RMP Magazine #3

In memory of

1984 - 2012 2

RMP- Magazine December

RMP- Magazine December 3 Photo - Alexandera Messick

“The world lost a great entertainer and sta today.. but more importantly, an amazing father.”

Thank you for all the memories mitch. love you dude. you’ll be missed and remembered, forever.” - Ash Avildsen (Sumerian Records) “We love you Mitch. Our hearts go out to everyone in SS and anyone and everyone affected by this loss. Mitch was of one of the most iconic and influential people to have ever existed in heavy music. You were one of a kind brother.” - Emmure

Tim Tronckoe “#RipMitchLucker Our thoughts are with his family, friends and band mates.

Please do the same.” - Unearth “Cannot believe that mitch from Suicide Silence has passed away!!, when starting our band suicide silence was one of the bands we was inspired by and looked up to! playing with them and hanging with him! thoughts go out to his family and friends!...R.I.P” - Postmortem Promises “Hugely upset to hear about Mitch Lucker’s death, music suffered a great loss today. RIP!” - Now, Voyager “Rest easy, Mitch. A good, level headed soul in a sea full of undeserved egos.”

- Terror 4

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ar

We’d like to offer our condoleances to family and friends of Mitch Lucker (SUICIDE SILENCE) who passed away earlier today following injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. Too bad we never had the chance to put your band on our bill the past few years. R.I.P - Ieperfest “Mitch. RIP brother. You´ll be missed. We´ll always remember the great times with you.” - Heaven Shall Burn “R.I.P Mitch Lucker. What devastating news. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.” - Your Demise “We were on the ferry to Helsinki when the message of Mitch Lucker’s death hit us like a shock. We still can’t believe what happened and that our dear friend and colleague passed away way too soon. Last year, we had the great honour of Mitch joining us in the studio for our song „We are the many“ and giving the song so much power with his incredible and unique voice.

He did not hesitate for a minute when we asked him to participate.

Also we will keep all these shows Caliban played with Mitch and Suicide Silence in our memory and cheerish the good times we had together on and off stage. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and band members.

R.I.P. Mitch, you will be missed.” - Caliban

RMP- Magazine December 5 Photo - Tim Tronckoe

Mitch Lucker

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Interviews Arizona 8 - 11 Ashes 14 - 15 Epica 18 - 20 Alone 22- 25 Cory Branan + Chuck Ragan 26 - 29 EF 32 - 34 Tittle Fight 36 - 37 Dan Mumford 38 - 43 Kamelot 46 - 47 Man Overboard 48 - 49 All Time Low 52 - 53 The Gaslight Anthem 56 - 59 Nations Afire 62 - 66 Pig Destroyer 68 - 69 Solstice 70 - 71 The Dangerous Summer 74 - 75 Propagandhi 76 - 78 The Maine 80 - 81 Mad Hatter Day 82 - 85 Spoil Engine 88 - 90 Generation 84 92 - 95 Hollow Earth 98 - 99

Columns Paul McKee - An American in theJapanese Punk Scene.

Jo Bosman - The female front taking over.

Karel Geuens - This ain’t noise gives you the crucial stuff.

102 - 103 104 - 105 106 - 107

Reviews 1. Monstercat - 2. Pentimento 3. Tittle Fight - 4. Papa Roach 5. Creative Adults - 6. Solstice 7. Code Orange Kid - 8. Gallows 9. Sleeping With Sirens -10. Pig Destroyer 11. Silence - 12. Anchors 13. Converge - 14. Thrice 15. DIE!DIE!DIE! - 16. Scum Of The Earth 17. Always Fallen - 18. Stone Sour

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110 - 111 112 - 113 114 - 115 116 - 117 118 - 119 120 - 121 122 - 123 124 - 125 126 - 127

Intro

The launch of our free PDF-magazine allowed us to give you a little taste of what we’ve got planned for 2013. Even though we haven’t changed much yet, from a journalistic perspective, we do feel we’re at the beginning of some very big changes for Belgium’s alternative music scene.

Not only the fact that our fan base is growing exponentially, but also knowing that we are the diving board for youngsters with journalistic or graphical talents, makes us look forward to 2013 even more. 2013, we’re here to get you!

Thanks to a committed group of volunteers, we proudly present the newest edition of our magazine, in which we – apart from some big bands such as All Time Low, The Gaslight Anthem, Man Overboard – give the microphone to some Belgian talents, like Ashes, Solstice, Arizona, Generation 84 and Spoil Engine.

In addition to that, we’ve also convinced a few external organizations to write a blog for us, knowing we’re not the only ones that help the scene grow.

In case you haven’t heard yet: we’ve decided to release the RMP Magazine on a more regular basis. To top that off, in March, we will send our own weekly podcast into the world.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to the talented volunteers that surround me. Not to mention all the readers who look forward, with genuine interest, to everything we do.

Not me, but you, are RMP.

Kenny Leys

RMP- Magazine December 7

Arizona

Belgian pop-punk band talked with us about starting over in the wake of a previous band, the cinematic song titles on their latest album and getting some TV airtime.

Hey guys, can you introduce your band to our readers?

Hi, we’re Arizona from Aarschot, Belgium. We play pop-punk with touches of emo, hardcore and metal.

Arizona started out as Exit on the Left, which broke up.

What was the atmosphere like at the first band practice?

It’s been a while, so it’s hard to remember. But I guess it was both scary and relieving at the same time having to start from scratch, not knowing what you’re going to end up creating.The first rehearsal was with guitar, vocals and drums only. At the second rehearsal, we tried out Sam on bass, and he’s been

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with us ever since. So we didn’t have a completely new band, but it felt as if we had options again.

EOTL was just going into the studio when the band broke up. What ended up happening to those songs?

Did you delete them, did you recycle them or are you still planning to use them?

We had five or six songs finished and prerecorded, but they’re sealed in a vault.

Maybe if we ever have a reunion, those songs might be used. But only then, since they are songs we played while Tom was still on bass.

We didn’t recycle any of the material for Arizona though; we wanted to start from scratch.

Were you afraid that people would compare Arizona with your previous projects? Did this create a lot of pressure?

We wrote every song for ourselves and not to please the crowd. You’ll always have lovers and haters; people have the right to their own opinion. For us, the biggest pressure was to grow as musicians and to play better live shows.

Tom, your singer, is from England. What are the advantages and/or disadvantages of having a singer from a foreign country?

It’s weird to play shows in Belgium, where the band speaks Dutch, and Tom is the

Interview - Arizona

only one who speaks English.

So at every show, he has to excuse himself, in his way, for not learning Dutch. An advantage is that you don’t hear a European accent in his English.

The band released its first demo in August 2010. What were the immediate reactions? Did they meet your expectations?

Well, there were a lot of positive reactions, which is always good. And after the first few shows we got good feedback as well. But we never thought we’d be placed that high on line-ups right from the start, so it’s going even better than we expected.

Six months after releasing this demo, you announced that you were signing to Funtime Records. Were they your first choice?

We went for a couple of labels, got a couple of offers and decided to go for Funtime. Mainly because

we know the people behind it very well and had worked with them before in EOTL. It all went really fast, but we wanted to put out an official release and decided to do a full length right away. So we really needed a label to back it up.

Since then you’ve recorded and released “Popcorn & Cinemagic.” What were the reactions like for that?

We got some really flattering reviews that made us happy.

For the next record, we really want to define our sound and type of songs. Thanks to the feedback from the last record, we know we’re on the right track.

The song titles consist of movie quotes. Was it hard to find them?

The first couple of titles went well. But with the others we ended up searching on IMDB late at night, trying to get quotes to accompany the song’s subject matter. One

whiskey bottle later, we had all of them, and I think we got to bed around five or six and started recording again at ten.

Speaking of movies, what’s your favorite movie?

Mine is “BASEketball,” from the creators of “South Park.”

I watch that movie way too much.

Back to music: do you ever second-guess a song that you’ve written? If you could change anything from this album, what would it be?

Well, we rewrite a song about 40 times before we record it.

So we’re pretty happy with the songs the way they are on the record. I wouldn’t change anything on the album.

They’re recordings from that particular time, representing the state of mind we were in back then. It’s fun to listen to it again and kind of relive the emotions.

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This August, you guys recorded some songs for a 7”. How did that go?

It was fun to go back into the studio, but it was way too short! We love going there to record and try out different things. I think we did get a better sound this time. It was a good exercise to prepare us for the next record.

Did you enter the studio well prepared?

The month before we went into the studio we dedicated completely to rehearsals to finish and prerecord the new songs. They weren’t as well prepared as the ones for “Popcorn & Cinemagic,” but we managed to get through.

According to your Facebook page, a lot of people helped you during the recording process. Was it hard to decide who you wanted to bring along to record?

We always need help with choirs and 10 RMP- Magazine December

Interview - Arizona crew vocals,so we select people based on what we want to accomplish.

We basically picked all of our friends who we thought would be able to get us the sound we had in our heads. Some of them showed up, some of them didn’t. You always have to invite more people than you need for these kinds of things.

At that time you uploaded some covers (Four Year Strong, Cluseau, etc.) to your Facebook page. Are there any plans to make a covers EP? I think we have enough footage for a two-hour DVD, but I don’t think that will see the light of day. It’s just us goofing around after studio hours, nothing serious.

Recently, you got airtime on Life!TV; can you tell us more about that? It was exiting, I presume?

Our friend Jens, from Panda Productions, wanted us up there, and we were siked to do it. It was a lot of fun and a great learning experience.

You can check the whole thing out on YouTube. Next season, you’ll also be able to see our touring buddy Homer on it!

What’s next? A European tour? A new album?

Hopefully, a lot of shows, maybe a 10” or a tour through Europe. We might head over to Italy again, and we’re working on a new record.

We hope to finish it around wintertime 2013, but it might take longer.

Some Arizona’s members played in other bands as well (Second Base, Old Fashion Heroes, Refused Party Program, etc.), but they’ve all officially quit.

Did they want to put full effort into one band?

Arizona is our main band, but we all do different things/ projects that aren’t related to the scene. I play guitar for Jill Shaw, Sam has a Schlager band and another project you’ll hear from soon and Bo’s got a couple of projects running. These side projects are mainly to learn more about music or to be able to play with friends, but we’ve all put our hearts into Arizona.

Do you have any tips for starting musicians?

Learn your instrument and learn from each other.

Photo’s: Brenda Boutsen Interview: Manuel van den Notelaer & Kenny Leys

RMP- Magazine December 11

As ene Ari †2008 -

12 RMP- Magazine December

emies ise 2012

RMP- Magazine December 13 Photo-Arne Desmedt

Ashes is filled with four hardcore kids from Mechelen, Belgium. Their biggest influences are hardcore bands such as Grave Maker, 50 Lions, Striking Justice and A Strength Within, and if we can believe their own words, they’re set to create their own path and a refreshing sound

Ashes has been around since summer 2011. How do you look back on this past year?

So far so good. It’s been a year full of awesome shows with a lot of cool bands, as well as the chance to sign to Perspective Records. We have met some crazy people who have become good friends.

Why did you guys decide to start a band?

We are passionate about hardcore and making music is a big part of our life, so 14 RMP- Magazine December

the decision to start a band was pretty obvious. It’s also a good way to put a message into the world.

The band only has one guitarist. Was this a deliberate choice?

We try to keep our sound very straightforward. Adding a second guitar gives you more options and lets you create more layers, but that’s not what we are looking for right now. We let the bass play a much bigger role in our songs to add some contrast. We’ll see how things evolve. Maybe

we’ll look for a second guitar player when we feel the need for it.

Your demo was released on August 31st via Perspective Records. How did you find a record label so fast?

We didn’t have the intention to look for a label and were more like, “Let’s play shows, and we’ll see where this leads to.” Mike, who is the owner of Perspective Records and front man of A Strength Within, came to us.

Interview - Ashes

How did Perspective help the band with recording?

Was it very DIY? Our songs for the demo were already recorded, but Mike helped us out with the pressing, promo and shows.

He passed his experience from his label and band onto us. He became family to Ashes. It also depends from person to person, so it’s a rather personal question, but, to us, I guess you can call it DIY. We make our own shirt designs, flyers for shows, organize shows and so on, but we’ve had some help from our label with the demo.

You only made 100 copies of this demo. Is it sold out already?

Yes, 100 pieces only. There are some left at the online shop from Perspective Records, and we have a couple left for disposal at our shows, so be quick!

Was it a difficult decision to put your demo online for streaming?

No, not at all. It’s a good way to spread music.

We wanted people to hear our music and know the band’s name. Sharing is caring, right?

You’ve already had a show in the Netherlands. How was the response?

We played one show there a couple months ago. The response was good, and people seemed to like it. Next year, we’ll have a couple more shows in the Netherlands with some friends of ours, and a road trip to the Netherlands is always fun.

Is their scene different from the Belgian one?

Our friends from the Netherlands tell us that people are rather quiet at shows, but then again, I think it depends from show to show.

What’s next for Ashes? What are the main goals?

Currently, we’re busy writing new songs so we can record our EP in 2013. We’re also going to release two new tracks in a few weeks, one with a video clip, so keep an eye on Facebook.

By Kenny Leys

RMP- Magazine December 15

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Congratulations on the celebration of a decade of Epica already! Do you still remember the day it all began?

Of course I remember the day it all began for me! It was when I was asked to come and do an audition for Mark and Ad (former guitar player).

Mark knew me from the time I auditioned for After Forever and invited me to play for his new band. For me, it was a nice change, since I wanted to be in a good band with the chance of becoming something really big.

Auditions went well, and that’s when it all started.

To celebrate this event, the band will perform with a symphonic orchestra on March 23rd in Eindhoven during the Retrospect show.

Are you looking forward to that?

You bet! There are almost no opportunities to play these kinds of shows, since it is so expensive. We did it once in Hungary, “Classical Conspiracy,” and since then I couldn’t wait to do it again.

The music really feels so much more alive with a full orchestra and choir, and believe me when I say that you cannot get Epica’s music any better than that!

What made you decide to perform this concert with an orchestra?

Our ten year anniversary is the main reason. We wanted to do something special, and everybody still remembers the

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“Classical Conspiracy” show, so this is the right moment to try to do it again. We contacted the same orchestra from Hungary, and they also really wanted to participate. At that moment, we knew we had to do this and arrangements were made.

The band also announced its first Australian tour in April 2013. Looking forward to going “down under?”

Of course! This is a place we have never been before, and I think that everybody in the band likes to travel and see the world, so this is, again, a nice opportunity for us. Too bad there isn’t always time to look around in all the places we’ve been to, but you can’t have it all, of course.

We got a chance t Janssen, keyboardist of band Epica. He shar performing with an or member to the band, and of their lat

After ten years of playing all over t stuff! What’s next on your bucket [Laughs] Well, there are some more Asia: like Japan, China. I would lik knows where we will end up? I reme bands to visit Uruguay, for example. finally, a metal band decided to are metal show

to talk with Coen f the symphonic metal red what it was like rchestra, adding a new d the dystopian themes test album.

the world, you’ll still be doing new t list? New uncharted territories? e places we haven’t been yet, mostly ke to visit those countries too. Who ember that Epica was one of the first . People there were very happy that, come to the country. Now there ws every month!

Interview - Epica

experience in different bands, so I’m curious how it will be with him in the studio.

You recently played the Metal Female Voices Fest in Belgium. How was this festival and how did the concept go?

This festival has been there for ten years now as well. It is a nice festival, focusing on female fronted bands, so the fans get all the bands on one bill.

Earlier this year, you added Rob van der Loo to the band roster. How is collaborating with him?

It simply works great. Rob is a very talented musician, and working with him is very easy. He learned the songs from the set in only a week.

On stage, he is also great, banging his head and having a good time. It’s great to have him on board!

Did he change the way Epica works and writes music? I presume that he had some important tips, since he probably learned a lot with Delain?

Yes, he came with some handy tips from Delain: how not to do it. [Laughs] No, just kidding. We are not really in writing mode yet, so we will see. But he has a lot of

“As a musician, it is always hard to say something is finished. There are always things you would like to change.”

We played nine of the ten editions, so you could call us the house band. It is always great to play there, since the crowd really digs the music.

You released your sixth album, “Requiem for the Indifferent,” in March. Was it difficult crafting this album?

It is always hard to create an album. Every album has its own difficulties and so did this one. Luckily, we again worked with the Gate Studio from Sascha Paeth and his team, so everybody knew what to do and how to make things work. In the end, it all went pretty smooth.

RMP- Magazine December 19

Interview - Epica

album: that if you are indifferent to the changes that will need to happen, you’ll be stuck in the past, and so you will sing your requiem. The artwork was made by Stephan Heilemann, together with Simone. He is a German artist with whom we worked for the past three albums.

The album title “Requim for the Indifferent” refers to the end of an era. What do you mean by that?

The world is dying. Crises everywhere: wars, conflict caused by religion, natural disasters.

Are you happy with the fans’ response?

Absolutely. I think the fans and the press welcomed the album with open arms, and they dig the songs live as well.

The artwork of your albums always use strong images, with the most recent depicting a bionic girl, amidst modern technology, reaching for a key that hangs from a tree.

The girl is trying to get out of the machine-driven world and return to mother nature. It displays the subject of the

“The world is dying. Crises everywhere: wars, conflict caused by religion, natural disasters.

Maybe we should change our ways, in order to be able to save humankind, but the strange thing is that nobody seems to care or can’t read the signs.”

Maybe we should change our ways, in order to be able to save humankind. But the strange thing is that nobody seems to care or can’t read the signs.

Did you second-guess anything from this album?

Something that you would change if you had the chance?

As a musician it is always hard to say something is finished. There are always things you would like to change. Also, you are with six different people and some producers, so it will not be how you want it all the time; there are compromises.

Luckily, I found a way to let this all go when the album was released, so actually, I would not change a thing.

Epica is also featured on the “Acoustic Dance Sessions,” an album full of covers of popular dance hits by a variety of bands, such as Triggerfinger and Milow.

You covered the song “Happiness” by Alexis Jordan. How was that experience?

Very nice. It was nice that we were asked to do this, if only to be able to show that we can also play acoustic and not only brutal metal. We recorded the song at night, after the recordings for “NiksteGek,” and the vibe was great. We did it basically in one take, and I think you can hear that we had fun.

By David Marote

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†2006 - 2012 RMP- Magazine December 21

Why is it called Alone?

Is there a special meaning behind it?

There isn’t a deep, dark meaning or message behind the name of the brand. I’m afraid to say, but I wanted a name that was short and easy to remember that also symbolized what I was trying to do, which originally was to build something from scratch by myself, so Alone seemed a fitting name.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Originally the first line of Alone designs had a more vintage and dark feel, taking inspiration from traditional tattoos and the Victorian era.

The brand has developed over time to almost fit into the modern high street “street wear” category of brands.

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However, I am consciously keeping the brand’s roots firmly in the ground, so it can be still be distinguished in such an over saturated market.

Have you always been creative? How did you get the idea to establish the brand?

Art and music were pretty much the only subjects at school that I had any interest in, until college when I started to study business and then went on to study a music business degree course at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Surrey. From my degree, I decided that if I couldn’t make a career playing music I would rather not be involved in the business side of it, because it can be a lot duller than some

may think. I had started a brand when I was at college but didn’t really take it seriously; however, I learnt a lot about how to do it, so decided to start from scratch and create Alone.

Is it difficult to start your own clothing line?

Anyone can start a clothing line if they want to, and many seem to be, at the moment, but don’t realise how much work and money it takes to create a successful brand, just like any business really.

