar with Decapitated should get ready for a mixture of Meshuggah-type riffing with blast-attacks and some Tool-ish mellow parts.

In my opinion, Decapitated made a statement with this record: Not only are they back - they are here to stay - and that's a good thing!

Studio Webisode

"Homo Sum"

Review - Unearth - Darkness in the Light

2011-07-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

Unearth 2011

Cover

"Darkness in the Light" Cover

Tracklist

1. Watch it Burn

2. Ruination of the Lost

3. Shadows in the Light

4. Eyes of Black

5. Last Wish

6. Arise the War Cry

7. Equinox

8. Coming of the Dark

9. The Fallen

10. Overcome

11. Disillusion

Unearth are back...and leave 95 % of all Metalcore-bands in the dust

Unearth never fail to put me in awe. To me, they haven't released a bad album yet. I always thought they peaked with "The Oncoming Storm" though. "In the Eyes of Fire" and "The March" weren't bad albums by any means, but the sheer ferocity and unrelentlessness was somehow missing.

I now stand corrected. "Darkness in the Light" combines the sheer aggression of "The Oncoming Storm" with the technical madness of "The March" and presents Unearth's best effort thus far.

Ken Susi and Buz McGrath really showcase their abilities on this record. They are able to write technical, yet memorable riffs with great anthemic hooks. Buz's solos are as shredtastic as always. This guy must be one of the best lead guitarists of today's metalscene. He's got speed, technique and, most importantly: feeling. Something that seems to be missing among today's shredders.

Justin Foley (Killswitch Engage) is replacing Derek Kerswill on this record. And he delivers flawlessly. You get blastbeats ("Eyes of Black"). double-bass attacks - powerhouse drumming at it's best. Yet, he also holds back when the song demands it.

Often criticized vocalist Trevor Phipps stays true to himself on this record. We won't be seeing him using clean vocals any time soon (and that's a good thing!). Yet, Ken Susi's clean vocals are back. That might be off-putting to some, but they aren't forced and fit into the scheme of the songs.

Adam Dutkiewicz, Metalcore-producer-extraordinaire, has yet again accorded the record with a transparent, powerful and pounding sound.

Like I mentioned in the beginning, Unearth show how Metalcore is supposed to sound: they combine Iron Maiden-esque leads and melodies with the power of Hardcore-Beatdowns. The Boston-metallers are simply in their own league. Even though we've all heard gazillions of Metalcore records, Unearth have managed to breathe new life into an almost dead genre - that alone should get anyone out there to check this record out.

"Eyes of Black"

Summer boredom?

2011-07-10T07:01:00.000-07:00

So it's summer once again. It's boiling hot. School's out. There's nothing on TV, nothing on the interwebs. So what are you gonna do?

Go to a Festival!

Picture On Festival-Line-Up

But not one of those huge sellout-rockfestivals, they blow. You'd rather go check out a small, comfy, festival with a good mixture of mainstream and underground bands.

So what have we got here in Austria? Novarock? Frequency? Those are some of the mega-rockfestivals. How about Picture-On-Festival from 11th to 13th of August?

This festival takes place in the middle of the city-centre of the 300-inhabitant city Bildein in southern Burgenland, Austria, and builds on an 11-year experience. But the best thing is: they actually pay attention to the environment. They've introduced organic(!) festival-shirts, a reusable-system for festival-cups and are trying to become a low-waste festival.

Their main focus lies on a diverse line-up and the festival-visitor. Such a philosophy is unseen in today's festival daily-grind. Those ideas have to be supported!

Oh, I almost forgot. What's the most important thing about a festival, except for the beer maybe? The bands!

And picture-on festival has got some great bands: Therapy?, As I Lay Dying, Gentleman, Russkaja and my personal favourite: The Dillinger Escape Plan. If you don't know this crazy, jazz-influenced mathcore-band, you're definitely in for a treat:

The Dillinger Escape Plan live @ Summerblast 2010

As you can see, they pretty much rock live, I myself can't wait to see those guys live again.

Check out the festival-website for the complete line-up and infos about camping and arrival-plans: http://www.pictureon.at/2011/

Like I mentioned, they've got a great mixture of big mainstream bands and austrian/underground bands.

So, as a conclusion: to hell with summer boredom! Let's go check out some great bands!

Review - Evan Brewer - Alone

2011-07-10T04:13:00.000-07:00

Cover

Tracklist
1. Actualize
2. Contraband
3. Currency
4. Altered Perspective One
5. Altered Perspective Two
6. Vertigo
7. The Decline
8. Degenerate
9. Looking West
10. A Climate for Change

A complete record with nothing but bass on it? Can that work? Well in this case, it sure does work.

Evan Brewer, known for his bass-work in technical death metal band Animosity, shows what this instrument is capable of. "Alone" is jazzy, funky, technical and full of soul and groove. Yet it's never too much for the listener.

Although, the songs are very intricate and multi-layered, listeners are able to grasp certain aspects of the songs, which keep them coming back. "Currency" being one of the prime examples.

The title "Alone" might make you think that the album is melancholy, but it is way more: it's upbeat, yet contemplative, laid back and, at times, cheerful.

Evan Brewer shows, that not only shredders like Francesco Artusato can release solo-albums - maybe this is the beginning of a whole bunch of talented bassists to release solo albums? Well, I as a bassplayer myself wouldn't have a problem with that.

Alone sure is an album for music-nerds, but casual listeners should at least give it a try, this record might be your introduction to a broader musical horizon.

PS: Evan Brewer is now the bass-player for "The Faceless"

Promo-Video for "Alone"

Sample of "Currency"

Review – The Black Dahlia Murder – Ritual

2011-07-04T11:42:00.000-07:00


Wierd metal-monks? TBDM always delivers

Ritual Cover

Ritual Cover

Ritual Tracklist:

01. A Shrine to Madness

02. Moonlight Equilibrium

03. On Stirring Seas of Salted Blood

04. Conspiring with the Damned

05. The Window

06. Carbonized in Cruciform

07. Den of the Picquerist

08. Malenchanments of the Necrosphere

09. The Grave Robber's Work

10. The Raven

11. Great Burning Nullifier

12. Blood in the Ink

The Black Dahlia Murder have reinvented themselves.

Their latest Opus entitled „Ritual“ is everything they ever stood for, but only a little better.

Their fierce blastspeeds and high-speed At-The-Gates-ish riffing is still there. Yet, they have been able to incorporate more memorable, outstanding riffs which not only make the songs worthwhile but also more unique.

Just listen to the underlying melody of „Moonlight Equilibrium“ and you’ll get the idea. It seems to me as though Ryan Knight (ex-Arsis) has really been able to showcase his songwriting abilities. And that’s a good thing in my book.

Ritual is also TBDM’s first introduction of piano and orchestral-parts. The only let-down is, that they are pretty low in the mix. So careful when you turn your speakers up, cause you might get deaf when the brutality begins again.

Trevor’s vocals are as diabolic and vicious as always. Though, I gotta say, that I like his deep growls way more nowadays. Not that the high-pitched screams sound bad or anything, I just don’t appreciate them as much as I used to.

The production, once again handled by the mighty Jason Suecof, is great as always. The guitars are ripping, the drums are simply neckbreaking, and, as a bassist, i gotta say that the bass-tone is one of thickest metal-sounds I’ve heard in a while on an album.

My first listening-tip: Malenchanments of the Necrosphere (the Fear-Factory-memory-riff at the beginnig is simply rockin!)

If you want brutality with memorable riffs and songwriting, get this album!

Making of "Ritual"

Suicide Silence Interview

2011-06-21T02:30:00.000-07:00

Deathcore-superstars Suicide Silence devastated Szene Vienna on June 19th.

They are about to release a new album on July 12th via Century Media Records. The title will be "The Black Crown."

Prior to their show, I sat down with Mark (guitar) to talk about recording the new record with Steve Evetts, the guest vocalists (Frank Mullen from Suffocation, Jonathan Davis from Korn), their new video and their contract with Century Media.

