BURST Magazine Issue 13, January 2014

January 2014 Issue 13 | $1.99

Inside BURST

Within Temptation Tim Burton Dark, Gothic Macabre -Vol 1Sepultura’s

The angelic voice of metal

the best and worst moments in music

9 772241 538000

Liv Kristine

2013 13

Exposed

ISSN 2241-5386

Derrick Green

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would you kill for a photo? www.argophotography.com

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pages 6-17 Articles

pages 18-52 Interviews

pages 54-57 Albums Reviews

page 58-61 Director’s Cut

Within temptation “Robert Westerholt” Evolution, this is the right word to put next to Within Temptation’s name. They have been around for 15 years straight with no rest and calmness at all. After numerous releases, countless shows in all over the world and many prizes being included to their collection, Within Temptation can easily say that they came to the spotlight to stay.

Read the whole interview on page 18!

pages 62-63 Film Reviews

Cover photo by Tim Tronckoe page 66-67 TV Series Beginner’s Guide

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publisher/editor in chief

Raphael Aretakis

managing editor

Spiros Smyrnis

art advisor

Aikate D.

editors

Angie Rouska B|S|Orestis Cristina Alossi Danae Christopoulou Dialekti Angeli Eleni Lampraki Helen Marie Joyce Jo Gogou Korina P. Kostas Krasonis Pana Apostolidou Panagiotis Tsoutsis Paschalis Koutsogiannis Sissy Fanouraki Sobieski Sisters Stathia S. Pedioti

contributing editors

Alexandros Nalbanis Andy Phelps Dimitris Kotsilinis Giorgos Kotrozinis J.Roberto Zenteno Jimenez Kalliope Tsouroupidou Petros Xatzistilianos Rula Karamani Sophie Tsekoura Sotiris Stilianos 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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BURST Magazine 2013 review of the best and worst moments in music

2013

by Sissy Fanouraki

In music, in 2013, we witnessed great comebacks and reunions, awesome new releases. On the flip side, we tasted great disappointments, and once more we felt so shocked by the passing of famous musicians… Unquestionably, 2013 was a year full of both splendid news and awkward moments in music and film alike, so I think it’s a bit hard for me to put one year’s events in just a single page. So, without any further delay let’s start right away….

This year kicked off with a variety of videos for “Harlem Shake” featuring cheerleaders, the US army, as well the crazy dance performed by common people, which ultimately led to a “click-war”“Harlem Shake” vs. “Gangnam Style”. People responded just fine by clicking on all related videos; each video exceeded one million views -or even two, or three! In April, following the 2012’s YouTube boom with “Gangnam Style”, PSY released the video for the track “Gentleman”, which has exceeded 610 million views to date. Some months later, back in September, Miley Cyrus stroke back with her video “Wrecking Ball”, which reached more than 440 million views in less than four months.

In addition, 2013 was also a year of unexpected deaths…

To be more precise, in March, Burst www.afternoiz.com

ex-drummer of Iron Maiden Clive Burr, died of multiple sclerosis complications, while in April Chi Cheng, Deftones’ bass player, passed away at the age of 42, after spending more than 4 years in a coma following a 2008 car accident. A month later, in May, the metal community was shocked by the sudden death of Slayer’s guitarist Jeff Hanneman (liver failure).

Around June, actor James Gandolfini (James Joseph Gandolfini, Jr.) - known as Tony Soprano in the awardwinning HBO series “The Sopranos” - suffered a heart attack. Lewis Allan Reed aka Lou Reed - musician, singer and songwriter - died in October, at the age of 71, although he underwent a liver transplant earlier this year. Another shocking death was that of actor Paul Walker (Paul William Walker IV) in November; the “Fast & Furious” star died in a car crash, ironic, isn’t it?

2013 was also the year of recognition, with Rush finally being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! In London, Music Hall of Fame’s project is the opening of a special section in the museum, where lifelike 3D images of the world’s most famous late and living stars will be created, thanks to latest technology. Moreover, Cannibal Corpse have been selected for

induction in the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2013.

2013 was the year of Metallica, too… In July, Metallica unveiled the official trailer for their 3D movie “Through the Never”, and a short while later the release of the relative OST in both standard edition and vinyl. The band also announced the making of the first Metallica Pinball Machine. Meanwhile, rumor had it that Metallica were to perform live in Antarctica; the rumor has been confirmed around October. In December, the band actually performed “Freeze ‘em All”, a live in the freezing cold Antarctica, followed by “Metallica: The Complete Illustrated History”, which was released in November.

In 2013, metalheads around the world celebrated their fave music with lots of significant new releases. Among the highlights of the numerous music events, were definitely Black Sabbath’s reunion and new album “13”, Carcass’ “Surgical Steel”, Motorhead’s “Aftershock“ and Fates Warning’s “Darkness in a Different Light”. In addition to those releases, the metal fans also welcomed the return of Skid Row with “United World Rebellion: Chapter One” (EP), the releases of both Queensrÿche bands – “Frequency Unknown” feat. Geoff

Tate and “Queensrÿche” feat.

Todd La Torre - Five Finger Death Punch’s “The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell” both volume 1 and 2, the amazing solo album of James LaBrie “Impermanent Resonance”, Running Wild’s comeback with “Resilient” and -of courseRotting Christ’s masterpiece “Kata Ton Daimona Eaytou”. Another great moment was that of Volbeat’s release “Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies” featuring a guest appearance by King Diamond.

As for the greatest disappointment of the year, it was Megadeth’s “Super Collider”.

Queens of the Stone Age’s long-anticipated new release “…Like Clockwork” was actually an audio documentary of a manic year, exactly as described, as well as the band’s first full album release featuring new tracks since 2007. I guess, some of you also welcomed David Bowie’s “new album “The Next Day” after all these years of hiatus and of course Pearl Jam’s long-anticipated new album “Lightning Bolt”. The announcement of Phil Collins’ return and a possible Genesis reunion made some of us really happy, ‘cause it’s Phil Collins after all! Last but not least, Lady Gaga’s “ARTPOP” had been a highlight of the year for pop music lovers.

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Nirvana Smells Like Teen Spirit Load up on guns, bring your friends It’s fun to lose and to pretend She’s over-bored and self-assured Oh no, I know a dirty word Hello, hello, hello, how low (x3) Hello, hello, hello With the lights out, it’s less dangerous Here we are now, entertain us I feel stupid and contagious Here we are now, entertain us A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido Yeah, hey I’m worse at what I do best And for this gift I feel blessed Our little group has always been And always will until the end Hello, hello, hello, how low (x3) Hello, hello, hello With the lights out, it’s less dangerous Here we are now, entertain us I feel stupid and contagious Here we are now, entertain us A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido Yeah, hey, yeah And I forget just why I taste Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile I found it hard, it’s hard to find Oh well, whatever, never mind Hello, hello, hello, how low (x3) Hello, hello, hello With the lights out, it’s less dangerous Here we are now, entertain us I feel stupid and contagious Here we are now, entertain us A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido A denial, a denial, a denial, a denial, a denial A denial, a denial, a denial, a denial

Stathia’s Track

by Stathia Pedioti

to say, more than you see.

This song could be anti-racist, revolutionary, about fitting in a new school and/or how cruel teens can be.

But I would like to “analyze” it from a heroin-addict’s point of view.

The first verse is the preparation and first moves the person makes. You need your guns (the needles) and some friends to be there in case you fall out. The first feelings are kinda funny, but then “she” (heroin), is over-bored and self-assured, like another teen girl with attitude. “I know a dirty word” for that, like a b!tch.

“With the lights out, it’s less dangerous” Though it could be something relevant to a feeling of security, I believe it’s a paraphrase of the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover”.

When there are no lights, the others cannot judge you over your looks, whether you are “a mulatto” or “an albino”. Plus, this lyric could be a reference to heroin once more; tar black tar heroin, his veins pumping under his pale skin while a “mosquito” injected him. “My libido” is the euphoric feelings he gets after he is getting his shot, almost like a sex ecstasy -a junkie would tell you that heroin is better than sex.

“Here we are now; entertain us” is something Kurt used to say to break the ice when meeting someone. The “hello/how low” part could be the fallout scene of this “movie” this song creates in our heads, in which our man can say nothing more than these words.

In a depressive mood now, the singer is considering his work. He feels overrated, but then “blessed” for being able to create -even on drugs-, but he will stand for what he is doing until his end. Later on this consideration, the meanings of his work and addiction are holding hands; He doesn’t remember why he started any of those two, but then sees that he smiles in his depression when he does any of them. It is a hard thing for him, but even if it wasn’t he doesn’t overanalyze it in his head anymore. And then, there is his “denial” for that “Kurt”. He knows “his” existence but doesn’t feel comfortable. This complex confusion is common among addicts and it’s hard for someone else who hasn’t been there to understand.

I hope you guys found parts of your own thoughts in this column. Have an awesome 2014 -my simple wish for you is to be healthy and lucky!!

And The Verdict Is I bet you read the title and the intro has already started playing in your head. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is undoubtedly one of the most known rock songs in general and the most mainstream of the grunge scene. Many are saying that the whole song is a joke, while others believe it’s another song referring to drugs.

“Kurt smells like teen spirit” is a quote on Cobain’s ex-

girlfriend once spray-painted.

The smell reminded her of the “Teen Spirit” deodorant.

He didn’t know that this was a deodorant back then and learnt it after the release of the song. He just thought of this quote as a good revolution slogan.

The magic of art in general relies in expressing something different to every one of us. It can have more than one thing Burst www.afternoiz.com

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Dance Me To The End of Love A Leonard Cohen Tribute

By Stathia S. Pedioti and Marianna Kofinaki

Photo © leonardcohen.com

“The heart goes on cooking, sizzling like a shish kebab” -Leonard Cohen.

Leonard Norman Cohen was born on September 21 1934, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

He comes from a Jewish family, from both his mother’s and father’s sides. His maternal grandfather was Rabbi Solomon Klonitsky-Kline, of Lithuanian Jewish ancestry, who was the author of a 700-page thesaurus of Talmudic interpretations, and his paternal grandfather was Lyon Cohen, the founding president of the Canadian Jewish Congress.

He had a Messianic childhood, and in ’67 he revealed Richard Goldstein that he was told to have been a descendant of Aaron, the high priest.

Without a doubt, Cohen is a multi-talented individual: a Burst www.afternoiz.com

singer-songwriter, musician, poet, and novelist all at the same time. He is inducted to the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, plus he has received his nation’s highest civilian honour as a Companion of the Order of Canada, as well as a Prince of Asturia Award for literature in ’11.

When referring to his overall career, the Academy of American Poets stated that “(Cohen’s) successful blending of poetry, fiction, and music is made most clear in Stranger Music: Selected Poems and Songs, published in 1993, which gathered more

than two hundred of Cohen’s poems (…) several novel excerpts, and almost sixty song lyrics (…) While it may seem to some that Leonard Cohen departed from the literary in pursuit of the musical, his fans continue to embrace him as a Renaissance man who straddles the elusive artistic borderlines.”

Through the decades, Cohen has been experimenting on his music style, ranging from acoustic folk to electro-pop.

Regardless of the most dominant musical influences of each era, he prefers female back vocals in every single song, claiming that “My voice sounds so much better when a woman is singing with me.

Some dismal quality is neutralised.”

Further to characterizations received, as “the poet laureate of pessimism”, “the grocer of despair”, “the godfather of gloom” and “the prince of bummers”, it is more than evident that Cohen is a pessimist. Oh wait, “pessimist” is a huge understatement: He is not just a pessimist, but a lifelong manic depressive, with such traits of his personality being scattered literally everywhere in his career, mostly in his early works, unlike his more recent one. Suicidal characters, depressive atmosphere, it’s all there. In his own words (or should we say lyrics): “Well, I found a silver

9 needle, I put it into my arm.

It did some good, it did some harm.” An alternative meaning of the lyrics in question indicates that this is a direct reference to heroin use and addiction.” (Cohen’s “The Butcher”). Speaking about drugs, he has said: “The recreational, the obsessional and the pharmaceutical - I’ve tried them all. I would be enthusiastically promoting any one of them if they worked.”

Cohen is a Ladies’ Man, with lots of affairs in his back.

Frightened of marriage, as he says, the closest he’s ever been to one is when he was engaged to the film star Rebecca De Mornay. He is a father of two, both with his ex-girlfriend, Suzanne Elrod.

As a gentleman, he never discusses about his mistresses or tailors, with only one exception; Janis Joplin; for her, he wrote “Chelsea Hotel No2”, a song that some of its lyrics go like this: “You said to me then, you preferred handsome men, but for me you would make an exception...Giving me head on the unmade bed, while the limousines wait in the street.”

A less known Leonard Lady was Joni Mitchell (they were together only for a brief period of time, from 1967 to 1968). Anyhow, this relationship inspired her to write “Rainy Night House,” “That Song About the Midway,” and “The Gallery”. In the ‘80s he dated the photographer Dominique Issermann, who shot his first two videos for the songs “Dance Me To The End Of Love” and “First We Take Manhattan”. As for now, he is dating, singer/songwriter Anjani Thomas and rumor has it that the couple are now engaged.

Despite his tumultuous love life, there were two girls that he just couldn’t have. The one was “the most beautiful woman” he’d ever seen, Nico, whom he met back in ‘66 at Andy Warhol’s club. She said

she preferred younger men, and then introduced him to Lou Reed. The other one was Suzanne, Suzanne of his song, not the other one, the mother of his children. Suzanne Verdal. She didn’t resist his charms, as Nico did. Sadly, she was married to a friend of his, and the only thing Leonard could do was but writing the line “I touched your perfect body with my mind”. And that how he wrote his first signature song.

Leonard Norman Cohen got too close to make one of his album’s names become true: Death of A Ladies’ Man. One day, he and his album producer Phil Spector, flipped out. Spector had a glass of red wine in one hand, and a .45 revolver in the other. Then he put his arm around Cohen’s shoulder, shoving the gun into the singer’s neck, telling him “Leonard, I love you”.

So let’s head back to a quick review of Cohen’s life in decades: A writer in the 50s, folk singer in the 60s, has-been in the 70s, cult rock star in the 80s, a monk in the 90s.

A what? Yes, you read that right. But first things first.

Leonard Cohen entered the music scene when he was in

his early 30s, with the Canadian already being a wellknown poet and novelist. He has entered his fourth musical decade now; he is a singersongwriter and musician, and his work is an exploration of religion, isolation, sexuality and personal relationships. Back in the late 90s, despite the fact he was born and raised in a Jewish family, Leonard decided to become a Buddhist Monk, by pursuing a quest for spirituality. He joined a monastery in California, where he became a driver and student of Zen Master, Kyozan Joshu Sasaki roshi (roshi means teacher). His monk name was Jikan -which means the silent one. A short while after, he realized that he wasn’t looking for a new religion and that he was happy with Judaism.

Leonard Cohen was an influence to many, from politicians to musicians, and vice versa. He is mentioned by name in Nirvana’s “Pennyroyal Tea”. Kurt Cobain wrote “Give me a Leonard Cohen afterworld/ So I can sigh eternally”. That was the reason why a show about Cobain that took place in Edinburgh, called “Leonard Cohen Afterworld”, was named after the lyrics in question. After Cobain’s death, Cohen said “”I’m

sorry I couldn’t have spoken to the young man. I see a lot of people at the Zen Centre, who have gone through drugs and found a way out that is not just Sunday school. There are always alternatives, and I might have been able to lay something on him.” In addition, he is already quoted as a reference in the songs “Who Is in Your Heart Now?”

by Studio Killers, “A Drop in Time” by Mercury Rev, “Now I Am Here” by The Black, “Ego Is Not A Dirty Word”

by Skyhooks, “Under Me”

by Better Than Ezra, “Fools Gold” by Fiction Family, “Illusions in G Major” by Electric Light Orchestra, and “Careful What You Wish For” by Raine Maida. Cohen surely inspired a lot, but there is one artist that was almost mainly influenced by his music. His name is Nick Cave.

Quoting from bad-seed.com, Nick commented: “I discovered Leonard Cohen with Songs of Love and Hate. I listened to this record for hours in a friend’s house. I was very young and I believe this was the first record that really had an effect on me. In the past, I only listened to my brother’s records. I liked what he liked, followed him like a sheep.

Leonard Cohen was the first one I discovered by myself.

Photo © leonardcohen.com Burst www.afternoiz.com

10 He is the symbol of my musical independence. I remember these other guys that came to my friend’s house that thought Songs of Love and Hate was too depressing.

I’ve realized that this ‘depression’ theory was ridiculous.

The sadness of Cohen was inspirer; it gave me a lot of energy. I always remember all this when someone says that my records are morbid or depressing.”

Since his writing revolves around diverse sources of inspiration, Mr. Cohen has also written songs about the political scene –especially in his latest works. In 1992 he released a song called “Democracy”, which was unlike anything else in his oeuvre or the pop canon - a satirical march, highly politicised although not party-political. It was later used by Ralph Nader in his presidential campaign, and sung by Don Henley at the MTV Ball during Bill Clinton’s inauguration (“slaughtered,” according to Leon Wieseltier). The song was released following to the LA riots in April 1992, although it was recorded before this critical incident in question.

“Some people have suggested that it’s prophetic. It’s hard to wear that mantle. But when you’re writing, your antennae go up, and you’re sensitive to nuances in the air”.

Another enduring theme for him is war, especially in his

early career. Challenged in 1974 over his serious demeanor in concerts and the military salutes he ended them with, Cohen remarked, “I sing serious songs, and I’m serious onstage because I couldn’t do it any other way...I don’t consider myself a civilian. I consider myself a soldier, and that’s the way soldiers salute.”

War is not just theory for Cohen. You’re going to find out soon enough that some of his war-themed songs come from his unique personal experience and of course led him to develop his own political ideas. To be more precise, back in 1973, Cohen, who had traveled to Jerusalem to sign up on the Israeli side in theYom Kippur War, had instead been assigned to a USO-style entertainer tour of front-line tank emplacements in the Sinai Desert, coming under fire.

He left the country to write “Lover, lover, lover”, and would later remark, “’Lover, Lover, Lover’ was born over there; the whole world has its eyes riveted on this tragic and complex conflict. Then again, I am faithful to certain ideas, inevitably. I hope that those of which I am in favour will gain.” Asked which side he supported in the Arab-Israeli conflict, Cohen responded, “I don’t want to speak of wars or sides (...) Personal process is one thing; it’s blood, it’s the identification one feels with their roots and their origins.

The militarism I practice as a

person and a writer is another thing.... I don’t wish to speak about war.”

a vegetarian from ’65 to ’68, and that a few years after that he took up yoga.

Furthermore, it is common knowledge that throughout his career, he has always been expressing his sympathy and support for the opressed, blending pessimism about political/cultural issues with humour and metaphors, while in his later work he also adds a gentle acceptance to this blend.

Leonard Cohen may have become –and is to become- a hero to many existing and future artists, but his own hero is the famous poet Federico Garcia Lorca. He translated a poem of Lorca’s into the song Take This Waltz, a process which took him 150 hours.

No wonder why he named his daughter Lorca, “she’s a lovely creature, and very inventive. She really deserves the name.”

But do politics inspire Cohen or is it the other way around?

In fact, it goes both ways: In 1960’s France, Leonard Cohen was really adored. Even the president, Georges Pompidou, was reputed to take his LPs on holiday. It was also said that if a Frenchwoman owned one record, it was likely to be a Cohen’s one.

Last but not least, one of the few things that remain less known is the fact that Leonard liked the Greek island of Hydra so much, that he even bought a house there in 1960 for $1,500. With no electricity or running water -he could live there for $1,000 a year, so he would go back to Canada, earn the money with his writing and head back to Hydra. “To write and swim and sail”. He lived there with Marianne C. Stang Jensen Ihlen, for whom he wrote “So long, Marianne”. Another thing about his life that is not widely known is that he was

Cohen once said: ““As our eyes grow accustomed to sight they armour themselves against wonder” and that “Reality is one of the possibilities I cannot afford to ignore.” His diverse works in every artistic aspect were proven to be so much more than that. He interpreted reality in such a wondrous and amazing way throughout his career, that not only did he “dance us to the end of love”, but he also provided us, the fans, with countless food for thought in every aspect of life. In plain English, which ending would be more fitting for this tribute to this trailblazing artist than the Master’s own words: “We are ugly but we have the music.”? So, we thank him for the music from the bottom of our hearts, a music destined to live on and on for years to come.

Photo © leonardcohen.com Burst www.afternoiz.com

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On the big screen

by Alexia Lampropoulou

Metal up your ass, metal in your ears, metal in your eyeballs.

In 1983 when Metallica released their first album, they couldn’t imagine that after a few years they would become one of the most influential and famous heavy metal bands worldwide. In an era, when heavy metal fans were part of a vivid and promising underground scene, Metallica offered a long list of masterpieces to the legacy of heavy metal and they reached the hall of fame in their career. Through all these years of success, apart from their songs, the band flirts with the big screen in different ways, challenging themselves to try out new experiences and keep their fans alert for their next step. After “Through the never,’’ their recent film on the big screen, that differs from their previous films a lot, they became the epicenter of controversial discussions between critics and fans. But first things first: Let’s check out shortly their filmography till today.

