Fuel The Scene Magazine Issue #2: February 2018 by Fuel The Scene Magazine

ISSUE #2 | FEBRUARY 2018

IN THIS ISSUE 1

THE EDITORS’ LIST: KICK ASS BANDS THAT YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY BE LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW The Second After, Knightmare, Xael, Black Plague, Lowborn, Blind Revision

COVER STORY: THE SCARS HEAL IN TIME INTERVIEW

THE SCARS HEAL IN TIME “UNIDENTIFIED” EP REVIEW

THE UNSUNG HEROES OF THE SCENE: INTERVIEW WITH OUT WITH AMBLER

SHOW REVIEW: PUNK AGAINST TRUMP! Anti-Flag, Stray From The Path, The White Noise, Sharptooth, Line Brawl, Over Time, Cheap Perfume, Allout Helter, The New Narrative, Rotten Reputation

CONSOLE COMMAND “NEW GAME+” EP REVIEW

INTERVIEW WITH JESS MARGERA OF CKY

INTERVIEW WITH BARB WIRE DOLLS AT WARPED TOUR ‘17

HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY “ARSON” ALBUM REVIEW

SHUN THE RAVEN “SELF-TITLED” EP REVIEW

SENSES FAIL “IF THERE IS LIGHT, IT WILL FIND YOU” ALBUM REVIEW

CREDITS

Thank you to all of our contributors who make this dream possible and are actively working together to breathe life into the live music scene that we all love. You are the fuel that keeps the music alive. Editors | Rei Haycraft, William Dibble, Kristy Streyle Photographers | William Dibble, Kevin McGee, Terie Shaver, Rei Haycraft, Gary Carota, Connor Schlosser, Lola Marie Writers | William Dibble, Rose Estrada, Brandon Mullin, Rei Haycraft Designer | Rei Haycraft / Revenant Images Founded by | Rei Haycraft, Jaton Blaney, and Kristy Streyle

All band promotional photos submitted to us are copyright their respective owners, please contact each band for more information.

THE EDITORS’ LIST OF KICK ASS BANDS THAT YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY BE LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW THE SECOND AFTER Pop/Punk from Durham, NC The Second After offers a refreshing, unique take on a classic sound with intricate melodies, deliberate harmonies, and energetic guitar work, their music exudes a positive, carefree attitude counterbalanced by serious and thoughtful dedication to their craft. The band spent most of the past year touring the country and spreading their message of positivity. With a new release imminent and more touring on the horizon, The Second After is ready to take 2018 by storm.

@thesecondafterofficialband @TheSecondAfter squareup.com/store/TheSecondAfter/ PHOTO CREDIT: Brianna Stacy Photography

KNIGHTMARE Power Metal from Raleigh, NC Knightmare is 100% Pure American Power Metal, storming out of the gates with their own spin on a classic, time tested and time honored sound. Knightmare was created to rock your mind, and give you a blast from the past, with a good touch of modern and pioneering sounds, slamming drums, killer bass, and of course, the two tower axe attack. Raise the banner and smash down the gates! Let’s bring back the days of heavy metal.

@knightmareband @KnightmareUSA knightmarenc.bandcamp.com PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Formont Photography

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THE EDITORS’ LIST OF KICK ASS BANDS THAT YOU XAEL Extreme Metal from Hickory, NC Since signing to Test Your Metal Records this past December, Xael has released monthly audio and video installments of their sci-fi adventure album, “The Last Arbiter.” Xael was founded by Nassaru of Rapheumet’s Well/Enthean and creates an auditory adventure with melodies and bard style storytelling in abundance! Xael combines symphonic and folk elements with brutal metal, exploring the complications of being sentient and self-aware.

@xael.metal @xael_metal xaeloffical.bandcamp.com PHOTO CREDIT: Shannon Wells

BLACK PLAGUE Melodic Metal from Roanoke, VA Black Plague’s vocals are diverse in both chilling cleans and screams while guitars, bass, and drums wrench your guts with harmonies and heavy breakdowns. Black Plague has been a pillar of the Virginia metal scene for years and are ready to storm the national stage in 2018 with the release of their forthcoming EP, recorded with legendary metal producer Jamie King of The Basement Studios.

@blackplagueofficial @blackplagueofficial blackplagueband.com PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Gomez Photography

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SHOULD ABSOLUTELY BE LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW LOWBORN Emo/Pop/Rock from Greensboro, NC #EmoPop outfit LOWBORN combines alternative rock and electronica with heartwrenching lyrics and catchy melodies to create their own brand of #EmoPop that they hope reaches, encourages, and inspires audiences to feel comfortable being themselves. And did we mention #EmoPop? Look out for LOWBORN’s new single “Reckless” dropping in March!

@lowbornband @lowbornband lowbornband.com

BLIND REVISION Hard Rock/Post-Hardcore from Cambridge, MA Blind Revision is a heavy rock band whose music features catchy pop hooks alongside posthardcore breakdowns and shred-filled guitar passages. In May 2017, the band released their second EP Of White And Grey, a concept album exploring inner demons and the human brain. In 2018, Blind Revision is setting out on several tours throughout the East coast.

@blindrevision @blindrevision blindrevision.bandcamp.com PHOTO CREDIT: Strong Style Brand

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COVER STORY / INTERVIEW

THE SCARS HEAL IN TIME Rei Haycraft got a chance to sit down with Tayler and Kayla Smith of The Scars Heal In Time during their Charlotte, NC stop on the “Long Live The Flame Tour” to talk about their upcoming EP release, their latest music video, and what it’s like to live on the road.

Now that we’ve had some adventures—Rei Haycraft with Fuel the Scene Magazine and I am here with The Scars Heal in Time at the world famous Milestone in Charlotte, North Carolina. How are you guys doing so far? KAYLA: We’re doing great, we’re doing pretty good. It’s been a pretty interesting day so far thanks to you! For the uninitiated, can you introduce your band, your mission, and what they need to know? TAYLER: Um, we’re The Scars Heal In Time, a band from Houston, Texas. We’re sisters. We’ve been playing music together for like seven years now. We just started touring last year and kinda took over our own management and everything. I pretty much took it over and we’re just excited to go at it, you know. So we’ve been pretty much on the road nonstop. Got a new album coming out in January. We just dropped a brand new music video and it’s doing really well on YouTube so we are just like ... we’re just so stoked about everything. Like, everything’s been awesome.

And you all have spent, I may have this wrong, but close to seven months out of the year on tour? TAYLER: Yeah, I think it was seven. So yeah, no, 4

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it’s been amazing. It’s our favorite thing in the world.

So if you had to look back and write a memoir on this year on tour, what are some things that really stick out to you? TAYLER: Man, I don’t know. It’s just crazy how things happen, you know? You get in a moment, and you’re like “Am I like, really here? Is this actually happening?” Like, weird stuff. I love it. Like the guy who does our music videos, I used to watch his music videos and think, “oh my god this is amazing” and now we’re working with the guy and he’s one of our best friends. We go on tour with this amazing band called City of the Weak and then, you know, now they’re out on tour with us. Stef’s running our merch and Cody’s playing guitar with us. So stuff like that that’s just like super cool. I love making new friends and also being like super stoked about their work, as well. That’s probably the thing that we get most excited about is like just hanging out with people who are as passionate about this or other creative stuff, so that has been amazing. We also have stupid tour stories, obviously. Like the bus breaking down, whatever. Kayla usually has a couple crazy stories about guys creeping

on her or something. Do you have anything? KAYLA: This one guy cornered me and just kept getting closer and closer... he told me that my lipstick complemented my eyes, which complemented my shirt and he got like, really close in my ear and was like, “I would love to feed you chocolate covered strawberries.” It was way too much, dude, way too much. TAYLER: So, yeah. The crazy thing about being on tour is that every day is so crazy that it all kind of blends together. It’s like one big crazy tour story. Like every day is just insane, you know? And that’s what keeps it interesting for everybody. Like everyone just wakes up and it’s like alright, what’s gonna happen today? Every day, we’ve been pulled over. Do you wanna tell this story, Kayla? KAYLA: Yeah, so this tour we drove from Texas to North Carolina to start the tour, so we’ve been out for like three days now. And every day we have been pulled over by the police. Which, like that never happens to us. Like, ever. But our registration’s out on the bus, so they were like, running our plates and we got pulled over by like the DEA the first day. He thought we were part of the drug cartel and we were like carting drugs around in this bus. And he like took me into the

INTERVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY REI HAYCRAFT

cop car and I was like “I’ve never been in a cop car before!” He’s asking me all these questions. He’s like “I don’t care about personal use drugs, don’t tell me about what’s on your bus but I do wanna know... do you have over five pounds of heroin?” And then he’s asking me the whole list of drugs. But he was like over five pounds, like anything else don’t tell me about. I was like, that’s really weird. And then he was like “Do you have any rocket launchers or hand grenades?” I was like, no! But he wasn’t interested in giving tickets or anything, he was literally just looking for massive amounts of drugs. And then this morning we were all asleep except for our photographer, Jordan, and then a cop rolls in, like right in front of us. And I’m like “Guys, we’re getting pulled over again!” TAYLER: We weren’t even driving. KAYLA: Yeah, we weren’t even driving. But it was a cop that was actually pulling someone else over, but so we’re like “Oh my god, we’re gonna go through today without getting pulled over!” Or you know, messed with by the cops. And then, not like a couple hours later, we have a cop knocking on the door. “We need you to move!” Like, I was like, oh my god. TAYLER: Yeah, we were parked at a gas station, we were blocking the air pump, so they were like “The managers called us multiple times. You need to move the bus. We understand, you can sleep but move forward a little bit.” So. KAYLA: Even though it was something small, it’s gonna happen.

TAYLER: Yeah. And then yesterday we got pulled over by the cops too. And they had like, the dog search our bus and everything. I was like “Guys, there’s no drugs on here.” We actually did get two tickets though... it was windy and it’s really hard to drive one of these things in the wind. I’m sure you know, even a van and trailers are very hard to drive in the wind. So Kayla went out of her lane once, a little bit. So the cop was following and gave her a ticket for that. KAYLA: “You failed to maintain your lane!” TAYLER: Yeah, gave her a ticket for that. And we also got a ticket for the registration, so. KAYLA: Yeah, the first cop was only interested in the drugs. And then ... yeah, he literally told us, he was like “I mean just like, get your registration fixed when you’re not so broke.” I was like “Thank you for understanding!” The very next day we got busted, I was like “Damn.” TAYLER: We didn’t have a chance to get less broke! KAYLA: One day’s not enough time. TAYLER: We’re only getting more broke!

Now spending this much time on the road, what is the writing process like for you all? And what has the recording process been like for the upcoming album? TAYLER:So we did a tour last November and then we did some writing in December and January. And then we did like, a little bit of a tour towards the beginning of the year. And then we went to the studio in April and recorded everything.

KAYLA: And then went back out on tour. TAYLER: Because the studio we go to is in Memphis, TN, we used that as a little tour. We did a couple dates going there, spend a couple weeks there and then took a couple dates back. Having a big old bus like this is very convenient because you can kind of go off by yourself and do your own thing; you can sit in the back and people up here can kind of do their own thing and you can still get your alone time for writing. You’re not like, sitting in a van shoulder to shoulder with six people. KAYLA: We just try and take advantage of all the drives, but not so much on this tour because I’m the only driver and I’m the one who does most of the writing. So you can’t write and drive at the same time. But yeah.

What is the writing process like for you? KAYLA: Yeah, so I usually go off by myself and I will just like take an acoustic guitar, just mess around. And once I start to like, kinda get the bones of something I like, I’ll figure out lyrics or a melody. And then once something starts sounding good, I’ll call Tayler over because we live together, so I’m like, “alright, you can come into the room now.” And then she comes in and I’m like “Does this sound decent?” She’s like “Yes, this sounds good. Keep going.” And then she goes away and then I keep going. TAYLER: Kayla had to write in the garage at our old house, whenever we lived with our parents because we shared a room. Our whole first

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INTERVIEW album was written because I was like “Kayla, go write!” and send her out to the garage and she’d go and just like, knock out three killer songs. It’s insane, inspiration just comes at her. It’s not like, “Oh, I’m feeling like I need to write.” It’s like, sometimes she can’t do it at all and sometimes she just like, knocks out like three stupid insane songs. KAYLA: Yeah like it’ll be forever before I can write something and I have no idea why. And there’s nothing that I can do. I’ll watch videos on it and I will try and like figure out a way to get through it and it’s just like, nothing... I can’t write anything if I force it. So that’s kind of inconvenient. But whenever I get in the right space I try to write as much as possible and take advantage of that time, ‘cause it’s a small window before it closes up. So, but yeah, and then once we get it figured out and fully mapped out then she comes in and we kinda like talk about it and what things we should change, and how the drums should go and we just run through it a bunch of times until we’re like, “alright, I like the way that feels!” TAYLER: Yeah. It’s like, kinda gotta vibe it out, and you’re like “Oh I love what you did there. Okay, no I hate what you did there. No, I love what you did there.” You know? KAYLA: And then take all the “loved it” parts and put them all into one. TAYLER: And then go to the studio and then our producer Justin totally helps us out with like, you know, pre-pro and everything and he’s just, he’s awesome, he’s like a Grammy-winning songwriter. He’s a fantastic songwriter. So he also helps us out with arrangements and stuff and we’ve just been super grateful to be able to work with him.

So tell us a little bit more about this music video that just dropped for “In Your Flame,” the creative vision with that video, and the choice to take it in that darker direction. KAYLA: So the song itself is kind of just about

being in a relationship with somebody. Or just like, not even necessarily a relationship, but like a friendship, or just knowing someone who has manipulative control over you and they are terrible people and it’s making you a terrible person. The lyrics are,”You made a liar out of me, you inspire the darkest side of me.” Like you are showing me who you really are. And it’s like rubbing off on me and making me be that way. The girl in our music video is actually the lady who does my hair. [laughs] We had no one to do the video and our music video guy had already booked his flight and it’s all happening. And then we just hit her up and we were like, “Can you JAN 2018

THE SCARS HEAL IN TIME INTERVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY REI HAYCRAFT please do this? You look perfect for it.”

KAYLA: I was like, “You need to tone this down,

TAYLER: A couple different people from Houston

Tayler.”

hit us up and they were like, really good. Like they had a really big following for being models and stuff and like, that’s awesome but we really wanted someone very specific for it. Like a lot of people were covered in tattoos, like cover covered, and some people looked like, too clean. We wanted someone who was just right, you know? KAYLA: Yeah. We were like, “I can’t even think of anybody that we know.” And then it was like, “Harley!” TAYLER: We both thought of that. We were like “Yes! Yes! Yes!” KAYLA: I had just gotten my hair done and I was like, “You need to be in my video.” She’s like girly and dainty but kind of alternative but... I don’t know, just perfect for it. Like, absolutely perfect. And Taylor and John were the ones who came up with the concept. Like they listened to the song and were like, “This is the way it needs to go.” TAYLER: Yeah, pretty much I was talking to John about it, he was like, “Well, what are you thinking for the concept?” And I pretty much sent him like a very extreme version of what it is.

TAYLER: Yeah, I was thinking like, sawing off limbs and stuff. So you get a little peek into that whenever she picks up the saw and looks at it. I love horror movies and stuff like that so I was just being as brutal as I can go. We toned it down just a little bit from what I had originally planned and he just came back with like, tons of ideas and then once we got there, were all working together. It was just the coolest thing ever. I love working with him.