Part 1

Part 2

Cover-Artwork for "The Black Crown"

Artwork by K3n

Tracklist for "The Black Crown"

Slaves To Substance
O.C.D.
Human Violence
You Only Live Once
Fuck Everything
March To The Black Crown
Witness The Addiction
Cross-eyed Catastrophe
Smashed
The Only Thing That Sets Us Apart
Cancerous Skies

Suicide Silence - You Only Live Once live @ Szene Wien, 2011-06-19

After the Burial Interview

2011-06-21T02:14:00.000-07:00

After the Burial are living their dream.

Not only are they making a living making music, but they're also touring the world and taking metal to a next level. Combining djent with intricate melodic aspects, they seem to have found their own spot now.

I sat down with Lee (bass) and Justin (rhythm guitar) just before their show at Szene Wien, Vienna.

We did the interview in an empty-office with some fancy couches and mics. I think it's the classiest one we ever did.

Justin and Lee were really laid back, simply humbled by the fact that they are playing in austria, and there is actually a number of people showing up solely for them.

We talked about their new album In Dreams, their approach to songwriting, and soon-to-be Guitar Heroes.

After the Burial

is a metal band from Twin Cities, Minnesota. They were founded in 2004.

Their debut record entitled "Forging a Future Self" was released through self-distribution in 2006.

After signing to Sumerian Records, After the Burial released Rareform, which was re-released after vocalist Anthony joined the band.

Their current record was released in the autumn of 2010.

The band is popular for using 8-string-guitars, intricate rhythm-patterns and a ferocious live-show.

After the Burial is currently on tour in Europe with Suicide Silence and Bleed from Within. Check them out when they are coming to a town near you!

After the Burial - My Frailty Live

Krimh - View of A World

2011-06-14T05:30:00.000-07:00

I want to leave this one uncommented

The Ocean Interview

2011-06-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

After warming up with his second (awesome!) band Earthship, Robin Staps of The Ocean grabbed his whiskey-coke, had a little chat with me and off we went to a nearby hotel, to do a little video-interview.

Robin is the mastermind of The Ocean Collective where he writes all the lyrics, has been writing all the music for most of the time and does samples. He also plays in Earthship, has a label (Pelagic Records) and works as a translator. I talked with him about how he motivates himself on shitty days , why the U.S. Tour with Between The Buried And Me has screwed the band financially - and way more of course!

Part 1

Robin Staps

Part 2

The Ocean

is a band consisting of a collective of musicians that started in Berlin, Germany. The band is renowned for their complex musical mixture of slow, melancholy melodic parts and noisy, hardcore-influenced, fast-paced aggressive parts.

The Ocean is furthermore known for writing concept records with complex lyrical themes. As "Precambrian" touches the origin of the earth. While "Heliocentric" and "Anthropocentric", the most recent records, dealing with the christian legacy.

The Band has gone through a bunch of line-up changes, the most famous one probably being Nico from War from A Harlots Mouth and has found a steady line-up since the record "Heliocentric".
The current line-up looks like that:

Robin Staps - guitars, samples, backing vocals
Loic Rossetti - vocals
Luc Hess - drums
Jonathan Nido - guitars
Louis Jucker - bass

The Ocean is currently on tour with Intronaut, Red Fang and Earthship.

Check out more about the band here
Facebook
MySpace

U.S. Tour Blog Part 1

U.S. Tour Blog Part 2

Review - The Soulless - Isolated

2011-06-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

Cover

Isolated Cover Artwork

Tracklist

1. Unaltered

2. The Path

3. Earthbound

4. 13th Morning

5. New Perspective

6. Clones

7. Revelations

8. Our Return

9. Unite Us

10. You Are nothing to Me

11. Without Heart

„Of Winter Born“ – that was the title of Ignominious Incarceration’s promising 2009 debut record. The music could be described as technical death metal.

The band’s name and the sheer amount of technical bands as well as deathcore bands at that time led to the band calling it quits.

Three members of Ignominious Incarceration want to give music another shot, though. Vocalist Andy Wardle, guitarist Steve Brown and bassist Chris Ball have now returned as The Soulless.

The band wants to be seen as a complete new band. The addition of Dan Wilding (ex-Aborted, ex-Trigger theBloodshed) as new drummer and Kristen Dawson as new guitarist only add to that fact. So here’s their debut album, Isolated for review then.

Unaltered starts off with intense melodic-riffing, fast-paced drumming and fast-forward, aggressive vocals. The technicality of the album is on a very high level, no doubt about that.

You got your breakdowns, melodic hooks, and small portions of blastbeats. I can’t really say that it’s bad in any way. The problem is though, if you look at the description of the first song, Unaltered, it applies to almost every song of the album. The production lacks dynamics, which makes it even harder for the songs to stay in people’s heads.

Yet, there are two instrumentals that stand out: „13th Morning“ and „You are nothing to me“ – they feature piano and acoustic guitar parts. Those two only clock in at a little over a minute though.

Looking at the running time of the album, only 33 minutes, you kinda already get the idea of what’s the problem here. The band has had a handful of great ideas, but the songs aren’t as memorable as they could be. The Soulless should ditch a few of their (pretty damn good) riffs and incorporate more transitions, this would add more dynamics to the songs.

Isolated is a really promising debut record once again. It isn’t bad by any means, but it doesn’t stand out either. The Soulless get an excuse for being a complete new band, but they shouldn’t blow it on their next record.

Video for „Unaltered“

Red Fang Interview

2011-06-09T04:22:00.000-07:00

You take a good portion of Black Sabbath, add a little bit of Kyuss to it, and top that thing with a dash of Black Flag. That gives you Red Fang! A relentless, yet relaxed heavy metal Band from Portland Oregon.

Bryan, their guitarist and vocalist, sat down with us in a fancy hotel nearby the Arena in Vienna. We talked about touring in Europe, how they got a deal with Relapse Records, their Relapse-deubt Murder the Mountains and much more!

Check it out!

Notice the lighning during the interview? Well, vienna was hit with a thunderstorm, just like on the day of our interview with War From A Harlots Mouth. Seems like someone is against us interviewing bands.
After the Interview we had to wait in the lobby of the hotel, as it was raining cats and dogs. Bryan told us hilarious tour stories. What a relaxed guy.
Red Fang played a really cool show afterwards. Fists were pumped, heads banged, beers thrown - it was a blast.
Check this band out, when you get the chance, you won't be disappointed.

Red Fang

Is a Heavy Metal band from Portland, Oregon. Their record Murder the Mountains was released via Relapse Records. It was produced by Chris Funk and mixed by Vance Powell.

Red Fang is currently touring Europe with The Ocean, Intronaut and Earthship.

They will be opening the Jägermeister Stage on this year's Mayhem Fest.

More Info about the Band can be found here:
Homepage
Facebook
MySpace

Video for "Prehistoric Dog"

Review - Job For A Cowboy - Gloom EP

2011-06-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

Job For A Cowboy – Gloom [EP]

Cover

Gloom Cover Artwork

Tracklist

1. Misery Reformatory

2. Plastic Idols

3. Execution Parade

4. Signature for Starving Power

Job For A Cowboy, once involuntarily one of the leaders of the Death-Core-Genre, have become a full-blown Death Metal band since Ruination. Since then I have been really hooked on them. Their turn from an aggressive, brutal high-school band to a politically, critically thinking Death Metal band was, and still is, impressive to me.

There hasn’t been a press release yet, but lurking on JFAC’s facebook, and on YouTube, one could find out, that the band had to deal with some line-up changes. Seems like Bobby Thompson (Guitar) and Brent Riggs (Bass) have left the Job for some reasons.

In order to shorten the time-span between Ruination and the follow-up full-length, and to introduce the new members song-writing-wise into the band, JFAC have now released a little EP entitled Gloom. (a play of words in relation to their famous Doom EP, obviously.)

Gloom features some of JFAC’s fastest songs up to date. Yet, their songs incorporate dynamics. The band slows down the tempo from time to time, and that’s when they sound best to me. („Plastic Idols“) Jonny Davy’s vocals combined with the mean riffing is just what Death Metal is about. The guitar solos should be mentioned as well. They aren’t just technical wankery, as they fit into the songs really well and add a certain touch to them.

Jason Suecof produced this fine piece of modern death metal. He did a great job. The drums, which play an important role in the songs (kudos to Jon „The Charn“ Rice!) are never too dominant, the guitars are simply ass-kicking, and the bass is audible throughout the songs.

