Rock Meeting Nº 136 (English Version)

WORDS OF EDITOR

BRING ME THE HORIZON FEAT. BABY METAL

I

. PEI FON @PEIFON JOURNALIST, PHOTOGRAPHER AND ROCK MEETING’S GENERAL DIRECTOR

n my daily search for new bands, I found a playlist with varied groups that are within the new editorial line of Rock Meeting. Listening to each song, I came across “Kingslayer” by the British group Bring Me The Horizon. All good so far… However, the song had the participation of the Japanese duo Baby Metal. I was astonished!

This song was released in late October 2020 and is part of the album “Post Human: Survival Horror”.

I am not particularly a fan of the British group, but I had already heard one song or another. As for the

Japanese girls, their name has echoed strongly in the scene, I heard a little more of the sound. My first real experience for both bands was this recent partnership.

I watched some reacts and they all had the same impression of surprise, but they were soon involved in the melody. In fact, until recently, this partnership was unthinkable; however, it did happened and brought more than a song, a reflection for me.

If this single had been released in 2019, for sure, I would be one of the people who would condemn it, and, of course, that there

are those who condemn the bands. Imagine a partnership between them ...

I would never accept that kind of sound. Never! I am being very sincere in saying this, my mind was not open to this modernization that metal could provide. I was resistant to the new, clinging to the 'old' sound, with a totally renewed world ahead and that I did not want to accept nor understand. Even though, I could not continue in this resistance, since my initiation in Metal did not happen with the traditional bands. It was precisely with the new, with the metalcore.

I hardened over time and ended up ‘forsaking’ what welcomed me. I am ashamed of what I did, and today I don't do that anymore. Good music cannot be

penalized due to a rigid and old-fashioned stance.

The truth is that music should not be limited, nor can creativity and boldness be curtailed to the detriment of opposing opinions.

There are those who like it and those who don't, after all, you can't please everyone. But there is no denying the importance that these bands have for the metal scene, and the renewal they bring with them. Soon others will appear and so the music will remain. And it is not a negative with traditional bands. They were essential for what we know today, however, one cannot turn a blind eye to what has happened today. You may not like it, but deny it, never! Thank you BMTH and Baby Metal for bringing me this important reflection.

. PEI FON @PEIFON JOURNALIST, PHOTOGRAPHER AND ROCK MEETING’S GENERAL DIRECTOR

SUMMARY 2021

41 93 105

06. THE POWER OF HARMONICS ARTICLE - ROGÉRIO TORRES 15. MAKE MY DAY METAL FROM JAPAN 29. AVIIRA METALCORE FROM UK 41. HUMAN KRAKEN MODERN METALCORE 55. TORRENTIAL RAIN GERMAN QUARTET

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67. IMMERSE

“THE WEIGHT THAT HOLDS ME HERE”

93. OCEANS WE ARE NOT OKAY 105. SABLE HILLS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 113. BEING SCREAMER ARTICLE - NICOLÁS HORMAZÁBAL

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119. ETERNAL VOID “SERENITY IN THE BLACK” 133. THE HEALING FROM CANADA/UK

GENERAL DIRECTOR Pei Fon EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Felipe da Matta DESIGN Thiago Silvestre Chama Publicidade

STAFF Augusto Hunter Bárbara Lopes Bárbara Martins Bruno Sessa Fernando Pires Kayomi Suzuki Marta Ayora Mauricio Melo Rafael Andrade UIllian Vargas

79 LANDMVRKS EXCLUSIVE TO BRAZIL

CONTACT contato@rockmeeting.net

WWW.ROCKMEETING.NET

ARTICLE . GUITAR SESSION

Photo: Júlio Barbosa

GUITAR SESSION SESSION GUITAR THE POWER OF HARMONICS IN MODERN METAL

BY ROGERIO TORRES Guitarist for John Wayne and Cosmos

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I

can still remember the first time I heard “Cemetery Gates” and get the feeling that the guitar just screamed in the iconic main riff of Pantera’s music. Dimebag Darrell really knew how to tame this distorted guitar monster and convey that feeling to the listener. He was a genius, in fact.

For years, in the pre-internet era, of course, I was wondering what that blessed noise would be, that “scream” that the guitar emanated at that specific moment of the riff, how he did that and I never really knew until 2002, when I was at my cousin’s house “scratching” some notes on the guitar, right at the beginning of my journey, unintentionally, playing random things and discovering myself on the in-

strument, I made the weird sound that I was looking for so much happen. At the same time, my cousin and I opened our eyes wide and said to each other, “Wow, what was that?”

He asked me, “How did you do it?” and I replied: “I don’t know”. And I was trying to do it again and again, but without success.

Years later I discovered that it was, nothing less than the technique called

Photo: Tatjana Braun

ARTICLE . GUITAR SESSION

artificial harmonic, through a famous guitar magazine of the time, where, even, Dime was on the cover and “Cemetery Gates” was the sound that was being analyzed in that edition. Thanks to that, I discovered once and for all how to make such a harmonic, however, it was not an easy task for a young beginner like me at that moment.

But, for you to better understand what we are talking about in practice, let me explain how the execution is done. This technique essentially consists of the ability of the right hand (for the right-handed) to pick the note in question and then immediately touch the side of the thumb lightly against the string.

A classic example is to press the third fret of the lowest E string on the guitar and apply the harmonic with the right hand, as previously described. The effect is very characteristic and familiar, when you get it right, I am

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sure it will remind you of many things you have heard before. It seems simple to do, but it is not.

This is only possible if you police your right hand very well and hold the reed almost at the tip of it, so that the finger is naturally almost touching the string and when attacking it, it becomes much easier to succeed in the artificial harmonic execution. You will struggle a lot in the beginning, but I usually say that once the concept has been fully absorbed, you will have an easier time getting it right more often.

As a huge fan of Ozzy Osbourne, I have always admired all his guitarists, but in particular, I have always enjoyed Zakk Wylde’s play. A great friend of Dimebag and also an expert in the technique in question. Listening to “No More Tears” is having a shiver every time he makes a harmonic of those. It is simply mesmerizing. Even today it is a classic, a reference in style and for those who want to practice harmonics it is a beautiful song to start. But I already warn you, it won’t be easy, it requires a lot of practice and agility. Even experienced musicians still slip today to

Photo: Matt Waterhouse

ARTICLE . GUITAR SESSION

“hit the harmonic”.

So far we have cited the most classic examples of guitarists who have done well in this technique, but for you, who like me also like good modern metal, here are some good suggestions for you to indulge and study: the guys from After The Burial are masters of the subject, listen to the track “Behold The Crown”, released in 2019, where right away, in the introduction, we already come across an insane riff filled with artificial harmonics, which express tremendous aggression and the mastery of the instrument. This track really is a full plate for those who want to learn the technique in question.

It is worth checking.

We talk about artificial harmonics, however, as expected, the technique of natural harmonics is also widely used in metal and with the explosion of modern progressive metal bands and djent, this technique has come even more to the spot-

Photo: Up Goer Arts 10 // ROCK MEETING // APRIL . 2021

lights. Unlike the artificial, the natural is performed with the left hand, the one that is supported on the scale of the guitar. Lightly touch one of the fingers of your left hand on the string parallel to the fret, well above it, but do not press your finger on the fret, just touch it to the string as if you just wanted to muffle the sound and then pick that note. This harmonic will have different tones depending on the house you have your finger on the fret. One tip is that it has a more defined sound in the 5th, 7th and 12th fret of any string. Want an example of where you can hear this?

Listen to the track “Blood Eagle” by Periphery, which in its main riff, has natural harmonics performed on the lowest strings of the guitar, bringing a very interesting sound. Another even more recent example is the song “Shadow Autonomous” by the band ERRA, recently released in March 2020. Its introduction riff also has a beautiful demonstration of the technique and brings another texture to the sound. I recommend it.

Exploring is the key.

These techniques had been left behind in recent years, where guitarists barely remembered they existed, but with new musicians from the

ARTICLE . GUITAR SESSION

newest strands of heavy metal being revealed, playing more complex and layered music, there is a great need to bring new possibilities so as not to fall into more of the same.

The djent guitarists know how to do this very well, exploring new effects, sensations, tunings which is clearly making the guitar world more interesting. Experimentation requires a lot of trial and error, and a lot of practice. The more you practice, the more intimate your instrument becomes, and you get the most out of it.

I also say that the guitar is ungrateful. Stop practicing for a few days and you won’t be able to do the things you used to do before.

Fact. The big secret, in my opinion, is to practice every day. It doesn’t matter if you have time to play just five minutes or eight hours. Play it.

Every minute makes a difference, whether it is applied to any technique you want to learn or improve.