I think a lot of people are coming into it with the idea that it is easy money; it’s not.

A successful brand needs to have something that people can relate to, and want to be part of, not just T-shirt designs that are trendy at that point in time. You can’t create that without putting your heart and soul into the brand.

Interview - Alone

Are you doing this as full-time job or do you do other work too?

Alone is currently my full time job. However, I do screen print for other brands/bands (mostly friends) when I have the time.

What are the steps from creating a design to getting a shirt to the costumer?

90% of Alone’s entire operations are in-house, from the initial artwork sketches to the printing of the garments.

We enlist the help of three outstanding professionals who help with the photography, web design and artwork design for each seasonal release.

In which countries do you sell best?

Excluding the UK, Germany is by far our biggest market.

I can’t say for sure what the primary reason for this is, but they are really into independent brands, especially UK ones, and seem to like what we are doing.

There are also a few bands who sport your clothing, like The Cold Harbour and As We Climb. How do you come to begin a partnership with a band?

The vocalist, Dan Edginton, of The Cold Harbour is a close friend of mine, and the drummer of As We Climb, Ben Taylor, has done some web design for us, so they have been repping since we started out. We recently set up our first official endorsement with UK hardcore band Heart In Hand, who contacted me by email a couple of months ago.

We are really excited to be working with them from their next album release early next year. We are also working with Charlie Holmes’ (Heart in Hand vocalist) side project Try Me/Love me, whose debut release is due out in November.

building the brand as organically as possible, but next year, we will definitely start looking into more artists to work with, as the connection between fashion and music is so strong at the moment.

What are the goals you still want to achieve with Alone?

I would like to continue to grow the brand at the rate that it is growing at the moment, continuing to bring out new products that differentiate Alone from other brands but keep the independent vibe that the brand has.

By Jonas Hoflack

Are there plans to work with any more bands?

At the moment, we are concentrating on putting together our winter range and

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Discount code:

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- 15%

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Your latest record contains a mix of different genres and influences. Do you feel obligated to write a diverse record like that, or does it come from a more spontaneous place?

Cory: The song isn’t necessary formed during the writing. I try to stir them a way when they are written, but then later on, when I record them, I’ll hear them in different ways and change them. I do this intuitively. I put a lot of hard work in the lyrics and in the melody, and when it comes to what kind

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of clothes the song wants to wear, I let it pick out what fits it best.That is something that we can do on this tour too, try to play songs and give them other clothes. I think that’s what makes this a solid tour, not only for me, but also for Chuck. He is really open to it.

Chuck: Absolutely! I think that’s one of the most special elements of the tour, just break it up and have this particular line-up. It’s one of the best line-ups we have had in the five years that we’ve done this tour. Cory eats it

all up; he fits very well in this group. His writing capabilities are definitely a highlight.

Cory: Stop, stop, stop!

[Laughs] Your latest release, “Mutt,” came out on Bloodshot Records. It’s the first time you’ve work with this label.

Why did you choose to release it on a different one than your previous two releases?

Cory: Madjack [Records] and I parted ways a long time ago.

It took long between records just because of bad

Interview - Cory Branan + Chuck Ragan

business. It just took to long to make records, but now that I’m on Bloodshot, I’m going to release an album each year and a half. After this tour, I’ll record a new album this winter, and I’ll be putting it out next fall. Ideally. When I was writing this record, I had 130 songs I was sitting on, so now I can basically choose them and piece together what I think is a good album. I mean, I can’t place 130 ones on one disc. [Laughs]

me now, so I see a lot of possibilities. He’ll probably be appearing on my next album.

Apparently, you stated in an interview that you “are not a punk.” It also revealed that you played in a death metal band and even a Black

My tip for you guys: find a woman who is a woman, a woman who has got her own thing going on. You have to find someone who is whole and complete already.

Chuck: That’s the way you’ve got to do it. You have an arsenal of songs to choose from. I cannot wait to hear what you put together for the next record.

You released a split CD with Jon Snodgrass and Austin Lucas. Are there any plans for other splits coming up?

Cory: I don’t have any plans on splits yet . . . unless Chuck wants to do some?

Chuck: [Laughs] I would be happy to; let’s do this!

Cory: Apparently I’m going to record a split with Chuck, speaking of exclusive news!

It’s going to be amazing. No. No split plans at this moment, but Austin lives in Nashville, just around the corner from

You’ve been married for three months. How is life treating you?

Cory: Life has been very well for me. It’s the first tour I’ve done since I married, and I can say: it’s very hard!

I mean, the tour is great, but if it weren’t for this tour, I would be really bummed. But I’m with friends, so I wish they fit in my bag, so I could show them Europe.

Chuck: A girl who’s not afraid of being on her own.

Sabbath cover band. You must have some love for the harder music.

Cory: I do! I love punk music, but I never specifically played punk music. I was not really in that culture. I grew up in Mississippi; there was always someone skating when I was biking, or when I was skating I hung out with bikers. There is no scene there. You’ve got whatever you’ve got. I love it, being raised in such a big scene!

Cory: Yes! She is sad that I’m gone, but she is happy that I can do this.

Chuck: Communication is very important in a relationship, especially when you are on the road all the time.

You’ve already spent some time on the road now. How has it been?

Chuck: Oh man, it is really awesome! The coolest thing about this tour is that every single show is unique, because we’re constantly

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adding or taking songs out of our show. We’re moving everything in our set around, so it’s constantly evolving. Most of us met for the first time five shows ago and have only communicated via email or phone calls.

Cory and I knew each other, but I never played with Rocky or Jay. I’ve never met Emily before. It’s amazing how you can bring so many people together, and if they are likeminded, they’ll have the same vision. Get up and have a great time; play some good music and come together and collaborate. It’s amazing what can happen in a short time.

We’re learning each other’s songs . . .

Cory: Yes, the song that you

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saw us play when you walked in, we’ll be playing tomorrow night.

Chuck: Exactly! And that’s every day; it just goes around.

It’s a great energy, and I think it’s completely infectious. It’s also fun for the audience to see; by doing this we connect more with them. Everybody who is at the show will take some positive energy out of it: the audience, the promoters us . . . it’s just fun!

If you had a carte blanche, and you could work with any artist, dead or alive . . .

Cory: Dead or alive?!

Chuck: That’s tough! How much time do you have?

How much time do you have?

Cory: Actually, we don’t have time, only a couple of minutes! Oh shit! Jon Brion.

He is the reason why I started writing songs. I don’t know what I would do if that was possible. I would just stand there and flip out while he is playing. What about you, Chuck?

Chuck: I don’t know. Dawns maybe?

Interview - Cory Branan + Chuck Ragan

Cory: Dawns? That’s a good one!

Chuck: Or actually . . . Blaze Foley.

Cory: Make it happen? He’s still kicking, isn’t he?

Chuck: [Shakes his head] No, he passed a long time ago.

One last question, so you can go on stage: Do you have some suggestions of musicians/bands to watch for? Upcoming talents?

Cory: Yeah, we were just talking about a guy from Little Rock: Adam Faucett. He’s a massive talent.

Chuck: He’s something else.

Cory: A kid called Anthony Da Costa from New York.

Chuck: It’s an endless list.

On this Revival Tour that we do, we see a lot of people who come off and on, special guests, musicians that you’ve never met in the past. Adam Faucet is one of them. There is a ton of folks, even here!

Do you know Tim Vantol?

He’s a good bud.

Life is too short to not get out and play with people who you like and respect. There are a lot of beautiful artists out there. If you follow the stuff from the people on this tour, you’ll automatically find a lot of hidden talents.

Why didn’t you play with Tony Sly? We’ve never seen him on this tour.

Chuck: At one point, we wanted to get him out on the Revival Tour, but it never

happened before he went. It’s sad; it’s a shame. He definitely left a pile of records and beautiful songs and a really, really good impression on a lot of people.

I never met Tony, but I have a lot of friends who were very, very close with him. It hurt my heart when it happened. It hurt me a lot when I saw them hurt. That’s always a testament of a person’s character. When someone who you love and respect is hurt that much, you realize that that person was worth their weight in gold.

By David Marote

RMP- Magazine December 29

30 RMP- Magazine December

†2005 - 2012 RMP- Magazine December 31

We met up face-to-face with Swedish post-rock band, EF, to discuss their new album, writing music with members all across the globe, and playing festivals of varied genres.

You’ve got a new EP coming out called “Delusions Of Grandeur,” which is also the title of the first song. What is this song about?

Everybody in the band is living somewhere else; some live in Gothenburg, in Amsterdam, and when we began writing the song Eric lived in Barcelona. It’s really about keeping contact and making songs through the distance. It’s sending files over the internet to each other. It’s like making some tracks, sending them to Amsterdam, sending it to Barcelona and getting some feedback on it. It was some kind of experiment to make a song like this. But maybe “Delusions Of Grandeur” was too big for us and we needed to fly these guys home to finish the song together.When we meet there’s some kind of magic. We need to meet each other and talk, discuss and argue with each other.

32 RMP- Magazine December

Is it hard to rehearse when you’re all apart?

Yeah, we never practice; we meet and try to write songs, and that’s not jamming but more like, “Did you write some bass lines on that one?”

“Yes.” Playing it and then further to guitar.

“I mean, what’s the next step for us? We could do a record tomorrow, and it would be good, or we want something great, something new for us as a band. I guess adding more vocals is a good way for us to do something new.”

When we don’t like it, we ask to come up with a guitar or bass; it’s more like a factory.

Then we send it to Amsterdam and ask Daniel to put some piano on that song.

That’s how we try to do it, but when we meet the pieces fall together.

If you have a show to play, are you synced well together?

We always rehearse a few days before we go on tour.

We get together and play the songs. But last year, I [Daniel] met up with the guys in Germany, so that was awkward.

You also write a number of instrumental songs. How do you choose a title that fits for those songs?

We usually have a working name on the songs, which we try to work with, a kind of feeling. That word can be really anything, a color, an animal or a place on earth or even a banana.When we’ve created the song, it’s like, “Shit, we need a name because we’re going on tour and we need to present this song. But we come up with a name real quick, and it’s a lot of arguing. Like “Delusions Of Grandeur” was a very big idea and big project, and so it was a fitting title. Then we write maybe some vocals in the studio or something. We usually have no working vocals before we record a

Interview - EF

song. The words and the name of the song are never the same; the title is about a feeling, and the words are about nothing.

I’ve listened to the new EP, and it sounds great. In the first song, I really like the quiet part with the vocals.

I think you use more vocals in that song than you usually do. Was that something intentional?

Yeah, in this new song we wanted to try to use more singing vocals. People have been telling us for a long that that they actually like the songs where we use singing vocals. But a post-rock band doesn’t sing, so maybe we’re not a post-rock band. I mean, what’s the next step for us?

We could do a record tomorrow, and it would be good, or we want something great, something new for us as a band. I guess adding more vocals is a good way for us to do something new.

People say that we don’t sing, which is not true. We have a lot of vocals in our songs compared to other post-rock bands. I think people forget that we sing because the vocals are melted together

with the music. The vocals are mixed pretty low, and the people hear it as a part of the music and not as “Oooh, I love this girl so much and she left me and blah blah blah.” It’s more as an instrument, but now we wanted to do the vocals more like singing vocals.

How would you describe the new EP in comparison with your previous release: “Mourning Golden Morning?”

“Mourning Golden Morning,” we wrote that three-piece, and when we started to write the new EP, we had two new members. We knew it would affect the EF sound a lot, and it has been a journey to work together and to find a way to pass them in. I think this is the best step we’ve done so far; we’ve really grown as songwriters. We’ve stepped out of our zone and created something new that is still EF, that still sounds like EF. It’s important for us as musicians to go further. It’s so easy to do what we have been doing for ten years. It’s harder to actually write it all by yourself than to ask people who play trumpet to come and play with

us. Now we write everything by ourselves. That completes it. It was less improvisation like we used to do sometimes.

Dan knew what he had to play on the piano and not like, “Hey, there’s a piano; let’s play something.”

You’re a hard-working band and DIY is very important to you. Did you also record the album by yourselves?

This EP is not released by ourselves. We have our own record label, and we’ve released three CDs of EF, but this one we didn’t release by ourselves. We try to keep it with people we know. Like Emmanuel recorded our first two albums, and now he’s our bass player. We try to work with people who are also in the DIY situation, trying to grow in their own work. This one we didn’t record and released by ourselves, but we still do a lot by ourselves.

I still book the tours for EF; we still do the web design, the posters, the promotion, etc.

We were too busy with writing good songs, and we had someone else do the recording for us; we wanted to focus on the music.

RMP- Magazine December 33

Interview - EF

“ . . . We play a lot of festivals that are a little bit strange for us. We’ve played a gothic festival in Germany, a pop festival, and a week later we’re playing a more metal festival.

We’re also doing a world music festival, so we’re fitting in a lot of genres, I guess.”

Are you currently planning a new album?

We’re always planning, but actually, we’re planning our dreams and then we hope to realize them. We were hoping to play in Russia and last year we played a few shows there.

The last year, we accomplished a lot of our dreams. There will be a new record but the question is: when. We want to wait.

What were the first reactions to the new EP? We’ve had a lot of great reactions on that one, all very positive but all mainly from metal magazines. All are giving us really good reviews, which is really strange because we wanted to make a more poppy EP with catchy melodies, and it turned out to be metal. We released it on a metal label, and all the metal magazines seem to love it. It’s really strange; we always have a few “metals” at our shows, but “metals” are really open for catchy melodies and stuff.

Maybe we are changing metal right now.

34 RMP- Magazine December

I’m a big fan of the cover art. Did you do that by yourself or did you work with someone in particular?

It’s done by the same guy who did the cover art for “Mourning Golden Morning.”

He’s a Swedish guy living in Berlin. He’s a great artist, and he still draws everything by himself; it’s not like computer logos. It’s great to see people working with their hands, and you can see the great details in his work. We wanted “Mourning Golden Morning” a little bit vantage but progressive, and we wanted the new EP in the same style.

It will become a concept; we’ve been talking about this a long time.

You’re now at the beginning of your European tour. What are your expectations for it?

Hopefully there will be a lot of people, and we get some feedback on the new songs.

Last year you played Ieperfest in Belgium. Was it strange for you to play a hardcore festival?

They have been trying to book us for three years, but it’s strange because the people expect a hardcore band, and then we came up.

But it was a great experience,

and the people were great.

We sold out of merchandise on that show. It was the first of five, and we didn’t expect we would sell that much, so we had to order new merch in the morning. There was a little bit of panicking, but we play a lot of festivals that are a little bit strange for us. We’ve played a gothic festival in Germany, a pop festival, and a week later we’re playing a more metal festival. We’re also doing a world music festival, so we’re fitting in a lot of genres, I guess.

What do you like about Belgium?

It’s one of the best country’s to play. We did a very good show in Bruges and Antwerp.

Many people show up, and it’s a beautiful country. Friendly people and not so many traffic troubles. People are able to travel to come to Ghent for a show, so we don’t have to play many shows here. Like Germany, it takes a lot of touring to do that.

By Jonas Hoflack

Photo-Frederik Vanmolkot

Live at mod

RMP- Magazine December 35

I find it hard to put a label on your music, so could you please describe the kind of songs you make to people that have never heard it?

We play loud, but sometimes soft, fast, but sometimes slow, aggressive music.

Your latest album, “Floral Green,” is the second full-length album you’ve made. In which way do you think it is a progression, compared to your first full album, “Shed?”

Overall, I think we just wrote better songs. We were not trying to do anything other than to write songs that we like, and we ended up with an album that sounds different from our old stuff.

It’s still the same band, just another year older.

“There’s things I’m avoiding now - dreams about all of my teeth falling out, and any floral/green color scheme.”

What’s the meaning behind the album’s title?

Well, it is based on a line from the song “Make You Cry,” which is about dealing with death.

The release show for the album had a great line-up: The Menzingers, Foundation, Tigers Jaw and others. Did you chosoe

36 RMP- Magazine December

Do you have a favorite song on the album?

I like a lot of songs, but right now my favorite is “Leaf.” It’s simple but interesting and fun to play.

those bands yourself, and if so, why them?

Yes, we chose the bands ourselves, because we knew all of them; we grew up playing together. Except for Foundation, who are from Atlanta. Them we chose because we did our first tour ever with them.

Interview - Tittle fight

and they can interact directly with you.

Which show do you personally think was the best one of the past year?

Our record release show last month in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It was great to play in our hometown for the biggest crowd we’ve ever played for in that city, and everyone had a great time.

You’ve been on a lot of great shows over the last year. You’ve played Warped Tour, you’ve done a European tour with La Dispute, Make Do and Mend and Into It. Over It. What is the difference between European shows

and American ones?

The shows themselves are pretty similar, but the way they are run is different. The venues in Europe really take care of bands, giving them homemade food and a place to sleep, which is great. But the shows and the reactions are all very similar to each other.

2012 is almost over. In 2013 the band will have existed for ten years. Do you have plans to celebrate that?

Maybe with a tour, a new EP or album?

We are going to keep doing what we like to do, and that’s playing shows. And hopefully, by then, we have some new music out.

By Jonas Hoflack

Do you prefer to play a club show or a festival?

A club show. We like playing small, intimate shows where you can actually see people,

RMP- Magazine December 37

38 RMP- Magazine December

RMP- Magazine December 39

Dan Mumford London-based illustrator Dan Mumford has done artwork for such bands as Killswitch Engage, The Black Dahlia Murder, and Sparkle of Hope. He talks with RMP about the influence of comics on his work, his interest in the movie industry, and the musical projects he’s involved in.

How did it all start for you?

Art was pretty much the only thing I really enjoyed at school, so it was a pretty natural thing to move into after school. I went to university and studied Illustration, and it went from there.

Did you ever contact a band, asking if you could design for them?

I can’t really remember back when I was starting out, but mainly I was contacted by bands, normally just local bands starting out like myself.

It was a bit of a mutual benefit sort of thing I suppose.

40 RMP- Magazine December

How do you choose the colours for an illustration?

I generally create with no particular colours in mind then drop in a few block colours where I think they might work and then play around

with changing the hues and switching it up until I get the right balance. Obviously,

sometimes I have a specific palette in mind or get asked to create something that’s mainly “red” or “blue,” but it’s quite nice to just see what works and go from there.

“I think when I go back to the root of things though, it’s Marvel comics, Todd McFarlane, etc. They were probably the things that planted the seed of what I wanted to create.”

What do you do to improve your art, with you already operating at a top level?

Well, I think the first thing to say is that I don’t in any way feel I’m on a top level!

[Laughs] I don’t really have a good idea of how I’m perceived in the outside world. As far as improving

Interview - Dan Mumford

though, the last year has been spent taking a good hard look at my work and where it’s going. I kind of hit the ceiling a bit as far as being able to do and say what I wanted with my work, and I keep getting the same jobs and ideas being recycled. I broke my collarbone back in Jan. 2012, so that meant I had some time to re-think and work out what I wanted to do.

I realised I wanted to go back to enjoying the adventure of creating a massively detailed piece, not working something up for a tee in two days or so.

I sort of set myself some challenges as far as scope and detail, and that’s coming out moment in the form of my “studies” pieces. I’m pretty excited where this will take my work; it’s opened up limitless avenues in my head

that were always for some reason locked off.

How do you look back at your first works?