Most of their films so far refer to DVD’s from live concerts, video albums and biographies; plus Metallica have participated in many films as composers through their songs or narration.

The 2 of One seems to be their first attempt. It is a 20-minute video that was released in 1989 via Elektra Entertainment and features two versions of the group’s first music video “One”. The music video was directed

by Bill Pope and Michael Salomon and was filmed in Los Angeles, California. In the introduction. Lars explains the ideas behind the song, while

the whole video is dark and affecting and tells the story of a soldier in World War I, who after suffering from a severe injury he wants nothing but death. Depressing in a way it was supposed to be.

A year later, a 90 minute compilation of video footage from their live performances stands out as a tribute to the band’s bassist Cliff Burton, who died in a tour bus accident in Sweden at the age of 24.The title of the film is Cliff ‘Em All ,inspired from their album Kill ‘Em All and features a collection of shots by fans, TV shots and personal photos of Burton, including his best bass solos. Scenes like Ulrich, Hetfield and Hammett drinking beer are shown between songs and the end comes with the melody of ‘’Orion’’, along with Burton’s photos. With this video, the band tries to demonstrate Burton’s unique personality and style and gives a rare insight in Metallica’s less-documented early career.

of their best hits.

And then in 2003, their fans came across with the Some Kind Of Monster .The filmmakers of Paradise Lost Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky direct this documentary and create an entertaining and fascinating piece of work for fans to behold -even if it is considered as an act of career suicide. Through this movie, Metallica try to indicate that rock stars are not some kind of divine existences but simple people like us, and expose their fans illusions about them. Whether they were advised to move on with movie

making or not, they were fighting hard to win back their credibility since their new album (St. Anger) has been released in the same year. In the film, the band is seen dealing with a psychotherapist, who helps them sort out the group dynamics, personal demons and relationship issues alike. The film shows recording and therapy sessions, plus it features the recruitment of bassist Robert Trujillo. The personal struggles and competition between James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich that cope with the leadership of the band add more elements of psychodrama.

In 1992, the band and their producer Bob Rock talk about their albums in the film A year and a half in the life of Metallica. In this film, their fans follow the steps of their favorite band as they embark on the “Wherever I May Roam” tour and perform songs such as “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Harvester of Sorrow,” “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters” and “Sad But True”. In the same concept, the film Cunning Stunts few years after (1997), presents another live show during the Load album tour with the flawless performance Burst www.afternoiz.com

12 Despite the controversy, ‘’Some kind of monster’’ was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004 as part of the American Spectrum competition, however it didn’t help the group much with their stock of the new album since they saw the sales of their copies remarkably declining.

and thrash moved back to the underground scene. Some of the musicians passed away, some returned to their day jobs and some bands broke up. This documentary is an overlook on this incredible music scene and how it went from the underground in the (almost) mainstream.

Shortly after ‘’Some kind of monster’’ two documentaries called Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey as well as Global metal directed by Sam Dunn with Scot McFadyen include Metallica in their long list of metal groups around the world and their contribution in the creation of a new culture. A Canadian anthropologist, who has been a heavy metal fan since the age of 12, sets out across the world to uncover the various opinions on heavy metal music, including its origins, culture, controversy, and the reasons it is loved by so many people.

The main goal of the movie is to reveal the reason why this musical genre has such a huge impact on cultures around the world beyond Europe and North America.

Another participation of the group in film was The Big Four: Live from Sofia, Bulgaria. It is a DVD/Blu-ray featuring live concert performances

by Megadeth, Slayer, Metallica, and Anthrax, collectively known as “the big four” of thrash metal. The event took place at the Sonisphere Festival at Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2010. Prior to its DVD release, it hit 450 movie theaters in the United States and over 350 movie theaters across Europe, Canada, and Latin America.

Following the plot of these movies, Get Thrashed: The Story of Thrash Metal tells the story of the rise, the fall and the impact of thrash metal. The journey begins in the early 80s, when Metallica and several other bands set the bases for what would become a lasting worship of heavy metal music around the world. These bands assisted the local scenes in Los Angeles, the Bay area of California and New York City in beginning the thrash metal movement and making it thrive. By the dawn of the 1990’s, thrash bands were heading to big arenas, with Metallica being on their way to become one of the biggest metal bands of all time. But shortly after the legions of headbanging were following the traces of their favorite band in live performances, the musical landscape started changing again Burst www.afternoiz.com

Few months ago, in September 2013, Metallica took their most outstanding step in film making even if it is considered experimental for many critics. Through the Never is an innovative musicdriven 3D motion picture event. The film combines a spectacular live-performance

by Metallica, created exclusively for the film and a narration full of suspense to produce a bracing and cinematic experience that no one has experienced before.

The award-winning filmmaker Nimród Antal wrote and directed this 92-minute movie, which was filmed with state-of-the-art 3D photography with the use of more than 24 cameras filming simultaneously. During a fascinating performance inside a vast arena, the young stagehand Trip, the central character of the movie, joins the

crowd to watch his favorite band but soon he’s assigned with a mission concerning the band’s van by his boss. As he tries to deal with that, he inexplicably gets in a dystopian future caught between riots, the military police and the leader of the crowd, a masked horseman, chasing him.

There is no dialogue in the movie, only narration, with the most iconic songs of the band accompanying the surreal adventurous scenes full of action and special effects.

The audio is phenomenal, the scenes are intricately edited and Metallica’s onscreen presence is as powerful as their onstage presence. The band had already great expectations with its new 3D film.

Trip’s endeavor for survival in between the urban riots of the movie is reflective not only of Metallica’s most common

themes, but represents their music and how it actually sounds like in the best possible way. Metallica’s music is fast, aggressive, and demanding. With all of the impressive special effects “Metallica Through the Never” offers and the violence that Trip has to face , it’s these crazy fanatic supporters that watching and participating under the stage with their hands raised that epitomized what the film is all about and Metallica after all.

When the lights in the cinema are on and the movie reaches its end, what remains is mixed emotions. Hearing and seeing the opening of ‘’Creeping Death’’ and watching the band performing of ‘’Hit the Lights’’ are moments you possibly haven’t experienced before, even if you are a fan of the band. At the same

13 time, it will be impossible to ignore the unusual narration, especially when there are no dialogues at all. And as some famous lyrics of Metallica state, that’s the memory that remains. “Through the never” is a film that is worth bringing Metallica’s talent back on the big screen, comparing to their previous documentary attempts and it’s something more than simple recorded concert packages and motion picture features.

In addition, it would be unfair not to mention the fact that Metallica have participated in many films not as actors but as composers and narrators.

Let it ride: The Craig Kelly Story is a documentary about the snowboarder Craig Kelly, with James Hetfield being the narrator. Mission impossible II, Your Friends & Neighbors , Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills are some of the movies that they participated as composers through their songs. Last but not least, there are even two movies Out of the Loop and Metallica: Dark Souls Unauthorized but both of them have been produced without the participation of the group or their management and include no music or performances.

Metallica succeed in rising and staying higher than any other bands of the trash metal in 1980’s without compromising at all. Staying faithful to their beliefs and their preferences in hard and intense heavy metal, they sold - and they still sell- millions of records.

Heavy metal is pretty much a musical genre that makes you think and feel. Watching Metallica on the big screen makes you feel nostalgia and unconsciously the memories from your adolescence lure your body to raise hands and start headbanging until you drop.

The amazing story of Tool

By Marianna Kofinaki

“I believe that music is a force in itself. It is there and it needs an outlet, a medium. In a way, we are just the medium.”

-Maynard James Keenan-

Tool is not just your run-of the mill band making your average, easy-listening music.

Even their main musical influences are the ultimate proof of that, since they include bands such as the Melvins and the trailblazing progressive rockers King Crimson, groups that know no boundaries in terms of artistic expression and have created their own unique identity-let alone setting the example to countless other artists for decades.

As for the critics, they have a really hard time describing their diverse range of styles, although they have mutually consented that Tool are “influenced as much by Pink Floyd as by the Sex Pistols”.

But what are the main reasons, for which Tool is such a unique band? The answer is simple yet complex at the same time. If we had to summarize it in only a few words, we’d say that Tool provide the world of music with a unique artistic outcome, through a combination of musical experimentation, visual arts and a message of personal evolution and spirituality without any religious boundary, especially following to the release of Lateralus (2001) and their most recent album, 10,000 Days (2006).

No wonder why the band received critical acclaim and commercial success around the world. Tool was described by Patrick Donovan of The Age as “the thinking person’s metal band. Cerebral and visceral, soft and heavy, melodic and abrasive, tender and brutal, familiar and strange, western and eastern, beautiful and ugly, taut yet sprawling and epic, they are a tangle of contradictions”. Yes, we love the beautiful ceremony of opposites, the “marriage” of which creates such an amazing outcome, that fills our ears and souls.

And speaking about contradictions, the relationship between the band and today’s music industry is ambivalent, at times marked by censorship, e.g. in the case of songs such as Prison Sex (video banned by MTV, controversial lyrics due to the song’s theme, related to child abuse) and Stinkfist (again, controversy due to overly suggestive lyrics) and the band’s insistence on privacy, an anti-star attitude, which often leads to making their dedicated fans wonder what comes next –and whensince the band is not exactly too revealing in terms of future plans. You see, despite the fact that every single Tool album is a masterpiece in its own unique way, the band is not exactly a “record-making machine”; on the contrary, due to their perfectionist nature, it takes too much time for them to release each

album, with long intervals in between their works, making music fans eagerly anticipating their next step and course of action.

2014 seems to be turning into a special year for the band’s frontman Maynard James Keenan. The singer recently revealed that two of his bands -- Puscifer and A Perfect Circle – are to perform a special show to mark his 50th birthday. Last but not least, it is reported that at last Tool are to get some stage time. And it gets even better: Constant rumors are spreading like wildfire that a new album is coming up. No matter if Keenan calls the songwriting process “tiresome”, -let’s say that again-Tool is exactly the case, where the motto “good things take time” applies 100%, so we, the editors of Burst Magazine are more than certain that –to quote Shakespeare“something wicked this way comes”. What exactly will the new album sound like? You guessed that right: It’s gonna be wicked but we just have to wait a bit longer and see….and this anticipation might make us even more amazed when the final outcome is finally in our hands –and constantly fills our speakers.

So here it goes with our typical million-dollar question: Do you think you know everything about Tool? In fact, nobody actually does!

Anyhow, we have made an attempt of shedding some light on some less known aspects of our beloved band. As the new album –no matter what the definite release date is gonna be- is coming closer and closer, you have surely plenty of time to get to know Tool better.

Even the story behind the band’s name, a seemingly common word, is an interesting one, which reflects that duality of simple meets-complex: The name is in fact an acronym for To Orally Obfuscate Leviathan.

There are in fact two sides to it: The first is, the story about the band not liking people that can’t think for themselves and are just “tools” on puppet strings for whoever they are following (Think for yourself, question authority!!!). This is totally true. The other theory, also very true, is that Maynard James Keenan is a firm believer in and studies Lahcyrmology, the philosophy by which one cries and the tears represent troubles leaving the body and a natural cleansing of the soul. The band took that and want their music to be a teaching “tool” for understanding the philosophy. This is evident since each album (even Opiate) has some reference to water.

So do you want to be immersed in the Tool universe? Read the lines below and Enjoy!!

Burst www.afternoiz.com

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// Tool bio at a glance Keenan and Jones met through a mutual friend in 1989. After Keenan played a tape recording for Jones of his previous band project, Jones was so impressed by his voice that he eventually talked his friend into forming their own band; and that was how Tool were born.

Carey happened to live above Keenan and was introduced to Jones by another extremely talented artist, Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave), who was an old high school friend of Jones and former member of Electric Sheep. At first, Carey began playing in their sessions because he “felt kinda sorry for them,” since other invited musicians were not showing up.

The band emerged with a heavy metal sound on their first studio album, Undertow, in 1993.

At the last concert of Lollapalooza in Tool’s hometown Los Angeles, the band was introduced by comedian Bill Hicks, who had become a friend of the band members and an influence on them after being mentioned in Undertow’s liner notes. In addition, their second full-length album, Ænima was dedicated to Hicks, which was released two and a half years after the comedian’s passing. The band’s intention was to raise awareness about Hicks’s material and ideas, since they felt that Tool and Hicks “were resonating similar concepts”. It seems that the album was proven a huge success and the perfect tribute to Hicks alike: On March 4, 2003Ænima was certified triple platinum by the RIAA. In January 2001, Tool announced a new album, Systema Encéphale, along with a 12-song tracklist containing titles such as “Riverchrist”, “Numbereft”, “Encephatalis”, “Musick”, and “Coeliacus”. File-sharing networks such as Napster were flooded with bogus files bearing the titles’ names. A year later, the band revealed that the new album’s real title was in fact Lateralus and the name Systema Encéphale and the tracklist had been a ruse. The album became a worldwide success, reaching No.1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart in its debut week.

Prior to the release of 10,000 Days in 2006, a tour kicked off at Coachella on April 30. As for the touring schedule, it was similar to the Lateralus tour of 2001, with the supporting acts being Isis and Mastodon.

// Technique & Musical Style Tempo: Technically speaking, a signature style of Tool’s music relies on the use of odd time signatures, e.g., Chancellor describes the time signature employed on the first single featured in Lateralus, “Schism”, as 13/16 and that it later “goes into all kinds of other times”. Other such examples include the album’s title track, which also displays shifting rhythms, as does 10,000 Days: Wings for Marie (Pt. 1)” and “10,000 Days (Wings Pt. 2)”.

Vocal style: Keenan’s ability as a vocalist has been characterized more subjectively by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Following his performance during an Alice in Chains reunion concert in 2005, freelancer Travis Hay considered him as “a natural fit at replacing Layne Staley”. As for his role in A Perfect Circle and Tool, The New York Times commented: “both groups rely on Mr. Keenan’s ability to dignify emotions like lust, anger and disgust, the honey in his voice adding a touch of profundity.”

Guitar: According to Guitar Player magazine, Jones does not Burst www.afternoiz.com

rely on any one particular guitar-playing technique but rather combines many techniques.

Bass: Bass Player magazine described Chancellor’s bass playing as a “thick midrange tone, guitar-style techniques, and elastic versatility”. As an example of this, the magazine mentioned the use of a wah effect by hammering “the notes with the left hand and using the bass’s tone controls to get a tone sweep”, such as on the song “The Patient”, featured in Lateralus.

Drums: In order to complete the band’s rhythm section, drummer Carey uses polyrhythms, tabla-style techniques, as well as the incorporation of custom electronic drum pads to trigger samples, such as prerecorded tabla and octoban sounds.

Lyrics: Lyrical arrangements are often given special attention, such as in “Lateralus”. The number of syllables per line in the lyrics to “Lateralus” correspond to an arrangement of the Fibonacci numbers.

15

// Video Art The band has released nine music videos but made personal appearances in only the first two, which the band states is to prevent people from “latching onto the personalities involved rather than listening to the music.”

The videos in question are primarily created by Adam Jones, often in collaboration with artists such as Chet Zar, Alex Grey and Osseus Labyrint.

Adam Jones is also the artistic mastermind behind most of the band’s artwork concepts. Undertow features a ribcage sculpture by Jones on its cover and photos contributed by the band members. As for later albums, they featured artwork by collaborating artists: Ænima and Salival featured works by Cam de Leon; Lateralus and 10,000 Days were created with Alex Grey’s assistance. The releases received positive critical reception, thanks to their innovative album packaging.

// TriVIA

// What the band members think about the band

Adam Jones has revealed that many of the songs featured on Undertow were written at the time Opiate came out. //

“We’re just four guys and we are enjoying what we’re doing with Tool.” – Maynard James Keenan

In 1993, Tool were set to play at the Garden Pavilion in Hollywood; when they found out at the last minute that the venue belonged to L. Ron Hubbard’s Church of Scientology, this was perceived as a clash with “the band’s ethics about how a person should not follow a belief system that constricts their development as a human being.” Keenan “spent most of the show baaing like a sheep at the audience. //

“I’m my own worst critic and I think everyone in the band is a perfectionist.” – Adam Jones

When Tool played with the Rollins Band, they’d keep songs going until they felt like ending it. // They could have gone with much bigger labels and more money, but they wanted to go with a company that is LA based, all in the same building, and really understood what the artists want. // April 1 1997 saw the first of several April Fools’ pranks related to the band. Kabir Akhtar, webmaster of the band’s semi-official fanpage, The Tool Page, announced via the page that “at least three of the band are listed in critical condition” after a tour bus accident on a highway. This hoax gained wide attention and was eventually exposed on radio and MTV. Later, Akhtar had to post an apology, claiming that The Tool Page “will not indulge itself in such outlandish pranks in the future”—a claim that would be belied by later April Fools’ pranks. // Extensive touring throughout 2001 and 2002 promoted Lateralus and included a personal highlight for the band: a 10-show joint mini-tour with King Crimson in August 2001. Comparisons between the two were made, with MTV describing the bands as “the once and future kings of progressive rock”. Keenan stated of the mini tour: “For me, being on stage with King Crimson is like Lenny Kravitz playing with Led Zeppelin, or Britney Spears onstage with Debbie Gibson.” // During a short break in early 2007, after touring Australia and New Zealand, drummer Carey suffered a biceps tear after a skirmish with his girlfriend’s dog, casting uncertainty on the band’s upcoming concerts in North America. Carey underwent surgery on February 21 and several performances had to be postponed.

A few days ago, in December 22, 2013, Danny Carey’s father passed away. He died peacefully from an illness in his house in Kansas, and Danny was able to visit with him in his last moments.

“Doing the stereotypical solo bores me.” – Adam Jones “My approach is to be part of a band that makes music, not hit songs.” – Adam Jones “I would hope they would be our fellow artists, rather than trying to emulate or idolize clowns like us.”- Maynard James Keenan “I’m not into solos, I’m into lyrics.” – Adam Jones “If you take different mythologies from different cultures, the names may change and the story lines may vary but there is always something in common.” - Maynard James Keenan “Different people get different things out of the images. It doesn’t matter what it’s about, all that matters is how it makes you feel.”

– Adam Jones “I’m a pessimist. But I’m a pessimist with a sense of responsibility.”- Maynard James Keenan “The record company’s worst fear is that you’ll fall in love or get rich.”- Maynard James Keenan “After all, in today’s music scene every band seems to steal from other bands.” - Maynard James Keenan “A lot of people into Tool, for some reason, are not interested in humor”. – Maynard James Keenan “Most religious stories and mythologies have some sort of similar root, some sort of global archetypes.” - Maynard James Keenan “Yeah, because I think it’s more important just to inspire people to wake up one day and pick up a book and start feeling it out for themselves.” - Maynard James Keenan Keenan acknowledges the band doesn’t necessarily need to release new material to fill an arena – they took their dark, psychedelic show on the road as recently as earlier in 2013. “But as an artist you don’t want to become a greatest hits version of yourself, either,” he says. “You want to push the boundaries. You want to figure out how can you challenge yourself to discover something new, discover something different about yourself.

What are your limitations? What avenues can you push and expand? That is life. I don’t have any interest in coasting yet.”

Burst www.afternoiz.com

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The Incredible Mr. Jack White!

by Sissy Fanouraki & Petros Chatzistilianos

Jack White’s long story short…

Jack White is the man with a million faces and talents!!

He’s a multitalented individual, known as a multi-instrumentalist and occasional actor; he’s after all a skilled guitar, bass player and drummer, a songwriter/performer/ composer, and record producer! I guess Jack White has it all! He loves punk, garage and -of course- the blues, he plays and writes music with a sole feeling. Plus, Jack is pretty weird. He records only in analog, never digital, and edits his tape with… a razor blade! Fact or fiction, who knows... Passionate John Anthony Gillis became an international rock star; the incredible Mr. Jack White! He has played alongside The Rolling Stones, Jeff Beck, Alicia Keys, Bob Dylan, Electric Six, and Loretta Lynn.

So dear readers, meet Jack White…

He’s the youngest of 10 children; he has 6 brothers and 3 sisters.

His first instrument was a drum at the age of six, but decided to learn playing the guitar at the age of nine.

He was about to attend a seminary in Wisconsin to become a priest, but changed his mind the very last day and decided to go to a public school instead.

Teen Jack had a job as an upholsterer and even had his own shop called “Third Man Upholstery” with the slogan “your furniture’s not dead”.

In an interview, he confessed to have left notes inside the furniture for the next upholsterer to find.

In 1996, he married Meg White, took her last name and started playing music with her, so in 1997 The White Stripes phenomenon was born. Jack and Meg’s marriage didn’t last, however their band did till 2011.

He met his second wife, Karen Burst www.afternoiz.com

Elson, during the video shootings for The White Stripes track “Blue Orchid”. They got married on June 1, 2005 in Brazil with Meg White, his exwife, being the maid of honor.

During their marriage, Karen gave birth to two children, Scarlett and Henry.

