I write this edition of my comments under a haze of painkillers, Beechams flu plus and just enough tolerance not to boot my children into traffic. Ah Christmas. That lifestyle check aside this issue has some great interviews with a group of young bands to look out for in 2023 as well as meaningful chats with some of the old guard. Compiling my "best of" list was a lot harder than I imagined although it did make me realise how many decent albums where released in 2022. All the best.
D. Gilmore Out of step UK
Kanine play metal with more aggression than a crocodile with an Australian's thumb up its ass and more groove than, well a really groovy thing. The French metallers have just dropped their debut “Karnage” which is an album metal heads across the globe should be listening to. The lads took the time to talk to be about the record and how hard it is to be heard amongst the white noise that is the massive amount of bands vying for attention.
Kanine seem to have sprung up from out of nowhere, how did the band come together?
At the very beginning we are all good friends hanging out together and driving the same passion about extreme music. We started the band maybe at the worst time possible, right in the covid time. But this uncertain time showed us that no matter what happens we wanted to play music, write stuff , we even built a home made studio in Gabriel’s house so quarantine can’t slow us down. During quarantine as everything was closed and Gabriel had a lot to learn to become drummer ( at first he was guitarist in the band but we had no one to fill properly the drum so he decide to step in and go fully dedicated to it!)
Since the record has been out how has the atmosphere in the band been, are you glad to get in out there?
It’s crazy, as a band who never released anything before that, we never thought we could reach that hype around our release! When our first song goes live, just the fact that seeing a professional video clip on Youtube or finding ourselves on Spotify etc drove us nuts!! Right after that, we had the opportunity to go on little tour with our good bros from Hurakan and Stillbirth! Having the opportunity to go on tour right after the first single released and having played only one live show was something really crazy that motivated us more and more and more. The day we went live with KARNAGE was crazy, it was almost instant and we are more than happy to see our stuff stream day after days by way more people than we could ever thought at first! It give us the real feeling we can make our name out there, and we gonna do everything we can !
You guys have low key released one of the best Deathcore records of the past year in your debut "Karnage". Could you tell me a bit about the concept for the record?
Thanks mate! It’s still incredible we are amazed by the continuous noise around it! When we start the writing process of the record, we were thinking about making a bunch of songs without having the sensation of all the same tracks! All that with mixed with our love of Slam parts and Breakdowns!
As a band how hard is it to get your music out there for people to hear and take notice? It must be frustrating at times.
A lot of the music’s world is on social media you and me spend a lot of time on it, maybe too much. You have a lot of tools to make your music spread all around, with Kanine I have learned a lot about all the work around social media. Before Kanine I’ve never had Insta for example, never touch Photoshop or Premiere, and as musician you have to learn how to use it , so you can post quality content and use other support than just music. I don’t say I manage to do it the best way but each day is about learning something new and improve. When you launch somethings you spend Hours/Days/Months it’s always frustrating. I’m not gonna lie, all the noise around us make us really proud of our release and it manage to do way more than we could imagine, so we gonna continue and do our path !!
What are you listening to at the moment? Do you stay in the metal genre or are you more eclectic in your music tastes?
Jason : I listen almost only Brutal stuff , digging for finding the most brutal and deep song I can ,really love the strength Slam/Deathcore/Beatdown/Downtempo can give.
Gabriel : Deathcore, math rock, pop, rap, ambient/lofi (depends on the moment and the feeling )
You guys are part of a resurgence in Deathcore that's happening at the moment. Why do you think this is happening now and are there any groups you think deserve some more attention?
Deathcore has always been our biggest interest in music, all the energy on stage, the continuous wave of brutality mixed with some vocals going from Guttural/growl or other low stuff to high screams and weird goblin noise! It’s really what we like the most in the metal scene .
Deathcore has this particular sound that we couldn’t find in other genres you can have extreme double bass, nasty high scream and the whole song just go downtempo and you have a whole new type of brutality. We see is as a roller coaster, you run in circle and then you dig into the ground the very next riff! And that, that’s a good feeling!
Lucas : Lots of Trap and Doom / Post rock lately , really digging the T R A S H channel almost every day
Alex : I listen pretty much everything (for real!) , like I think we can find good stuff in every genre , I can enjoy some good “Techno bunker” stuff to Deathcore/Downtempo stuff after some Rap/Trap , if I open my Spotify , it’s a lot of Grimm Salvo , Distant , Nico Moreno , Psychonaut and infinite loop of lofi too.
With the release of your new record what's next for the band? Are there any plans for a UK tour anytime soon?
We are just make some good moves, finding a manager is gonna help a lot for sure !! We gonna make everything we can to hit every stage we can! Still a lot of things to learn, lots of things to process, it’s a crazy journey but the main goal is to play and travel everywhere we can! UK is clearly on the list
Last year was a busy one for Living Dead Girl. Front woman Molly Rennick has a lot on her plate at the moment. Despite this she managed to take some time out the fill me in on the band, whilst making me feel very old (as a Rob Zombie fan). Ladies and gentlemen Living Dead Girl!