With a smile. It’s really funny to look back at these pieces that at the time I thought were the pinnacle of what I could do. I remember the first time I tried shading a piece as opposed to just doing block colouring, and I thought that was the most next level thing I could ever do. In reality, my work’s quite far from what it was five years ago when I started out properly working in the music field. t’s very refined at this point, which means I can work much quicker if needed and still produce a quality product/illustration. But yeah, some of them are a bit crap in reality now. [Laughs].

What’s the best artwork you’ve created so far?

That’s a really tough question to answer and a pretty subjective thing to answer as well. My default answer is normally “Francesca” and the Gallows 7” artwork for “Belly of a Shark” and “Abandon Ship.” They

were produced over a period of five months where I genuinely had nothing else on my plate apart from art work in my last six months of university. It was super liberating to be able to spend a month on one illustration.

Now though, I’m going to say the last personal illustration I created. I haven’t even released it yet, so I can’t say much about it, but it’s the new “Francesca.”It’s massive and has lots of faces in it, and it’s quite Cronenberg/Geiger in its content.

Do you ever second-guess drawings you’ve made?

Most definitely. I think any good artist will look at a piece he has created and instantly know how to better it. But then any good artists always knows when to stop and step away from a piece. Also, I work at such a rate on so much these days that I don’t generally have time to look back at work and think about how to better it. That’s why taking time to do personal

RMP- Magazine December 41

I have in me I’d still like to explore at some point.

work becomes so important; it allows you that time to reflect.

When did you think: “I can make my living by drawing?”

After the first year of leaving university. I did some big jobs in my last year that paid for my first few months straight out of university, living in London, it was my chance to make it work. Five years later, and I’m still here working away, so it went okay. I still do think it’s all going to collapse in on itself though at any point!

What would you have done if you didn’t succeed as an illustrator?

I think I would have tried to work somehow in the creative industry. I also have some movie based/ director/writer dreams I would love to follow one day. I nearly went to university to do Creative Writing/ English Literature as opposed to Illustration, so that’s definitely something

42 RMP- Magazine December

How does your design process work? When do you give your client a preview?

Generally, I get an idea together with the client, and we decide where that’s going to go, and then I work up a quick, rough sketch for them to check out. If they like it, we go from there, and I work up a finished image.

“I realised I wanted to go back to enjoying the adventure of creating a massively detailed piece, not working something up for a tee in two days or so. I sort of set myself some challenges as far as scope and detail, and that’s coming out at the moment in the form of my ‘studies’ pieces.”

What happens when a client rejects a sketch? Do you try to recycle it?

Generally, I try and get as much feedback about what they are looking for

beforehand to avoid any wasted work like that, so generally, instead of a sketch being binned, I just need to touch up some of the ideas or change certain aspects and then we can move forward.

However, if a sketch just doesn’t go anywhere, then I will hold it back for an appropriate client in the future.

What material do you use to make your illustrations?

I pretty much work on all my pieces digitally now, using a tablet. I used to work with pen and pencil to start with and then scan it in, but in the process of getting quicker etc.

I started working with just a tablet, and it became a really natural thing to do when creating work. I always like to get back to working with pen and paper when I can though.

What are your goals for the future?

I don’t particularly know at this point what my long-term goals are. Right now though, I aim to be mainly working for myself as opposed to clients.

I have a lot of ideas I want to work up as prints, print series, even narrative pieces, and to do that I need time. It

Interview - Dan Mumford would also be nice to have a studio with more space, screen-printing equipment on site etc.

Are there any local hardcore bands you can recommend to us? And can you tell us about bands that you’ve been a part of?

I don’t know about local to me, necessarily, I’m not really that on the pulse any more. To be honest though, SGR Management has a great roster of bands that all seem to be blowing up right now. That, and I would also point people in the direction of Chorus of Nine, Spycatcher and Landis (my band!) I played in Incoherence and Neverthemore back about eight years or so ago in Watford, and then when I went to university it made more sense for me to move on due to distance and not being able to practice, and that was it for a while. Then last year, I reunited with a few friends, and we started Landis, which is all about writing music and playing for ourselves. We don’t really have too many aspirations as far as conquering the world, but it’s good fun!

Can you tell us more about the art groups you’ve been involved in? (The Dead Sea

Mob and Submit&Remix) The Dead Sea Mob stopped due to various reasons, chief among them it was tough for all the artists to have enough time to give to it, and there wasn’t really any focus as to where it was going. We had some fun shows though, and

I made some great friends through meeting the other artists. S&R was a collaboration between myself and a couple of friends where I was the art director, and they were the backing and PR side of things. We created our first line which was great and looked amazing, but after that it just didn’t seem to make sense financially, unfortunately.

You worked with a lot of big bands: Gallows, Set Your Goals, Killswitch Engage . . .. How did you end up with those bands?

Well, I think the first one would be Gallows. I started

working with them because I knew the band from back when I was playing in bands in Watford, and I was in Neverthemore with the drummer Lee, so when they needed artwork I guess they knew I was at university doing illustration, and it was a natural fit to work with them on their debut album.After that it was really word of mouth; working with bands gets more work with bands etc.

Most of our readers will know your work from Sparkle of Hope’s “Light the Torches.” How long did it take you to design that and was it one of your first band illustrations?

Hmm, I think that was probably a project of a week or two. I can’t remember now as it was quite a while ago, fun project to work on though! Not first but definitely within the first year of being out of university. It was one of my bigger projects in that year.

Do you have any tips for illustrators just starting out?

Its all about hard work and practice! That and be true to yourself instead of trying to be like someone else.

By Kenny Leys & Pieter De Coninck

RMP- Magazine December 43

Live at S 44 RMP- Magazine December

Skatefest

Photo-Frederik Vanmolkot RMP- Magazine December 45

Congratulations on the new album “Silverthorn.” How have the reactions been up until now?

Reactions have been amazing, really exceeded our expectations, even though we all felt we created something very special. You never know how the fans or media will take it. Our instincts were correct, and now we are meeting so many fans that love “Silverthorn.”

It is also the first album to feature your new vocalist Tommy Karevik (formerly of Seventh Wonder).

He worked with the band before as guest vocalist during the Pandemonium World Tour. How was the experience of working with him full time on the new album?

Fantastic. He jumped in right away and started working on melodies and lyrics. Really a true pro and asset to have in the band!

Kamelot recently celebrated its 20th birthday. You’ve toured the whole world and done a live DVD and numerous albums.

What’s next?

Bigger shows! Another massive DVD is in the works, and it will eclipse the last one by miles. That’s all I can say about it now, but we have big plans for the next two years.

“Silverthorn” features some female guest vocals. Could you tell us more about who did those and why?

We have been using female guests since we released

46 RMP- Magazine December

“The Fourth Legacy” in 2000. Its something we do, and it adds tothe theatrical elements of our music and stage performances. On “Silverthorn” we feature Elize Ryd and Alissa White-Gluz on the main female roles.

The North American tour was with Nightwish. What’s the connection with them and how was the tour?

We have the same booking agent in North America, and we have been discussing touring with Nightwish for a few years now. The tour was great and the band and crew treated Kamelot as equals, very nice people.

For this release, the band returned to former German label SPV.After years with Noise Records and Steamhammer, what made you go back to SPV? Yes, it was a great move, and they showed all the passion and belief in Kamelot that was expected.

We talked with Thomas Y and founding member of He gave insight into behind their new alb internet’s influence on t writing music with mem

With a legacy of almost twenty yea and audience change over time more and more important to What are your though The internet has been good for the m sharing is hurting the bands and rea artists. The record labels are losing offer lower budgets to new ban We make a CD and booklet t and that’s al

Youngblood, the guitarist the metal band Kamelot. o the creative process bum “Silverthorn,” the the music industry and mbers many miles apart.

ars, you must have seen the scene e. Also, the internet has become o many bands and their fans. hts on these matters? most part, but, of course, illegal music ally crushing the development of new so much money, and it means they nds and some existing bands. that fans would love to have, ll we can do.

Interview - Kamelot of our friends that are great musicians/singers that we will consider in the future.

You and Sean are the only original members left (Sean took a hiatus of almost a decade but returned). Many have joined and parted ways over the years.

The new vocalist Tommy hails from Sweden; Thomas and Sean are from the USA. How you manage working on a new album/song with the geographic distances?

Works fine. With Oliver now a main songwriter, we will send files over the net and work on ideas remotely. Then we will get together a few weeks before recording and finalize arrangements.

Kamelot has always worked with guest vocalists/ musicians. Past examples include Simone Simons (Epica) and Jon Oliva ( Savatage). Any artist(s) you want to work with in the future?

Yes, I have a few that would be great. One on my radar is Marion Ravn from Norway, and, of course, there are a lot

For “Silverthorn,” you worked with the producer Sascha Paeth. What made you decide to work with him?

He is a great guy and really knows Kamelot inside and out. He also worked very closely with Tommy on the vocals for “Silverthorn,” and that is a great thing. Sascha has been with us since 1999, and we always want to have him in some capacity with Kamelot.

I’ve read that you and Oliver (keyboard) write most of the songs. How does this creative process commence? Do you start writing together or do you bounce ideas back and forth?

Things flowed very well and fast. We stayed down together in Florida and started jamming on ideas. Then I went to Germany for a few weeks and did the same.

That’s how it happened really.

Thank you for the interview and hope to see you soon on tour in Europe.

Thanks! All the best to the fans and see you on tour!

By David Marote

RMP- Magazine December 47

We got a chance to talk with Nik Bruzzese (bass), Zac Eisenstein (guitar) and Justin Collier (guitar) of Man Overboard.

They touched on what it means to be an adult, their infamous slogan and the recent elections.

The last time I spoke to you guys, Nik was working in his recording studio at home when he had spare time, and Zac was working in a kindergarten. Has the situation changed since then?

Zac: Yes, I don’t work there anymore. We tour nine months a year, so no one is going to hire us anymore, because we’re never available. When we’re at home, we have to catch up on everything we missed.

Nik: I still work in my recording studio when I have spare time.

Justin: I used to go to college; I studied music business.

Is it hard to write songs about your private life?

Zac: It’s not hard; that’s what songs are. I just write about things that happen to me in my daily life. It’s harder to write songs about partying on Friday, like you 48 RMP- Magazine December

hear on the radio, for example. I don’t know how these people come up with these lyrics, so I guess it’s quite easy.

Nik: It’s all right; I feel comfortable doing it.

How about the people that are close to you, do they understand what you write about?

Zac: Yes, my mom, for example, does. You know that song “Atlas?” “I stare out of my window, and I look at my neighbours and take notes on being normal.” Me and my mum were looking out of the window to someone across the street, and suddenly, she says to me, “He’s your atlas,” and I was like, “No, he’s not!”

In that song, you also sing that you’re not ready to be a grown up yet. What is being a grown up like for you?

Nik: Being a grown up is being the main provider, being stable enough to put food on

the table. This is a very fun job, but it’s still a job. We get paid to play shows, but this is also making a living for us.

Zac: Being a grown up means your childhood is over; it’s done. You’re not developing anymore, you are what you are, and more stuff is going be expected from you. So right now with being on tour, we’re just extending our t eenage years.

Justin: I think being a grown up is especially dealing with responsibilities. We’re in a special situation because we’re not going to go to university, graduate and buy a house and a car like most people do. We’re just travelling and seeing the world.

What was your experience like with the Vans Warped Tour?

Justin: It was awesome, a really big deal for us.

Interview - Man Overboard up is too, telling someone if you’re a democrat or a republican, but just because I did something that grown-ups do, that doesn’t make me a grown up yet. I’ll shit my own pants in about an hour to cancel it out. [Laughs] What are your plans for the immediate future?

Justin: After this tour, we’re doing a US tour. Next year, we record a new record, and we’ll tour more.

Zac: Touring all summer means a different party everyday, in every city; it was great. We’ve never been on tour with 150 bands before and playing 41 shows in a row. It almost becomes like school, just doing the same thing every day. It’s also great to see a few bands back in the UK that we played with in the USA. Best feature of every member of the band: Zac: Justin is very business oriented. Nik is very thorough and cares a lot about recording. Wayne cares a lot about gear and smoothing out transitions in songs. All I can say about Joe is: shut up and play these fucking drums.

[Laughs] Justin: Zac is good at writing songs, and I agree with the rest of what he says.

Your slogan is “Defend Pop Punk.” Does it really need

to be “defended?”

Justin: It was a T-shirt, and it caught on. We decided to also put it on our website so people could also recognize it as a Man Overboard thing. We are okay with other genres of music; we all like different kinds of music.

Zac: It’s basically like the bulls on a Red Bull can; it’s kind of a logo. We’re not here to point out what crap is and what isn’t. I just hope if kids like a record, that it’s our record.

Do you care about the elections back in the USA? Zac: Yes, we do care. People care at different amounts, but it can’t be avoided. We’re not Anti-Flag, but we do care about it. We are part of the blue team: team Obama. We also voted through email. It’s weird hearing myself saying this because I don’t think I’ve ever said this in an interview.

Maybe this is what a grown

Any crazy tour stories?

Justin: James, who used to be our guitar technician but is now the guitar technician for New Found Glory (who are also playing on the Warped Tour), is alway, shitting, pissing, puking or bleeding on himself.

Zac: That’s true. In Las Vegas, he puked all over Ian from New Found Glory in his hotel room.

Justin: In Iowa City, he embraced a stranger and start making out with her and then later that night shit, pissed and puked all over himself in the van.

Zac: I also remember waking up next to him with no pants on; that was weird.

Justin: And when we asked James why he wasn’t wearing any pants, he said, “I thought you weren’t going to notice it.”

By Lisa Leysen

[Download 12 free song on our website : www.defendpoppunk.com] RMP- Magazine December 49

POISO December 50 RMP- Magazine Photo-Arne Desmedt

ON MY BLOOD †2006 - 2012 RMP- Magazine December 51

“Don’t Panic” is your newest album and already your fifth. Why did you choose the title?

The title comes from where our heads were at during the time of recording. We were unsigned, and it was kind of a reminder that everything is going to be okay.

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How will this album be different than previous ones such as “Dirty Work?”

I’d say this album is more cohesive than dirty work. The album tells a story, and a lot of the songs have a consistent theme of dealing with change.

Interview - All time low You also returned to Hopeless Records, which is different from the last album, in which you worked and recorded with Interscope Records. What is the reason behind the return to Hopeless?

They are a team that know our band well and got us to where we are today. It felt right to be back home.

On the album, you collaborated with artists such as Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Cassadee Pope (Hey, Monday) and Anthony Raneri (Bayside). What drew you to working with them?

We like working with friends; it makes everything easier.

Also, we are huge fans of all their music.

Before you released the new album, you had already decided to release one of its songs “The Reckless and the Brave.” Why did you choose that song out of all the others?

We thought it was the perfect song to release before Warped Tour. It is a high-energy song that has a message our fans can connect with.

You went on the Triptacular Tour in October.

What exactly was your goal in those three days, and what have you experienced or learned?

In August, you also released the song “For Baltimore.” What’s the reason for naming the song after your hometown?

We have a lot of love for our hometown. Baltimore shaped us into the people we are today.

In a Billboard interview, you said the writing process occurred on the road during the tour in 2011, while the other half was done in the studio. Where did the inspiration for this album come from?

A lot of inspiration came from the fact that our band was going through a big change.

Dealing with all of it gave us a lot to write about.

I think our goal was to book the most ridiculous trip we’ve ever done.

It worked.

Where did the idea come from?

Not sure. Probably a joke that became real.

After the Triptacular Tour, you guys didn’t stand still but started the new and bigger tour The Rockshow at the End of the World.

What differences will the crowd notice from your past tours?

We’re playing a bunch of new songs and also doing full-band renditions of our slower songs.

During the last year’s tour, you also joined MTV’s “Pranked,” where you pulled a prank on Demi Lovato. Do you think you will get pranked as well?

I’d like to hope so, although it would be hard to punk us.

Who is the best pranker in the band?

It’s been years since we pranked each other.

I definitely put a lot of weird stuff in Alex’s bunk.

It’s been almost ten years since the band started.

What are the best and most unforgettable memories in all those years?

Touring with Blink 182 and Fall Out Boy and opening up for Green Day. Really, just meeting our idols.

All Time Low has never separated, and everyone is still in the band from the beginning. How have the friendships in the band developed?

We’ve been friends for many years now. We all know how to live with each other and deal with hardships. It’s so easy to be in a band with your best friends.

Are you planning on celebrating your ten years of existence as a band?

I guess we should, shouldn’t we?

Will there be a European tour as well?

Next year, yep!

By Jonas Hoflack en Jennifer Piasecki

RMP- Magazine December 53

Good Old War Travis Clark of We The Kings

A Great Big Pile of Leaves

Bert McCracken and Quinn Allman of The Used

Visit www.keepabreastshop.com to purchase your very own “i love boobies!� bracelet or visit www.keep-a-breast.org to view personal stories from some of your favorite musicians!

Hi Benny, how are you?

I’m doing well, but I just had my stitches removed out of my elbow. I had an accident on the last day of our tour in the States. A piece of metal pierced my elbow and made it so I had a big gash. I played the show, but after the show I went to the emergency room and got stitches. Today was ten days from that, and

56 RMP- Magazine December

I had a doctor coming to the show in London to get my stitches out. It still hurts a lot, but what can you do? It’s not too bad when I play; I think the adrenaline numbs the pain, but after I play show it can be quite painful.

Your latest album, “Handwritten,” was conceived in Nashville

Tennessee, which is a kind of Mecca for country and folk music.

How did this influence the record?

It was written before we got to Nashville. We wrote most of the record in our hometown: New Jersey. It didn’t really influence the record. All we knew is that we didn’t want to stay

Interview - The gaslight anthem

home to record it. We wanted to go somewhere where we didn’t know a lot of people.

Our producer Brendan O’Brien owns a great studio in Nashville, and that’s how we ended up doing it there.

O’Brien has worked with Pearl Jam, AC/DC and Bruce Springsteen. What was his touch to this record?

A guy like that just has it; he can translate music and songs the right way. What surprised me is he is kind of a “feel” guy. He wants something to feel good rather than be perfect. If there was something that wasn’t perfect, but it felt good, then he was down with it. I like that approach, especially for a rock ‘n roll record. It’s all about how it feels.

You changed labels from SideOneDummy to a larger label: Mercury Records. Do you have any thoughts on that?

It was just a progression.

SideOneDummy helped us out

with “Sink or Swim.” We just did the work we were supposed to do and put out records before we tried to make a big jump. After the tour for “American Slang” ended, our contract with SideOneDummy was over.

We listened to offers from all kinds of labels and also opened the door to the major labels to see what they had to offer.

They [Mercury Records] had good intentions and really love music. Not everyone is a corporate monkey in the music industry. They are big music fans, and that’s the reason they work at a record label. They could offer us a deal an independent label couldn’t offer us, so we decided to make that jump.

You have a fanclub named the 45 RPM Club, which gives the fans access to some extras. What does one get for signing up?

[They get a] fanclub t-shirt but also earlier access to concert tickets. Once a year, we do a special 7” for members.

Brian [Fallon] took a hiatus last year to go on the Revival Tour with Chuck Ragan, Dave Hause and Dan Adriano. How was his experience?

It was time that we had to have anyway; it wasn’t a big deal. I’m jealous. Everybody else has their own thing going on, and we all have side projects. I think it’s cool; I’m not giving you any drama.

RMP- Magazine December 57

Speaking of drama: being from New Jersey, it must annoy you when people connect your hometown to the “Jersey Shore” or the Guido lifestyle. How do you feel about that?