Photo: Randy Edwards

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Sometimes we find ourselves in that excuse of the type, “oh, today I have no time, I have to leave here in ten minutes”. Imagine how many harmonics you would be able to practice in ten minutes. Hundreds, probably thousands! So, no more excuses to practice. Go and do it!

One thing I discovered after almost 20 years playing the guitar is that, recording yourself playing, helps a lot to improve your technique and discover new possibilities. You have no idea how liberating it is to be able to play a riff, record and listen to yourself after analyzing where the problems are and go over all this trying to fix the possible problems, which can sometimes be in the left or right hand, in the pressure you apply in the picking, the amount of distortion, etc. After drastically improving my technique with the aid of recording in the last five years, I took the initiative to create a course to help guitarists to improve both their technique and their ability to compose and creativity. Homerec

ARTICLE . GUITAR SESSION

Photo: Red Head Images

is a 100% online course with more than three hours of content, where I teach from scratch how to set up your home studio, from choosing the right equipment to recording, timbre, editing, drum programming and bass in midi, export files and more. By the time you are reading this column it may be that the vacancies have already been exhausted, however you can leave your name on the waiting list for the next class. I’m sure your life will change from the moment you start recording at home!

Here is the video of the course presentation for more details. See you next time!

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INTERVIEW. MAKE MY DAY

BY SUZUKI KAYOMI / PHOTO YUTO FUKADA

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oming from the other side of the world, MAKE MY DAY brings a bit of Japan's metalcore scene to you. The band still survives in the underground scene but has great potential with their album Mind Heaven, where the mix between hardcore, synthesizers, and even rap, creates an unusual and powerful mix.

Without forgetting its origins, MAKE MY DAY, brought lyrics in Japanese in the most recent song, Singular Points, and gained the acceptance of the fans. With Hal on drums, Isam on vocals, U-ske on bass, and Julian on guitar, the four members put their feelings and views of the world in their music. MAKE MY DAY has already taken the stage at Knot Fest Japan in 2014 and continues to perform at several other smaller festivals in Japan, the band is also available on streaming platforms around the world.

In the beginning, the band was called ASHLEY SCARED THE SKY. With a new vocalist also came the new name MAKE MY DAY. How was that process?

Julian - For a long time, we were paying attention to the behavior of our ex-vocalist. Because there was no improvement, we fired him. He

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asked us to change the name of the band, so we renamed ourselves to MAKE MY DAY. We actually thought that was a good time to change the name, and everything worked out in the end.

Your latest release was Singular Points, which for the first time brought Japanese lyrics to MAKE

MY DAY songs. What is the intention of including Japanese lyric? How was it to work with this mixture of two languages?

There are a few reasons that I brought Japanese into lyrics.

First of all, as expected the Japanese listener can’t relate to lyrics that aren’t in Japanese.

The other reason is that

I was concentrating too much on English pronunciation and was giving small attention to the song's expression, and I wanted to stop that. I also thought Japanese lyrics would not fit our kind of music, but nevermind, I really like it now (laughs).

To be honest, I was expecting more negative opinions from fans, but apparent-

INTERVIEW. MAKE MY DAY

ly, they accepted so I was relieved. It is quite difficult to balance two languages so as not to get unnatural.

Mind Haven was the latest album released by you. The song Money brings Malissa's Flare Boy to the hardcore world and creates incredible trap music. Do you intend to explore other styles and bring them into hardcore?

I believe that MAKE MY DAY is a band that could challenge various genres, and I made the EP with that in mind as much as possible. As you said, Money is definitely one of them. I usually listen to various genres, so I think the mix itself happened very naturally.

Usually, the lyrics of MAKE MY DAY are very expressive and strong. For example in Reborn, you talk about raising your voice and discovering your own strength. It's like a message to the listeners, but also a way for

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THE LYRICS MOSTLY COME FROM MY EXPERIENCE OR WHAT I FEEL

INTERVIEW. MAKE MY DAY

you to express yourself, right?

Yes, the lyrics mostly come from my experience or what I feel, so there might be many parts that are directed at me rather than the listener. listene . The rest is how listeners perceive it.

Julian is a support guitarist for HYDE, a slightly lighter musical style than MAKE MY DAY. Do you have any difficulty balancing the two bands? How do you think this experience can help MAKE MY DAY? There aren’t any difficulties in particular.

Our schedules are adjusting well. HYDE was looking for the hardstyle guitarist, thus I stand on his stage with the same kind of feeling as I play for MAKE MY DAY.

The experience has been a huge impact. Speaking musically, I learned how to arrange songs into various styles, by covering a lot of HYDE’s tracks. Also, the crews of HYDE are all true professionals, and

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that makes me realize how amateur we are in MAKY MY DAY. Shows have been limited because of the pandemic and I have the feeling people want to go crazy, but they can't. Do you think concerts will return to ‘normal’ or do you think things will change?

How do you think it will be in the future?

I actually don’t know where this road leads, but one thing I can say is that this partially restricted show situation will continue. Consequently, people will do more online streams. Meanwhile, the online stream doesn’t draw our atten-

INTERVIEW. MAKE MY DAY

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tion that much, so I think we will continue to do live stages even with a small audience.

The time concerts will return completely to ‘normal’ might be the far future...

You have already performed at KnotFest in Japan, in 2014, and other events with several bigger and smaller bands. Doesn't it give you a certain fear of going up on a stage as big as a festival? Is there any festival you want to perform?

The bigger the stage, the less realistic it is, so I get more nervous on the smaller stage having a closer distance to the audience.

Japan's hardcore and metalcore scene is very limited and seems like it doesn't have many fans. How do you think the scene can grow? Do you think there is a certain prejudice with this musical style?

It is hard to tell everything here but I think it’s difficult to succeed with hard music in

INTERVIEW. MAKE MY DAY

Japan. There are few people who listen to music in the first place, and I feel that hard music does not suit Japanese characteristics.

The situation may change if there are more festivals that focus on the underground scene, but it is unrealistic to have the same scale as overseas in my opinion.

I saw your performance last December and it was insane.

You have a lot of energy and affect the audience a lot.

Where do you think all of this comes from?

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Thank you. Perhaps my daily stress is the source of energy? (laughs) And I think the audience sees how I’m enjoying playing on the stages.

MAKE MY DAY has this hardcore mix with electronic elements, like dubstep. In Japan this mix is quite common in the loud rock scene, isn't it?

There used to be a lot until a few years ago, but recently the solid metal core has increased.

INTERVIEW. MAKE MY DAY

There is a global audience that consumes hardcore and metalcore, but there is a certain prejudice when mixing with dubstep and other electronic elements Do you think it should change and continuingly evolve? Or do you think you have to remain more traditional?

The scene is constantly evolving and I think the prejudice is slowly fading, but if you get too close to electro, that is electro, not metalcore.

So I think balance is still crucial. We have songs both with and without synths elements, and we will keep making various types of songs.

In Brazil, there is an audience who loves hardcore, metalcore, metal, etc., Does MAKE MY DAY have any intention of bringing their sound to Brazil? What about the rest of the world?

I have always thought that Brazil is a country where metal is burn-

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INTERVIEW. MAKE MY DAY

ing hot. We would love to go if we have the opportunity, so could someone invite us, please? (laughs)

Seriously speaking, we don’t have any plans for overseas tours right now, obviously because of the pandemic. Sadly, having a restricted show in Japan is all we can do right now.

To finish, what can we expect from MAKE MY DAY in the future?

We are planning to release more stuff than last year and be really active, so please look forward to it! And we will definitely go to Brazil someday!!!

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INTERVIEW. AVIIRA

BY PEI FON / PHOTO ROB BISHOP

T

he search for new bands has been fascinating. From the musical point of view, it is impressive the amount of work that exists out there and we do not know how to absorb it all.

From a knowledge point of view, at the same time that there is a huge range of bands, many of them are out of our sight and, many times, the algorithm is not exactly helpful.

With that in mind, I went looking for new bands and I am getting to know a new world. In my 'hunt', I met Aviira, an English quartet that seeks its place in the sun. Within one of the most important Metal scenes for, these guys know very well what their goals are. The band consists of Sam Stanton (guitar), James Gray, Keelan Biggs (vocals) and Connor Hadwick (bass).

Thinking ahead, Rock Meeting brings yet another metalcore talent to the delight of its readers. About releases, past, present and future, Sam and James talk about their expectations and outline the plans for tomorrow!

Photo: Promotion

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Aviira is a very new band, but with a well-defined goal. Tell us a little about how it all started for you. And what is the meaning behind the name of the quartet?

Sam - We were previously known as “Avenge the heartache” back in 2011 or so. As we grew

Photo: Promotion

gland. We already think back to the birth of Heavy Metal, major festivals and bands. How to stand out in a scene as rich as the English?

