BURST Magazine Issue 11, November 2013 by BURST Magazine

November 2013, Issue 11

SAMI YLI-SIRNIĂ&#x2013;

Is one cool dude

TOM KEIFER

The industry has changed due to downloading

VILLE LAIHIALA

We sound more solid than ever

DANIEL CAVANAGH

9 772241 538000

ISSN 2241-5386

The music industry is what it is

MAX CAVALERA The Heaviest Metal of All Time!

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3 Burst Magazine

pages 6-21 Articles

pages 22-52 Interviews

pages 54-56 Albums

page 57 Karolina Pacan

MAX CAVALERA

pages 58-59 Pop Corner

page 60-67 Film Section

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publisher/editor in chief

Raphael Aretakis

managing editor

Spiros Smyrnis

art advisor

Aikate D.

editors

B|S|Orestis Cristina Alossi Danae Christopoulou Dialekti Angeli Eleni Lampraki Helen Marie Joyce Jo Gogou Korina P. Pana Apostolidou Sissy Fanouraki Sobieski Sisters Stathia S. Pedioti

contributing editors

Alexandros Nalbanis Andy Phelps Dimitris Kotsilinis Dimitris Tsantoulas Giorgos Kotrozinis Gogo Apostolaki J.Roberto Zenteno Jimenez Kalliope Tsouroupidou Petros Xatzistilianos Rula Karamani Sophie Tsekoura Sotiris Stilianos Vana Valma Viktor Merit

editors/proofreaders

Marianna Kofinaki Mary Pavlopoulos Matina Katsarakou

photographers

Apostolis Kalliakmanis B|S|Orestis Eileen Von D Jo Gogou Kalliope Tsouroupidou Myrto Cat Raphael Aretakis

USA photographer

Joe Prostredny

Spanish photographer

Nat Enemede

special guest

Karolina Pacan

Design & Layout

Raphael Aretakis

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BOB DYLAN ALWAYS BUSY TO BE BORN By Alexia Lampropoulou Bob Dylan is not just a talented singer who inspired an entire generation through his music; he is a symbol and a movie star as well. A dozen of movies have provided insight on his songwriting, in many of which he also tested his abilities in acting, by appearing, most of the time, as himself. Some of those movies are absolute masterpieces, while others are probably attempts he would like to forget; anyhow, all of them are part of his remarkable career and can shed much light on this enigmatic man. Even if it is hard to recall all the movies, in which he was involved, either with his songs or with his own presence, not having seen or heard at least some of them is almost impossible. In 1963, at the age of 21, few months before Freewheelin’ hit the shelves and his eponymously-titled first album was released, Dylan made his first acting attempt. He participated in ‘’Madhouse on Castle Street’’ a play on British TV, as himself. Although he didn’t manage to play the leading role due to his unwillingness to learn the lines for the play, he performed the song “Blowin’ in the Wind” for its very first time in public. A few years later, his image sways between an immature kid and a weary man who is more dedicated to his music than his persona. In 1967, D.A. Pennebaker released a documentary featuring Dylan’s tour in England, which was filmed two years ago, in 1965. “Don΄t Look Back” captured Dylan shaking off his old persona starting by his music, by adopting more oblique and surreal lyrics. The songs were getting more mysterious, and so was Dylan. Apart from some concert footage from the Royal Albert Hall, most of Burst www.afternoiz.com

7 the film took place backstage, in hotels and parties. In this black and white masterpiece, Dylan seems to harmoniously embrace his folk and rock side, making it hard to distinguish whether his public persona was already a performance. After ‘’Don’t Look Back’’, the same director attempted to film a new documentary, titled ‘’Eat the Document,’’ by once again travelling alongside Dylan during his 1966 tour. Despite a few differences, the concept is the same, this time in color. In the film in question, Dylan’s shift from folk to rock n roll is accompanied by the audience’s feedback –both positive and negative-before leaving the concerts, Dylan’s piano duet with Johnny Cash and a famous limousine ride with John Lennon. Unfortunately, the film screened briefly only in highlights in New York, a few years after, in 1972, with Dylan disappearing from his public life in between. The official reason for his absence was a serious accident; however, there are still questions for his alibi, even today. During those years, he decided to change everything he had created, by once more changing his musical style. Thirsty for creation, he gave acting a go in 1973 for his comeback. The new movie he took part in was ‘’Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid’’ directed by Sam Peckinpah. Although he wasn’t very comfortable with cameras, he was selected for a larger role recasting Alias, a hooligan in Billy’s gang. Dylan’s music suits the movie perfectly and, besides the entire soundtrack for the western, he wrote one of the most famous song for the movie and his career alike, ‘’Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’’, which fit perfectly in Slim Picken’s death scene. Despite the high expectations, the production wasn’t an easy procedure, so ultimately it wasn’t commonly perceived as a great and unique western. Unluckily for Dylan, the soundtrack album left the critics and his fans unsatisfied, who were expecting something more appealing after such a long time. In any case, he didn’t give up, so at the same year, he had already worked on a new album and

started preparing his new tour. In 1978, ‘’Renaldo and Clara’’ a new four-hour film directed by Bob Dylan was released in U.S.A. The film was written by Dylan and Sam Shepard, to whom he had assigned the entire script, which was based on two classic French movies ‘’Children of Paradise’’ and ‘’Shoot the Piano’’. Eventually, Dylan took the responsibility and credit for both directing and writing; however the movie didn’t end up including much evidence of script or direction. In this movie, he starred more than 100 hours of concert footage along with Sara Dylan and Joan Baez and documentary interviews shot during his Rolling Thunder Revue tour 1975-1976.The plot was too abstract, everyone was playing themselves, while reality interfered due to the documentary nature of the film. The context was the tour and Dylan did less acting than in any previous film. The movie lacked interest and the four hours would have been a complete waste of time for the viewers if there hadn’t been one hour of outstanding performance footage, featuring Dylan in versions of ‘’Tangled Up in Blue’’, ‘’Romance in Durango’’ and ‘’Isis’’ as well as highlight scenes which include Joan Baez in ‘’Diamonds and Rust’’ and Ronee Blakley singing ‘’Need A New Sun Rising’’. Although the rise of the punk music at the same period made the movie look anachronistic, many of his fans claimed that it might have been an absolute hit in the 60’s. Confronting its negative reviews and evident disadvantages, the movie won the Interfilm award at the international film festival at the Mannheim-Heidelberg in 1978 and a shorter, 100-minute version was released in Europe.

course Bob Dylan was one of them. The film is hailed as one of the finest of its kind and it’s full of great music. Years later, in 1987 he gave another mediocre performance on an American musical drama film ‘’Hearts of Fire’’ costarring with Rupert Everett and directed by Richard Marquand. A fading rock star takes a promising young musician with great expectations under his protection. Regardless of its great possibilities of becoming a success, the film was a disaster, especially for Marquand’s career. Anyhow, there is nothing that can stop Bob. A few years later, in 1990, he receives a small role as an artist on a thriller drama movie of Dennis’ Hopper ‘’Catchfire’’, starring Dennis Hopper, Jodie Foster, Fred Ward and Vincent Price. Moreover, according to IMDb, he appeared in a movie called Paradise Cove, starring Ben Gazzara and Karen Black in 1999, which, however, seems never to have been released. In 2001, he won the Golden Globe Award for best original song and the Academy Award for his song, “Things Have Changed,” which was written and performed by him for Curtis Hanson’s great movie Wonder Boys. The song became a success quickly and fit the film perfectly. It’s undeniably one of the best Dylan songs of the last 20 years and the lyrics ‘’I used to care but things have changed’’ are spread by word of mouth like wildfire.

In 2003, Dylan already feels that it’s time for his comeback on acting and he gets his chance by starring in Larry Charles’s movie Masked and Anonymous. In this masterpiece, Dylan, who happens to be the co-writer using the alias ‘’Sergei Petrov’’, plays Jack Fate, a rock legend who is released from prison and faces a political landscape governed by conspiracies, chaos and totalitarianism. Even if the film can be characterized as a political movie, it reaches no conclusions or suggestions to the problem it presents. Nonetheless, it challenges the culture of consumption and its supporters to question themselves about their aims and motives. The more astonishing detail about the movie is that it has been shot in just 20 days, while the cast includes many great actors, such as John Goodman, Jeff Bridges, Penelope Cruz, Ed Harris Bruce Dern, Mickey Rourke. The movie stands as a classic and as Larry Charles claimed ‘’ I wanted to make a Bob Dylan movie that was like a Bob Dylan song. One with a lot of layers, that had a lot of poetry, that had a lot of surrealism and was ambiguous and hard to figure out, like a puzzle.” What he wished for is what Dylan actually did, since he made no attempt to remove himself from the legend that is associated to his name by naturally playing a version of himself. After this movie, in 2005, Martin Scorsese produces the definitive documentary on Dylan’s life, covering a period that starts at his youth and ends

Even when Dylan doesn’t manage to act properly as an actor, he is always enticed by cinema and concert filming. When it is not sitting in the director’s chair, it’s the directors who seek to film him, especially on stage. In 1978, Martin Scorsese filmed ‘’The Last Waltz’’, a farewell concert held by the group The Band. Many famous musicians of that time participated in that concert, and, of, Burst www.afternoiz.com

8 up at his motorcycle accident. The four-hour documentary in question, tilted‘’No Direction Home’’ provides an entertaining viewing experience on his life with the magic touch of Scorsese. It also traces his rise to fame through folk music and his shift to rock scene. As Martin Scorsese once said, “Cinema is a matter of what’s in the frame and what’s out.” And then two years later, in 2007 another director is inspired by Bob Dylan’s persona.

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In his film ‘’I’m not There,’’ Todd Haynes presents different aspects of Dylan’s public persona through six different actors. Cate Blanchett gives and outstanding performance, since she perfectly resembles Dylan, in voice and in looks alike. The film received positive feedback and reviews from critics, especially due to the director’s choice of avoiding traditional narrative techniques. Following to the “I’m not there”, three more documen-

taries have been released, ‘’Keep your eyes on the Prize’’ in 2008 , ‘’The Never Ending Narrative’’ and ‘’Gotta Do my Time’’ in 2011, which all have the same plot without anything special to differentiate them from their predecessors. Through this review of the most important movies and documentaries in Bob Dylan’s career so far, it can been easily presumed that all directors –including Dylan himself- attempt to present different ver-

sions of his complex personality and life. However, it’s tricky and complicated to identify to what extent all these versions of Dylan in the movies, in his songs, and the mind of his audience correspond to reality. Dylan remains a mystery, a restless spirit that still explores himself and breaks his own boundaries. His fans can’t be surprised anymore since they learned to expect the unexpected from him after all those years. At the age of 72, Dylan is still busy being born...

BURST WANTS YOU!! Want to be part of the burst crew??? We are looking for photojournalists from around the world, able to take quality photos, write live reports and conduct face2face interviews with artists. send us an email at info@burstzine.com be creative about yourselves and give us a top10 of your best live photos!

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MICK Jagger

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The story of a rolling stone

All photos are from mickjagger.com and are a property of their rightful owners. By Dialekti Angeli Mick Jagger’s story is the ultimate story of sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll. The famous frontman caused delirium in the audiences during the 60s and every time he appears on stage, this rock legend with his gritty, blues-influenced songs and his charismatic stage presence, still sells thousands of hundreds of tickets. There are artists, like Ke$ha and Maroon 5, who sing about him. The man is almost like a brand. The name Mick Jagger still defines Rock ‘n Roll. Born with the name Michael Phillip Jagger on July 26, 1943, in Dartford, England, the oldest son of a teacher and a homemaker, he has become a rock legend, delighting fans and raising hell for more than five decades. At the age of 17, he attended the London School of Economics, but soon he left it to start a band with his childhood friend, Keith Richards. The band’s name was “The Rolling Stones”. Together they managed to take the Rolling Stones to the top of the music world, propelling the band to a status unknown by most performers. The drugs bust By the time the band became famous, Mick Jagger and the

rest of the band members led the life of rock stars, abusing alcohol consumption and drugs of all kinds. In 1967, Jagger’s personal life made headlines. Just after 8 o’clock in the evening, on February 12, 1967, the West Sussex police arrived at Keith Richards’ country home, Redlands. Inside the house were Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithfull, the well-known gallery owner and art dealer Robert Fraser as well as the “Acid King”, David Schneiderman. 18 police officers appeared at the front door of Richard’s house, presenting him a warrant to “search the premises and the persons in them, under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1965”. The police discovered amphetamines/travel sickness pills in the pocket of Jagger’s jacket, heroin and 8 capsules of methylamphetamine hydrochloride on Robert Fraser, while the remnants of marijuana, found in an ashtray, implicated Richards. Strangely, David Schneiderman’s portable drug cabinet was not examined by the police. The cabinet contained LSD and dope, and that has given rise to questions over the “Acid King’s” involvement to the raid. The tabloids at that time were on fire! They held the biggest responsibility of manufacturing one of

the greatest legends of the 60s. The story is known as the “Mars Bar”. The story claims that Marianne Faithfull was discovered in a compromising position - naked but for a fur rug - with a Mars bar, during that police operation. The raid led to the famous trial, four months later, at which Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were put into jail. Jagger got 3 months jail sentence for possession of amphetamines, Fraser received 5 months for possessing heroin, while Richards got one-year for allowing his house to be used for smoking cannabis. Both were freed the next day pending a successful appeal. The lover Mick Jagger has loved and left thousands of women. He’s a man renowned for his womanizing ways and there are some who claim that he has a child in every place he ever been. Here are some of his many loves. Marianne Faithfull had a tumultuous relationship, which lasted for four years, with Mick during the 1960s. Their relationship revolved around drugs, which were the reason for the collapse of their relationship and her spectacular downfall after the events of the night of February 12, 1967,

11 when she was caught up in the notorious drugs bust at Redlands. Anita Pallenberg is known as the girl who nearly broke up the Stones. First, she had a two-year relationship with Brian Jones and then she hooked up with Keith Richards. But, in 1968, Anita cheated on Keith with Mick Jagger, during the filming of the movie “Performance”. Their affair fizzled out with the end of the filming. Bianca Jagger, a stunning Nicaraguan actress, was Mick’s first wife. Mick and Bianca met during an after party of a Rolling Stones show in 1970. They married in May, 1971 while she was four months pregnant with his child. Jagger cheated on his first wife with the actress, Jerry Hall, whom he eventually married. Some say that she was his greatest love for they stayed together for 13 years and had four kids. Their marriage eventually ended in 1999. Despite the fact that Mick Jagger repeatedly mocks the Royal Family, there are rumors that Queen Elizabeth II’s baby sister, Princess Margaret, had an affair with the Rolling Stone’s frontman. Princess Margaret was a rebel, unlike her elder sister; she drank, smoked and related with rock stars. Some say that Jagger and the Princess spent time together on the luxurious Caribbean island of Mystique. Maybe that’s why the Queen didn’t want Jagger knighted!

mored to have hooked up after Live Aid in 1985. Janice Dickinson had an affair with Mick Jagger in the early 1980s. She even toured with the Rolling Stones for a while. It’s reported that Mick broke up with her over the phone, and Janice has publicly spoken about their relationship many times since, without being able to hold her grudge against him: « Mating with Mick for me was like a boxing match; the ring was my queen-sized mattress. He’d flip me over and then I’d flip him over – which wasn’t hard because he only came up to my shoulders if we were standing”. She even told Howard Stern once that Mick Jagger had a small penis: “He’s a midget, has a very small penis. He’s cheap, an asshole”. Daryl Hannah and Mick Jagger were seen leaving a New York club together in 1987. He might be a “sir” but, history taken into consideration, he couldn’t just have been a gentleman, and taking her home with just a peck on the cheek for goodnight. The first lady of France, Carla Bruni, had an on/off affair with Mick Jagger when she was in her 20s. Jerry Hall claimed that Mick’s and Carla’s romance was the reason for her separation from him.

In 1995, a paparazzi reportedly snapped a photo of Jagger and Uma Thurman kissing at the Viper Room in Hollywood. Jagger asked his security men to attack the photographer and destroy the film. This kiss caused him $600.000 in court. In the book “Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie: The True Story”, the biographer claims that Mick Jagger and Angelina Jolie hooked up after her appearance in the 1997 Rolling Stones video “Anybody Seen My Baby?”. In 2003, the two were seen going back to Jagger’s hotel room in Bangkok. The Brazilian model, Luciana Gimenez, dated Mick Jagger in the late 1990s. The two have one child together, a son named Lucas Maurice Morad Jagger.

“Life”, published in October 2010. There, he reveals how he used to mock Jagger with nicknames like “Your Majesty” and “Brenda”, which he used in front of the other bandmates. He says that ‘till the mid- 1970s the pair could not be separated and that they made every decision for the band together. But after the split up, Richards started going his way, which was the “downhill road to dopesville [for Richards] and Mick ascended to jet land” as he himself says. According to Richards, Jagger was jealous and didn’t want him to have other male friends. “There is a weird possessiveness about him. […] I have a feeling that Mick thought I belonged to him. And I didn’t like that at all”.

Jagger seems to finally have found a woman to settle with. He has been dating L’ Wren Scott since 2001.

Women were held responsible for some of their biggest feuds. Mick Jagger had slept with Richards’ girlfriend, Anita Pallenberg, and Richards, in order to gain his revenge, had slept with Jagger’s own girlfriend, Marianne Faithfull. “It was like two alphas fighting. Still is, quite honestly” he said. They might have their beefs but who doesn’t after all? “You try and keep something together for 50 years” Richards once said, and yet he admits that he has not been to Jagger’s dressing room in 20 years.

The fiery feuds with Keith Richards The “Glimmer Twins”, as they are known, had their ups and downs throughout the years. Their partnership is one of the most complicated in rock history, with Richards claiming that Mick Jagger eventually became “unbearable”. He even compares living with Jagger to having “an annoying mynah bird”, in his memoir/book

Tina Turner toured with the Rolling Stone first in 1966, when she taught Mick his legendary dance moves. “I learned a lot of things from Tina” he said, but apparently he wasn’t just referring to the dance moves, as the pair was ruBurst www.afternoiz.com

I’ve been warned by fate that I would eventually find the sounds of inner thoughts… I was leaving the past behind, with all the pieces of me scattered around when I realized that I’ve actually been disconnected from the present too. I said to myself “the road goes on” and kept on moving, though I’ve watched in silence, the stranger within me growing up… When you leave yourself at fate’s fingers your individuality vanishes without a trace! By Sissy Fanouraki / Photos by Axel Jusseit

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FATES WARNING (1982 – present day)

10 Things you all probably know

Studio albums: Night on Bröcken (1984), The Spectre Within (1985), Awaken the Guardian (1986), No Exit (1988), Perfect Symmetry (1989), Parallels (1991), Inside Out (1994), A Pleasant Shade of Gray (1997), Disconnected (2000), FWX (2004), Darkness in a Different Light (2013)

Formed in 1982 by vocalist John Arch, guitarists Jim Matheos, Victor Arduini, bassist Joe DiBiase and drummer Steve Zimmerman in Connecticut, US.

Live albums (DVD/VHS): Still Life (1998, 2CD), A Pleasant Shade of Gray (1998, VHS), Live at the Dynamo (2000, DVD), The View from Here (2003, DVD), Live in Athens (2005) Compilation albums: Chasing Time (1995) Singles: “Through Different Eyes” (1989), “Point of View” (1991), “Eye to Eye” (1992), “We Only Say Goodbye” (1992), “Pale Fire” (1994), “Monument” (1994), “A Pleasant Shade of Gray pt. 2” (1997) Music videos: “Kyrie Eleison” (1986), “Anarchy Divine” (1988), “Silent Cries” (1988), “Through Different Eyes” (1989), “Point of View” (1991), “Eye to Eye” (1992), “Monument” (1994), “Simple Human” (2004)

The band faced numerous line-up changes from 1982 to 1996 It became a pioneer of the American progressive metal movement in the 80s - part of the “flagship bands of progressive metal” alongside Queensrÿche and Dream Theater. Fates Warning has released 10 studio albums, 2 live albums, 1 compilation album, 1 VHS, 3 DVDs and 4 demo tapes. “No Exit”, released in 1988, became one of the band’s highest-charting albums peaking at number 111. The band’s 3rd studio album “Awaken the Guardian”, released in 1986 was the first “commercial-hit”. In 1987 John Arch left the band and was replaced in 1988 with Ray Alder. That year the album “No Exit” was released. After the release of “Parallels” in 1991, the band went for a two and a half-year hiatus. The members wanted to change the band’s name in 1987, when John Arch left the band. However Metal Blade denied the name change. To celebrate the 2010 re-issue of “Parallels” Fates Warning arranged some live dates with that album’s line-up (aka Alder, Matheos, Zonder, Aresti, DiBiase).