It sucks. It actually haunted me because I spent a couple of years actively talking shit about the “Jersey Shore.” When I was on tour, my girlfriend called me and said, “Guess what, Snooki and J-Wow have a spin-off show, and they’re filming in our street.” So I come home from tour, and there’s a whole TV production blocking my

58 RMP- Magazine December

street, just for that stupid spin-off show. Also, a lot of people were taking pictures, and there were so many cops.

Snooki or J-Wow had a pickup truck covered in leather, pretty ridiculous. But apparently the show was very bad, and it won’t be on for another season. If the Sopranos weren’t enough, there has to be another TV show or crazy people living in New Jersey. [Laughs] I mean, we also have beautiful beaches and parks, but no one seems to know that.

The Gaslight Anthem always seems to get compared to Bruce Springsteen due to the fact that you both hail from New Jersey and play “blue-collar rock.” On top of that, you’ve decided to work with O’Brien, who also produced Bruce Springsteen. Has the comparison become grating?

It’s an interesting question to ask. In general, musicians don’t want to be compared with anyone. But that being said, you can’t get away from comparisons; it’s the only way

Interview - The gaslight anthem

to explain music before they [the person being e xplained to] heard it. So, when that’s the case, there’s way worse music to be compared to than Bruce Springsteen.

It’s a two-sided question. You don’t really want to be compared to anyone, but if you are compared to anyone, it’s not a bad person to be compared to. At least they don’t compare us with Justin Bieber or Nickelback. It’s a compliment;

Bruce Springsteen is very good at what he does. He played with us on stage in New Jersey, and it was amazing.

Looking out from the drum kit, it was like seeing the President of the United States in front of you. He’s such an iconic figure; it was very surreal. He was actually playing one of our songs. I tried not to fuck up my drum part.

You are going to release a new 10” on Record Store Day (April 4, 2013) called “Hold You Up.” It will include a cover of Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love.”. Can you tell me a bit more about that?

We really like the “Skinny Love” song, and by covering it we show our admiration for Bon Iver. It’s Brian singing with his guitar; we didn’t make a lot

of changes to the music or anything. It’s not too far from the original.

You also covered Brand New at the Lowlands Festival. Are you influenced by them?

I think any band you listen to partially influences your music. We share the stage with them a lot, and we really like their music. We are fans of them.

When “Handwritten” was released people could also stream the record. Who’s idea was that?

It was a decision of the management. I think they like to use the time in advance to really hype it and get people excited about it. The first few weeks, when the record is out, are really important for them when it comes to sales. We don’t have issues with people listening to our music without really having it. Streaming is a good way of discovering new music; it’s like the radio now-a-days.

What’s the most fun thing about being in a band?

It’s very rewarding. When people say a song or a record help them through the day or through a bad experience. In that way, I can really find validation in what we do.

Music did a lot for me when I was growing up, and even now, music is still my fall back. Music never lets me down. To be a part of that is really special to me.

By Lisa Leysen

What’s your opinion on downloading music?

I really don’t care. People have been fighting downloading for too many years, while they should have embraced it. A band like us, we never made our career from selling records; it’s more about playing live. It’s more important that people listen to our music and come to our shows.

RMP- Magazine December 59

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Photo - DariaDecember Colaes61 RMP- Magazine

Nations afire Though they feature members of such notable bands as Rise Against, Ignite, and Death By Stereo, Southern California’s Nations Afire do not care for the term “super-group.” We had a chance to meet up with bassist Brett Rasmussen and guitarist Chris Chasse during their European tour and discuss the band’s lineup changes, the evolution of the hardcore scene, and being compared to their past musical acts.

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First off, can you elaborate on the band? It started in 2009, or maybe even earlier, but it’s only now that you’ve released a debut album.

What’s the story about Nations Afire?

Brett: Well, we started it [the band] around the end of 2008/ start of 2009, and then we were a five-piece, and then we recorded an EP (“The Uprising”). We recorded this and pressed this one our self.

It wasn’t officially released on a label or anything. We also came a couple of times to Europe, and then we noticed

Interview - Nations afire doing it, but we needed a change.

There are a lot of bands that go through some changes in their line-up, but a new singer is probably the most significant one that can happen. In what way did that shape the band?

B: We only did the songs on the EP with him, so we didn’t have much material yet. The sound of the band wasn’t really formed yet, so there wasn’t a lot to change. It’s almost like a new band but with the same name, so it was pretty easy.

that the chemistry wasn’t right with the five people in the band, so we basically decided to stop. Recently, we restarted as a four-piece and started to write the new record. Then we put the record out, and here we are now! Conclusion: it’s a little bit of a reset with a slightly different line-up. We’re just missing one person.

So what ended up happening with him?

He was a cool guy; I like what we did with the EP and the tours, but the chemistry wasn’t right. So we just needed to figure out if we wanted to keep doing it or if we wanted to stop it. Turns out that we wanted to keep

Chris: We only did one tour with him anyways, so it wasn’t like we had years worth of touring and albums that we lost. It was pretty simple to do, especially because we started the band as a four-piece. We took a singer because it looked easier. After six months of working with him, we decided that it would be better if we just did it as a four-piece.

If you compare the EP with your current material, the style changes a little bit. It goes from hardcore to more of a rock sound. So you guys changed musically as well over those years.

B: Yeah, I don’t know; it seems a little similar to me?

C: To me, “The Exit Strategy” sounds like “I’m an Army,” so for me, the genre stayed the same.

B: The music is similar, but it’s

a different voice. We’re really happy with the new record and the songs. We think the songs and the song writing are a lot better than before, so we’re pretty excited about this album.

“This merchandising stuff and selling CDs? It’s all gone. You don’t make that money anymore. Unless you’re Kings of Leon of course.”

We had like 40 songs that we wrote for this album, and then we had a vote because we couldn’t decide what songs we should pick. Everyone could give the songs a score from one to ten, and the songs with the most points went on the record. I think the material is just stronger. If you write that many songs, there is a big pool of songs that you can choose from. We spent a year and a half writing, so it’s stronger material.

You wrote 40 songs and only used 12 of them. Is that hard, letting so many fall to the wayside?

B: No, not at all. I like it!

Because then you know that you have 12 solid songs. It’s important nowadays to have a strong record from the beginning to the end. Most people buy an album and don’t get past song number four. I know sometimes I don’t when I buy a new CD. I listen to the first four songs,

RMP- Magazine December 63

and I already have my opinion about the CD. There is so much more music around these days that it’s easy to get distracted. I don’t care if we throw all the other ones away, as long as we have solid CDs. All you guys have experience from other bands.

Does that also help? Some have labelled you a “super-band.” What’s your opinion on that?

We work hard on this band; we worked hard on our other bands. We almost have 20 years of experience, so whatever someone else wants to call us, they can call us.

“We wanted to do something like our old bands, but at the same time, we didn’t want to do that because then we would be named “Rise Against 2” or “Ignite 2.” What would be the point in that?

We’ve already done that. It’s kind of a challenge to us to do something new.”

At the end, we’re just a band. They say “all-star-band” or whatever, but it’s just a band. You still have to have good songs; you still have to work hard for it. At the end, no one cares if you were in another successful band; you just have to deliver a solid

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CD. There are a lot more aspects to it than just playing in another popular band.

You’ve got 20 years of experience. Have you seen the scene evolve over those years?

C: Depends on what scene you’re talking about, because I’ve been in the hardcore/ punk/punk rock scene.

Everything changes, but the hardcore scene now doesn’t sound like hardcore to me. If you listen to hardcore from the mid-‘90s and the hardcore bands from now, you’ll see that it evolved in some sort of weird, screamy, metal stuff. Brett and I are older, so we listen to a lot of bands; we listen to completely different bands.

B: The weird thing is, you take Green Day, AFI, The Offspring, all these bands that used to play basement shows, we watched them go from playing in front of 20 kids to selling out festivals and arenas. There’s that aspect plus punk bands playing some sort of metal.

I just think the hardcore scene is getting bigger. When I startedplaying there were not a lot of hardcore bands on huge labels or playing on the

radio. You had The Clash, The Pistols and The Ramones, but those are old punk bands. It has been interesting to watch it grow and grow and grow.

Let’s get back to your new album. Is there a theme behind it, or is it just a collections of songs that you really enjoy?

B: At the beginning we didn’t know what the direction was . . . and then we just added all our songs together, and we were even more confused! We wanted to have

Interview - Nations afire

upbeat songs and some heavy songs. We wanted to do something like Alkaline Trio and Thrice, bands were we look up to. We wanted to do something like our old bands, but at the same time,

What if it continues five years down the road?

B: They can compare us if they want to, as long as they don’t say we’re a copy of them.

C: Yeah, it’s not a problem to compare us, because that’s always going to happen.

You just have to deal with it.

B: Maybe if we get bigger than our other bands we’ll have no problem. I watched the documentary of Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), and that was also a big problem for them because they kept being compared to Nirvana. They worked it out. Obviously, it’s completely different for us, but I just wanted to say that it’s normal.

When you first start a new band, your first fans will be people who know you from your previous band. It’s obvious that they are going to compare.

we didn’t want to do that because then we would be named “Rise Against 2” or “Ignite 2.” What would be the point in that? We’ve already done that. It’s kind of a challenge to us to do something new.

Do you have a problem being compared to those bands?

You recorded your new album in the Blasting Room. How was working with them?

C: It’s fantastic! I’ve recorded there before with my other band, so I told all those guys about it because they have never been there. We were shopping about where to go, and I was like, “Trust me; we have to go to the Blasting Room.”

Everyone got there, and we

started, and it just was so easy-going. We worked until 3 or 4 AM, and we woke up at ten in the morning to start again. We did six weeks of work in three weeks. We wanted to have more time, but that was the only slot they had left. Or we had to wait another six months.

Is it feasible for a new band to do a European tour?

It’s not easy. It takes a lot of work, a lot of planning. One of the reasons [we did it] is that we did an Ignite tour right before, so two of us would already be here. We’re trying to be as smart as we can: go on festivals, go on big shows.

The most important thing is playing in front of more people. We’re lucky that the guys at Redfield Records were really excited about this.

They are really doing their best, doing press and stuff.

Sparta, our booking agent are doing their best [sic]. We couldn’t ask for more.

Most of the band members are still active in other bands. What do you think the future will bring for NA? We’re going to come back a couple of times to Europe, next spring and summer for some festivals. The future will bring us full time music, no matter what band we’re in.

We want to be touring eight to ten months a year. For me, Ignite is not really full time because Zoli is playing in Pennywise too, so we have a few months a year that we can tour with NA.

RMP- Magazine December 65

Interview - Nations afire

Can you make money off the music industry any more?

C: [Laughs] I know I never made big money off it!

B: A lot of my friends are in big labels like Epitaph or Fat Wreck Chords. All those bands would say, “Cool, we’re making money off our royalties; we’re making money from our merchandising.”

“Most people buy an album and don’t get past song number four.

I know sometimes I don’t when I buy a new CD. I listen to the first four songs, and I already have my opinion about the CD. There is so much more music around these days that it’s easy to get distracted.”

This merchandising stuff and selling CDs? It’s all gone. You don’t make that money anymore. Unless you’re Kings of Leon of course. [Laughs] You have to tour to get some money. That changed a lot.

A lot of mid-level punk bands made money off CD and merch, but now if you want your band to grow or you want to have money, you have to tour.

C: Yes, and the digital

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revolution hasn’t helped a thing. I have never purchased a digital thing; I still buy the CDs. In the old days, I got a phone call every week saying, “You guys have sold 40 CDs this week.” That’s not going to freaking happen again unless you tour.

So I take it you aren’t happy about the illegal downloads?

B: There are two arguments for it: the first is that it’s theft, the second it that a lot of people who wouldn’t buy your CDs check you out. Maybe they‘re going to buy a ticket for a show and buy a t-shirt.

I don’t know.

C: It’s either exposure or stealing.We have paid for everything, so far, for ourselves; every single cent comes out of our own pocket. I freak when a kid says, “I was going to buy a CD, but I just found it on a Russian website.”

B: Pennywise gave their last CDs away for free over two weeks, and then they had 500,000 downloads, which is amazing, because if it were free to download, not even 20% would have bought the CD. Without downloads, the CD would have sold maybe 30,000

times? A lot of guys that we knew that had labels don’t exist anymore. They weren’t bad, but the downloads just killed them. Nitro Records is gone. Is Burning Heart even a label anymore?

Last question: I see that you’re wearing a bracelet that says “I Love Boobies.”

What’s that about?

Keep a Breast is a non-profit organisation that a friend of mine helps run in Europe, so they set a lot of booths at festivals and rock shows, mostly with Macbeth shoes.

I told them that I would help them raise money for breast cancer.

By Kenny Leys & Wouter Torsin

Should there be a maximum price for festival tickets?

With winter on its way, most of the popular summer festivals have already released some names for their new editions. And with a new edition, comes a new price tag. Like it or not, every year the ticket prices get higher, due to higher band fees, the competition with other festivals and every other excuse that can be given. As an example Rock Werchter has raised its price 59% between 2000 and 2008. And though RW still is a bit less expensive than its international competition, more and more music lovers have to struggle to find the money. That’s why we wonder: should there be a maximum price for festival tickets?

And this is what you’ve said on Facebook:

0,5% 0,5%

No opinion Yes, Maximum between 200 - 250 euro

8,9% 7,3%

Yes, Maximum between 150 - 200 euro NO

39,2%

Yes, Maximum between 100 - 150 euro

43,6%

No, But food and drinks need to get cheaper!

Pro

Contra

+ Introducing a maximum price might send a signal to festivals worldwide: if others keep raising the prices and people only go to the ones with a maximum price, they will have to change something and bands might change their prices too.

- Ticket prices may be adapted based on economical situations and the cost prices of the bands. But you have to get what you pay for. With a maximum price organizations will only be able to book smaller/ cheaper bands (or only one big name). Since not only festivals get more expensive, but the bands do as well.

+ Festivals most often aim for young people, who simple can’t afford to pay that much money for a festival. Keeping the prices the same, will give the festival a new group of ‘customers’ every year. + A maximum price will allow music lovers to get a taste of different kinds of festivals.

Nobody wants to try out something new if it costs too much.

- A maximum price will only work if it’s adapted for both the festival itself, as for food and drinks. When you limit the festival price only, the organizations will get their money elsewhere. So prices for merchan dising, toilets, food and drinks will get even crazier than the are now.

By Margot Smet

RMP- Magazine December 67

We talked with Blake Harrison, who does electronics for the band Pig Destroyer. He opened up about their new album and its elaborate packaging.

Congratulations on the new album “Book Burner,” which will be released on October 26th in Europe through Relapse Records.

“Book Burner” is the first album featuring your new drummer Adam Jarvis (Misery Index). Has Adam helped to make this album different, maybe even better than previous ones?

Adam is an amazing drummer, a phenomenal talent. He’s definitely fast.

I think he brings a ferocity to our sound that wasn’t there all of the time.

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Now Adam even has a third project going on. How does he keep up with all that intensive drumming?

Bionics, healthy living or . . .?

Actually, it’s four total. He has another band called Asthma Castle. He’s just a beast, a road dog; that guy is one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met.

Recently, you held a contest for fans to send in their artwork to win some Pig Destroyer goodies. How did this go and who won?

You know, we never judged

that; we never got to see anything. That was a promotional thing organized

by Relapse. Now that you mention it, I need to see some of that stuff.

Pig Destroyer started with sort of an anti-police statement by picking this particular band name.

How’s the relation with the law nowadays?

Well, we still don’t like cops.

[Laughs]

Interview - Pig destroyer This is your fourth full album with Relapse Records, and you’ve been together for twelve years.

Things must be good with them.

Yeah, Relapse is our home, really. It’s a great label and working with the people that work there is great. They treat us well. They are an amazing bunch to work with.

Pig Destroyer has become one of the stalwarts of the grindcore genre and has spread the sound to many festivals and stages all over the world. Any odd or remarkable experiences along the road?

I mean there’s always something remarkable, usually something odd. We spend a lot of time running around from one gate to another in the airports. We’ve had some great experiences, played with amazing bands, really. One of our craziest shows was playing with Eyehategod on a boat. There was open-air drug use, fights, kids stagediving from one level to the other.

Could you give an insight into the creative process for making this record?

Scott basically writes the riffs and some scratch drums, then presents it to us. We kind of tweak it from there.

JR writes and fits his lyrics, and I come in last with my bleeps and bloops.

The CD of the album is shaped into some sort of book, the content of which is a short story written by JR himself. Was naming the album “Book Burner” ironic? What’s the book about?

No, the title is a reference to part of the story written by JR called “The Atheist.” I can’t tell you what it’s about, that’s really not for anyone to know until the record comes out.

The track “Baltimore Strangler” was streamed as a teaser through your Facebook page and other social media. How has the response been to the new track and album?

The responses have been mostly positive. I mean some people don’t like it, but that’s cool; our music isn’t’ for everyone.

Pig Destroyer plays some very extreme music and must sometimes attract heavy opinions by fans or by those who oppose it.

Ever gotten into trouble on the road or had other strange experiences?

No, not really. I mean we have been pulled over, and we never tell the police what our band name is. We have had airport security see our laminates or merch and typically they laugh it off or find it generally amusing.

By David Marote

In November, you’re headlining the Damnation Festival in Leeds. Who will be joining you on stage?

My Dying Bride, Electric Wizard, Blacklisters, there are some cool bands, I’m not sure we’re headlining; I think we may be headlining one of the stages.

RMP- Magazine December 69

Hi, guys. Since you’re a newer band, could you please introduce yourselves to people that don’t know you yet?

Hey, we are Solstice, a band from Aarschot and Hasselt.

We exist out of ex-band members from bands such as When Hope Escapes, Makeshift Hearts, Reasons and Beware the Ides of March. We play a genre that can be best described as alternative rock, but it’s best you check us out yourself to discover what we sound like! We are mainly influenced by bands like Conditions, Anberlin, Thrice, Saosin, Circa Survive, Sent

by Ravens, etc.

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Where does your band name come from, and what does it mean?

Solstice is an astronomical event that refers to the position of the sun and that occurs twice each year. In the beginning of winter, the sun is at its lowest point towards the earth and starts to climb higher into the sky. The higher the sun gets, the longer the days become. This is also a turning point for nature: after the winter solstice, the days become longer, and everything starts to get “back to life.”But it also happens the other way around: the summer solstice. Then the

sun is at its highest point towards the earth. After the summer solstice, the sun starts to get down and winter starts. These two movements of the sun represent the eternal cycle of life and rebirth.

Why did you go for such a stylistic in change, in comparison to your previous bands?

Everybody gets older, wiser, gets interested in other things.

I think that it was just time for us to start with something completely new, something refreshing. We all have such a wide taste in music and, we’re all influenced by music

Interview - Solstice

one way or another. So all those circumstances made us choose this direction as a band. Maarten’s decision to stop playing bass guitar and to focus completely on his singing will also have influenced the direction Solstice was taking. But I do think we can say that this new direction convinced us and made us even more enthusiastic to share this with everyone, which doesn’t mean that we’ll limit ourselves to only one style. We just write the music we like ourselves, and it’s quite possible that we’ll make louder or even softer songs next time. The future will point that out. Only one thing is sure: we’re not planning to stand still.

You’re releasing an EP on December 21. How did the recordings go?

Very good actually. We chose to produce it in The Penthouse Studio, where we’ve gone before with When Hope Escapes and Makeshift Hearts. We’re still very pleased with the quality of the recordings and Filip (De Bot) is an awesome guy to work with. He creates a very relaxed working atmosphere, has a lot of knowledge about music and helped us to make musical decisions. And those are features everybody really appreciates in him.