Was that like a one-day shoot or was it spread out? TAYLER: Two days. We did the performance scenes that you see are shot at a venue in Houston called Super Happy Fun Land. Yeah. It’s super cool, there’s like a giant wall of Raggedy Ann dolls and Cabbage Patch dolls and stuff. It’s super awesome, like a hoarder warehouse. KAYLA: Homeless people live there, cats live there. TAYLER: Homeless cats live there. There’s so much stuff there. It’s fantastic. So yeah, they’re really good friends of ours, so they let us shoot there. Just, they opened it up, they were like, “yeah, why not, we’re here.” So they let us shoot

there. It was hot, it was in the middle of summer in a warehouse with no AC, so that kinda sucked. We’re a little bit sweaty throughout the whole video. TAYLER: And then we went to my mom’s house, which is actually where the whole video was shot besides the performance scenes. With the fire, it’s real fire, we just lit my mom’s yard on fire. She has some land so we just kinda... lit it up. And yeah, that was super hot too because it was also in the middle of the summer with fire. And like, by the end of it we just felt like we were gonna pass out. And then it was like, headbanging but trying not to catch your hair on fire. KAYLA: Yeah, we were very close to the fire, and the fire was very close to the camera. And he used a Red camera, so it’s like super, super expensive. And it like, overheated. He was kind of freaking out a little bit. TAYLER: He was like, “We need to take a break.” KAYLA: Yeah. I mean we didn’t have major pyro or anything, you know, it was just literally logs of wood that we put gas on and lit up. So we had to do it very quickly because obviously, it’s not gonna burn forever. So we had to kinda knock it out. He’s like “Okay. Alright. Let’s go, let’s go.” And we just got the last scene and then we were good. TAYLER: Our mom’s house is like—the right side of the house is redone really nice but the left side of the house looks like what’s in the video. And she was like, “I feel terrible that you think my house looks so bad that you could make it like a crack house!” I was like, “Mom, don’t feel bad, you’re in the middle of demolishing it.” You know? Like, come on. So we threw some old mattresses on the floor and it just looked perfect. And we were like, “They’re gonna tear this wall out anyways, so go ahead an put a hammer in it.” And then when my mom watched the video she was like, “This is beautiful!” And then like, she goes into the garage and in the video it looks so creepy—it does not look that creepy usually, but like, with that lighting? So creepy. KAYLA: I’m pretty sure it looks exactly the same all the time. TAYLER: Dude, I don’t know. Like, she opens that garage and I’m like, oh my god, this is perfect. There’s all these saws hanging on the wall. All that shit was already there, so it was like, it was so funny.

I’m sure there’s secrets, but what can you tell us about the upcoming album’s lyrical themes? KAYLA: So if you listen to like any of our other stuff, you know that almost every song I’ve ever written is about relationships. This album is the first one where we kinda like branched a little bit away from that and tried to write about

other things. And like, they kind of have their like, open-endedness about them, to where they can be about other things, people can apply them to their own lives in different ways. But like, we have like a fighting kind of a song. TAYLER: “A fighting kind of a song.” [laughs] KAYLA: A song about fighting! It’s called “Lights Out,” and so that one’s super good. TAYLER: That’s probably one of my favorites. Is there anything else that you all would like to touch on? Things you would like your fans to know? Things they can get excited about besides the upcoming EP?

TAYLER: We are actually shooting a music video on this tour with our lovely photographer here. We have no idea when that’s gonna be released because, you know, we are shooting it right now. KAYLA: But yeah, that’ll be coming out sometime around the album and we’ll be stoked about that as well because we love the song. But actually I’m equally stoked about pretty much every song on the new EP. TAYLER: Yeah, picking singles was so hard. KAYLA: I had to send it out and get people’s opinions. TAYLER: “This one, no, this one.” KAYLA: If I listen to one song like over and over I’m like, “This one’s my favorite.” Then I listen to the other one and I’m like, “No, this one’s my favorite.” Everyone kind of got drawn to “In Your Flame” first though because it just has a really good rock feel, you know? So we decided to put that out as the second single, and it’s doing really well so we’re beyond excited about it. And what’s the fans’ reception been like for the “In Your Flame” video? KAYLA: People are very positive, yeah. TAYLER: We have, okay, whoever the little sucker out there is that gave us the one dislike on the YouTube video, screw you, okay? That just drives me crazy. I know you did it just to be the one, but I hate you for it. KAYLA: I was actually a little tempted to be the one. [laughs] TAYLER: ...watch it be me all along. KAYLA: There just has to be one. TAYLER: But yeah, it’s been really good. There’s one dislike on it, and I’m sure there’ll be more after this interview—but really, it’s been super cool, we haven’t gotten one negative comment or response on it. We’re just happy to do it, you know, we love the music and we’re glad that other people love the music and, yeah, we’re just happy. KAYLA: And a lot of people have just told us that the way the video was shot and the acting and how real the video is really related to them— they have been in those kinds of situations and

it really hits home for a lot of people. Harley has been in a relationship like that before, so that’s kind of another reason why we picked her. Like, those tears are real tears. She was thinking about all of that the whole time. So it feels so real because it is real. Wow, that’s awesome. Any other last words of wisdom for your fans listening at home?

TAYLER: We’re The Scars Heal in Time from Houston, Texas and make sure you check us out on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. You need to go subscribe to us on YouTube because it’s very hard to get subscribers, apparently, so do that. Come to a show, more importantly actually. Come see us, come hang out, come say what’s up because we are not planning to not tour anytime soon. So, come hang out and let’s have a good time.

FUEL THE SCENE MAGAZINE

EP REVIEW

WRITTEN BY ROSE ESTRADA

THE SCARS HEAL IN TIME Unidentified

ow does one go about creating an EP that not only rocks, but energizes? After listening to “Undefined” by The Scars Heal in Time from Houston, Texas, the answer becomes clear. The first step comes from band composition and it is apparent from the first moment that siblings Tayler and Kayla Smith have incredible synergy. Much like The White Stripes, there is a cohesion in style and execution that only the closest of band members can aspire to - or in this case siblings. This EP juggles some very interesting ideas in its songwriting and overall tone and production. However, the shared vision from both musicians ensures that every song is clear, uncluttered, and able to rock. The second step is demonstrating said ability to rock and The Scars Heal In Time wastes no time in doing so. For example: “Lights Out,” the first song in the EP, starts with a hypnotizing lead guitar and a pounding drum rhythm set over a siren, which drops into silence except for

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the words “Fists up. Here we go,” before dropping into the rest of the song. The attitude in the lyric writing combined with a vocal styling akin to a mix of The Pretty Reckless and Paramore gives a down and dirty rock song with all the grit, hunger, and energy of a new band, showing that despite being around since 2010, this band has not dulled with time. This stays consistent throughout the EP, whether one listens to the synth heavy “I’m About to Break” or the slower but no less striking “The Curse.”

The third step lies in the production, which once again, does not disappoint. The production for this EP is a clear affair that allows for harmonies to shine through the mix without sacrificing the ambience or presence of the instruments. I liken it to listening to a live band and how you can feel the walls and amplifiers shake with every chord. And yet, the production goes further, borrowing tricks more commonly found in Pop and EDM. Whether it is the clever use of synths to create a larger than life soundscape, the mix of EDM and acoustic drum kits, or quick changes in overall track EQ and compression to highlight certain sections, each moment calls attention to itself without compromising the overall feel of each song as something you’d hear as you enter a bar fight. Stand out moments include: the extremely catchy chorus to “The Curse,” the bassdriven break after the chorus in “Grip,” and finding out that “In Your Flame” has an amazing music video. PHOTO CREDIT: Luxicon Photography

THE UNSUNG HEROES OF THE SCENE INTERVIEW WITH OUT WITH AMBLER Every month, we want to take the time to spotlight some of the hardest-working, most dedicated members of the music scene: the journalists, photographers, filmmakers, venues, and more! This month, Rei Haycraft got a chance to sit down with music journalist Ambler Irby of Out With Ambler. Photography courtesy of Out With Ambler and Melissa Hortien.

to do something wrong and the conversation not record! That and for about an hour after the call all I could do was walk around saying “OMG SCOTT STAPP JUST CALLED MY CELL PHONE!”

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, Out With Ambler, and what you do? AMBLER: I’m an avid concert goer with a life long love of music. I do concert photography, interviews, social media promoting and anything else that I can do to help both up and coming artists, as well as established ones.

Which interviews were the most fun and which were the toughest?

What inspired you to start Out With Ambler? AMBLER: Just a little over a year ago a friend of mine, Robert Fuller, was thinking of starting a Youtube channel to support the local scene. I had the idea that since I actively attend shows, maybe I could do a few interviews for him. He loved the idea and Out With Ambler was born! What most draws you to the live music scene? AMBLER: I believe being there and hearing the music raw, not polished and perfect as it is once it’s recorded, is my favorite part. Not just hearing the music, but feeling the percussion of it thunder through my body. Along with the comradery of the fans. Becoming a “family” in the music scene is a real and true thing. The friendships I have made will last a lifetime. What do you think others can do to get involved in keeping the live music scene alive? AMBLER: OCCUPY A VENUE! I can NOT express enough that you NEED to go to the live shows. purchase that ticket, buy a CD or a tshirt from the bands, and SHARE the bands you love on social media! What has been the most surprising and most rewarding things you’ve found about music journalism?

coverage. My approach to all of this is as a FAN. I’m no professional and I don’t pretend to be. The fact that I can do this from a fan perspective and people actually seem to enjoy my work means everything to me. Do you ever have “star-struck” moments when interviewing or have you ever gotten really nervous about an interview before? AMBLER: I’ve had a few exciting moments but the only time I really have gotten nervous was my very first phone interview ever, and it was Scott Stapp of Creed. I was terrified I was going

AMBLER: The most fun are the ones where the artist has a good sense of humor. I like to carry on a bunch of nonsense, and I like talking to people who are also that way. The most challenging have been one or two where the artist was a bit more quiet, more reserved. But I try to adapt to what ever I have put in front of me and I hope I’ve made it work! I’m the photographer with a drink in one hand and a camera in the other. And more than likely there will be a few expletives in my interviews, because all I know how to be is me. Do you have a “bucket-list” of artists or bands you’d love to interview? AMBLER: That’s easy. Slash. Sully Erna, Rob Zombie. All probably unreachable for little ol’ me....but that’s what a bucket list is for, right?