Job For A Cowboy continue their path of trying to get rid of any little aspect of their „Deathcore“-roots, and they do it well again. If their full-length album sounds anything like this, it’s a must-have for every fan of Misery Index, Morbid Angel and modern death metal fans.

Live footage of "Signature for Starving Power"

Review - The Sorrow - The Sorrow

2011-05-28T10:07:00.000-07:00


The Sorrow

Cover

Tracklist

1. Afflictions

2. Crossing Jordan

3. Weight of the World

4. Suffering Quotes

5. Heart of A Lion

6. Farewells

7. You Are My Nemesis

8. Paragon in Charity

9. Draped in Misery

10. Grief Machine

11. Engraved in our Hearts

12. Facing the End

13. Reach for the Skies

Make it or break it. That’s what the third record is usually called. The Sorrow, having released a ferocious debut-album („Blessings from a Blackened Sky“) and a pretty safe follow-up („Origin of the Storm“) are gonna make it according to their third, self-titled, effort.

I showed a friend of mine their video for the song „Farewells“ and he said:“They have totally grown up“. This describes the record in a nutshell. The Sorrow sound nothing else but mature.

Gone are the forced breakdowns and exaggerated screams. The songwriting is the main focus. And the guys from Vorarlberg know how write good songs.

The record provides a great mixture of fast-paced, aggressive songs („Heart of A Lion“, „Weight of the World“, „Paragon in Charity“) and slower, more melodic and melancholy songs („Suffering Quotes“, „Farewells“, „Draped in Misery“)

Mätzes vocal-range has definitely improved. The guys once mentioned that they recorded all choruses clean-sung and screamed. Later on, they decided what would better fit the song. They made wise decisions.

The production of the record is mature as well. The drums sound organic, the guitars have really good attack and sound dry, while the bass is audible throughout the record the whole time.

A special thing I recognized about The Sorrow: They seem to have developed a whole concept for the band. Looking at band-pics, social media sites, homepage, videos, live-shows (banners, lights, outfits), and merch, the attentive viewer realizes that they tend to use the same colors and color-tones together with a certain style of presentation.

Never before have I realized something like that executed in that matter before. Such a concept is a great idea, as the band becomes somewhat of a trademark (in a positive way).

And they get more memorable as the band is linked to a certain feeling and image they create in people’s minds.

This album will hopefully help The Sorrow gain an international following. In my opinion they really deserve to play bigger venues and tours. So go check this album out!

Video for „Crossing Jordan“

Video for „Farewells“

Review - Sylosis - Edge of the Earth

2011-05-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

Sylosis

Cover

Tracklist

1. Procession

2. Sands of Time

3. Empyreal

4. Empyreal (Part 2)

5. A Serpent’s Tongue

6. Awakening

7. Kindgom of Solitude

8. Where the Sky Ends

9. Dystopia

10. Apparitions

11. Altered States of Consciousness

12. Beyond the Resurrected

13. Eclipsed

14. From the Edge of the Earth

English thrashers Sylosis have had a pretty wild career so far. A Deal with Nuclear Blast with their record „Conclusion of an Age“ had them tour Europe with The Black Dahlia Murder. They even hit up India. The reviews for „Conclusion of an Age“ ranged from „pretty good“ to „very good“ to „excellent“.

Things could only get better for them.

But then black clouds surfaced. Their singer Jamie Graham quit. Fans didn’t know how Sylosis would carry on.

This record erases all doubts.

Lead guitarist Josh Middleton is now handling vocal duties next to his job as main songwriter and mastermind. Listening to this record, you can really sense his influences.

Mean death-thrashers like „Empyreal“, „Sands of time“, „Altered States of Consciousness“ and „Beyond the Resurrected“ remember me of Death and Testament.

But then you have songs like „Where the Sky Ends“, „Appartiions“, „Eclipsed“, „Dystopia“ and „From the Edge of the Earth“ incorporating connotations to Rush, Dream Theater and Mastodon. The melodic, melancholy proggy-aspects, incorporating acoustic and piano patterns really add to the diversity of the record.

As an old music-connaisseur, you can already tell that the technical level of the record is simply phenomenal. The good thing is though, that Sylosis always put the main focus on the song itself, instead of simply showing-off their skills.

Now a lot of fans were criticizing Josh’s vocals. But in my opinion, he adds a little more of a Rock ‚n’ Roll vibe to the record. His vocals aren’t really growled, as they are low-pitched, very intense screams. Mixing those vocals together with the more traditional guitar tone and non-triggered drums, the record sounds very organic. Which definitely is a plus.

The only thing one could get nitpicky about is the length of the record. 72 minutes are definitely a challenge to the listener. But it’s a challenge I highly recommend accepting.

Tracklist:

1. Procession

2. Sands of Time

3. Empyreal

4. Empyreal (Part 2)

5. A Serpent’s Tongue

6. Awakening

7. Kindgom of Solitude

8. Where the Sky Ends

9. Dystopia

10. Apparitions

11. Altered States of Consciousness

12. Beyond the Resurrected

13. Eclipsed

14. From the Edge of the Earth

Video for „Empyreal“

Making of the record

War from a Harlots Mouth Interview

2011-05-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

A thunderstorm, cleansing the air, came to Vienna on May 12th 2011. Metaphorically and literally. War from a Harlots Mouth teared up Viper Room Vienna.

Yours truly, Michael, was standing/moshing/dancing/shouting in front row, to give you an inside report of one of the most energetic shows I have ever witnessed.

After a calm soundcheck on a nice and sunny day, WFAHM kicked off an earthquake of a show with "The Polyglutamine Pact". Nico (vocals) had the crowd in his hands within seconds. People were flying all over the location, Nico being one of them. He constantly interacted with the crowd and made everyone participate.

Paule's insane polyrhythmic drumming let jaws drop to viewer's knees. Yet, Paule still manages to rock out. Daniel, Filip and Simon kept the energy at an all time high, jumping, running and shredding around the small stage.

Even the band members from Winds of Plague and Iwrestledabearonce watched the show from the side of the stage. I saw them shake their heads more than once in awe.

The show seemingly passed within 5 minutes. I was simply blown away. It was one of the most intense shows I have ever witnessed. Realizing that I was really battered, I went outside the venue. Catch some fresh air.

But what I witnessed had me in awe once again: The weather had completely changed - it was basically raining cats and dogs. People scrambled under the entrance roof, some of them had put on their pullovers because it had gotten so cold.
The guys in WFAHM told us, that there was no electricity on the bus, and that we probably couldn't do the interview...but somehow it all worked out. Check me out, freezing my ass off while interviewing Simon from WFAHM, being completely destroyed afer such a fierce show:

Part 1 (with english subtitles)

Part 2 (with english subtitles)

To Age and Obsolete live @ Viper Room Vienna

The Polyglutamine Pact live @ Viper Room Vienna

War from a Harlots Mouth

Is a MathCore-Band from Berlin, Germany. They combine elements of hardcore, black metal and jazz to create a chaotic, yet extremely intense form of music, that is unique for their neck of woods.

Formed 2005 as Simon Hawemann's (guitars) side-project, they guickly got very popular after releasing their "Falling Upstairs" EP. Furthermore, the band's energetic live-shows quickly became a trademark in Berlin and soon all over the world as well.

After finding a consistent line-up, the band released 3 full-lenghts:
-Transmetropolitan (2007)
-In Shoals (2008)
-MMX (2010)

And toured all over the world.

Their latest effort entitled MMX was released last year via LifeForce-Records.

Get the CD here

More Info about the band can be found here:
Facebook
MySpace

Artwork for "MMX" by Joshua Andrew Berlanger

Cancer Man / Recluse MMX (live @ NEVER SAY DIE 2010)

Beneath the Massacre Interview

2011-05-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Fuck BP!

Technical madness over Vienna! A huge technical death metal package is on the road to destroy Europe. With the package, Beneath the Massacre came to town on May 15th and Freethinkers' Blog was there for you guys once again. Phil helped me out on this one, since I couldn't go. He did a great job.

After simply devastating the "Arena" in Vienna, Dennis Bradley (Bass), Justin Rousselle (Drums) & Elliot Desgagnés (Vocals), took some of their time to answer us some questions.