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10 Things you’ve most likely forgotten

10 Things you may not know

“Awaken the Guardian” peaked at number No. 191 on the Billboard 200 Chart and became the first album released by Metal Blade to enter that chart.

Ray Adler joined the band at the age of 19 (!) and he admits John Arch to have been his favourite singer. When he left the band Adler – being a great fan – thought that his replacer “is going to suck!”

In 1989 Mark Zonder replaced Steve Zimmerman and “Perfect Symmetry” was released. Kevin Moore – keyboardist of Dream Theater back then – was featured as a guest in “At Fate’s Hands” song. In “Parallels” album Dream Theater’s vocalist James LaBrie was a guest the song “Life in Still Water”.

Chris Kronk was Fates Warning first choice after the departure of John Arch but things didn’t work out for them so, Ray Adler was the band’s second choice. “Parallels” approximately cost the label $200,000

In 1992 “We Only Say Goodbye” single was released. A remix version of the song was going to be the 3rd single from “Parallels” album but it only appeared later in the “Chasing Time” compilation album.

Last year Jim Matheos stated in an interview that nowadays writing original music is getting harder for him because of the immense quantity of bands and genres in the music industry and that’s why he doesn’t “really listen to much metal these days”.

In 2005 the band released the concert DVD “Live in Athens” featuring drummer Nick D’Virgilio.

Jim Matheos’ least favorite album is “Night on Bröcken” (1984) because it was “absolutely horrible”.

Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater) who wrote the liner notes for the “Awaken the Guardian” re-issue, stated that fans and critics usually acclaim Dream Theater of being behind the creation of a new genre of progressive metal in the late ‘80s - early ‘90s but “the truth is Fates Warning were doing it years before us”.

The vocals in “Monument” were actually written by mistake. When Jim Matheos expressed his ‘dislike’ on Ray Adler’s vocals the first time, the latter stayed up all night long recording new ones. The following day producer Bill Metoyer, probably too tired from the process - hit the wrong button and… both vocals were running. “It was just absolute serendipity” Adler stated.

The band has recorded songs for tribute albums; “Closer to the Heart” (1996, “Working Man” - Rush tribute), “Saints in Hell” (1997, “Legends” - Judas Priest tribute), “Sign of the Southern Cross” (2000, “Holy Dio” - Ronnie James Dio tribute). Ray Adler’s voice and range changed over the years and he admits he has used his voice wrong and smoked too much. 20+ years later he feels a bit “silly singing that high stuff” “A Pleasant Shade of Gray” consists of a single 53-minute song split into twelve parts and according to the bandmates it was an album written for themselves. Metal Blade plans to re-release all the albums of Fates Warning from the very first -“Night on Brocken” - every two years.

Ray Adler is driving a Mustang and he has stated that he had had Mustangs his “whole life”. He bought the high-end Mustang Cobra in the ‘90s. The band was mainly touring in Holland and Germany because of Frank Aresti’s full-time job in the US. The track “Kyrie Eleison” written by John Arch & Jim Matheos was featured in the drama film “River’s Edge” (1986) alongside 4 Slayer tracks. It is said that Fates Warning developed a musical movement known as “thinking man’s metal” aka a metal genre a bit different from common metal genres.

Adding a few more words about the new release... “Darkness in a Different Light” is Fates Warning’s new studio album released on September 30th, 2013 in Europe and October 1th in North America. This is the first album since the band’s last effort “FWX” in 2004 and of course the longest gap between two albums’ releases in Fates Warning career. This album features guitarist Frank Aresti, for the first time since “Inside Out” (1994) and new dummer Bobby Jarzombek. “’Darkness in a Different Light’ true to its origami-like cover, is the perfect rearrangement of their main musical elements from all their eras, an album to be absolutely loved and appreciated by old and new Fates Warning fans alike” […] That’s how Burst Magazine feels about this release and you can read the entire album review on this Issue. Burst www.afternoiz.com

BAND INFOS, MERCHANDISE AND MORE:

W W W . N U C L E A R B L A S T. D E

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / N U C L E A R B L A S T E U R O P E

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200 live Albums you must hear without labeling music by marianna kofinaki

“Without music, life would be a mistake.” Friedrich Nietzsche Who could imagine life without music? Music is but a single en- They’re all works of art, regardless of musical genre or era. tity, devoid of “labels”, destined to speak to our very souls. And of course listening to our favorite artists performing live is a Burst Magazine is proud to present all those live musical diapriceless, unforgettable experience. monds, traveling you from the end of the ‘50’s till now. Are you ready for the trip? Brace yourselves and let us begin! Have you ever wondered how many beautiful live albums are out there? There’s no need to prioritize them by preference. Special Thanks to George Kofinakis

PART 4

band

released

album

info

Led Zeppelin

1976

The Song Remains The Same

The Song Remains the Same is the soundtrack live album of the concert film of the same name by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. The album was originally released in October 1976, before being remastered and re-issued in 2007.The recording of the album and the film took place during three nights of concerts at New York’s Madison Square Garden, during the band’s 1973 North American tour. All songs were recorded by Eddie Kramer using the Wally Heider Mobile Studio truck, and later mixed at Electric Lady Studios in New York and Trident Studios in London.

Lynyrd Skynryd

1976

One More For The Road

The first live album by Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. It is the only live album from the so-called “classic” era of the band (1970– 1977) prior to the plane crash that killed lead singer/songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, as well as band members Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines. It was certified Gold on 10/26/1976, Platinum on 12/30/1976 and 3x Platinum on 7/21/1987 by the RIAA.The original 12 tracks include a cover of Jimmie Rodgers’ “T for Texas” and an 11:30 version of “Free Bird”.

Bob Seger

1976

Live Bullet

‘Live’ Bullet is a live album by American rock band Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, released in April 1976. It was recorded at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan, during the heyday of that arena’s time as an important rock concert venue. The album, along with “Night Moves” are credited with launching Seger’s mainstream popularity.

cover

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18 # cover

band

released

album

info

Rainbow

1977

On Stage

On Stage is a double live album originally released by Rainbow in 1977. It was recorded live over several German and Japanese dates in late 1976 during the Rising world tour.Geoff Ginsberg of AllMusic writes: “On Stage is full of great songs and playing, but somehow it lacks some of the excitement that existed at those early Ritchie Blackmore concerts. The production is just kind of flat. That doesn’t change the fact that there is some great stuff to be found here and nowhere else, such as the side-long version of “Mistreated,” from Deep Purple’s Burn.”

Marvin Gaye

1977

Live At The London Palladium

Live at the London Palladium is a live double album by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released on March 15, 1977, on Tamla Records. Recording sessions took place live at several concerts at the London Palladium in London, UK, in October 1976, with the exception of the hit single “Got to Give It Up”, which was recorded at Gaye’s Los Angeles studio Marvin’s Room on January 31, 1977.The album features intimate performances by Gaye of many of his career highlights, including early hits for Motown and recent material from his previous three studio albums.

Moody Blues

1977

Caught Live + 5

Caught Live + 5 is a 1977 Moody Blues double album consisting of a 12 December 1969 live show at the Royal Albert Hall and five previously unreleased studio recordings from the same time period. It is the only live album recording by the band from their classic era.The concert showcases the band’s versatility on different instruments, and their ability to perform complex material from their first four albums in a live setting. “Gypsy” is the only representative of the contemporary album To Our Children’s Children’s Children.

Alice Cooper

1977

The Alice Cooper Show

Literally showcasing the performing abilities of Alice Cooper, The Alice Cooper show was recorded live in Las Vegas at the Aladdin Hotel on August 19 and 20, 1977, during Cooper’s “King Of The Silver Screen” United States tour. The TV special Alice Cooper and Friends featured live footage from that tour.

Tangerine Dream

1977

Encore

Encore: Tangerine Dream Live is an electronic music album released in 1977 by the German group Tangerine Dream.It is mostly assembled from various recordings from the band’s very successful 1977 U.S. tour. The album reached No.55 on the UK chart.

AC/DC

1978

If you want blood, you’ve got it

The first live album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, originally released in the US on 21 November 1978. The album was recorded live during the 1978 Powerage Tour and contains live versions of songs from T.N.T., Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Let There Be Rock, and Powerage. The album was listed at #2 on Classic Rock magazine’s readers’ poll of “50 Greatest Live Albums Ever”.

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19 band

released

album

info

Thin Lizzy

1978

Live And Dangerous

A live double LP by Irish legends Thin Lizzy, released in 1978. It was recorded in London in 1976 and Toronto in 1977, with further production in Paris. It was also the last album before Life to feature Brian Robertson, who went on to form Wild Horses with ex-Rainbow bassist Jimmy Bain. Regardless of the controversy on exactly how much of the album is overdubbed, it has received critical acclaim from several sources as one of the most popular rock live albums.

David Bowie

1978

Stage

Stage is David Bowie’s second live album, recorded on the Isolar II world tour, and released by RCA in 1978.Stage has been rereleased on CD three times to date, the first being in 1984 by RCA Records, then in 1991 by Rykodisc (containing a bonus track) and most recently in 2005 by EMI. he 1991 edition was awarded three stars out of five in Q (magazine): Performances are faster than the studio originals and suffer for it; what they gain in live jauntiness - not exactly a quality they were crying out for - they lose in power and intensity.”

Scorpions

1978

Tokyo Tapes

Tokyo Tapes is the first live album by German heavy metal band Scorpions, featuring songs from all Scorpions’ albums released before 1978, which were recorded at Nakano Sun Plaza on April 24 and 27, during the band’s Japanese tour in 1978. Roth commented about the recording of the album: “Tokyo Tapes was a peak time, we have played together for all these years and it all came together at that time. ”

Cheap Trick

1978

At Budokan

Cheap Trick at Budokan is a live album released by Cheap Trick in 1978 and their best-selling recording. It was ranked number 426 in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of “the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”n the U.S., the album peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 and became the group’s best selling album with over three million copies sold. It also ranked number 13 on Billboard’s Top Pop Albums of 1979 year-end chart. Cheap Trick at Budokan was certified triple Platinum in 1986 by the RIAA.

Bob Marley

1978

Babylon By Bus

A live album released by Bob Marley & The Wailers in 1978. The tracks on this album are considered, with two exceptions, to be from the Pavillon de Paris concerts over 3 nights, 25–27 June 1978, during the Kaya Tour, though there are discrepancies in the track listing. Like the 1973 album Catch a Fire, the first release had something of a novelty cover. The windows of the bus on the front cover were cut out, revealing part of the inner sleeve. As this was a double album, the listener had a choice of four different scenes to view through the windows.

The Blues Brothers

1978

A Briefcase Full Of Blues

Briefcase Full of Blues was the first album by The Blues Brothers, released on November 28, 1978 by Atlantic Records. The album reached #1 on the Billboard 200 and went double platinum. Two singles were released, “Rubber Biscuit”, which reached number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 and “Soul Man,” which reached number 14.

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Burst www.afternoiz.com To be continued on issue 12, December 2013. Keep bursting!

Famous Covers pt.2

20 Famous songs, that many of us did not believe they were covers, rock’s finest moments and those of the Pop scene alike, have established many artists; brought the initial ones into the spotlight and then others, more known as well. The covers have been so much linked to their interpreters, that it is challenging for the audience to realize whether they were the first to sing them or not. Some still remain unknown for many. The original takes were put aside, as the star of some luckier artists shadowed their effort and “stole” all their glory. We present you famous covers that got all the fame, or, as we say in Greece, “One talks the talk but another walks the walk”! By Cristina Alossi 1.Turn the page In 1973, Bob Seger with a piano, a saxophone and a melancholic rhythm, spoke of the pain and the loneliness of the artist, who’s touring away from his home for such a long time. In 1998, Metallica lifted it off with a speedy, metal attitude. 2.Torn The rock band, Ednaswap, L.A., released its debut album, Torn; however the Australian actress Natalie Imbruglia created a cover of that song in the beginning of her career and stole all the glory. 3.It’s oh so quiet The Icelander Bjork was established with this hit in England. It really was a song from 1948 and it was firstly sung by the American actress Betty Hutton. Its original title was “blow a fuse”. 4.Renegades of Funk This is a tribute song for the great revolutionary men of America, like Martin Luther King. The rap band, Africa Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force, to the rhythm of which people danced in 1982. That lasted until 2001, when the Rage Against The Machine cover we all headbanged with was released. 5.Hazy Shade of Winter We all found out about it in 1987, performed by The Bangles, and it was a must for every mix tape. The original belongs to Simon & Garfunkel and, in fact, it was created years ago, in 1966. 6.Ready or Not The soul band from Philadelphia, The Delfonics, stated “ready or not here I come” in 1968, but the audience was meant to know this song with Burst www.afternoiz.com

the Fugees performance and Lauryn Hill (1996). 7.Dazed and Confused When you’re in a band called the Led Zeppelin, every song you say, whether it belongs to you or not, is automatically yours. Yardbirds did try, but in vain. The original take belongs to Jake Holmes. 8.Hard to Handle The amazing Otis Redding was copied and almost everybody made covers. But the Black Crowes’ cover was indeed exceptional, by turning a soulfunk piece to a hip hop one. 9.My Prerogative Bobby Brown in an 80’s look and attitude sang it in 1988, climbing on the charts and expanding his audience. In 2004, the “problematic” Britney Spears found a way to tell it off to her “enemies”. The song fit her perfectly and was identified with her. 10.There She Goes The LA’s recorded this one and released the single four times! It is said that it was inspired by the Velvet Underground’s “there she goes” and that it talks about heroin. In 1999, Sixpence None The Richer brought it to the top of the charts. 11.My Way Paul Anka, in a trip in France, discovered Claude Francois’ song “Comme d’ habitude”, meaning “As usual”. When coming back to New York, he gave it to Frank Sinatra, who turned it to one of his milestone songs. It initially spoke about a man, who is about to end his marriage due to routine and boredom, whilst in Frank’s version it is the same man, reminiscing the life he lived under his own terms.

Nine years later, Sex Pistols’ bassist, Sid Vicious added an anarchistic touch to it. 12.Child in Time Ian Gillan himself revealed that it is a remix of the “Bombay Calling”, by the It’s A Beautiful Day, a psychedelic band from San Francisco. 13.American Pie A goodbye song by Don McLean for the death of Buddy Holly, as he says in the lyrics: “the day that music died”. But the queen of pop, Madonna, took it, cut it and danced all the way to the top of the charts. 14.Hey Jo In 1965 a band from L.A., The Leaves-their singer later went to The Turtles to record and met success with the “Happy Together”- were the ones who sang the song first, which we all listened by the ultimate guitarist Jimi Hendrix. 15.Hippy Hippy Shake Chan Romero, aged 17, performed a song that became a hit to the Australian audience only (1959). Four years later, the Beatles sang it Live at BBC and turned it into an international a hit. 16.I Fought The Law It was written by Sonny Curtis, who was a member of the Buddy Holly’s band, “The Crickets”; Unfortunately, Buddy passed away, so Sonny recorded it with the Bobby fuller four, failing to make it famous. It was revived and turned into a smash hit in 1979, though the punk rock band The Clash. 17.Mambo No. 5 The famous Mambo King Perez Prado (1952), released this one in an instrumental version. In 1999, the German Lou Bega came in with lyrics

and success. 18.Hanging On The Telephone The original take belongs to the American Jack Lee in 1976. Two years later, the punk group Blondie, with a blond Playboy bunny behind the mic, took it to the top. 19.Killing Me Softly With His Song In 1973, it was a success by Roberta Flack, yet most of us found out about it and loved it by the Fugees in 1996. 20.Manic Monday We all know it, but almost nobody does know that it was written by Prince for the duet Apollonia 6 in 1984. He withdrew it and it was not released back then. Luckily, two years later, he gave it to the Bangles and they were received with the relative success.

Focus - Hocus Pocus Yodeadodoyodeadodoyodeadodoyodeadodo yodeadodoyodeadodoyo-bab-baaaaa Ahhhhhhaaahhhh-aaaaaa-aaaaAAA! Ohhhhhh-ooohhh-oooooo-oooOOO! Yodeadodoyodeadodoyodeadodoyodeadodo yodeadodoyodeadodoyo-bab-baaaaa Ahhhhhhaaahhhh-aaaaaa-aaaaAAA! Ohhhhhh-ooohhh-oooooo-oooOOO! umdub-adaoh-segel-ungucurungetu-hungetur-hupreyu undubea-unpedurl-humpelillyluptodoro-licktetor-ulumpadero umbader-lickatine-lupator-lackatera batickatheplalera theblumpalumpadera ho? ho ho ha haaaa! Yodeadodoyodeadodoyodeadodoyodeadodo yodeadodoyodeadodoyo-bab-baaaaa Ahhhhhhaaahhhh-aaaaaa-aaaaAAA! Ohhhhhh-ooohhh-oooooo-oooOOO! Bom bom bom bom Bom bom bom Bom bom bom bom bom bom bom Bom bom bom Bom bom bom Bom bom bom bom bom bom Bac bac bac bac bac backaaaaa! Yeeeeha! ba um um um um um ba um um um um um ba oooohhboooobooboboboooo! Yodeadodoyodeadodoyodeadodoyodeadodo yodeadodoyodeadodoyo-bab-baaaaa Ahhhhhhaaahhhh-aaaaaa-aaaaAAA! Ohhhhhh-ooohhh-oooooo-oooOOO! Yeaah! Whoooo!

Stathia’s Track

by Stathia Pedioti Grail is a sacred symbol, that it may represent Jesus’ bloodline. And Focus seems to give us clues of the Grail’s true meaning within this famous and “innocent” song. “Its first line “Yodeadodoyodeadodoyodeadodoyodeadodo” is obviously an allusion to the great “Ard-RÃ“ (high king) of Ireland. Ard-RÃs, not allowed any imperfections, were avid believers in the myth of the Holy Grail, and sought after it to ensure their state of perfection, believing that if they found the grail, they would become beings of true perfection, like Jesus. They divided Ireland in to 5 provinces, to perform a grid-like search for the Grail. This is interesting to note because it has been rumoured that Jesus had 5 fingers. The lyrics “Yodeadodoyodeadodoyodeadodoyodeadodo” roughly translates to “Jesus turned the grail into a port key, it is hidden in the Irish Country side.” This is the first important Clue Thijs van Leer slyly slips into “Hocus Pocus”.” And how’s that a reliable source of info? Over a decade ago, the anthropologist Edward Tylor discovered a locked door in the back of his closet of his Beverly Hills home. The door was made of Hawthorne, and upon the door in gold letters were the words “What’s da password?” Focus, upon hearing of this mysterious door, travelled to Beverly Hills to help. Drummer Pierre van der Linden walked right up to the door and whispered “humpelilly-luptodoro”.

ing that there is a final clue “one of the most convincing pieces of evidence of the location of the holy grail. The term “Bom” is used within the song 26 times. 26 is the number of words that the word “grail” can be rearranged into. This leads us to the conclusion that the Holy Grail is most definitely in Ireland.” Ok, that’s just a story probably, someone’s perspective. What about the facts? Among other instruments, this song also contains flute, accordion and various vocal sounds, while it’s known for its use of yodelling. In an interview with the British newspaper New Musical Express in May 1973, lead guitarist Jan Akkerman said “Hocus

Pocus” was “just a send-up of those rock groups.” (songfacts.com) Well, that’s it for this issue! Hope you enjoyed this as I did, it may sound quite farfetched but it’s something “new”.

And that’s not all. Our friend’s also claim-

And The Verdict Is Yup...Stathia’s Track this time is a special song, which many call instrumental. It actually has “lyrics” -not just gibberish but lyrics! But how am I to convince you that all of the above means anything? Well, I’ll give it a shot. I found a quite fascinating “story” for you, so when you’ll be talking about this song you will also impress your friends (and not only your friends). Hocus Pocus is a phrase we all have connected with witches and wizards. According to some guy on songmeanings. com, Focus are in fact a band of wizards (wait, now we begin!) So, this guy claims that this track is “the greatest clue humanity has towards the discovery of the Holy Grail”. The Holy Burst www.afternoiz.com

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MAX CAVALERA The Heaviest Metal of All Time! By Spiros Smyrnis / Cover photo by Tim Tronckoe

Back in 1999, when a friend of mine gave me a copy of Chaos A.D., I could have never imagined that someday I would have the chance to talk to Max Cavalera! Max is no longer in Sepultura, while Soulfly are finally fifteen years old! Max celebrated with a brand new album titled “Savages” and Burst Magazine contacted him in order to learn everything about Soulfly and the rest of Max’s interesting Plans. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did! Read that loud!