The “Seven Nation Army” song, released in 2003, was -and still is- The White Stripes’ biggest hit! It was No.1 on the Modern Rock Tracks for 3 weeks and won the Grammy Award for “Best Rock Song” in 2004. It also became the 3rd best performing alternative song of the decade on the same chart.

In 2003, he appeared in the movie “Cold Mountain” (starring Jude Law and Nicole Kidman) as the character named Georgia. He also performed five songs for the movie’s soundtrack.

The same year, in December, he had an “argument” with Jason Stollsteimer (lead singer of The Von Bondies) at the Magic Stick, in Detroit. White was charged with misdemeanour aggravated assault and he pleaded guilty; he was sentenced to take anger management classes.

In 2006, Jack White founded “The Raconteurs”.

In 2008, during filming of “It Might Get Loud” documentary (by Davis Guggenheim) on the careers and guitar styles of Jimmy Page, The Edge and -of course- Jack White, the latter wrote and recorded the song “Fly Farm Blues” within ten minutes. That was his first single to have been released as a 7-inch vinyl record via Third Man Records.

The same year, in 2008, Jack White collaborated with Alicia Keys for the song “Another Way to Die” which was the theme song for the James Bond film “Quantum of Solace”.

In 2009, he founded “The Dead Weather” and became their drummer.

In 2011, he was awarded with the title of “Nashville Music City Ambassador” by the Nashville mayor, Karl Dean.

Jack White and Karen Elson announced their divorce in June 2011, throwing a divorce party to celebrate their 6th anniversary and the “making and breaking of the sacred union of marriage”. The couple vowed to remain “dear and trusted friends and coparents”.

In 2012 Jack White released his debut solo album “Blunderbuss” Jack White is interested in space exploration. In an interview with Interview Magazine in 2012, he asked to interview Buzz Aldrin aka the 2nd person to ever walk on the moon, and so it happened and it was

a rather enjoyably awkward interview! He then revealed their secret project at Third Man... “We want to have the first vinyl record played in outer space. We want to launch a balloon that carries a vinyl record player, and possibly that Carl Sagan record, and figure out a way to drop the needle with all that turbulence up there and ensure that it will still play.”

His fascination with space doesn’t end with Buzz Aldrin; a “cosmos coloured vinyl” was released to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Carl Sagan by his label Third.

In 2013, the Detroit Masonic Temple was nearly foreclosed on after it was revealed that its owners owed approx. $142,000 in taxes. In June,

Jack White paid the duel; in order to thank him for the donation, the temple renamed its largest theatre as “The Jack White Theatre”.

The White Stripes (1997–2011) The White Stripes quickly developed a “myth” around them; everything was red, white and black while Meg and Jack claimed they were brother and sister. The band had a tremendous musical aesthetic from raw punk to garage and blues.

Hit songs/singles: “Seven Nation Army”, “Get Behind Me Satan”, “Icky Thump” The Raconteurs (2005-present) The Raconteurs were formed in 2005

by Jack White along with Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler. White and Benson wrote the song “Steady, As She Goes” that became the main reason of creating a full band. The band’s debut album “Broken Boy Soldiers” was released in May 2006.

Hit songs/singles: “Steady, As She Goes”, “Salute Your Solution” The Dead Weather (2009-present) When The Raconteurs were performing in Memphis, Tennessee, Jack White lost his voice and the band asked Alison Mosshart (The Kills) to fill in on some songs. He later asked her whether she would record a song with him, with Jack Lawrence and Jack White taking over drum and vocal duties. The band’s debut album “Horehound” came out in July 2009.

He confirmed that a new album is set for release in 2015.

Hit songs/singles: “Die By The Drop”, “I Cut Like A Buffalo”, “Rolling in on a Burning Tire” Jack White the guitarist and multi-instrumentalist…

“I always look at playing guitar as an attack. It has to be a fight. Every song, every guitar solo, every note that’s played or written has to be a struggle. It can’t be this wimpy thing where you’re pushed around by the idea, the characters, or the song itself. It’s every

player’s job to fight against all of that.”

White is always trying to create a uniquely aggressive style. Jack White is not the type of guitarist to amaze you with his speedy solos. He prefers playing a “false” note, a slide, hitting the neck of his guitar, or just playing lower octave using a pedal effect. In an interview, he revealed that he had been influenced by Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave), while in a live performance where he was playing lower in the eight-note scale. He undeniably plays power chords but has a different technique.

Instead of using his ring finger to fret the higher notes, he uses his little finger. Some years ago, Jack had a car accident, in which his left index finger was injured. In addition, his brothers never taught him the proper way to do so...

He mostly uses 3 pedal effects, a micro amp, a Big Muff Distortion/Sustainer – since he wants his tracks to have this punk sound – and a pitch shifter DigiTech Whammy WH-4 (a pitch shifter is a sound effects unit that raises or lowers the pitch of an audio signal by a preset interval). Jack prefers playing with custom Gretsch-style and Fender guitars while he uses a 1970s Fender Twin Reverb and two 100W Sears Silvertone 1485 6x10 amplifiers. He also has a red Sonic Machine Factory 15W amplifier. Jack White also produces a “fake” bass tone using the Kay Hollowbody and JB Hutto Montgomery Airline guitars (Whammy IV set) to one octave down just to have a very thick and low rumbling sound.

He occasionally plays other instruments, such as a Black Gibson F-4 mandolin (“Little Ghost”), piano or electric piano and the Moog Little Phatty (“Icky Thump”). He also plays percussion, such as the marimba, drums and tambourine!!!

“The sense of being a musician is making art, and I do not care whether it is solo or as part of a collective project.

At all times, I seek to express myself, and different circumstances of my life could also become multiple creative and stylistic channels.”

WordsOf Wisdom

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by Karolina Pacan

HAPPINESS IS SIMPLE In our modern times, we run so very fast through life and we forget about small things that make us feel happy. We search for a golden solution but we do not find one…

Happiness became a word, a thing. We say… if I had a house, a car, etc.. I would be happy…

But why do we forget about small little things that make us feel good every day?

Let me give you an example. ;) In the morning you drink coffee, you can say it’s a normal, regular thing to do.

Yes, it is and it’s not at the same time.

I will explain to you how a “simple” coffee, can have the power of happiness ;) All you have to do is to notice the amazing feelings that will follow.

So you like coffee: -Prepare a cup (slow down and notice how the thought about having your drink makes you feel. Good… so why good? Because you like your coffee) -Boil your coffee, or put few spoons into a cup, depending on how you prepare it.

(Concentrate on the smell of the coffee; it makes you feel good, right?)

-Pour your coffee into the cup, or pour the hot water in.

(Concentrate on the view on filling the cup, try to feel the emotions.)

-Put sugar -or not-, place you coffee on the table, put your hands around the cup for one second, feel the warmth (it’s pleasant, right?)

-And… Ta-da! Your coffee is ready to drink!

Did you notice how many positive emotions can be found in just one “simple’’ coffee?

There are MANY other everyday day stuff, that bring a lot of positive energy, It’s is only up to us to notice it!

Happiness IS simple; it’s US who make it complicated ;) Wake up, and allow yourself to see the rainbow of pleasant emotions around you.

Burst www.afternoiz.com

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Within Temptation

Burst www.afternoiz.com

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Robert Westerholt

By Korina P. // Photos by Paul Harries & Arjan Kremer

Evolution, this is the right word to put next to Within Temptation’s name. They have been around for 15 years straight with no rest and calmness at all. After numerous releases, countless shows in all over the world and many prizes being included to their collection, Within Temptation can easily say that they came to the spotlight to stay.

Undoubtedly, this band has changed many faces through the years and they have released at least one studio album that will please every metal fan despite his/her tastes. Some fans love their older stuff, some others are more hooked to their symphonic oriented stuff, while some others were driven crazy by their more recent rock oriented album. The fact remains the same regardless: they have created different albums for each and every demanding listener in this world. This is something important, isn’t it?

Burst magazine had the amazing chance to sit down and have a virtual coffee and chat with Within Temptation’s mastermind, Robert Westerholt.

We talked with him about almost everything; their upcoming album titled Hydra and what should fans expect from this release, his life at home with his children, the future of the band, his opinion on the music industry nowadays and how things work out.

So, dear readers are you ready to experience how it feels like entering the heart of the Hydra?

Burst www.afternoiz.com

20 Hello Robert! First of all I would like to thank you very much for this interview. How are you?

I am really good, thank you.

Great! Let’s get this party started! (laughs) Your sixth studio album Hydra will be out quite soon!

First of all, the title and the front-cover portray the renowned mythological monster and refer to the great diversity of Within Temptation’s music. As you commented, the album is a great combination of old and new Within Temptation elements and the title represents the different sides of your music. It took me by surprise when you said that there are even some growls being featured as well! So, what more can you tell us about the album? What should we expect?

I think that this album has more raw and organic sound than any other Within Temptation album before. In my opinion, this is the rawest guitar-fronted album that we have done so far. In our previous album, The Unforgiving, we achieved a very refined produced sound and we were a bit bored with that, so we wanted our new album to have more power in there. For us, it felt like a fresh start to do that in this way now.

So, further to what you just said, Hydra will be a heavier album.

It’s definitely a heavier album.

The guitars are like in your face, there is a lot of guitar work, a lot of riffing and solo stuff in there. Also, I think that the drums sound more natural and ‘living’. There are more up-tempo songs being featured as well, there are not many ballad tracks in the upcoming album. It felt good this time and, of course, the collaborations played a main Burst www.afternoiz.com

role. The structure of the songs lead us to this outcome, there are some more musical experiments in the structures of the new songs. There are not only the standard song structures being featured. Hydra is a surprising album for us in many different ways.

And I guess it will be for the fans as well. I can vouch for that! (laughs) Usually you and Sharon are the main composers on every album. For the upcoming album, have you collaborated with any other songwriters this time? Who are the main composers of Hydra?

Sharon wrote a lot of stuff with Martijn (keys) and our producer Daniel (Gibson) as well. Only one track was written by a young guy that we met a few years ago. Actually, we kept his song in the “drawer” for many years, we had totally forgotten about it and he called us again to see what’s going on with it. And this is how his song, Edge of The World, finally ended up in the new album. It’s pretty much the same team; just the songs are very different.

There are 4 duets being featured in Hydra, which is something that Within Temptation do for the first time in a studio album.

Yes, that’s true.

My question is, what was the reason that made you decide to use so many guest artists this time?

They are all rather unexpected collaborations and it is quite an eclectic mix.

You even have a rapper (Xzibit) being featured in a song, which, according to Sharon, is more similar to Mother Earth songs! Does this have to do with the fact that your music has many different faces?

21 I think that when people read about the duets they thought that they are impossible combinations. It’s too crazy, I know, but if you listen to the album it makes sense. It’s our personal taste, we are music lovers and we don’t really feel like we have any kind of boundaries. Still, we like the heavy sound and the big dramatic stuff being featured in music, portraying the dark side of things. This stuff will always be featured in our music. With this album we wanted to do things differently and impressively. Of course, working with other artists is also something really inspiring for us. I think that there are many possible things to do in music without losing your own feeling and identity. Hydra is a very different record but at the same time a very much Within Temptation album too.

World War II and he said that only when we work together we can create good things.

If you think about it, things are much better when we think about the “we” instead of “only me” indeed. That’s exactly what the song (Paradise) and its video are about.

People have to work together instead of only thinking about themselves in order to make the world a better place. As for the rest of the songs being featured in the album, the most of them refer to the struggles in life and all the hardships that we have to go through. But if you fight, keep on that track and don’t give up, you will finally achieve the positive results that you want. I believe that’s a line in the whole album. To put it in a few words for you, it’s more like fighting the dragon; just don’t give up fighting the dragon.

This makes sense, Robert. In my humble opinion, this is one of the main reasons that your fans remained loyal to you through the years. There is always something interesting coming from your side. Let’s talk a little bit about the first single of the album, which has been already released and it’s a duet with Tarja Turunen. The lyrics and the video of the song seem to be based on a certain concept. As mankind destroys the planet and themselves, it’s like you wonder “what about us now?” In addition, while I was checking the titles of the songs of the upcoming album, I had this strange feeling that there is a certain concept/ theme on all over the album. Is that true?

I see, the Hydra and everything are related in one way or another, aren’t they? (laughs) Yes, exactly! (laughs) The second single of the album will be a duet as well but with a male vocalist this time, Howard Jones, who is well-known from his previous band

Killswitch Engage.

A video of this song was already released a few days ago. Can you tell us a few things about the concept behind the video?

This is a really cool video. The song, Dangerous, is about thrill seekers, people who search for the dangerous stuff in life and whatever gives them a good feeling, generally speaking. In the end, we decided to contact the people who wear these special suits, jump of mountains and fly down. They even fly through holes; these guys do really crazy stuff! (laughs) So we filmed some footage of these guys doing that crazy stuff for the video.

So you wanted a kind of action-movie like video if I got that right.

We wanted a very special video. And it is in fact a very special one, the stuff these guys do in the video is really scary and crazy and it really fits with the song and its feeling. Howard filmed his part in Canada, where he lives, and the rest of the video was filmed in Holland. Unfortunately, we could not do it all together because of our schedules. It was a very interesting and exciting process for us.

If I am not mistaken you worked with the videoclip-master Mr. Patric Ullaeus.

Yes, that’s true. We have worked with Patric again on the first video of Mother Earth.

He is a true specialist on that kind of action videos and the final result was fantastic!

That’s true! (laughs) For us, it was really nice to work with him again because in the past we have tried to team up with him but it didn’t work out due to our schedules and stuff like that. What you just said is true; he can make really good-looking videos. It was great to work together again. We actually worked with him for another video for the song Whole World Is Watching, which is to be released as a single as well. The whole process was like getting some memories back and seeing that a lot of things have changed since the first time we met, but still everybody do what they like, we make music and he still makes videos.

So, many things have changed and at the same time, many things remained the same in a way. It was really nice, as I said.

Well, there is not only one concept or one story behind the album. Paradise is actually based on a speech of a general we had attended on the liberation day in Holland.

The speech was about the Burst www.afternoiz.com

22 I see, it was a nice and warm meet-up. (laughs) Yes, exactly. Bringing back memories and other cool stuff like that.

What about the song?

Why did you particularly choose Howard Jones to perform it?

In my opinion, the final outcome of the song is really great. I have been a fan of Killswitch Engage for a long time and I was really familiar with Howard’s voice and abilities. He has a really melodic dark voice, which fits perfectly with the whole feeling being featured in Dangerous

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and in the album in general.

Actually, he has been working really hard on the upcoming album of his new band Devil You Know and his schedule was quite busy. He recorded his vocal parts for Dangerous between the recordings of his upcoming album. The fact that we finally managed to have him participating on our new album was really great and the song turned out really great, as I said. We were really happy and pleased from the final result. We still have to meet with him sometime and I hope we arrange that soon.

With your previous album The Unforgiving you totally changed face!

I mean, that album was more rock-oriented and not so orchestral-oriented like The Silent Force, for example. You have stated many times that you believe that with The Heart Of Everything you reached the best possible level of producing symphonic metal music, so the time had come to do something different and new. I totally agree with you and -in my opinion- it was a great move; artists should always go a few steps further. It was a brave decision not to stick to a certain formula and you are one of the very few bands who

actually did that. Sharon has said that for the last two albums you guys felt like having more free hands to create than any other time. However, back then, did you have any second thoughts, like maybe the fans would not be so open-minded to accept that?

Not really. Writing music is always a search; you always keep on asking yourself if it’s good enough. But, in some way, it’s also like not having complete control over it. You write something and then you start to like certain things yourself. For us, the No1 rule has always been to really like

23 what we write and what we do. You can never please everybody; some people will like this album better and some others will like that album better. We have always been thinking as a band, that it’s not really exciting to write the same record again and follow the same path again. Each album should stand on itself and be unique otherwise you can just listen to the old record and stick on that.

That’s true.

And the biggest challenge is to really surprise people in a positive way, to make them think “wow, I got used to their older style but this a great

record as well”. That’s much more interesting for us and -to be honest with you- we couldn’t do it in any other way because in that case we would record and release weak albums. We, as a band, always need new inspiration, new ideas and ways to survive.

You were crystal clear on that Robert. However, let me tell you that I asked you this question because labels nowadays think in a very common yet simple way: if they find a band that enjoys a great success, they keep on pushing the band to repeat the same successful recipe again and again in order

to have some real profits.

So, when I saw what Sharon stated about you guys having free hands for the last two studio albums, I was really surprised and proud at the same time.

As I told you, we couldn’t do it in any other way. It’s what we like and you cannot really predict or give a certain definition to “what is the best way to go further”. Some bands can write a new great album in the same style with their previous one, but for us it doesn’t work. These constant changes give us a reason to go on.

So, you needed some real

motivation and you got it from all these changes, it makes sense! (laughs) My point exactly! (laughs) You and Sharon started making music when you were in college. Then Within Temptation grew bigger and bigger and you guys even quit your jobs to become full-time musicians. Have you ever expected all this success and recognition?

Definitely not. In music, you would be a fool to expect anything. You simply cannot. On the other hand, this is a nice thing about music, that you

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24 cannot predict or expect anything. Nobody can and that’s a real advantage. It has been a really nice ride for us until now and we are really grateful for all these years that we have successfully been around. The fact that we can make a living from what we like best in our lives is very special for us.

Music is and always has been our passion. Now, in 2013, I personally feel very grateful for that.

It’s really nice to hear you saying these words after 15 years of a successful career.

You know, it’s more like the lower you are the more you realize that it’s not natural and it’s not a normal thing.

Like I said, that’s why we are very thankful for it, enjoy it and also try to give the very best we have.

And to go a little bit further, you are one of the very lucky bands out there. Nowadays, the music industry faces a tremendous economic crisis.

However, you are lucky enough to have many loyal fans travelling from all over the world to see you.

I guess this whole thing with the crisis did not really affect you personally.

In the past years, we have heard about many bands who disbanded simply because they could not afford touring and recording. What is your opinion on this?

It’s hard to talk on behalf of other people. In some ways, it has always been hard for a band to make a living with their music and to break through. In my opinion, it still is pretty hard and I think music should be about passion in the first place and that should be the starting point.

Then, if it gets successful, you are a lucky man and if not it’s ok. This is more or less how we started, as you said we just had normal jobs and we were Burst www.afternoiz.com

making music at the same time. In the end, it should all be about the music.

In 2012 you played a very special show called Elements in your 15 year anniversary. Many fans wonder if there is any chance to release this show on DVD. So, is there any chance to do such a thing in the near future?

Things have moved so fast for us during the writing and recording process of our new album. At a certain point, we decided that we did not actually want to slow the whole writing process down; we had invested too much on that aspect. I don’t know what to tell you, we still have the material so there is always the possibility of editing it and bringing it out as some special edition. I don’t really know. Maybe we will release it in a few years.

It’s still there but there are no concrete plans for it yet.

To be honest with you, I was expecting you to release this material as a bonus with the new album, maybe in a very special edition or something like that. But, unfortunately, this is not going to happen! (laughs) No, it will not. (laughs) This has also been an option for us but we decided that it would be better if we saved it.

So, let me tell you on the behalf of your diehard fans that we really hope to see this material released soon! (laughs) Of course there is always this possibility. (laughs) It’s quite weird for us as well, having this stuff and not having released it yet. Time is a real enemy for us many times.

Okay, let’s see what the future brings! My next question is about Sharon’s appearance during autumn with Delain

in a very nice festival in Belgium called Metal Female Voices Festival. You know, this festival is dedicated to metal bands with female singers and it has been taking for the past 11 years. However, Within Temptation haven’t played there and I was wondering why. Is there any chance to see you performing there?

Well, at least Evanescence have not played there yet as far as I know so it’s not like all the female fronted bands have appeared there except for us! (laughs) Seriously now, this is possible for us. Who knows how the things will work out?

This happens all the time with concerts and tours; you cannot do the same things and appear at the same festivals all the time. We have done a lot of big concerts in Belgium; you can’t play in all the festivals that exist. We are still here and the festival is still there so of course it’s still possible to happen. And as you said Sharon has already been there as a guest last year.

And she performed with Delain a very old but lovely Within Temptation anthem, Restless. This was a great moment and a huge surprise for the fans.

Yes, I believe so, too.

And speaking of bands with female singers, during the last decade, this kind of bands (with symphonic elements and smooth female vocals) seems to have enjoyed great success and has become very popular! Do you think that a band with a female singer draws more attention that one with a male vocalist?

Well, if we’re talking about a good singer I would say yes.

Plus, a nice male singer can draw a lot of attention. I don’t think that it makes any difference, if the band has a male

or a female singer. The most important thing is the character of the band members; this plays the most essential role in my opinion.

Robert, back in 2011, you made a very serious decision to quit touring and to focus on raising your children and writing music at your home studio.

This was a rather shocking decision for the fans but fair enough for you.

A few years later, do you feel like it was the right decision after all? I guess that you miss touring very much.