The band talks about their new EP entitled "Marée Noire", their follow-up album, the concept behind "Marée Noire" (black tide), being a political band, their music scene, the pros and cons of touring and waaay more

Part 1

Part 2

See for yourself, those guys are simply insane:

"Black Tide" live @ Arena Wien

"Anomic" live @ Arena Wien

Beneath the Massacre

Is a Technical Death Metal Band that originated in Montreal, Québec, Canada.

The band was founded in 2004, to create music that combines Hardcore, Grindcore and Death Metal with an intense level of musicianship.

They released their first EP entitled "Evidence of Inequity" via Galy Records, and are now at Prosthetic Records.

So far, they have released two full lengths, with another one on the way:
-Mechanics of Dysfunction (2007)
-Dystopia (2008)

Their latest EP Marée Noire can be bought here

More info about the band can be found here:
Facebook
MySpace

Catch the band on Tour!

Cover Artwork for Marée Noire

Video for "Society's Disposable Son" off of "Mechanics of Dysfunction"

Special: Trve Norwegian Black/Metal/Pop Quiz

2011-05-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

In addition to our interview with Kvelertak, we asked the guys to do a little Special with us. Since they are from the trvest, most evil country like...ever - Norway, we prepared a quiz for them, but not just another random quiz, we created the "True Norwegian Black Metal Pop quiz".

We dug up the cruelest question we could find on the interwebs, put them together and had some fun with the guys. See what they quessed:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Kvelertak Interview

2011-05-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

Rock 'n' Roll riffs, blastbeats, High-pitch-screams, ground-shaking bass and nameless amounts of beer and booze.

Kvelertak came to town on the 9th of may, and we paid witness to their furious live-set. And while we where there, we asked the norwegian black 'n' rollers to answer us some questions.

The day didn't start that well for the band though. Vidar (guitars) was injured and Maciek (guitars) had problems with his sense of balance. Kvelertak were also the only non-hardcore band on a hardcore billing. That means playing for a different crowd than usual.

But when it was time to hit the stage, none of those problems showed. Their energy and hits totally made up for it. Needless to say that I was stoked.

After touring for the whole year so far basically, those guys are still nice and easy-going, simply really awesome to hang out with.

But enough of the praise, here's the interview:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Kvelertak

is a Black 'n' Roll band from Stavanger, Norway. Their music covers aspects of hardcore punk, black metal and rock'n'roll. Their lyrics are only in norwegian.

Kvelertak's self-titled debut record was produced by Kurt Ballou of Converge. The artwork was done by John Baizley from Baroness.

Catch the guys on tour!
Find out more about the band here:
MySpace
Facebook

Artwork for "Kvelertak"

Video for the song "Mjød"

Pearls in the making

2011-04-29T04:57:00.000-07:00

First Fragment – The Afterthought Ecstasy EP

Cover:

Tracklist:

1. Ordnance

2. Fake Repentance

3. Obsolete Ascendancy

4. Quintessential Rebirth

5. The Afterthought Ecstasy

6. Paradoxal Subjugation

A virtuosic classical piano intro. Blast Beats. Death Growls. Intense Riffing. Odd time signatures. A soulful solo. Back to the riffing.

These guys from Longueuil, Canada manage to combine all of those aspects into not only listenable, but cohesive songs.

Imagine a bastard of Necrophagist, Chopin and At the Gates. Listening to First Fragment, you’ll get all advantages of those combined.

The cool thing about those guys is, that their songs are not a slaughterhouse from front to back - they try to keep the songs dynamic. (check out the intro for: Quintessential Rebirth.

By adding vocal patterns, the vocalist functions more than another "instrument" if you will.

This EP is the bands debut, and they are writing on their first full length. Get those guys on tour with other technical bands from Quebec (preferably Beneath the Massacre and Origin) and they’ll be internationally known.

The only letdown is, that the bass isn’t very audible on the EP. Other than that, the production fulfills its purpose.

If you are a fan of the mentioned bands and aren’t afraid of experiments – check those guys out!

More info about the band:

MySpace

Facebook

„Obsolete Ascendancy“

Politainment

2011-04-27T04:23:00.000-07:00

The latest form of entertainment. When politics become more and more personalized and trivial.

The old saying „control the media/control the masses“ has never been more current. Politics controlling the media corporations in a country are securing their political success.

Whether it be SilvioBerlusconi steadily augmenting, or Victor Orban setting up his control of the media corporations or every ordinary dictator in a third world country.

They all know that, when they are able to decide what is presented in what way, they are able to manipulate and ultimately control the opinion of the average person.

Control the media - control the masses

But who is to blame?

Even in countries where some sort of freedom of press is given, the role of politics in media is becoming more and more trivial.

Election debates are TV-events, planned from beginning to end, with questions and answers being prepared for weeks, even months.

Political opponents more or less fight each other verbally, while having dinner together, when cameras are out.

PR advisors of political parties seem to have more power over what is presented in the media than the politicians themselves.

PR events and stunts are created for politicians just like for every other company.

Political debates in the parliament are not presented in the media anymore, unless some sort of scandal takes place.

Decisions aren’t made in the parliament anymore – they are agreed upon in the media.


Politicial TV events - politainment - the latest form of entertainment

But who is to blame?

In the western media world, the phrase „esse est percipi“ has become the main motto.

Existing depends on being perceived. Yet, the media controls whatever is being perceived. If an event isn’t appropriate for media actions, it simply doesn’t take place.

So every event has to become spectacular, produced for the media by the media.

Complexity has to be dumbed down in order to be consumable for everyone. The royal wedding being the prime example.

Same goes for politics. But things aren’t that easy all the time.

So who is to blame?

Derelict EP

2011-04-27T03:35:00.000-07:00

Introducing the new Section – Pearls in the Making!

Since there is an insane amount of young, talented, aspiring, yet still unknown musicians out there, we figured we’d give them space here at our blog.

Derelict – Derelict EP

Cover:

Tracklist

1. Perpetuation

2. Expiry

3. Yours to Surpass

Technical Death Metal Outift Derelict, from Montreal, Canada simply blew me away with this EP.

As we all know, Death Metal, has been on an ongoing derivative development. Yet Derelict manage to stay special in a lot of aspects.

First of all, the vocalist actually has a recognizable voice. For me, he sounds more like a traditional swedish vocalist, rather than one of the same exchangeable, guttural death metal vocalists out there.

Another great thing about Derelict is, that they aren’t afraid of moderating their speed. This adds a certain groove to their music. Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t a mid-tempo band. But they aren’t afraid of slowing down when the song demands it.

That’s one of their main advantages – if feels like they always try to do the song itself justice, instead of showing off their musical and technical ability (which is outstanding by the way!)

The production is at a high-standard as well. The bass is audible all the way through and the drums don’t kill the guitars, which is a plus.

The EP features three songs which will also be on Derelict’s next full-length, due out in late 2011.

The song „Perpetuation“ is up for free download!

If you like technical death metal and are tired of bands copying each other and showing off, you're definitely in for a treat!

Check out the band out:

MySpace

Bandcamp
YouTube

Video for the song "Machete"

The (rotten) cherry on top of the cake

2011-04-12T23:11:00.000-07:00

Austria's minister of justice, Claudia Bandion-Ornter, has been criticized by both her colleagues at court, as the media.

Her disputable decisions and turns, influenced by skilled PR guys show, that the political agenda is lower-ranking compared to Bandion-Ortner's reputation throughout the public sphere.

The reactions to her latest shenanigans show, that fooling the public isn't possible, and there is a need for real transparency (especially when said politician speaks up for more transparency...)

Yet I think, that Bandion-Ortner's problems are only the (rotten) cheery on top of the cake.

People feel peevish about Austrian politics, be it lobbyism-scandals, widespread corruption (BAWAG, BUWOG), or childish fights about minor topics.

All those negative incidents have caused a feeling of general dislike of the whole political process among the public. The mutual paralysis of the grand coalition has caused nothing but anger and frustration.

Latest polls show, that, if there would be an election next week, the populist party would probably play an important role.

And that's where the real problem lies. We can't let the populist party get the voters from the grand coalition.

There HAS to be a real alternative for young, politically active and critical voters. The Green Party is too dusty and bullheaded to actually make a difference.