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24 Hello Max! It is more than an honor for me, speaking to a musician I respect for his work and his attitude through these years. Thank you for your kind words. So let’s talk about your upcoming album. How much different is “Savages” comparing to “Enslaved”? I think that they have some similarities. Half of Savages is closer to Enslaved with extreme death metal parts. We have stuff from the new album, like “Fallen” and “Cannibal Holocaust”, which are very extreme, while the other half of Savages is a little bit like older Soulfly albums, such as “Prophecy”. There’s a lot of new stuff in the album, like Ayatollah of Rock n Rolla, something totally new and different from what I’ve ever done. “K.C.S” featuring Mitch Harris from Napalm Death is influenced by bands like Meshuggah and Gojira. I’m happy with the record. I think it’s the right record for Soulfly, really powerful and very strong. It has very strong songs, cool choruses. “Bloodshed,” for example, features my favorite rhythm in it. The opening riff is probably one of the best I’ve written over the last years. I am very excited for this record and I think that Soulfly fans are gonna love it! You stated that you were so excited to work with Terry Date, whom I consider to be one of the best producers of all time. How did Terry improve the sound of “Savages”? You know, actually Terry was really cool. I was expecting him to change everything and be like ”I don’t like this, I don’t like that, I want you to change this song”. Well, he didn’t do anything like that. He didn’t change anything. He liked everything the way it was. This was a surprise for me. He told me, “Max the problem today is that we -the producers- change too much and we destroy the original ideas that way”. So, as you can understand, the original idea was good; the raw, first idea is always powerful. When you start changing and Burst www.afternoiz.com

complicating things, you lose the original idea and that’s when things turn to shit. When he told me that, I was actually very happy! On the other hand, he recorded the album in the best way possible. He gave me the best drums sound, the best guitar sound and we worked the vocals next to him in the control room. I’ve never done that before. I had the mic on and I was singing next to Terry Date. After we finished each song, we said to each other: “Great, another one down, let’s go to the next song”. It was great team work. We had a very good relationship and I fuckin’ love the sound of “Savages”. It’s my favorite sound of any Soulfly record: Powerful, raw, heavy and Terry has a credit for it. This is the first album featuring, Zyon, your son, behind the drum kit. I think that playing in the same band with your own son is an experience one of a kind. Am I right? Yeah, it was really exciting. I was going to find another drummer, when he asked me to give him a chance and let him try playing in the record and give some shows. Zyon brought to “Savages” the young energy and young blood, full of raw energy. When he plays with Soulfly, the band invigorates and it felt like something new. When I decided I should take the risk and let him be the drummer in Savages, I actually told Terry “let’s explore the energy of this kid because he is only 21 years old. He’s hungry, he got the hunger”. When I was 21, I was hungry for music and I wanted to explore that feeling. That is the thing that the new album has a lot. It has this raw energy and I think we succeeded in that. Although he is not a final member in the band cause he has another band with his brother called Lody Kong –with whom they’re doing good, sound good and I think they’re gonna get signed soon on their own way- I have to find another drummer for Soulfly to continue my path with Soulfly; but, for the moment, he is with us on tour and I enjoy that. It’s really killer that we are together.

Photo by Charlene Tupper

25 You have already answered my following question which was: What did Zyon bring in this album? I think that this is a dream come true for any many metalhead father around the world, and you did it! Besides, there are not many fathers out there playing in the same band with their sons! Yeah, it’s something unique and really cool! You know, we recorded Zyon’s heart for Chaos A.D. when Zyon was in hospital. He was always involved in my music, even from the beginning; and now… 21 years later, I’m actually recording a full album with him! It’s amazing! Time goes really fast, seems like yesterday his heart was beating on Chaos AD. Let’s stay on the lyrics for a while. Which are the stories you’re going to share with Soulfly fans this time? Any sources of Inspiration? “Savages” lyrics are mostly brutal and aggressive about the state of world, about humanity too. There’s stuff on ”Bloodshed” about the crisis in the world, Syria, Iraq, Israel and Palestine, all the stuff you see every day on TV: car-bombing, uprisings! “Bloodshed” has a Chaos AD mentality, that songs like Territory and Refuse/Resist had. Then we have different things, like “Ayatollah of Rock n Rolla”, based on Mad Max movie and also on the writer Hunter Thomson, the writer of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I read a lot of his writings. We have other songs like “El Comegente,” which means people-eater; it was inspired by a serial killer who was a cannibal and then he used the nickname Hannibal Lecter of the Andes, so we did a song about him in Portuguese and in Spanish! It was great. All these elements together make “Savages a special record! Just like Sepultura many years ago, Soulfly have a clear political meaning through their lyrics. Nowadays, as you’ve already said, more and more people protest against the

social and economic situation in Europe, Asia, Africa while the USA are about to invade in Syria. Which are your thoughts about the situation we are going through these days? The world is crazy! We have riots in Brazil; I know that Greece has a lot of riots because of the money problems! All these are hard times, man, but I think that when you have hard times you also have good music, like the punk wave in England! The world is in a bad shape, it’s fucked up, but that’s good for music! I see… Let’s get back on “Savages”. You have some very interesting guest appearances in your new album: Neil Fallon, Mitch Harris and Jamie Hanks. There are three historic figures of extreme music, while Fallon, in particular, is not so close musi-

ment in bands very much, so we come together with Jamie in “Fallen” , which is a brutal death metal song. Jamie did some amazing brutal vocals there, especially in the middle part; it’s killer! Then we also have Mitch Harris, a huge person in extreme music. I am a huge Napalm Death fan! I love this band! I think that they are among the best bands in the world, among the few remaining making killer records. Mitch has a great voice, really high-pitched and fits perfectly on “KCS”. “It was about time to work together, man”, we said to each other during the recordings. I have also my son Igor, featured on the “Bloodshed” song! We needed a punk rock voice for this song and Igor has the perfect one. Overall, I think that we have really cool guests on “Savages,” different one to another: Mitch, Neil, Jamie and Igor. All these different voices, singing in their own personal style make

with vinyl’s? I love vinyl’s and I am so happy that they are doing the vinyl version for “Savages”. I can’t wait to get my copy of it. I still have my own turntable, my old records, all these Celtic Frost, Kreator, old Metallica records! I have lots of punk stuff too. I think it’s a great idea of doing this version for Savages! I hope more people are gonna buy vinyl’s. This is the die-hard form. The original way of listening to music, before ipods, before any technical shit we have today. As a vinyl collector myself I’m totally with you on that. You know the cover looks big! You also have the whole ritual of taking the vinyl out and putting the needle on it and you wanna hear this scratch. In ipod, you just push the play button and it’s all there. That’s

“

When I was 21, I was hungry for music and I wanted to explore that feeling. That is the thing that the new album has a lot. It has this raw energy and I think we succeeded in that.

cally to Soulfly. How did these co-operations come up? I’ve always been a fan of Clutch. With Sepultura, we took Clutch on Europe in 1995. They are a very good rock band, playing solid southern rock. I was searching someone different for the song “Ayatollah of Rock n Rolla”; I was searching for a deeper voice, completely different from what I am doing. Neil was that voice! He has a very cool, clean voice and when he sings in the middle of the song, he has a Clutch vibe. It is very cool. He was the perfect choice for the song. I love “Ayatollah of Rock n Rolla”. Then we have Jamie from I Declare War, which is one of my favorite new bands together with Acacia Strain and other new bands I’m listening right now. I like this new move-

“Savages” a great album for me!

why I still have a turntable and listen to vinyl’s myself.

I’m sure that the appearance of Igor (the other son of Max) in Savages is the most special for you.

Paul Stottler, who did the ultra-classic “Surf Nicaragua” cover, did the Savages cover too.

It was great! He even did a little piece, just the chorus he achieved the goal of the song, which was a different, recognizable voice in the chorus. Igor’s vocals in the chorus gave the extra punk edge the song needed. I’m very proud of him! He did very well in the tour we had so far, so I’m more than happy for it.

I worked with Paul on this. We asked ourselves, “what is the most metal thing to put it on the cover”? It’s a skull, the most metal thing of all time. “Beneath the Remains” has a skull too. So, he did a whole skull-face looking at you, something I found very powerful. I love the Savages cover ‘cause this skull is screaming at you. It’s looking at you like screaming the lyrics of the album. It’s just a big fucking skull, standing in the middle of the album. It kept the essence of metal.

The album will be released in a Two-LP edition via Nuclear Blast. Over the last years people’s interest for vinyl’s has increased. How do you feel about it, since you’ve been raised

How was your cooperaBurst www.afternoiz.com

26 tion with Nuclear Blast? Are things easier for Soufly working with the biggest metal label worldwide? We have signed with Nuclear Blast after so many years with Roadrunner records. There are men in Nuclear Blast who helped us a lot in our career with Sepultura and Soulfly, so it is great working together again. I like the label. There were people walking with doom-shirts on this company. It’s great working with metalheads. It’s a true label that loves metal and what Soulfly need right now. It’s a label that understands this kind of mu-

sic and also that we don’t give a shit being on the radio. We don’t give a shit of being commercial. We don’t care about these things. Nuclear Blast understands the identity of Soulfly and they will do a great job promoting the record, making sure it will reach all the right people. How did the Maximum Cavalera Tour go? It went well. We did a European tour and then we did an American one, only a month ago. It was super cool playing with my kids,’ cause Lody Kong are really, really good! We had some amazing live

shows and the songs sounded awesome. It reminds me of Igor playing in the old days of Sepultura. It was a family tour, with us all hanging out in the same bus. We are a metal family man! We grew up in this music, my kids too. I have pictures of my kids sleeping in the cabinets while Ozzy was playing Paranoid! I am so glad that they don’t like hip-hop or pop music (Britney Spears and One Direction kind of bullshit) and they’re metalheads like their father. Our house is a school of metal all day long! Which are the upcoming Soulfly tour plans? We have a tour in October.

We are coming in Europe in March/end of February with Devildriver. That’s gonna be a long tour! Two months and I’m sure that Greece is gonna be included too. I love Greece and I hope we get back there soon. Devildriver is a cool band too and they had a new album like us, so it’s gonna be a great package I think! Soulfly with Devildriver in Greece! This will be a hell of a package as it’s been a long time since your last visit in Greece. We can’t wait any more man! Me too, man! After all these years, is there any dream you hadn’t managed to come true yet? My music dream was different. In the beginning I wanted to live from music and now I’m living that dream ‘cause I don’t need to have another job and all the stuff I do is music. Now my dream is to continue doing what I love! I look people like Lemmy and Ozzy as inspiration ‘cause they’re doing this for a long time. I hope in the next 20 or 30 years that I will be standing in the scene playing metal, this kind of shit I really like. You are announced to have a guest on Man Must Die upcoming album. Any other projects you’re in apart from Soulfly? Yeah, I love this Scottish band and I’m going to be in their upcoming album. I can’t wait for the upcoming tour with Soulfly. The mix of older songs with the new ones! I’m gonna record the new Cavalera album next year, this will be our third official album, the most brutal one; so, I told Igor to listen to some Pulling Teeth stuff. This is the direction I want for the upcoming album, in order to sound brutal as fuck! Again, Max, it was a great honor for me and the last words are yours! Thank you for this interview and take care!

Photo by Charlene Tupper Burst www.afternoiz.com

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Exclusive

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TOM KEIFER Interview by Sobieski Sisters Photos by Thomas Petillo

We don’t need to say much about Tom Keifer: Front man and cowriter of the hard rock band Cinderella and maybe one of the most signature and significant voices of the 80s era, he has contributed a lot to the rock music scene, not only with his compositions, but with also with his persona. Unlike other rock artists of his decade, he was not forgotten, partially due to the band’s authentic and bluesier sound that differentiated them. Although Cinderella’s songs are alltime favorites – especially for the fans of the rock scene that flourished during the 80s-, for many years we didn’t have new material from the band. However, Tom pleasantly surprised his fans when, last April, he released his long-anticipated first solo album, “The Way Life Goes”. The final result was that it was definitely worth waiting! We had the opportunity to talk with Tom and learn more about his new work, his future plans and many more...Enjoy!

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30 You’ve been around for many years. Last April your first solo album “The Way Life Goes” was released. Tell us more about it... How has it all started? Why after so many years? It just kinda started almost by accident. I’ve been writing songs and they were piling up and I just decided to start recording tracks one day. I wanted to produce them via an independent label so that I could take my time with it. I produced the record with my wife Savanah and a friend of

mine, Chuck Turner, and we just decided to work on it till it felt like we wanted it to sound like. There was no pressure, it was fun to make. You worked on this project for quite a while. Did your fans respond in the way you were hoping for? Yes, yes. There’s been a great response and we’re very happy with the way it came out. It was nice to have the luxury of time to really get it all the way I was yearning. It’s something that i didn’t have -that luxuryso much on some of the early records that i was involved in. Burst www.afternoiz.com

Why did you choose this title “The Way Life Goes”, for this album? Is there any special reason? The title just sums up the lyrics of the record. As we were putting together the lyrics and rereading them written on paper, we noticed they were was about different life experiences and emotions. In the end it just seemed like a natural type of thing, to sum it all up.

chorus in the back of my head. The next thing, you know, was that we had this cool rock song and it happened very quickly. To me it’s about how life is something that you have to keep up with, it’s not the destination of the journey. Life’s gonna keep throwing new stuff and you got to keep up with it. Is there any song from the album that is more special to you for any reason?

Do you want to share anything about your songs, any stories behind them?

Songs that I wrote for Savanah and what she’s meant to me and my life. “Thick and Thin” is

Why don’t you pick one and I’ll tell you about it?! Is there one that you wanna know about?

one of them. And ‘You Showed Me”, those are pretty personal, very special to me. I like different songs for different reasons. “A Different Light” is kind of unique for me, in terms of production and sound. That one is pretty cool too.

For example “Solid Ground”, one of our favorites! Well, I wrote that song with my wife Savanah and I would say songs come about in two ways. Some songs just fall out and happen really quickly and then other songs take a little bit of time to come together. It’s no right or wrong. “Solid Ground” was one that just fell out. We were sitting around the living room one night with some guitars and I had this idea for a

What is -for you- the most intense part of the creating process? The creating process is always intense. You hear something in your head and the beginning of the process is writing this thing that you hear in your head. Then, the second part of the process is capturing, re-

cording it and making it sound in the way you hear it in your head coming out the speakers in the studio. That’s not a tangible thing; it’s not an exact science. It can get very intense sometimes. Sometimes it happens very easily and that’s cool. But sometimes you got to really work for it and fight for it and that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. It just means you’re taking some time to find something that is not easily coming out. So those are the times that it comes out to be more intense.

How does it feel when, after playing for more than 10 years with Cinderella, you create something on your own? It’s cool! It was nice to get out and tour this year and to write new music. I’ve been touring with Cinderella on and off these years. Getting out this year kinda started something fresh with the release of the record. A new band, my solo band, doing a mixture of old Cinderella favorites but also the show was 50%, you know 6-7 new songs, you had the record almost. And the show was really exciting. Doing that, it

31 really brings new life. You stated that one of the people you worked with for the album was your wife. How does it feel to create something with a person so close to you? It’s all very natural. We both worked much in the same way in terms of songwriting and creating music. It’s never something that either of us tried to force. You just got to let it happen. We both approach on not only the writing but the recording aspect as well. So it just feels very natural. Musical style has changed a lot over the last years. Do you feel that in your new album you had to adjust your songs to a more ‘modern’ sound? A lot of that was part of the mixing process. My writing process has always been the same and it’s inspired by life and real things. I just tried to let that happen and be real. In terms of the sound, that’s in the mixing process. We worked very hard to have the record, to have a very honest, in your face and more contemporary production and sound to it. A lot of that comes from listening to newer artists. While we were making this record, great sources of inspiration were bands like Train, Buckcherry and Jet. I love the production of their records and we were definitely using them. I know they’re not brand new today but the production of those records has held up very well and they still sound contemporary because they’re dry and edgy. So we have listened to those and they meant a lot in production and mixing. What is more important to you: a critic review or the feedback received from the audience? What it really boils down to and always means the most to me is what the fans think. That being said if you get a nice review from a critic, I’ll take that too (laughs). But the fans are who the music is made for and the fans are the people who keep the music alive. The fans are who supported me and

Cinderella and they’re supporting my solo record. That’s really what matters the most. That’s who the album is made for and that’s who i want to be happy. For them, you know. Talking about the audience, what has changed over the years? Well, the industry has changed drastically, particularly due to downloading, and I’m referring to illegal downloading. Over the years, the mentality has become more and more as to just give the music away. That bothers me. One of the major things that get hurt is artistic development. So it breaks my heart for new and upcoming artists. There’s fewer and fewer opportunities for those artists to be developed the way we were back in our decade. I had a good fortune of coming up when there wasn’t so much piracy. The record and publishing companies had tons of revenue and they put tons of money into artists’ development and they were staying with them for several records. That’s obviously one of the biggest changes in the industry. A challenging thing for a new artist, or even myself now, with the new record up. It’s a very different game. Recently you performed live with Halestorm. What’s your next step? Should we expect you in Europe? Well we’ll kinda take one step at the time. We’re on the break now from the tour in the States. We’re gonna try and get over there. If you had to choose between songwriting and performing, what’s more exciting for you? They are two very different things. But live, I love performing live because it’s a real moment. It is what it is; there are no do-overs. Every night you get the chance to do it again and do it better. On the studio is more analytical and you try to play something down, you know how it’s gonna be it and the people are going to listen to it for a long time. It’s very different process. I love both

but if i had to choose...there is nothing like doing a live show. It’s just real and it’s honest and it’s the connection with people immediately: The interaction between the stage, the band and the audience. It’s just nothing better. We know that you had serious issues with your vocal chords. How did you feel when the doctor informed you that you could possibly not sing again? My initial reaction was denial. I didn’t wanna believe it, ‘cause they said there’s no cure for this. So I started consulting to different specialists and people. All kind of crazy things I went through. I was trying to find a different answer, that there was a cure for this. In the end it was what it was, so it had to be an acceptance. And the acceptance was that I was gonna sing again and I had to retrain my voice. That has taken me years and it’s been an up and down battle and as strong as it may be since the diagnosis. But it’s still a challenge every day. I’m grateful that I’ve kinda found a way around it sometimes. I’ve worked with some really amazing vocal teachers and coaches and I’ve been able to overcome something that they said i wouldn’t be able to. So I thank God every day for that I can still do what I do.

tell you one that really, really stands out. I don’t know if it’s the most significant, because it’s been some things along the way, it’s all accumulative and today is a combination of many years of experiences, right? But I got to say the Moscow Music Peace Festival was a pretty cool point in our career, being involved in this festival. That was pretty amazing. Should your fans expect any new material or tour from Cinderella? We’ll see. It’s not for the record desire in our part, we’ll just meet the right situation and we’ll see. It’s got to be the right circumstances. Reaching the end of our interview, do you want to send any message to our readers? I’m looking forward to get there whenever we can and I wanna thank them for the support all over the years, it means the world to me. I hope I will get there soon! P.S. For more info about Tom Keifer and Cinderella check Burst issue #8

When we’re talking about the 70’s music scene, some of the top bands in your opinion are the Eagles or Led Zeppelin, bands that you have stated that became inspiration for you. But when we’re talking about the 80’s, Cinderella is one of the first bands that come to mind. How do you feel about this, that you’re now the inspiration for so many people? It’s an awesome feeling. It’s something, that if you can affect someone else’s life in that way, nothing feels better than that. What was the most significant moment in your career? That’s hard to pick, but I’ll Burst www.afternoiz.com

SAMI YLI-SIRNIÖ Interview by Sissy Fanouraki Photos by Heilemania

Kreator, the thrash metal band from Essen, Germany has an enormous music history. They recorded the debut album “Endless Pain” in 10 days! From Tyrant (1982) to Tormentor and Kreator (1985) the band slowly became one of the most promising European metal acts and now, 28 years after their first album, Kreator are living legends! My legends, one my favourite bands ever... A day before my summer vacation I was informed about the interview and as expected, Burst Magazine made the arrangements asap! [...] When Sami finally managed to connect – because he’s a bit old-school – the first questions popped out after the proper acquaintances. “Hello...” earth is calling me...!!! One of the funniest moments was when we briefly mentioned the sunburn-effect of Rockwave Festival “I had this black guitar, you know and it was like boiling”, Sami said. Further to my comment on the ‘blond-red faced dressed in black’ persona, Sami added “I looked like a total alcoholic”!!! In a nutshell, Sami Yli-Sirniö is a great guitarist, a very cool person and I really enjoyed talking with him!! As for his ‘influence’ on the sound of the band, I guess, it’s a bit more than the 1/4th as he commented... Burst www.afternoiz.com

33 Calling from Athens, Greece… Where are you?

tween Greek fans and Kreator.