It was the only possible decision we could make back then. If you have 3 children and they need their parents, you can figure out that there was not any other possible solution. Of course, I miss touring and maybe when they will grow a little bit older I can start touring again. The very good thing about that decision is that I can see my children and I can also work at home a lot. I couldn’t do that while I was on tour. So, there are some really good and positive sides on this decision but, of course, you can’t have it all in life and that’s how it works.

In early May 2014, you will play two shows in Heineken Music Hall in the Netherlands. These will be the first shows in your country for 2014.

Should we consider them as special ones like being belated release parties for the new album or anything like that?

I would not say that only those two shows will be special ones; the whole tour will be a really special one. For us, these two shows will mark the end of the first part of our tour. We are going to play many more shows right after that. Definitely, playing in your home country or in your hometown is always a spe-

25 cial event. Let me tell you that Heineken Music Hall is a really cool venue.

So these two shows will be just two more regular shows of the first part of the upcoming European tour and nothing more.

Yes. This question is actually for Sharon but I hope you can answer it! (laughs) A few years ago she did a tremendous success with her participation in a song called In And Out Of Love, which became a massive hit! Is there any chance for her to do something similar in the future? Does she consider about that?

She has also participated in a metal opera called Avalon and she has done some other collaborations, too. When she likes something she does it, simple as that. If something comes by and she likes it, she will definitely go for it and do it. This kind of things happens in a quite spontaneous way. If she has some free time and she will be given a nice song I think she would definitely go for it.

She remains open-minded.

Yes, exactly, she is always open for everything and anything.

Cool! So, Robert, I want you to finish this interview with a promise to your fans for the future of Within Temptation.

That’s a pretty easy task. (laughs) I promise to all of you that this is not our last record.

That’s exactly what I wanted to hear from you! (laughs) Once again, thank you very much for your time. I hope to see you on the road soon and all the best for Hydra!

Thank you very much.

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27

Derrick

Green

By Sissy Fanouraki

The phone rang and wow!

An amazing “dark” voice answered!

It was Derrick Green, the tallest singer of all times!! Sepultura, which by the way in Portuguese means “grave”, is the ultimate Brazilian heavy metal band, formed back in 1984 and Derrick Green has been its member since 1997. Sepultura have been described by the press as the band that attacks “organized religion and repressive government” (1993, Robert Baird, Phoenix New Times) but this time “The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be The Heart” is an album about humanity, the human being and his struggle to survive.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Derrick is the youngest of three children and he’s far from being just another metal guy! He’s creative and loves diversity in music.

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28 I’ve just finished reviewing your new album “The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be The Heart”. First of all, congratulations on your new awesome album! I have to tell you that I actually liked it more than your previous album “Kairos”, which was released in 2011.

Well that’s good… I hope so!

I found it a bit darker and more aggressive. What was your main source of inspiration for this album?

Right! Humanity (laughs)…

Just everything that’s been going on around all of us and also things about myself, personally, I mean what I like, it’s tough to talk about yourself and things that you don’t like and so, I think it’s a mixture of all these things… some tragedy, certain events that have been unfolding and happening lately and during the

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writing process of this album I had a big influence of what was written about.

Tell me something about the album title, it’s too long! It feels impossible for me to remember it. How did you come up with it? Is there a message behind it?

The title of the album came from a silent movie of the 1920s called “Metropolis” by Fritz Lang, and it’s the first phrase you see in the movie and it’s a representation of what’s happening in society nowadays… a lot of people are doing robotic-type actions; their hands, without thinking why they’re doing certain things, losing the passion. I think it’s important for people to maintain that human identity that is the heart. You know, the love of wanting or doing something. It’s extremely important.

And what about the album cover? Who’s behind it?

It’s an artist from Brazil. A friend of us suggested him...

It was just by chance. We saw his work and we really liked it and then we said we’re going to have him design something but when we saw this, a piece of work that he had, which is the cover artwork we agreed that it had to be that… that was it! We were really really lucky that we didn’t have to go through the whole process of trying different things. Once we saw that… that should be the cover!

So, it was a painting already done and you chose it for your cover.

Yeah! Exactly, it was already done and we picked it to be our cover!

You told me about the source of inspiration behind the lyrics of the new album. But how do you get inspired these days generally?

Usually through books, movies

and life in general… You know, it’s really inspirational traveling around the world, see different places, talk to different people.

Before asking you about your music and various projects, please, tell me, what’s the other side of Derrick Green the vocalist? Judging from your facebook page you must love taking pictures. Is photography your hobby?

Yeah! Definitely! I want to do more. It’s something I truly enjoy and it developed from traveling. It became like an inspiration going to all these places and I wanted to really capture as much as possible so, yes, I hope to do more and eventually have a book and to do shows and stuff like that!

Have you studied photography or are you just an amateur?

I’ve read a lot of material over the years and I’ve done a

29 few different shows, my own shows, and I want to do more.

I really want to put together a book. I’ve been getting throughout all the photos I have to put something together really cool.

Let’s go back in music and time now, back in the 80’s. You joined the thrash/hardcore band Outface, in 1986 at the age of 15, right? Can you shed some more light on how this thing started and how did it feel back then?

Well I was… It started…

(Laughs) It’s a long way back… I would say it started with friends from school, you know, friends from my neighbourhood, we were all skating and we were mutual friends and we’re getting together and once we were playing we’re doing shows in people’s parties and then playing shows in different cities and then signed with a very small independent label and toured certain part in the US and then eventually doing a tour in Europe. It was a group of friends with whom I grew up with and were passionate about hardcore and punkrock music and we loved going to shows and things like that… In the first show I was like 14 years old and I knew then, that I really wanted to be in a band, in a band that plays heavy music. It was so intense when I was a kid, never seen anything like that… in a sense that it was my big passion.

In 1996, you started playing the guitar and singing with Sara Cox, formed the band “Alpha Jerk” and released one self-titled album. Yes, I’ve done a lot of digging, my friend…

More info, please!

Wow! Ok! (Laughs) I was in New York at that time, it was just before I joined Sepultura and Sara and I… we went few line-up changes and stuff

but it was really tough, you know, it was really struggling to make things work, to play shows. We played very few shows but after that I got that opportunity to join Sepultura, I waited for it! It was for a very short time with Alpha Jerk, it was a fun time for sure!

Was Alpha Jerk a metal or rock project?

It was more like a rock thing, nothing to do with metal at all. The guys liked the fact that I wasn’t trying to be like the previous singer. I was myself.

You joined Sepultura in 1997, right? Could you tell me how this came up and you were chosen as a vocalist?

I did an audition, actually I had a tape of one song with no vocals on it and they were sending it to different people in the world to see if they could do their own interpretation and do their own vocals on it. So, I got the tape from a person from their record label and I did my version of the song and sent it to them and then they asked me to come down to Brazil to do an audition. I stayed in Brazil for two weeks and then I came back to New York and… I heard from them a month later.

They asked me to come back and start recording the new album.

Can you describe your thoughts and feelings back then?

It was kind of crazy back then! I’d never been to Brazil and I’ve never been to South America and I don’t think I’d heard Portuguese spoken… for me it was exciting to go on a trip. Honestly I didn’t know any of the guys, I knew their work but I didn’t know each person’s name. I wasn’t a fanatical fan, I had the albums I listened to them but it was interesting for me to go to a whole different place, to

be myself and see how these guys were cause I’ve never met them before so, it was either I get it or not… either way I’m going to have a good trip. (Laughs) That was pretty much what was going on my mind.

And how does it feel today, after all those years in Sepultura?

It’s incredible! I’ve never imagined the journey that I’ve had… It’s been incredible!

We’ve done some amazing things; we had so many amazing opportunities. I think it’s been a great evolution, learning experiences as an artist and working together, and I feel that we’ve been getting better and better. It’s exciting, you know, there’s a lot of exciting things in the future and opportunities and goals and achievements that we have and we’re taking it step by step. It’s been fantastic.

In the matter of diversity again, you appeared with Sepultura in a successful ad campaign for Volkswagen motors commercial in 2008. The spot said that “it’s the first time you’ve seen Sepultura like this. And a sedan like this one too”. This TV spot shows Sepultura playing bossa nova, the opposite of its Heavy Metal style, to say that “you never saw something like this, as you never saw a car like the new Voyage”.

I can imagine why such campaign was proven successful: Sepultura doing a totally different thing! So what’s the story behind it?

Yeah, actually it was great. We got a really good feedback. It was fun to do. We were capable of playing some different styles of music and we enjoy listening to different styles of music and it has an influence in Sepultura, believe it or not.

It’s straight and very heavy but at the same time a lot of

different music gives us inspiration. I think that as artist it’s good to have this taste of variety in music that you can pull ideas from. I mean I grow up in listening different styles of music because my mother was a music teacher so I had that influence at a very young age. I also think that listening to different styles of music is a common thing for all the members of Sepultura.

So, you were approached by the advertising company to do this commercial?

They came to us and they had a really good idea. A lot of companies are really afraid to attach such a heavy band because there is a prejudice for heavy metal groups, so the company is usually very conservative. This idea was really great as a lot of people here really know that Sepultura play heavy music, so it was really comical seeing us playing bossa nova. It was shocking but it worked really well.

In 2008, you participated in another music project, that of Music Diablo, but after the release of its debut album in 2010 you left the band. What happened?

I was so busy working with Sepultura and they want to to do a lot of shows, they wanna a full tour of themselves and I couldn’t promise any of that.

So it wasn’t fair for me to hold’ em back from what they want to do, tours and everything like that. I couldn’t manage it because I was busy with Sepultura, while my son has been born and it was chaotic to deal with all these.

I really like the self-titled album.

Thank you. I really want to record these songs, so people going to have that!

You were also a guest vocalist Biohazard’s “Uncivilization” in 2001, as well as in the soundtrack Burst www.afternoiz.com

30 of the Brazilian movie “Lisbela e o Prisioneiro”, which hit the big screen in 2003. It seems you truly like diversity in music.

How did those collaborations come up?

There was a friend of ours who worked the soundtrack of a movie and he suggested that we do a song with this guy. He is a 70s psychedelic rock guy from Brazil and we thought it is a good idea to do something with him , so we did that song a little bit heavier, with me screaming etc. We didn’t realize how big it would be and we like record with him, it was great so we play a show in Rock In Rio collaborating with him. We did a full show him. We play a bunch of his songs, he played a bunch of ours and it was a really big success. Definitely one of the most memorable shows I’ve ever done.

Speaking about diversity in music, tell me a bit about your other project Maximum Headrum. You have collaborated with several other famous artists, such as funk legend George Clinton, Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner, Beastie Boys producer Money Mark among others. It’s a totally different kind of

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musical expression for you! What did you have in mind in that case and how did this new musical project come up?

and I hope we make tour soon enough.

During the tour are you wearing these black and white suits?

Working together with my friend Sam Spiegel and the whole idea is to record my voice in a different way. So many people have heard me screaming and everything but you know I sing all my life. I needed something challenging because I usually I am in metal projects but I wanted something else, something different. I am already in a metal band and it wouldn’t be creative for me to do only stuff like that! Sam is a very creative person, working with all these different musicians so I was sure that he would give me the chance to do what I want. We write a song together and then we expanded it. Some songs were written already but he hadn’t any vocals. We had some crazy recordings with Sam back and forth in L.A but it was fun as we have total freedom to do what we wanted to do. There was no expectations, no pressure from fans and everything ‘cause you didn’t have any fans. We travelled across areas we’ve never been before. We had the Beastie Boys bassist with us as long as the guys you mentioned before.

We had amazing fun on tour

Yeah! That was definitely Sam’s idea, who is very creative. We have already material for a new album. We just want to pick the songs but the result will draw attention, you know.

Back to Sepultura now and your new release.

How did you find your collaboration with Dave Lombardo? How did that come up?

It wasn’t planned. Dave was in the neighborhood by Ross’s House where we record the new album. He stopped by, he wanted to check out our loyal drummer, playing. We set another drum kit for them and we ended playing together. We just recorded that.

It was nothing planned, just happened to be that day! We were very lucky ‘cause we are fans of Dave’s work and he’s a great guy. A dream comes true.

A lot of people asked me to ask you if you want Dave as a full Sepultura member.

I think we’re good with Loyd.

He’s young, you know!

How do you feel when you go on tour?

I am really excited. Mentally and physically I get prepared before we’re going because it can be very tough sometimes being on the road. It can be very hard but I like meeting new people and touring with bands I’ve never toured before. I had no idea what to expect but it’s always great to play new material, practicing new songs before you go on tour Your last visit in Greece took place in June 2012.

Any plans of re-visiting Greece in 2014?

Hopefully, we will go there in 2014. It’s one of our favorite places and we just talked to record on DVD show there but it depends on the promoters too. We’d like to play there every time we go on tour.

Any comments or special message to your fans?

Definitely check out the album. You will be pleasantly surprised. It’s an album that you have to listen to from the beginning to the end. It’s all connected. Please come to the shows, we’d be glad to see you there.

31

BURST is against animal cruelty.

“Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well with others.”

-César Chávez-

www.argophotography.com No animals were harmed in the making of thisBurst fur coat www.afternoiz.com

32

Liv Kristine

By Korina P.

Liv Kristine is widely known as the “angelic” voice of the metal scene. In my opinion, she just came down from her very own Norwegian castle and added some magic in the lives of the metalheads.

She told us that she was very happy that she finally could have a conversation with a woman since all the other journalists who had talked with her that day were men. So, if you want to know more “dirty” details about her career, her new album with Leave’s Eyes, her future plans and how the band got its name (it’s a very funny story, trust me) keep on reading!

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33 Hello Liv! I would like to thank you very much for this interview. Is everything ok there?

It’s all good! I am in the middle of interviews and promotional stuff right now and a lot of concerts as well. I just came back from some gigs in Romania and Bulgaria. So, yeah, I am quite busy right now, our European tour kicks off in a few days. Lots of things happening right now but all is good! (laughs) Glad to hear. So let’s begin! The fifth Leave’s Eyes studio album Symphonies Of The Night will be released during November. First of all, the title is quite poetic, isn’t it?

Oh yes it is! (laughs) Is there any special story behind the album title or any specific thoughts about it?

First of all, I have to say that when we started composing this album I didn’t really have any concept in my mind or anything like that. I just thought “ok, let’s get inspired by music itself like we always do”. Me, Alex and Thorsten, who are the main composers of this album, as we started

composing demos for the preproduction, we just let the songs inspire us for the titles and the lyrics and everything.

Then I realized that we had some female characters coming up, characters from history like Jeanne D’ Arc and some characters taken from literature, like Ophelia and Karmen. As for the title track -which is the title of the album as well- it’s interesting because there is a small story behind it. Actually, a journalist was asking me about my influences during all these years and I was telling him about Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple and, of course, on the other hand, classical music composers like Edvard Grieg from Norway and Wagner.

Back then, I thought that I used to be a ballet dancer when I was younger and my favorite music piece to dance to was Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and that’s actually a symphony! And right after that I came up with the title, Symphonies Of The Night. It was there and then that I had all these thoughts, the moment when I was asked this question by this journalist.

Of course, I have been asked this question so many times during my career but still this question gave me a nice idea for our upcoming album. So,

yes, this is the title of the album, Symphonies Of The Night and I think it fits very well, because it also it comes with the whole concept of the night, since mainly the female characters are taken from history or literature, where there is some kind of mythic -or maybe dark- background.

For example, Jeanne D’Arc is a war heroine! (laughs) I was actually just about to ask you about the lyrics but you just are one step ahead! (laughs) So, could you tell us a few more specific things about the lyrical themes of the songs? As a rule of thumb, Leave’s Eye’s write lyrics inspired by mythology, history and stuff like that, as you’ve just mentioned. I know that Alex reads a lot of books about history and mysteries of the world.

I would like to give you some examples in order to get a better insight. For example, the title track is about Carmilla who is character taken from a lesbian vampire story from 1871 written by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and it’s a quite famous character because this story is probably one of the very first famous vampire novels. It’s about the beauti-

ful Carmilla, who falls in love with Laura, another young girl. It’s a beautiful but horrific vampire story. Another example is Galswintha, who is a historical character. She was married to Chilperic and they were living in Rouen in 567. She was murdered Chilperic’s mistress, Fredegund, who finally married Chilperic.

However, Chilperic was also murdered by Fredegund, so we have a really bad female character being featured on this song.

Oh, yes she seems really bad! (laughs) But, you know, Galswintha’s death brought about 40 years of warfare between the Frankish kingdoms of Austrasia and Neustria, which is a historical thing as well. So, if you look up on Google, you will find out a lot about this woman and I think she is amazing!

I will mention one more female character, Ophelia. She is a heroine on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. I have studied English literature and linguistics during my early days, while I was with Theatre Of Tragedy.

I was also attending lessons in university, in order to finish my master degree and any lesson that was related with Shakespeare has been my favorite one. Ophelia is a sweet

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34 and innocent young girl. She remains a maiden and she sings songs about flowers and finally she drowns herself in the river amongst the flowers, and this is actually what I am singing about, when Ophelia is dying. This is a very poetic theme in my opinion. So, those are three of the characters being featured on Symphonies Of The Night.

And speaking of lyrics and themes, have you guys ever considered writing a concept album like having a certain plot and some guest vocalists playing “roles”, like Timmo Tokki’s recent metal opera Avalon for example?

It would be amazing! Yes, yes certainly! And one of the ladies I would definitely invite to participate would be my friend Anneke Van Giersbergen. I would also invite Tarja Turunen and Maite Itoiz from Elfenthal. Those 3 girls are my best friends in the femme metal music scene. Every now and then, we meet up during concerts and tours and we have some nice chats about family and all that kind of stuff, plus we often visit each other. These 3 girls have the best voices I have ever heard.

So you girl bring me on some really good ideas! That’s a good idea! (laughs) Why not?

I want credit, Liv! (laughs) Ok, I promise you that! (laughs) Now, could you tell us a few things about the writing and recording process? Has it been a long one? Did you write like 20-30 songs and just picked the best ones or you just focused on writing a few good ones and get more time to make them sound even better?

Well, to be honest, as for some of the songs like Saint Cecelia and Hymn to the Lone Burst www.afternoiz.com

Sands, took us two years to finish them off, whereas for my “baby” Nightshade, its demo was recorded within 20 minutes (laughs)! It was just there, Nightshade was just there. Ophelia is also one of these songs that it did not take us very long to record it. Actually, we had written about 20 songs for this album but we decided to focus on those ones that Thorsten, Alex and me voted to be the real candidates for the album.

So we simply sat down and chose.

So I guess after picking the “right” ones for the album you spent some time make them sound even better?

Yes, exactly. And you know what, all the 3 of us are perfectionists and we always try to get the maximum we can.

Alex, being the producer, is always testing out new electronic devices for the mix, things I have never heard about and will never learn anything about. He is like a complete freak when it comes to studio stuff. Thorsten as well is some kind of a freak when it comes to strings, not only his guitars but also when it comes to folk and classical instruments and he is an amazing composer.

And speaking about myself, I have always been very eager to develop my singing techniques and I had Maite Itoiz at my studio and I asked her to tell me some “dirty” tricks.

And she did! It took us 20 minutes and that was the kick for me to really start working and developing on my classical singing because I never had any singing lessons or musical teaching so far. Those moments with Maite gave me a lot, generally speaking, and, of course, I gained a lot of confidence to work on my voice. So, it has been a very creative process; the three of us (Thorsten, Alex and me), as I have already mentioned, are perfectionists, so you can imagine what happened in the studio! That’s the main

35 reason why I am really happy that we have our own studio, so we can work on things until we have reached the maximum we can.

You have stated that fans should expect this album to be the heaviest and most epic Leave’s Eyes experience to date.

Yes, absolutely.

I checked out the album, it’s a nice one. The folk elements are still there but, at the same time, the songs are more catchy and more “on your face” and certainly less complicated. I totally agree with what you said back then.

Oh, I am so glad to hear this comment from you because these have been our aims and our goals when we produced the album.

However my question is, considering how Leave’s Eyes began some years ago, do you think that you have finally found a certain musical identity and sound and stuck on it, or do you believe you are one of these bands that offer to their fans a different album each time?

Hmm… I would say that Leave’s Eyes is a band that is always developing in a way that we want to define ourselves. We always search for features to define ourselves by in our genre. And I know we are not a very typical band that you can put into a genre.

I would say that with Symphonies Of The Night and with Meredead (our previous studio album) as well, we created our very own genre.

I feel very comfortable with the point we are right now; we celebrate our 10-year anniversary with Leave’s Eyes now and it feels so good to stand where I am currently standing. It feels very comfortable and nice. It seems like we have taken another

step in the direction of defining ourselves. I don’t think we have to re-invent ourselves.

We don’t have to do that because we have been and I have personally been around for 20 years. My band-mates, especially Alex and Thorsten, have been around for even a longer time, for 25 to almost 30 years. With Symphonies Of The Night, I feel that we have kind of landed safely, it feels good, and we are going to continue from here.