James - It's a challenge to stand out but it's also rewarding & to be a part of the Metal Scene in the UK is great.

It’s all about being as true to Aviira is a band from En- yourself as possible & target older we wanted a new name & fresh start that reflected our new style. So in late 2017 after a few line up changes we re-branded to AVIIRA. There’s not a strong or particular meaning behind the name but as our vocalist Keelan said “It’s like a new era of Avenge the heartache”.

a very specific audience that can connect with your music, like ourselves in the Metalcore genre. With the genre developing & finding new ways to innovate, we always want to move forward and go beyond what we can.

Since the release of the EP “Relentless” until this new play “Labyrinth”

INTERVIEW. AVIIRA

there is a natural musical maturation. Making a time parallel, how do you see yourself in the sound and personal field since 2017 until now? You are not the same, are you?

James - With the lineup changes we've had since the band formed in 2017, as a band now we work together stronger than ever. With that maturation it's always important to stay true to what we do best with our sound whilst moving forward together & stay fresh in our sound. As time goes on its the

I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR SONGS HAVE A POSITIVE MESSAGE TO THEM (SAM)

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case of the more you write music & perform the better you get at doing it, & also with your instrument as well.

You just released a new single. How is the reception of “Labyrinth” going?

James - It's been amazing and we're blown away by the support it's received, since it's our first release since 2018. We've been holding on to this track since last year & to see it finally released now is a great feeling & we just look forward to the future together as a band.

"My mind is a labyrinth,

there's no escape, I'm locked inside this prison that I have made". For many times have we been stuck in our problems trying to find a way out. How to find a way out of this maze?

Sam - Great question. The song was written at a time where I was mentally struggling to progress, especially with music creation etc.

After thinking & reflecting I realised it was a struggle because I was overthinking a lot & bringing myself a lot of self-doubt. Hence the “my mind is a labyrinth” I was the reason I was feeling stuck.

The way out is to keep showing up every day with the aim to do

INTERVIEW. AVIIRA

better, & eventually you will.

“Labyrinth” is having a good sentimental interaction in the comments of the video. Do you feel that your music is helping people right now?

James - We'd like to think so. With everything going on in the world right now, everyone has had to adapt to this new way of living life. We feel new music or just in general, has always helped people out to get through the pandemic with

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the absence of live shows where people felt like a collective community & could interact better.

In the description of the band on Spotify, you say that music is a way to understand the ups and downs of life and I understand that well in the lyrics. Observing this, are the lyrics part of the experience of someone in the band? Close people who needed help?

Sam - I’m very glad that you are able

to understand that from the lyrics. I write 95% of the lyrics alongside some input from the guys. I typically base them on life experiences or struggles I have gone through. I really want our lyrics to come from a genuine place in hopes that someone out there can feel less alone with their problems. I want to make sure that our songs have a positive message to them.

Like this new play, can we expect

an EP, or even a debut album? Can you tell us anything? What's in Aviira's plans? :D James - There is definitely going to be an album, we've worked on it for most of last year & we're super excited to release something new. It's been a crazy journey for us all to get some new material recorded & we can't wait.

Aviira material is available on digital platforms. How does the band relate to new distribution tech-

INTERVIEW. AVIIRA

nologies? How has it helped the bands, especially in this time of social isolation?

James - The Internet way before the pandemic has always been crucial for bands to get music out there. Normally shows would be the biggest source of income but of course its shifted to streams & online shows now. It's like a double edged sword in a way, some band's have broken up since this all began which is unfortunate considering the amount of talent that's

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out there. Whilst other band's like us have managed to adapt to focus online & find ways around it in order to get through everything that's happening.

In this dynamic of singles launch, “Tyranny” was one of the most heard songs of Aviira. With just over 375 thousand plays on Spotify, what do you attribute this repercussion to?

Sam - Not a clue mate… haha, unfortu-

nately the number of plays a song/band gets has very little correlation to the quality of the songs. It's pretty much all algorithms, luck & marketing these days. For us it think this track just seemed to land on a bunch of playlists which help new people hear the song which is great!

"Tyranny" is a song that punches twice in the face to wake you up. In the first sentence, it brings you to reality: “It takes a lifetime to learn how to live”.

Given the current pandemic moment,

INTERVIEW. AVIIRA

will people still need to spend their entire lives to learn to live?

Sam - Thank you! This song was written years back, it was written at a time when me & the guys were struggling to pursue music & felt trapped by everyone around us trying to convince us to stop & just keep working regular jobs.

I’ve seen so many talented & passionate people give up their dreams to work a job they hate because of the social pressures & the idea of being “Rea-

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listic”. When I say it takes a life time to learn how to live. I’m talking about how by the end of a life, you’d realised that you could have lived a better life if you listened to your own heart & dreams. Not just what everyone tells you is the right way. I think the current pandemic has given many people some perspective & time to reflect on their life & hopefully come out stronger & motivated to pursue what they want out of life.

From your first EP, “Glasshouse” is my favorite. Energetic and captivating in the first few seconds of hearing. How was the reception of this song?

James - Glasshouse has always been a top favourite amongst our fans, with possibly 'Tyranny' too & to see them still enjoy it since it was first released back in 2018 is really amazing. To see them still listening to the whole 'Relentless' EP is amazing in general really

all these years later.

2020 was not an easy year for anyone, however, for those who work in entertainment it was a very strong blow. How did you work in this perspective of a total stop of activities?

James - It's been really crazy, we had a lot planned last year & everything got pushed back for us like everyone has.

Its like life has just went on hold so to

INTERVIEW. AVIIRA

say. We've tried to keep occupied as a band & of course our personal lives especially. We were supposed to finish our next release in May time but it didn't happen till August. However we kept writing regardless, & also helped push our merchandise & streams of the 'Relentless' EP so we could keep some sort of the income which is important. Whilst we miss shows a lot, we had a lot of time to do other things to help us cope

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with what's going on.

Finally, what are Aviira's plans for 2021? Success and thank you! We are waiting for you in Brazil.

James - Other than new music, we hope to play some shows again. If everything goes well & we manage to get back to normal life soon then hopefully we'll play as regularly as we can!

INTERVIEW. HUMAN KRAKEN

BY SUZUKI KAYOMI / PHOTO LEANDRO YWATA

F

Photo: Richard Rodrigues

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rom the depths of Brazil, Human Kraken brings to the surface the questions stuck inside your head.

Where are we going? What is the end? Why are we on this journey?

The many questions that haunt us are present in the songs of Human Kraken, which brings a modern sound to Metalcore, without neglecting the quality and intensity behind each song.

Mixing their personal tastes and current trends, Human Kraken presents us several singles with well-developed songs that bring with them characteristics from another culture, as in Amaterasu, which incorporates classic Japanese instruments with metalcore.

An unusual mix, but very welcome for the Brazilian music scene that begs for newcomers in the Metal scene.

The band started by the desire to make songs inspired by the music the members listened to. How do you rate the evolution of Human Kraken sound?

Everyone in the band always had in common the musical taste for rock and its strands being the main ones, metalcore, progressive metal, and hardcore. We joined some of these styles in our compositions and created Human Kraken in 2014.

Since then we have been following the evolution of metal, both abroad and national, we have been

Photo: Richard Rodrigues

taking these influences and tening at the moment and printing them in our songs. also by the band's own musical evolution. Since 2014 Analyzing the discogra- we followed with Rafa on vophy, it is noticeable that, cals, and in 2019 at the end of between the two albums the Meraki Tour, we chose to released and the two sin- have two vocalists, inspired gles, there is a sound by the band “Volumes”, that's change. Was this transi- when we called Kayke to join tion thought of or did it the vocals with Rafa. There happen naturally? was only one concert with this The changes were occurring formation, because due to the naturally according to the in- departure of the band's bassfluences of what we are lis- ist, who at the time warned us

that he would leave the band for personal reasons. It was then that Rafa decided to take over the bass and do only the backing vocals in the band, so Kayke took over as frontman. With that, the band got together to define what the next compositions would be like because Kayke has different vocal characteristics than Rafa. We decided to change the tunings that used to be Drop B to Drop G # and start

INTERVIEW. HUMAN KRAKEN

ALWAYS TRYING TO KEEP THE ESSENCE OF OUR ROOTS AND ALSO OF OUR CURRENT INFLUENCES

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composing the new songs. Currently, we follow a Metalcore / Djent line with electronic elements and synthesizers in order to bring a modern sound to the band.

Human Kraken has used a lot of Asian culture references seen in “Amaterasu” and the “final” character on the album cover.

Where did the idea come from? Do you have any connection with Asia?