I’m in Helsinki, Finland sitting in my balcony and the sun is shining. We were just in Athens in July for a Festival.

Yeah! I guess it has to do with the fact that in most of the tours that we’ve played in Europe, we played in Athens and Thessaloniki too and we always had a really good crowd coming in, a very enthusiastic audience. So that’s why we always feel good to play in Greece, knowing that people will show up and appreciate our music; of course it’s a wonderful feeling I wasn’t in the band during the early 90’s; however, they recorded the “Betrayer” video over there, under the Acropolis, but I can’t tell you anything more about this ‘cause I wasn’t there! (Laughs)

Yes, I know… I was there too, in the front row. So, I have some questions for you, are you ready? You were there? Great! Sure! RockWave Festival, did you have a good time during that show? Oh! Absolutely! It was Carcass and Lana Del Rey who were playing… She was in fact on the next day’s line up. Yes, we didn’t get to stay. It would have been nice to stay for a longer time but there were some other things to do… But I remember they booked a really nice hotel for us, not too far away from the venue, in a nice small village over there that was next to the beach, and of course I went for a swim. And they took good care of us and fed us. Actually we ended up sitting at the bar of the hotel until we had to go to the airport, around 5-6am so it was a lot of fun, ridiculously fun! This was your first time playing in an open-air festival in Greece, right? Well, we’ve played in Greece many times, but now that you mentioned it I think we always played in clubs; there have always been these two gigs, one in Athens and then one in Thessaloniki. It was the first open-air, yeah! It was cool! So, did you enjoy playing alongside Carcass? Absolutely! I mean, I’ve known these people before. Some years ago, Jeff Walker recorded his solo album here in Helsinki, in a friend’s studio, in Amorphis’ keyboardist studio; I knew Jeff back then and we spent some time together. During your show in RWF, Mille said that there is a strong connection be-

“Betrayer” and “Civilization Collapse” are two video clips with reference to Greece and as a band you have special bond with the Greeks. Do you feel it when you perform live? In Greece? Absolutely, yeah! As I said earlier, there is always such a great crowd response, that’s why we always know in advance that when we’re going to play over there it will be good and everybody’s looking forward to it because of that good feeling! As for “Civilization Collapse” video, it was a song that wasn’t originally written about Greece but when the riots and so on happened back then we’ve kinda noticed that this song is more or less about Greece, the end of capitalism, the downfall of western civilization. The guy who was doing the video had the idea and he contacted a person who took a lot of photographs during the riots, and when he brought it up we said ‘Yes’; we didn’t realize at first but then… that’s what the song is about. I have some questions for you as a musician before Kreator. You’ve played the guitar for many bands, such as In Rags, Tiamat and Grip Inc. Am I right? (Laughs) Yes, you’re right but those are more studio sessions, where I took part like a guest musician… and I was also playing an Indian instrument, called Sitar.

I read somewhere that you love playing the sitar as well; is that true? Sure, of course! My cousin’s wife gave it to me as a present, back in the 90’s, because she’s from India, and I started playing around with it, read a book about it and, all of the sudden, it became known that I do it, because there are not so many people here in Finland, who play the sitar… Then I got all these offers to play in various albums and I also did for Nightwish and Samael. From ‘89 to ‘95 you were a member of Finnish band Waltari. When did you decide that music/the guitar is your destiny? (Laughs) Well, guitar is my main instrument for sure… I got is as a present when I was like 13 or 14. In the beginning, I wasn’t that interested in that but then I started taking up classic guitar lessons at the age of 15. During the first professional gig that I had with Waltari, I was still under age, 16 or 17. Back then I had trouble getting inside the clubs, because it was forbidden for youngsters under 18 years old. I guess it was at some point, when I realized I didn’t have time to study music so much, ‘cause there were so many gigs, ‘this is what I’m doing’… like an accident, more or less! Playing shows is wonderful and I still enjoy it; being 41 now, I like doing it! But there is also a negative side; you have to travel so much, which I also enjoy most of the time but sometimes it gets a bit too much… Basically, that’s all I’ve wanted to do, yeah! You became a member of Kreator in 2001, when you replaced Tommy Vetterli, right? You have recorded 4 studio albums with Kreator [Violent Revolution (2001), Enemy of God (2005), Hordes of Chaos (2009) and of course Phantom Antichrist (2012)] so far. While working on Kreator’s last album, you were also working on the 2nd Barren Earth album. You are a busy man!!! How did you manage all these

tasks? Are you always on a busy schedule? Well, I like being busy but when we recorded “Phantom Antichrist” – of course it took us a lot of time with the preproduction – and at the time we were actually recording the tracks, the Barren Earth album was already finished. I was mixing at the same city because Dan Swanö, who mixed the Barren Earth album, is a very good friend of Jens Bogren’s, who produced the Kreator album. Dan visited us in the studio and we had a good time. Do you participate in the entire procedure from songwriting to composing music in both Kreator and Barren Earth? In Kreator, Mille writes all the lyrics. He’s the main songwriter also but everybody else brings riffs and solos and we work in an old-school way, kind of, we meet in the rehearsal room and do the arrangements over there. In Barren Earth we have 5 people writing music together. The division in Kreator is more clear, Mille is the main man but in Barren Earth everybody’s writing. Back to Kreator now... “Phantom Antichrist” is also the 4th album with the same line up! I think it’s the longest running Kreator line-up ever!!! Do you just get along or is there another secret behind this ‘prosperous collaboration’? I’m only asking you this having in mind the line-up changes of the past. ‘Prosperous collaboration’ (Laughs)? I know, I know… especially the post of the lead guitarist has been very “windy” (Laughs) in the past, but yes, I get along with them quite well. We travel and tour a lot and it’s very easy, in the end it’s only 4 people. Then again, one reason for the longevity of the line-up might be that I leave in a different country; I don’t have to see them all the time (Laughs)! So, it’s not a ‘family business’? (Laughs) It feels like a family business when you’re on the Burst www.afternoiz.com

34 road but, for example, next weekend I don’t have a show with Kreator; it’s nice to have a little break and I won’t probably call them on the phone or something like that. Don’t get me wrong! We get along very well! I appreciate the possibility of doing tours and gigs with them and albums so… everybody’s in a happy family! Kreator will release a new concert DVD/Blu-ray entitled “Dying Alive” on August 30, which will feature the show in Oberhausen, Germany held in December 2012. Will it be a liveconcert album or fans should expect something more from the behindthe-scenes documentary and videos? There are plenty of extras there for sure! On August 29, next Thursday, we’re going to premiere the DVD in a film-theater called Lichtburg in Essen - which is the biggest film-theater over there - and actually this will be the first time I get to see it as well (laughs)! I haven’t yet! I was there, I played in that gig! It was the end of the European Tour that we did together with Morbid Angel and Nile, last December, winter-time and it was the last show of the tour so, everybody was in a pretty good condition and it was a kind of home-coming show; Oberhausen is very close to Essen, where the other guys come from, so it was like a home-audience, with a special feeling because of that, and that’s why we decided to record it over there. The same guy, who made the “Civilisation Collapse” video, directed and produced it and we had 24 cameras there running from all kind of angles and positions. There is the Blu-Ray concert, for anybody who has a Blu-Ray player and the DVD and an audio version also. There is a documentary and behind-thescenes which shows how the production has been set up. If I remember correctly there are interviews from the members of the crew; our sound-engineer, our guitar tech […] Interesting extras and I’m actually looking forward to seeing that behind-the-scenes myself!! Burst www.afternoiz.com

Did you plan to film this show from the beginning or was it decided spontaneously? Well… I guess it had to do with the fact that “Phantom Antichrist” had a better response and success than the previous one so that meant that we had the possibility of making a bigger production on stage; the stage set up where the album cover was featured with a stage deco and we had like a ‘kabuki’ running down in the beginning of the show. It was the biggest production we had before in a Kreator tour and we thought that would be nice to document… Like a memorabilia for ourselves! Is this your 3rd live DVD album? We’ve released many DVDs so far. On “Enemy of God” the extra edition had a concert from Wacken 2008 and then back in 2003 we recorded the show in Sao Paolo, Brazil and another in South Korea also. From 2001 it’s the 3rd, yes, but this is definitely the ultimate one because it was recorded with so many cameras, the production was bigger and it was our show and it wasn’t like another festival or gig. I think it’s also 3D… Do we need 3D-glasses to watch it? 3D (Laughs) No you don’t, no you don’t!!!

“Dying Alive” features 90 minutes of pure on-stage thrash mayhem, 3 video clips and an in-depth backstage documentary, according to Nuclear Blast’s press release. Could you share some info on the men behind the cameras such as the director(s), producer(s) and all those people who made it happen? The director/producer is a guy from Essen, who’s making lots of concert DVDs and documentaries and, you know, when it comes to the film crew, he uses the same people. But there were all these cameras from the audience it was like friends were actually keeping the cameras. There was also a crane camera taking shots from above… That’s all I can tell you about it! Nice! I would like to ask you about the album cover. Wes Benscoter created the artworks for “Phantom Antichrist” right? He’s using a rather ‘oldschool’ technique; drawings and sketches instead of Photoshop! Has he created the album cover of “Dying Alive” as well? No, that’s somebody else. It was the same guy who did the cover for the second edition of “Phantom Antichrist”. There were two different covers for the album, the second was designed by a German guy, for-

give me, I’ve actually forgotten his name, but he’s really good!! (aka Jan Meininghaus) He made the cover for the DVD and it looks pretty mean, doesn’t it? Yes! It does! You toured with MORBID ANGEL, NILE and FUELED BY FIRE and earlier this year had a successful US tour with ACCEPT and also participated in the Atlantic cruise “70.000 Tons of Metal”. That must have been a tremendous experience! Did you have a nice time there? Quite a few of these cruises are coming up in the last two years. There is this other metal cruise on the Caribbean called Barge To Hell, with more ‘evil’ bands and then there’s 70000 Tons of Metal and there was a great line-up for sure, like Helloween, In Flames… Plenty of good bands and it was kind of an exclusive cruise for people, I don’t remember how many tickets were available, but everybody had to have a cabin and was very comfortable for the people and I noticed this thing with the metal cruise; older metal fans, maybe when they’re around their 40’s, like myself, they don’t have the energy anymore to go on a festival and stay on a tent so they prefer to go on a gig like that (aka a cruise)… why not? You know, it costs a little bit to get there especially if you go from Europe and the tickets

aren’t exactly cheap either but it’s kind of an exclusive feeling… The ticket also included a certain amount of drinks and food also and the cruise-ship was very nice, it was nicer than I expected, so it was 5 days in the Caribbean and of course I was very happy to be there because I live in Finland and it was January; January is the crappiest month of the year…, you can imagine... So, I was the first one to say ‘yeah! Let’s go let’s go let’s go!’ I would have stayed longer but didn’t have the chance to do that. We flew over to Miami one day before and had a nice time there… Went to the bar, you know the same bar from the film Scarface (laughs), then there was the cruise… We played twice during the cruise and went to a small island called Turks and Caicos for about 6 hours to go around and check out the island… It was really nice… I felt almost like vacation!

Yeah, yeah! We’ve got plenty of plans… In September we have a festival in France and the Metal Hammer Awards in Berlin… There are also plans to go on a US tour with Overkill that starts in late October. Before that we have couple shows in China I guess… Also some South America gigs… quite a few have been booked already like Chile, Brazil and Costa Rica. We’ll probably be two months on the road straight on without a break at all. But it’s ok! It’s winter here so, I’m enjoying it too!

In March you embarked on a big Russian tour with most shows sold out. Do you have any similar plans from September 2013 on?

We live in the internet era and Kreator released a free smartphone application for fans to stay up to date with the band’s latest

Any stops in Greece during that time? There is a European tour planned for 2014, which is going to be a pretty short one. It’s not 100% sure yet and it hasn’t been booked completely and I couldn’t tell you any more details about it… I just know it’s gonna happen!

news. Is that a good or a bad thing for a band like you, what do you think? Do you plan to create more apps for fans?

ever on a Kreator show in the future come and say hi to me… WELL, THAT’S A PROMISE!!!!

I think is very cool! Especially on tour, for example, sometimes there might be a delay… It makes sense in order to keep people up-to date on what’s going on! I have nothing against it! I think it’s a great thing. Usually I’m an old-school guy when it comes to technology – as you noticed I hardly got Skype to work – information cannot be a bad thing, can it be? [There are plenty of guitar tabs on the internet, most of them are wrong actually…] Last but not least, any comments for the Greek fans? Many thanks to those who came to check us out in RWF and thank you all who came in Athens in our last show and as we talked earlier we’re always feeling well when we’re playing in Greece! Thank you for the interest Sissy and I hope meeting you someday… If you’re Burst www.afternoiz.com

VILLE LAIHIALA

Burst www.afternoiz.com

Interview by Marianna Kofinaki Photos by O.W. Kinnunen / Studio P.S.V.

Poisonblack is not just a project: It’s Ville Laihiala’s very heart and soul, a means of communicating his inner thoughts and feelings on life itself. Further to the release of the band’s sixth album, ‘LYIJY’, Ville was more than happy to talk to Burst Magazine on everything you need to know about the band, his way of thinking and certain aspects of his lifestyle. Ville seems really down to earth, spot-on in his responses and a musician who’s really fond of what he does. Enjoy the chat.

37 Hello Ville, how are you? I am fine, thanks. You were the frontman of Sentenced from 1996 to 2005, when they disbanded, while Poisonblack was at first created as a side project. How does it feel now, in 2013, when you have already released six albums with Poisonblack? Alhough we were still active with Sentenced, Poisonblack has never been a side-project for me. I felt that I wanted to do more musically. I did not get everything out that was boiling inside by singing alone. I am also constantly writing music. I never thought that our career would last this long, which is great, of course, and it is only thanks to the people who’ve been supporting us from day one. I bet you have so many moments with both bands to share, both good and bad. Can you share the best and the worst moments with us? Oh shit... It is impossible to name just a few, or even a one: The first albums with both bands, the first big shows, the people we’ve met along the way, the shit we’ve dealt in the relationships within the bands and outside. The list would be endless. I hate the fact that I am glad that I am alive: The best and the worst.

really think about it. I can express myself through both, playing shitty and singing even shittier. Your songs have always featured a romantic, gothic side, which is pretty evident in both music and lyrics. Same applies to your videos. Is this the main “signature” feature of Poisonblack or is there even more to it? It is true that our early stuff is more or less about love and whatever it holds within, the darker side of it. But, as always, every album -at least for me- has been more or less a reflection of things in my head. Maybe not all is connected to reality that much, but nevertheless it has constantly wanting to come out. About the gothic elements, image and whatever it has been how our label wanted us to be and I myself have not really cared about it that much. It has and always will be about the music. What’s your main inspiration when writing music? What about the lyrics? Life… And how I am struggling to cope with it... A few days ago, on September 13, Poisonblack’s new album, “LYIJY”, was officially released.

It was exactly like that. I was writing music, which was different from what we were doing with Sentenced and I wanted to form another band, simple as that. I did not really have any big plan or what not; it was about playing music with a bunch of friends.

How do you feel seeing a band which first started as a side project becoming more and more prolific and releasing one great album after the other? Yet again, not a project... It has been a great ride so far with its ups and downs. The best part has always been recording albums, playing shows and sharing all that with my bandmates. Brothers if you will. Lyijy, for instance, is a great example of that. I think that we’re sounding more solid than ever, without any bullshit or trying to give you a sale speech here. It is honest and truly one of our best work.

How does it feel playing the guitar and being behind the mic at the same time? It feels totally natural. I don’t

The album was recorded at Sonic Pump studio in Helsinki and Victory Audio studio in Kokkola with producer Mr. Jonas Ols-

What was the idea behind forming Poisonblack? Did you need another, different means of self-expression back then? What did you have in mind when the band started?

son. Are you happy with this collaboration, and, the most important thing, is the final outcome what you wanted to be and what you had in mind? Jonas is really good in what he does and the fact that he really isn’t a pure metal producer was the main reason why we wanted to do the album with him. We talked about what we were aiming for and he actually came to Oulu to listen when we were rehearsing which was the first time that something like that has happened in my career. He did not mess with the songwriting but really kicked our asses so that we would play the best way we can and also helped in getting the sounds that we wanted. Plus, a big part was done by Jens Bogren who mixed the album in Sweden. Basically we wanted a sound where you can hear the musicians instead of just some over-produced effect filled shit. Our shit is organic. What is the process of Poisonblack’s writing music? Does the music or the lyrics come first? What part does teamwork play in that process? Usually the music comes first but it varies from time to time. I have the skeleton for the song, which we then put together at rehearsals and everyone puts their person into it so the teamwork is a big part of writing our music. It creates how we sound as a band. I tried to look up the word “LYIJY” in the dictionary online and I came up with the term “LEAD”, which is a heavy term –literally! Unfortunately, I don’t know Finnish (laughs) so maybe I’m wrong. Could you explain what this term means to our readers and why you chose it as your album title? Have you been searching for just a “heavy” term or was there any specific reason behind this selection? PB (Poisonblack). Those two letters are the chemical sign of lead, hence the name of the album. There really is not any bigger or deeper meaning be-

hind it but you can make one up if you like… Kind of a selftitled album, if you will. How could you describe “LYIJY” to our readers? What new elements are there? What remains the same? What is new? There are new songs. Everything else is the same: The band, the way we play... You can listen to our history combined with our influences and how we are as musicians; a little glimpse of what is going through my mind. Plus, for the first time we have guest appearances by Timo Käsmä, the guitarist of the Finnish band Zero Nine and also the backing vocals of Kari Vähäkuopus, the singer of the Finnish band Amplifire. The album cover features a glass of bourbon. Is that a hint that the album is heavier? What was the reason for choosing this artwork? I love the cover. The picture was taken by Teemu Hostikka, who has created our album covers in the past as well. I wanted the cover to have a glass full of bullets. For you it is bourbon to me it is piss. A twisted-not so obvious-nobody understands it but me-kind of metaphor about how our species deserves to be wiped out. I know it’s just a few days since the album was officially released. However, I’m curious on the feedback you received so far. I’m referring to both reviews and pre-orders. Could you shed some more light on that matter? Everyone who have heard it seem to like it. I have not read any reviews and probably won’t, nor do I know any presales either. Let’s just wait and see. Let’s talk a bit about “Home is Where The Sty Is”, which was the first single unveiled from the album and released in video alike. For me, it’s a great signature Poisonblack song. Was there a specific reason for choosBurst www.afternoiz.com

38 ing this particular song?

like too see it happen.

Not really. There were 3 candidates and that song got the most votes. People seem to either love it or hate it, which is great.

Has the global economic crisis somehow affected you? If so, in what way? Does this “dark ages” we’re now entering provide you with more themes for your music, regardless of the hardships caused?

Are the lyrics based on the same formula? What kind of themes inspired you this time? Life: People and how we act, in my opinion. I mean, everyone’s trying to get on TV, no matter what and etc. Homo sapiens is reaching new highs or lows with vanity. Not trying to be holier than thou, here I am, shit as well. There is also some father-son issues too on the song ‘The absentee’. I just tried to ramble something you can figure them out yourself. You are set to embark on a Finnish tour from September to November of this year, in order to promote “LYIJY”. Any plans of extending this tour in the rest of Europe or in other countries worldwide in general? Any plans of visiting Greece, in particular? You know, you have a very dedicated fan base here! We would love to tour in Europe more but the band is pretty much broke so I do not see it happen anytime soon. Plus, we’d love to play there too. I remember those two shows with Amorphis in Athens and Thessaloniki. It was really great and let’s hope that those are not the only shows we’ll ever play there. Push the local promoters. We will take this forward step by step but ultimately it comes down with the fact “do people like our new album?”. That is the ground to build on. Any additional plans for Poisonblack? Are there any specific artists you would like to collaborate, tour or perform together, at least once? There are many, of course, but Amorphis is the first that comes to mind. They have asked us a couple of times but there has always been something in the way. Either we are in the studio or they are etc. I’d Burst www.afternoiz.com

It is something I pay attention to but as I am trying to really get into a hermit kind of lifestyle I do very little about it. Maybe a song or too...