Also, you have declared that it has been such a pleasure evolving in my singing techniques and knowledge and I thank my band members for giving me an inspirational kick when I needed to gain momentum behind the microphone. So, do you consider that on this album you have personally experimented with your vocal abilities and reached a better level in singing? You said something before about evolving your vocal abilities.

I hope so! I feel very good about it. Plus, we played five of the new songs on MFVF in Belgium and in Romania and Bulgaria within the last two weeks and I had so much pleasure on stage. I can tell you that I felt very happy.

So, for me personally, it’s not like I feel some kind of pressure, it’s just because I have been thinking my whole life and I take so much pleasure in developing and finding new techniques for myself.

It happens as easy as that; I just put on the radio in my car and I hear somebody sing and I try to imitate the voice and then I realize “hey that’s a good technique, I should try that out”. Then I try and practice that for a song or maybe for a live appearance and that absolutely give me new knowledge and experience. Everything I have done so far, when it comes to singing, is related to collecting experiences. Actually, I was a

very late talker, but I started singing very early even before I could speak words I was able to sing. To me this is natural and I was thinking that every human being must be able to sing when I was a little child.

I used to believe that singing was as natural as speaking when I was younger. (laughs) To be honest with you, I think that I have been given this gift from somewhere or from somebody; maybe it was God who gave me this gift, I don’t know! I am just a very lucky person to have this ability.

The album features two bonus tracks. The first one is a duet with your sister and the other one, which I have to say that it came like a thunder before my eyes, is a Depeche Mode cover track! How did you come up with the idea of doing such a cover? Of course, Atrocity did something similar in the past with some legendary metal anthems in their album Werk ,so I guess it was not that weird for you doing such a thing now.

That was actually an idea of a German music magazine called Sonic Seducer. They wanted to release a compilation to honor Depeche Mode and they had chosen this song for me and I said “ok, if you would like me to sing this song I will do so”. That’s how it happened.

So the magazine chose the song for you.

Yes, this is what happened and I have to say that I felt much honored.

Liv, this is a tricky and rather subjective question but I will ask it anyway! Most of your fans, actually the majority of them, consider Meredead as Leave’s Eyes’ very best album. What is your opinion on this? Do you agree?

To me, Meredead was definitely the best album and the best production of Leave’s Eyes when it was released.

Now, with Symphonies Of The Night I think we have taken a step further, but still Meredead has another feeling and atmosphere inside of it. I am really happy that people, the press and fans, say that Meredead is our best album up to date. I also think that Symphonies Of The Night is a step of evolution of Leave’s Eyes. I have read about 6-7 reviews of Symphonies Of The Night today and thank heavens people say that “this is the best Leave’s Eyes album up to date” so, I feel relieved and happy! (laughs) Apart from Leave’s Eyes and Atrocity, every now and then you also release solo albums, which are more pop sound-wise let’s say. So, apart from metal music, you want to express yourself through different music genres.

What are your plans as a solo artist? Do you have any plans or any thoughts for a new solo album?

Now that we have finished the new Leave’s Eyes production, I am able to plan another solo album indeed. That’s exactly what I am up to right now. After our European-Asian tour, I will do some special shows with my solo band during December. There is always something going on, I consider myself as a very hyperactive artist in mind, soul and heart. It’s really good that the recording studio is like 10 meters away from house so I can always go there, even when I am with my son and my family, to do some work. There are many recording rooms there and one is always free for me to go there and write music. I need both, I never get bored; I am always busy with some artistic plans. There is always something going on, as I said before.

And speaking of expressBurst www.afternoiz.com

36 ing yourself, I noticed that you are also a painter! So, you are trying to express yourself through various and different art forms, aren’t you?

Yes, you just put it in an excellent way. Although I studied for years, I did my master in languages, and I have had various jobs through the years, like, for example, being a teacher for children with special needs, and so many different and other things, but constantly art and music have been a part of my life. I actually realize this now because a couple of years ago I was thinking if I should have returned in teaching and concentrate on that and that was the point that it became clear to me that music has always been there and music is my main occupation. The best thing is that I am able to combine music and family, of course family comes first, but I am able to have both of them in my life and that’s a wonderful thing. I am always grateful to my fans and friends out there because these are the

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people who make this possible for me. As I said, I consider myself as a very lucky person.

(laughs)

Yes you are! (laughs) You have done some legendary guest appearances in your career. Recently, you informed us on your participation in the new Primal Fear album.

You’ve also participated in Romanthica’s new album and you even sang in Spanish! Plus, you did one more guest appearance in Tyr’s new album.

You even did some title tracks featured on television series and programs.

The phrase “no rest for the wicked” applies in your case, I guess! Tell us few things about them.

Oh yes, beware! (laughs)

You are so right, it’s so nice the way you put it! It’s exactly that, no rest for the wicked! (laughs) Seriously now, the main thing for me is if I like what I am doing, I do it with passion and it comes from the heart. I am going be around for at least 10 or 20 years.

So, beware, people! (laughs)

I just want to ask you, how did all these collaborations come up?

Did you ask the bands or did they come to you?

Actually they come to me, I get their requests.

So you have some kind of a magnet! (laughs) Maybe that! (laughs) When I play and I am on the road I meet many people but most of the time they are bands who have heard about me or they like my voice and they think it would fit for a duet and so they contact me. It’s always requests coming in.

Heri Joensen from Tyr was one of our guest singers in our Wacken Special Viking Ship Show in 2012, when we appeared in the festival as one of its headliners and that’s when I told him that if there

is anything I can do for him he should feel free to ask me.

And then he came up with a duet and of course I said “ok, I got it, it’s payback time, Heri”. When I heard the song I thought it was amazing and that it’s a perfect duet.

Great news, Liv! So, you just played a few live shows, one in Romania, one in Bulgaria and one in Metal Female Voices Festival in Belgium. Actually, in Belgium you shared the stage with other awesome ladies of the metal music scene, such as Floor Jansen, Tarja Turunen, Sharon Den Adel, Anneke Van Giersbergen and many others.

It was a nice meeting for you all I guess.

Yes, it’s always great to see them.

Leave’s Eyes seem to love and support MFVF. I think this is the only festival in the world dedicated to metal bands with female vocalists. First of all,

37 I wanted to ask you about your thoughts on such a festival, You have been touring a lot during all these years and you have played in countless festivals all over the world.

What do you feel about this festival (MFVF)?

Does it have a special place in your heart?

Definitely it has. It was the eleventh time that this festival took place and I think I have been there seven times. As you have already mentioned, it’s always great to meet my friends there; Tarja, Sharon and especially Anneke; it’s always great to see them and to meet up. Especially this year, that I have been busy as hell, I enjoyed it very much.

On the first day of the festival (Friday) I played with my solo band and on the second day (Saturday) I played with Leave’s Eyes. With Leave’s Eyes, we played 5 new songs as well. There is not a lot of stuff to recall and remember but everything went fine.

I personally really enjoy this festival and let me tell you that the audience is amazing.

This year, there were many people from Greece as well.

Yes, I know, we are everywhere! (laughs) I know and for that I am grateful. (laughs) You are part of the socalled “female fronted metal scene”. This term, in my opinion, is not so representative, let’s say.

When you started your career with Theatre of Tragedy, there were not many women in the metal scene. You and a few other ladies stepped in and made the difference back then. You created a whole new path for all the female singers in a way. So, now, in 2013, what is your opinion on this scene? Do accept the term “female fronted metal” as a music term?

It’s a very broad and big term because female fronted metal has many semi-genres, many smaller genres underneath, I think. But, as you already mentioned, and I really thank you for that, the ‘beauty and the beast’ concept, of which I was the main founder back in the early 90’s, is a special genre included in the main genre, female fronted metal.

I would say that Leave’s Eyes have found their own genre.

Having in mind the albums we have released so far, I cannot recall any other band, which has the same kind of sound. This gives me confidence to continue with what I am doing. I am glad that there is more acceptance for my genre. I call it “my genre” or “our genre” and I mean the females in metal generally speaking. I remember in the beginning of the 90’s, when I released my first album with Theatre Of Tragedy, the European metal press was screaming “no, no it’s illegal, you can’t have an angelic voice in doom metal”! And suddenly and very fast things changed.

So, here we are, I am still here and the time passed, this happened like 20 years ago. I am still going strong and this is something I owe to all of my fans out there. You made this possible.

You just said that “female fronted metal” is a vast term. Did you say that because there are many and different types of voices like the melodic one, the screaming one, etc.? For example, Angela Gossow is an angel with a diabolical voice but she belongs to this genre, the female fronted metal, because Arch Enemy is a female fronted metal band.

Yes, it is a very interesting genre without any doubt. It is actually funny how differently the female singers define themselves on stage or in studio albums. It’s nice to see that there is such a big diversity between the voices and

the characters.

So, it’s not just a music term, it’s a huge music term! (laughs) It is a vast term but, in my opinion, there are various semi-genres and categories included in it. Because, for example Angela Gossow and myself are in the same genre, since we are both the “bosses” in female fronted metal bands, but still you can’t compare Angela’s voice to mine.

Of course. First of all, you have bands with a totally different sound.

That’s right.

And speaking of festivals and tours, you will hit the road again really soon, so share with us your feelings right now. Do you feel impatient? Thrilled?

Tired?

I feel very excited about our upcoming shows because we have five brand new songs in our set list and the audience responded very positively to our new material so far. Especially in our recent shows in Belgium, Romania and Bulgaria, the audience seemed so excited and that made me really happy. I have a lot of energy to go on. We will play in 70.000Tons Of Metal in late January next year. It’s gonna be awesome! I hope we will be able to return to Greece very soon because I know that we have a die-hard audience in Greece.

We hope you will be back soon, too! (laughs) Oh yes, come and get me! (laughs) This is a question I always ask to artists, so I’m going to ask it to you as well.

The music industry is currently facing a tremendous crisis. Not only economical. Bands disband, labels go bankrupt, tours

are being cancelled because of the lack of funds etc. It seems that the fans do not really support the bands as they did in the past, mostly because of the lack of money. What is your opinion on this issue?

Yes you are definitely right.

Sometimes this happens because of the financial situation but, on the other hand, there are really big bands and artists touring and the fans have to pay like 100 euros/ dollars to see them live. Sometimes it’s difficult even for me to go and see Madonna, for example; it’s a lot of money to pay! So there is not much left for the medium bands or even for the newcomer bands.

Playing live shows has always been difficult. It’s a struggle on the market. And then, if you are not one of the top-10 names, you will not get any support from your label as the big ones. So, as a result, you will have double trouble.

It’s a really difficult situation.

On the other hand, I realize that maybe because of the evolution in technology everything became so easy and big now and people don’t want to watch you on Youtube anymore, they want to see you live and they want to figure out if you can really perform. They want to see you, they want to feel you, and, of course, they want to hear you and that’s a good thing. The performance is now coming more back into the light. I just hope that record labels will realize that, the importance of going out there and play.

This is also the only way for me to get in direct touch with my fans and friends out there and to tell them “thank for always being there and coming to our shows and buying our albums”.

This is a question I have always wanted to ask you and it seems that the time has come to do so! (laughs) Is there any special story behind the band’s name? Leave’s Burst www.afternoiz.com

38 Eyes seem to me a rather clever, catchy and weird name at the same time!

Oh yes there is! (laughs) When I married Alexander in July of 2003, I was already pregnant and we directly flew to Ireland for our honeymoon right after our wonderful wedding ceremony. It was like just that romantic moment when my husband was looking into my blue eyes and he said “honey, I know how the band will be called”. He did not say “oh those beautiful blue eyes” and stuff like that, he said “I got the band’s name”! (laughs) Although

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my name is being written in a different way, it sounds the same. It’s homophonous, as we call it. It’s kind of a trick but since I am very connected to nature, I grew up by the fjords in Norway and all that stuff and I am just in love with trees and the trees got leaves, the name is really connected with me. It’s perfect.

So, the name of the band has been inspired by your eyes! (laughs) Probably that’s what my husband meant. We just took something from nature. (laughs)

Liv, this is my final question for you! Thank you very much for your time once again.

I want you to finish this interview with a promise to your loyal fans about the future!

Guys, I am really looking forward to the upcoming shows.

We have shows planned until the spring of 2014, so make sure you will come and see us when we play in your area.

And I just want to say thank you for always being there for me and my bands for the last 20 consecutive years. I am so happy that I am able to be an artist; it comes from the heart,

you know. It’s always a matter of giving and taking and I am really happy to be able to sing and perform for you all and I hope you will like Symphonies Of The Night. And, of course, my huge thanks goes to you for doing this interview with me. Please, Greek people, get me back to your country because I know that you are a really crazy audience and I am so looking forward to see you again so, I am waiting for your invitation!

39

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40

GRAND MAGUS

JB

By Spiros Smyrnis

Just a few minutes after first giving a listen to the song “Triumph and Power” on YouTube, my phone rang and the Mighty JB Christoffersson was on the line. I had to ask him so much and at the end of our conversation I realized that I just talked with the mastermind of the true heavy metal leaders of our time. At last, there’s a reason to believe, to rise from the depths of misery!

Horns Up and read that loud!

Before I start my questions about your new album, I have to ask which feedback you received from “The Hunt” album so far. Personally I didn’t read a bad review!

To be honest, I read a few bad reviews but never mind, since all the reception from ”The Hunt” was really *really* good and to us this was a victory. It was difficult for us to get up with the line-up changes until Ludwig became our stable drummer, so it was great that our latest album received so good reviews How did the tour go?

It was really good. We toured with Angelwitch and Enforcer and it was a really good package. We had a lot of fun!

A few hours ago I watched the lyric video of “Triumph and Power” on YouTube. Unfortunately, this was the only song I had the chance to listen to from your upcoming album because it wasn’t available on Nuclear Blast’s i-pool page in its entirety, so the only thing I have to say judging by only one song, is that “Triumph and Power” starts from where “The Hunt” ended.

Yeah, I guess you could say that. I think that’s a shame you didn’t have the chance to listen to the whole album but the title of “Triumph and Power” could say it all. It’s powerful, majestic and heavy!

A true heavy metal album! All the songs have the same feeling! The album is a bit more epic, more heavy metal than “The Hunt”, which had these elements as well but also lay on hard rock field stuff like AC/DC. The new album is much more an epic heavy metal one!

You worked again with Nico Elgstrand. My football coach used to tell me

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41 “Never change a winning team”. Was he right?

Yeah! I mean we had a saying here, up in the north: If it’s not broken don’t fix it!

It’s pretty much like what you just said! Our phrase was if it ain’t broken, fuck it. We were a good team with Nico. He had a really good ear for what we’re trying to do. He got a very high demand on the performer. He pushes us. It’s not enough for him to give 80%.

You always have to give 100% and this helps Grand Magus to work even harder!

How much time did the recordings last?

We started recording on September 1st until the last day of October, so it was pretty quick.

Who created the very beautiful artwork of the album?

I am glad you like it. I think it’s phenomenal! It’s done by an artist called Anthony Roberts and he was recommended to us by our manager, who also worked with a doom band called Conan. Anthony has done some artwork for Conan, so I checked it out and I thought it was really cool.

So I gave him an idea of what kind of imagery I want for Triumph and Power. He sent me a black and white sketch and it was perfect. It was something else, absolutely fantastic!

I’m sure that the cover will look even better on a vinyl so I have to ask whether Triumph and Power is going to be released on vinyl too.

Yeap.

People’s interest in vinyl sales has been increased over the last years. I’m pretty sure you’re happy with that…

I think it’s really cool because there was a time when everyone thought that vinyl was completely dead. The belief that vinyl is the true alternative to all the digital stuff because obviously a vinyl record is a vinyl record is recent! It’s like ‘a good tennis racket is a good tennis racket’ if you know what I mean. I think it’s really cool and it’s that kids are also into it, you know!

Let’s talk about lyrics now. Which were your sources of inspiration this time?

Basically speaking about lyrics, I think that a common trend in all the songs we’ve ever done is based in my belief in the power of nature; the connection, which I feel I have with nature, combined with Scandinavian tradition that existed here before Christianity. Obviously the lyrics can be understood in many levels, so you can find a different meaning, a different level in them.

There’s a point at “Triumph and Power” song that says “Αt last there’s a reason to believe, to rise from the depths of misery”. Which are the reasons for you to believe, to rise from the depths of misery that mankind lives these days?

Well, the healing I get speaking for myself or the peace I find comes up thanks to the power of nature. In the deepest depths of misery, I can always find strength from nature, so that’s the way it works for me.

We, humanity, are living on an online era: Updates, Facebook, tweets, 24/7 information… Do you like it or you prefer older and simpler times?

I think they are more romantic.

I prefer the way it was. I’m not fond at all of the idea that you should be accessible all the time and I think that we are in a situation now that we are truly enslaved to the technology rather than the technology is doing what we want to do and I think that will change. I think that in the not so distant future people will be able to think for a while and actually get to read an entire text or a whole book. I think that all goes in circles but at this time we are slaves rather than masters of technology.

You are going to release Triumph and Power, approximately a year and a half after “The Hunt”.

Some may say that is pretty soon! Others like me may scream that we want a new Grand Magus album each and every month.

Hahaha! When we released “The Hunt” and started touring and everything, we met with Nuclear Blast and they said that we would really like to have a new Grand Magus album to be released on January 2014. I was like: “Man, are you high?” We looked at the day of the schedule and we made some changes in our plans and I realized that ok, we can give it a shot. If it works, if we are able to do something that have the quality we want, then why not? If it doesn’t work, then we have to say “hey, we could record in January 2014 rather than to release it then”. It was pretty cool just to try, so once we had a concentrated time to write the new songs, the things started to flow by themselves and now it’s great to have a new album.

This is your second album via Nuclear Blast. Are things easier or harder for you now that you have signed with the biggest metal label worldwide?

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42 Actually it feels really good ‘cause I feel that we are in Nuclear Blast for the right reason and they signed us for the right reason, because they are really like our music. The cool thing with Nuclear Blast is that even though they are really *really* big, they are not people in suits and ties just counting money. They are metal fans and they know a lot about heavy metal and death metal and stuff like that. As far as Magus is concerned, everything works better than in the past, so it’s really good for us!

This time you didn’t have another line-up change, so I think that you finally found the right people for the job.

Definitely. Ludwig really saved our ass. He is a super good drummer and also he’s the perfect guy for us; we are only three people so it’s really important. If someone doesn’t work personally when you are only three, then there’s gonna be a problem.

To be honest, I knew he was perfect for Magus. Everything in the new album is in a whole

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new level ‘cause we had been playing many times together.

You have already announced a European tour! More info please!

Are you going to visit Greece again?

Hmmm…More info on the tour! Unfortunately there are no Greek dates on the tour; I would love to come back to Greece and play but I think that all the gigs we’ve done in Greece were an one-off stop show rather than being in the tour schedule and I guess that has to do with the distance, you know. We would take any offer to come back to Greece.

We had such a good time when we played in Athens last year, however there were some people saying we didn’t play enough. I have no clue that this was such a big thing, so I want to make up for that, so when we come back we will play until you end up in hospital!

I wanna be there!

Cool. The European tour starts in UK in March and then we go to Europe for a sol-

id month of touring. We are touring with Audrey Horne (a band from Norway), a band called Zodiac from Germany and Vintage Caravan from Iceland.

The metal press has baptized you as the true heavy metal leaders of your generation. I totally agree with them. Do you accept this characterization?

Wow! That sounds great! We try really hard to live up with that and I think that in this new album we really give everything we had, so there’s no doubt we had another pure heavy metal album.

‘The Hunt’ was included in the list of the best 20 albums of 2012 for Burst Magazine. Do I have to make room for “Triumph and Power” in next year’s list as well?

I think so, man!

You were a guest on the latest Ayreon album and you did an excellent job.

How was the experience

of working with Arjen Lucassen? That was something you never did before!

Thanks. It was great. It was something very different from anything I’ve done in the past. I was really nervous and I didn’t know at all what to expect. Arjen was such a cool guy, so I went down ‘cause he lives in Holland. We had a lot of fun the couple of days I spent there. During the recordings, we talked a lot about 80’s heavy metal, guitars and guitar players. It was a lot of fun and when I got the final version of the album I was very impressed.

Apart from your amazing voice and your guitar skills, you are one of the most respected figures in heavy metal. To me, this is the most important patch you have on your jacket! Thank you very much JB! Wow, thanks man! That makes me very happy to hear.

Thanks again!

43

Eklipse

by Joe Prostredny

Miss E.

Eklipse is a group of four very talented women from Germany that put an exciting new spin on the classical four string quartet.

These ladies are known for taking contemporary rock and pop songs and reinventing them; creating beautiful and complex compositions played with classical instruments. The beauty of their music is complemented by their unique and alluring stage personas and costumes.

Despite being a classical string quartet, this is a group that has a wide appeal across several different musical genres, including rock, pop, and metal. The group consists of two violinists (Miss E and Scarlett), a cellist (Helena), and a violist (Viola).

I first heard of Ekipse in 2012, when a friend of mine saw them touring Europe with Nightwish and Battle Beast. I bought their first album and immediately fell in love with their music. I was fortunate enough to catch up with one of the violinists, Miss E, for a few questions following the release of their second album and their recent North American tour with Kamelot and Delain.