It's time for change. Or do we really want this guy solving Austria's most important problems?

Heinz-Christian Strache (FPÖ) in all seriousness

A look at „historical“ releases

2011-04-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

Machine Head – Burn My Eyes (1994)

Line-Up:

Robb Flynn – Vocals, Guitar

Adam Duce – Bass

Logan Mader – Guitar

Chris Kontos - Drums

Cover:

Burn My Eyes Cover Art

1994. A time, where melancholy, dark and drowny songs were at its peak, and Metal was nowhere to be found in the mainstream media. Grunge had been recognized by MTV and had killed all things Metal within a short amount of time.

But there was resistance. Bands like Pantera and Machine Head introduced a new level of aggression and brutality to the Thrash Genre. They incorporated hardcore punk-vibes into their sound and spiced it up with more aggressive, screamed vocals.

Robb Flynn, having quit Forbidden and pursuing his own musical wishes, got together with his bandmates and created a now legendary Thrash release, entitled Burn My Eyes.

This record takes you on a journey through Robb Flynn’s experience on the streets in Oakland, CA, his relationship with drugs, personal struggle and a level of aggression that, at that time, had never been there before.

Be it the ferocious start of the record with now live-classics „Davidian“ and „Old“, the hip-hop-influenced „A thousand Lies“ or mid-tempo songs like „Death Church“ and „The Rage to Overcome“ the quality is at an ultimate high throughout the whole record.

Thrashers like „Blood for Blood“ and „Block“ satisfy the die-hard metal fans, and with „I’m your God Now“ (my personal favourite), there is already a sign of a balladesque song on the record, which would become a Machine Head trademark later on in their career. But don’t be intimated, „I’m Your God Now“ may start slow, but it develops into a brutal outburst towards the end of the song.

Burn My Eyes is still considered Machine Head’s best record among their fanbase. It isn’t only a must-have for MH-fans, but also for Thrash-fans.

No wonder that Burn My Eyes was Roadrunner Record's best selling record until Slipknot's self-titled debut.

But that doesn’t even matter, it was my introduction to really extreme music. I still remember thinking „damn they must be really pissed off“ when I first heared it. I was feeling so bad-ass, that I simply HAD to get back listening to it.

For your listening pleasure, some classics:

Machine Head - A Thousand Lies live @ Dynamo (1995)

Machine Head - Death Church live @ Burn My Eyes anniversary show, Philadelphia (2004)

Machine Head - Block live @ Brixton Academy (2004)

Ulver-Interview

2011-04-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

Track-by-Track review Wars of the roses

Jørn and Daniel from Ulver were kind enough to do a review of their latest record entitled "Wars of the Roses", due 25th of April via Kscope

Considering, that filmed interviews with the band are a rarity, we are very proud and grateful for the opportunity we were offered.

On that same day (or night) the guys played an intense show with mindblowing visual effects. Their shows are definitely special, so go check them out if you get the chance!

Here's the interview for you guys to check out:

Jørn and Daniel about: February MMX, Norwegian Gothic and Providence

Jørn and Daniel about: September IV, England and Island

Jørn and Daniel about: Stone Angels which is a poem by Keith Wauldrop

Jørn and Daniel about: general info on "Wars Of The Roses"

Ulver is a band from norway. They started by playing Black Metal, but later on included trip-hop, ambience and industrial elements in their sound.

Cover-art for Ulver's latest record entitled "Wars of the Roses" by Trine+Kim

Try to catch the band, while they are still on tour!

March 22 UK, London, Koko
March 26 France, Paris, Le Trabendo
March 27 Netherlands, Rotterdam, Off_Corso
March 28 Germany, Hamburg, Uebel & Gefährlich
March 29 Germany, Bochum, Matrix
March 30 Germany, Karlsruhe, Substage
March 31 Switzerland, Basel, Z7
April 01 Germany, Munich, Backstage Halle
April 02 Italy, Ravenna, Madonna dell'Albero
April 03 Austria, Vienna, Szene
April 05 Poland, Poznan, Eskulap
April 06 Germany, Berlin, K17
April 07 Slovakia, Bratislava, Majestic
April 08 Germany, Dresden, Beatpol
April 09 Belgium, Antwerp, Biebob
April 10 Germany, Aschaffenburg, Colos-Saal
April 16 Norway, Oslo, Rockefeller
April 21 Finland, Helsinki, Nosturi

Check out more about the band here:
MySpace
Homepage

2011-04-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

Update: The Interview with Heaven Shall Burn is now available with english subtitles as well. Thanks Phil for taking the time and translating all the stuff we've talked about!

Maik, known as guitarist for the legendary band Heaven Shall Burn was kind enough to let us talk to him before their show at Posthof Linz, on 26th of March.

As some of you might know, Heaven Shall Burn is one of the most inspirational bands for me. They were not only my introduction to more extreme music, but also to eye-opening topics such as Veganism, Straight Edge and Animal Rights.

To see how humbling these guy's approach to the music business still is was mind-blowing. You have to kepp in mind, that those guys already hit #9 on the german charts with their latest effort "Invictus".

Maik talked to us about Heaven Shall Burn's future plans, how they try to prevent being manipulated by mass media, their experiences in Reykjavik, Iceland and obscure hostilities via Twitter.

Enough with the praise,

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Heaven Shall Burn is a Metalcore/Melodic Death Metal Band from Thüringen, Germany.

Formed in 1996, the band took Old School Death Metal-influences from Bolt Thrower, combined it with Hardcore-Slam parts and by that, created a then unique sound, which was soon to be called Metalcore, and should become a huge trend.

In 2004, the band released the now legendary record "Antigone" which helped them gain popularity in the underground scene.

The band was known for their relentless live-shows and their Vegan Straight-Edge attitude.

2008 and 2009, the band released the first two parts of their "Iconoclast-Trilogy" - Invicuts Part I: The Final Resistance (CD) and Bildersturm: Iconoclast II (The Visual Resistance, DVD). Those two releases helped them gain mainstream popularity, which accumulated in 2010's release Invictus reaching #9 in the german charts.

Yet, the band has also adopted the D.I.Y.-attitude and still tries to limit the label's say in the band whenever it is possible.

Find out more about the band here:
Homepage
Facebook
MySpace
Twitter

Devastating Enemy Interview

2011-03-28T10:53:00.000-07:00

Melodic Deathers Devastating Enemy, roaring from Wr. Neustadt to take over the world, sat down with us on the 26th of March.

That same night these guys were going against the grain supporting one of Metalcore's biggest outfits: Heaven Shall Burn. Their relentless live-show had them earn a bunch of new fans, and left me in awe about their professionality and musicianship

The guys talked to us about their new record "The Fallen Prophet" (Twilight), their influences, their touring plans and their masterplan.

Here's the interview:

Part 1

Part 2

Check out their clip of "The Fallen Prophet"

Cover of "The Fallen Prophet" by Archetype Design

Find out more about the band here

Heaven Shall Burn Interview

2011-03-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

Maik, known as guitarist for the legendary band Heaven Shall Burn was kind enough to let us talk to him before their show at Posthof Linz, on 26th of March.

As some of you might know, Heaven Shall Burn is one of the most inspirational bands for me. They were not only my introduction to more extreme music, but also to eye-opening topics such as Veganism, Straight Edge and Animal Rights.

To see how humbling these guy's approach to the music business still is was mind-blowing. You have to kepp in mind, that those guys already hit #9 on the german charts with their latest effort "Invictus".

Maik talked to us about Heaven Shall Burn's future plans, how they try to prevent being manipulated by mass media, their experiences in Reykjavik, Iceland and obscure hostilities via Twitter.

Enough with the praise,

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Heaven Shall Burn is a Metalcore/Melodic Death Metal Band from Thüringen, Germany.

Formed in 1996, the band took Old School Death Metal-influences from Bolt Thrower, combined it with Hardcore-Slam parts and by that, created a then unique sound, which was soon to be called Metalcore, and should become a huge trend.

In 2004, the band released the now legendary record "Antigone" which helped them gain popularity in the underground scene.

The band was known for their relentless live-shows and their Vegan Straight-Edge attitude.