At this moment our recordings are being mastered by Alan Douches, who has already mastered albums such as

“The Illusion Of Safety” by Thrice, “Hollow Crown” from Architects and “Déja Entendu”

by Brand New. We are very enthusiastic about him, and according to us he will really be of great value to this album. Even though we’ve only recorded in October/ November, we’ve been working on the artwork and the planning of our EP since March.

So we can honestly say that we’ve put a lot of time and effort into this EP, both musically and visually. Now, all we can do is hope that people will like it as well.

Can you give us a bit more information about the artwork?

The artwork consists mainly of photographic material that has been made by Solstice.

We chose to use the techniques of solargraphy in our environment. That’s a method to photographically register the path of the sun through pinhole cameras with a long shutter speed (+/- 3 months). We’ve hung these camera’s ourselves, on places where peoples actions are the least visible, to get a completely natural image. We did this twice, both times with

about 30 handmade cameras.

Inside the book of our EP, you can find a “how to,” with an explanation of how you can make a solargraphy by yourself. Our logo is based on the Ouroboros, better known as the snake that eats its own tale. That stands for the cyclical nature of nature, the eternal resurrection of everything.

Any last thoughts?

Check out our EP that releases the 21st of December via Thanks But No Thanks Records! You can listen to it via Facebook and on our Bandcamp, where you can buy it digitally and physically. Our Bandcamp also brings the latest news about Solstice and offers competitions to win a lot of free stuff, such asT-shirts, CDs, stickers etc.And feel free to take a look at our Instagram as well!

By Margot Smet

Solstice EP will be release by Thanks But No Thanks Records on 21/12/2012.

RMP- Magazine December 71

†1997 - 2012 72 RMP- Magazine December

RMP- Magazine December 73 Photo - Danielbaggerman.com

THE DANGEROUS SUMMER

Last year, in July 2011, you guys released your second full-length album: “War Paint.” Now, you’re working on a third album. Can you tell us anything about it?

We are still in the very early writing stages, so there isn’t too much I can say. We know what we want to do with the album. Now, we just have to build the record.

There’ll be a DVD release in the near future. Will it be a music DVD, or will there also be backstage features?

It’s actually going to be more of a “behind the scenes” type

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of DVD. We decided not to make it a live album yet.

You recently did a tour with Versaemerge. How was that experience?

It was a little while ago, but it was one of the first real tours we did as a band, and we’ve learned a lot from it.

This December, you’ll do a Holiday Run. Can you explain to us what this is?

It’s basically three weeks filled with performances.

Some of them are headline shows; some of them are support shows, and some of them are festivals. We’ve just

scheduled it all together so that we could make something of it.

You also played on Groezrock this year. What did you think of that festival?

Groezrock was amazing! It was awesome to play on such a huge stage and with such a huge crowd. They really take care of their bands, and it’s great that fans in that area get this awesome punk rock festival.

Six years ago, you guys played in a bar basement for five people; now you tour around the

Interview -The Dangerous Summer

world. Did you guys expect this when you played that first show?

We never had any expectations, so everything that comes to us gets us really excited. Every time we find out about a new tour, we’re dying to tell everyone right away. It’s awesome that we were able to play in so many countries to so many people with so many of our biggest musical influences.

In 2007, you signed to Hopeless Records, although a lot of other labels were also interested. Why did you choose them?

Our friends at the time,

All Time Low, have sort of pushed us to Hopeless. And yes, some other labels were interested, but Hopeless was the one that wanted to make a deal happen.

Have you ever thought of signing to another label?

Well, there is always talk about what we’ll do when our contract with Hopeless is up, and we have definitely brought that up a few times.

But do we want to go to a major label and play in the big leagues?

Are there any plans for 2013?

As of right now, our biggest concern is getting our album finished. We haven’t planned any tour dates yet.

What’s the ultimate tip for a beginning band?

You have to do something that you would personally listen to and enjoy the song writing, the sounds, the parts, the tones, etc. Study what the “real” bands do and learn from them; study the details.

By Nele Waegeman

RMP- Magazine December 75

First off, congratulations on the new album: “Failed States.” It’s your first release on Epitaph records.

Previous releases have been on labels such as Fat Wreck and your very own label G7 Welcoming Committee. What made you decide to work with Epitaph this time around?

Well, Fat Wreck Chords wasn’t really interested in what we were doing anymore, and G7 and Smallman had ceased to exist.

“All bands are political.

All human activities are political. There is no such thing as “apolitical.” People can do nothing and say they don’t give a shit, but then they are committing the most political act there is: deferring to the interests of the prevailing order.”

We needed to either just put the songs out into the world ourselves or have someone help us.

At this point in our lives, we just don’t have the time or interest in doing label-type stuff ourselves, so we asked around and had a lot of great feedback about Epitaph from people we trust. So far, so good!

76 RMP- Magazine December

PROPAG

We all heard the reason for the departure on Fat Wreck Chords (Fat Mike’s Punk Voter campaign), which even led to some sort of ‘diss’ battle between you and NoFx in your respective songs (“Rock for Sustainable Capitalism” vs.

“The Marxist Brothers”).

Any feelings on that whole debacle you’d wish to share?

Just that in retrospect it’s too bad it all had to go down like it did -- not so much the back-and-forth in the songs; that part was mildly interesting and entertaining -- but just the bad feelings that came along with it all. Mike is a nice guy; I hope he is doing good and is happy.

Canadian punk band P album Failed States came talked to RMP about their Chords, their strengthening a second guitari

Propagandhi has always been a political band. What is your view on punk rock and politics?

All bands are political. All human activities are political.

There is no such thing as “apolitical.” People can do nothing and say they don’t give a shit, but then they are committing the most political act there is: deferring to the interests of the prevailing order.

Interview - Propagandhi

GANDHI

Propagandhi’s latest e out in September. They r dispute with Fat Wreck political beliefs, and adding ist to the band.

“Failed States” features some original artwork. “Supporting Caste” also had brilliant art on it from Kent Monkmann.

Who had the honors on “Failed States,” and what is the concept of this release?

Our very own Todd “The Rod” Kowalski (bassist) painted the cover for “Failed States!” He is a very strange man of many, many talents.

Propagandhi’s sound has progressed a lot over the years. From the early nineties punk vibe to a shift after the millennium towards a more technical metal influenced style. What made the band take this new direction?

We just got a bit better at playing our instruments and arranging our musical ideas.

When that happens, things tend to get heavier.

Propagandhi has always had aggressive lyrics dealing with political topics such as animal liberation/ rights, racism, sexism, anti-capitalistim, all -isms pretty much. Have your opinions and views on these subjects changed over the years, gotten

milder or harsher even? Or do you still believe in what you stand for?

I would say that I feel stronger about my values than I did when we were young. I am more critical of this absurd, childish economic framework we’ve been born into than I was 20 years ago. I am more outraged by its attendant treatment of sentient beings than I was 20 years ago. I am more anxious about the prospects for our future than I was 20 years ago. I also understand that the world, and the humans in it, are much more complex than I did 20 years ago.

The one thing that sets you guys apart from other so called “political” bands is that you really act on what you say, hence the donations to numerous nonprofit organizations.

You guys even donated an award you once received.

What’s your motivation to take that road instead of the addict, money-binging rockstar attitude?

I think most organizations on the planet whose missions reflect my values receive very little if anything at all in the way of funding from the corporate state, who typically uses our tax dollars to pay for wars and resource extraction and to build up police forces to repress us. So I guess I believe in some loose version of a tithe system,

RMP- Magazine December 77

Interview - Propagandhi

The recent passing away of No Use for a Name’s Tony Sly has shocked the punk rock community worldwide.

You must have known Tony too. Any last words on that?

He was a real nice fella. He was one of the only guys from California that didn’t seem like he was from California.

where “progressives” or “radicals” are encouraged to use some portion of their income to support progressive/radical organizations who are doing important work.

Hailing from Canada also makes you a neighbor of the United States. With such a political view as yours, it must be hard to see all this madness happening over there and feeling some of its consequences at home.

How does it make you feel to be Canadian?

Canada is becoming as dark a place as the United States.

There is marginally less madness up here, but there is madness.

A Propagandhi album is always a bit like reading a pamphlet, with all the information stuffed inside the lyrics and liner notes.

You guys support so many local and international causes that it must be hard

78 RMP- Magazine December

to help them all out.

Are there any causes that you would like us to keep an eye out for and/or support.

Jord (our drummer) does solidarity work with the Canada-Haiti Action Network, who aim to expose western capitalist interference in the democratic process in Haiti (the poorest nation in the western hemisphere).

Punk rock and its descendents have grown and changed since the early nineties, when it suddenly boomed into mainstream culture. How do you guys feel about this evolution of punk and hardcore in today’s scene?

I don’t think about it too much really. What people call “punk” these days doesn’t really resemble the bands or the vibe of the scene that we experienced in the mid-80s. Doesn’t really matter either way I suppose; our culture tends to water down and commodify everything as it is.

The European audience hasn’t seen you guys play over here in quite a while.

Any plans on taking the trip abroad again sometime soon?

No concrete plans but hopefully soon!

In 2006 “The Beaver” was added as fourth member to the band. Has that changed your way of composing songs a lot, after being in a three-piece since 1986, and has it left a mark on your sound?

Oh yeah, having a second guitarist, specifically Beaver, breathed life into the band.

Everything sounded bigger instantly, and Beave has a really great sense of atmosphere and depth, which I don’t.

Last question: Rush or The Clash?

I have every Rush album in my collection. I have zero Clash albums in my collection.

Thank you very much for the interview and hope to hear you soon on a stage in Europe.

Cheers!

By David Marote

Live at Geuzepop

RMP- Magazine December 79 Photo-Tessa Wiegerinck

The Maine have a new album, as well as a new DVD to coincide with the release of said album. We talked to them about the reasoning behind the DVD, their choice to record the album themselves and winning an award for their live shows.

In October, you released a DVD about the making of “Pioneer”. Where did the idea come from to make a movie about that album’s creation process?

We went through a lot to not only record “Pioneer,” but also to release it to our fans.

Thankfully, we filmed almost everything we did, from writing to recording. There are a lot of important moments throughout “Pioneer” that we’ve captured on film. We knew this album was different than anything we had done in t he past, so it made sense to film as much of the process as we could.

“Pioneer” was indeed a very special record for the band, since you did everything yourselves. Why didn’t you want any help from outside the band?

It wasn’t because we didn’t want help; it was because we weren’t really given any by our record label. We had to fight especially hard to ensure that our fans heard this album. Also, doing everything ourselves gave us complete creative control. That’s a luxury that has no price tag.

Why didn’t you get any help from your record label?

They did not think the music 80 RMP- Magazine December

we created was the right next step for our band. But we knew that our fans needed to hear those songs, so we just took everything into our own hands.

Did any of you have any experience with recording and releasing albums? Or did you have to figure out everything along the way?

The recording process was very easy; we basically wrote a bunch of songs and had our friends come and help us record it in Texas. We have always been involved with they way our albums have been released since the beginning, so we knew how we wanted things to be done. The biggest challenge was being allowed to release the album because we were on Warner at the time. We just put our foot down and fought for a year so our fans could hear the music.

What were the reactions to the album? It obviously sounds different than the other albums.

The reaction we’ve seen on “Pioneer” has been incredible.

We just finished our Pioneer World Tour, and I have to say that every show surprised me.

We were seeing more fans at shows than ever, and every-

one seemed passionate about the songs from “Pioneer.”

There’s a new version of the album (“Pioneer & The Good Love”) with six new songs. Why is it called “Pioneer” again?

The original “Pioneer” came out with 13 songs , but we actually recorded around 27 songs. There were so many that didn’t make the album, so we decided to re-package the album with some of our favorite B-sides. Hopefully, this gives our fans an idea of how different some of the songs we wrote at that time were. Also, all of these songs were recorded during the same studio time, so it makes sense that they fit under the “Pioneer” title.

With only 19 of 27 songs released, can we expect another version of “Pioneer” with other songs that haven’t been released yet?

I think all of the songs that are out right now, these will be the only ones that we’ll release for a while. We are going to make a new album, and then maybe we will save some of those other ideas to release in a few years.

Interview -The Maine

When it comes to making a new album, would you do everything on your own again?

We’ve talked about doing every-thing in our own again, yes. However, I don’t think we’re against the idea of hiring a producer for the next album. It’s nice to have somebody to guide the project, especially when there are several creative minds trying to contribute.

As for our label situation, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

We’ve talked about the real making of “Pioneer,” but let’s go back to the DVD. What is the main purpose of this movie?

The purpose is to shed light on the entire process. We want our fans to know exactly what happened to make the album what it is today. I think we really just wanted to show what we were thinking and feeling throughout the whole thing.

What were the first reactions to the movie / trailer?

I haven’t even seen the whole DVD yet. We’re still putting the final touches on everything. So far, it’s been interesting to see footage from the studio. So much has happened since we made the album that I forget the details sometimes, so it’s nice to be reminded.

Who did you work with to make the movie?

We had a film company in Brazil film the live set for that

section of the DVD. For the documentary section, we had been filming the entire process ourselves, and along with a friend from Arizona, we put together the documentary.

It was great to look back on how the entire process happened and to see it on film.

You have a great live reputation; you even won an award for it. Is that a reason there’s also a live show on the DVD? Playing live is half the reason we are a band. We write, record and play. We tried to take our Pioneer World Tour all over the globe, but for those who didn’t get a chance to catch us, you can watch it on the DVD. Why did you choose the show in Brazil for the DVD? Thinkinzg back to all of the incredible shows we’ve played, Sao Paulo has been one of those places that just has its

own energy. I think we wanted to capture that for the DVD. Our band feeds on energy when we are on stage. We were confident that Sao Paulo would give us the energy we needed to deliver a performance worthy of the DVD. On your last two European tours you didn’t play in Belgium. Why was that?

Unfortunately, we can’t come to every city that wants us to play. Routing and scheduling sometimes conflict. In a perfect world, we would play every city that wants us. But I’m sure we’ll be back in the future.

Do you want to play Belgium in one of the next European tours?

Of course we do. Hopefully we can!

By Jonas Hoflack

RMP- Magazine December 81

We draw influences from various rock, post-hardcore and metal acts; our music is something that would go hand in hand with headbanging.

Powerful drumlines, ethereal synth pads, chunky chugging riffs, twin-lead guitar harmonies, round yet defined bass and lyrical imagery along with catchy vocal melodies.

Can you introduce the band to our readers?

Mewa: We’re a female-fronted five-piece rock band from Metro Manila, Philippines, with yours truly (Mewa Cawad) on vocals, Andrew Son and Pat Poblador on guitars, Paco Santos on bass and Cash Fuerte on drums. Basically, we’re a young band trying to balance school and music.

Paco: The band’s composed of an eclectic mix of personalities that love to make music.

82 RMP- Magazine December

You’ve all been in other bands. Why did you quit those projects and start Mad Hatter Day? Mewa: Most of those bands were our high school bands or projects that we kept ourselves busy with when we were a lot younger and just starting to get into music. A lot of things changed when we entered college, and that’s when we met each other. We started Mad Hatter Day purely for fun and for our love of music. After a while, we realized

that we wanted more people to hear our music, so right now, we’re working towards that goal.

Cash: They just decided to move on with their lives, and we’ve parted ways after graduating from high school and moving to different universities. We still keep in touch and talk about other projects in the future.

Carmela kind of sounds like Hayley Williams; don’t you think? Do you get that comment a lot?

Paco: We get that comment sometimes, but we’re not trying to emulate or sound like anyone. We’re just being ourselves.

Mewa: Exactly what Paco said! I think that’s the hardest part in being a female-fronted rock band. It’s pretty tough making everyone hear our sound for what it is ‘cause

Interview - Mad Hatter Day bands with female vocalists are automically categorized as Paramore-wannabes by most people. On the matter of females breaking into the androcentric rock and roll sphere, I share the same sentiments with my heroine Emily Haines — we need more female vocalists to be able to display the range of our capabilities, in order for us to stop being seen as a genre.

And in Emily Haines’ words, “...so that I never again have to be compared to someone I don’t sound like just because I’m a girl.”

How hard is it to survive the Philippine music scene?

Cash: The only hard part in the Phlilippine music scene is that Filipinos have a mindset that foreign bands are the best in the world. The industry here barely even notices real talent; it looks over talent

here.

Mewa: Sadly, that’s true to some extent. As long as you have a pretty face and people know your name, you can easily get a record deal around here. But what we love about the music scene here is the coexistence among artists in the independent/underground scene. We’re surrounded by incredibly passionate musicians; the best part is we help and support one another.

After your EP launch, Aki Suda left Mad Hatter Day. What happened? Did you find a replacement?

Paco: Aki left mainly due to creative differences and commitment issues, as he decided to focus on his solo career instead. It wasn’t a bitter breakup at all, and Aki will always be part of the MHD family. It was the start

of a new chapter for us, and we will continue playing as a five-piece band from now on as we feel that it is sonically better for us to play without synthesizers.

You’ve just released the EP “Alice in Distress”. Was it hard to make this one?

Paco: “The Alice in Distress” EP is the product of our blood, sweat and tears; it was definitely a challenging experience. Launching the EP would have never been possible if we weren’t passionate about what we do. We’ve grown so much as a band throughout the entire process. We planned everything months before the launch to make sure we were prepared for just about anything that could go wrong.

Cash: We even decided to take a short hiatus to improve our tone, compose new

RMP- Magazine December 83

songs,fix arrangements and finally recorded tracks for the EP. You had to postpone your release event to a week later. Did this cause a lot of stress?

Mewa: Not at all! Actually, one of the reasons why we moved it is because we really wanted to have our launch at this legendary music events place here in Manila called saGuijo, and October 12 was the closest to our original date that saGuijo was available.

84 RMP- Magazine December

Paco: We opted to release it a week later when we realized that we needed more time to finalize preparations for our launch, and that a lot of other events were set to take place on the original date.

recorded, mixed and mastered by Joey Santos, Pancho Araneta and TJ Brillantes at Love One Another Sound Production. The artist who did our album art was Celina de Guzman.

How DIY is this EP? Who recorded it? Who did the artwork?

Paco: The entire band composed the music while Mewa wrote lyrics and melodies.

Being an independent band, Alice in Distress was an entirely self-produced EP. It was

Any anecdotes about the recording process?

Paco: Aside from the crazy antics of a bunch of funloving kids, there was this one creepy (and funny) incident that happened during Mewa’s vocal recording. She was inside the vocal booth when

Interview - Mad Hatter Day Cash: The most challenging one to make was “Finding Atlantis” due to weather conditions. We had to shoot it in two different days because of the weather. So we had to look the same on the first day of the shoot and the second day which means no haircuts, no shaving, same clothes and everything should be exactly how it was on the first day.

she screamed and ran into the mixing room breathing heavily. She said that saw a faceless old woman standing beside her in the vocal booth!

Recently you played at Jam 88.3 radio. Is this a big thing? Was it fun?

Paco: They premiered our debut single “Battleground”, and then we had an interview with them on air. Being on Jam 88.3 and getting your songs played is a big thing here. We’re also planning on visting other radio stations in Manila.

What’s next for Mad Hatter Day? Paco: We have so much more in line for MHD. We just want everything to happen and fulfill our goals for the future. The launch was just the beginning of a long planned future ahead of us. 2013 is the year we dream even bigger and set the bar even higher. We can’t wait to release a full-length

album and tour the country!