During the course of your debut (2021 Exorcism) the band frequently changes from a very ‘heavy metal’ sound to much more accessible pop punk style. Do you think bands can be heavy and catchy at the same time?
Absolutely; being both heavy and radiofriendly simultaneously is an art. I love downtuned riffs, double kick drums and screaming of course, but I also love a great hook, memorable lyrics, and anthemic chants. I strive to make all of our songs heavy enough to rock out to, but also catchy enough that any song on the album could be a radio single.
How do approach song writing, I’ve heard a lot of strange ways people approach it.
How would you describe the sound of “Living dead girl?
Living Dead Girl is modern metal with hints of pop punk, goth, rock and industrial. It’s a unique musical stew stemmed from a wide range of influences; from 90s shock rock, to early 2000’s pop music. It’s equally as heavy as it is melodic.
I write about my personal experiences and feelings; every song is about a time in my life where I felt strongly about something and needed a way to say it out loud. Inspiration comes from everywhere and at anytime; I’m constantly writing lyrics in the Notes on my phone. I have DOZENS of songs’ worth of lyrics filling my phone up now! Whenever I’m very emotional—whether good or bad—lyrics pop up in my mind. I’m a very blunt person who says what I feel, and I like that to translate into my music.
Is the bands name a Rob Zombie homage? It would be interesting to hear where it came from.
I came up with the name when I was 15 years old— admittedly Rob Zombie was a little before my time and I didn’t become a fan of his until I was a bit older —so it actually wasn’t named after that intentionally. I called myself Living Dead Girl because my parents told me that when I was born the doctor thought I was a stillborn; I came into the world a weird greyish colour and not crying or anything. I joked to my mom when she told me this story “I was born dead, that explains a lot!” I thought it was a really cool band name because of how it suited me.
What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened on tour to you guys?
One time when we were in Indianapolis a guy knocked on our bus door, handed us a pie, then took off RUNNING down the street. We didn’t eat it obviously because it could’ve been poisoned for all we know, but it was a very strange and funny occurrence!
What are you listening to at the moment? Do you stay in the metal genre or are you more eclectic in your music tastes?
My playlists seamlessly translate from metal, to pop punk, to Disney soundtrack, to early 2000’s pop music. I can appreciate good music in pretty much any genre (the only two I don’t like are country and rap), as long as the vocals and lyrics are strong I can enjoy pretty much anything. When I’m driving or working out my playlists will go from Marilyn Manson to Avril Lavigne to Let It Go from Frozen! I think being able to appreciate a wide variety of music strengthens your abilities as a musician; I’ve become a lot more open-minded towards different styles of music in the past 5 years.
On the same note do you have any guilty musical pleasures?
I enjoy everything I enjoy with zero shame, so I don’t think of anything as a “guilty” pleasure! I’m a grown adult who goes to Disney World religiously—clearly I’m not embarrassed about any of the things I like. (Insert laugh here) The most unexpected music on my phone would be like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Pink —I LOVE working out to pop music! But I don’t feel guilty about bopping to catchy music!
Finally, when can fans expect next from Living Dead Girl?
Living Dead Girl is gearing up to tour MUCH more frequently and hit a lot of new places; now that we’ve gotten our tour legs this past year we wanna just keep the party rollin’. I love touring and want to be out there as much as we possibly can! We’ve also got two finished projects we’re releasing in 2023 that I am very excited about….Annnnd we debuted a brand new single live this year that I’m excited to shoot a music video for!
Running through minefields (literally), dodgy Colombian taxis and a thirty year career have all been apart of life for Tankard drummer Olaf Zissel. Being a clearly humble man who loves his job Olaf kindly spoke to me about the bands career and being apart of the “other” big four.
Having been a band for 30 plus years how do you feel the group has changed since its since you began?
In my eyes the changes went very slowly from having fun with low skills with our instruments to enjoying the fun of playing to entertain people with our growing skills.
Being on the road for so long I’m sure you have some interesting stories. Is there a moment thats happened whilst touring that stands out for you? Lots! Going to Japan in 1999 the first time, or running around in the middle of a minefield in Bosnia just to find a tree to pee on. Crossing the border from Venezuela to Colombia by taxi (with was not recommended by German officials). Just dealing with unexpected things that happened all the time on tour!
The band has been a huge influence on countless Thrash bands as well as other artists outside your genre. How do you feel about being originators in the scene and an inspiration to so many?
Well this was and is the last thing on the list far below the end of the paper. This is what happen if you don‘t quit when it‘s getting bad and we had nothing on the schedule so we are now the so called dinosaurs with some other bands in tow. How much do you believe you are being an inspiration to somebody else? Wow..
What are the secrets to Tankards longevity?
If could know that I would make myself a coach or something.
How does it feel to be part of the German Big 4 metal bands with Kreator, Destruction and Sodom?
Tankard had never ever the pressure to make a living with the music as we all have our regular day jobs. Great respect for the other bands and it‘s also an honour to be named as one of them.