What advice do you have for aspiring music journalists? AMBLER: Just be yourself!

Follow Out With Ambler on Facebook at www.facebook.com/outwithambler and @outwithambler on Instagram and Twitter. You can also catch her photos and show coverage on these media sites: www.outwithambler.com www.asgardradio.com www.uncivilrevolt.com

AMBLER: The most surprising, I’d have to say, is how easily I fell in to it! I honestly thought this was something that one would need some type of background for. Some type of formal training. Some special “in.” The most rewarding would have to be when the artists and fans both like my FUEL THE SCENE MAGAZINE

SHOW REVIEW

PHOTOGRAPHY AND REVIEW WRITTEN BY WILLIAM DIBBLE

PUNK AGAINST TRUMP! At Summit Music Hall in Denver, CO Anti Flag is currently on tour as part of their “Silence = Violence” tour with Stray From the Path, The White Noise, and Sharptooth. The Denver, CO stop at Summit Music Hall was expanded into a local “Punk Against Trump” music festival. “Punk Against Trump” was a concert combined with miniature activism event. There were several organizations present for a variety of causes. PETA2 was present to talk about veganism. A group called Defend J20 was there to push for support for activists arrested at the Washington, DC march exactly a year before the concert. ProgressNow Colorado was present, a group that defends and advocates for reproductive 10

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rights for people who can carry pregnancies. Sea Shepherd was present to talk about saving whales and ocean wildlife. A Voice for the Innocent is a community of support for victims of rape and sexual abuse. And Get On the List is an organization that gathers donations of blood stem cells and bone marrow for patients in need. And a portion of every concert ticket sold raised money for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. A total of $3,634 was raised.

In our previous review here, we mentioned that Summit Music Hall maintains two stages. Today, they had both in full operation. The concert kicked off with Rotten Reputation, a Denverbased punk rock band. Full of spunk and good old-fashioned punk vibes, they put on a heck of a show despite being given the smaller stage in the venue. The singer’s arm tattoo reads “Fight Like a Girl” with an angry rabbit-like creature holding a large amount of weapons, and she certainly exemplifies this.

ROTTEN REPUTATION

The bands throughout the afternoon and evening alternated between the smaller secondary stage and the main stage. Frequently, there was only five to ten minutes between the bands.

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LINE BRAWL Denver hardcore band Line Brawl was the first band to take the main stage. Energetic and angry, Line Brawl put on a heck of a show, dominating the entirety of the space given to them. They jumped, they ran, they made full use of every square inch and minute.

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THE NEW NARRATIVE The New Narrative is another Colorado native, a fast and pure punk. They brought along a poster with an adorable seal on it, “the seal of approval.” They implored their fans to sign off on it and pass it around. Later, it settled at their merch booth. The band members wore shirts with what was presumably their names and short, slightly comedic descriptions. It would be difficult to find bands with as much energy as any of the bands at this show, and based on the political statements, it is definitely probable that some of that energy comes from the political climate.

SHOW REVIEW

PUNK AGAINST TRUMP! ANTI-FLAG, STRAY FROM THE PATH, SHARPTOOTH, AND MORE FUEL THE SCENE MAGAZINE

SHARPTOOTH Baltimore-based Sharptooth, and the first band from the national tour to play, took center stage. Sharing a brief moment before the show together, they stormed the stage like only a seasoned band can do. Sharptooth combines blistering hardcore with political and social commentary, interspersing politically charged songs with meaningful words on problems. Between the blasting drum beats, Laurenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s screamed vocals, and the masterful guitars, Sharptooth is a band to pay attention to in the hardcore genre, or in heavy music at all. Sharptooth is currently touring in support of their debut album, Clever Girl, which is available now on most music retail platforms.

JAN 2018

SHOW REVIEW

PUNK AGAINST TRUMP! ANTI-FLAG, STRAY FROM THE PATH, SHARPTOOTH, AND MORE

ALLOUT HELTER Allout Helter played up on the secondary stage just moments later. Allout Helter offers a fast, accessible blend of hardcore and thrash. The band was flanked by a pair of femme individuals holding “RESIST” posters. While not the final band playing on the smaller stage, Allout Helter was definitely one of the highlights of the afternoon.

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THE WHITE NOISE The next touring band, The White Noise, exploded onto the stage from the beginning. They traveled all the way from Los Angeles, CA, to be on this tour, and they were having fun doing it. Like Sharptooth, they are a played-straight hardcore band with serious talent. The singer, super energetic, was constantly moving around, and at several points, stood on the barriers around the photographerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pit, and even sang from the crowd itself. At one point, he climbed up onto the outside rails of a stairway to the second floor of the venue, finishing a song from there before returning to the stage. He made sure to let everyone know that everybody, of all genders, races, and backgrounds, was welcome. Well, except for Nazis. They were not welcome.

JAN 2018

SHOW REVIEW

PUNK AGAINST TRUMP! ANTI-FLAG, STRAY FROM THE PATH, SHARPTOOTH, AND MORE

CHEAP PERFUME Cheap Perfume had a more traditional punk-rock sound than the last few hardcore bands. The singer, donning a one-piece bathing suit for their set, made everything about her words and her band’s set an act of rebellion. From their strong political messages to a killer cover of “Bad Reputation”, they very much gave off Joan Jett and the Blackhearts vibes throughout the set.

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SHOW REVIEW STRAY FROM THE PATH Hardcore genre veterans Stray From the Path were up next. They are from the opposite end of the country from The White Noise, and they, as always, brought a stage full of anger and power. At this point, the venue was nearly at capacity, and the crowd went wild for them. During their song, “Goodnight Alt Right”, water bottles and even people were flying back and forth through the main pit. They led a stunning and powerful set, which set the crowd up for the main act of the night.

JAN 2018

PUNK AGAINST TRUMP! ANTI-FLAG, STRAY FROM THE PATH, SHARPTOOTH, AND MORE

OVER TIME Before the headliner played, though, one last local band got to show their skills on the secondary stage. Hardcore band Over Time is fast, frenetic, and angry. Their singer vocally and loudly makes his views on the United States Presidency clear as they smashed their way through their evening set. The area around the second stage, while spacious at the opening of the day, was now crowded and tight. Finding a good spot to watch and listen proved difficult.

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ANTI-FLAG The final band of the night was Anti-Flag. Long-time survivors of punk rock, the long-running protest punk band opened with their brand new song, “When the Wall Falls”. Anti-Flag has been speaking and protesting for as long as they’ve been a band. They performed several songs in protest a year prior to this show at the inauguration, and they made it clear that night that they believed the President and his administration belonged in prison, not in office. It was also clear that the audience full-heartedly agreed with them. Their powerful, energetic set was the perfect closing for a day full of topnotch punk and hardcore.