Here is how it went!

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44 Hello Miss E! Thank you for talking with us today.

Hello! You´re welcome!

Eklipse is a group that seems to be all about the music, about creating a sense of beauty, passion, and mystery. So much so that almost everything that is written about the group refers only to the music; there is almost no personal information available about the individual members. We’re not here to shatter that mystery, but hopefully we can get you to share a few details with your fans.

Definitely! We don’t want to give the impression that we don´t care about our fans.

It´s just our concept to keep the mystery and to distance our private lives and personalities from the music.

You first got together at

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the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg a few years ago, and from that meeting, Eklipse was born. Can you give us any details on how you met, and what about each other inspired you to form Eklipse?

My parents, for example, are musicians, so I started to play violin at the age of three. But I never studied music.

Yes, this was the beginning of all! Helena had a show at this festival, and this is how we met each other. After we talked a while, we could feel that we all had the same idea and vision of music and that we wanted to make more than classical music with our violins. So this is where the idea of “Eklipse” started!

It´s funny that you´re asking me this question, because I actually do play several other instruments including the piano, drums, and guitar. And I really need all this to produce our stuff. When you see our live show, you will realize that you can hear a lot more than just the four string instruments. The other girls also play other instruments and also sing very well. We will see what the future brings. (smiles)

You are all obviously trained musicians, and very talented. What can you tell us about your musical training and background?

We all started to make music when we were very young.

Do you play any other instruments other than the ones we see you play on stage?

On your albums, you cover rock, pop, and theme songs. With so many songs out there to choose from, what is it about a

song that inspires you to create a classical version?

The most important aspects for us are the emotions and the melody of the song. As you know, we don’t have lyrics in our string arrangements, so we have to convey the feeling of the music and the lyrics through the violins. This is also the most difficult thing. If we choose a song (for example, from “Coldplay”), you really miss the characteristics of the singer´s voice. So we have to find another way to interpret the song and to keep it interesting and special.

That is what is so wonderful about your music! You can take a simple rock or pop song, and almost totally recreate the music; adding levels of complexity and passion usually unheard of in these genres.

Has this creative force inspired you to write any original compositions?

45 Can we be expecting any original songs on upcoming albums?

Of course the whole process of our work, like choosing songs, doing arrangements, trying out a lot, activates our creativity very much. There are so many possibilities to reinterpret a song that it would not be boring to work with cover songs only on the upcoming albums. But of course we all have many ideas to compose songs on our own. And maybe this would be a good step for the next record (smiles).

Your very unique stage costumes seem designed to add to the beauty, allure, and mystery of your music. But the music in itself is so beautiful and moving. The visual and the auditory presentation certainly work well together. What led to the decision to add such a visual component to the group’s stage presence?

We wanted to create a sensual experience for all senses; visual and auditory. We think that the emotional depth of the music is well supported by our Gothic inspired outfits, and it’s good to find now it did the trick (smiles).

It most certainly did!

Your first album, A Night in Strings, was released in Europe last year. But it was only this year that it was released here in North America. Why did it take so long for us to get the album over here?

It was a long journey – literally - to bring our music over the ocean to America. In Europe, there are thousands of bands who would like to be successful in the U.S. But after we had some success in Europe, we got to know a label in the U.S. which made the [American] release finally happen.

Your new album, Elec-

tric Air, was just released in September. One of my favorite songs on the new album is Assassin’s Creed, which is a theme song from a computer game. It was an interesting choice of songs. Do any of you play the game?

I must admit that I’m not a really good computer game player. But I have played Assassin’s Creed a few times and I´ve always been impressed with the quality and the pictures. And of course the music is great, especially the song we’ve chosen. It is so powerful and energetic, that we really wanted to have it on our record. We also recorded drums to that song, so if you see our live show, it sounds like an orchestra with real drums. We love that part!

We love it too!! What else do you like to do when you are not creating music? Any other hobbies or pastimes you are willing to share with us??

No (smiles).

(Laughs) Okay then!

We’ll keep the questions about the music!! One of your first big tours was with Nightwish and Battle Beast in Europe in 2012. How did that come about?

I think Nightwish got to know us from several magazines from the Gothic scene having us on the cover. The rest of the story is kind of boring; managements talking and dealing (winks). But it was a great time being on a tour of such dimensions! We played in front of 11,000 people in Paris. That was amazing!

And now you have just finished touring North America with Kamelot and Delain! When you first started out, were metal fans your original “target audience”? Or is this something that has

evolved as your career progressed?

We didn’t really think about a “target audience”, when we started. I think our music has many faces and can be seen in different ways. It always depends on the listener. But I´m very glad and also proud to have fans from the metal or gothic scene. I think that our songs and our live shows create nearly the same heaviness, darkness or emotionality as other bands of this scene.

I was lucky enough to attend your recent show in Baltimore. Unlike me, most of the fans there seemed unfamiliar with your music at first. But it didn’t take you long at all to capture their hearts, minds, and souls.

Everyone seemed very impressed! I heard lots of: “Oh my god”, “This is awesome”, and “You rock!” coming from the audience. There were lots of horns in the air and exuberant applause; even some tears. How was the fan reception during the rest of the North American tour?

It was fantastic! We didn’t really expect that great response from the audience. As you said, the people are always a bit skeptical at the beginning, because they went to a metal concert, and the first thing they see is a female string quartet. But after a few songs they realize that we’re not a normal classical string quartet. Sometimes we’re as loud as a rock band or so quiet that you can hear your own breath.

We love to create contrasts and different feelings, so that you can close your eyes and dream to the music or dance or head bang or do whatever you want. I think Kamelot’s audience was perfect for us.

They are very open-minded, and they love the combination of rock and symphonic aspects! So in general we had a completely positive feed-

back!

We’re very glad you had such a positive experience here!! Does this mean you’ll be coming back to North America soon?

We don’t have any plans yet, but I’m sure that another tour in America will be happening again! Very soon!

We’re very excited to hear that! We would love to see you all perform here again!! What was your overall impression of North America? What were some of your favorite things that you saw while you were here?

All in all we had a wonderful time! The tour started in the east of the U.S., and we made a whole circle through this country, to the west coast, to the south, close to Mexico, to Florida, and also Canada.

We have seen so many different places that it doesn’t seem possible to be all on one continent. I really fell in love with the countryside and the nature on the west coast. I’ve never seen anything like that before; from the tour bus it´s just wonderful to see the sunrise each morning behind the mountains. And we have met so many lovely people. I like that everybody is so openminded and friendly. I just felt great!

In December, you’ll be touring Germany with the alternative rock band, The Mission. Are there any other upcoming tours or shows that you’re allowed to tell us about?

We have many plans for the future. But I don’t know for sure what will be the next steps. If you follow us on our sites like Facebook, you will always be up to date what´s going on (smiles).

What other bands would you like to tour with in Burst www.afternoiz.com

46 the future?

I really like to play together with bands that are not doing the same thing as we are.

Then there is always a surprising effect, and people who have never heard a violin live before have the chance to discover something new. Maybe a band like Muse or Coldplay would be fun to open for. It´s a completely different style, but in both bands it´s all about emotions and great melodies.

This would fit perfectly.

Well Miss E, we would like to thank you again for taking the time to answer our questions! Do you have anything else you would like to say to your fans before we go?

Thank you so much! Yes, I would like to say thank you to our fans for supporting us!

And we really hope that we can come back to the U.S. very soon to play you a few more songs!

We hope so too! And we hope it‘s more than a few!! Thanks again for your time and for your great music. We wish you all the best!

Burst www.afternoiz.com

47

Burst www.afternoiz.com

Dani Nolden 48

Voice, talent and beauty!

by JRoberto Zenteno

Dani Nolden, one of the most unique and strong female voices ever heard, combine influences of Hard Rock, Thrash and Heavy Metal and are known for their strong hooks, heavy guitars and high energy live show!!

Shadowside has heavy and angry guitar riffs. A band with power, energy and intensity; three words define Shadowside’s career path very well. With 3 albums out, tours in 30 countries playing in front of an audience of over 250000 people, the band is nowadays the rising star of the Brazilian Metal scene.

Burst www.afternoiz.com

49 Thanks again for this opportunity my friend It’s my pleasure!

How would you describe yourself at the time?

I’m a crazy, spontaneous, animal-loving very loud heavy metal singer (laughs). I’m at a very special point in my career and personal life. For a long time, I didn’t really know what I wanted to accomplish, I had no idea if I had reached my dream or not but I realize now that I have. Of course I still have lots of goals, wishes and dreams for the future and there’s no way I consider this the top of the mountain but I feel like I have a story to tell. I think I’ll have a lot of interesting things to tell my children if I ever have any. It feels good to be able to look back and see that you did cool things in your life. And I don’t mean success, awards or anything like that... just going out there, seeing the world and giving your dream a chance, that’s what matters for me.

How do you currently define yourself musically?

I’m definitely at the best moment in my musical career.

Not only with Shadowside, but as a singer in general.

Shadowside is doing great but I’m also being challenged in other ways especially because I just joined the Sphaera Rock Orchestra project as a permanent member. I had been playing a few shows with them, they had guest appearances of the likes of Andreas Kisser from Sepultura, Rafael Bittencourt from Angra and I had the honor of being one of their guests but it worked out so well that both them and myself wanted to make it an official thing. So now I’m the singer of Shadowside and Sphaera Rock Orchestra. I get to do lots of different things musically, as Shadowside it’s the hard hitting vocals people already know very well from me but with the orchestra, I get to explore other interest-

ing techniques I never had the chance to try before. I sing rough stuff with them too but some songs require less metal and more subtleness.

For example we’re performing Pari Arakil, an Armenian song since our maestro, Alexey Kurkdjian, is of Armenian origins, which is also why we perform a version of a System of a Down song. And with Shadowside, we’re definitely much further than I dreamed we would be 10 years ago.

Our most recent album Inner Monster Out is still doing really well, we charted on the top 26 in Japan, hit the top 10 USA college radio charts, the energy at the shows is just amazing... I couldn’t be happier musically!

What do you like most about your artistic life?

The possibility of bringing my creation to life and sharing it with people, especially when it means something to them.

There’s nothing like hearing from a fan that your music helped them get through a situation, gave them strength, made them realize they were not alone, gave them inspiration or just helps them through a rough day at work... whatever it is, it’s an incredible feeling when something you created touches some-

one’s life.

What are your plans with Shadowside?

We’ll probably start working on a new album next year. We still have a few more shows to play before we consider the Inner Monster Out tour finished but in between them, we’ve been thinking of new songs and at some point next year we’ll get together to polish and record them.

How would you describe the sound of Shadowside throughout the band’s career? Has it changed or evolved?

It has definitely evolved! I think our fans and ourselves would have gotten bored pretty quickly otherwise (laughs).

We got heavier, that’s for sure... but we also became more daring, in the way that we don’t fear our own personalities anymore. In the first album, we were of course trying to mimic what our favorite artists were doing at that time... then on the second, we tried to get away from all of that and on Inner Monster Out, we reached that balance.

We finally decided to do as we please, to keep it spontaneous, not to fear if something sounds completely different than what we’re used to listen

to at home. We always wanted a straightforward sound, not too complicated but we didn’t want it overly simple as well.

We feel some of our previous stuff was too simple, some were too random and now, we found a raw, angry sound that is also very musical, with a nice balance between everything that we like, especially the energy, the angry guitars and the catchy melodies. I’m more balanced as well... on the first album there was a lot of shouting, then there was a lot of singing and now I find myself in between that.

There’s lots of aggressiveness but there is some refined singing in there as well. We had a great time throughout the years in developing that sound.

You have shown us a unique musical style that’s both very good and overwhelming, are you thinking about your next album? And if so, what style will be?

We are, of course, and for sure it will stay on the Inner Monster Out path. It will be heavy, very heavy. We want to keep it fresh; surprise people positively and at the same time keep what we love already in the band, which is balancing the heaviness and

Burst www.afternoiz.com

50 that thrashy side that we have with the beautiful melodies.

We won’t put any pressure on ourselves though so we can’t tell for sure exactly what’s going to happen. We’ll keep it spontaneous and people will once again see that we put our hearts into it.

What’s your favorite song so far? And what do you consider the essence of the band is?

It’s almost impossible to pick my favorite song but some of my favorites are Waste of Life, Angel with Horns and Gag Order. They have everything we’re all about... heavy riffs, catchy choruses, energy and it makes us feel like banging our heads! That’s pretty much what Shadowside is all about.

Tell us a bit about “Inner Monster Out”. It’s a great album! What do you believe brought success to the album? Who wrote the songs?

Thank you! I think what brought success to this album were we not forcing its

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direction. We never wanted to write a commercial album, we never tried to write songs that we thought people wanted to hear. We just wrote what we wanted to hear and play ourselves. Our guitarist Raphael and I came up with half the original ideas each, but none of the songs you hear on the album sound like our original demos. Waste of Life actually was a song that was written in 15 minutes by the whole band.

I had the chorus, Raphael had a riff, our drummer Fabio wanted a song that started with vocals... we started jamming, I started humming some melodies and suddenly we had the best song in the album (laughs). We had fun writing Inner Monster Out and that’s probably the secret of its success. We hoped, but never imagined people would love it as much as we do. We were thrilled when we realized people considered it our best material up to date.

Tell us about some concerts and tours you have done!

Good/bad moments?

All tours were awesome but there are always times when

situations are tough. For example in 2010 we were touring Europe with WASP and our sleeper tour van broke down in France. Our manager and driver stayed behind waiting for it to be fixed since the company offered no replacement and we rented a regular car to continue on the tour, we toured Spain like that, with no sleep, driving after the show. But it was either that or cancel the tour, which was out of the question. Good times are always the times with the crowd, the fans, the energy shared. Playing in Spain is always amazing, Poland is always insane, last time even the security guy in front of the stage was headbanging. Hearing people scream “Shadowside” after the show in Greece when we were supporting Helloween was incredible. We also got to be the first ever Brazilian metal band to play Olympia in Paris, a venue founded in 1888 where artists like Jimmy Hendrix, The Beatles and so many others have performed. The French crowd, all crowded that night being extremely warm and welcoming to us, same with the Swedish

fans... I have several fantastic memories, I’m being unfair to several countries just by mentioning a few ones... it’s very hard to make a top 10 list of the best shows in our opinion.

Have you made any video clips?

Yes, we just shot Habitchual in my hometown, Santos! It has a very interesting story of a woman going through all kinds of addictions and bad habits, such as addiction to shopping, smoking, drinking, technology, sex, vanity. She experiences them all and goes through hell with them. The actress did a great job, I can’t wait to see it finished! It will be probably available in the first week of December.

Thank you very much for this opportunity! The last words are yours!

Thank you for this space and for allowing me to share a bit of my work with you all... hope you enjoy our Inner Monster Out album and our future works. I’ll see you on the road very soon. Take care!

MANI DEUM

by Stathia S. Pedioti

What’s unique with them is not just the genre of music they opted for –brilliantly named “Infected Folk & Roll”-, but also the fact that a member of them is a thereminist. Theremin is an instrument few know it even exists, while even fewer know how to play.

Accompanied by five fine gentlemen and a lady, Mani Deum were interviewed by Burst;so here’s where this prologue ends -and the interview begins.

51 Who came up with the imaginative name of the genre you play (Infected Folk & Roll)? How was it created?

Beauty Ends”; however, all the other details are currently pending, since we’re currently facing the end of recordings.

It arose from the need to describe the different concept, which we had in mind for neofolk, which is also somehow the origin of the band, and to distance ourselves from the very narrow aesthetic standards and limits of the dark scene.

How did the co-operation with Dead Scarlet Records come up?

In a previous interview, you said that a free translation of “Mani Deum” is “to not be held responsible for a thing”. What sort of responsibilities did you have in mind back then?

For us, it mainly represents the acknowledgement and acceptance of the fact that no one can change everything in life. With this idea in mind, you see that it has nothing to do with a disclaimer, but simply with the recognition of reality itself.

Back in 2009, when the band was taking “baby” steps, it was a no-brainer for us to conclude that the only independent label with a focus on “dark” scene was the perfect environment for nurturing Mani Deum. Dead Scarlet has provided us with a catalytic help all these years in whatever we try, in a very sincere way.

What are the main three sources of inspiration for the composition of your songs?

Reality, personal experiences and generally anything that can catch our attention, which shocks us in a way.

Your last work is titled “Music for your local church... or your local brothel”, which features the guest participations of Matt Howden and Maxi Nil, while you have also worked with Dimo Dimov. How did these collaborations come up?

Speaking of shock, was there any reaction from fans that you won’t forget?

They are artists, with whom we have crossed paths either in the creative process or in live shows, and whose work we respect deeply. We are always interested in possible collaborations with people who we appreciate.

As a band, is there any dream you all want to fulfill in terms of playing live, e.g. to perform with a particular singer/band you all like?

According to your facebook page, the first promotion of your new album to the public took place in the 20th Wave Gothic Treffen festival in Leipzig, Germany. Why there, and not in a Greek festival?

It was more of a fortunate coincidence that the album was released on the same days as the ones we took part in this festival, rather than something planned. The result has been proved more useful, since there we had the opportunity to present our work to a wider audience and without having any national restrictions.

With Dead Scarlet Records you have already released the “Five Infected Blessings” (EP) and the “Music for your local church... or your local brothel”. As for your next job, which is expected by the end of ’13, via which label is it going to be released and what will the title be (if found)?

The title of the disc will probably be “When

It was a pleasant surprise to see that abroad, supporting a band by buying its disc is the rule, rather than an exception.

A dream we all share is to perform in as many cities in Greece and abroad as possible. It is something that we enjoy. Our mutually favorite singer is Nick Cave; since it’s unlikely for us to perform with him live, we don’t have this kind of dreams.

Where do you see the band in 5 years?

It is difficult to answer this question in professional terms, for something that not only we, but also the overwhelming majority of independent units in Greece, do without financial benefit. By repositioning the measure success in purely artistic scale, we try to produce a clear, compact and representative musical work. If this needs one, five or ten years to be done, it is something that only time will tell.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

We would like to thank all those supporting us over the years, in any way. See you soon out there.

Burst www.afternoiz.com

The very interesting EP Echoes of Mount Ida was a fine reason to reach Automaton and learn everything about the Greek Metallers! Doom on mothafuckaz!

Automaton

52

Give us a brief bio about Automaton.

This is our current ‘official’ bio, which you can also find on our website (www.automatonband.com): Automaton were formed in 2011 in Athens, Greece and have been performing live since mid-2012, including a support for Pentagram and a support for NAAM (scheduled for 13/12/2013). Echoes of Mount Ida, Automaton’s debut 32-min EP was released on Oct. 25, 2013 by Trailblazer Records. Automaton has been characterized as a loud and heavy doom act but apart from slow tempi and down tuned guitars, they blend heavy riffs, repetitive minimalistic patterns and psychedelic into their own style.

Date of Birth (of Automaton)?

10th of May, 2012, our first gig at Mo Better Club, on a psychograndmamma’s Heavy Rock Thursday is when Automaton was born.

Personal Heroes?

Our families and the generations before them. Musicwise, everything from Hawkind to Yob. The name story?

To us, an Automaton is a primitive version of a robot, a self-moving automatic machine. It represents a slowly moving, monster-like, machine-behemoth. This is more or less how we picture our music.

The feedback of your EP release so far…

It is very positive up to now.

Reaching out is a slow process, though.

Why did you choose to release an EP and not a full

Burst www.afternoiz.com

By Spiros Smyrnis

length?

Although we had a couple of additional songs that we would like to record, the EP is at 32-mins which is enough for a first introduction of our band to the world. There were some practical reasons as well, so we decided to stick to the initial plan, which was an EP. Tell us everything we should know about your EP Echoes of Mount Ida, mixing mastering?

It was recorded at MOTHStudio Recordings, the headquarters of Trailblazer Records.

Two people were involved in the recording process: Chris Androvitsaneas(production, recording, mixing) and John Tsiakopoulos (recording, coproducing).It was mastered at Grindhouse by VassilisGouvatsos. Artwork by Manthos Stergiou.

The moment of Glory for Automaton so far!

Everything was important in its own way. Of course, opening for Pentagram is our “moment of glory”, up to now.

How was the co-operation with Trailblazer records, the hotter Greek Label, nowadays?

It was, and still is great. They have helped us a lot to spread our name and music around.

Which are your upcoming tour plans?

We are currently planning to tour Exarchia. It is not official yet.

Which band would you like to play at your funeral?

The spiritual and metaphysical YOB.

53

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!

Burst www.afternoiz.com

54

MUSIC REVIEWS

Grand Magus

Triumph and Power

I was the lucky one of the Burst Magazine crew to conduct the interview with JB, talking about the seventh official album by Grand Magus titled “Triumph and Power”.

Unfortunately, I only gave a quick listen to the self-titled song prior to doing the interview. Thanks to all the Scandinavian Gods, just a few days later I was notified that the whole album is finally available on Nuclear Blast’s i-pool’s page! After some minutes I spent staring at the amazing cover by Anthony Roberts, I finally pressed the play button, in order to let the heavy metal party begin!