We live in the internet era, the era of information. How do you think this affects the music industry? What about Poisonblack in particular? There are both sides, good and bad. Albums do not sell but on the other hand everything is more available. It is just that a lot of people want music, albums for free and still complain about ticket prizes and whatnot. It just doesn`t work that way. It is really hard for smaller bands to tour when

there is hardly any income. I do not know what needs to be done. An asteroid perhaps... It was a great pleasure talking to you! Thank you so much for this interview. The last words are yours! The pleasure was all mine... Buy the albums. Go see the bands live and support them. See you maybe...

BAND INFOS, MERCHANDISE AND MORE:

W W W . N U C L E A R B L A S T. D E

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / N U C L E A R B L A S T E U R O P E

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DANIEL CAVANAGH Anathema, a Greek word that means set apart, banished, denounced. That is the name the Cavanagh brothers kept, and despite they did not know its Greek origins, it remains part of what many listen to, since 1992 . Their concerts acoustic or symphonic have deeply moved the audience. Their new live album/DVD has

Hello Danny and thank you very much for this interview. So, let’s begin! Anathema just released Untouchable, a new live album/DVD. This album is available in double vinyl and also in CD/DVD format. If I am not mistaken, this is the first Anathema live DVD, so I was wondering whether there was any specific reason for choosing this period of time to release this live album in question. This is not the first live DVD that we have made. We have made two others in the past, called “A Moment in Time”, “Were you There”, and “A Vision of a Dying Embrace”; Burst www.afternoiz.com

that’s three others. So this is the fourth DVD, but it’s the most modern: Due to the best production and the best songs, this is the main live album we’ve made. We’re happy with it, and we’re just happy that it sounds good and it looks good, plus it represents the band on the “Weather Systems” very well, and that’s all I can say about that. This live album is also accompanied by a concert film (Universal). This show was filmed at the ancient Roman Theatre of Philippopolis and you played alongside the Plovdiv Philarmonic Orchestra. The whole film was directed by the master Lasse

been released and we are definitely eager to listen to them live in the end of the month (in Athens as well as in Thessaloniki). A while before arriving in Greece, Daniel, honored us with a little chat about what we are going to listen and see from them and a lot more! Interview by Jo Gogou/Photos by Rod Maurice Hoile. Do you consider this show and this film as a milestone in Anathema’s career? I don’t use the word ‘milestone’, ‘cause I’m often looking forward to the next songs, and trying to do different stuff, better stuff in the future. But it is a nice way to close a chapter on those two albums, “We’re Here Because We’re Here” and “Weather Systems”, which they have signified our comeback. The live album is a nice way to show what the band is about in live format, but it’s now going to be a new start for us, a new chapter. I wouldn’t call it a milestone, but I would call it the end of a chapter and a beginning of a new one.

Anathema started their career with a different name (Pagan Angel). The word ‘anathema’ has a very special meaning in Greek, so I was wondering if you had this meaning in mind back then, when you decided to change the name of the band. We did not have any clue about the Greek name. When we picked the name Anathema it was a long time ago and we were just young kids then. I actually don’t like the name very much- but that’s just my opinion- but the music is good, and that’s the main thing, that’s all. No real meaning behind that.

41 You also started as a doom metal band and through the time you have changed many faces and styles. I guess you don’t really like labels in music. However, if someone asked you to put a label on Anathema, which one would you pick? There is no label I would use, really. I would call the music ‘honest’; it’s honest and pretty emotional stuff. That’s all I would say; you know, atmospheric, whatever. Labels are for other people to choose. All we do is do good songs, and try to be a forward thinking kind of band, and that’s all. As I said, your music seems that has no boundaries at all! The fact that you have changed many faces through the years sometimes might become something like a doubleedged sword. People may like it but on the other hand some other fans could easily say that you don’t have a certain musical identity or vision in mind and you try a little bit of everything, just in order to stay alive and continue. What is your opinion about this? We don’t listen to what other people want anyway. We don’t write music for other people, we don’t write it for the fans to like it. We write for ourselves, and for *us* to like it. And if we’re all really happy and we think it’s beautiful, we did good stuff and it’s the best that we could do, then it’s up to other people to like that stuff. We don’t write is specifically with that in mind; the only people we’re trying to please are the people in the band and the producer. It’s nice if the record company likes it, it’s nice if the management likes it, it’s nice if the public likes it, but, really, we’re just trying to please ourselves and that’s the bottom line. Back in early ‘00’s you released a few tracks via your own website and fans donated some money. Nowadays this is what happens with bands all the time. Labels are closing down, bands disband be-

cause of the lack of money and, after all, you are professional musicians and you have to get some money from your music in order to make a decent living and continue writing music. I just wanted to ask you your opinion on the current crisis in the music industry. Have you seen this coming a few years ago? Crisis? Don’t care. The music industry is what it is, it is changing and there’s nothing I can do to stop that. I don’t have much opinion on it. I just feel lucky that we have a fan base, and that it’s growing, and I feel grateful for that. Grateful that we can we can make a living from of this, grateful that we can travel in relative comfort, grateful that we don’t have to do other jobs, and grateful we can do the music that we love with people that we love. That’s it. What happens to the music business is none of my business. I don’t care. I would like to see it fair, I disagree with models like Spotify ‘cause the artists don’t get looked after, and they don’t get paid. But with good management and good songs, you could do alright, and we do have both of those, so that’s all I can say about that. Most of your songs are described as extra-sensitive and kind of introvert. At the same time, they also hide some strange power. The listeners feel like they’re reborn from their ashes. There is always some light in the end of every song and every album. You are one of the main songwriters of the band, so I wanted to ask you if you do that on purpose. I mean, you seem a very thoughtful, happy, positive and down-toearth person. Do you want to give hope again to your listeners in a way, to show them that there is always some light at the end of every tunnel? Well I’d say on the “We’re Here Because We’re Here” album, I was consciously trying to influence people towards a positive state of mind and a more spir-

itual state of consciousness; but that was the only record that I’ve really done that. A little bit on “Weather systems”, because those songs were partly for the “We’re Here Because We’re Here” session too. Since then, I’ve gone into more open-hearted, honest writing about feelings, and I’m not consciously trying to lift people up or bring them down; just trying to do a good song, that’s all. But it’s nice, I think, when I hear fans say that the music had a special effect on them, that’s really nice. It’s nice that it’s helping people, and providing some kind of companionship and therapy to people, and that’s good, I want that to continue. You are currently on the road with Alcest. How has this US tour turned out? I noticed that you did a huge sold-out show in New York City! Congrats! Yes, the US tour has been very good, we like the American audience and we like the American country; people and cities are great. The guys we’re touring with are all super nice, all the road crew is very nice. So I have no complaints at all; it’s a good tour, with more people coming to shows than I expected, so I’m really happy about it, very happy. Your latest studio album Weather Systems received excellent feedback. Do you feel like you have to do something even better now with your next studio album? Do you feel like you have to release a ‘superior’ album to your previous ones in the future? Well, the “Weather Systems” seems to be very well received, but I don’t want to look too hard at how well it’s been received because ultimately you have to be prepared in this business, to be brave and do what you love, and do what you believe in, regardless of how it is received afterwards, at least that’s how I see it. And I know that’s how people like Thom Yorke and Radiohead and other artists see it; those people are staying true to their own intuition and vision for music, to songs that

they want to write, styles they want to write and emotions they want to convey, and that’s the bottom line. There is a part of me that is pleased and happy about the receptions of “Weather Systems” and, of course, part of me would be pleased if it grows further from there. But I can’t consciously think about that when making the album, because it has to come from the heart, and not from the head- and certainly not from the bank manager. So the music will remain 100% forward-thinking and honest, and brave, hopefully. If I really believe in it and I do the album that I really believe in with the guys, and they believe in it too, then that’s all I want. If we’ve done that, then we have done our job; and you have to let it go then. You have to let it go. You can’t chase the charts all the time. It’s nice if it’s going well, and I’m pleased, but there will be times when it maybe doesn’t go so well and you have to take that too. The point is to remain true to the message to the art, to the music, to yourself and to the songs, and serve the music in that way, “what will be will be”, but so far we’ve done alright. Danny, a long time ago you announced that you will collaborate with Mariangela Demurtas from Tristania. If I am not mistaken, you did some live shows together. I was hoping -and I guess some more fans were hoping the same thing- that you two would release something together. What is going on with this project? Any updates? Mariangela is a good friend of mine and we did write a few songs together. She is recording songs of her own too, and I’m happy to have been able to write with her on that. She’s a good friend, a great singer, and a good girl, and I wish her every success with her music. You are an artist, you are on the road for a long time and I guess you have heard many different stories from your fans. During the times we currently live in, the whole world and system is in crisis, not Burst www.afternoiz.com

42 only on an economical level. Could you share some of your thoughts on this with us? Well, of course the world is in a little bit of a crisis, it’s drowning; it’s not really working out too well. It’s difficult to talk about that because there are so many factors involved. The more vital question is to live a balanced and peaceful inner life within oneself that will transmit to the outer world. And if enough people could do that, then we’ll see some change in the systems of the next years, decades and centuries. So the more vital question for me is, I guess, about trying to find and working on an inner world, and let that inner world transmit into the outer world, and make changes that way. So that’s what I’m trying to do now. I always had this strange feeling that every Anathe-

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ma song tells a short story, maybe a personal story. What inspires you? Every Anathema song tells a short story? Well they’re all real, I will say that. All of those songs are real, all of those things happened, those emotions are real, and that’s always been the case since the beginning, really. Even from some of Darren White’s lyrics, but certainly since Duncan Patterson, John and I started writing- and Vinnie. It’s become more and more real and autobiographical. All I can say is that the music has been very honest. I’m not going to get into specifics of what happened here and there, but there usually based on feelings, the inner feelings, people, love, life… You play the guitar and the piano and you also sing. Have you ever thought of doing a solo studio album on your own?

No, I’m not really thinking about doing a studio album on my own. I’m happier to give the songs to Anathema ‘cause they’re better that way. I just need to do the Anathema songs in the right way, and I’m happy enough with that. I don’t really feel the need for a solo album. But if they’re enough songs that Anathema will not do but I still think they’re quite good, then it’s conceivable I could do a solo album, or a duet with somebody else. Is there anything that you have done as an artist or as a person that you regret doing it? Generally speaking, do you have regrets about anything? Yeah, there are still ambitions. I would like to do some film music, but for me the main thing is just focusing on Anathema, focusing on a good situation within the band and the right music and a good in-

ner peaceful world. And then take it from there, really. But film music would be a good one, I’d like that. The last words are yours. Do you have any promises for your fans for the future? Promises for the future? Well, no, I can’t say, really. It’s impossible to say ‘cause the future doesn’t exist here, you have to live for today. I can promise that all being well, there will be a good show tonight and, all being well, we’ll do another album and it’ll be a good one. That’s it, really. Thank you! Bye!

Η μουσική είναι θέμα... ροκιάς, γούστου, ιδεολογίας, τρόπου ζωής, διασκέδασης, κατάστασης, περίστασης, ακουσµάτων, ψαξίµατος, παρέας, επιρροών, επιλογών, ιστορίας, πολιτισµού, κουλτούρας, ιδιοσυγκρασίας, χαρακτήρα, ταπεραµέντου, ηχοσυστήµατος, συστήµατος, ώρας, στιγµής, λεπτού, τόνωσης, εκτόνωσης, θεραπείας, φιγούρας, φαγούρας, πόρωσης, ευαισθησίας, διάθεσης, ηλικίας, κλιµακτηρίου, εποχής, ταχύτητας, χωροχρόνου, ειδώλων, µίµησης, αποµίµησης, µύησης, σύνδεσης στο internet και τόσων πολλών άλλων πραγμάτων.

Για εμάς όμως η μουσική είναι και κάτι παραπάνω... ΤΡΟΠΟΣ ΕΚΦΡΑΣΗΣ!

photography: ARGO / design:

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I don’t think that’s because I’m getting old, but over the past few years I’ve been much more into blues than I used to some time ago. With bands like Blues Pills I am sure that I will be stuck into blues for many years more. Blues Pills signed with Nuclear Blast and they just released the “Devil Man” EP, which you can count on that is just the beginning of a great band. Burst Magazine found them and talked with them about everything we should know. Try these “pills” with us as you’re reading out loud! Interview by Spiros Smyrnis Photos by Linda Akerberg

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45 Give us a brief bio on Blues Pills Zach and Cory are step-brothers and have been playing music together for years. I met the brothers during a trip to Ca, USA in the early 2011. We had a lot in common, so we all became great friends. In the end of 2011, the three of us started writing some songs, which we recorded in Zach’s dads shop in Iowa. At this point, we didn’t have any high expectations. We just recorded everything for fun with the help from friends and other musicians in Iowa. The moment that changed this, was when we posted the songs online and we got a great response. It’s kind of funny, because I was actually kind of shy and I didn’t want to share it with the cyber world, since it was just rough demos, but I’m happy we did it. Things started to move pretty fast after that and we got signed to the label Crusher Records in Sweden, and shortly after that a Spanish and Portuguese tour was in schedule. Since we were just three, at this point we needed to find a guitar player for Blues Pills. And we did find Dorian, shortly after getting signed to Crusher Records. Now we all live in Sweden. What’s the story behind band’s name? The band name comes from a German friend and music lover. He had a music blog with cool 60’s and 70’s psychedelic music. His blog was called Blues Pillz. We asked him if we could use his name for our band and he got really happy that we wanted to use it. We thought it fit the band well. Which are your personal heroes? BP: If we’re talking about musical heroes, I’ve always been inspired by singers with big and strong soulful voices. My first record ever was an 80’s record with Joe Cocker. I was so amazed of his harsh and bluesy voice so he kind of inspired me, but, looking back, that record is not a great one, it really sucks, but he is an amazing singer. Other inspirations are Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Etta James and a bunch more.

I really think it’s important to be open musically for everything, and not only be into one style. I love Joakim Nilsson’s Voice (Graveyard) and Jay Buccanan (Rival Sons), plus a singer from our town, Örebro, who plays in a great band called Dead Man, Kristoffer Sjödahl. It’s all about the feeling and the originality for me. Are you willing to sell your soul to the devil so you can play the best blues? I already did! Ha-ha. Just kidding I don’t believe in the devil. Blues rock is usually a music which attracts elder audiences. Your guitarist is only 18 years old and he sounds like a fortyyear-old guy dived into the blues. A great achievement indeed. Yes, Dorian is a little genius; he’s been playing since he was 9 years old but the way he plays the guitar is not only the result of practice, he’s got the feeling and the soul. A huge part of his talent comes from natural ability. His style is very bluesbased, which adds a very huge part to the band. He is really incredible. Every time we play together is a show and when we practice he always amazes me. They all do. Why did you choose to release an EP and not a fulllength album? We were supposed to release an album but we weren’t satisfied with the result of what we recorded. When we recorded, we had zero money and no record deal, so we were recording it ourselves with some help from our friend Oscar Campell in Örebro, Sweden. So when we got signed with Nuclear Blast, it gave us an opportunity to redo it in a fair way to the music and to our fans, to record in a real studio, and also the opportunity to work with a great producer in Sweden. But we didn’t want to make our fans upset and let them wait forever. We wanted to give them something so we decided to release an EP in October. Are you writing a fulllength right now?

Yes, we have about 17 songs and we are going to start recording the debut album in October with Don Alsterberg in Göteborg, Sweden. We will release the album in early 2014 if everything goes according to the plan.

what is real and true. Thinking back of Led Zeppelin or Janis Joplin, the Beatles, they’re no trend, never been. They are heroes, saints, legends for people and musicians all over the world, today, tomorrow and yesterday.

How about Blues Pills on the road? Any tour plans?

You managed to sign with Nuclear Blast despite the fact that this was your first record. Is it easier for a newcomer band to work with such a big label?

We’re doing a support tour to the San Fransico Rockers Orchid in November; It lasts about two weeks and starts on November 1st. Most shows are in Germany but we will also play in the UK, France, Holland and Austria. After that, we are planning to play some shows in the UK with the supergroup Scorpion Child from Austin, USA, and after the UK we will head to Australia with our favorite band KADAVAR for about 2 weeks. We are super stoked about all this!! I think that the amazing voice of Elin is the ace Blues Pills have! The occult rock is full of frontwomen and over the last years more and more women singing the blues! To me, it’s not just a trend, what about you? Thank you Spiros! That is very flattering. I hope it’s not about a trend. I can only speak for myself and I do this because I love it, the music, the joy of playing it and writing it. I’m also so happy to be able to play with such amazing people and amazing musicians and writers. What it all comes down to, is that it gives me joy, it heals me, it’s something true, it’s the best drug and the best therapist for me. Whether it’s a trend or not, I’m happy people are starting to focus and listen to this style of music. It’s important for the musicians to take back the computerization and over-production of the music industry. For me that’s never been music that touched me, music is something made by the hands of real people, real instruments. Their words and their beats, notes, bends; their own tones made by their hands and their bodies and souls, their thoughts. And hopefully its more than a trend, hopefully people are getting more conscious of

This is still all kind of new for us all, it’s just mind-blowing to be on Nuclear Blast roster. I can’t say if it’s easier or harder to be on a big label like NB since this is the first time for us being on a big label and it’s just been a few months. But what I can say is that they are really supportive of our band and we have a great team helping us and pushing us, which feels great. They really believe in us and that is the best you can get whether there is a big or a small label. Which band would you like to play at your funeral? Black Sabbath! Thank you so much for doing this interview with me! I hope you have a great week! The whole band sends their best!

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THE ANSWER

46 After the expert media recognition of their debut album, the one that got them the “Classic Rock Award” as Best New Band 2005, two more studio albums and great tours, the hard rockers from Northen Ireland came back to the scene and on September 30, they released their brand new album “New Horizon”. We had a little chat with them about the future and their “new horizon”. Interview by Rosa Chenio Garcia

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First of all, I would like to thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy this interview. “New Horizon” became available at the end of September. Tell us about it. It’s the heaviest, most intense record we’ve ever made. Every song is designed to get your foot tapping and your ass shaking. Not much time has passed since the release of your last studio album back in 2011. How has the recording process of New Horizon evolved? Did you have any specific plans about the album beforehand? This is actually the first record we’ve ever made when we sat down with our producer and had a discussion about the kind of record we wanted to make. Set ourselves the mission statement that if the song wasn’t powerful enough to take your head off then it didn’t make the cut. We adopted a very live approach in the studio with minimal overdubs in an attempt to capture the four piece essence of the band. For this album, you have worked with Toby Jepson from Little Angels as your producer. Plus, you signed with a new label, Napalm Records. How did it feel like working with this new team and how has this fact influence the creative and recording process? Toby brought a new kind of focus and discipline to the process. It meant we were playing to our strengths and helped to capture a very raw energy that definitely helps to give “New Horizon” the edge we were looking for. Napalm is a fantastic and motivated label. Their hard work inspires us to do the same, and hopefully we can achieve great success together. The first single of your CD, is “Spectacular”. Why did you choose this specific song to introduce your new album to the fans? I think it’s a typical slice of the kind of rock you can expect to hear on this record. It’s got strong melodies, a heartfelt message, and some balls out guitar work that really props up the track. Your previous album received

very positive feedback, so did this make you feel like you had to overcome the fans’ expectations with this one? I think there will always be the pressure of expectation to deal with when making an album. But it’s a healthy kind of pressure that drives the band to keep making good records. We challenge each other to make every record and song better than the one before. You will embark on a European tour this autumn. How do you feel about it? This one is shaping up to be our greatest tour ever. We’ve got an album full of really exciting new material, and a strong support band, going by the name of “Tracer”. We can’t wait to get back out on the road as our live show is an essential component of The Answer’s identity. It must be exciting for a band to be the opening act for great rock icons, in the likes of Deep Purple, AC/CD, Aerosmith or Paul Rogers; and you did that from the very beginning of your career. What’s the best memory you have from that gigs? Stepping out on stage at Madison Square Gardens for the second night in a row and rocking that joint. Do you plan any future collaboration with any of these bands you have toured with? Nothing planned at the moment. But you never know… Great rock masters like the great Jimmy Page or Joe Elliott declared that they are fans of yours. Receiving recognition and positive comments in public from other musicians must be one of the most rewarding things for a professional musician, isn’t it? It’s nice to hear people say nice things about the band. What’s most important to us is that our fans keep enjoying the music we create and keep coming down to rock out at our shows. Now, I’m curious to know which bands were the first ones you listened to when you started getting into rock mu-

sic. Which were the first albums you bought? The first bands I really got into were “Smashing Pumpkins” and “Rage Against The Machine.” It was from getting into guitar-based music in the nineties that inspired me to trace back and discover Led Zeppelin and The Free. The classic rock or hard rock scene seems to rise again nowadays in the UK and USA. Do you think we can talk about some kind of a renaissance of the 70’s or 80’s? Or do you believe that they were never gone? I think if rock is going through a genuine resurgence it’s because enough bands are making the music their own and not paying too much credence to what has gone before. I love a lot of bands from the 70s and 80s but I believe The Answer are planted firmly in 2013. I think that the key to your success is the mixing of a classical sound with fresh and modern elements. How do you achieve that? Which are your influences? We listen to all sorts of music old and new: rock, metal, blues, soul, and even a lit-

tle pop if I’m really drunk. We soak it all up and when it comes to writing a song, what comes out reflects the unique identity of the band. Do you think that your music has evolved during all these years? I think in the early days we just enacted to sound like Led Zeppelin, but after a while that wasn’t enough. I think we’ve benefitted from that hunger to play our own brand of Hard rock that doesn’t belong to anybody else. You lyrics are very energetic. Tell me, what do you like to talk about the most?

with on real terms. I’ve noticed that your musical style has many electric sounds and vocals and that ballads or folk elements seem to have a minor role. Is there any specific reason for making that choice? We’re a hard rock band. Electric guitars and big vocals is what we do.