2008 and 2009, the band released the first two parts of their "Iconoclast-Trilogy" - Invicuts Part I: The Final Resistance (CD) and Bildersturm: Iconoclast II (The Visual Resistance, DVD). Those two releases helped them gain mainstream popularity, which accumulated in 2010's release Invictus reaching #9 in the german charts.

Yet, the band has also adopted the D.I.Y.-attitude and still tries to limit the label's say in the band whenever it is possible.

Find out more about the band here:
Homepage
Facebook
MySpace
Twitter

Kyuss Lives! -Interview

2011-03-26T05:39:00.000-07:00

"The best thing that could've happened to me was Kyuss breaking up."
John Garcia

As I again couldn't make it, my buddy Nik (Thanks again!) sat down with Kyuss Lives! right before their show in Vienna on 22nd of March.

In retrospect, the guys talk about how returning after 15 years feels for them and how their fan-base has changed.
They reveal their thoughts about their attitude in general and about touring, their appreciation for what they have, artistic integrity and how the ultimate Kyuss Lives!-show would look like.

Part 1 of 3

Part 2 of 3

Part 3 of 3

Kyuss was formed in the late 80s in Palm Desert, California. The founding members were:
John Garcia - Vocals
Josh Homme - Guitars
Nick Oliveri - Bass
Brant Bjork - Drums

They are cited as one of the genre-defining Stoner Rock bands. Their mixture of very low, down-tuned guitars (even played through bass amplifications), fast-paced drumming and Black Sabbath-influenced songwriting made them a legendary band.

The band recorded 4 legendary records:
Wretch
Blues for the Red Sun
Welcome to Sky Valley
...And the Circus Leaves Town

Those 4 records helped them gain huge popularity in the underground-scene and a legendary status as a live band.

Yet, the appreciation the band would've needed to be successful didn't came until the band had already split up.

Members of Kyuss have formed or played in such notable bands as: Quenns of the Stone Age, Fu Manchu, Mondo Generator, Eagles of Death Metal, Slo Burn, Unida, Hermano and Them Crooked Vultures

At 2010's Hellfest in Clisson, France, Nick Oliveri and Brant Bjork joined John Garcia on stage, performing the Kyuss-Classics "Green Machine" and "Gardenia" - basically marking their re-union.

Later that year, it was announced, that Garcia, Bjork and Oliveri would re-unite and tour Europe under the name Kyuss Lives! They added Bruno Fevery as a guitarist.

Find out more about the band here:
Homepage
Facebook

PS: Nice shirt Brant!

Apocalypse - as shown by the mass media

2011-03-18T00:57:00.000-07:00

So Japan was hit by a Tusnami. Causing 6.405 casuals confirmed and 380.000 homeless people. Furthermore, the aftermath has caused severe problems in the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. Radioactive contamination has led to nearly 600.000 people leaving the area in danger.

Undoubtedly, this is a tragedy.

But the way international media has treated this "catastrophe" is mindblowingly abominable.

This MUST be the end of the world...

The catastrophe was overscandalized, in the worst way I've seen in a very long time. Questionable "experts" were used to support the apocalytpic forecasts about what will happen, according to the media.

Footage of the catastrophe was rehashed to a point that people were actually starting to joke about it.

But why does this still happen? Mass-media keeps bringing the same news again and again, always predicting the end of the world.
They jump at catastrophes to cash in on the voyeurism of some of the consumers, in this case, the western world.

They create some sort of coercion, making it impossible to not know about such a crisis. Information isn't offered, it's forced upon us.

Yet, facing the sheer (useless) information overload and repetition of such a catastrophe, with no actual trustworthy news, the consumer starts getting irritated and tired at some point.

Furthermore, news from all over the world, which would have been presented to the consumers, simply aren't shown. All those informations suddenly aren't important anymore. Instead of reporting about them, most mass media much rather rehash the same topic over and over again.

How about reporting about a possible crisis, relying on facts and simply showing the POSSIBLE consequences without any scandalizing?

The recipients craving for some real information are taken for a fool - to me it's an insult.

Opeth – Blackwater Park (2001)

2011-03-16T00:40:00.000-07:00

Line-Up:
Mikael Âkerfeldt: Vocals, Guitars
Martin Mendez: Bass
Martin Lopez: Drums
Peter Lindgren: Guitars

Cover

Blackwater Park Cover by Travis Smith

Describing an Opeth album without the reader knowing of the record is probably one of the hardest things to do.

Why? Because Opeth always manage to not only create a record with 8-10 songs, but a whole atmosphere, an own small world, a journey through mastermind Âkerfeldt’s mind. This creation, in my case, left me begging for more.

So what do those „small worlds“ consist of? Harsh double-kick drumming with heavy riffs and guttural vocals seems like the given description of any given metal-record.
Opeth yet manage to incorporate bittersweet guitar melodies, clean guitar intermezzis, keyboard- and piano-parts, all seemingly held together by Mikael Âkerfeldt’s phenomenal and outstanding vocals. The feeling and atmosphere of the record is in large parts due to producer Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree).

Âkerfeldt is considered one of the best clean vocalists in the metal-genre.
Inner struggle and conflict always shine through his clean vocal patterns, yet they never sound cheesy. Within seconds though, he switches to the harsh guttural vocals which indicate but one word: Hate.
Akerfeldt is also one of the only vocalists who can pull his vocal duties off in a live-situation as well.

Yet, consisting of 8 songs, altogether lasting for more than an hour, Blackwater Park still seems tough for the listener.
But the almost compulsive compositions entitled „The Drapery Falls“, „Harvest“, „Dirge for November“ or the title track „Blackwater Park“ with their unexpected twists and turns, breaks and changes should be a blessing for all music-fans.

Blackwater Park marked Opeth’s commercial „breakthrough“ so to say, establishing their base for more experimental albums, later on incorporating 70s-prog-influences and even Krautrock.

For me, Blackwater Park is Opeth’s masterpiece. But not only that, I think that Steven Wilson’s production is the best i’ve ever heard so far.

The Drapery Falls live @ Royal Albert Hall

Bleak live @ The Roundhouse

An open letter to despair

2011-03-11T05:53:00.000-08:00

It seems, no matter how much you try to be positive-thinking and hopeful, at some point, you hit rock bottom.

Whether it’s personal struggle, health problems, or a dream you’ve worked very hard for, and for different reasons you simply can’t reach. At some point you start realizing that you’re losing control over how your life is progressing.

The thought of wasted time and energy that you’ve invested in the future is paralyzing.

You start losing hope and faith in yourself and your strenghts and what’s left? Blatant misery and despair as the hours pass by, leaving you unable to live a normal life.

Nothing seems to work for you anymore – your passions are gone, all you’ve liked and loved now leaves you cold-hearted and miserable.

Unable to act, you watch your life fading away.

How can you regain your strength? Where is all your confidence? How can you find back to a normal life? Where is the solution when all hope is gone?

It is your life, you can do with it whatever you want – why not end it?

Unknown Artist

Someone sent this to me – I thought i’d share it here.

Dying Fetus Interview

2011-03-01T05:27:00.000-08:00

"I really admire Hip-Hop & R'n'B-drummers"

Trey Williams - drummer of Dying Fetus

Actually that's a pretty standard phrase. But this quote is coming from Trey Williams, drummer for one of the most legendary Brutal/Technical Death Metal Bands: Dying Fetus.

Trey was kind enough to talk to my partner in crime, Philip. He did the interview alone as I wasn't able to be there due to health-problems.

See Trey talking about what still pisses him off, his opinion on U.S. politics, his inspirations, touring, and his down-to-earth opinion about the whole "Loudness-War".

Dying Fetus

Dying Fetus is a technical/brutal death metal band from Maryland.

The band has released legendary, influencial death-metal records with Killing on Adrenaline (1998) and Destroy the Opposition (2000) - those records are now being re-released by their record label Relapse. Since then, Dying Fetus are renowned for their combination of extreme death metal music and politically and socially critical lyrics.

With their current album, Descend into Depravity, the band has managed to raise their fanbase significantly.

They furthermore were able to stabilize their line-up, as they had to go through a lot of line-up changes in the past.

Dying Fetus are currently headlining the Bonecrusher-Fest, alongside Keep of Kalessin, Carnifex, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Burning the Masses and Angelus Apatrida.