Facebook & Twitter are powerful tools if you use them right! Do you have tips for starting bands about how they should handle social media?

Cash: Show your personality and convince the listeners to check out your music!

Paco: Compromising with production managers is also a good tip, so they shouldn’t bash on things they do not like. Haters are all around the world, so they better handle things in a mature way. And do not rely on social media all the time, communicating with others on stage has a different effect and impact to your audience.

Mewa: Always communicate and interact at a personal level with your fans. Be nice and respectful to everyone, even your critics. Think before you post, and make sure everyone in the band agrees with the message you guys are putting out on Facebook and Twitter. Lastly, don’t over post and don’t spam! You don’t want people remembering you for the wrong reasons.

By Kenny Leys

The band already released a lot of music videos like “Battleground” and “Finding Atlantis”. Which one was the most fun to make?

Paco: Shooting the video for “Battleground” was definitely a lot more fun than shooting “Finding Atlantis”, we had to act the story ourselves, and it felt like we were in an action film.

RMP- Magazine December 85

86 RMP- Magazine December

Live at Z

Ziggypop

RMP- Magazine December Photo-Brenda Boutsen87

We talked with self-described “fatalistic” band Spoil Engine, right after the release of their new album “The Art of Imperfection.” They delved into the unusual process for picking their band name, integrating Panamarenko’s artwork into their own and the unique funding process of their new label Sonic Angel.

Congratulations on the release of the new album “The Art of Imperfection,” which came out on October 5th through Sonic Angel.

Thanks! After two years of line-up changes, songwriting and recording, releasing this new bad-boy was a total relief. But the new album, with permission to speak freely, is a bomb and bundles all that two-year energy in a single package.

Two years ago, the drummer and guitar player left the band, after having been members for many years. Replacements were found pretty swiftly and “The Art Of Imperfection” is the first release featuring those new members. Has anything changed within Spoil Engine?

With all due respect to our former band members Nick and Steven, the new line-up has shifted us up a gear, especially from a technical viewpoint. Guitar player Bart is tighter than your first girlfriend and quite a

88 RMP- Magazine December

decent songwriter. Drummer Matthijs is a pure gift from heaven. [He is] only 21 years old, yet he has been drumming for ten years. He’s the new eye-catcher of the band. In all honesty, I have been hitting stages since I was 16, and I have never, really, never played with someone that focused, tight and down to earth. This guy will earn his pussy, that’s for sure. And by the way, his sisters are equally skilled. It’s all in the family there.

Where does the name Spoil Engine come from? Are some of the members crazy about engines and cars, or is there some other reason you picked it?

We are a fatalistic band, whatever comes, comes.

Enjoy the good times; forget the bad ones. The name actually originates from a similar contingency. At one of our first band BBQ meetings, we said, “We need a band name,” so we took a dictionary and threw it in the sky. Somebody picked it up

and read “spoil,” et voila, there you have it. And we wanted to do something with “engine” too, just because of its well-oiled, lubricated and rhythmic behavior. And since “Engine Spoil” doesn’t work ...

Spoil Engine features members who once played in more hardcore oriented bands such as Deformity and Regression. Any influences left from those H8000 hardcore days?

Influences were never band-related, yet always person-related. I love Carcass, Arch Enemy and CCR. We love Maiden, Slipknot, Lamb of God. No matter which band we play in, the only “influence” left from the old bands is the experience that you’ve built up. A band is more than music. It’s a small company, with music, marketing, sales and everything else involved.

Interview - Spoil engine The artwork for “The Art Of Imperfection” is based on an artwork by Panamarenko. He approved the use of his work for this.

What is it all about?

We had been working on the album for a year and started to think about the concept since we always focus on conceptual albums. So when the late Dimebag Darrell, god have his pentatonic soul, quoted “What’s the use of music when we can digitally perfect every note,” we immediately came up with “the art of imperfection.” At a certain point, you have to stop polishing your songs and

make a final cut.

“Imperfection” also gives character to a song and even to our own personality. So, to match the cover with the concept, we thought, “Can we relate this concept even further to art?” And the first name that came into mind was Panamarenko, moreover because we love his experimental escapism.

Since he’s quite renowned for his art, and he’s basically retired, we presumed this would never work, but after contacting the Panamarenko Collective, they let us know that it was actually a cool and

original concept. It was also applicable to Panamarenko’s artwork, so they gave us the green light to incorporate one of his artworks, “Japanese Flying Pack III.” into the cover.

The actual integration was done by Stefan Heileman, a German graphic artist who designs for Kreator, Nightwish and Legion of the Damned.

When Panamarenko saw the cover for the first time, he was really satisfied with the result. All parties involved did a fantastic job, resulting in some truly original conceptual artwork.

RMP- Magazine December 89

Interview - Spoil engine

This release was done through Sonic Angel, a label that works with some sort of “fan participation system.” Could you explain this as well as the motivation to leave the “major” label Roadrunner Records, where you were the first Belgian artist ever.

Well, Sonic Angel is a Belgium based label, started by internet guru Bart Becks and music mastermind Maurice Engelen. Basically, fans buy shares of your band, which generates a budget for recording, production, distribution and marketing.

In three months time, 128 fans bought shares for a total amount of 15,000 Euro. Since these fans participated in the risk of funding an album, they get rewarded at the revenue sid. Of all album sales, show income and merch sales, they get a part (in cash) in return, paid 2 times a year.

About Roadrunner, we were already aware in 2010 that it was a dead-end street, since our A&R manager Erwin suddenly got cut-off. But as a crisis situation always generates an opportunity for creativity, we rapidly got our eyes on this fan-funding system by Sonic Angel. It was a risk, but in the end we pulled it off. Proud to be the first metal band on this label too.

The last couple of years you’ve played many shows on many different festivals and stages, even with

such highly regarded acts as Mötorhead, Sepultura and Volbeat. Which ones were rather special to you as a band?

Playing direct support for Killswitch Engage was really cool. We sound the same music-wise (because we both steal our riffs from Carcass) and sport the same “smile fucker, it’s only metal” mentality. Other great supports were indeed Volbeat, Arch Enemy, Prong and Motörhead. The Motörhead support was something special too, since we were the only direct support in Vorst Nationaal. Playing that arena was a major brain tattoo! For 2013/2014 we’re not really focusing on supporting big bands but rather on medium-sized to big shows/ festivals with an extensive line-up. Let’s see what that brings.

Ace Zec (Customs) produced the “Art of Imperfection” as well as your previous album. Any reasons for sticking with the same guy?

“Antimatter” was by Ace, but the new album is produced, mixed and mastered by Jochem Jacobs from Textures. We already had a good relationship since “Skinnerbox v.07,” so we teamed up again for the new album. He really produced and inspired us. He knows how hard it is to get a metal album through these days so we were warned from

day one: “Dudes, you better make sure this album rocks because it’s the essential make-or-break third album.”

So his function was not only to turn the knobs but also to coach us and point us in the right musical direction.

Graspop witnessed the brutality of Spoil Engine this year. Was it a warm, hometown welcome?

We played Graspop for the third time now (2007, 2010 and 2012), and it’s bingo every time. For the first two editions we were booked in the official line-up; in 2012 we replaced Black Veil Brides.

But each time, we had a packed, sweaty tent with lots of boobs jiggling in the first rows and a massive response. Bigger shows/crowds really work well for us. Niek is a true demagogue when a big crowd challenges him. We had the same experience at Suikerrock too.

The album is out now through Universal Music.

Any last words you want to add?

We invested a lot of energy and time to build up a diverse but professional team surrounding the band. Sonic Angel is the label, Universal is distributor, LiveNation is the booker and Track Agency is our promoter. We are now finalizing other gear and commercial contracts too. If music is your only concern, you’re dead.

By David Marote

90 RMP- Magazine December

Live at Funtime Fest

RMP- Magazine December 91 Photo-Geert Braekers

You’ve got a brand new CD, titled “Regardless Of What Is Right.” How were the first reactions?

Well, till now we’ve received very good reactions to the new record. We did not really know what to expect. We like the record ourselves, but it’s always nice to get positive feedback. We have worked very hard on this record, and that’s what we get back most of the time. People are surprised by the sound and by the songwriting. The nicest compliment we got was from someone who wrote a review of the record. He stated that in the future bands would be

92 RMP- Magazine December

compared to us instead of us being compared to other bands. I’m not saying we agree on it or that we think we have it all . . . far from.

We keep our feet on the ground and keep on working hard.

But again, it’s nice to get these compliments. And of course, it’s not all positive, as it never is in this world, but we never get to hear that people think our record sucks big time. We get recognition for the effort we put in this band, and that make us feel good.

Can you explain the title?

The title comes from the expression: “Morality is doing right regardless of what you are told. Religion is doing what you are told regardless of what is right.” We thought “regardless of what is right” would make a good title. It comes from something; it has a meaning.

How was the recording process? Did you change anything compared to the recording of the EP? The most important difference is that we recorded much longer. We

Interview - Generation 84 wanted to take all the time we needed. We agreed with Filip De Bot (Penthouse Studio) on working as long as it would take us to get this record ready. The fact that Teun had problems with his voice did not help to speed up the tempo.

Then again, this gave us some time to listen to the recordings before starting to mix. For the first EP, we worked together with Filip for the recordings and with Jan De Rijck (Selah Sue, Daan) for the mix. Jan did a great job in a very short time. Normally, it takes him one day to mix one song, and now he did the job in one, five days for six songs.

We were planning to work with him again, but after talking to Filip for some time and after thinking it over, we decided to go for it and give the job to Filip. In the end, that was the best decision. First of all, because Filip did an extremely good job and secondly, because Jan didn’t have any time left to take on this job.

The band didn’t play shows before recording the first EP. Now, you’ve played together a lot. Was it easier to write and record the songs after that much time on stage?

I don’t think it had an influence in any way.

Recording a record is very different from playing shows. Sometimes it’s just you and the engineer in the studio, so you’re

not always in the studio as a band. But playing shows did help with writing new songs.

You can try out a new song on stage and afterwards you can change some things in the song if you feel it didn’t work out as you thought it would.

The downside of playing a lot is that you don’t have a lot of time to write new songs. You are in some kind of flow, looking forward to the next shows. On the other hand, it was a big boost to work on new songs since we want to keep going at this pace.

You also made a video for one of the songs on the new album. Who came up with the idea for the video?

The clip was shot at an old jazz club in Heist-op-denBerg, called Hnita-hoeve. It has a nice atmosphere, old cinema seats, a low stage and a good vibe. We all agreed on shooting the clip over there. The rest of the idea was formed together.

In the end, we did a lot of shots and took the best we could get. Though it’s a low budget video, we are not loaded with money, so that was the only option we had.

I think it’s a good video.

all these problems is that Teun lost a bit of his vocal reach. He has trouble reaching the high notes.

Combine this with the fact that the songs on our new record have lots of high notes, and you can understand that we needed to take measures.

So we downtuned the guitars to help Teun reach the higher notes, and it works.

Playing a lot of shows in a row has also become a difficulty, but we’ll find a way to manage this. Teun is working hard on his voice, so I’m confident that we will get on the road again without too much trouble. Playing two shows on the same day, as we did before, might be something we won’t be able to do again in the future. Anyway, we are past those

You’ve mentioned before that your singer, Teun Van Aarschot, had some problems with his voice for over six months. Has something changed because of his health problems?

As I told you before, it gave us more time to work on the record. The downside after

RMP- Magazine December 93

problems now. We had a rough time, but we stuck to our plans, and here we are again.

Everyone in Generation 84 is currently, or used to be, in another band. Does the diverse stylings of your line-up make it difficult to work together and agree on the sound of the songs?

No. Not at all. We all know what Generation 84 stands for. We know what this band is about and what we want it to sound like.

What about the planning?

Does it collide with the plans of the other bands?

How do you decide which ones get priority?

We’ve never had big problems with that. We knew this when we started the band, and we agreed on not letting this stand in our way.

If needed, we will replace someone, even if it is for one show. At the end of November we have a show in Eindhoven. Our bass player has other responsibilities, so we have a stand-in to do his job. And he is the only one not playing in another band, so you see there’s always the chance someone has other things to do. We take this band seriously, so if you can’t make it to a show, it’s your responsibility to find someone to stand-in for you. And I hear you thinking, “What about Teun?” Well, it’s difficult to replace him, but we never had to do this. So who knows, it might turn out that you’ll see

94 RMP- Magazine December

Generation 84 with another singer sometimes. Let’s hope not, of course; he’s the best.

What’s your opinion on downloading music?

I’ll give my personal opinion, since the opinions in the band are diverse. I personally think it’s not okay to download extensively. We talked about it on the way to a show in Germany, so we had a lot of time on our hands. Our bass player compared it to tapes back in the day. Someone bought a record and others taped it. I agree on this part; I don’t think everyone has to buy every record they want to listen to. That’s almost impossible, and it would mean that not a lot of people would get to know other bands. But that was in the past.

People were happy with this tape, and they played it ‘til it got worn out.

By that time, you might have bought the record yourself or you bought the new record or whatever. One thing is different now; nobody needs to buy the record anymore.

It’s available online for free almost the same day as the record comes out, and nobody buys it. They rip it from the bands own Bandcamp page or other sites the band puts music on. And even if they pay for it . . . in the past,

it was me buying the record and four others taping it.

Now, it’s four people buying it, and the rest of the world is downloading it. If it were the same thing as taping was in the past, then sale figures wouldn’t be down that much.

Anyway, it won’t stop because of me saying this, but you’ve asked my opinion. All hail to the people who buy or legally download our records. Less hail, but still hail, because you want to have our record, to the people who illegally download it! No hail to all these companies, web servers etc. that are getting money out of the work of other people.Maybe we should start making our own download site where you can

Interview - Generation 84

download all your punk rock/ hardcore/independent records almost for free, after paying a small amount of money for the service. That money should go to the bands.

Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about websites and stuff, so I will need some help if I ever want to make this happen.

You’ll be playing Skin of Tears first reunion show in Germany. Are there any plans to tour in other countries as well?

We are working on a European tour in 2013.

We hope to exceed the amount of shows we did after the release of our EP, and we hope, even more, to exceed the distance. Playing shows in Belgium is

great, but we want to go further. We want to play all over the place.

Speaking of touring, what’s the funniest thing that has happened so far?

Funny? I think it’s always funny when we hit the road.

We have this cool bus from Scummie (The End Of Ernie).

If he has the time, he drives us everywhere. That’s a guarantee for good times.

I could tell you lots of stories about Benny AKA Big Tasty AKA the penis of one of the Generation 84 members, but

you’ll have to ask the saxophone player of Murphy’s Law for more details. It’s always funny when people don’t remove explicit pictures from their camera. We are also good at getting lost, even in places we know very well.

Well, I’ll keep it to this, you can’t tell funny stories, as they are only funny for those who were there.

By Manuel Van Den Notelaer

RMP- Magazine December 95

†2010 - 2012 96 RMP- Magazine December

RMP- Magazine December 97

WE HAVE THIS LITTLE FANTASY OF DOING WHAT WE LIKE TO CALL, 'THE HOT 100' NEXT SUMMER: 100 SHOWS IN 100 DAYS. IT'S QUITE THE FEAT, BUT WE WANT IT. Containing members from such bands as Shai Hulud, Lazarus Taxa, Blackbirds, End Trails and From Hell, Hollow Earth has a pretty experienced line-up. Covering their first album to ideas for next year, we had an interesting talk with vocalist Steve Muczynski.

Where did the idea come from to start a new band?

I’ve been trying to start a touring band for quite some time now. The problem is finding other capable musicians with the same agenda.

The idea to start this band came about originally because I found a drummer that was eager to tour, and drummers are the hardest position to fill. So once that was in place the rest was easy. Things have changed quite drastically since then, but yeah, that’s how it started.

Mike Moynihan plays guitar, Dave Giandiletti also plays another guitar and Jake Hicks plays bass. Jake Duhaime was/still kind of is our drummer, and we’re in the process of replacing him. Jimmy Lawson, Chris Trestain and Mike Khan have all been kind enough to fill in at one point or another. It’s a bit messy, but 98 RMP- Magazine December

we make it work.

Mike Moynihan was also the front man of Shai Hulud.

Does Hollow Earth borrow a bit of the same sound?

Our guitarist was singing for Shai Hulud but is no longer with them. To answer your question though, I think it’s fair to say that Shai Hulud is certainly a prominent influence on Hollow Earth, but I wouldn’t call it a carbon copy by any means.

How would you best describe your sound?

“Head bangable?” I don’t know; that’s always a tough question to answer. We strive to write music that is aggressive, emotive and smart but most of all, music that appeals to us.

Your first album is titled “We Are Not Humanity.” Is

there any story behind that title?

The title comes from a book called “The Story of B.” All the lyrics on “We Are Not Humanity” are influenced by said novel, as well another work from the same author, Daniel Quinn, called “Ishmael.”

Basically, it means this: we are not the only culture that inhabits the earth. There are several tribal people that still exist today, and have existed for a long, long time. So even though our culture dominates a majority of the earth, it still does not mean we are the only culture. On a deeper level, the title suggests that we have a lot to learn from cultures that have thrived for centuries while living in accordance with certain laws of the earth that our culture has been breaking for the better part of the last 10,000 years.

Does the title encompass

Interview - HE

the whole album and the songs’ subjects?

Yes, it most certainly does!

From start to finish, both musically and lyrically, there is a linear theme/concept in play. Lyrically, the record begins with a sense of human entitlement and then slowly unravels and ends with the understanding that, in fact, we are not humanity; we are a single culture and have wiped out several others and turned a blind eye to those that still exist.

Does the band have a favourite song on the album?

That answer may vary from one guy to the next, but if we had to pick a collective favourite, it’d likely be the fifth track: “On the Precipice.”

Before we released the record, we chose two songs for people to listen to/download, and that was one of them, and it seemed to be received quite well.

You can listen to the full album on the Bandcamp page. Why did you decide to put it there in full and not just a couple songs?

Do you think that will keep people from actually buying the album?

Well initially, we did only choose the two songs I just mentioned. Then, once Panic Records officially released the album, we figured it might be a good idea to stream the whole record in hopes of actually enticing people to purchase a copy. And if not, maybe it will at least entice them to seek out a free download. Ultimately, we just want people to hear it, one way or another. In a perfect world, everyone would buy a hard copy and sit with it and read along to the lyrics. Alas, that is not the world we live in.

People want it fast, and they want it now. So, it’s there for the taking! Well, sort of. We’ll say it’s there for the listening.

The digital download can be purchased via panicrecords. net. How about that?

Does the band have any plans for the future? Can we expect you to tour Europe some day?

We do. Nothing is set in stone, of course, but we have plans nonetheless. We just recently began writing new music with a new drummer, ideally for a full length LP that we hope to record in February or March of 2013. We would absolutely love to make it to Europe next year as well.

We’ve already been in touch with a kind gentleman from No Decline about bringing us over, so who knows. Maybe it just might happen? Also, we have this little fantasy of doing what we like to call, “The Hot 100” next summer: 100 shows in 100 days. It’s quite the feat, but we want it. Some of us more than others! We’ll see; only time will tell.

By Kenny Leys

RMP- Magazine December 99

Photo-Lander Vanhoof 100RMP- Magazine December

†2010 - 2012

RMP- Magazine December 101

the n i n : ica e r n e e m c A S An unk P nd a e s o e t n a Jap oing G t a ce A Glan Shows ter I g a year af n h s i i l g n y E ach irginia.