The last words are yours. Is there anything else that you want to say to your fans, who are waiting for your upcoming tour in Europe? Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Spain...we’re coming to get you!!!

It depends on what’s going on in my life at the time. Whatever I write, always comes from the heart and is based on real-life experiences. I’ve never been the one writing about Gandalf and Gollum and the quest for one ring to rule them all. I prefer to try and project a message our listeners can connect Burst www.afternoiz.com

VIRAL GRAPHICS ed” t c e f “In t! r a h wit An interview with

By Marianna Kofinaki

Illustration is definitely a supreme form of art, especially when it’s fully handmade, truly inspired and totally customized to each band’s needs. Burst Magazine is proud to present a prolific, extremely talented duo, Viral Graphics, two Greeks who managed to cross the national borSo how did all start? How did you form Viral Graphics? It all started while waiting for a Reverend Bizarre gig to start on January 13 2006. Alex and I have been chatting for this and that and we ended up discussing in what we would like to do in life and had been talking about music. We found out we have both a common perspective and that we like the same things. At first, I was thinking of naming it “Sword Swallower”. Alex, on the other hand, had a different idea: “I love the name Viral, because it is inspired by a Khanate album”. So, at one point, Alex brought out a paper, made a rough sketch and noted down the words “Things Viral”. We were both like “awesome, this name kicks ass, man!”! The world “Viral” got stuck in our heads so we made the finishing touch to the name…and here it is “Viral Graphics”. We got a sketch pad and started drawing logos right away! Unfortunately, a short while after, both Alex and I had to join the army. I joined the army just a few days after Viral’s birth -on February 13-, while Alex enlisted one day before I completed my military services. As you can understand, during the time between 2006 and 2008, the project was put on hold for obvious reasons. At that time, all we could do was release just a Burst www.afternoiz.com

ders with their art and are an integral part of the underground scene all over the world! Κonstantinos and Alex are infected with art, hence Viral Graphics. We managed to have a great chat with Κonstantinos on anything and everything. Κonstantinos adores music, he’s down-to-

couple of projects. So the Viral team consists of you and Alex. Yeah, Alex has been living in San Francisco and I still live here in Athens. The name sounds underground to me. That was the point. We consider ourselves underground after all! How do you usually work together? Everything in Viral is arranged really quickly, easily and effectively. There’s not much fuss over things that need to be done. We talk to each other on whether we’re about to handle a project separately or together. We have learned to work separately due to the distance and the general circumstances. Each time we worked together in certain points between projects, we found out that we both had some ideas already done, which we liked to analyze at that point. Too much conversation, three-hour creative talks, you know. What we actually do is to combine our styles so that a third, different outcome will emerge. Each one of us has his own unique style, so we’re searching for the thing in-between, which, I think, is great: You maintain your own style, but, at the

earth, he’s pro in what he does and he provides a really interesting insight on every aspect, as you are about to notice by reading the lines below. So, Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Viral Graphics!

same time, you create a totally different outcome, based on both individual styles all the same. That’s how Bacteria fanzine came up! Best things come in the spur of the moment, I guess. And, as long as there’s such an excellent communication between you too, you’re definitely able to work magic! I can imagine that you and Alex are also friends. We’re really good friends. Funny thing is, we actually lead some kind of parallel lives. We have been raised both in the same way, we have similar experiences in life, both good and bad. We happen to work in the same time zone, the American one! I sleep during the day and I work during the night (laughs). Why Viral? What kind of virus has infected your art? Alex has come up with the idea since his studies; he used to have a viral marketing class; so, generally speaking, I loved his idea. I dig this “subversive” thing involved, plus the name sounds great, it’s featured in an album title we both love, so it’s fitting in so many different ways. Which are the main activities of Viral?

Viral’s main activities are based on the graphics accompanying music: The creation of posters, shits, LPs, everything that has to do with the visual aspect of music: Everything and anything each band requests according to their current needs. We started Viral because we saw other things, artists, all those freelance illustrators who designed only for the bands they dig: sludge, punk, death metal, psych rock, experimental weird music. For example, we recently received the request of creating a poster for Swans, we had initially been asked to prepare a poster for their gig in Poland. It was something really important for the band, since it was their very first time playing there, so we were asked if we would like to do it. We said “yes”. A short while after, we received another message, stating that Swans were to play live in Athens, so we did the poster for the Athenian show as well. What I also loved is that the Poland posters were sold at a very affordable price, given the financial condition of the country, like around 9 euro each. When I found out, I was like “fucking awesome, man!”. Fortunately, many of such were bought by fans! So, many people had a poster on hand after the show. I love the feedback we receive from the fans. The underground is a small community, you know, based

49 on solidarity between its members. When someone doesn’t play nice, the rest of the underground people kick him out. Do you think you should love the music involved in order to be creative? I know you actually “live” the music you listen to, since it’s part of your life itself, so I believe this helps you a lot in the creative process.

you guys have received so far? What I love the most is that most of our clients return back to us for more and more! Each time they come back, they actually are like “what would you guys recommend this time?” That gives us the strength and will to go on. For example, we released an artwork inspired

want and a different picture comes up. Creative collaboration and communication’s the best thing. You have created artworks for musicians you truly love so far. What is the thing that inspires you the most? Can you describe the process you follow to our readers? What’s the

Most of our work is based on pen and ink. A first draft is designed in pencil, right after we use ink for the main lines, then we erase all pencil lines, and then we start putting layers of ink on it. We use a technique called stippling, consisting of multiple dots, the one next to the other. We love this technique because it’s so intricate. Plus, we love the black colour-

signature style of Viral Graphics in creating your illustrations?

so stippling with black ink it is. It’s a signature Viral Graphics color! Always black (laughs)!

I don’t think that music was the only thing that inspired us. In fact, it was something more: it was the unique aesthetics of the sound of each band, what brings to your mind.

How can you describe your communication with the bands? Do you get along well? Do you easily identify and create what they need each time? Are

Loving the music is not necessary, although it helps a lot. It’s a totally different thing listening to something you truly dig, which brings things to your mind: the outcome is much better on paper, on the screen, whatever. It’s so much different than doing something just to make ends meet. If I understand this correctly, there were times when one band recommended you to another. What I got is that some artists loved their work, so they were more than happy to recommend Viral to others. Generally speaking, how did you manage to expand your collaboration with an increasing number of artists? Sometimes that was exactly the case. What we did was to send like 60 emails a day via myspace etc back then, in order to see if there were any bands interested. Our general idea was “if even just one band is interested, then it’s awesome”. So, back then, we got to work for a few bands. So when Jucifer said “yes” for the creation of a poster, we were pretty much excited. We let them know that we come from Greece and that wasn’t a problem for them. Right after, we worked with Nebula and a couple of other more known bands, so we started to feature some more “serious” work in our portfolio, posters, you know, which had nothing to do with digital shit. In general, the fact that we have been really active online definitely helped, so one thing led to the other. As for now, we request for projects no more: we’re happy to see that projects come to us! What’s the best feedback

by Aleister Crowley, requested by Keith of Utech Records. We recommended the creation of six different designs, which should be printed on slides, and when put the one above the other, created a totally different picture! And there’s more: each person can arrange those slides in the way they

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50 the deadlines feasible? As a rule of thumb, many of the bands that requested for illustrations, ended up in being our friends with time. For example, the guy who asked us for the Swans posters, with whom we used to chat a lot for so much time: When Alex and I were both in San Francisco, we got to meet over lunch, then he took us to several bars and introduced us to people. Those people even helped Alex in finding a place to live when he moved to San Francisco! That’s awesome! I bet the entire thing has to do with the solidarity of the Underground scene!! It’s something unique, which is not experienced in other scenes in such an intense way. Exactly! It’s a unique feeling! Overall, we fortunately have very poor experience with assholes with Viral! What you pay is what you get! Everything’s handmade, custom-made, so it makes perfect sense to me that the price is determined accordingly! You don’t just take a photo and edit it on Photoshop; on the contrary, you create something unique, something brand new! This is some kind of art for sure! Exactly! So are you free to create whatever you like or there are certain requirements most of the time? Do things work like “I trust you, I’ve seen the way you work, so you’re free to be creative in any way you like” or are the guidelines more specific? There are times when we are provided with a specific concept, or we in fact ask them for that. You know, things work pretty great for us in that way. The band’s like “this record is based on this and that”, so we keep this info in mind when we create the art. Sometimes, they even say “we liked this specific artwork of yours”, so we have pretty much of an idea on what direction we’re heading. So Burst www.afternoiz.com

there’s some kind of balance in the end, between what they’re looking for and what we do. Sadly, there are artists out there, who just want to make money, by using the band’s name as a way to promote their work and not vice-versa. They are not there for quality. For us, integrity is a key word. Integrity is the most important thing; it’s a “soup” that blends in the music and the illustrations. For us, Viral is both DIY and underground! It’s what we love doing. Which are your main artistic influences? Oh, they’re countless. The English punk covers, Crass, all those collages, horror movies, posters of any kind, gig flyers are something we truly like visually. There are so many influences to mention. There are so many guys our age, living in Canada, the U.S., anywhere, who do an excellent job. You could also be hugely inspired by something you see on the street. Plus, Alex and I influence each other. This means that Alex might create an illustration, I like it a lot and sometimes I create something based on what I liked in his work. Yeah, I could say we are mainly influenced from each other: Each one brings his own ideas, influences the other so the outcome is some kind of amalgam between those two. What is the band you’d absolutely love to create an artwork for? (Points at his t-shirt) Definitely Neurosis!!! That’s a really easy question! I’d also say Swans, but we have already done that three times, so Neurosis it is (laughs)! I think I’m gonna post this interview on their page when published (laughs!). Plus, your art is more than fitting to their musical style! I bet this will be the work of your lifetime! So let’s head back to the rest of my questions: Which are the best-known bands you worked with? I know, for example, that you collaborated with Melvins. Yeah, we created three posters

51 for Melvins. We have already worked with Soundgarden, which was something that came out of the blue, further to a request from the band’s management. We received an e-mail for creating one of their posters and we couldn’t help but wonder if it was some kind of a joke, or spam! In fact, we realized it was a true request when we opened it! Plus, they also called Alex on the phone, saying how much they dig our work! To me, Swans is also a well-known band. Overall, we’re mainly into underground music, so the “best-known” term is somehow subjective. Are there any fave projects? Are there any such projects you enjoyed working on the most? I couldn’t choose one project over the other so easily. I actually love doing posters the most. I love the posters we created for Swans, for example. I also loved an illustration we did for Metal Hammer Greece, which was used as a cover on a death metal special feature. We want each project to be better than the previous ones. After finishing each job, I always find areas of improvement, and things I won’t do in the same way during the next ones. That’s some kind of mental note for me/us! Overall, we don’t have any fave projects, although there were projects we truly loved when we were creating them. Have you ever received any weird of funny requests? If so, tell me more about it! Yeah, that Soundgarden email (laughs)! I wouldn’t say the actual requests are weird or funny; it’s the attitude some people have when requesting for something: Like “I need a logo, a cover etc but I can spend 100 euro only”. And we’re like “man, we cannot do that”! Have you ever seen a tattoo being done with a design that you created, maybe posted online or whatever? Yes! In fact, there are guys who also let us know about it. It’s

like “people, my tat is based on your design”. They mostly use just a single detail featured in our designs, not an entire design, since most of them are too detailed and/or huge. They may even combine those designs with others, made on their own. What they usually do is take a minor detail from one of our posters and get a tattoo on that. I get the impression that you mostly work with bands abroad, usually directly. Your last resort is being involved with local promoters and such, is that right? Not even that. Don’t forget that most of the people who work with us are also friends, so I guess it’s pretty easy to work directly with them. In that way, we get lots of references from them, especially when it comes to bands, with which they’re also friends. They also happen to explain the way we work, so in that way, it’s even easier for us. For example, in December 2012, we got to work with a band, which was recommended by a friend, so the first thing that came up during our first meeting was “how much budget they have”. You can understand that we cannot charge like 150 euro for a custom-made, handmade artwork. So when we actually asked for 500 euro, the dude was like “In fact, I can give you even more”. We charged them with just 500 euro whatsoever. Are most bands interested in the concept that what you create is a unique work of art, exclusively made for them and them alone? Or most of them opt for creating just a “run-of-the-mill cover”, especially in our era, when most people have at least a rudimentary knowledge of Photoshop and other such software? Fortunately, most Greeks have now started to “wake up”, by seeing artworks as parts of their music, since such art can make their albums more, let’s say, appealing. If a band falls into the “Photoshop” category, we don’t work with them, since they need something com-

pletely different from what we do. Most people we work with are fully aware of the fact that the artwork is an integral part of their artistic outcome. Plus, each poster for a live show is completely different from another. Each poster is a totally different artistic proposition for each live show. Exactly! After all an album consists of three core elements: the music, the lyrics and the artwork! Now, let’s head to a different direction. Vinyl’s are once again really popular in the underground scene, in such extent that there is more demand for vinyl’s than for CD’s. That’s correct. Let me show you some things we’ve worked on in terms of vinyl artworks. (at this point, Konstantinos starts showing to me several samples of their work, and I remain speechless). Plus, we’re all happy to find out that the posters are sold as merchandise during shows, which is really important for underground bands; it’s part of the underground philosophy. Someone buys a poster or a shirt and the band has gus money. Simple as that. Has it ever come to your attention that someone (maybe another artist) copied or replicated your work without your consent? The dude who runs Fuck Yoga, Ivan (great guy, a vegetarian, involved in DYI and such) found a bootlegged shirt design of ours. He had taken a pic of a t-shirt with an artwork of Unearthly Trance we have created, whose logo was removed. I was so sad he couldn’t get the actual t-shirt to give it to me (laughs). Imagine it might have been sold next to a tomatoes stall or something! (laughs). Generally speaking, there are people who are influenced by our work, but not people who actually “steal” our designs. Their attitude is like “we’re guys like you, who love creating art as much as you do”. Some people claim to have posters created by Viral next to their desks when creating something, for inspiration

and such. (Laughs) Respect! That was kinda cult!!! I wonder if the people who bought such a t-shirt actually knew what’s on it!! So let’s discuss a bit about your artzine, Bacteria. Which are your plans in that aspect? We have some huge plans regarding Bacteria. You know, we were surprised to find out that the first issue was completely sold out in just a few hours! Once it was sold out, more and more people started asking for it! It took so much work and effort to create it and we’re really proud of that! All we did was create a single post on Facebook. In fact, there are people who are still asking for an issue. They’re like “this zine kicks ass and I cannot find it anymore”. We’d like to publish a second, then a third issue. Then, we’d like to create a deluxe edition featuring all three! How did you come up with the artzine’s name? We love all things viral, you know, so no surprise there (laughs). The name “Bacteria, a fanzine by Viral Graphics” fit like a glove! Alex and I have thought that if we ever issued a fanzine, we would name it “Bacteria”! It’s practically an underground name! As I said, in Viral we arrange things pretty quickly, so that’s how this name thing was done. Is Bacteria made by you and Alex alone? Or are there other artists working on it as well? Are both texts and illustrations made by just you two? Alex and I are mainly behind that project, from illustrations, layout till proofreading. We also printed it on our own. It was a limited 150-piece edition, also featuring a sticker and a “thank you for purchasing” card, each one of which had a custom-made, handmade sketch, not something too complex, but, you know, an individual thing. The limited release was a conscious choice. Bacteria’s an underground artzine, so not many issues had to be printed. We worked Burst www.afternoiz.com

52 on the “first-come, first-served basis” in terms of orders and we are really happy with the outcome (writer’s note: Konstantinos had a copy with him and I was really impressed with the issue). This is REALLY impressive work, man! I want the

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next issue, that’s for sure! If the very first issue is so impressive, I can only imagine what comes next! Any particular message to our readers? Thank you so much! I’d gladly bring you one! Art and culture need to be shared. We’ve got

nothing to hide from each other and nothing to argue about, no matter in which country we live! Thanks to the internet, this is feasible these days! We can’t wait to receive more updates on Bacteria and in your work as a whole. I must say I really

enjoyed this interview!!! Thank you so much for everything, man! The pleasure was all mine! Thank you so much for the chat!! Integrity above all. Take care.

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ALBUM REVIEWS

54 Anneke Van Giersbergen - Drive Drive is Anneke Van Giersbergen’s new studio album and she will certainly drive her fans crazy! For this album, she decided to work with the songwriter and producer Arno Krabman, with whom she co-wrote all the songs. This time, she decided to gather her bandmates in the studio and work in the “old-fashioned” way, by encouraging all to contribute and exchange musical ideas. This dreamy lady started something special with her previous album, something that, in my opinion she took many steps forward with this new album. Of course, we all know her from her previous band, The Gathering, and it’s no secret that Anneke’s heart belongs to heavy music. However, for the last few years, she kept on showing us a very different side of her musical vision; and this side is as beautiful as her previous one. In a few words, Drive is Anneke’s best solo album and exactly what I expected from her. It’s smooth, fancy, classy and noisy at the same time. Anneke does not hide her feminine essence; instead, she brings it bravely in the spotlight like never before. The album features various tracks. There are some up-tempo songs (We Live On, Treat Me Like A Lady, Drive, You Will Never Change, The Best Is Yet To Come) and some more sentimental and soft ones as well (My Mother Said, You Will Never Change, Shooting For The Stars). The one song that left me absolutely speechless is Mental Jungle, for which Anneke did not hesitate to collaborate with a rather exceptional and unique musician, the Turkish metal singer Hayko Cepkin. Anneke and her boys plugged in and delivered a high quality album to us, which will make some serious noise in the scene. The album closes with the promise that the best is yet to come and I’m pretty sure of that! Korina P. Monster Magnet - Last Patrol Every time I listen to a new Monster Magnet album I have the same feeling: I feel like a fifteenyear old kid, standing in a record store in front of a “Dopes to Infinity” copy. A very good friend of mine recommended me to buy “Dopes of Infinity” because I was looking forward to listening to heavy rock. Back then, I was very happy to have got in touch with the so called heavy/stoner rock masters. Time has made me finally understand that Monster Magnet is one of the best rock bands out there: Rock- nothing less, nothing more. As Dave Wyndorf (the main-man of Monster Magnet) is getting older, becoming more mature he made a rock turn after the Monolithic Baby album. 4 Way Diablo, Mastermind and Last Patrol consist of a trilogy, marking a new period for Monster Magnet; a darker, down tempo one, influenced by the 60’s. Of course, they are not missing all those spacey elements that are apparent throughout Magnet’s discography. Let’s stay on the new album for a little while. “Last Patrol” is a nine-minute magnum opus song with a delirious solo in the end of it, which names the 9th official Monster Magnet. The new record available via Napalm Records is a futuristic trip through 60’s melodies, spacey references and psychedelic guitar-themes: Definitely the most vintage work of Wyndorf’s gang. Just listen to the space-rock ballad “Stay Tuned” and you’ll get the idea. Plus, don’t forget to stand before “The End of Time” and admire the amazing riffs, inspired by one of the last Space Lord Motherfuckers hanging out in our galaxy. Personally as a fan I’d like Ed Mundell (also Atomic Bitchwax) being a part of “Last Patrol” but I cannot do otherwise. I’m gonna listen to the album one more time again. This is not their best one but it is much above average. Vintage, spacey, rock! Spiros Smyrnis