Band-Members:
John Gallagher - Guitars/Vocals
Sean Beasley - Bass/Vocals
Trey Williams - Drums

Video for the single "Your Treachery will Die with You"

Video for the single "Shepherd's Commandment"

Further Info:
Facebook
MySpace

Wr. Neustadt Metal Scene Report

2011-02-26T01:24:00.000-08:00

Within the last year or so, i've come to realize that my hometown, Wr. Neustadt in good old austria actually, has a vital, creative and fertile "metal"-scene going on, if you want to call it that way.
So I'm now gonna present some bands that you might have already heard of, but if not, you're definitely in for a treat.

DEVASTATING ENEMY

Initially started by Alex Kodnar (lead guitars) and Daniel Fellner (vocals, guitars), this band seems to be blowing up right now.
They formed in 2009, which means they're a comparably "young" band, which only adds to their success. They play a great combination of technical, yet catchy and melodic death metal.
With the addition of bassist Jörg Varga (former Thorns of Ivy) and Tom Urbanek (Demolition, Days of Loss,...) the band seems to have found just the right rhythm-section that has the needed technical ability to add to the phenomenal leads of Alex and the aggressive screams of Daniel.
Devastating Enemy recorded their, in the underground, well acclaimed EP entitled The Gods of Reason at Hinterhof Studios with the help of mastermind Norbert Leitner.
Tracks such as "Embodiment of Decline" or "In Black" have become trademarks for the band, as they took every possibility to play live, regardless of the location.
The quality of those songs had the band earn a fierce fan-base, that would help them win 2010s "Metalchamp"-contest - leading to promotion deals, album recordings and what not.
Devastating Enemy's first full length, entitled "The Fallen Prophet", will be released on March 25th 2011 - it again was recorded at Hinterhof Studios.
This band has phenomenal technical ability, great songwriting skills, energetic live-performances and those dudes are just awesome to hang out with.

Video for "As Bloodshed Begins" from their debut record "The Fallen Prophet"

Inhale the innocence LIVE Vienna, Austria 2011-01-14

Find out more about the band here:
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
MySpace
ReverbNation

Bled Dry

Another young phenomenon. This technical death-metal outfit was started in 2005 by Bernd "Bernth" Brodträger, an insanely talented young guitarist. (His wizardry can be seen in none other than Belphegor, who he tours with) He was looking for musicians that would add to his creativity, but such a high level of quality at such a young age is rare and therefore hard to find. So Bled Dry had to deal with a lot of line-up changes.
But with the addition of Michael Brugger, providing his outstanding guttural growls and squeals, and session musicians, the band had found a way to live out their creativity.
Their goal was to write the most technical, intense death metal, that would NOT have useless gore, but critical lyrics with a strong concept behind them. And god damn did they reach that goal!
In 2009 they recorded the EP "...of Murder and Mankind" which helped them gain popularity.
In 2010 Bled Dry entered the Hinterhof Studios to record their first full-length "This World is Hell", which is a manifestation of their relentlessness. Qaulity-wise, this full-length is up there with the leaders of the genre "brutal/technical death metal".

In 2010, Bernth became a touring member in Belphegor, as mentioned, where he met Martin "Marthyn" Jovanovic, an outstanding death-metal drummer. They built a strong bond, and he's now with Bled Dry. The master of the low strings, also known as Jörg Varga and Alex Kodnar of Devastating Enemy are now sharing their creativity in Bled Dry as well.

Unfortunately, in 2011, Michael Brugger had to leave Bled Dry due to studies, work and personal reasons. But with a debut-album that strong, and a line-up that good, this band is unstoppable!

Bled Dry - Icon of the ill-fated LIVE Vienna, Austria 2011-01-29

Bled Dry Necromundus (Schatten) LIVE Vienna, Austria 2011-01-29

Find out more about the band here:
Facebook
MySpace
YouTube

The Antiproduct

This band was started back in 2004 by the now only remaining founding member, guitar wizard Max Kernegger.
First, the band wasn't too serious, as Max and his friend Hannes Schlagl (bass) back then were only finding out, what this thing called "metal" was.
But with the years progressing, and the addition of Peter Durst, former death-metal-outfit Darkside guitarist, things started getting more serious.
Songs were written, shows were played - the band was progressing, and getting more accustomed and popular.
But The Antiproduct always had problems regarding their band members. Be it their technical abilities, or personal problems. It just didn't fit.
Yet alongside those problems, Andreas Schekulin (also: Earased) came in as a vocalist, and was not to leave again: his reckless high-energetic live performances have become a trademark of the band.
The line-up problems finally were eradicated with the addition of yours truly, Michael as bassist and Oliver, drummer extraordinaire with a jazz-background (who is currently studying drums) in the fall of 2010.
With the new line-up the band played more shows, became more serious, spent a lot of time finding their signature sound, and are now hungrier than ever to play every show possible.
With the anticipated release at the end of March 2011 of the debut album entitled "Fear Machine", and new songs already in the works for a yet untitled EP, this band shows that no problems will ever stop them.

The Antiproduct - Circle of the lost Vienna, Austria 2010-12-17

The Antiproduct - Symptoms of insanity Vienna, Austria 2010-03-27

Find out more about the band here
Facebook
Myspace
Twitter
YouTube

Where it all comes together

Bandhouse Wr. Neustadt - located near the train station in Wr. Neustadt. This is where all of those bands, and a LOT more were formed, learned their instruments, spent 100s (if not 1000s) of hours practicing, partying, writing and recording.

This place is the perfect rehearsal space for any young band. Offering soundproof spaces at low rents, people have built not only band headquarters but also recording studios here.

The names speak for themselves:
Herbstrock
Hauk
Rentokill
Toyhead

and many many more

...and then there's this guy

Starting off as a huge slipknot fan, and learning his way around in Thorns of Ivy, Kerim "Krimh" Lechner, also a Wr. Neustadt-based musician, is now playing for Death-Metal legend Decapitated.
No words needed here, let the videos do the talking:

Krimh - Visual Delusion - Metalcamp 2010

Krimh - Converge To Us

Krimh - Summer Slaughter Tour 2010

Other bands that you should have heard of

Selling the Drama
Emily's Bleeding
Confessions of Pain
Drained Thoughts
Death Mentality

Kylesa Interview

2011-02-18T01:37:00.000-08:00

"I wouldn't want to make THE perfect record, cause then i'd have to stop"

We sat down with Phillip Cope, vocalist and guitarist in the sludge-band Kylesa. Right after their soundcheck, and before their headline-show @Arena Wien, Kleine Halle.

Phil was kind enough to answer us questions concerning touring in Europe, getting a good live-sound, a dream-come-true-tour, and their inspirations for songwriting:

I'll be totally honest with you, i'm not really that satisfied with the interview, Phil didn't really seem to catch my drift, but he was really kind and appreciative. That's why I'm still positive about the interview. The live-show after the interview totally made up for my initial negative thoughts.

Kylesa's show that same night was mindblowing to say the least. They had an impressive live-sound despite having to set up two drumkits, and getting two guitars, two vocalists, a bass guitar, keyboards, and two single drums, which shows how experienced the band already is.

The live-energy of their set was intense, being supported by a really tight rhythm-section, which was enhanced by the two single drums, being handled by vocalist Phillip Cope and bassist Corey Barhorst.

The crowd-reaction was great, which seemed to be reflected by the band. I'm still impressed as to how much Corey was rocking out the whole time.

Kylesa's appreciation for Prog-music was being manifested that night: They played a great cover of Pink Floyd's "Set the controls for the heart of the sun"

Kylesa are a must-see for every Sludge-, and Prog-fan.

Kylesa are currently on tour with Okkultokrati in Europe.

Kylesa Set the controls for the heart of the sun (Pink Floyd) LIVE Vienna, Austria 2011-02-16

Kylesa Don't look back LIVE Arena, Vienna, Austria 2011-02-16

Kylesa

Find out more about the band here:
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kylesa
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kylesa

Every generation needs a new revolution

2011-02-14T11:28:00.000-08:00

Recent events all over the world have proven that radical change is still possible. If the people of a country is really upset about their government or regime, revolution is inevitable. But how’s it achieved?

Tunisia started it, Egypt adapted it and the arabic countries should take it as a paragon: revolution through the people can actually lead to change.