JAN 2018

SHOW REVIEW

PUNK AGAINST TRUMP! ANTI-FLAG, STRAY FROM THE PATH, SHARPTOOTH, AND MORE

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EP REVIEW

REVIEW BY BRANDON MULLIN

CONSOLE COMMAND New Game+ N

few bars of a slow piano outro arrangement of Bloody Tears, the Castlevania II theme.

othing brings back memories of late nights spent in front of a TV playing your favorite video games quite like hearing a modern rendition of your favorite game soundtracks. Console Command is a metal quartet from Durham, NC, and they have crafted their 5-track EP New Game+ with the sole purpose of sending those nostalgia shivers directly into your earholes. New Game+ contains a variety of classic tracks old-school gamers will recognize, as well as tunes from a more recent age, rearranged to feature sweet duelingguitar harmonies, chugging riffs, heavy syncopated drums, and blistering solos. The EP starts off with an epic rendition of one of the most well-known tracks from the Mega Man series, the theme of Dr. Wily’s Castle from Mega Man II. The tune is certain to capture the attention of NES fans with its Iron-Maiden-esque gallop and harmonized guitars. The band stretches their arrangement talents further on the dramatic and frantic You Will Know Our Names, from the comparatively recent Xenoblade Chronicles. Console Command keeps the rhythm section fairly faithful to the original, while trading out the synths and brass section for searing guitar leads. The arrangement is impressively dense and showcases the band’s attention to detail when it comes to translating harmonically-rich source material

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The band returns to the modern era in track 4, Megalovania from Undertale, which appropriately features some groovy departures from the winding, bouncy melodies of retro games without losing too much of the characteristic harmonized guitars. In fact, the leads build upon the original melody to showcase some more stylistic shredding and an original guitar solo rears its head as the song reaches its peak, showing off the lead guitarist’s chops. for a metal band setting. The tune builds up to an epic climax section that not only does the original justice, but surpasses it. The band returns to a classic series in their third track, a medley of tunes from early games in the Castlevania series, starting with the delightfully evil-sounding Castlevania Level 1 theme before rolling seamlessly into the first level theme from both Castlevania II and III, demonstrating a power metal-esque arrangement. This tune also contains a few of the only moments on the EP where keyboards make an appearance, albeit only briefly and in a subtle fashion, with dramatic bells underpinning chord changes in the Castlevania I theme and what sounds like an extremely appropriate harpsichord layer in the second theme, before finishing with a

The final tune is an instantly-recognizable medley from the first generation of Pokemon games. The tune manages to fit a surprising number of recognizable tunes into the EP’s last few minutes, starting with an epic intro from the game’s opening theme before moving into an excited and triumphant rendition of the Viridian City theme. The band shows off impressive arrangement chops as the tune fluidly transitions between route themes, before ending with an iconic and doomy rendition of the Lavender Town theme. New Game+ beautifully pays homage to both classic and modern tunes alike, showcasing the band’s virtuosity, tight arrangements, and passion for video games. It’s a strong showing from the relatively new group that will leave you wanting more.

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INTERVIEW

CKY

Photo: Jimmy Hubbard

CKY have released “The Phoenix,” their first album in eight years, with guitarist Chad Ginsburg taking over vocal and frontman duties for the group, joined by Jess Margera (drums) and Matt Deis (bass), and signaling a rebirth of the band that has held a cult following for two decades. Rei Haycraft was able to catch up with drummer Jess Margera as they performed on the HIM “Bang and Whimper” Farewell Tour at The Fillmore in Charlotte, NC.

Rei Haycraft here at the Fillmore Charlotte with the Jess from CKY! How’s your tour been thus far? JESS: It’s been really good. Today’s a little rough. Like I was saying earlier, I’m kind of hungover, because Brent from Mastodon came to the Atlanta show last night, and that’s always a good time, but now... I’m paying the price.

JESS: No. We were talking about maybe doing the song that he’s on the record [“Days of SelfDestruction”] but he kind of just wanted to hang. He showed up a little late, and stuff, so we were like, alright just have a good time. We’ll party later.

JESS: I think it was really good to take a bunch of years off. You know, go mess around and do some solo projects, and stuff. Chad did a solo record. I did some stuff with the company band, which is a band I’m in with Neil Fallon from Clutch, and Jim Rota from Fireball, and Brad from Crew Manchu. So, that was fun. Yeah, after a few years, you get itchy and you’re like, “Alright, I gotta go back to home base. The band I’ve been in since high school.” It was pretty great getting back together with a new energy to the band, because we got pretty burnt out for a while.

What was it like working with him on a song?

Do you feel like The Phoenix is a rebirth for CKY?

JESS: I actually was not there. We did the record and Rancho De La Luna... we did most of the music there, and then Chad went back to his place in LA and cut the vocals, then he had to go to Henson Studios to record Brent’s solo, because, I guess Mastodon was mixing at Henson Studios, which is pretty funny. There’s probably an Elmo taping going on next door, or something.

JESS: Absolutely. We kind of hit a wall, I guess 2009-ish, and we did that record Carver City, which it has its moment, but it’s kind of like CKY on steroids, and we just went completely over the top and focused more on creating a crazy sounding record versus writing super catchy songs. We really wanted to get back to writing good hooks, and catchy melodies, and timeless

That’s awesome! Did he get up on stage with you guys for his solo?

Eight years since the last CKY record. You’re probably getting a million questions about what is it like coming back after all that time and as a three-piece. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

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“We really wanted to get back to writing good hooks, catchy melodies, and timeless choruses... at the end of the day, most people just want to hear a good song.” choruses. Like we used to do on Infiltrate, and stuff like that. More about the song, less about the, “Hey, look at me. I’m a good musician,” or whatever. You know musicians appreciated Carver City and stuff, because we went a little over the top with it, but at the end of the day, most people just want to hear a good song. The latest music video that came out was “Head for a Breakdown,” but that was tour footage, kind of a compilation. JESS: Yeah, that was kind of funny how that worked out. We were doing a UK tour, and then we were playing two nights at this place in London, and the Costa Sisters came out. We’d

INTERVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY REI HAYCRAFT

known them forever, and they were like, “Let’s film something.” We’re like, “What?” They’re like, “We’ll just follow you guys around London.” It worked out perfect, because we had a press day, and then pretty much everything got canceled because of the Arianna Grande thing [the Manchester bombing of 2016] happened right then, and so we just had all day to cruise around town. It’s kind of funny. I’ve been to London probably 20 times, but I’ve never done the whole thing. Like, went to see Parliament, London Bridge, and all that stuff. Did you see where Harry Potter was written? JESS: I don’t think so. I went to a bunch of cool pubs, where William Shakespeare used to drink and stuff. I nerded out on a lot of stuff like that. I love old pubs. It’s funny, because right by my house in Pennsylvania there’s a 300-year-old pub that’s really cool, but over in England it’s like, “Yeah, this was built in 1210,” you’re like, “Holy shit, the Knights at the Roundtable and shit were drinking there probably.” Then your other music video for Replaceable, that’s a little bit more on the whacky fun side. What was that like to shoot? JESS: Yeah, it was cool, but it was stressful because we had basically one day before we left for Warped Tour when we found a director and everything. It was like... we were just so busy putting the finishing touches on the album and they’re like, “You guys got to shoot a video for this,” and it’s like, “Well, we have Warped Tour coming up any day now,” so we just scrambled and found a director. Luckily, he was a somewhat local guy. We just made it happen. It all came together. What was the process like of shooting it with all of the actors, all the props and sets. Do you all have a big hand in that? JESS: The director, Joffe, he hooked everything up and came up with the concept. We were going to try and maybe somewhat recreate that Phil Collins video where he just keeps firing directors and stuff, like, “hey, you’re replaceable.” We loosely based it on that, but made it our own as well. Did you keep the sock puppets? JESS: I think, yeah, I think Chad has them maybe. Chad’s like really into puppets and... you know, I’m sure he loved going to Henson to record

Brent Hinds. He loves the Muppets. That’s not where I thought that was going. JESS: Yeah. I know. He came over to my house once. I have four kids. He was just armed with Muppet videos and stuff and was like, “Scarlotte, did you ever see Muppets Take Manhattan?” What song do you feel has been resonating the most with fans since the record came out? JESS: I think “Head for a Breakdown.” That was my pick to go to radio with first. I guess a lot of other people saw it differently, so they went with “Replaceable,” but it’s funny, man, you could see as soon as we dropped that video it got ... I think it’s up to 200,000 views already,

or something. Only came out a week and a half ago. I’m stoked to see people really getting into that song, because probably one of my favorites off the record. What’s your favorite to play live? JESS: I have a lot of fun with “Escape from Hellview.” We’re not doing it on this tour, but on our headliner shows, we wrote this whole intro before it kicks in. It’s super Stranger Things-y, John Carpenter-y. It’s fun. We only get a certain amount of time on this tour, so we kind of had to chop that, but yeah, that’s probably my favorite song to play live.