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I l g l , n i d i r n t G o e m e e h m Ic ic s lone cene in R ding year ne, let a s n e e c , p s g s n e i r s w e e o t n gr Af the Japa pect from aint, yet riends in hat to ex f w in the qu o f being n o h e t r i u tch w n’t s in the US a s r a s c w n s a f o m s o o l r t a f ustomed h other, a one. I I was acc op of eac the Nagoy t . s n w going o o h g s n i t jump ese fans ans a n f , a g p e n a s i J e c n n a e a s p d o Ja were the oshing, English t rowdy - m like. How teaching re e e h s w h t t f n d f o n o m a o go eral long t v a e d s g a n h g i n g I i n d i s e, and ions fter spen hy, polit s y impress l l n l o a to act? A e t h s t mo sually students, o were al what is u h w f o , s e t t n i e Japanese s tud xact oppo e by my s . al, the e n o those mad i t etal show a t n o confr punk or m n y o n n a y t r a e v erent seen much diff t ’ n s a w ple er, n to. Peo e ed, howev e v b i r d r a a h I with b I und when rsations ar or clu e b v n e o s c e n What I fo r a i p night the other Ja -up that cused on e o f n i y l e from any h e t h to t t o mind as I started king abou , l t a n t i o y p l b paid me n t i I a s ed. Then es. At th ends, pos lly start their liv their fri a u n t i c y not a s w w e o n he sh mad frenz t a l i o t and other t n n u i of go a bit, barrages e people h t t i i l w o chill out p , d , n m getting n Richmo hese cal used to i watched t ers, kids k s a a e w gs. p s I e t h a sing-alon and t r e o g f a unlike wh t s s n o f f show, ile ing o ore this ut, and p f g e kids jump b d n e a m d o a t ave the he kids out I would h e s , e s h e t s kicked in s d a e l have to ne point e of my c Had someo s who I’d ven in on d e i k r o y h n s i a s normal, on the tr hem off a t d e h s u r b

102RMP- Magazine December

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Column - An American in the Japanese punk scene...

coax into speaking up. Yet, all of them were able to drop their normal social demeanors and go wild for their friends’ bands, as well as for an American band, whose lyrics they probably could only half understand; yet they were going wild and having fun all the same.

After the show, I got to know a few people in the Japanese scene, particularly the people involved with the label that sponsored the show: Ice Grill$. I soon became friends with the head of the label, as well as the one Japanese band on the label: After Tonight.

After chatting with these guys, they informed me that, like any other scene, there’s plenty of drama and trash talk among fans and bands alike.Still,just seeing a completely different

side of Japanese youth that didn’t involve being buried in homework, corporatism and the pressures of strict, familial and societal values was a complete relief for me.

Not long after, I joined the Ice Grill$ team to tour with several American and Japanese bands and witnessed the scenes in many different cities across the country. Each one wasn’t too different from the last, but there was still a spark of something that made each place unique and memorable. Now, after a year of playing and going to shows, there are other quirks I have discovered to the whole process of playing gigs in Japan. Even in this subculture, attitudes are steeped in Japanese tradition and hierarchy, especially the concept of sempai, a system in which older, more experienced bands tend to get better spots on shows as well as signs of respect (such as kids bowing lower to them and thanking them). Another unique thing is that all bands are expected to do a sound check before a show to ensure that the levels are correct, something I never once experienced in the US. Finally, it’s not uncommon for a show to have no less than seven bands on a bill whenever a touring band comes through, due to the relatively high costs of booking and holding a show.

Quirks and cultural differences aside, many things within the punk scenes of both the US and Japan seem to be universal: people are generally accepting of you as long as you’re not a dick (which can happen, even if you don’t speak the language), the scene is a haven in which one can escape the stress and bummers of everyday life, and there are always politics and traditions that go along with the scene, which can be cumbersome. Despite this, even if there is a language barrier between a person and a whole community, there is a commonality in the music and a bonding in the moments when a band starts playing.

By Paul Mckee

RMP- Magazine December 103

The Female . .

Front Taking Over .

coming les are a m e f f t o mething ys a lo sn’t so a i d t t e I s e . ene say tha t th core sc ave to act tha d h f r a I e h e h t h t r u t u b I like nt of o g old, en have forefro omethin rls/wom s i e g which, h e t b e m o r o t scene, neve ow s h e l r l e o i e c w s d r where to ha new, it a world ly nice nt in today’s t l s a a e e r l s at about na it i be domi talking orld or w o y to t l s n ’ ” n o s a not o speak “ball m s a m t ’ i I a , m . t s s i i ey ace he char , their ke monk let’s f mores t passion ance li n d e r v i n e e a h c t t bu , ic, the men message The mus balls,” r . e i t h e u t h o t b g a “havin spread is all y life! wd and what it e love . . . m s ’ t the cro a h t ion, th ecause love, b sage, the pass mes

Wolf X Down Wolf X Down is a German straight edge band that I discovered last year and who swept me completely off my naked feet (it was summer). This is a band that wants to deliver a message to their fans, and e they wear the delivery jacket very well indeed. Th ly music kicks you in the balls, and that’s exact g what the band stands for: taking a stand and makin they sure you follow them! And when playing live, to tend to keep this promise to their fans. Be sure check them out, as they will surely spread their message all over the European hardcore scene.

Latest Release: Renegades Start a Fire Records http://www.facebook.com/WOLFxDOWN

104RMP- Magazine December

Column - The female front taking over ...

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By Jo B

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RMP- Magazine December 105

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106RMP- Magazine December

Column - This aint noise gives you the crucial stuff

Other and, the from

bands, I can think off, with their heart in the right place more specifically, their liver in the right place, are Off Charts from the suburbs of Brussels and The Dutch Rudders the depths of Oost-Vlaanderen. Two genuine bands with

great material on hand and even better material to come. If you’re not on that boat yet, please jump in as fast as you can. The same thing goes for Ashes: young hardcore blood that bursts with talent and is making its way into the scene fast.

They are one of the most brutally interesting bands I’ve encountered recently. And while you’re at it, be sure to check out Outline; they are pretty damn sick.

If we look a bit further for new talent, Canada is the first thing that comes to mind. I don’t know why, but some of the most interesting bands I’ve been listening to are from Canada. For instance: Unfun. I hope you can guess where their name comes from. Weird dudes, but they make amazing music. Good luck trying to find an angrier band around. They create anger; they distil anger and release it through the darkest, punkest, harshest riffs you’ll be able to hear in this age of careful production and safe song writing.

Another Canadian band that goes way beyond your imagination is Crusades. It’s basically catchy pop punk, bathed in a sphere of dark, anti-religious themes and art. Imagine “Beat Off”-era The Queers playing Emperor tunes. Within the Canada pop punk scene you should also check out Weekend Dads. They’re just crazy fun to listen to. If heavy shit is not your thing but you like silly-yet-awkwardly-relevant lyrics, you might wanna have a listen.

The UK seems to be on the rise as well, emo bands especially seem to be doing well. You should definitely check out Ten Speed Bicycle from London; they mix their 90s emo with 80s hardcore, and they make it work so well. For a more contemporary emo sound, you should get to know Apologies, I Have None, who have released one of the finest album of the year: “London.”

So, you probably realise this is only the tip of the iceberg.

These are bands I am pretty stoked about, so I hope you give them a chance, if you haven’t already. If you wanna be a crucial dude . . . You wanna be a crucial dude.

By Karel Geuens Radio presenter: This Aint Noise Radio!

(Every thursday, from 20H - 21H!) RMP- Magazine December 107

108RMP- Magazine December

Live at

modfest

Live at atak (NL)

RMP- Magazine December 109

Review

1. Initiation 2. Mannequins 3. Underwater 4. The Courier 5. These Hands

Monster Cat

Mannequins

Score

: 75/100

On their latest release, Mannequins, Singapore’s Monster Cat has created a haunting and atmospheric blend of folk-rock songs that at times takes a number of its cues from a Sigur Ros brand of post-rock. That isn’t to say that “folk” isn’t an underlying presence; reappearing acoustic strumming, pounding kick drums, and swooning male and female harmonies make this feel like a collection of tripped-out sea shanties. The surreal album art isn’t the only thing that lends itself to the lost-at-sea imagery.

Stand out track “Underwater,” with its soaring horns, references to “driftwood,” and chorus “I’ll hold you underwater while I can,” feels like a simultaneously rousing and devastating tale of love in a sea-side town. There are some lyrical missteps on the album (can the phrase “cheap perfume” just be stricken form all songwriter’s notebooks?) and the vocals can reach pseudo-operatic cheesiness at times, but otherwise Mannequins is a compelling and largely unique release.

Writer: Doug Koziol

110RMP- Magazine December

1. Uncless 2. Circels 3. Conscience 4. The wind 5. No one lets you know

Pentimento

Pentimento

Score

6. Days away 7. The bridge 8. Almost atlantic 9. Subtle words 10. For winter 11. On summer

: 87/100

The first full album of this band from Buffalo, New York, was released for free on the internet a while ago. Luckily enough this doesn’t mean that it’s an album of low quality.

Pentimento kicks off with a strong Uncless. It’s a song that immediately gives the listener a good view on what Pentimento is like. The sound of the band is a bit rough, with quite some pop-punk and post-hardcore influences. The structures of their songs aren’t always logical, but that doesn’t make them bad. On this album there is a perfect balance between softer, more emotional songs and the louder in your face kind of songs.

The acoustic version of The Bridge, a song from their split album with Young English, ended up to be my personal favorite on this one. Overall the boys from Buffalo didn’t reinvent the wheel with this one, but they sure improved it.

Writer: Lazlo Cootmans

RMP- Magazine December 111

Review

1. Numb, But I Still Feel It 2. Leaf 3. Like a Ritual 4. Secret Society 5. Head in the Ceiling Fan

Title Fight

Floral Green

Score

6. Make You Cry 7. Sympathy 8. Frown 9. Calloused 10. Lefty 11. In-Between

: 85/100

“Every day I lie asleep / Trying to wake up from this dream” bellows bassist and vocalist Ned Russin on the album’s vicious opener, “Numb, But I Still Feel It.” The passion in his voice punches through the mix with unchallengeable power. Hailing from the small town of Kingston, Pennsylvania, Title Fight’s sophomore full-length, Floral Green, presents a beautifully painted canvas of musical diversity and loose-yourself hooks with enough sing-along potential to shake the walls of any music hall. From the straight forward post-hardcore approach of “Sympathy” to the spine-tingling bass and vocals intro of the album’s single, “Secret Society”, Title Fight show a wide array of songwriting styles and pure energy-driven rock.

Title Fight’s progression as a band is evident throughout. Songs flow into each other with perfect fluidity and the band’s playing molds together as if they were a single function. Russin’s vocals are more relaxed and melodic compared their 2011 debut full-length, Shed, while Jamie Rhoden and Shane Morans’ guitar playing comes across in a much looser manner. Notes seem to float in the air, creating an almost ambient feel to many of the songs, partially due to the fantastic work done by producer Will Yip. Title Fight are masters of conveying emotion through music. In the second half of “Like a Ritual”, the band kicks into half-time, slowly decaying into echoing feedback as if the song were crumbling in your hands. The harmony-filled vocals of “Make You Cry” radiate a warm, comforting sensation with the lines “Skipping tombstones / Heavy and low / Hope that they float / No one knows how deep the bottom goes.”

Drummer Ben Russin carries the band effortlessly through songs like “Calloused” and “Lefty” with a no-frills approach that fits the writing perfectly.

The majority of the album in general is slowed down compared to old favorites such as “Symmetry” off of 2009’s The Last Thing You Forget EP. In fact, the high point of the record is the gracefully paced, calming track, “Head in the Ceiling Fan”, that begs to be played over a car stereo on a long midnight drive home. Fans of Title Fight’s previous releases may miss the sped-up, energy filled tone that we’ve grown to know and love. But the album makes up for it in a much bigger way by condoning an elegant sound that displays some of the best songwriting in punk rock today. Do yourself a favor and become immersed in the excellence of Title Fight’s Floral Green.

Writer: Evan Engisch

112RMP- Magazine December

1. Engage 2. Still Swingin (featuring Downlink) 3. Where Did the Angels Go? (featuring Tylias) 4. Silence is the Enemy 5. Before I Die

Papa roach

The Connection

Score

6. Wish You Never Met Me 7. Give Me Back My Life 8.Breathe You In 9. Leader of the Broken Hearts 10. Not That Beautiful” (featuring Shahnaz) 11. Walking Dead 12. Won’t Let Up 13. As Far as I Remember

: 80/100

Papa Roach: Last resort, nu-metal, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2. Those are the things most of us instantly remember when they hear the name Papa Roach. It’s been a while since the release of their debut album “Infest”. Thirteen years, five studio albums and one drummer later, it is time for their new album “The Connection”.

When I first heard the single “still swinging” I couldn’t really get excited for this record.

I kind of liked the song but the dubstep thingy really ruined it for me. I was hoping this wouldn’t be another band jumping on the dubstep bandwagon and luckily they didn’t!

This doesn’t mean that there are no electronic sounds to be found on this album. They just stay in the background to give the songs are fuller sound. I personally loved this.

Why? Because it makes the songs even larger and stronger.Even though Papa Roach did some experimenting on some of their albums, they are going back to the sound they started with on “Infest”. Jacoby even went back to rapping on this album while the songs have become more serious and meaningful. Some songs could even easily be played on the mainstream radios without being a real pop song. While the other songs are out there with balls out.I can honestly say that I love this album! I even dare to say that this is their second best album thus far, with “Infest” being their best. Don’t go buying this expecting a real nu-metal album, the influences are still in there but the sound has matured with the band.

Writer: Manuel Housen

RMP- Magazine December 113

Review

1. Dead Air 2. Tabloid 3. You 4. Forbidden Fruit

Creative Adult

Dead air

Score

: 76/100

After a quick amusing sound bit from Mariah Carry’s “Touch My Body”, Creative Adult slams into the title track with immense force. Vocalist Scott Phillips belts out about sitting in empty rooms and losing your mind. “I hope I do nothing / I fall into nightmare” the dual-recorded vocals proclaim. The lyrics and moaning tone of Phillips’ voice fit the mood of the song perfectly and compliment the four-on-the-floor drumming and on beat/off beat guitars that seem to drag the song along with each strum. The song then takes a brief bass and drums only pause before exploding into the louder, more aggressive outro.Just seconds later, the band busts into “Tabloid”. Easily the best song of the EP, “Tabloid” provides a rage-filled three minute demonstration of the bands feeling towards modern pop culture. Simply put, they don’t like it one bit. The song is played at just the right pace to make you want to jump around in your seat and sing along to the repeated chant of “You read it in the Tabloids, bought it on the big screen / It’s true what they say, you fools believe anything.”

Things slow down a bit for the third track, “You”. A relaxed four-note bass line leads into an almost Joy Division reminiscent, swaying verse before jumping to the double-timed, chorus complete with layered shouts of “Deception!” After fading out of “You”, the band wastes no time before three clicks of a drum stick introduce the closing song, “Forbidden Fruit”. The main riff of the song is as catchy as anything and the chorus brings a vibe similar to that of the Damned’s earlier years with its descending chorus.

The drumming is especially great on this track, constantly commanding the song forward.Not too many bands begin their discography with a release as solid as Dead Air. The raw, aggressive noise-rock approach to their music sticks out amongst most modern punk and rock bands. With this tremendous first-release, I am excited to see where they will go from here. Creative Adult is certainly a band to watch.

Writer: Evan Engisch

114RMP- Magazine December

Review

1. Breaking Habits 2. Mileage 3. Sleeping Tides 4. Buried Inside 5. The Midnight Sun

Solstice

Selftitled

Score

: 75/100

“Solstice is a new band from Belgium, featuring ex-members from When HopeEscapes, they bring you a very melodic post-hardcore sound. The band recently recorded their first EP in the Penthouse Studios and it sounds really promising. It’s clear that these five guys already have quite some musical experience. Although sounding proper and all at first, after a while the songs start blending together. Each song sounds good, but overall lacks that one unique sound or hook which could make it really great.

No doubt about it that this band will continue to grow and find their own unique sound.

The EP sounds good but could have sounded way better. But it’s still a young band, so without doubt the next release will be much better!”

Writer: Wouter Grauwels

Writer: Ruben Haels

RMP- Magazine December 115

Review

1. Flowermouth (The Leech) 2. Around My Neck // On My Head 3. Sleep (I’ve Been Slipping) 4. Liars // Trudge 5. Colors (Into Nothing)

Code Orange Kids

Love Is Love // Return To

Score

6. Nothing (The Rat) 7. Roots Are Certain // Sky Is Empty 8. Choices (Love Is Love) 9. Calm // Breathe 10. Bloom (Return To Dust)

: 85/100

Code Orange Kids are one hell of a mean wolfpack hailing from Pitssburgh. Their latest release that appeared on Deatwish Inc. is teh doubletitled Love Is Love // Return To Dust. And to sum it all up, these kids witnessed some tough love but as promised they return and leave nothing but dust.All tracks on this album follow the same rule as the album title.

One track, two titles. Openening up the gates of hell.“Flowermouth // The Leech”, feriocious, loud and perfect for an opener. “Around My Neck // On My Head” takes the pace up a notch and is an energetic bomb going off with hypersonic drumming.

“Sleep // I’ve Been Slipping” takes us on a bass driven trip to hell and back, recorded

by Kurt Ballou (Converge).”Liars // Trudge” balances on speedy parts and a constant build up of sonic annihilation.

Colors Into Nothing takes a side step with a slow soothing intro guided by some guitarstrumming. A little intermezzo amidst the chaos. “Nothing // The Rat“ starts a tribe war into insanity with thundering drums. “Roots Are Certain // Skys Is Empty” takes you back on that diabolical rollercoaster and serves some Holy Terror.

“Choices // Love Is Love” sounds like opening pandora’s box and listening to it. “Calm // Breathe” does exactly what it says, it provides a pause for breath but in the end start to sound a bit to new age themed to my personal preference. “Bloom // Return To Dust” makes the speakers roar again and closes this well balanced album. Code Orange Kids recorded this album in the GodCity studios of Kurt Ballou and that Converge vibe must have been present during these recordings. For fans of heavy, dark, chaotic metal blended with a dash of hardcore.

Writer:David Marote

116RMP- Magazine December

1. Victim Culture 2.Everybody Loves You (When You’re Dead) 3. Last June 4. Outsider Art 5. Vapid Adolescent Blues 6. Austere

Gallows

Gallows

Score

7. Depravers 8. Odessa 9. Nations / Never Enough 10. Cult of Mary 11. Cross of Lorraine 12. We Bite (Misfits cover) 13. Borstal Breakout

: 75/100

Back in 2010 Gallows had their major breakthrough with the album “Grey Britian”.

Fronted by Frank Carter they toured all over the world with their dangerous and aggressive live shows. In the summer of 2011 Frank announced his departure with the band. Stating that he and the rest of the band had different ideas regarding the sound of Gallows going forward. The band were with their backs up against the wall. Was this the end of Gallows? Where other bands would just die out, these guys faced a crossroad.

They had the choice to let the departure break them or try to build on what they already achieved.