Triumph And Power« is set for release on January 31, 2014 via Nuclear Blast. And it surely will turn out to be another powerful triumph in the history of GRAND MAGUS! The press release was loud and clear, just to the fucking point. Less epic than Iron Will and Hammer of the North, “Triumph and Power” has the same straightforward heavy metal approach as the latest Grand Magus album, “The Hunt”! “On hooves of Gold” they ride, ready to conquer the heavy metal world by spreading the true heavy metal meaning. JB is our leader, the one who brandishes his sword and tunes his guitar so we can be ready for battle ‘cause in the end it is “Steel versus Steel”.

Ludwig Witt secures the drummer seat, helping Magus to sound more solid than “The Hunt”. The album rolls really well till we reach “Triumph and Power,” which is already the album’s hit! Songs like this one help you rise from misery, stand and fight next to Magus. Don’t waste your time ‘cause “Dominator” is gonna catch you! Grand Magus left us for approximately one year and a half but they are back and ready to reclaim their throne. Let us all unite and scream ‘cause at least there’s a reason to believe in heavy metal!

Scream thy name! Scream for Grand Magus!

Spiros Smyrnis Burst www.afternoiz.com

Photo by Severin Schweiger

55

Five Finger Death Punch The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Vol. 2 “Lift me Up” was the first single of Vol.1 which raised the fans’ expectations, while “Battle Born” was the second single from Vol.2.

Despite being the lead single from this album, it is almost certainly my least favorite featured in it. Few months after the release of volume 1, came another volume, a more melodic album; it actually has less harsh vocals and drum blasts. Yet, it’s another great effort of Five Finger Death Punch and I think they did a great job separating these songs in two parts. The first combines more aggressive elements while the second combines melodic parts with less riffs; if the first was the wrong side of heaven then this one is definitely the righteous side of hell! Still there is a combination of melodic parts with aggressive ones and, of course, in some tracks there is a mixture of harsh vocals with more clean singing parts but its overall music style is not as “bouncy” as that of volume one. The tracks in this album are as heavy and melodic as radio singles should be and they are actually tailor-made for air plays. Last but not least, the album features a splendid cover of The Animals’ classic song “House of the Rising Sun” with a small alteration in lyrics, where ‘New Orleans’ becomes ‘Sin City’. The bottom line is that if you like Volume 1, you’ll unquestionably like volume 2 as well.

Key tracks: “Let This Go”, “Cold”, “Cradle to the Grave”, “Wrecking Ball”, “A Day in My Life” Sissy Fanouraki

Danny Bryant

chunky riffs and the heartrending guitar playing of Danny Bryant serve us a tasteful drink blended with passionate performances and blues wisdom!

I don’t know if Danny sold his soul to the devil to play the best in blues, but I would sell mine just to make sure he would keep on playing. The drinks on Bryant!

Spiros Smyrnis

Hurricane

There are times when I sit down to write an album review, and I don’t really know how I’m supposed to start! Especially when I have to “review” one of my favorite artists! Leaving aside some blues rock lovers, I am pretty sure that the name of Danny Bryant doesn’t ring a bell to the rest of you. So let me present him properly. Danny Bryant is an English blues guitarist and singer. He formed Danny Bryant’s RedEyeBand together with his father, Ken Bryant, on bass guitar. They currently tour and record with drummer Trevor Barr. Today at age 33, he has already released 9 albums (including some live records), all of which are watered in the goddamn hard rocking blues!

So after eleven years in discography, in 2013 Danny Bryant released the most mature record of his career, the one that will be marked as a piece of art in Blues History! I am very careful with the words I’m using and I dare you to listen to “Hurricane” so I can prove to you that I am not overacting! The artwork is so simple and meaningful. A man playing his guitar! Maybe not a man but a “Prisoner of the Blues” because I bet that since the day he was born Danny is a prisoner of the blues! On “Hurricane” Bryant finally moves forward by giving more space to his classic rock influences, without losing the feeling with which he dresses his albums of course. Oh man this goddamn feeling! Just listen to the ecstatic solo of “Painkiller” or the crying guitar on “I’m Losing You” and you will get it! All these

Royal Hunt

A Life to Die For D.C. Cooper is the right singer for Royal Hunt. This became clear when the band released their previous album, when he returned to replace a very good singer - Mark Boals – and still made a difference. Although in this album, Andre Andersen has tried to take full advantage of Cooper’s talent, perhaps this effort was too much focused on that, neglecting other aspects of the songs.

The problem is that the album sounds a bit bare in some parts, unlike the standards generally set by Royal Hunt. D.C’s voice alone cannot grant the songs that feeling of richness. Not comparable to masterpieces like “Moving Target” or “Paradox” or their previous album “Show Me How To Live” but still a quality album that fans of prog-power will find worth listening to.

Melodies that can get stuck in your head are there again, plus– just like in the previous album- – there is one big hit “One Minute Left To Live”. The long tracks of the album bring the “Fear” era in mind, which is good since they aren’t tiring the listener, a trap many progressive bands often fall to in case of long songs.

Paschalis Koutsogiannis

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56

Tareq

one of the very first Tareq songs I loved, thanks to which I explored the artist’s music. If you truly love the optimistic, nostalgic side of life and electronic music alike, make this album a part of your life –let alone a part of your ears. Cheers!!

Christina Alossi

Fish

After three entire years, Tareq is back in the music scene with a new album, a subtle touch of ocean psychedelia.

“Fish” is an electronic album, featuring four strong duet collaborations with the female artists Ilia Darlin, Natassa Mpofiliou, Marina Satti and Marietta Fafouti.

The introduction kicks off with “fish,” a song under the same name with the album, which is definitely a smooth start, while giving its way to the melodic track “Life”. Alongside Darlin, we find ourselves in a clubbing mood with “share your love” a song full of sultry lyrics and dance beats.

Right after, it’s time for “What’s your name”, a song with a bluesier mood in terms of tunes, featuring playful vocals and “crazy” old-school piano.

Living in a mean world, Tareq is a “Good boy” who loves his mother, his sisters and his friends; that’s his own personal statement as we reach the middle of the album, with a sound that personally reminds me of the good old times of Depeche Mode. At this point, at the seventh track, the moment comes when we’re taken even higher, a little bit below the sun; Tareq’s collaboration with Natassa Mpofiliou in “Take me higher” is undoubtedly one of the album highlights. Although Tareq has opted for well-tested musical “recipes” in terms of beats and electronic music, the outcome sounds so fresh and new yet so vintage. The harmony and the vocals are so beautiful, that take you away, sink you to the bottom of the ocean while you breathe like a “fish” and bear witness to the eternal underwater flow.

The album concludes in the best possible way, with “Cin cin”, a duet with the adorable Marietta Faffouti, a toast to life and love for everyone, Burst www.afternoiz.com

The Callas Am I Vertical

In the land of lust, under the rays of the hot, revitalizing sun, the rhythm that accompanies you alongside halfnaked beauties with only their nightgowns on -while spinning around- is the eternal beat of “Am I Vertical”.

You will eventually find yourself listening to the new Callas album again and again, until you finally get its meaning and become addicted to its melodies. One time is never enough because the album features several tracks, whose melodies aim to get stuck in your head. The founding members of the group, the brothers Lakis and Aris Ionas, entrusted the production of the album in question to Jim Sclavunos, the producer of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Griderman, Sonic Youth and The Cramps.

The pop punk sound is accompanied by the buzzing of subterranean machines, which are boiling and cracking in the basements with just a dash of a single sunray on a spring morning. “I hate...your Facebook photos” and lots of other things on you and around you, but I like you...

The Tarantino-ish song “Disaster” emerges; how well it could have fit in the soundtrack of Death Proof....

Raw punk with pop beats and smart riffs that make a difference, an art you would have thought of but still you haven’t…. Although at first sight the success of Callas seems so simple, when looking deeper you get to see the amount of work they did and the attention they paid in each and every

track. Carefully laden lyrics, appropriate musical themes and a wonderful cover complete the picture.

The songs that stood out, except for the ones I’ve stated above, are surely the first track “Lustlands” with its imposing “La la la la la la”, “Anger,” which bursts out like true rage, the groovy beat of “East beat” and, last but not least, “I wonder,” which reminded me of eras past, although I cannot directly associate it with something more specific.

Callas, being experienced in live shows and tours abroad for several years, couldn’t have given less than what each and every listener will experience when they buy or give a listen to “Am I vertical”.

If you’re a fan of indie, and even more of popbased influences, you should add “Am I Vertical” to your album collection ASAP. Christina Alossi

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57

HIT&RUN

OT It’sN all Greek to me

by Spiros Smyrnis

by Spiros Smyrnis

The Voyage

I’ve never been to Iceland; however, judging from Vintage Caravan I believe they are hard rock lovers. Nuclear Blast wouldn’t sign those 20 year old kids otherwise. Passionate for pure hard rock, Vintage Caravan pay tribute to their favorite bands -Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix- with a modern production and huge guts! The youth gone wild as Skid Row sang many years ago. Honest hard rock with a respect for its roots, but, at the same time, written in such a great way of being sung today. If you don’t trust me, trust JB and Grand Magus who are gonna tour with them!

Ajuna

Coming from Denmark, Ajuna released their full length debut album via Quality Steel Records. Post, dark and atmospheric, “Prisoners of the Sun” is an album that requires the listener’s attention. Distorted and down tempo melodies featuring a solid rhythm section. The “Neurosis” chaotic universe meets some Isis guitar basics, while the production is more than awesome. Playing with “Psychological” and “Pre-Conscious” on the lyrics they give us a decent piece of work. My only objection: I want the vocals even harder!

Netherbird

This is the third album of the Swedish extreme metallers, Netherbird via Scarecrow Recordings. Old-school death black metal without any surprises! Interesting guitar melodies that pay tribute to the Great Bathory, underline the nostalgic atmosphere of the album. The talented Nils Fjellstorm ( also drummer of Dark Funeral) tortures his drum set and gives extra credit to Netherbird, as well as the amazing artwork. The epic feeling runs throughout the whole album making it a great gift for Bathory fans!

The Darkstar

Despite their long live experience, this is the debut album of The Darkstar via Trailblazer Records. I liked the rock n roll version of The Darkstar’s metalcore because it’s highly energetic and groovy, with sing-along and easy to remember choruses. The lyrics focused on the shitty situation of our days, while my favorite tracks are “Black is Not A Color” and ‘Blessed And Cursed” featuring Androniki Skoula (Chaostar). Raw and Dirty, heavy and hard to the core!

Μy Turn Athens

Vintage Caravan

Positive yet pissed off hardcore / punk from Athens.

I was at Defcon Festival this September drinking with a friend of mine. He is a frequent reader of It’s Not Greek to Me and a fan of hardcore music alike. We came there to watch My Turn, so he threw the idea of writing a tribute to the angry Athenian masterpiece. I said to him: “you have my word” and “that’s a promise” many times during their angrily positive show. Due to some awesome releases by the Greek heavy music scene, which is hotter than hell, such as Potergeist, Black Soul Horde and Phase Reverse, I delayed my tribute to them, but here it is now! So just read carefully ‘cause My Turn is among the best hardcore bands in the world you’ve never heard of!

Let me share with you their own opinion on music, which is much more than Positive yet pissed off hardcore / punk from Athens: “Travelling around to play a show in the middle of nowhere with a shitty sound and a dubious feedback, reuniting with your old friends for a couple of hours, chilling out, meeting new people, spreading out ideas and music, eating junk and crashing at someone’s floor (that you may not know at all) at 4 o’clock in the morning, dirty and tired to death, waking up 6 hours later to start another trip to nowhere, shitfaced but positive… That’s fucking hardcore / punk. That’s MY TURN.” Formed in summer 2010, based in Athens, Greece. We love hardcore music and we’ll be performing soon in a basement near you”.

I wanna be clear. I cannot call myself a hardcore fan! Despite my love and dedication to bands like Kickback, Strength Approach and European hardcore, I was more into other kinds of heavy metal/rock music! However I always felt true respect on the anti-social, anti-nazi and anti-commercial attitude the true hardcore bands had. To be honest, hardcore is much more than a musical genre. It is ideology, it is a way of expressing angrily your inner thoughts, it is a way of life, it is life itself. So if you’re into hardcore you probably have to get in touch with My Turn and, trust me, your life will become even better!

“Athens” is the debut full length album by these Athenians, available on vinyl and white cassette, which I proudly own since few months, maybe a year! Since the first notes of “Photos On the Wall” the mosh-pit begins. The punk-ish influences are more than obvious on My Turn’s music, so get ready ‘cause the pit needs you, just like you need the pit! Hardcore is a mysterious case indeed that’s why you have to be “Broken” in order to get in the feeling. You have to wear your “Bitter Smile” and burn down the whole fuckin’ place that suffocates you. Do you Care? Screams A. (singer) on A side’s last track while the rest of the band bombs us with punk melodies and straight street attitude. Until “We kissed Goodnight” the record plays again and again ‘cause there’s nothing less, nothing more, just pure punk hardcore!

Prisoners of the Sun

The Ferocious Tides of Fate

Our Deepest Secrets

Burst www.afternoiz.com

58

Director’s Cut

tim Burton Dark, gothic, macabre...

By Pana Apostolidou & Spiros Smyrnis Photo © Leah Gallo

Burst www.afternoiz.com

1 L O -V

59 I was born in the eccentric decade of the 80’s, when I practically grew up with Tim Burton’s movies. The thing about Burton is that, like many adults who remain children, not only does he preserve an innocent authenticity, but also successfully channels it unfiltered, in front of the adults’ eyes. Not many directors of his generation carry his overly huge imagination and talent. He could be Walt Disney’s legitimate heir, if, for him, a happy place wouldn’t be a dark cave full of bats.

Timothy William Burton was born in 1958 in Burbank, California, and besides directing, he is also a film producer, a writer, a stop motion artist and a poet. From a young age, he demonstrated an artistic inclination. He grew up carried away by vampires, zombies and cheap horror b-movies, and as a result he has evolved to be the perfect representative of the grotesque, showcasing all kinds of weird, marginal and funny creatures. Gothic and dark aesthetics are his trademark, plus he loves fairy tales, as a way of more symbolic and less literal expression. Through his visual style, he explores the Beauty inside the Beast, and magic, is always present in his films.

Directing was not his first intention. Originally, he was into animation and so he began working for Disney as a conceptual animator. Despite his unlimited talent, his eccentric taste was not fully in line with the company’s principles. He quit and was set loose on his own plans. He thinks that animation is a very good training for direction, as in animating, you have to do everything by yourself, from creating the filmic space and characters, to editing.

His first feature films were not animated though… “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” in 1985 was the low-budget beginning

of his directorial career and a box office success, which practically allowed him to plan his next steps. Someone might think that the script is silly (a bizarre man’s trip to recover his beloved stolen bike), but Tim Burton is definitely taking the credits for demonstrating his enormous imagination and creativity.

His second one, “Beetlejuice” (1988) is a black comedy film, where the haunted house convention is delightfully reversed. A ghost family, unable to scare the living family that moved in after their recent death, is trying to perform a bio- exorcism, to kick the livings out. The freelancer exorcist is Beetlejuice, a ludicrous and incongruous ghost, with his own dark intentions. With Michael Keaton at his best, 15-year-old Winona Ryder by his side and Danny Elfman arranging the music (as always), the film is a comedy classic.

Tim Burton considers script writing a very personal procedure and chooses not to write the scripts for his own movies. He thinks that, as an introverted person, script writing would not allow him to be as detached and objective as a director should be and, therefore, the result would only make sense to him. But he is highly involved in writing and sometimes the final script seems to belong more to Burton than to the script writer.

Such an example is “Edward Scissorhands” (1990), whose character fits the profile of his creator, as many believe.

A beautiful, allegorical film, about a gentle android who wants to love and be loved, but the pair of scissors he has instead of hands, seem to ruin all his efforts to keep his human-like integrity in a seemingly flawless environment. Tim Burton does what he knows best, creating an eccentric but fragile and pure character and putting him in a stiff and cruel world. Should a bittersweet smile be considered as a happy ending?

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60 Tim Burton is giving life lessons on diversity, importance of compassion and effects of solitude; one of his best.

We move on with yet another masterpiece by Mr. Burton, “Batman”. The bat-superhero starred in several films since its inception and Tim Burton’s taking over as a director was meant to be one of the best choices DC Comics could make for a cinematic adaptation. Flanked by pitch dark, noir, Burtonian Gotham city, Batman was never looking better! And, oh boy, the casting is excellent. Michael Keaton’s conventional physique is perfectly inverted under the bat suit, transforming him into a fierce opponent of crime (rumor has it that Keaton was not welcome by the producers, but Burton insisted). And what about Joker’s persona? Jack Nicholson made history without even pulling out all the stops. He effortlessly holds the title of the most lunatic villain in the history of cinema.

After the successful first attempt by Tim Burton to present again Batman in the Big Screen, it was common knowledge that Bruce Wayne will fly again across Gotham City. Burton gave the leading role to Michael Keaton again, while he decided to invite Michelle Pfeifer and Danny de Vito to impersonate two of the most cult figures in all of the Batman movies, ever shot in film. De Vito was the Scariest Penguin ever lived, while Pfeifer put a new lever on how to be sexy on Cinema, in the role of Catwoman. Dark and sketchy, the universe of Tim Burton on Batman Returns was close to an exotic circus or freakshow, that were very popular in America during the early 30s. “Having defeated the Joker, Batman now faces the Penguin - a warped and deformed individual who is intent on being accepted into Gotham society. Crooked businessman Max Schreck is coerced into helping him become Mayor of Gotham and Burst www.afternoiz.com

they both attempt to expose Batman in a different light.

Earlier however, Selina Kyle, Max’s secretary, is thrown from the top of a building and is transformed into Catwoman - a mysterious figure who has the same personality disorder as Batman. Batman must attempt to clear his name, all the time deciding just what must be done with the Catwoman.” (Graeme’s Roy plot on IMDB) I watched again the movie for Tim Bur-

toonish figure of Max Shreck.

Sometimes Gotham City can be a funny place to live! Well, Tim Burton thinks so!

Finally, it’s time for Ed Wood!

To me, it’s the best film Tim Burton ever shot in film! Long before the biopic term becomes a trend on world cinema, the Great Tim Burton decides to make a film about the worst director of all times.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Ed Wood with Johnny Depp

“One person’s crazyness is another person’s reality...” ton’s Director’s Cut on this issue of Burst Magazine only to find out that it was probably the funniest moment on Batman’s filmography. Danny DeVito gives an unforgettable performance in his disgusting Penguin suit while Christophen Wacken draws a car-

on the leading role back then, when he wasn’t playing different versions of Jack Sparrow (oops!) and Martin Landau as -the Greater Dracula of all times- Bela Lugosi. Sarah Jessica Parker is his mistress, Dolores Fuller, Lisa Marie is the scary Vampira and Vin-

cent D’ Onofrio is the ghost of Orson Welles! On Ed Wood, Tim Burton leaves behind him Batman and his others strange characters just to film a man who existed and his life should be on film. Ed Wood was a transvestite, a director, a producer, a screenwriter, an editor, an actor, a showman!

Above all, he was a film lover!

That’s how Burton filmed him in a touching self-portrait of a man who gave us unthinkable, trash movies like Glen or Glenda or the worst movie of all times according to many webzines and magazines, Plan 9 from Outer Space. Burton focuses on Wood’s passion without making fun of him, by giving another man caricature! His cinematic lens follows him in his attempts to crowd-fund his movies to his failures, to his strange relationship with Dolores Fuller and his friendship with the other Hollywood pariah, Bela Lugosi. Johnny Depp and Martin Landau helped Burton to fulfill his dream of paying a tribute to a misunderstood guy, who carried through scornful reviews. The film has hilarious dialogues but his greatest virtue is the sweet glance on Ed Wood who ends up as a sympathetic figure, as someone who never succeeds in what he was doing, but he never stops trying!

When I was 13-14 years old, I saw for the first time on the Greek TV the movie that was officially released on 1996 by Tim Burton, under the name of Mars Attacks! I saw the familiar figure of Jack Nicholson as the President of United States and I said to my mother, that ‘hey, this is the man I wanna to be when I grow up’! It is a normal day for everyone, until the President of the United States announces Martians have been spotted circling Earth. The Martians land and a meeting is arranged, but not everything goes according to plan and the Martians seem to have other plans for Earth.

Are they just misunderstood

61 beings or do they really want to destroy all of humanity?

Even this synopsis is enough to make me watch this film again. Burton has an amazing cast as apart from Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny Devito, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J Fox, Rod Steiger, Natalie Portman and “Sexbomb” Tom Jones also starred in Mars Attacks! Black humor, funny dialogues and camp mood lead to a delirium with you laugh instinctively. You cannot do otherwise!