We have always enjoyed Asian culture, especially in the last few years where the 'Cyberpunk' theme was on the

rise and both are directly related to the aesthetic and visual aspects. Many bands, brands, and pop culture, in general, are using this aesthetic as well. So it was a matter of putting together our personal taste and aligning with the current trends.

You sing about people's internal questions, in “Amaterasu”, the fact that the name of the song connects with the lyrics, which seems to address a more religious side. Are these questions personal? Or would it be more broadly speaking?

Explaining Amaterasu, she talks about Death, the beginning, and the end. The beginning of a new cycle. The lyrics show a philosophical view on death, the chorus says "your presence brings the tomorrow" that is, a view

INTERVIEW. HUMAN KRAKEN

that if there were no death if we do not have an end, tomorrow would not be valued. What keeps you going, what makes you continue, wake up and live, is the fact that this one day will end. At the same time people use this "fear of the end" to control you, this is where the religious side and the vision of "what you need to be and do during your life" comes in, but in fact, no one knows what happens in the end.

Still on "Amaterasu", it seems that the music incorporates some traditional musical elements from Japan, right?

If so, was it difficult to work with it and mix it with your actual music?

The composition of the sound was made without any idea of Japanese elements, the idea was born when

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the lyrics were being written, and matching the name and definition of the theme, we created the samples based on traditional Japanese instruments (Shamisen - 3-string instrument and Shakuhachi - bamboo flute).

“Atlas” is another song that is part of Human Kraken's new work.

Released this year, do you intend to maintain this dynamic of singles or should you release a full album?

We initially planned to deliver a “full album” to our audience, but we studied many forms of releases and realized that currently, a massive release is not interesting, so adding to the current pandemic situation, we decided to release single to single, seeking to bring better

quality to each individual releases.

“Questioning our existence is what gives us meaning”. In a broader perception of the music “Atlas”, the current moment in which we live makes us ask even more about reality. How does this give us meaning to life, for example?

Specifically, about Atlas, the lyrics speak about "Neo-obscurantism", the deniers of science, anti-vax, Terraplane’s, etc.

In the current moment in which we live, where these people prefer to listen to conspiracy theorists and

INTERVIEW. HUMAN KRAKEN

distorted ideas about reality and turn their backs on the science that has historically brought us here. The question of "giving meaning to life", is related to the fact that curiosity and the search for knowledge based on science lead to discoveries and increasingly clear evidence of why we are here.

In a free reading about the name Atlas and connecting with the music of the

Photo: Richard Rodrigues

same name by the Human Kraken, who would be this personification of the one who supports, who questions? Or the contested?

Complementing the previous question, based on the mythological being that holds the sky in his hands, the lyrics make an analogy with Science, for example, in the final part of the song "As much as they deny what they feel, I hold the world in my hands. "that is, people can deny or turn against Science, 48 // ROCK MEETING // APRIL . 2021

but it is what sustains us and it is what brought us here. It is treated as an entity, as a "God" in the lyrics.

Photo: Richard Rodrigues

“Existência” is a song that speaks a lot about this social pressure that we suffer to follow a certain direction. Do you feel that you are pressured in some way by today's society to keep your music in a specific style/type? Even the song “Existência” is one that doesn't have an as aggressive tone as the others …

Each one has a vision about life, but one thing that is more and more common in society is this immediate desire to conquer or know something new every day, anxiety

INTERVIEW. HUMAN KRAKEN

dominating more people not letting them live in the present. We are pressured by ourselves more than in the current music market. We feel more pressure to keep the songs with a certain quality that pleases everyone in the band in the first place, always trying to keep the essence of our roots and also of our current influences..

Photo: Richard Rodrigues

The pandemic is difficult for many people, and recording mu-

sic videos has become even more complicated with all the restrictions. How was it for you to work during all this chaos?

We had a lot of difficulties reconciling the band's tasks with the pandemic situation.

We postponed several recordings as well as some post-recording works because of that, but the solution we found was to have an open conversation with our audiovisual producer

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Felipe Hervoso (FHaudiovisual), where we all reached a consensus to find ways to overcome this obstacle and thus we managed to execute two excellent works such as “Amaterasu” and “Atlas”, respecting all protective measures.

About the music market in Brazil, there is room for Metalcore / Hardcore bands to grow? Or do you have to turn to the international market?

There is always space, even though we are going through a moment without much emphasis on rock and metal, there are a lot of good bands coming up and showing high-level music. We believe that in order to stand out and grow it is necessary to bring new elements, new concepts, bet on something new, you know. In the international market, we believe it is

INTERVIEW. HUMAN KRAKEN

even more difficult due to the infinity of bands trying to find their space, and even due to their easy access to the best equipment, they are already leading the way.

Focusing abroad, some Brazilian bands are a reference in Metal, do you have any intention of expanding to the world?

It is not our goal at the moment, we focus entirely on our work in the Brazilian area, which is why our lyrics are in Portuguese, but we do not exclude out the possibility that in the future we will present work also focusing on the foreign public.

In Brazil, there are many issues that make it difficult for bands to produce and perform a modern sound, what challenges

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deliver. Also about the equipment, here in Brazil, everything is very expensive, which makes it difficult, and we often end up having to make the most of what we have.

To conclude, what about the future? What has the Human Kraken kept for us? Thank you. Wish you all the best and take care!

For this year we are focused on the

Photo: Richard Rodrigues

do you face to try to expand your music?

That’s true, in Brazil we have difficulties, mainly because we are an underground band. The main challenge, we believe, is the lack of structure of the few live houses that still give space for bands to perform. So because of this, we invest in equipment so we can take our music to the live houses as soon as possible and with the best quality that we can

INTERVIEW. HUMAN KRAKEN

release of our new album FIM (end), to which we have chosen to release the songs individually. We have many ideas and projects for the band that we hope to be able to put into practice as soon as possible.

We really want to be able to present the new songs in a concert and feel the energy and reception of the audience after all this pandemic chaos has passed.

For now, please follow the band on social media, subscribe to our youtube channel, which has a lot of new videos coming up.

We would like to thank the Rock Meeting team for giving the space and also congratulate them on the work of bringing quality information about rock to their readers. This work is extremely important for bands that in the current scenario no longer have many spaces in the media to publicize their work.

If you take care, protect yourself and others in this pandemic, that soon all this will pass and we will be together and enjoying good music.

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INTERVIEW. TORRENTIAL RAIN

BY PEI FON / PHOTO BASTIAN BARTH

R

ock Meeting is in an avid search for a world much wider than we imagine.

Therefore, we are getting to know and bringing bands that our readers, perhaps, are unaware of. This time our highlight goes to the German quartet Torrential Rain. These guys are not just a band that rains a lot for a certain moment and leaves soon after.

In four years of existence, the band formed by Christopher Danner (Vocals / Guitar), Dario Trennert (drums), Dominik Grauvogl (Vocals / Bass) and Gordian Golder (Guitar / Vocals), has done an impressive job: two studio albums and four singles. Several bands with this ‘age’ would not have this volume of music released, they are different and just listen and see their numbers to understand why they are growing.

In a good conversation, we had the opportunity to speak with vocalist Christopher and he was very nice to us. About music, past, present, and future, you can follow below why Torrential Rain has attracted our attention and already add the guys to your playlist. Their music stays in your head!

Torrential Rain is a new band with a career being built. Tell us how it all started…

Dominik and I (Chris) started out joining an-

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other band back in 2012. We quickly split off to do our own thing with Torrential Rain and that’s what we’ve been doing ever since then.

Torrential Rain comes with the same aggressive footprint as Metalcore, but with a sound language ready to speak to the most demanding fans. As

a result, you have fans in more than 70 countries.

Surprised by this scope?

Did you imagine that?

We would’ve never thought for "Home Alone" to put us out in the world as much as it did. It’s amazing to know that somewhere in Japan, there’s a guy walking around with our merch on and is listening to something you recorded all by

yourself in your tiny room. We have always hoped to reach a wider, international audience but it’s definitely something we for that matter, didn’t see coming. A big shoutout to all our listeners out there – we really appreciate it!

Making a parallel in Torrential Rain's discography, how much have you

INTERVIEW. TORRENTIAL RAIN

WE ARE CONSTANTLY IN OUR STUDIO WORKING ON NEW MATERIAL

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matured from the beginning until now?

I’d like to believe that we matured and refined our way to make music by a lot over the years. We started out writing our first songs with this band and have come a long way since then. We’re still far from being done learning new techniques or trying to incorporate new styles though. We grew up listening to bands like Trivium and BFMV and you can definitely hear that in our older songs but we’re always trying to improve and do new things like some of our favorite bands of today such as Periphery or Polyphia. Who knows where we might go next?

Two studio albums and four singles released. It is a lot of work for four years of existence. Among the objectives set, is everything on track as planned or is it flowing naturally?