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INTERVIEW

I kind of want to say The Phoenix is the album that should have came out after Infiltrate in my opinion. We kind of branched off on An Answer Can Be Found and Carver City, and tried new things. It was hit or miss. Some songs really clicked, and some were kind of whatever. Most people like the first two albums the most, and I feel like the new album is very on par with those. I feel like “Head for a Breakdown,” or something, could have came out with Infiltrate. It would have fit pretty well on that record in my opinion. It blends good, flows nice, and gets a great reaction every night. What do you hope that fans take away from this new album? JESS: We really wanted to try something new, and we went to Rancho De La Luna in the desert, and Joshua Tree, because we’re huge fans of that whole scene, you know Kyuss and Queens of Stone Age, and Eagles of Death Metal, and stuff. The opportunity popped up to go there and record. I mean, it’s just such a one of a kind place. The amps. Everything about it. We were trying to make it sound like if Quincy Jones recorded an album at the place where Kyuss made Welcome to Sky Valley. I heard a quote where it said this album was “as if Quincy Jones had run amuck with CKY”?

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JESS: Yeah. Somebody said that I was like, perfect. That’s completely accurate description of that because we love those bands ... like stoner rock bands from the desert, and we like Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson stuff, so try to blend that together somehow. What also would you like fans to know about the band or things for them to look forward to? JESS: Well, we’re definitely going to keep touring and keep making records, much more faster pace than we have been. Yeah, those days are over of taken five years in between albums and stuff. We want to stay busy. We feel extremely fortunate that we still have a pretty impressive cult following after 20 years. Not every band can say that. We don’t take it for granted at all. It’s just really cool to come out here, and do tours with our friends. We’re doing our own headlining tour in February and March. Yeah, it’s mainly just getting out there again, and touring, and letting people know we’re actually back for real this time. Lots of apologizing. Damage repair or whatever. Half these clubs we’ve played it’s like, “Sorry about last time, man. I think we lit that couch on fire, or something backstage.... Sorry about that.” We’re not like that anymore. It’s been a lot of apologizing and repairing damaged relationships.

INTERVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY REI HAYCRAFT

In a good way, and giving people new music to boot. Do you have any last words of wisdom for fans back home? JESS: Have a good time, all the time. Unless you’re burning couches. JESS: Right. That’s a Viv Savage quote from Spinal Tap, of course— And, as a drummer it’s dangerous to quote Spinal Tap, because your own fate may hang in the balance. JESS: I might implode on stage or something. Well, let’s hope that’s not the case, or else all of your promises of new records are going to go flat. JESS: If I’m going to implode, it’ll probably be today, because I’m very hung over, but I just had a Hair of the Dog beer, and a bunch of coffee, so I feel a lot better now.... ‘cause, this morning was rough. I’m sorry. [laughs] Well, thank you so much for taking time with us and have a fantastic set! JESS: Absolutely. Right on. Thank you.

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JAN 2018

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BARB WIRE DOLLS Rei Haycraft was able to catch up with Isis Queen and Pyn Doll after their Warped Tour 2017 set at the PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, NC.

Rei Haycraft here with Barb Wire Dolls. Can you introduce yourselves and what you do in the band? ISIS: I’m Isis Queen and I’m the singer. PYN DOLL: I’m Pyn Doll the guitarist, and the rest of the band mates are out there, I don’t know, doing something. How has your Warped Tour been thus far? ISIS QUEEN: We’re getting more situated in the fact that we’re doing this every day and it’s a huge, moving festival with 50 bands and you slowly become a part of it and you slowly become family. It’s great. In the beginning, it was rocky for us, ‘cause our bus broke down right before the first show. We’re driving up from LA up to Seattle and the engine cracked and then thank goodness, our friends in Bad Cop / Bad Cop, which is an all-girl punk band on Fat Records, they came and saw us and picked up all our stuff. So then we had to go ahead and rent a car and do the trek for a while and 30

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now, it’s falling into place. Now we understand how things work seeing as we’re newbies and Warped Tour’s popping our cherry. Everyone that works in Warped Tour has been absolutely fantastic. I mean, we’ve done our fair share of touring. We’ve done over 850 shows in 25 countries around the world and it’s all been headlining shows, so we haven’t really been able to experience that vibe that you get when you open up for a big band or when you play with 50 other bands. The whole experience has just really been eye opening and great, it’s been great. It’s been fun. It’s been a lot of fun. So you just dropped a new record, which is kickass, and we reviewed it. What has been resonating with fans the most from this album? ISIS QUEEN: The album, we’re very proud of this album. We love this album a lot. It’s like a little baby. We recorded the album in Rancho De La Luna, which is out in Joshua Tree Desert

in California and we were invited there by the guitarist of Eagles of Death Metal, ‘cause it’s his studio, Dave Catching, and the whole desert scene started out from that studio. Kayas and Queens of the Stone Age all kind of came from that studio, so it has a lot of history to it. We were invited to go record there and it was a crazy experience, because the night that we closed the deal with Dave, after he invited us, that night, he was on stage walking out onto the stage in France for the Bataclan when the Paris attacks happened and we were the first band to come into the studio after the horrific situation and we were gonna go in there just to record a few songs that we had already, because we wanted to take up the opportunity that Dave gave us, but we ended up writing a whole album because of what happened. So this whole album has a lot of meaning and the state of the world today and what you can do to survive it. It’s a survival kit, this album. It’s helped us out emotionally and we’re very blessed to have this album.

INTERVIEW You can feel the honesty and the rawness in those songs and the passion that you all have. What songs are you most emotionally tied to? ISIS QUEEN: Well, we recorded the album in two days, ‘cause we only had two days before Iggy Pop came in to do Post-Pop Depression with Josh Homme. PYN DOLL: They kicked us out. ISIS QUEEN: In a good way. Well, we’re fast anyway. We recorded our debut album with Steve Albini in two days, too, so we’re a fast band when it comes to that. To choose a song ... In the past I’ve been asked this question. I’ve said the last song, which is a six-minute song, because that song was written right there in the studio. The band went in and played live, just whatever came to mind for six minutes and then I came in, put down whatever vocals came to mind, and it was one-take wonder and it was amazing and it has such a driving feel. Live you’re driving in the desert and it means so much to me that that song, because of the energy that was put into the record, and you could feel that energy, but every song is really my favorite song. Every song is our child, so I can’t choose, but Pyn, you choose one. PYN DOLL: Yeah, I’m gonna choose Desert Song—it’s the third track—mainly because just days after the Paris attacks, we didn’t want to bother Dave Catching. Who knows what was going on in the world with him and his world, too. Then he writes us an email and says, “Hey, you’re coming in in the next two days to record, right?” I was like, “You sure you want us to record?” He’s like, “The music must go on. Don’t let them take that away.”

COVERAGE BY REI HAYCRAFT AND DIVUS MOSS PHOTOGRAPHY BY TERIE SHAVER

comes to mind.” No, the songs come out by themselves. They come out naturally and so it’s a pure emotion, it’s a pure energy and it’s an energy that everyone can feel and understand and relate to in some way or another, whether it’s right now or further down the road at some point in their lives, they’re gonna feel it, because it’s that pure emotion and we started this band because we needed to start this band. We didn’t start it to travel the world, which is what is great about it, but we started it because we needed to express something inside of us that was flowing and it saved our lives, this band. Who knows where we would be. I don’t know where I’d be. I’d probably be in jail right now if it wasn’t for the band. But yeah, this band has saved us, so I think a lot of people can attach themselves to those emotions. PYN DOLL: Add on that, also a lot of our messages, especially her presence on stage is a very powerful ... not just a female power, which is one side, which is fantastic, but a lot of young girls are coming to the shows, especially Warped Tour now and seeing this powerful woman that is powerful. Not because she’s famous or not, they see it and they’re connecting to the message she has. It’s just put inside there, just be yourself, be powerful and so forth. There’s a story about a girl in Seattle who came and wanted to commit suicide and she found, discovered Barb Wire Dolls a few weeks before Warped Tour and she loved the message, the music, and she came just to see the band, see Isis sing, and after the show she told Isis her

personal story, that she’s not gonna do that and she wants to help people. When you hear something like that, which happens a lot, for a lot of people, every single human being counts, so if you can give a positive life to one person, including yourself, then that’s the mission. And it makes everything worth it. When you have new fans that are not familiar with you all, just discovering you here on Warped Tour, what do you hope that they take away? ISIS QUEEN: Inspiration. Inspiration to be themselves. I mean, I hope they see something on stage that gives them the inspiration to express themselves, because the only thing that needs to be done in this world and the only thing that you need to achieve is to truly express yourself in some way or another, whether it’s creatively or artistically, it doesn’t matter. Expression is the main key in this, and so inspire yourself and you’ll inspire others. With 850 shows under your belt, you’ve probably got some great stories—what are some memories and some moments that really stick out? ISIS QUEEN: Every day I wake up, I’m like, “Why aren’t I writing a journal every day as like a story?” They could make a TV series out of every single day of our lives. They should be doing a reality TV show of a Warped Tour. It’s just so many things go on. Well, we started out in Greece and we’re from the island of Crete and we started off in an artist commune and me and Pyn started the band together and then Crash,