While messing with a band’s chemistry is always a gamble, they recruited the canadian Wade MacNeil (former guitar player for Alexisonfire) to fill up his shoes and hit the studio to record their third album. Expectations for the new album were difficult to predict by both media and fans. If they would have maintained the quality of the previous records this album would already be called a success.First impressions of the new album is that these guys didn’t lose a step. This is one powerfull album and just a real statement. While most people will focus on what the new vocalist contributes to the band, most of them would forget the great guitar work from Steph Carter and Laurent Barnard that takes all of this to a new level. With catchy choruses and real pure aggression this album will grab you by the throat and transport you like a whirlwind through it all. With songs like “Victum Culture”, “Everybody Loves You (When You’re Dead) and the first single “Last June”. This album is without a doubt one of the best you’ll hear in 2012. With this new release the British punk rockers pick up where they left us and they’re back on track to put themselves on the map again where they belong.

Writer: Brett Bervoets

RMP- Magazine December 117

Review

1. Do It Now Remember It Later 2. If You Can’t Hang 3. Who Are You Now 4. Four Corners and Two Sides

Sleeping With Sirens

Let’s cheers to this

Score

5. A Trophy Father’s Trophy Son 6. Fire 7. Tally It Up, Settle the Score 8. Your Nickel Ain’t Worth My Dime 9. Postcards and Polaroids 10. All My Heart 11.Let’s Cheers to This

: 85/100

Since Sleeping with Sirens start recording their new album in January of 2013, it is only fit that we take you on a tour of their last album and see what that was all about.

The people who’ve been with Sleeping With Sirens from the start, know that this second record is nothing like their debut album. It’s got a softer sound, less background and more clean vocals. But nonetheless a great album.

The sound of the songs seems very attuned to the content. Take ‘If You Can’t Hang’ and ‘Four Corners and Two Sides’, and compare them to for example ‘Your Nickle Ain’t Worth My Dime’ or ‘All My Heart’. The first two talk about relationships gone wrong and sound considerably heavier than the last two songs mentioned, who talk about summer romances and falling in love. Sleeping With Sirens obviously have a unique sound and if you haven’t yet checked them out then definitely do. Really, these sirens are such gorgeous creatures.

Writer: Rani Coppens

118RMP- Magazine December

1. Sis 2. The American’s Head 3. The Underground Man 4. Eve 5. The Diplomat 6. All Seeing Eye 7. Valley of the Geysers 8. Book Burner 9. Machiavellian

Pig Destroyer

Book Burner

Score

10. Baltimore Strangler 11. White Lady 12. The Bug 13. Iron Drunk 14. Burning Palm 15. Dirty Knife 16. Totaled 17. Kamikaze Heart 18. King of Clubs 19. Permanent Funeral

: 85/100

Pig Destroyer returns with their latest release Book Burner, and the fire is seering heavily this time.19 fast paced grindcore tracks all crammed into one hell of a disc will make your ears bleed. Considering that Pig Destroyer tracks range in between 30 seconds for the shortest and up to 4 minutes for the longest track you can count on it that fast paced drumming is the backbone of this record. Since the previous drummer left the band Pig Destroyer attracted new blood to their cult like band in the shape of Adam Jarvis. And Adam has a certain magic with those drumsticks, he lays down the base on which the band can create their sonic terrorism.

With outstanding outbursts of excellent grindcore such as Machavellian, Baltimore Strangler and Dirty Knife the anti-autorian band reclaims his status of being of the best grindcore bands out there. Many have tried to imitate their sound but few have achieved this level of greatness. Listen to Pig Destroyer and burn books while you’re at it. Cause this music will make you violent for sure and give you an urge to destroy everything in your surroundings.

Writer: David Marote

RMP- Magazine December 119

Review

6. Dead Presidents 1. Dogmata 2. Chroma Paralysis 3. Motherless 4. Systema Perimetr

(feat. Matt of Kublai Khan)

5. 1203

Silence

Dead Presidents

Score

(feat. Adam and Dylan of Playing For Keeps)

7. In Somni 8. Kazuo 9. Indian Eater 10. American Ethos

(feat. Dominick of Bad Luck / von Wolfe)

: 75/100

Silence returns to their former label We Are Triumphant with their newest release ‘Dead Presidents’.These Daytona Beach natives return with a furious attack of deathcore to unleash the beast once more upon earth. Featuring current members of bands such as Adaliah, Ceruleus and Aglacia and a former member of Playing For Keeps is a dead giveaway that these fellows have a background in the deathcore music scene. Dead Presidents displays the talent of this band once more with deep grunts being backed up by psychotic guitar riffs and some clean vocals to add to the balance.

Tracks such as Chroma Paralysis thrive on this well known scheme but also leave room for some experimentation. Title track Dead Presidents features the help of their good friends from Playing For Keeps, Adam and Dylan and leaves some room for piano amidst the chaos caused by the tight drumming and heavy guitarriffs. American Ethos closes this album off with atmospheric sounds that will leave many with piss stains in their pants from the fear when hearing this track. It also features the aid of Dorn Fox, known from the Florida based band Bad Luck and Von Wolfe. If you are a fan of the deathcore genre then Silence has a nice treat for you to put under your christmas tree this year.

Writer: David Marote

120RMP- Magazine December

1. Death Rattle 2. Everything’s Amazing and Nobody’s Happy 3. Break Classic 4. Tour Dogs 5. Cold Snap

Anchors

Lost At The Bottom Of The World

Score

6. Safety First, Then Teamwork 7. High and Low 8. From Miles Above 9. Lazarus Sign 10. Grimes 11. Coastlines 12. New Limit

: 83/100

Anchors is a five piece outfit from down under, Melbourne Australia to be precise. Lost At The Bottom Of The World is their second album and was released in the beginning of October on Creator-Destructor Records. Expect some fast paced punkrock like made great by bands as Propgandhi, Strung Out,... And those influences can be heard all over their latest album, songs such as Break Classic thrive on fast technical guitar licks and remind me of Strung Out while other songs such as Cold Snap and High Low take you back on that ‘90’s punkrock sound made famous by the well known Fat Wreck bands. From Miles Above and Lazarus Sign follow that same tradition while Coastlines drifts towards technical metalcore.

Closing off this album is New Limit, a more melodic song by our counterpedes. Ranging their music from Propagandhi, Good Riddance to A Whilhelm Scream makes sure that Lost At The Bottom Of The World is a varied album full of modern day punkrock with it’s roots deep into ‘90’s punk without the copy/paste formula so many bands nowadays seem to apply. They come from a land down under and i hope these guys aint going down cause i rather like this’ mate’.

Writer: David Marote

RMP- Magazine December 121

Review

1. Aimless Arrow 2. Trespasses 3. Tender Abuse 4. Sadness Comes Home 5. Empty on the Inside 6. Sparrow’s Fall 7. Glacial Pace

8. Vicious Muse 9. Veins and Veils 10. Coral Blue 11. Shame in the Way 12. Precipice 13. All We Love We Leave Behind 14. Predatory Glow

Converge

All We Love We Leave BehindDust

Score

: 90/100

The Converge cult has risen over the years and their latest offspring All We Love We Leave Behind will be devoured by the followers of Converge masterminds Jacob Bannon and Kurt Ballou. Their newest album is another one crammed full of polyrhythmic drumming and diversed sounds. Some may call it mathcore due to the various breaks and offset structures to the music but none is a more wrong assumption with a band like Converge. Different influences ranging from grindcore to black metal over thrash and … are all ingredients in the big cauldron Converge distills his tracks from.

Opener Aimless Arrows is an upsetting start for a diehard Converge fan when Jacob starts this song with a semi clean voice. Intense rhytms create the setting into which the grunt rolls out near the end. Luckily the next tracks are what to expect from a Converge album. Empty On The Inside is a real treat with it’s hypnotic chant midway through the song guided by the drumroll. Other eyeopeners include Vicious Muse and Coral Blue, both songs that show the craftmanship put into these recordings by Converge, and their guts to take new directions and reinvent themselves with each release. Precipice is a musical intermezzo amidst the arythmic madness that Converge provide on their latest creation. Titletrack All The Love We Leave Behind is an epic song already with the amazing guitarplay by Kurt Ballou while Jacob’s voice keep getting more offset as the song progresses. Runaway and Predatory Glow ends this amazing record with typical Converge styled songs for the cult. It doesn’t matter what you like in the heavy range of music, if you listen to Converge you will discover a side of them that holds that sound you want to hear.

Writer:David Marote

122RMP- Magazine December

1. Yellow Belly 2. Image of the Invisible 3. The Artist in the Ambulance 4. Kill Me Quickly 5.Under a Killing Moon 6. Silhouette 7.In Exile 8. The Weight 9. Promises 10. Daedalus 11. Words in the Water 12. Of Dust and Nations

Thrice

Anthology

Score

13. Red Sky 14. The Earth Will Shake 15. The Messenger 16. Digital Sea 17. Stare at the Sun 18. Deadbolt 19. To Awake and Avenge the Dead 20. Beggars 21. Come All You Weary 22. Phoenix Ignition 23. T & C 24. Anthology

: 70/100

California based rock band Thrice recently released their second live album to date before going onhiatus. Live “Anthology”, covering Thrice’s entire career. Recorded live at various stops during their farewell tour, not only fans will notice the road this band has travelled musically. It contains the band’s biggest hits wich were chosen by their fans through voting. Packed with 24 songs, “Anthology” captures the sound of the band as you know them live with no studio magic or what so ever. Although, it is a bitter pill to swallow that we have to say goodbye to them for now, Thrice fans all over the world couldn’t ask for more with this record. By the time these guys come back from their hiatus. People will still be listeningto this record and it will be like they never left us.

Writer: Brett Bervoets

RMP- Magazine December 123

Review

1. Oblivious, Oblivion 2. Harmony 3. Erase Waves 4. Trinity 5. Seasons Revenge

Die!Die!Die!

Harmony

Score

6. No One Owns A View 7. Changeman 8. 16 Shades Of Blue 9. Twitching Sunshine 10. Get Back

: 80/100

Die!Die!Die! Are a band from New Zealand, home of the kiwi and the setting to Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings trilogy. The band consists of core members Andrew Wilson and Michael Prain who have a past in numerous noise bands around their hometown scene of Dunedin, NZ most famous music city. Their latest release and fourth studio album is Harmony that was released through Golden Antenna records on november 9th. With this fourth release the band also opted for the vocal experience of former member Shayne P. Carter on vocals and the return has proved to be the right choice for Die!Die!Die! Opener “Oblivious Oblivion” sets the tone right away for the entire album is a perfect example of what to expect, noisy, lo-fi guitars with lots of ambient sounds that will hit your ears from 360° around. Title track Harmony is another fuzz driven anthem that reminds me of The Arcade Fire at times. Other eyecatchers on this album are Trinity, No One Owns A View and Twitching Sunshine all hold the same elements and take influences from different ranging bands such as Fugazi, Joy Division or even My Bloody Valentine. If you’re into lofi post-hardcore with lots of diversity then Die!Die!Die! just made an album that you would like to hear. New Zealand is not just the All Blacks and has another great export product to show the world that they’re not just Australias neigbour.

Writer: David Marote

124RMP- Magazine December

1. Born Again Masochist 2. Via Dela Rosa 3. Zombies -vs- Skeletons 4. The Devil Made Me Do It III

Scum Of The Earth

The Devil Made Me Do It

Score

5. Zombie Apocalypse 6. Sounds of the Dead 7. Pray 8. (Mindless) Dead Things 9. Ghost 10. Funeral March

: 60/100

Starting with a nice music history is every band’s dream. Former guitarist of metalsensation Rob Zombie has managed to accomplish this with his new band Scum of the Earth. ‘The Devil made me do it’ is their third in a series of heavy metal albums with a touch of horrormetal which reminds us of Rob zombie. This band’s debut was in my opinion spot on. ‘Blah…blah…blah…Lovesongs for the New Millenium’ is a perfect mixture of the old and new influences and meets our expectations perfectly. ‘Sleaze Freak’ on the contrary disappointed and in some way it’s tempting to blame in on the departure of the Tempesta brothers. With ‘The Devil made me do it’ the band wanted to take their music in a new direction. It becomes clear when ‘Born Again Masochist’ starts, which is actually pure dubstep. This new style proceeds through the rest of the album which dwells upon an electronic sound that has the tendency to sound poppy.

The drumming of this band was never on a high level but now it’s suddenly replaced by computer produced beats. It pursues like this, until we reach the titlesong. ‘The Devil made me do it’ doesn’t differ much from the other tracks, but is in contrast to the rest catchy and it lingers. Maybe that’s the reason for it being the titlesong since it is – don’t shoot me- about the only good song on the record.

Choosing an album set-up is nothing new for these guys, of course. The roughness of the songs gets interrupted by the calm intro of ‘Sound of the death’, which certainly isn’t such a bad song, but I’m no fan at all of artificial riffs instead of a good old steady guitar riff. The next songs are also kind of dubstep-ish and this shows that the album lacks some variation.The conclusion of this album is that they have to get the Tempesta brothers back straightaway, don’t try to be original again and rush themselves into that studio to create an album as good as their debut.

Writer: Aranka Van Dongen

RMP- Magazine December 125

Review

1. You Carved My Name 2. A Life In Solitude 3. Unshackled 4. The Age Of Rivalry 5. Left For Dead 6. One Chance

Always Fallen

The Age Of Rivalry

Score

7. Psycho Warfare 8. Rebellion 9. Anunnaki 10. Black-Head 11. Crucifixion Of The Poor 12. Through The Struggle

: 83/100

Little bands grow up so fast. The guys from ‘Always fallen’ got their second full-length album ready and it can be said, even if you don’t fall head over heels for lead singer Kenny’s voice it’s an excellent record. This band has accomplished so much in such short notice. In two years they released a demo, a mini CD, went on a European tour with a great band like Ensiferum and produced their very first studio album named ‘Reflection’. This was without hesitation a bang up album. With songs like ‘Hail to fire’ and ‘Prophecy’ they convinced you immediately. ‘The Age of Rivalry’ is mastered by producer and sound engineer Tue Madsen, who is responsible himself for an entire list of legendary albums and this one will suit that list well.

The opening song is ‘You carved my name’ and it already sounds like Trivium, which is a good sign for sure. It contains nice riffs and is a good starter.

The second song is also used for their first professional video. According to the band this is their best song and you have to agree with them. It’s a true sing-along but at the same time not too catchy or cheesy. A perfect mix of elegant riffs, nice scream-clean duets and a beautiful solo.With the titlesong ‘ Age Of Rivalry’, it seems for a moment like they have returned to their old habit of songs that last for more than five minutes.

They sure take the time to lead this song in, what makes that you expect a lot. It’s not the best they’ve ever written but despite that it really deserves this nice introduction.

The next songs are very ‘metal’ just like the previous ones and it’s clear that they managed to leave the trash metal from their debut behind them. The tracks on this album are very alike, but in fact variation isn’t necessary when it creates a consistent line all through the record which gives it this extra dose of charm. From first to last they maintain their own style, deep lyrics and well-formed riffs.In my opinion this band deserves credit for what they’ve accomplished so far and certainly for this great metal album.

Writer: Aranka Van Dongen

126RMP- Magazine December

6. RU486 7. My Name Is Allen 8. Taciturn 9. Influence Of A Dowsy God 10. The Travelers, pt 2 11. Last Of The Real

1. Gone Souvereign 2. Absolute Zero 3. A Rumor Of Skin 4. The Travelers, pt 1 5. Tired

Stone sour

House of Gold & Bones, part 1

Score

: 80/100

The American metal band Stone Sour has finally come with a new album. After their first huge success albums ‘Come What(ever) May’ and ‘Audio Secrecy’, they now present us ‘House of Gold & Bones, part 1”, a double CD of which the second part will be available spring 2013. Singer Corey Taylor proves that vocally he’s well able to do all kind of songs, pouring whether emotion, anger or aggression into the tracks.

Lots of familiar sounds in songs such as ‘Gone Sovereign’, ‘Absolute Zero’ and ‘My name is Allen’. Tracks such as ‘Tired’ and ‘Taciturn’ tend to be the ‘Zzyzx Rd.’ of the album, however the ballad ‘Taciturn’ is in some sort of way a bit tiresome. Meaning it lacks variety and doesn’t sound like a proper song for the album. Supporters of the heavier work will find their way to ‘RU486’ and ‘Last Of The Way’.

With the first part of their fourth studio album, the band most certainly does not disappoint. ‘House of Gold & Bones, part 1’ in record shops now!

Writer: Chloé Vankemseke

RMP- Magazine December 127

Since the start of RMP our main target has remained the same; to support and promote well known and unknown bands through the means of CD-reviews, concert tips or – reviews, interviews, news messages...

Ever since the first RMP Magazine – that was released end of April – we’ve grown immense. To keep our visitors interested, we have some new projects in the pipeline, where our crew could us some extra hands on deck. This why we’re calling out for your help!

Currently we have following positions that are vacant, so feel free to contact us if this interests you.

1. Concert- and album reviews : daily we receive dozens of promo-cd’s and concert tips. Unfortunately our staff is too limited to dig out all the gems here, that’s why we could use some help : you like to discover new bands and you’re good with a pen?

Drop us a line!

2. Photographers : with the introduction of our PDF-magazine we have a huge need for ‘Hi-Resolution’ – pictures. Also our faithful readers like to see a concert photo.

Are you able to deliver quality pictures with fast results? Send us a message featuring some examples of your work.

3. Interviewers : with the release of our PDF-magazine, our interview capabilities have increased. Are you interested to ask bands some well thought questions? If you are not afraid to have a telephone conversation or e-mail conversation with musicians?

Than you might be the person we’re looking for!

4. Graphic designers : Next to the cover of our magazine also our website or our social media deserve a small update. Creative people who love to design with Indesign or Photoshop are always welcome!

128RMP- Magazine December

We need u

5 . Programmers : We need update our website frequently with small adjustments. Are you interested to help take our website to the ‘next level’? Do you believe that RMP needs a IOS/Android-app and you might have the skills to help us out? Drop us a line!

6. To bring our different projects to the attention, we’re always in need of contributors that own some communication-skills/ marketing-skills. Send us a message if you can help out on this subject.

Although RMP can’t give a financial return, there may be other benefits that might interest you. To develop and increase your writing style, but also building up experience that might come in handy during a job interview. Next to an introduction to the music business, you also get the benefit of using press-passes and promo-cd’s we receive.

Interested ?

Then contact us at :

RMP- Magazine December 129

Directors Kenny Leys

CEO - @KennyLeys

Lander Vanhoof

Sammy Vermeulen @ sammyvermeulen

Suzanne Gielis @ SuzanneGielis

Director of Photography - @neonpxl

Writers

David Marote

Aranka Van Dongen

Managing Editor - @DavidMaroteBE

Design

@ ArankavanDongen

Arne Marynissen

Jolien Krijnen

Rani Coppens

Chief designer

@ InOblivionIFall

Robbe van Droogenbroeck

Jeroen Peeters

Designer

@ IAmNotJeroen

Lena Stahl

Jonas Hoflack

Pieter De Coninck

Lazlo Cootmans

Designer

Illustrator

Editors

@ LazloCootmans

Lisa Leysen @ LisaLeysen

Douglas Koziol

Manuel van der Note

Margot Smet

Nele Waegeman

@ Manos15

@ xCyberUnicorn

Manuel Housen 130RMP- Magazine December

elaer

Quentin Nourisson @ QuentinNourisso

Wouter Grauwels Wouter Torsin @ WouterTorsin

photography

Robin De Raedt Arne Desmedt @ ArneDesmedt

Brenda Boutsen @ brendaboutsen

Daria Colaes @DariaColaes

Frederik Vanmolkot Geert Braekers Nick Vanhove Tessa Wiegerinck @ TessaWiegerinck

RMP- Magazine December 131