With the start of 2020 we decided to release four singles per year. We actually were able to pull through and realize that plan during every quarter. The feedback we got was amazing! 2020 and what little we have seen so far of 2021, is probably the busiest time in our career yet. We are constantly in our studio working on new material, creating content for social media, doing interviews online or managing the workflow with the other guys. It’s definitely a whole lot of work but I enjoy every second of it.

Will the songs released in 2020 make up Torrential Rain's third album? Or are you still considering

the possibilities?

There’s no full album planned right now, but we actually culminated the four singles of 2020 on a digital EP, which is available on Bandcamp including a very special bonus-track. Right now, you can’t really promote your music any other way than through social media and streaming sites, so we want to always be able to give our listeners and fans something new and fresh all throughout the year. That’s not to say that there won’t be any more albums of us in the future though!

“Home Alone” has more than 260 thousand plays on Spotify and continues to increase in play count.

The lyrics fixed on the listener’s head and it is not difficult to understand why this highlight. Would you imagine that it would have this repercussion?

Since we had a music video shot for it and had it mixed and mastered by Sawdust Recordings, we kind of hoped that it would gain a little bit of traction but as “Home Alone” was our first single we

INTERVIEW. TORRENTIAL RAIN

released with our new structure inside the band we couldn’t believe it at all when we looked at Spotify and saw that so many people heard the song.

"Strung out" is a song that is difficult to pinpoint any part that does not captivate us. “Cause I can fake it all I want. But I'm just running from the mess I made”.

How to solve the mess we cause in our own life?

In a way these lyrics not only describe the problem but also the solution. Be true to yourself and embrace the struggle. It may not go away but at least you’re not running from it. The last year really showed us that family and friends are some of the most important parts in our lives. Through all the distancing and struggles we found that we couldn’t do it without them. Also, at the beginning of last year this topic came up within the band. With this song we processed our experiences, which helped us a lot to deal with difficult situations. We realized "the band is family, too".

About “Deaf Ears”. The lyrics resemble that friend who tries to

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Photo: Nioryn Photography

make the other hear you and see his mistakes. How do you get someone out of this prison?

The problem with it is that the initiative to change has to come from that particular friend. That’s what makes it so hard. It’s easy to tell somebody suffering from depression for example, that everything will be fine but in the end it’s up to them to pull them self out of it. The only thing you can really do is be there for that person when they need you.

In the song “Deaf Ears”, when you say “I tried to listen, But all you're giving me is opposition…” It can be a phrase adapted to the present day; you believe that people are imposing their positions instead of dialogue?

INTERVIEW. TORRENTIAL RAIN

That’s what brings us to these acts of spite, yes. Oftentimes it’s the shortest way to the solution of the problem. Clear and honest communication. Unfortunately, everybody just gets so hung up on their believes and opinions that they won’t allow a normal conversation to take place anymore. The more the other side tries to convince them, the more they hold on to it.

“Left Outside”, “Home Alone” and “Deaf Ears” have something in common: they start with the chorus. This is a more direct way of fixing the music. Was this inversion in the structure of the 62 // ROCK MEETING // APRIL . 2021

music intentional or did it happen naturally?

When writing the songs, I almost never start out with the chorus. It’s always a riff or some kind of concept for a part in the beginning. I always try to go with the flow and do what feels right for the song. In the case of these three it just felt the most natural to start them off with the chorus.

Although one might think that makes us stiff or adhere to the same song structure in every song, that couldn’t be further from the truth. We almost always try to surprise the listener with something unconventional in every song. A lot of times that happens through the structure of the parts!

The song “Left Outside” is full of emotion and already brings a passage that reminded me of how I felt a few years ago. “Have you ever felt alone inside. Have you ever tried to run and hide”.

How to resolve this feeling of being alone in the crowd?

This one loops back to some of the lyrics in “Strung Out” though a bit more in a being-left-by-someone kind of way. You’re doing everything you can to avoid thinking about the mistakes you made or the hurtful memories. But in the end, it always comes back around to you being true to yourself and not trying to pretend you’re someone you’re not. The song gives a bit of a bleak lookout on things

with the last line being. A collection of mistakes I cherish alone by myself.

Opposing Gordy on this one I don’t think you ever truly get over some things, but you can learn to live with them and try to find something good worth cherishing.

The four singles released in 2020 were mixed and mastered by Christoph Wieczorek, lead singer for Annisokay. He has a good musical background and understands what the style needs, what was it like working with Christoph?

Having Christoph turning the faders on our most recent productions may be one of our best decisions as a band:

INTERVIEW. TORRENTIAL RAIN

He has a really good understanding of how we want our music to sound like and was able to take the quality of our songs to a whole new level.

Christopher, you transmit emotion when you sing and that is exactly the role that a vocalist should have. Where does your inspiration come from singing with your heart?

Some of my most beloved vocalists of all-time would-be guys like Spencer Sotello, Matty Mullins, Sam Carter or Jamie Hails. They all have a way of conveying so many emotions into their vocals and that’s something that always captivated me with singing. I may not have the prettiest voice and I probably wouldn’t win American Idol,

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but I think I got pretty good at feeling the lyrics I sing. I always try to put myself into the situation of the lyrics instead of just going through them.

That’s also something that’s very dear to my heart when writing lyrics. I always try to come up with something that has a deeper meaning or some kind of emotional connection.

You are from Germany, a country recognized for delivering great names to Metal. With such an active and varied scene, what can you do to stand out among so many good names?

With our guiding principle of fusing power and precision we’re taking the best out of two worlds and bring it to-

gether: with this combination being a trend that’s very big in the United States, we’re working on making this approach big on European stages.

When we hear about Germany, we already associated it with the big festivals, however, in this pandemic moment, this activity was totally stopped. As musicians, how has this period been, away from the stage?

It’s been a blessing in the course for us: Obviously we miss playing live dearly, but we certainly wouldn’t have been able to but that much effort into our last productions, if it wasn’t for this forced absence of the stage. There is a lot of work going on behind the

INTERVIEW. TORRENTIAL RAIN

scenes right now, so we can make our return to the stage in a very big way once it’s possible!

During the pandemic, many festivals made their versions online to meet a demand from avid fans without social contact. Is this new format here to stay? Do you believe it will expire or should it continue when everything returns to normal?

I really like how the crowd feeds off the energy you project outwards. The best feeling about it is when the crowd also gives that energy back. I don’t think you can really replace that magic with anything else, so I think normal concerts are definitely coming

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back at some point!

To conclude, what can we expect from you for 2021? Thank you very much, we wish you success and we hope to see you in Brazil.

In 2021 we’re going to keep on pushing ourselves, our music, our presence on social media and our content to the max! We now have a good routine going and we plan to only improve upon it all! The next single is already finished and just waiting to be released.

You can expect to hear a whole lot of us during this year! We’d also love to someday be able to come over to Brazil and meet you and all the amazing people supporting us over there!

INTERVIEW. IMMERSE

BY PEI FON / PHOTO GLKMEDIA

I

n another Rock Meeting movement to find new bands, we found another band from England. Immerse, in fact, immerses themselves in human feelings, from joy to anger, while bringing optimism in light of our personal problems, and that not everything is the end.

Immerse is formed by Tim Brown (guitar), Archie Hatfield (vocalist), Ben Wilshire (bass), Josh Armitage (drums). This quartet has just over three years of experience, two albums released and some singles to the delight of listeners. With good numbers, it's a band that deserves to be on your playlist.

We had a very nice conversation with drummer Josh Armitage, speaking of the brand new “The Weight That Holds Me Here”, taking our doubts about the songs and the plans for 2021. Read right now and meet Immerse.

Music has a big impact in sending a message. Immerse dive into positivity, which is necessary during these difficult times. The optimism helps the listener, but what about the singer?

Josh - This band is an outlet for us all in different ways. Archie writes lyrics to express his feelings and to vent on past experiences. For me as the drummer, just being in this band fills me

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with hope & positivity. We’re in an incredible position to be able to record our music for the world to hear so the fact our listeners can escape their own dark times with our music is very humbling.

Coming from UK, one of the most important metal scenes, how do you feel about starting and

having a band in such an important area for heavy music?

There is some serious talent coming from the UK at the moment – it’s great to have been able to perfect our craft in numerous grassroots venues and meet new friends along the way. The UK has such a diverse range of music tastes and ideas and it defi-

nitely shows with the amount of fresh music and sounds that are making their way up.

The band started in 2018 and already have 2 full albums and an EP. For a band with 3 years on the road, you guys are going fast. This was planned or it just happened naturally?

INTERVIEW. IMMERSE

WE WRITE MUSIC THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO LISTEN TO

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Immerse formed from a previous band under a different name and member line up. The Suffer album has both music from that band and early Immerse tracks.