Death Angel - The Dream Calls For Blood Death Angel is one of the bands that cannot be ignored by any person who claims itself as real thrash metal fan. This band has released some of the greatest thrash metal albums in the history of heavy metal, like “The Ultra-Violence” (Their debut studio album released back in 1987), Frolic Through the Park (1988) or The Act III (1990). But their history did not stop in 1990. Even though they somehow disappeared from the map in the period between 1992 - 2001 due to some incidents they managed to reunite and give us another three quality albums, named, “The Art of Dying (2004), Killing Season (2008) and Relentless Retribution (2010). So what about their seventh release, 26 years (!) later? “The Dream Calls For Blood” has behind the microphone the ferocious vocals of Mark Osegueda, who has been with the band since the beginning. Osegueda had all the help he needed on the hands of Ted Aguilar (guitars), Damien Sisson (bass) and Will Carroll (drums). The most impressive fact about them, is that even though they started in the mid eighties, they have always been a breath of fresh air, evolving their sound but without letting up their energy. They always experiment themselves and this album has funky, punky and progressive elements. I put the CD in my player and the new line-up introduce themselves with the manic “Left For Dead” followed by the “Son Of The Morning”. Both songs feature some killer guitar work and devilish melodies that make you pray to live in the 1980s. This display continues with the drum-lead assault of “Fallen” a track that looks that follows the Slayer pattern but with their own original melodies. The highlight track is “Detonate” that combines several of the mentioned above elements, with melodic strains and thrashy rasps. “The Dream Calls For Blood” is a killer album from a band that denies to put themselves into the grave. These boys are back in town for one more time as a wild flowing river. If you want to make a present to yourselves this album is probably the best idea for the whole 2013. Sotirios Stilianos Burst www.afternoiz.com

55 Kataklysm - Waiting For The End To Come Kataklysm are back with a new album full of blast beats, “Waiting For The End To Come”. The band recruited Oli Beaudoin (Neuraxis, Ex Deo, Belphegor, Keep of Kalessin) to sit behind the drum kit, in order to boost and enhance the so-called “Northern Hyperblast” pattern. Vocalist Maurizio Iacono stated that it was about time for Kataklysm “to make a change and challenge ourselves a bit more when it comes trying out new sounds”, so it’s truly the beginning of a new era for the band! From the opening track “Fire,” I guess listeners realize what to expect from the album: groove, riffs, growls and drum blasts that are just phenomenal. Kataklysm is synonymous to anger and hatred and there are many elements of both throughout the album: “If I was God - I’d Burn It All”, “Kill The Elite”, “Dead & Buried”, “Real Blood – Real Scars” are just a typical example of that. This album is full of so much energy that it makes you feel like the band is playing in your head – and that’s certainly something to make you oomph and your body to bang! This might be by far one of the best albums of the band yet and it really gives you the “thrust” to watch them live screaming “KILL THE EEEEEEEEEELITE!”. One thing’s for sure: listen to the album over and over again and don’t you dare skip any songs! “Waiting For The End To Come” is an awesome Kataklysm new album featuring a very “fresh” sound, plus another splendid artwork, new inspiring melodic riffs combined with unusual core elements, drumming blasts, pauses, and relentless harsh vocals. It’s not the end of Kataklysm; on the contrary, it’s their very beginning! Highly recommended for Hatebreed, Suffocation, Chimaira fans and generally fans of extreme/death metal! Sissy Fanouraki Placebo - Loud Like Love After 17 years of presence, long melodic paths walked by successful albums and dynamite tracks, Placebo are back from an almost four-year break since their last album “Battle for the sun” (2009). The band at first went into the studio to record some singles but then began to record more and more material. The recordings took place in RAK STUDIOS in London, where they have also worked on their fifth studio album “Meds”. The new album entitled “Loud like love” starts with the eponymous song (released as a single on 08.06.2013) and continues in elegant alternative sounds with “Scene of the crime”, “Too many friends” that was the first sample unveiled and was released as a single in 08.07.2013. The song refers to the impersonal digital communication between people. The music video was filmed in Los Angeles and it also features a narrative by the American novelist Bret Easton Ellis. It continues with songs that stand out, like “Hold on me” and “Bosco”, and then with the most electrified chords of “Rob the bank”, “A million little pieces”, “Purify” and “Exit Wounds”. Lyrically it exudes a revolutionary tinge, which is common component of the band, referring to sexual peculiarities and drugs, proving to us once again that Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal have found the magic formula to travel in time, with the constant musical identity of Placebo. The album sleeve includes no lyrics and has a different style compared to previous albums, plus it seems that Placebo are experimenting with a more colourful artwork. The initial release date was 09.13.2013 in Europe and 09.16.2013 worldwide, in the form of Compact Disc, Digital Download & LP, with the label of Universal Music and Adam Noble behind the production helm. The album “Loud like love” is a commercial album that does not musically differentiate from the former Placebo albums, which is a reason why many people might judge it strictly. Anyhow, it will definitely be loved by the fans of the band. Overall, it is a decent work of a great band, that marches steadily over time. Rula Karamani Dream Theater - Dream Theater Nowadays, it’s such a common phenomenon to criticize everybody and everything! Dream Theater’s new release is yet another one to have received malicious and mediocre reviews among others. As for me, I consider myself inadequate to criticize the music and work of such musicians. Personally, being a fan of Dream Theater gave me the opportunity to open my ears and broaden my musical horizons. In addition, I don’t know how you could even describe that particular album as ‘boring’. It’s neither boring nor similar to anything else; you should listen to it over and over again! That’s the point with Dream Theater, the more you listen, the more details you discover about their music and that’s the magic thing about this band, the reason I put the words “dream” and “theater” on music. To be honest, I cannot be too precise since I have only listened to “Dream Theater” such a few times -approx. 15 within few days. The point here though, is to describe you what I felt. I was completely isolated wearing my headphones because I didn’t want to miss a tune, a riff, not a single melody. This album is brilliant! Wow! It has nothing to do with “A Dramatic Turn of Events”, another amazing album of Dream Theater. While being a great aficionada of “Awake” and “Octavarium,” listening to this album has been a great experience! It reminded me a bit of Rush prog rock style and I really missed Mike Portnoy’s wanna-be-singer efforts but not the songs about his alcohol addiction!! I was moved by the melodies and the exquisite James LaBrie cool vocal performance, plus it was the very first time I’ve ever heard of John Myung’s amazing low-down bass riffs so damn clear! “Dream Theater” is an integral part of the Dream Theater legacy, the most surprisingly “normal” album ever! However, it’s genuinely amazing from the beginning to the very end. Sissy Fanouraki Burst www.afternoiz.com

56 Orchid - The Zodiac Sessions For those who may don’t know it, this is not a new Orchid album, but a re-issued package of their first works (“Through The Devil’s Doorway” EP and “Carpicorn” debut album) under the cool title The Zodiac Sessions. To tell you the truth I found unnecessary to rerelease an album that was originally released in 2011. Who really cares, may someone ask, and will have a point. This is not a cult release which is out of print for a long, long time or a collection of very rare recordings. It can be a great gift for Orchid fans on the other hand, only if the price is set on a reasonable value. Enough about the re-release weaning! Let’s talk about music! It is primitive- Sabbathian doom metal. Simple as that, so a well-trained listener could easily do the math! Slow, down tempo tracks focused on bluesy riffs and satanic solos! Hell yeah! Orchid are among the first bands that attached to what the reviewers call occult rock and they did it really well. Sometimes in the middle of the song I have the feeling that someone screams Hail Satan by raising his horns up! This is the image I have in mind when the name of Orchid is brought up. I have also to admit that Zodiac Sessions has a great cover by the band’s gifted singer, Theo Mindell. As for you who are always seeking the album’s highlights I have to stick out the magnum opus of “Electric Father”, which is one of the band’s classics. “He Who walks Alone” on the other hand has a killing introduction that sets your neck in the right place for a headbanging you would enjoy as much as the song. That’s the spirit! Do not afraid to embrace them even if they do send you straight to hell. Spiros Smyrnis Chris Mike – Not Just Lipstick on a Pig Not just Lipstick on a Pig is the first solo album of the Greek guitarist Chris Mike, released by the international label Candyrat Records. The artist in question, who is also a member of the Greek band Parthian Shot and a freelance musician for famous Greek artists, except for the compositions in their entirety, has also handled production and mastering. Chris Mike was born in Athens and started following the path of the musician from a very young age, stating as his major influences trailblazing artists, such as John Petrucci, Steve Vai, David Gilmour, Jimi Hendrix and Guthrie Govan. The album consists of 8 solo, guitar tracks. It kicks off with a dynamic song, ‘Just tune your guitar,’ by putting the listener in the mood and feeling of the album right away. In terms of compositions, the record has reached a very good level. Maybe the only issue that might bother certain listeners, who are no fans of this particular genre, would be the extensive analysis of certain musical themes during the track orchestration. In each and every song of the release in question, Chris Mike’s technical skills are more than evident (what a bend, boy!), which, alongside his significant skills as a composer, make this record a very complete release. As for his more evident major influences, the artist to stand out the most is John Petrucci, in terms of technique and sound alike. The album highlights, at least on my personal opinion, are the tracks ‘Just tune your guitar’ with its interesting intro, ‘From five to four’ and ‘You’. The latter is in fact the last, yet more chilling and easy-listening track featured in the record. Last but not least, it should be mentioned that the album’s production is extremely good and the artwork quite interesting. To sum up, ‘Not Just Lipstick on a Pig’ is a release, which will surely please several fans of this specific musical genre, including music lovers and guitarists alike. Petros Chatzistylianos

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Karolina Pacan

Folk

In these modern times, it’s hard to keep up with many things. We are bombarded with new fashion, and ‘’what do to, to be cool’, thus slowly forgetting who we really are. What should we do to remember? Read your own history and folklore. These things are a part of you, and have always been there, and they won’t be forgotten if you keep the flame burning. Don’t always listen to the people on TV, “that new blue dress is the best thing on earth, and old flower prints are so cliché.” You know who you are. Read, learn, and remember :)

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POP CORNER by Jo Gogou

Just like any music genre, pop music (deriving from the word “popular”), one of the most widespread ones, left its mark on the fashion scene, which has been dramatically escalating as time went by.

Further to this recollection, it all started during the time when artists discovered their musical persona, as well as the importance of their sense of fashion. According to Pop Idol, Pop icon is defined as a personality, character or object, whose exposure in the pop culture defines a specific characteristic of a society or time period. This categorization is usually connected with factors such as longevity, constant presence and differentiation. Plus, the “pop icon” status

is defined by other types of reputation besides popular culture, such as historical information. In short, “culture “or Pop fashion could have stemmed from the time of Benjamin Franklin and Mozart; and that is the reason even the Victorian era… was pop. Image is a dominant feature of this type of fashion, mainly because images create strong associations and leave a strong trace in our mind. Some of the “idols”, which are commonly used in pop art are Albert Einstein, Mona Lisa, Mickey Mouse ,

Photo by Apostolis Kaliakmanis Burst www.afternoiz.com

Big Bird, Winnie the Pooh, Bugs Bunny, Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Harry Potter, The Simpsons, James Dean, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Freddie Mercury, River Phoenix, Jean Harlow, Tupac Shakur, Bruce Lee, Janis Joplin and Marilyn Monroe. Several artists such as: Madonna Louise Ciccone began by wearing a lot of jewelry around her neck, wrists and clothes. She wore a lot of T-shirts and had ribbons in her hair,

all of which were linked to 1984. She was a spark for the wannabe fans of fashion. During the same year, she made an appearance wearing a wedding gown with leather elements, and of course excessive jewelry. From the look, aesthetics, and concept, to this day, Madonna is presented as a fashion icon each year. The theatricality in apparel is the trademark that gives the exceptional or extreme identity of each year’s new fashion. ABBA: The Swedish quar-

59 tet that brought drastic change not only with their music, but with their colorful attires they wore shamelessly, despite the fact that they were created in 1972. This reference and look was not absent in their video clips. Bee Gees: Lamé, flamboyant fabrics, silver jackets, high heels and lapel chains were the fashion elements that defined the charmers of this time period, an indicator of the disco era, the one thing for sure is that it screams pop. The Beatles: Not only did the boys captivate the music enterprise, but also the hearts of female population from the UK to Europe and America. Their style revolved, not only in terms of apparel, but also in terms of assorted haircuts and hair styles. Aerosmith: A reference to the American hard rock band, which, according to the term pop stated above, except for the rock & roll scene, has also its roots in jazz. The lead singer, as well as the rest of the band, proudly wore long scarves on their arms or heads and vividly colored vests during their tour and music videos, a style so fitting to the pop scene. Michael Jackson: The king of pop firmly holds the reins of the Pop industry, by turning white socks, the red leather jacket, white gloves and sun glasses into fashion, a style that, not only did his fans follow, but also a vast majority of his fellow musicians. His appearance in the 1970’s with original outfits, with or without the Jackson 5, was a great success, which strongly influenced the decade to come. In the video clip of his song “Beat it,” he is seen wearing a red, leather jacket no one had dared wear before. The next day, he wanted every music lover to stroll the US -with the exception of Los Angeles- as a “clone” of Jacko’s. A wide range of artists from Poprock-Dance scenes have adopted

-or better, have created- their own pop fashion statement, a lot of them being Pop idol-fashion freaks, which have greatly influenced their audience. Some of them are: Christina Aguilera, Muhammad Ali, Josephine Baker, David Bowie, James Brown, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé Knowles, Led Zeppelin, George Michael, Rihanna, Elvis Presley, Prince, The Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra, Britney Spears, Spice Girls, Bruce Springsteen , Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Kylie Minogue, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Guns N’ Roses and Jimi Hendrix. In addition, icons of diverse places and junctures of the globe are Charlie Chaplin, James Dean, Ernesto Che Guevara, Audrey Hepburn, Elton John, Bruce Lee, Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey, and Marilyn Monroe. It’s a love that was born, grew but will never die. Does fashion negate music or do pop idols become fashion idols? In the 1980’s, a vast majority of people was significantly influenced by culture and fashion, either due to the impact of the musical scene, advertising, or of the general need for something new and unique. The need for recycling, or rather, the need to create something new using an older idea, made it the strong concept that it is today. With baroque, Victorian and vintage, and well as the army look (combining contradictive ideas), the minority has the need to create something of their own. In the midst of the decade and a bit before its end, the leggings/shorts are a top choice, worn by men and women alike, as well as jackets with hefty shoulders, big glasses, bulky or curly hair and athletic sneakers or boots. Does this ring a bell? Fashion demands accessories, color, pop attitude and lots of creativity. A lot of fashion designers have focused on the Pop culture and revived it through their own perspective; this is the concept to be analyzed in the next issue of Burst, but, until then, ask yourself: Does fashion negate music or do pop idols become fashion idols? Burst www.afternoiz.com

Directorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cut

Martin Scorsese The goodfella of cinema By Angie Rouska & Spiros Smyrnis

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62 It seems that I cannot recall which was the first Martin Scorsese film I’ve ever watched: It feels like I’ve known him forever, a standard value injected in my cinephilic life. Versatile, perfectionist and a visionary. With each film, Martin achieves in surpassing his previous one and, at the same time, he introduces a new way of story-telling. Martin Scorsese was born on November 17 1942 in Queens, NY. Having a Sicilian/Italian heritage (his father’s parents emigrated from Palermo and his mother was of Italian descent), this time and place played a significant role to

ican (Catholic of course) man in Little Italy, who is spending his time with his bros (more of a shallow gang), going to bars, trying to score with some chicks and bullying other guys. During his wild life, he meets a girl on the Staten Island Ferry and falls in love, while he finds out that she is different from his friends and doesn’t want to destroy the pureness of this relationship. However, the Girl confesses to him that she was a rape victim and that puts him in a complicated position. Trying to resolve his Catholic issues, he decides to overcome his narrow-mindness and marry her… But guess what

“Cinema is a matter of what’s in the frame and what’s out” his directing career. In many of his films, he portrays an Italian-American way of life, accompanied by the Catholic guilt and redemption, with the last one being the outcome of the strict Catholic environment he was raised in. Imagine that his initial plan was to become a priest! But thank God for his asthma! Because of his condition in question, he was not able to participate in any sports activities, so his parents would usually take him to the movie theaters. This was the main reason that made him “dive” into the world of films. Besides that, Scorsese has said it guys, “My whole life has been movies and religion. That’s it. Nothing else.” His career as a director began early, while he was studying in New York’s University Film School. He shot the shorts “What’s a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This?”, “It’s Not Just You, Murray!” However, his most popular one was the “The Big Shave” (1968). His full-feature film debut came in 1967 during Chicago International Film Festival with the “Who’s That Knocking At My Door” (initial titled I Call First), starring then a young Harvey Keitel in his first credited screen role! The story follows J.R., an Italian-AmerBurst www.afternoiz.com

her reply is. Having watched this after some of his later films, I find the way Scorsese puts the foundation for a solid directing career with a low budget film simply amazing. Despite its flaws, everything is there: the slow motion scenes, the perfect soundtrack, and his signature dialogues. Two specific scenes: the one in the bar and the one at the party. What more can I say? Martin Scorsese wanted to create a trilogy of films based on the idea of crime and Catholicism. “Who’s That Knocking At My Door” is considered the second installment, while the first one Jerusalem, Jerusalem (starring Harvey Keitel again) never materialized since no studio accepted to fund it. The third one is “Mean Streets”. “Boxcar Bertha” (1972): After the screening of the film, it is rumored that John Cassavetes said to Martin Scorsese that he should be focused on the real cinema and live box office to those who knew it better. “During the depression, a union leader and a young woman become criminals to exact revenge on the management of a railroad.” This is the twoline story of Boxcar Bertha on IMDB for the weakest film Scorsese ever made, at least in my opinion. He worked together with Roger Corman (a

b-movie horror guru) just to deliver a strange crime road movie, which brings up Bonny and Clyde in mind, also featuring some Wizard of Oz references. Terrence Malick did it extremely better on 1973’s “Badlands” probably having a similar scenario in mind. Barbara Herhsey gives an honest performance. “Mean Streets” (1973) is the first collaboration between the director and Robert De Niro. Harvey Keitel also starred portraying Charlie, who is working for his uncle in Little Italy, claiming bad debts. He is having a secret affair with his best friend’s cousin, Teresa, who suffers from epilepsy and he always has to face his uncle’s disapproval for this relationship. His best friend, Johnny Boy, is a gambler who owes money to loan sharks. While the time passes, Johnny’s behavior becomes difficult to handle, putting Charlie in the middle of his religion and Mafia alike. Although Mean Streets has the cover of Mafia, it is a film about redemption. Charlie looks like he asks for

forgiveness from his friend, his uncle, Teresa, you, me… everyone! This film is considered one of his early masterpieces, putting Robert De Niro on the map, while, at the same time, it marks the commencement of a long-lasting collaboration between the two men. “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”: For the first time in his career back then, Martin Scorsese co-operated with a big Holywood Studio (Warner), just to make his only female picture in his whole filmography. He finally received some success after “Mean Streets” and he decided to shoot a film, which was very different from his previous one, taking Ellen Burstyn in the leading role of Alice Haat and country star Kris Kristofferson -with whom he would co-operate again on Taxi Driver- for the role of David. The big melancholic eyes of Burstyn and the macho style of Kristofferson provide us with a different version of the couple next door. Burstyn’s outstanding performance, for which she won the only Oscar in her great career, is “Alice

63 Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”fact! Scorsese gave his full energy and dedication to create a female character, who is sick and tired of being a wife and wants follow her dream to become a singer. He drew a touching picture of her in a depressingly sweet road movie, where Jodie Foster has a small role as well. On every street, in every city, there’s a “nobody” who dreams of being somebody! It was Friday evening, sometime in 2001: I remember that evening! I was fifteen years old and I was standing in front of the cult section stand of my neighborhood’s video-store. The nice girl who owned the store told me that that movie was put in the cult section by mistake, since it was a Martin Scorsese’s classic and probably one of the best movies in the history of cinema. Back then, the internet wasn’t as accessible as it is nowadays, so that I would read Edward Norton’s statement on “Taxi Driver”: “This is the movie that changed my life”! Twelve years later, I could say the same thing! “Taxi Driver” is my answer to the most common question asked by cine-maniacs: Which is your favorite movie? That’s the one because “Taxi Driver” introduced me to the world of Cinema, as well as to the work of Martin Scorsese, the Best American Director of all times for me! Last year, under the pale Athenian sky, I watched a digitally remastered copy of “Taxi Driver: and I felt the same exact way. “Taxi Driver received fierce controversy when it was released, resulting in censorship problems in America, as some of the violent scenes were described “as gory as “Clockwork Orange” and “Straw Dogs” (Evening News 1976), quoting from the back cover of the Taxi Driver DVD release. Travis Bickle is Robert De Niro! The Taxi Driver is Travis Bickle! The Taxi Driver is Robert De Niro! De Niro’s performance as the Taxi Driver marked the History of Cinema, establishing the Methodist actors (Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Harvey Keitel) as the promising force in the Independent American cinema of the 70’s. De Niro had been working as a cab driver for six months, in