It shows that, when the frustration and anger of a population reaches a certain point, power goes from legislation to the citizens.

People in the western world, however, often felt that demonstrating, not even thinking about revolution, is useless, a waste of time, and only combined with negative consequences.

Yet, the undescribable power that a country’s population has, is undeniable. By using modern media like social networking for organization and support, the power actually does go back to the people. If the number of complaining people reaches a critical mass, there inevitably will be classical media-attention, which should then lead to (an extreme form of) agenda setting, as the Egypt Revolution has proven.

If that level of media attention has been reached, everything is possible. Media covers, reports, analyzes a topic and by that, manipulates people’s minds.

And it worked: change actually happened. And the arabic people want more. Past is the time of corrupt, criminal dictators leading a regime and exploiting a nation.

But what should the western world learn from that? I think it’s necessary to acknowledge the power that lies in demonstrations. Recent events like Stuttgart21 in Germany or the UniBrennt-movement in Austria have proven some improvement in the field of demonstrations, but they didn’t reach their goals completely.

People in the western world have to develop a certain level of perseverance when it comes to demanding social change. They need to be ready to give up some of their comforts in order to stand up for a better future.

Born of Osiris Interview

2011-02-09T04:05:00.000-08:00

"The Label has a lot to say....it is what it is..."

Freethinkers' Blog conducted an interview with Born of Osiris's Lee McKinney and Ronnie Canizaro right after their phenomenal high-energy show in Vienna on 2011/02/07.

Hear what the guys have to say about touring in mainland Europe, label-control, excessive partying and their new Album, entitled "The Discovery".

Born of Osiris

Born of Osiris is a Deathcore/Progressive-Band from Pallatine, Illinois. They are renowned for a hybrid mixture of djenty, meshuggah-type riffs and poppy melodies and hooks.

They formed as "Rosecrance" in 2003, with all the members still being in High School.

They've been with Sumerian Records since the release of "The New Reign" which helped them gain popularity.

In 2009 they released "A Higher Place" which led to a change in seasons, since they introduced more complex and technial material while adding more experimental song-structures.

They recently finished recording their upcoming album "The Discovery", due March 22nd, at Bota Studios with the help of engineer Don "dB" Byczynski. You can listen to the new track "Follow the Signs" at Born of Osiris' facebook-page.

Born of Osiris played the tracks "Recreate" and "Devastate" on their tour with Darkest Hour, Protest the Hero and Purified in Blood

Here's the track "Recreate" recorded live @ their show at Arena Wien on 2011/02/07

Official Video for "Open Arms to Damnation" from the Record "The New Reign"

Official Video for "Now Arise" from the record "A Higher Place"

A Look At "historical" Releases

2011-01-20T12:46:00.000-08:00

Mastodon – Remission (2002)

Line-Up:

Guitars, Vocals: Brent Hinds

Bass, Vocals: Troy Sanders

Guitars: Bill Keliher

Drums: Brann Dailor

Cover:

Remission Cover

Opening with a fast-paced, rough and aggressive 2-Minute-Track, („Crusher-Destroyer“) this album was a starting point for 2 major things:

Firstly, the record „Remission“ was the beginning of Mastodon’s astonishing career, which probably hasn’t even reached its peak as of yet. Considering Mastodon’s creative output, which consists of a wild mixture of sludge, metal and prog rock, Mastodon’s position in the music industry becomes even more surprising.

Secondly, this record introduced me to the more progressive spectrum of music. Before that, I was basically listening to more or less straight-forward hardcore/punk/metal. Ultimately, „Remission“ managed to open my mind for Prog-bands, such as: Opeth, Tool or Baroness.

With „March of the Fire Ants“, the band already manages to surprise with only the second song. It features all trademarks of a great Mastodon song: Earth crushing sludgy-riffs, combined with extraordinary drumming (Brann’s drumming on this record is breathtaking), the nasal voice of Brent Hinds and outstanding melodies and harmonies heavily influenced by Rush and King Crimson serving as wonderful hooks.

Those ingredients keep the sometimes pretty lenghty songs interesting. („Ole Nessie“, „Trainwreck“, „Trilobite“). If you as a listener are willing, those songs can take you on a spiritual journey, away from your day-to-day life.

But the band also shows their more aggressive side on this record. Note: The band has stated, that they took their riffs and made them faster on purpose to sound more aggressive. This doesn’t take away the quality from the songs though. Songs like „Workhorse“ or „Burning Man“ showcase Mastodon’s ability to write great hooks within fast-paced rock/metal songs.

By combining both longer and shorter songs, „Remission“ probably is a lot more accessible than Masotodon’s latest output „Crack the Skye“. CtS features only 7 songs, but takes 50 minutes, with one song lasting almost 14 minutes.

„Remission“ could also serve as your introduction to Prog – you only need to be open-minded. But you probably won’t regret it.

Now seriously, who's telling the truth here? No one?

2011-01-20T04:17:00.000-08:00

Victor Orban, prime-minister of hungary

Continuing the thoughts I started on this article, some new aspects have been added to the ongoing discussion about the new media-law in hungary.

Victor Orban, prime minister of Hungary and leader of the Fidesz-Party, has recently held an inauguration speech in Straßburg, in the EU parliament

Considering the recent ongoing media-coverage of the new media-law in hungary, it was eagerly anticipated.

The media people were interested in how Victor Orban would react to the criticism of his controversial media law.

But Orban didn't see any need to defend or even excuse his actions. He presented himself as the victim of a negative media-campaign. Stating, that calling him the driving force to a totalitarian state was simply an affront. He furthermore stated that he couldn't believe how people could believe such wrong assumptions.

But what are people to believe? Who is right? The media or the politician Victor Orban? Whose PR advisors are better?

The problem is, that we only get to participate in this discussion through the media. The media therefore presents the information in a certain way and adds a spin to have a "scandalous" topic. People should first read the whole document on the law and then start discussing and criticizing it.

Having read only some extractions of the media law, I myself am not totally aware of every aspect it covers. It's a fact though that it is not acceptable in a media world with total freedom of press. But where does such a world exist anyway?


Victor Orban - Just an innocent victim?

The Last Bastion of Freedom of Press

2011-01-03T07:50:00.000-08:00

This is the Web2.0-Revolution

Freedom of press has become a rareness in today’s globalized media world. Recent (media events) such as the increasing repression against critical journalists in china and iran, the new ratified media-law in hungary, or the generally increasingly negative circumstances for critical journalists all over the world only emphasize this fact.

Journalists risk their life, when they do their actual job. The general consensus in the western world is, that journalists should serve as the fourth power in a state, controlling and critisizing the politicians. Though nowadays, because of a more and more globalized (media) world of „infotainment“ and huge media corporations, this supposed virtue, which should be upheld by the creators of media, has become very seldom.

The main concern of those media corporations has become making money by providing useless news, scandalizing, moralizing and by delivering campaign-journalism.

Actually educating and illuminating the public has become obsolete in the eyes of many media people, since competition is increasing more and more.

Media corporations aren’t the only ones to blame, though. A very high percentage of people accept and even demand exactly what they are fed by the mainstream media. They are happy with the lies they are told and use the disposable news to spend leisure time.

But there are still some people out there that try to illuminate the public about what actually is going on. Yet, they can only be found using the internet.

The whole WikiLeaks affair is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to objective and critical journalists using the power of blogs, microblogs, communities and networks to report on what’s going wrong in a country.

Though the chinese government tries to harm critical journalists and claims wrong causes for prison-punishments, the internet community knows what’s going on. And information spreads fast in the realm of the world wide web. Once posted, it can’t and won’t be erased from both servers and people’s minds. And when the government shuts down one server, an information already has been posted on 5 new servers.

In Iran, when huge protests went off after election, protesters used Twitter to report to the public what was actually going on, despite the iranian media blackout. Whether exaggerated or not, the power of blogging and microblogging combined with pictures and videos should not be overseen.

Online communities, such as the already mentioned WikiLeaks or Anonymous show that there is still a last bastion of freedom of speech – on the internet.

The internet works by its own rules, credibility is the first and major priority and journalistic virtues (such as writing,five Ws, inverted pyramid) are often not neglected. But the internet serves as the number one communication medium for critical reporting.

Let’s keep it that way!