We managed to retain the fanbase throughout the rebrand which helped us massively and we’ve never looked back!

Even with a heavy tone and lots of gutturals, IMMERSE blends lower parts into the songs. How does this balance work?

We each have different music tastes and it definitely shows if

you listen to our new album from start to finish! We write music that we would like to listen to, so with that comes a wide range of ideas that we’ve somehow managed to entwine to create our own unique sound.

"With You" was just a part of "The Weight That Holds Me Here", your second album.

On Spotify the song had a good response, how do you feel about this feedback?

Estamos nas nuvens com o feedback desta faixa. É totalmente diferente de nossos singles ante-

INTERVIEW. IMMERSE

riores e não é o que as pessoas esperavam ouvir. Isso demonstra do que mais somos capazes e o contraste extremo em nossa música.

"I live each day in fear, 'cause losing you would break my heart in two". There is any character in "With You"? For who the song was written?

Archie wrote this song about his family.

The lyrics describe all they’ve done for him and that the bond they have is unbreakable. The family focus isn’t directly 72 // ROCK MEETING // APRIL . 2021

clear on the surface but that allows listeners to connect the meaning in their own way on a personal level.

“The Weight That Holds Me Here” comes with 11 songs and it is "a journey between anger and reflection". How many of these, and other feelings we can feel in each song of this new album? In the end, what feeling will remain?

Rage, empowerment, optimism & everything in between. It really is a journey and we hope that by the end of it,

listeners will feel a sense of fulfilment as it all comes full circle.

The second album is being released in 2021, but it was made before the pandemic. There is any particular reason why you decided to release it now?

Yes, the album was actually finished and ready for release in 2020 but as the pandemic hit and the world went into lockdown, we didn’t think it would be productive to release this material if we weren’t able to promote it with shows.

INTERVIEW. IMMERSE

We decided to extend the campaign to cover the duration of the lockdown which meant releasing 3 extra singles with incredible videos made by our Bassist, Ben! This gave us time to improve and build on our online presence ready for when gigs come back.

In an interview for the page No Echo, guitarist Tim Brown said “The Weight That Holds Me Here” is more obscure than the de-

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but album. For what reason this album is heavier?

I don’t think it was intentionally created to be heavier, but it is definitely more obscure in the sense of featuring a lot of different styles. It’s more of a showcase of everything we want our music to be; emotional, dark, sombre, yet uplifting and filled with hope.

Still on this interview, Tim said "not everything is sadness and pain" you

always search for hope and optimism.

What elements bring this positive vibe to this album?

Tim’s songwriting approach is very effective at capturing emotion with sound so our brighter songs produce a positive vibe, even if the lyrics are still uncertain.

“Red Shade” brings a point that fits the actual days with the lyrics “Empathy. Has never seemed so fucking lost to me,”, you believe empathy is lost these days?

INTERVIEW. IMMERSE

Unfortunately, yes. We’re witnessing it every day – people just living for themselves without a thought or care for others. We’re all in this together so we need to look out for each other, motivate greatness and just be kind!

During the pandemic you decided to release the singles at different times, and turns out very successful. How did this decision directly impact the band?

It gave us breathing room to plan each release and promote more of the album. We’ve definitely made the most

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of what we had available and we’re all extremely happy with what we’ve achieved this year despite everything.

As like all other bands, Immerse is probably anxious to do a gig.

You even have a schedule for 2021, what is the perspective of these events in this difficult time?

Yes, we’ve got a few things lined up for later on in the year such as a Live Streamed event at The Black Heart in London with our friends in Palmist and a UK run with the boys in From Sorrow To Serenity! We are super ex-

INTERVIEW. IMMERSE

cited for these but also anxious given that we haven’t performed in months.

We feel that in general, the first wave of live shows to happen after the lockdown are going to be the most nuts the country has seen in a LONG time and we can’t wait to be a part of it.

do any live stream to promote this second album? Wish you all success and take care, thank you so much for your time!

We did a live Q&A stream on our Instagram a couple of days after the release – it went really well so definitely keep an eye out for more things like that!

Last but not least, you pretend to

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Thank you for having us!

MAIN . LANDMVRKS

BY PEI FON / PHOTO ALEXIS FONTAINE

I

n this musical exploration that Rock Meeting has been doing, we are discovering true treasures. Not only bands, but also the scenes in which they belong. When you think of France, one of the most iconic heavy music festivals comes to mind, perhaps even the most plural of the largest in Europe.

And one of the bands that is writing its name in the modern metal scene is Landmvrks. Coming from Marselle, France, the quintet is formed by Florent Salfati (Vocals), Nicolas Exposito (guitar), Paul C. Wilson (guitar), Rudy Purkart (bass) and Kevin D’Agostino (drums).

For the most demanding and open-minded fans, Landmvrks is a good example of mixing styles without losing heaviness, melody and passion. And the representation of that statement is the French group’s third album, “Lost in the Waves”. On this topic, we had the opportunity to chat with guitarist Nicolas Exposito and that you can follow below.

Delight yourself!

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The band was formed in 2014, and your trajectory went from launching your first independent album, to having the status of one of the most representative bands of modern metal. How do you evaluate this path that Landmvrks is tracing?

Nicolas Exposito - When we started this band, we had only one idea in mind, we wa-

nted to make the music we love in the most sincere way possible and do it as professionally as possible. We went through all the steps and difficulties of the local band to the national band and so on, and we progressed along the way.

All these steps in the life of the band were unbelievable, and we enjoyed it all at 100%! Today with this 3rd album things seem to be getting bigger

and we are extremely thankful for that, it gives us strength for the countless steps we still have to go through. And even if it has to stop here, we will appreciate everything we have already experienced… but it’s not on the agenda!

Now Landmvrks has released its third album, “Lost in the Waves”, and in a short time it has al-

MAIN . LANDMVRKS

ready amassed positive responses. Did you expect such a fast feedback?

To be honest yes and no! We knew that we had given our best, we had written some of the best songs in our catalog, and we would grow our fan base ineluctably, this is the wish of every artist when he releases an album.

The 3 singles we released before the album were already extremely well received especially “Lost In A Wave” which is to most of us in the band probably the best song we ever wrote and since the album was released the feedback is unanimous, some of the songs that are not “singles” have quickly become fan favorites, our preorders are sold out, there is countless comments and “reaction videos” on internet saying how much they love the album, so far our expectations are fulfilled

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and even exceeded.

“Lost in the Waves” is an ‘open minded’ album when it comes to bringing together different styles. Certainly, this album pleases the most demanding listeners, combining technique, weight, melody and choruses that stick in your head.

Is this the brand you want to imprint?

Absolutely. We love so many different styles, with the same passion that we always want to not compromise in our music! For example, Flo grew up listening to hardcore music with bands like Madball, Terror, CDC, as well as French and US rap, and learning guitar with Metallica.

He discovered modern metal, metalcore and even pop punk later on, and these are styles that he enjoys as much as the others

And it’s the same for all

(PARALYZED) THE ART IS SO ESSENTIAL FOR PEOPLE, THAT WE HAD TO PASS A STRONG MESSAGE WITH THIS SONG.

MAIN . LANDMVRKS

the members of the band, we don’t even talk about the less extreme styles, it’s recurrent that the playlist in the van goes from Gojira to Post-Malone.

And our challenge is to integrate all these influences in a coherent and fluid way in a modern metal song, which is sometimes more difficult than it seems.

On this album we uninhibited ourselves and overcame our fears to push further the bar-

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riers and codes of our own music and style in general.

Speaking of this union of styles, the song “Visage” is the most symbolic in this sense. Could it be said that this song represents the synthesis of the personal influences of each member?

Indeed “Visage” is a great representation of what the band can offer! It is the most daring song of the album and it’s really well received by our fans all over the world despite the language barrier, it’s incredible!

But it’s not representative of what Landmvrks has to offer as a whole, each song on the album is really different from the others, with each time its own “surprise”.

In each single released by the band, there is a video clip for each song. What is the importance of audiovisual in the transmission of the message contained in the Landmvrks songs?

Today some people think music videos are less important than before with the rise of streaming services, we do not

MAIN . LANDMVRKS

agree, we think that the visual is still of paramount importance, we want to put images on our music, clips are an extension of an album, they can anchor the album in a universe, an atmosphere, a color ...

We are already thinking about other clips and how to bring something different and less conventional to put in images other songs of the album.

Thinking a little more about the title of your third album, who would be the people who would be lost in

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the clouds, and why would they be in that condition? Is it inspired by someone; people close to you?