“I can’t really envision a time when I’m not shooting something” order to impersonate Travis, a fucked up Vietnam veteran, who is incapable of feeling love and sympathy for anybody but a thirteen year old prostitute (starring Jodie Foster) He took the night shift so he can

observe all those scumbags who call night their favorite time of day! “And, even now, I still know of nobody who can surprise me on the screen in the way he does -and did back then. No actor, who can pro-

vide such power and excitement, comes to mind.” Martin Scorsese said that and no one but he could better describe De Niro’s talent and acting skills! The scene with De Niro standing in front of the mirror asking someone who wasn’t there, if “Are you talking to me?” is a cinema classic, since De Niro speaks on behalf of all the nobodies out there, who dream of being somebody. This outcome is produced through electrifying atmosphere and raw energy combined. There is also another scene, where Travis points a gun-hand to his head! In fact, he points a gun to society, which is fed by the rotten American Dream. He is pointing the gun to you, to me, to everyone. For me this is the best movie of all time. “New York New York” (1977) is my second favorite film by Scorsese. It is, as Jimmy Doyle says, a “major chord”. You got the actors you want, you got the director you want and you got the music you want. It is not a musical but it is full of music, jazz, if you please. The story follows the love affair between a selfish saxophone player, Jimmy Doyle (Robert De Niro) and a singer Francine Evans (Liza Minelli) from its beginning. Although the film Burst www.afternoiz.com

64 captured by Scorsese’s virtuosity; De Niro’s acting skills, Joe Pesci’s figure, and the amazing black and white photography. “Raging Bull” is one of the reasons why cinema is also called Seventh Art.

in question was an experiment for Martin Scorsese, it failed in the box-office. It is an underrated film that does not follow the director’s usual patterns, so you shouldn’t associate it with him if you didn’t know it; but a new way of narrating is present. This time, Scorsese pays more attention to the movement in the background. He directs crowded scenes and a wonderful musical act, “Happy Endings,” which was almost cut when it was released in theaters. “New York, New York” is a tribute to all those Classic Hollywood musicals; Burst www.afternoiz.com

it belongs to another era; pure with more colors and amazing songs. Imagine that the main theme turned into a hit a couple of years after the film was released, when it was included in Frank Sinatra’s album Trilogy: Past Present Future. The original one, featuring a few minor differences in the lyrics, was written and performed by the goddess of voice herself, Liza Minelli. “Raging Bull”: As for those the Burst readers who are not familiar with the filming story of Jake La Motta, let me share

the film’s plot on IMDB with you: “An emotionally selfdestructive boxer’s journey through life, as the violence and temper that leads him to the top in the ring, destroys his life outside it.” Of course, “Raging Bull” is a lot more than these two and a half lines. Critics claimed that this film is the best Scorsese film ever made, with the movie always taking the top spots of top-100 lists of the best movies of all time. I can’t say much, except that every time I see that movie I want to pick up a camera and shoot a film myself. I am

“King of Comedy”: Just few minutes ago, I left the screening room where I watched the 30-year anniversary digital copy of “King of Comedy” at the Athens International Film Festival and I am shocked! So I thought that this is the best state of mind for me to share some thoughts on this Scorsese masterpiece. Jerry Lewis and Robert De Niro starred in an intense psychotic black comedy you can’t forget once you’ve seen it. Rupert Pupkin is a fucked up character, similar to Travis Bickle, whose mind is lost in personal failures, while fighting the demons of loneliness and success. A dose of strange humor supported by the amazing performances of Jerry Lewis and Robert De Niro set the scenery for the most unconventional film in Scorcese’s filmography. “After Hours”: My grandpa told me once that women, drinks, love, even tears taste better at night: “After Midnight”, or “After Hours,” as Martin Scorsese named it, is probably one of his most unappreciated films. I had to grow up just to understand what grandpa and Martin meant. I had to watch that film again a few days ago, just to understand the story of Paul Hackett (an ordinary professor) who spends the best “night” in his life when he agrees to visit a girl in Soho (Rosanne Arquette, the girl we all want to meet someday in our life). The film, which was the biggest box office failure in Scorsese’s entire filmography, is a very interesting descent in the illusory night world. Paul is trapped in a dangerous, insane world some people call night, seeking his way home. He is lucky enough to spend a night in this world and we were lucky enough to watch that movie. “After Hours” isn’t the best Scorsese film, if you haven’t already seen it, don’t waste your time! Based on a novel by Walter Tevis, “The Color of Money”, starring Paul Newman and

65 Tom Cruise, is the film that gave the Oscar of Best Actor to Newman. It is a sequel of “The Hustler” (which was also based on the novel by the same author) which follows the story of the pool hustler Edward Felson, who has retired from action. As he misses the sport, he acts as a stake horse for the rising Vincent who is being managed by his girlfriend Carmen, who is a little bitchy… Eddie teaches them how to hustle significant amounts of money; however their relationship does not end well, so they part ways. Eddie then decides to start again, by participating in various games, so a grudge match between him and Vincent is a fact! A wonderful film, with Scorsese experimenting once again. This time, he makes a comeback, after the seemingly failed attempt with “New York New York”. It is pure joy watching Paul Newman again in this role, although the upcoming actor, Tom Cruise, was in the spotlight. “The Last Temptation”: Which director is the best choice to film the controversial book of Nikolaos Kazantzakis? Who else but Martin Scorsese! Who is going to be the best choice to play a down to earth human savior Jesus Christ, following the sinful way of desire? Who else but Willem Dafoe! “The Last Temptation of Christ” is not just another cinematic interpretation of a book. It is a psychological thriller about the meaningful matters of life and death, as seen in the son of God’s point of view. The eternal fight of good vs. evil on the wounded body of a man some people call God. Provocative, artistic, poetic but real cinema! We are closing the first part of our tribute to the director, with the landmark of cinema, one of the greatest movies of all time, an example of stunning filmmaking and superb acting: “Goodfellas” is the top of every mob-movie out there. Yes, there is the perfect “Godfather”, but if I had to choose between them, I would definitely cast my vote to Henry Hill and his crew again and again and again! The film is based on true events; it is the cinematic adaptation of Nicholas Pileggi’s book ‘Wiseguy’

Quote from the movie: Tommy DeVito: “In this day and age, what the fuck is this world coming to? I can’t believe this. A Jew broad, prejudiced against Italians”. and follows the rise of Henry Hill in the mafia world. Starring Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Lorraine Bracco, this film is full of iconic scenes and characters. When Martin Scorsese read the book, he thought that this was what he was searching for. He called the author and asked him if he was interested in such a project. “I’ve been waiting for this book my entire life,” he told Pileggi, who replied “I’ve been waiting for this phone call my entire life”! Eve-

rything from there on is history. The storytelling in this film is different. It starts from the middle, goes backwards and then forward. Scorsese added narration during the whole picture, quick cuts, change of locations and freeze frames, all of which are inspired by the French Wave of the ‘60’s, and by Truffaut’s Jules and Jim, to be more specific. Further to Martin’s own statement, the director wanted to emphasize on the gangsters’ way of life: Too fast, too attractive, for those outside, plus, at the

same time, he wanted to depict violence in the most realistic way possible. Besides that, the F word is almost in every sentence! Scorsese’ masterful work can be summarized in one scene from “GoodFellas”: the Copacabana long shot, which was successful after eight attempts, two minutes and twenty-eight seconds of absolute perfection.

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FILM SECTION

66 Their goal, however, is to win the world championship. Throughout the whole film we follow an ongoing rift between the two men, who don’t hesitate to test their limits in a sport where -especially these years- death waits around the next corner. To be honest, I was expecting that most of the scenes of such a movie would be on-track, but the cameras are following the two legends in more personal, rather than racing moments. And this is what makes “Rush” differ from other films of this genre, and makes you wonder if it should be ranked as a sport movie or a biographical drama. What finally prevails is the portrayal of the two drivers’ personalities, where, as you’re getting closer to the end of the movie, the heroes’ psyche is revealed, and you find out that except from the rivalry, they also share mutual respect. There is neither a good nor a bad guy here; By Danae Christopoulou Rush (2013) there are just two men with totally different lifestyles, Photo by Jaap Buitendijk – © 2013 - Universal Pictures ways of driving and conception of life that somehow will both gain your sympathy. I was never really attracted to movies about sports. Let alone a The acting part is particularly interesting. Chris Hemsworth movie that revolves around car racing. (I’m not proud of it, but (Thor) is an ideal choice for the sexy, bon viveur Hunt (his most I’ll admit it, what made me to go and see “Rush” was Chris Hemsremarkable role so far) but Daniel Brühl (mainly known for his worth). But eventually, I found myself enjoying this film for many performances in Good Bye Lenin!, The Edukators, Inglourious more reasons! The prominent American director Ron Howard Basterds) is the one who wins you over, portraying Lauda (his (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind) works once again with screenwriter expressions are tremendously close to the Austrian driver’s)! Peter Morgan (Willie/Nixon) to transfer, on the big screen, the I can assure you that the scenes behind the wheel aren’t only -on and off track- rivalry between two legendary race car drivers; for Formula One lovers! The director manages to keep you alert Niki Lauda and James Hunt, and not only gives action to us, not from start to finish. Thrilling, vibrant, dynamic and the tense, the only adrenaline-fueled moments, but also emotional ones. thought of “Please, don’t crash!” pops up in your mind. The verBack in the 1970s we have two of the best Formula One drivers, tigo that the speed causes, the engines’ roar, and the extremely with only one thing in common, their love for racing. In other asclose-up shots will give you the feeling that you’re in one of this pects they are two starkly different characters. The Austrian Niki hellish machines. Lauda, driving for Ferrari, seems very serious, antisocial and sulTwo powerful figures and high-skilled drivers, flowing dialogues, len, and lives a quiet, no-fun life: goes to bed early, never drinks comic and touching moments, the frenzy of the Formula world... and estimates the risks for every next move. On the other hand, Maybe “Rush” is not winning the championship, but you’ll surely life is a party for the British blond playboy James Hunt, who enjoy the ride! drives for Mc Laren. Women, alcohol, and no sense of danger.

The Conjuring (2013)

By Danae Christopoulou

The 36-years-old director James Wan, known in the horror films world for Saw and Insidious, along with twins Chad and Carey Hayes on the script, returns with The Conjuring, for many the scariest movie of the year. This time he will narrate a true (?) story, following the exploits of the Warrens, a couple of real-life famous “demonologists”, in their second most famous case after the Amityville haunting. Critics and audiences hold great promise. Will The Conjuring manage to scare the hell out of you? The story is set in the early 70’s. Roger (Ron Livingston) and Carolyn (Lili Taylor) Perron and their five daughters are a loving family who decide to buy a house in Rhode Island and make a new start. But this new life won’t be that pleasant for the happy family. Mysterious incidents will start happening: strange noises during the night, unexplained bruises on the mother’s body, the sudden death of the family’s pet. To their luck, the paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren are giving lectures in the area, so the Perrons will resort to them for help. “What a concept!” you’ll luckily think. Yeah, that’s what i also thought. Maybe the plot did not impress me, but the critic reBurst www.afternoiz.com

views did. “The best horror film of 2013”, “The next great shoker”. As a psychological-horror-movies lover i shouldn’t miss this one. Finally, i might as well should. Not that it’s a bad movie, it’s just yet another haunted-by-malevolent-spirits-house thriller. Maybe i had high expectations because of what i’ve read, but it didn’t really give me the heebie jeebies. What we actually have in this -well made i have to admit- supernatural horror film is a patchwork of various scare cliches, that we have already seen a million times before. The haunted mansion, the creepy doll, the cellar, the ghost that only kids can see, the clocks that stop every night at a certain time. And the exorcism of course. The store has everything! Sometimes it feels like a deja-vu, it conjures up an echo of classics of the kind, like The Birds, The Exorcist or Amityville Horror. And this lack of originality makes the film kinda predictable. Well, this doesn’t mean that you will not be entertained. Admittedly, there are some jolting moments when you have a good scare, or the”don’t go there” scenes, but this is not something new. What really strucked me here was the simplicity of the fear techniques. Wan seems to return back to the basics, using the minimum of digital effects and preferring the old-school scares . Gore-free, without exaggerations and tons of blood that would probably make the movie ridiculous. The shots, the transitions, as well as Joseph Bishara’s music (including the stunning raw vocal performance of the avante garde musician Diamanda Galas) and sound effects, are creating a tense, menacing atmosphere. On the positives of the film, its artfully, retro tone and the performances of the actors. Surely it’s not the extremely creepy movie i was hoping to see. Nevertheless, it’s more than respectful for a modern film of its kind!

67 psychotropic drugs, we find him back in California, working for Atari but struggling to co-operate with others. He is determined that he has to work on his own projects. His childhood friend, Steve Wozniak, “Woz” (Josh Gad), gives him this chance; Jobs is amazed by the personal computer Woz is currently working on, which will become “Apple 1”. Apple Computers is founded, Steve’s father allows them to use his garage as a laboratory and Steve himself recruits his engineer friends, in order to construct “Apple 1” computers, and later “Apple II”. Jobs tries hard to find the capital, until Mike Markkula pays a visit to the garage and agrees to invest in the company. “Apple II” becomes very successful, which leads to the company’s and Job’s success to grow. He keeps a distance from his old friends, especially Kottke, regarding them as useless, and seeks only for revolutionary devices and ideas, making him By Eleni Lampraki Jobs (2013) eccentric and a cause for loss of company funds. In Photo by Glen Wilson – © 2013 - Open Road Films 1985, CEO John Sculley, hired by Jobs a year before, forces him out of the company. The film almost jumps “Jobs” is a 2013 biopic film, based on the life of Steve Jobs, the co-founder, chairman and CEO of Apple Inc. The film covers the in 1996, with Apple reaching the lowest share price ever. Jobs is period from 1974 till 1997 with a flash forward to 2001 to the persuaded by CEO Gil Amelio to return as a consultant, but soon introduction speech for i-pod. Ashton Kutcher makes a success- he becomes Apple’s CEO, with the vision to make it a great comful portrayal of Jobs, while he is surrounded by Josh Gad, Lukas pany again. (Just for the record, he succeeded). Haas, Dermot Mulroney and many more. The film is directed by To be honest, I believe that for a person like me, who hasn’t read Joshua Michael Stern. The film starts in 2001, with a middle- aged Steve Jobs, introduc- Jobs biography, and doesn’t know any details about his personaling i-pod, a revolutionary musical device, at an Apple Town Hall ity, the film leaves huge gaps. I recommend a more accurate title, meeting. Then it goes back in 1974, where young adult Steve has perhaps “Jobs and Apple” or something like that. His personal dropped out of college due to the expensive tuition his parents life along with his company “NeXT” is briefly mentioned, “Pixar” had to pay, but he is still taking up a couple of classes, includ- is completely removed, as well as the whole I-pod period and afing calligraphy, an art Jobs is very interested in. After a trip to ter. A mediocre movie, but a very diligent and convincing Ashton India with his friend Daniel Kottke and several experiments on Kutcher.

Since its first screening in Toronto International Film Festival in 2011, You ‘re Next has been one of the most anticipated home-invasion horror films. Finally, it was given a wide release in August 2013, receiving positive reviews, according to which many have claimed that it has refreshed the horror genre. The story follows the members of the wealthy Davison family, who are gathering to their vacation house in order to celebrate the wedding anniversary of their parents. While they’re sitting around the table for the big dinner, a fight between the two brothers starts and, at the same time, the invasion starts with rather primitive weapons. Arrows fly, screams and cries in the air and a big question mark above their heads. Why would somebody ever do this? And who is this somebody? Taking into consideration all the road trip horror films (i.e. bunch of teenagers going on vacation to a remote area, when they stop to a gas station and all the bad things start happening), Simon Barrett (scriptwriter) decides to follow one basic rule: Body

count! The bigger the family, the bigger the number of weird killings; so he chooses a big family. The parents, Paul and Aubrey; the first one is a former employee of the Ministry of Defense, while the latter suffers from serious mental problems. The three sons: “Mr. Know-it-all” Drake with his “touch-me-not” wife Kelly, the indifferent Felix with his “don’t break my balls” girlfriend Zee, and Crispian, the bullied son with his wonderful Australian wife and former student Erin. Last but not least, the astonishingly naive daughter Aimee, accompanied by her filmmaker boyfriend Tariq. As you can understand, we are talking about 10 potential victims. Director Adam Wingard has successfully distinguished each character from the very first minute; however, in the beginning, you might think that the Davisons are the stupidest family in the entire planet. By Angie Rouska The wealth has made them so shallow and their acting is a little bit awful at certain points. But director and writer have knowingly made them act in such a “light” manner. The only hope for logic and intelligence is Erin; but Erin is something more and our killers do not have a clue about it. In the end, Erin becomes the protagonist, the source of fresh killing ideas, something you’ll understand only when you see it. You’re Next is a fresh horror film when it comes to filmmaking. It combines all methods, from shaky camera to wonderful frames, accompanied by interesting music. Plus, black humor and “killing” lines along with the wonderful Sharni Vinson as Erin will make you enjoy this film. Unfortunately, there is a big flaw apart from the poor acting and that is the twist. Why does it always have to be the twist? It’s weak and, at some point, a predictable one. Whether you are going to watch it or not, have one thing in mind: do not expect to watch a serious horror flick that will leave you sleepless but an entertaining horror flick instead. Burst www.afternoiz.com

OT N It’s all Greek to me

Written by Spiros Smyrnis

Let’s get some things straight first! BLACK SOUL HORDE’s sound is merely based on the classic heavy metal sound of the NWOBHM scene, while at the same time containing elements of the modern European heavy-power metal sound (Germany, Italy etc.) and American heavy metal-like vocals varying from brutal growls to high pitched melodies. Their lyrics are inspired by the Greek and Norwegian mythology and the respectful works of Robert E. Howard (writer of Conan), H.P. Lovecraft and John Milton, to name a few. This is the enlightening bio—summary included in the press kit that Black Soul Horde sent me in my e-mail account! The debut album of the Greek metallers is a finest excuse to get back to our traditional heavy metal roots!

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Over the last decade I’ve been keen on more extreme stuff (black, death metal, sludge) or groovier and experimental stuff ( hardcore, stoner, rock n roll, post) but I cannot live without my classic metal injections and Tales of the Ancient Ones is a pretty good one! Sometimes you don’t need complicated ultra progressive rhythms or slow extravagant post riffs! You just need pure fucking heavy metal. The one that bangs the head that doesn’t bang. I know that you just read 3 or 4 clichés in one sentence but this is how it goes when we talk about heavy metal! You raise your beer in the sky asking for some more! These guys are good! That’s probably why No Remorse (Omen, Virtue, Dexter Ward, Masters of Metal etc.) records signed them. As you may know we have a

classic heavy metal renewal over the last 2-3 years! Enforcer, In Solitude, White Wizard are the pioneers and Black Soul Horde is the Greek answer to them! For all the fans of NWOBHM, “Tales of The Ancient Ones” will be a recommended record! The album has an epic feeling, underlined by the lyrics while you can smell Manilla Road’s blood on songs like “Hour of The Dragon” and “Horns of War”. On the other hand the spirit of Armored Saint (one of the most underrated bands in the history of heavy metal) touches “Reborn in Fire and Blood Master”. Black Soul Horde is consisted of Greek metal veterans, members of Mahakala, Sun of Nothing, Speedblow and Nordor so they are not just a bunch of kids. They know what

they’re doing and how heavy metal should sound! “Tales of the Ancient Ones” is produced, recorded and mixed by John Tsiakopoulos (Speedblow, Inside It Grows etc.), mastered by Stelios Efentakis (Mahakala) and it sounded true and heavy yet not oldfashioned! Riff by riff, Black Soul Horde swear eternal faith to heavy metal gods, and the gods return their faith by cursing them to play the music they like out fuckin’ loud all night fucking long. Do not be afraid my friends, join them and raise your little horns up! P.S The front cover is created by the one and only Vance Kelly (Down, Huntress, The Sword and many, many more) and it’s a piece of art! Simple as that!

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195 million children worldwide suffer from the effects of malnutrition. In 2011, MSF treated 408,000 children in more than 30 countries. Copyright: Francesco Zizola

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