We got so inspired going, “Oh my god, in like three days we’re going to record at Rancho De La Luna,” and it’s become like a sanctuary after the Paris attacks that week. Desert Song was recorded there, and you have to call it “Desert Song,” it was recorded there in the desert and it’s really just the plea of how we all feel in this world and how we feel at times and I just can’t believe how amazing her vocals were on it just, I don’t know what to say, but yeah, Desert Song. Just listen to Desert Song if you don’t like that song... I mean, you’re gonna like the song, then you’ll like everything else. Do you feel like fans, for the most part, understand and are taking the messages that you mean to put out there with your music? ISIS QUEEN: Absolutely. I mean, what we put into our music, we put in almost without thinking. It’s not, “Oh, let’s write a song, write down whatever FUEL THE SCENE MAGAZINE

INTERVIEW

our drummer, joined when we started playing shows in Athens, because we couldn’t play shows in Crete because nobody wanted to hear punk rock. It wasn’t cool at the time. When we started the band a few years ago, people said, “Wait, isn’t that dead? Why are you guys playing punk rock?” We’re influenced by the first wave of punk, so it’s like be different! And we didn’t like the music that was out there in the world, so we’re like, “Okay, instead of complaining about it, let’s do something about it.” We started off in Crete, Greece and then we got picked up by Rodney Bingenheimer who is a famous DJ out of LA who was the first to discover Nirvana, Guns N Roses, The Sex Pistols, like the whole punk movement and helped exploit that and put that out to the world. Then when we arrived in LA, we didn’t know anyone. We stayed with a fan that we never really met before that had found us from MySpace and said, “Oh, you guys can come and stay with me.” I passed out 10,000 flyers for our first show, because it was gonna be a historic moment, because it was the first time a Greek band, rock band, punk band, had ever played in the U.S., so it was a big deal, so I passed out 10,000 flyers ‘cause nobody knew us, so we had to do promotion somehow. We ended up selling out the Roxy Theater, which is one of the most historic venues on the Sunset Strip in LA and that was just huge for us. Just crazy stories. PYN DOLL: There’s a lot of stories, but that first night in LA when we first arrived, we met with 32

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COVERAGE BY REI HAYCRAFT AND DIVUS MOSS PHOTOGRAPHY BY TERIE SHAVER

Rodney from K-Rock and that evening on the Sunset Strip, we bumped into Lemmy Kilmister from Motörhead and we kept in contact with him, but who knew that five years later, he would see us live at the Whiskey A Go Go and tell us, “I want you to be on my record label.” That’s like, to me, is the highest honor. Yeah, it’s the highest honor. I could have a lot of people tell us, “Oh, I like your band.” It’s great, everyone counts, but for Lemmy to say that and approve you and ... that’s the highest it’ll ever get, so now let’s just have fun and inspire ourselves and just make music that we love. Can you tell the story of being discovered in 2015 by Lemmy? What was that like? ISIS QUEEN: I think the first time meeting Lemmy was the most intimidating. We were talking about Greek rock and the Greek scene and early punk rock. He’s this huge fan. I mean, he had hung out with The Sex Pistols and Sid Vicious and everything and he started off with the first wave of punk and that’s what inspired him and that’s why he calls himself rock and roll, ‘cause he doesn’t attach himself to any genre. When were going to leave and he goes to hug me, the pure strength in his hands and his arms, just made my knees buckle and just that experience alone made me understand everything of what people see in him, what they see as an icon, why they call him Lemmy is God, why they say these things, because the man had this energy about him that you just can’t express. It’s just

incredible. It’s incredible, and over the years, he was getting our music, so we’d bump into him every once in a while and he liked us because we were different from every other punk band that he’d ever seen or every other rock band, and then when he came and saw us at the Whiskey A Go Go, he said, “I want you guys to be a part of my legacy. I’ve been looking for a band all these years and there has to be new bands. There just has to be new bands.” He was strong about that. He’s discovered a lot of bands like Girl School and everything like that, but for our genre, for something new in the past 10 years, it’s huge for us. It’s huge. I just can’t even imagine. And hugs from Lemmy! ISIS QUEEN: Yes, and that was the best experience, getting the hugs. I’m sure I went white in the face the first time, yes. PYN DOLL: If you did a movie about all this, the most important point is just when ... I can see just Lemmy walking up and just saying what he said—yeah, and it’s like, “Oh shit, now I have this responsibility.” Then of course, rest his soul, he passed away and it’s like, he can’t sign any other band. We’re the band, so regardless ... ‘Cause we have a lot of Motörhead fans coming to our shows and they’re very curious. They’re like, “I want to see ... If Lemmy approved you, I want to see,” and almost every time they come up and say, they hug us, “You’re his child, you’re his musical child. You’re the legacy and we love

INTERVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY REI HAYCRAFT

you and we’ll support you till death, like we did Lemmy,” and so it’s really great to have that. We sound nothing like Motörhead, obviously, but that’s the beauty is that’s what he saw in us, is that we didn’t sound like anybody, but rest in peace, Lemmy, forever. Carrying on the flame. That’s a beautiful thing. PYN DOLL: That’s what he said, “carry on the flame.” ISIS QUEEN: Well like I said, we started this band because we were fed up with the music that we were hearing and— PYN DOLL: —Still are— ISIS QUEEN: —there are bands that are coming up and also feel the same way and they have ... I’m sure they have incentive to do something

about it too, but the fact that we get the praise from Lemmy after starting this band because we were fed up with rock and roll and the state that it’s in, that’s huge. It just shows you that you’re doing this for the right reasons and that you’re carrying on a legacy. ISIS QUEEN: Totally, yeah. PYN DOLL: Absolutely. Do you have any final words of wisdom for our fans back home?

gonna see it from far away, ‘cause a big bonfire can see from far away, and they’ll be attracted to that or they’ll stay away, they don’t want to get burnt. Be that person that is unique and different and can see through all the haze and be strong and be that bright light and you’ll see everything will fall into place. That’s the perfect note to end on. Thank you so much for taking the time with us and I hope you have a great rest of your Warped. ISIS QUEEN: Thank you my dear!

ISIS QUEEN: Be that fire and ignite other people, because as soon as your bonfire gets big because you’re doing what you love, you’re gonna radiate that energy and other people are

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ALBUM REVIEW

REVIEW BY WILLIAM DIBBLE PHOTOS COURTESY OF HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY

HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY Arson T

raditionally, we bring you a lot of bands out of the States in our articles. This band hails from Vienna, Austria. Claiming to be post-black metal, Harakiri for the Sky has three albums out and a fourth coming in two weeks. Arson releases on 16th of February, promising to bring epic-length black metal to your ears. Most of the songs on this album are over eight minutes long. It is their first album to feature studio drummer Kerim “Krimh” Lechner, known for his work with Septicflesh and Behemoth. Harakiri for the Sky sets some ambitious goals with their lengthy songs, and it is certainly a worthwhile gamble. The entire album clocks in at an impressive 71 minutes.