As you can see in the cover of the album, there is this woman whose face is not visible, and who seems to be looking for her way, and this is a direct metaphor of the name of the album, it can be anyone, it is a universal feeling of being lost, It’s obviously Flo who came up with this name talking about his own experiences, but anyone can relate to it, it’s not an album that brings solutions it’s only a representation of rea-

MAIN . LANDMVRKS

lity, and just knowing that other people share the same feeling as you, it feels good.

Listening to “Lost in the Waves” and not mentioning the exciting “Paralyzed” is a mistake. Florent, what is it like for you to sing the emotions, and convey the feeling that the music needs?

Florent - “Paralyzed” is a complicated song to interpret and for the anecdote the “calm” choruses as well as the final chorus are directly taken from the pre-production session, recorded in my bedroom. We decided to keep them on the final version of the song because the intention was just perfect and I knew that it would have been very complex to do it again in the studio, besides the verse had to be redone in studio because the lyrics were not finalized during the pre-production session, and it took a lot of time to find the right and perfect intention.

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Very often the first intentions are the best, and the fact that I recorded the vocals without any pressure knowing that they would only be demos, helped to create an honest performance. There are quite a few other vocal parts of the album that come straight out of the demo sessions, such as the end of “visage”.

The video for “Paralyzed” mentions the place that would be one of Landmvrks’ next concerts, which was postponed with the pandemic. How did the idea come about, to honor everyone who made this music scene? After all, we all feel the weight that the pandemic has brought...

We were very lucky to have the opportunity to shoot in this emblematic venue, thanks to the team of L’Accor Arena and the festival that was to take place at the end of 2020 “Storm The Arena”. Paying tribute to all this scene is an honor for us, we think of the musicians, techni-

MAIN . LANDMVRKS

cians, actors, dancers etc... who can no longer practice their work for more than a year, it is sad... The art is so essential for people, that we had to pass a strong message with this song. It has been over a year and a half since we’ve played a show and I think it’s the most frustrating thing that’s happened to us in our lives.

“I’m just trying to hide my fears, ‘Cause I’m afraid to understand”, that part of “Lost

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in a Wave” is interesting. How many times has this not happened in our lives... How do we face fear?

I think that the best way to face our fears is to understand them, but it is always much easier to ignore them, to avoid them and we find ourselves caught in a vicious circle where our whole life is based on avoidance, which reinforces even more our anxiety and our fear, the solution to these problems is to have a lot of

courage and determination to understand what scares us and even if we can never get rid of it, we can learn how to live with it, peacefully.

“Tired of it all” has many interesting parts. Comparing with the moment we live in, “I can no longer bear the weight, of all the things I’ve left undone” fits perfectly. Do you already picture what the post-pandemic will be like, especially for the shows?

We didn’t think about it... We saw test photos with seated concerts, it’s weird to be honest. We really hope that when it starts again everything will be back to normal. We need an audience that moves, that transmits us their emotions, their energy. A concert is not like watching a movie at the cinema where you sit and watch a big screen while eating popcorn, it’s different, you sing, you sweat, you share your passion with everyone else in the room, it’s a kind of perfect alchemy

MAIN . LANDMVRKS

that is created. That’s why we need this back asap.

Lost in a cloud watching the rain fall, being silent, tired of everything, without saying a word.

Always underestimated and now paralyzed. How to be understood and get out of this condition?

To understand all this, I think the best thing to do is to say that we all live in a Fantasy where sometimes people will feel empty and Hollow.

To conclude, is there a possibility of a livestream featuring this new album? Thank you very much, success and take care! We hope to see you in Brazil.

We are working on a livestream now, it will have to be released in the next few months, for the moment we can’t do a concert so obviously we find alternatives.

A huge thank you to you, hoping to come and play in Brazil one day!

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Photo: Mariana S. Mayer

INTERVIEW. OCEANS

BY PEI FON / PHOTO KATJA BORNS

T

here are many bands that talk about various subjects, from politics to religion and mythology... but there are very few that talk about our mental condition. If it is not an easy subject to talk about, imagine singing... The truth is that the complexity of the subject discourages many people, but it was not the case with Oceans.

Oceans is a Vienna/Berlin quartet, formed

by Timo Rotten (vocals & guitar), Patrick Zarske (guitar), Thomas Winkelmann (bass) and J.F. Grill (drums). They touch on what hurt us the most. And so, thinking of helping people, singing the bitterness and difficulties, they give visibility to relevant issues, even more in times of pandemic.

We had the opportunity to speak with bassist Thomas. He was very kind to our questions about the current and future releases, points of view and mental health, of course, he did not measure anything. Curious? Keep reading!

The band classifies itself as Modern Death Metal, mixed with 90's Nü Metal and PostRock. Is it the conjunction of these genres that makes Oceans sound so unique?

Thomas - Yeah, I think our style is rooted in all those genres. We all do have similarities in taste but yet also very different

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Photo: Tatjana Braun

preferences which melt to- that something we created is gether and create this sound. liked and valued by people out there too and we hope to You released “We are not contribute something helpful okay” with the participa- to the fight for mental health. tion of Andy Dörner (Cal- "We are not okay" is part of iban). In a short time, the next EP of the same name, it has been played more scheduled to be released than 130 thousand times in April. In addition to the on Spotify, and count- theme on mental health, there ing. How do you evaluate will be special participations. this repercussion that the How did these participations music is having? contribute to strengthenBy today it´s actually 204.000 ing the messages that each which is amazing. We are very single brings? thankful and proud as hell So our guitar player

Patrick came up with the idea of setting up a collaboration with the German NPO “The ocean in your mind”.

Best you check out their website and have a look for yourself. Their angle is to show people that they´re not alone with those issues, by people suffering from psychological diseases sharing their stories. https://theoceaninyourmind.de/english

We contacted them and they liked what we´re

INTERVIEW. OCEANS

doing and likewise. So we will continue working with them in the future as well and try to help the organization wherever we can.

We also reached out to other artists and musicians who were interested in helping the cause. I think we found the perfect matches for every song. By now two songs are already out. You mentioned Andy from Caliban earlier and Lena of Infected Rain did a vocal feature on the second song “Voices”.

There are two more to come. I can´t say much about it right now but we have more songs with strong features that we´re very proud of waiting to be released.

The video for "We are not okay" has a strong criticism about the psychological problems that social networks cause and depression is one of those consequences.

At the end of the video, there is a message offering help. How have

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viewers reacted to this clip? Are they looking for support?

As far as I can tell the video has been received very well so far. The reactions are very positive. I am unsure if people reached out just because they saw our video but we can only hope that our call to reach out for help if needed is heard and seen.

In an interview about the new single, vocalist Timo Rotten says that the world is not at all well and that it is necessary to accept this. When did the band decide to bring this discussion about mental health through music?

That topic has been around from day one in this band. I think all of us can not only relate to this topic, but have also had our own very personal experiences with mental illness.

I think struggling with yourself and your mental health has become more present in the lives of a lot of people nowadays since life kind of

EVERYONE YOU KNOW IS FIGHTING A BATTLE YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT. SO JUST BE KIND. ALWAYS!

INTERVIEW. OCEANS

came to a drastic change globally.

"When I look into the mirror, I see an unfamiliar face". Recently some people from the metal scene decided to step out of the spotlight to take care of their self. How do you evaluate this decision?

As much as it might hurt you as a fan if people decide to call it quits or take a break, first and foremost it is each persons individual choice on how to deal with their lives and if that means stepping out of the spotlight to heal so be it. I mean it´s hard to argue with that anyways. Whatever you might think you know you may not know shit.

Sometimes even not when you´re very close with someone. Everyone you know is fighting a battle you know nothing about. So just be kind. Always!

“I don't live - I survive. I am not okay ”. There are many interesting parts to “We are not okay”, but this is the one that draws the most attention. At what times should we stop just existing, and

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start living?

At any time. It might suck and be the hardest thing to achieve but there is also no better alternative.

I listened to “Voices” and immersed myself in that song. The voices that stayed in my head, for sure, were yours (lol), which is positive. Tell us about this partnership with Lena Scissorhands.

Lena has also been involved with the topic already, creating awareness for mental health issues and we wanted a strong female voice on that song so we thought we would give it a shot and ask her. Luckily she liked the song and said yes. The outcome feels just perfect to us.

“Who's that man behind the mirror? I don't know him anymore, when did this little boy get lost?”. The first sentences of “Voices” are very impressive. Is there a character behind it? Has anyone in the band or close been through this?

The song is about Schizophrenia, which luckily none of us have had first-hand experience with

As mentioned before we do have our own points of contact with mental health issues. I won´t get into

INTERVIEW. OCEANS

100 // ROCK MEETING // APRIL . 2021

details about the other guys but I´ve been struggling with depression on and off for like half my life. I´ve been in therapy, I did the meds, I struggled with panic attacks and anxiety before as well. It is an ongoing journey but I do feel quite good nowadays and I did learn to notice when it´s going downhill again and I am trying to always be a step ahead or at least handle it better each time.