Do you think that all four bands will do a show together or even tour together in the future?
We appeared at Monterrey Mexico with all of them this year but we can‘t do a tour under the “Big 4” label. But I enjoy it crossing roads frequently so you never know!
The eight legged Australian metal machine that is Xenobiotic are currently riding the wave created by their latest release 'Hate Monolith'. A wave that shows no sign of slowing down any time soon. The band have an interesting voice amongst the seemingly endless chorus of death metal bands these days and may well be future scene leaders. So lads, let's have a chat....
Hi guys! How’s everything in the Xenobiotic camp at the moment?
We've just dropped our latest EP "Hate Monolith" and we're boasting a fabulous new rhythm section consisting of Matt Unkovich on drums and Toby Thomas on bass! We're busy getting our next run of Aussie shows organised
Your latest single “Autophagia” is out now. What is the inspiration behind the track?
The music for Autophagia was written on the verge of a mental breakdown. I wanted people to know the sound of what I was going through internally. The lyrics reflect the current, horribly desperate state of the human condition. Every day our species falls further into more destructive patterns. Selfish and corrupt leadership marches us by the thousands further into war, poverty and man made disaster.
What’s the message you want to get across in both your live shows and recorded music?
Our approach to live shows has always been drastically different from creating a record. The live show is about bringing the music and the energy within it to life, and giving our crowd an intense and meaningful, but ultimately fun and cathartic experience.
The records are meant to sit with the listeners in their own time, providing musical company, and a place for introspection, and hopefully an abstract sense of adventure for some listeners.
What bands inspired you to write and perform in the beginning and has that changed at all?
As you mentioned your new record “Hate Monolith” is out now, could you tell me a bit about that? Is there a theme throughout the record?
Yes there certainly is! Sheer hatred at the perpetual death march of humanity. Distress at the rampant degradation of our spirits and environments.
Long time fans will recognize the other 2 tracks from earlier releases. We scrubbed them up with a little modern production but my personal favourite is our cover of Sever the Ties by I Am Eternal.
Last on the EP are five songs off our second LP Mordrake we performed at Oracle Sound in Perth. We've had very few chances to perform during the pandemic. To give the outside world an idea of how they sound live we chose to include them on the EP.
The earliest incarnation of this band was inspired by Behemoth, Nile, Opeth and Obscura. They have always been present in our foundation.
In the years since with the rise and flourish of creativity in the newer movements of Extreme Metal, we've also followed the example set by bands like Fallujah, Gorguts and Rivers of Nihil.
What keeps you passionate outside of music ?
Between us there is a lot of video game playing, anime watching and book reading that keeps us occupied.
Traveling is important to us as well. Not just touring, but for leisure and learning.
Spiritworld have just dropped a late contender for album of the year in their record "Deathwestern" a straight up 'metal' album that I desperately needed in a time when sub-genres and Shite seem the rule the airwaves. For context this interview happened before the album was released but I wanted to include it regardless as I’m such a fan boy/professional journalist.
How would you describe the sound of "Spiritworld"?
Slayer, Ringworm and Obituary worship.
The band has a great name, how did you come up with it?
Watching Young Guns a lot when I was little. We used the sample from the movie on our demo cd, it isn't on Spotify but on the original pressing the demo starts with "How come they aren't killing us?" "Cause we're in the Spirit World asshole, they can't see us!" From when they are all tripping balls and going through the village.
Your latest single "Moonlit Torture" has a more hardcore vibe to it than people may expect from you. Is that where you see the band heading?
I think it is a good mix of Integrity worship and Slayer. I like hard riffs that have a good groove, so the metal I write tends to bounce around between all the good parts of songs I liked growing up. I like solos, but only if they are short and cool. I get bored easily with music, so I like to have really aggressive, interesting song writing that doesn't drag on too long.
How does it feel to be the world's first "Death Western" metal band?
I said that more to describe that I am playing death metal and writing a western and it kind of stuck once the band started taking off. I personally don't care too much about labels on music. I like all kinds of stuff, so it doesn't matter to me what genre someone says it belongs to.
What where you musical influences when starting the band and have they changed as times gone on?
I really like 80s thrash metal, early 90s death metal like Morbid Angel and Entombed and I love hardcore punk. I think the main influences are the same but I am always finding new bands that inspire me. Lately I have been listening to a lot of 200 Stab Wounds and Plague Years.
Could you tell me a little about the concept behind your last record, "Pagan Rhythms”?
It is a concept album that accompanied a collection of short stories I wrote titled Godlessness. It is set in the old west and deals with the fall of the kingdom of heaven and the repercussions that has on Earth.
Are there plans for a new record? If so could you tell us anything about how its going?
New record is done and gets announced this Friday September 23rd with a new music video . I spent about a year and a half writing the sequel to Pagan Rhythms and recording it. It rips pretty hard. Can't wait for people to hear it. We have been playing 4 songs off it every night and people go nuts. It will be fun to play some more of it live!
Frayle - Skin and Sorrow
Lorna Shore - Pain Remains
Cabal - Magno Interius