Arson opens with the nine minute track “Fire, walk with me”. It would not be out of place to compare this track to a mixture of Insomnium’s “Winter’s Gate” album with instruments from their older albums. This is the work of seasoned musicians and songwriters. The track is a veritable soundscape, featuring blistering speeds and majestic breaks in the speed. It’s hard not to make comparisons to 34

JAN 2018

“No two parts of Arson sound truly alike, offering over an hour of expertly written and recorded post-black metal.”

many genre greats, or comparisons to some of the progressive bands with LP-length tracks. “Fire, walk with me” and “The graves we’ve dug” are excellent songs to get you into the album. They showcase the superb drums and guitars on the album. The latter has a slower intro that slowly edges into a heavier riff, before diving into an avalanche of heavier beats and faster shredding. The heavy places are interspersed with clean, drum-free guitars. It gives the ten minute song the impression of being much shorter, as it doesn’t begin to get old or wear out. In fact, before you realize it, Harakiri for the Sky has swept away twenty minutes with what are some of the best black metal vocals and riffs in the genre right now. Excuse us, postblack metal. They show no signs of letting up as “You are the scars” begins. Similar to “The graves we’ve dug” (the capitalization seems to be intentional), it begins with a slower intro, though it doesn’t speed up in the first verse. These are the two tracks on the album that clock in over ten minutes, and showcase

HftS’s ability to write long songs. The length of the songs flows naturally and feels good without feeling like it is dragging on. “You are the scars” morphs into a majestic, soaring song combining blistering drumming with melodic guitars and heavy vocals. To be fair, though, that description fits the entire album in a way. “Heroin Waltz” is still the first half of the album, despite being a respectable thirty minutes into play time. At this point in the album, it would not be out of place to say that the vocals sound the same throughout. However, that is not a weak point when you consider that they sound stunning throughout. If anything, it showcases their ability to write unique verses and music. “Heroin Waltz” is distinctly it’s own song, while fitting in perfectly to the mood set by tracks one through three. It is followed up by “Tomb Omnia”, a pounding energetic track. I think what is notable about this one is that the drums and guitars have a much lower tempo than some of the previous songs, almost giving a marching feeling to the song. Certainly, there are the usual blistering drum fills and blasts of bass pedals, but overall, it has a much more plodding feeling. This isn’t a bad thing- it gives the song unique character. “Stillborn”, on the other hand, is almost entirely neck-breakers when it comes to the construction of the songs. If you try to headbang to this one, it’s guaranteed you will get whiplash. “

fantastic thing about covers is that they give bands like HftS the opportunity to match somebody else’s composition with their own, and they excel at that. While featuring clean guitars and vocals, the song is distinctly and uniquely a part of the rest of the songs. It is an amazing way to close out Arson.

the Sky side steps that problem entirely. No two parts of Arson sound truly alike, offering over an hour of expertly written and recorded post-black metal. When this album comes out, it will certainly be one you should pick up. It will be available on most music retailers on February 16th, 2018.

Very few bands can consistently pull of songs of ten minutes or longer and make each one unique. A frequent problem with that is the songs begin to sound repetitive. Harakiri for

Voidgazer” is the album’s eighth track, but it begins almost an hour in. That being said, HftS doesn’t show any sign of stopping with their aural onslaught. While “Voidgazer” is arguably a slower song than some of its predecessors, it is really hard to call any of these songs “faster” or “slower”. Each one contains an EP’s worth of song variation and composition, so these assessments are subjective at best and meaningless at worst. The album does, however, close out with the shortest song, “Manifesto”. “Manifesto” is a cover of a song by Graveyard Lovers. The

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JAN 2018

EP REVIEW

REVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY GARY CAROTA

SHUN THE RAVEN Self-Titled G

reensboro, NC native band Shun The Raven has a very distinct sound that is equally heavy and melodic and immediately draws listeners in. With Aaron Monk’s distinct vocal ability that ranges from soft and melodic to well placed screams and growls, Chad Hough laying down a steady solid beat on the drums, and Jairus Combs slapping down a good groove on bass, Shun The Raven has proven that they are a force to be reckoned with. Their 5-song self-titled EP was released in 2017 and the band is working diligently on their forthcoming album which they are in the process of recording.

While each of the songs on the EP are slightly different from each other, showing the bands’ musical diversity, Shun The Raven’s sound is unmistakable and the songs are incredibly cohesive overall. Aaron’s amazing guitar skills stand out front and center, as he handles all the guitar work in the band. His abilities shine on such tracks as “By The Wire” and “Reasons.” The only thing lacking on the record were a few scattered spots throughout several of the tracks that were “screaming” for a good guitar lick to help enhance the rhythm riffs.

“Shun The Raven’s sound is unmistakable and the songs are incredibly cohesive overall.” Overall, this record is a solid release that takes the bands’ signature progressive, melodic, hard rock sound to new heights and wraps it all into one heavy-hitting CD that will make you want to pop in the stereo and crank the volume all the way up to 11. The Shun The Raven EP is available at most online retailers and streaming services—and we highly recommend it to anyone who loves quality, original hard rock.

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ALBUM REVIEW

REVIEW BY WILLIAM DIBBLE

SENSES FAIL If There Is Light, It Will Find You S

enses Fail has been a band for over fifteen years now. Since they came onto the scene, the hardcore and posthardcore scenes have evolved. Some bands have fallen by the wayside while others have truly hit their stride. There will always be the people who scream about bands selling out, but at the end of the day, the one who makes the music is the artist, and whether you agree with their direction or not is irrelevant. Senses Fail is around, they’re still making music, and they are still artists. Their new album, If There Is Light, It Will Find You, debuts February 16. Right from the get-go, If There Is Light, It Will Find You opens on a powerful, practiced note. “Double Cross” is a fast, fun track. Combining deft guitar work with catchy vocals, “Double Cross” features a lot of the things that Senses Fail has become known for. Clearly screamed vocals, melodic clean vocals, and catchy hooks dot this song throughout, making

JAN 2018

showcase of Buddy Nielsen’s singing skills. The chorus, “I’m not giving up today”, resonates particularly well given that the band is going to be turning twenty in just a few years.

sure that once you start listening, you will want to finish. The lead guitar hook to “Elevator to the Gallows” is fast, precise, and skilled. It gives way quickly to a section that is primarily vocals and drums. This gives those parts of the song time to shine, which they certainly do. Portions of this song sound like callbacks to the punk emo movement while blending in touches of hardcore. “New Jersey Makes, The World Takes” serves as another

The album’s first single, “Gold Jacket, Green Jacket”, is available on Youtube with a music video right now. It is a musically diverse song, borrowing elements from hardcore, punk, and even pop. Portions of it can almost be called soft, while the whole song is certainly true to Senses Fail’s heritage. They don’t shy away from messages about politics, either, with the line “Fuck the government, it’s an embarrassment, we’re all gonna die in debt.” If There Is Light, It Will Find You is both an artistic and political statement, and isn’t afraid to say, “we are Senses Fail and we stand for what we stand for.” The fifth track, “First Breath, Last Breath” has call-backs to softer vocal-centric punk tracks of the nineties and early thousands.

After the fast pace of the first couple songs, it provides a pleasant mini-break. This break pervades through “Ancient Gods”. That isn’t’ to accuse either song of being ‘weak’. Both are excellent examples of how strong the songwriting skills in this album is, as they fit in perfectly with the rest of the album. “Is It Gonna Be The Year” is a great followup. The song looks back and reflects on the choices made through life, asking what we will be remembered for. It asks the question, is this “gonna be the year that kills me, or will it be the world that saves me?” The overall message seems to focus on reflection and self improvement. Will we be remembered for our mistakes, or will we do better and be remembered for other things? “You Get So Alone At Times That It Just Makes Sense” is a good followup in both theme and sound. The entire song, and album, has a nostalgic feel that brings to mind the era that Senses Fail

hails from. “Orlando And A Miscarriage” is an excellent example of this. It isn’t the kind of nostalgia that makes you miss a bygone era so much as the kind that reminds you that just maybe, that era didn’t leave. Another softer song, “Shaking Hands” takes on the feel of a ballad at points. It feels like a song about anxiety, being yourself, and putting yourself out there. It voices a feeling the entire album gives, that this is Senses Fail at their most honest, lyrically and musically. This theme feels like it is continued in “Stay What You Are”, a song that implores you to find what you are, and stay as what you are. It is, if anything, a love song to being yourself. The final song, “If There Is Light, It Will Find You”, is the namesake of the album. It consists of primarily clean vocals and guitars, and gives the entire album a soft, well-deserved sendoff. There are heavier, screamed parts, but they are expertly

written and performed. It is also the album’s longest song, at over six minutes long. If There Is Light, It Will Find You is possibly one of Senses Fail’s strongest albums to date. It is honest, open, and uncompromising. This is not the kind of album that you listen to once and forget about. To quote Buddy, “I don’t think people are going to listen to music right now that isn’t serious. They’re taking a look at the shit around them and saying, ‘No, no, no. We need to have a real conversation.’ Now, whether that’s dealing with personal sadness, or it’s something political, it still takes things earnestly.” It is a serious entry into the world of posthardcore and punk rock, and deserves your full attention. It releases on music stores everywhere tomorrow. We would be remiss to not mention that Senses Fail is about to launch on a tour that will span the United States. Grab tickets at SensesFail.com!

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JAN 2018

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