My brother is a fan of the Sleepy Hollow series. When I asked him if Sleepy Hollow is better than the movie he said to me no man! I know that’s apples and oranges but the general feeling is much better in Burton’s film than the new cult tv-series of Sleepy Hollow. Ichabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of 3 people with the culprit being the legendary apparition, the Headless Horseman (IMDB). Ichabod Crane is Johnny Depp, ‘cause you cannot change a winning team and Katrina Van Tassel is Christina Ricci, while Casper fucking Van Dien is Brom Van Brunt. Burton delivers another dark fairytale, close to an agony thriller with deep atmosphere, in which Danny’s Elfman music stands out! The story is unraveled without the viewer losing his interest and Christophen Walken as Hessian Horseman gives a delightful show. Be careful and watch if you don’t wanna lose your head!

Tim Burton has a big filmography so for all of you Burst readers, we have the Burton vol. 2 Director’s Cut on our next issue, so stay tuned or be doomed!

To be continued Burst www.afternoiz.com

FILM REVIEWS

62

Gravity (2013)

By Eleni Lampraki

Photo by Courtesy of Warner Bros. Picture - © 2013 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

“Gravity” is a 2013 space-action/ thriller, directed by Alfonso Cuaron, who also co – wrote the screenplay along with his son, Jonas. It’s probably Warner Bros‘ big hit for 2013, receiving both critical and commercial acclaim with a current box office at $578,127,000. The film has only two roles played

by Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, with Bullock giving one of her most outstanding performances of all time.

Dr Ryan Stone is a mission specialist, in her first space mission, along with Matthew Kowalski, a veteran astronaut.

While both of them are out of the spaceship making repairs, mission control in Houston warns the cabin crew about a possible attack of space debris (due to a destructed satellite) and commands them to leave immediately. Space debris hits the spaceship and both Ryan and Kowalski which leads to Ryan’s detach from the spaceship and tumbling into space.

Kowalski manages to rescue her, but they soon discover the damaged spaceship and the rest of the crew dead inside. Their only hope is to reach the International Space Station, and fly back to Earth with a Soyuz. But the procedure is much more difficult than it seems, and after Kowalski’s loss in space, a survival game will start between Dr Ryan and the Universe.

The “Space thing” has always lured famous and acclaimed directors to work with. What Cuaron wanted to film, was a Burst www.afternoiz.com

kind of both movie and documentary about space, and he achieved to pass the “lost is space” feeling to the audience.

A difficult attempt, and that’s probably the reason why Universal Pictures held the script in development for several years.

Finally Warner Bros accepted the project and the shooting began.

If I could characterize the movie with one phrase, it would be “if something has to go wrong, then everything will go wrong sooner or later”. From the beginning to the very end, everything is against the protagonist’s survival. From space debris, to fire damages, communication or oxygen loss, etc.

But that’s the first level. Except for the survival theme, the protagonist goes through a shifting of experience, from the denial of everyday life (due to an accidental child loss) to the raising of how important life on earth is.

To be honest, in the end I was a little tired. Tired of what else would happen to poor Bullock, whose performance was excellent by the way and Clooney’s as well. But the final scenes of her almost drowning were already more than enough. But I have to admit, that the space drama enraptured me, and the changes from the full absence of noise of outer space to the claustrophobic scenes inside the space capsule were tense. It’s a kind of the epic movies of the’10s, so you probably won’t want to miss it.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

By Spiros Smyrnis

Photo by Photo credit: Mary Cybulski - © 2013 Paramount Pictures.

All Rights Reserved.

In November and December, BURST Magazine challenged Angie and I to try to pay a tribute to the Great, Great Martin Scorsese by splitting the Director’s Cut column in two! On December 20, I was very lucky to have watched the new Scorsese film with Leonardo Di Caprio on the leading role of Jordan Belfort. When the film ended, I have to admit that I felt depressed for two reasons: The first one was that the film ended and the second one was because I wandered if I could be such a bad-ass like Martin when I reach my 71 years of age.

To me The Wolf of Wall Street is by far the best Scorsese film since Casino. The film is based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stockbroker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government (IMDB plot).

Finally, Scorsese has a very interesting story to orchestrate the “Goodfellas” of our time. I wanna be loud and clear. This doesn’t mean that I compare The Wolf of Wall Street with one of the best films ever shot in the history of cinema. However, I have to stress on the common lines Scorsese used in

both films. First of all, the voice over of DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort brings up the usual Scorsese tactic over films, such as Goodfellas and Casino. Di Caprio seems to address to the viewers, by also giving an extra mob, mafia- authenticity to the film.

Last but not least, Scorsese presents the nudest moment of his filmography as the sex scenes are repeated in the whole duration of the wolf! Sex Drugs and Money roll baby! Too much sex, too many drugs and fuck loads of moneyFiguratively and Literally! Scorsese dives in the dirty world of Wall Street, a world full of scumbags, soldiers of fortune, models, cocaine and men addicted to money. Above them all, the role Belfort gives Leonardo Di Caprio the chance to create the most solid character that Scorsese ever gave to him. Jonah Hill creates an amazing, hilarious Donnie Azoff, while Matthew McConaughey has a small but unforgettable role as Belfort’s mentor, where everybody should scream Let’s Fuck! The rise and the fall of a man, whose talent was to sell and his motto was More is Never Enough! Definitely one of the movies of the year!

63

Lovelace (2013)

By Eleni Lampraki

Photo by Dale Robinette - © 2013 - RADiUS-TWC

Wadjda (2012)

By Eleni Lampraki

© 2012 - Razor Film, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

“Wadjda” is one of the most promising films of this year, a Saudi-Arabian and German production, and Saudi Arabia’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Award. It’s the first featured film shot in Saudi Arabia, plus it’s the first fulllength film shot by female Saudi director, Haifaa al-Mansour.

Wadjda is an eleven year old girl, living with her mother in capital city Riyadh. A little mischievous and tomboy by nature, she finds it difficult to obey to the strict religious and social rules of a country. Wadjda desperately wants a green bicycle, so after her mother’s rejection, she tries to earn money by selling tapes, bracelets or doing forbidden favors to older students as delivering letters etc.

Soon she understands that she will never succeed in raising the whole amount, unless she finds something more profitable. The answer comes from the school itself; Wadjda fills in an application for a Qur’ an competition, with a money prize to the winner that will allow her to buy her dream bicycle. Through Wadjda’s story, we can see some aspects of the oppression suffered by women in Saudi Arabia, and all strict Muslim countries. Women are strictly not allowed to be seen or heard by men, sometimes are not allowed to work in the same places with men, they are offended

all the time and, of course, common things in our society, such as teenage flirting, are forbidden. Wadjda ‘s mother has to accept her husband’s new wife because she can’t give birth to another child that would be male and Wadjda is not allowed to have her bicycle because it’s not appropriate for girls; even her surroundings, which are more flexible to religious standards. face difficulties. The end comes with a cliché, but in a very sweet way. Wadjda wins the competition, due to her sincerity she reveals that she wants the money for a bicycle; but her teachers, shocked by her behavior, inform her that the money will be donated to Palestine on her behalf. She returns home disappointed, only to find that her mother bought her the bicycle because she changed her mind and she decided that what she only wants her daughter to be happy.

The fact alone that it’s the first movie shot in Saudi Arabia by a female director, is an accomplishment by itself. The film is sweet; despite the folklore storyline, it uses an American way of shooting and screenwriting.

I’m quite sure that the cinematography is much softer than what would happen in real life, but in the end it’s a sweet movie and surely watching it is not a waste of your time.

Well, I have never seen the “Deep Throat” but I have heard that the protagonist, Linda Lovelace, was threatened with a gun in order to shoot it. Although I was never really interested in her story, I decided to watch her in her on-screen portrayal

by Amanda Seyfried on Athens International Film Festival, most intrigued by the critic commendatory that Seyfried gives an astonishing performance.

The film is divided in two parts. We see the same story twice but from a quite different point of view. In the first part, we are watching 20-year old Linda Boreman, a typical and a little naïve teenager, living with her strict parents. Her friend Patsy introduces her to Chuck Traynor, who quickly becomes her boyfriend and a little later her husband.

Traynor sexually awakens Linda, who seems quite excited with her marital life. Due to Traynor’s financial problems, they both agree that the only way to make money is to push Linda into the porn industry. Although she seems quite shy and not suitable for such a career, a homemade porn video changes the producers’ minds and Linda Lovelace, the ultimate erotic film queen is born. On the complete contrary to what her profession is, she is still shy, naïve and enjoying the fame “Deep Throat” gave to her. And then the second part of the film comes to destroy the

romantic bubble we were watching. The camera focuses on the same scenes again, but with the “real” version this time. Linda is raped and constantly beaten by her husband, forced to prostitution and pornography, addicted to marijuana and other drugs, abandoned by her family and treated only as a sex object and not as a human being. In the last scenes, she seems to have finally got free. She passes the polygraph lying test and her biography becomes the talk of the day.

A now married housewife and a mother, she protests against pornography on a national TV show.

I have to admit that the movie motivated me to perform a research on the case and what really happened to Linda Lovelace. From that point, I admit that the movie was successful. To my disappointment, the real Linda wasn’t probably the exact sympathetic person Seyfried portrayed. However, she gives probably the best performance of her career, making Lovelace a fragile tortured doll.

The film is uplifted by two excellent performances, Seyfried’s and of course Sharon Stone’s, who is unrecognizable, as a strict catholic obedient mother.

Whether you like the film or not, you will definitely feel sorry for the protagonist. In any case, the film in general is a nice work, moving between biography and cinematography.

Burst www.afternoiz.com

64

(1997)

By Kostas Krasonis

WORST MOVIES EVER

Batman & Robin

New column on the magazine and everybody expects me to cover all the usual choices for “Worst Movies Ever” such as “Manos: Hands Of Terror” or “Freddy Got Fingered”. Even though these movies will eventually find their way into the column, I think it would be more fun to cover some relatively recent films with big budgets that managed to suck more than Paris Hilton on a nightvision camera.

Keep in mind that I’m a comic book nerd, so there will be a lot of superhero movies that I consider to be insults to the heroes they depict and I think this would be an opportunity to raise some hell.

So, if you don’t see any actual “golden raspberry” award winners, don’t be alarmed. The movies included in this column have definitely and undoubtedly won the “golden krasberry”! (Get it?

Kras-berry? Hehe)

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What better movie to start off the column than a multirazzie winner like Batman & Robin back in 1997?

At first, there were the Tim Burton Batman films that anyone with half a brain lists them among the truest comic book hero cinematic adaptations. In recent years, we’ve had the luck to watch a realistic, serious Batman in a contemporary Gotham City and great performances by Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, just to name a few.

However, everyone is trying to forget the Dark Ages of Batman films.

I mentioned above that most sensible people would have appreciated the Burton films.

Unfortunately, Hollywood producers are not exactly famous for their perspective, so they thought that Batman movies should appeal to younger audiences. Believing that Burton’s vision of the hero was too morbid, they removed him from the project and gave it to Joel Schumacher (an otherwise great director, “8mm”, “Phone Booth”) who, under a lot of pressure, shot the next two films using bright green and pink lights on the set.

I can dismiss “Batman Forever” as really bad, but not enough to make you want to gouge out your own eyes. But then, a few years later, Batman & Robin came out!

Seriously, Joel & co.?

George Clooney to portray Batman?! An actor known for playing sweet and/or sexy characters on semi-serious, semi-romantic flicks -or at the time, a handsome actor fresh out of the “ER”- to play the darkest, most serious pitch black of superheroes?

In some scene it looked like if he was flirting even with Alfred! Clooney was clearly the wrong choice for the role.

Speaking of wrong choices, how about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s role of Mr. Freeze? For some reason,

the casting director decided that the perfect actor to play a non-violent supervillain, whose actions are only driven by hope of reviving his comatose wife, was an Austrian ex-bodybuilder with a strong accent, renowned for beating up and killing everyone in every motion picture he starred in.

At this point, you realize that casting is not among the strong assets of this movie but you think maybe the story will compensate. Let’s review the plot, shall we?

Mr. Freeze has an ice-suit that is powered by giant diamonds (?!) and wants to freeze over Gotham to avenge his wife’s murder, allegedly committed by Batman and actually committed by Poison Ivy, who pulled the plug on the device that was keeping her alive to frame the costumed hero. Meanwhile, as Alfred is dying from a terminal illness, his niece just happens to drop by for a visit and eventually becomes the Batgirl. Batman and Robin are infatuated by Poison Ivy, who is using Bane as her personal slave and occasional decorator.

All of the above shot in a wide range of green, pink, red, purple and blue lighting as well as the use of black light on glow-paint of the same color range. Let me remind you, we’re talking about a Batman film.

All in all, this movie is terrible; there’s no doubt about that. That’s probably why it took eight entire years for the saga to be rebooted by Christopher Nolan’s inspired “Batman Begins”.

The Schumacher films are a black page in Batman’s cinematic history and the entire production team of “Batman & Robin” made one thing certain: If you really hate the dark knight and want to see him humiliated, then this is the movie for you!

BURST is against animal cruelty.

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“Auschwitz begins wherever someone looks at a slaughterhouse and thinks: they’re only animals.”

-Theodor W. Adorno-

www.argophotography.com No animals were harmed in the making of this fur coat

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It All Started With a Big Bang: A Beginners Guide to The Big Bang Theory Written by P.Tsoutsis // Photos property of CBS

What is The Big Bang Theory?

It’s a TV show which first aired in 2007 and has reached its seventh season, with growing success and millions of viewers around the world. It revolves around the life of four friends, who work at the university of Pasadena, living their lives doing all kind of geeky things until a beautiful girl moves next door, changing the way they see the world.

Who are these people?

Leonard Hofstadter (portrayed by Johnny Galecki), who has a PhD in experimental physics and shares an apartment with his friend Sheldon. He shows interest over Penny but he’s afraid of asking her out as he believes they live in a different universe.

Eventually they become a couple with their relationship having many ups and downs.

Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) who has a PhD in theoretical physics which has received at the age of 16. He is over analytic and over organized and many times eccentric.

Penny (Kaley Cuoco) who has just moved from her hometown in Nebraska in order to seek a career as an actress, but in the meantime she works as a waitress. Although her character has nothing to do with her geeky neighbors, she likes hanging out with them, since she thinks their scientific occupations are very cool.

Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) who has only a Master’s degree in engineering and still lives with his mother. He is very close friend with Raj; that’s why people often mistake them for Burst www.afternoiz.com

a homosexual couple. He tries really hard to impress women, as a result of which he ends up looking creepy.

Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar), who comes from India, has a PhD in Astrophysics and he is very shy around women, which is expressed by selective mutism; unless, of course, he’s drunk, when he creates awkward situations.

On season three, two new additions came to complete the group: Bernadette Rostenkowski (Melissa Rauch) who is Penny’s co-worker at the Cheesecake Factory and studies microbiology. She becomes Howard’s girlfriend after a double date set up by Penny and Leonard.

Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik), who has a PhD in neurobiology and becomes Sheldon’s girlfriend after an online dating site matched the two of them. Unlike her friends Penny and Bernadette, she likes to dress and behave in an old fashioned way.

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What do they usually do?

The males of the group, apart from their scientific research, they spend their free time playing video games (Halo, World of Warcraft and classic Zork) or board games (Klingon boggle), and watching sci-fi movies and TV shows (Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, Battlestar Gallactica, etc.). Also, they regularly visit the local comic book store to buy new comic books for their collections, debate about superheroes and their powers and occasionally they dress as them.

The females, and especially Penny, are more social and they like shopping, going out partying, drinking and having a sleepover. All of them enjoy having dinner at the Cheesecake factory, or picking up food at Leonard’s and Sheldon’s apartment.

Psychological Profile: Dr. Sheldon Cooper

Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS.

Are they alone in their universe?

Many actors and famous people have made guest appearances as themselves, such as Summer Glau (Firefly), Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica), Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple Computers), Stan Lee (the famous comic book writer) and Stephen Hawking who’s reviewing Sheldon’s original article.

Plus, five Star Trek characters have had small parts or cameos such as Wil Wheaton, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, George Takei and Leonard Nimoy, who reprised his role as Spock, talking to Sheldon as part of his consciousness.

Sheldon is a theoretical physicist, works at the university and he shares an apartment with his best friend Leonard. He was exceptionally smart even from a small age and as a result he attended college at the age of 11 and received his PhD at 16. He is over analytic and over-organized, which is something that is making him look peculiar. His daily routine is governed by a very strict program which he doesn’t like to stray away from. He has strange views on many subjects, and when his friends call him crazy over these views he replies: “I’m not crazy. My mother had me tested”. Despite his 187 IQ, he has difficulties understanding the concept of the word sarcasm, often giving very funny answers to rhetorical questions. He has a problem with closure in general and he doesn’t like to be interrupted, as a result of which when some-

one changes the subject, he makes weird facial expressions unless he finishes. His friends often call him judgemental although he doesn’t do it on purpose, since he is unable to understand that he’s hurting their feelings.

He occasionally becomes very stubborn and when he goes out of line, his friends call his mother, the only person who knows how to deal with him and put him back in line. Among many things Sheldon has an eidetic memory, he likes trains and train models, he suffers from ornithophobia, he rarely hugs people as he fears of germs, he is very fond of Spock’s character, and he doesn’t have a driver’s license, often using his friends to move him around.

Apart from his eccentric character, he is a good friend and at the end of the day he does the right thing.

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Rudolph Tegner

by B|S|Orestis

I believe that all of us have an inside notion that artists are not normal people, and it is my strong belief that in fact artists are capable of even visualizing the future. As a rule of thumb, that ability is projected into their work, however sometimes art has a will of its own and speaks to the artist directly.

The story of Rudolph Christopher Puggaard Tegner, sculptor from Denmark, is exactly the case. He was born on 12 July 1873, in a middle class environment, being the son of a businessman’s. Like most artists he didn’t know he was one and his parents made sure he wouldn’t find out.

“It was terribly difficult to tear myself away from temples and statues when my father wanted to hear my French prep. or German grammar after supper. Many a time I burst into tears, despite being a big boy of 14 or 15, when father, after taking a draught of wine, crumpled his napkin up and expressed his scorn at my impossible stupidity” --From Rudolph Tegner’s memoirs As a reaction, Tegner took refuge into the sea. As a naval officer, he travelled around Europe only to be as far away from his troublesome life as possible.

Even though there was very little time for sailors to spend on the ports they visited, it was the things he saw then that triggered his talents. Probably his visit to Greece and Italy, and most likely when he set eyes on the Acropolis and the great works of Michelangelo in Medici Chapel, made the neurons of his brains bridged together!

“What was happening inside me?

My knees were knocking and my heart was in my mouth. The enormous broken blocks, the marble columns and walls pressed in upon me; it was as though they lifted me up and took me to them. I was as one transfixed. ...

How could human beings have created such a miracle of harmony, power and beauty? Enthralled, I just stood there and gazed. ... What was happening inside me I did not quite know. A strange rapture ran through me whilst I drank in the enchanting view.

Art had folded me in her embrace!”

--From Rudolph Tegner’s memoirs At that time, all artists would go from one European city to the other, trying to make their way as immortals among the great masters of renaissance, and Burst www.afternoiz.com

of course most of them ended up in Paris. Tegner, after numerous collaborations with other sculptors and when in the capital of France, got carried away with the realism and eroticism of Rodin (who included Tegner’s sculptures as exhibits in his own salon) and let himself into the controversial philosophy of Frederich Nietzsche. He managed to break loose from the Germanic neoclassical boundaries, with his works making a statement to the viewer, trying to liberate him of taboos and superstitions, while maintaining highly advanced technics concerning the proportions, dynamics and materials of his themes.

Now imagine Tegner, having reached a high point of his career (concerning craftsmanship and outside influences), meeting true love -Elna Jørgensen whom he has used as reference for many works including “Mod Lyset”, if I’m not mistaken-, and midst tremendous changes in the political and regional scene in Europe (with WWI about to unleash its terror) he realized a dream that we are so grateful of!

With his wife, he acquires land somewhere at the north of Copenhagen (in Helsingør), and creates a statue park, as well as a futuristic minimal building, which would be made into a museum for his work. The building design was his own, with an 11-meters high octagonal main hall and no windows (only glass ceilings) for natural light to enter, where you find about 250 Tegner’s sculptures, a marvel even for the standards of today.

For this art bunker, construction began in 1937 and it was finished in 1938, just in time to withstand the destructive force of the Great War, and also the ruthless decay of time itself for all his works that rest there. 12 Years later he died, with the wish to be buried in the center of his own Mausoleum that was made ever since a pilgrim for all inspiration seekers.

Rudolph Tegner’s Museum & Statue Park contains about 200 sculptures.

The society Tegners Museums Venner, has been founded to support the maintenance and continuation of the museum (www.tegnersvenner.dk). So next time you visit Denmark, look for Tegner’s vision in the 17 hectares of his land, and perhaps you will find yourself there, lifeless and in motion, among other statues…

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BURST is against animal cruelty.

“Know that the same spark of life that is within you, is within all of our animal friends, the desire to live is the same within all of us...�

-Rai Aren, Secret of the Sands-

www.argophotography.com No animals were harmed in the making of this fur coat

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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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