Yeah, it does work in two ways really. Like for us as our own self therapy session and catharsis, and hopefully for others out there as well who may find themselves listening to our songs.

I got to know Oceans with its debut album, “The Sun and The Cold”, released in January 2020, but the work of publicity was stopped due to the pandemic. How did For me there is no ques- you manage your time tion about how deep the lyrics of Oceans are. As musicians, is the intention of getting people to reflect on what's going on internally?

Thanks, we do try and sometimes we succeed with writing good stuff :D

without the live shows?

We did have a good start with that album after releasing two Eps prior to it and playing some shows to prepare for the Renegades tour with Equilibrium. Unfortunately, right after the tour the whole first lockdown happened and ever since we have not been able to play a single show like so many others out there.

Since all bandmembers are living in different places or even different countries we haven´t seen much of each

INTERVIEW. OCEANS

other aside from video calls.

So that sucks a lot obviously but we tried to make the best out of it and have been really productive working on new material. So this has been our 2020 and it´s ongoing still.

We are actually just arguing over the song selection for the next album haha. So it´s safe to say that we are utilizing the forced live break well.

Listening well to “The Sun and The Cold” I recognize that it is true to the description in the band's profile on Spotify, being a sound for depressed people and that it touches what hurts the most.

One year after its release, what is your assessment of this album?

I still love it. It has been such a big deal for us to set up this whole thing from nothing after “being in the business” for quite a while before. But it´s safe to say that it has been the best decision ever.

your analysis of the two EP's, singles and the first album released?

H o w much has the band grown since then?

We are constantly on the move so to say.

We worked hard on consolidating our sound and style and our own perception of the band.

I do not expect any stand still time soon. We already can´t wait to present the new album to the world even though that’s gonna be a bit further down the track until it will be released.

Fan participation is very important for maintaining the base, and releasing digital singles and EP’s has been one of the ways to stay active.

Thinking about it, do you plan any livestream or Taking a tour of the avail- any other promotion? able material, what is Yes, we do. Since we are 102 // ROCK MEETING // APRIL . 2021

talking to each other all the time anyways we thought why not make more live streams to include the people out there and stay in touch off stage. We do Instagram Live Talks every now and then and Timo is live streaming from the studio every Thursday on Twitch.

And if there´s a chance any time soon we would be overly happy to just stream from a rehearsal or something like that.

To conclude, in addition to

Photo: Tamselbärchen

INTERVIEW. OCEANS

the digital EP, what do you intend to do throughout this year? Success, take care and we wait for you in Brazil. Thank you!

There will also be a physical release of ‘WE ARE NØT OKAY’, limited to just 200 copies which can only be ordered directly through our webshop.

Besides the EP release we are gonna hit the studio in 104 // ROCK MEETING // APRIL . 2021

the first half of this year and finish album number II, do some videoshoots and photoshoots and stuff like that. Also we are already checking out some live opportunities for 2022. That’s keeping us busy for now.

Thank you very much for having me and all the best to you guys. We can´t wait to come over and meet all of you in person. Cheers!

INTERVIEW. SABLE HILLS

BY SUZUKI KAYOMI / PHOTO PROMOTION JAPONESE TRANSLATE - JENNIFER SKOPPEK

A

mong many people in Japan, we have a great diversity of music being constantly presented to us in our day-today lives. Diving into the underground metalcore scene, we find Sable Hills. Formed by two brothers, Rick and Takuya, the band stands out for its aggressive sound and its insane performances.

Mentioned by other bands as “a fucking cool band”, Rick seeks to bring a bit of modernity to metalcore, without forgetting the main roots. Sable Hills can be found on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music.

You had quite a few member changes in your band, didn’t you? Some artists think that the band always starts over again, once a new member joins the band. How was it for you during your member changes?

Rick - Sable Hills was formed by Takuya and Rick as its core. As long as the core doesn’t change, the band won’t change drastically either. It’s obviously sad when you have to part ways with a member, and the drop of motivation that is accompanied by it is something you just can’t help.

Takuya and Rick are brothers, right?

How is it to work with your brother? I 106 // ROCK MEETING // APRIL . 2021

could imagine that problems might arise? Maybe because of different points of view regarding your music?

There have been no problems.

Our preferences in music are pretty similar, so we have no discrepancies about our musicianship. We are getting along quite well, so there aren’t many issues.

Mosh pits, headbanging, a wall of death, etc. are characteristic for concerts of metal bands, but with the current pandemic where social distance is a golden rule, those things seem next to impossible. Do you feel like something is missing during concerts nowadays? Do you think it will

go back to ‘normal’?

What we miss most are the voices from the audience.

They aren’t allowed to use their voices, so they can’t sing along and also hesitate to shout out in excitement.

I think the image of crowds and proximity being dangerous will not disappear completely even after Corona is gone. Even if mosh pits were

INTERVIEW. SABLE HILLS

allowed, it could still happen that the people who did mosh pits in the past, would stop doing them now because of the situation.

You are currently taking part in the audition for Metal Battle Japan to appear at the Wacken festival in Germany. How are the preparations going?

We are convinced that we can win and will spare no effort until the day of the battle.

The metalcore and hardcore scene is a lot bigger overseas.

What are the differences compared to the scene in Japan?

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The metal scene in Japan is very small, but I don’t think it is like that overseas. There are probably many people listening to metalcore as there are many bands overseas.

You have performed with many bands who have a lot of experience playing gigs abroad, like Coldrain or Crystal Lake for example. How was that experience for you?

We were, of course, happy, but we were just playing at the same festival with them. So, we really want to go on tour together with them one day.

For their tour, or maybe even our own one.

WE WANT TO ADVANCE OVERSEAS AND PERFORM AT FAMOUS FESTIVALS

INTERVIEW. SABLE HILLS

The metalcore market in Japan is quite limited. Does Sable Hills have any plans to take their music abroad? What about the Brazil market, you want to reach the other side of the planet?

We strongly want to reach out to foreign markets and of course also the Brazilian ones. Our lyrics are in English and we play metalcore, a genre that has its origin overseas, so it’s just natural. We are based in Japan for our band activities, but we always think about sending our music overseas.

I’ve noticed that bands in Japan usually use Japanese with occasional English for their lyrics.

However, metal or metalcore bands usually sing in English.

The same goes for Sable Hill.

Can you tell us why you choose

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to sing in English? Do you think Japanese fans can relate to your English lyrics?

We are influenced by overseas bands.

Therefore, we are inspired by the English lyrics we listen to and it’s just natural for us to use English.

I can also express my singing better in English than in Japanese. We prepare Japanese translations as well as explanations for our songs in Japanese for our Japanese fans to understand them.

Your latest release was the single "Flood". The song says, “Without a reason to fight, I have to be broken”. What do you think is Sable Hills' reason to fight?

"Flood" is a metaphor for the adversities happening in the world right now. I think we must keep fighting

INTERVIEW. SABLE HILLS

as long as we have adversities.

The fight I’m talking about here is continuing to create music and having concerts.

Many bands get inspiration from things that happen in the world, things they don’t agree with or don’t like. For Sable Hills, where does the inspiration for your lyrics and songs come from?

I sing about the absurdities that happen around us or the problems within this world with hate and yells.

What can we expect from you in the future? Are there any concrete goals you have in mind? We wish you all the best and hope to see you in Brazil someday!

We want to advance overseas and perform at famous festivals. We are giving our best to make that work.

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V

ARTICLE . VOICE TALK

Foto: Promotion

VOICE TALK VOICE TALK BEING A SCREAMER WHILE ON LOCKDOWN

BY NICOLÁS HORMAZÁBAL Monitor Teacher FCC Course (Brasil) / PAVA´s Member (Panamerican Vocology Association )

ARTICLE . VOICE TALK

Photo: Oliver Haremsa 114 // ROCK MEETING // APRIL . 2021

T

he past year, without a doubt, hit the world hard, and we who dedicate ourselves to music are not exempt from this blow generated by the pandemic that had worldwide repercussions. However, around the musical field, there is a problem that is not yet being discussed and that affects us directly.

Just as athletes need to continue training to maintain and / or improve their marks, singers must continue to sing, that is, training their voice to keep it conditioned to the requirements that the styles they sing require. However, it is very different to be a neighbor of a Jazz or Bossa Nova singer and to be a neighbor of a Rock singer and, along the same lines, it is much more complicated to be a neighbor of a metalcore singer.

One of the problems that the pandemic reveals is the need for a space

ARTICLE . VOICE TALK

to express ourselves, understanding the different circumstances that are accentuated by the pandemic, such as social inequalities, people who live in apartments of a few square meters that do not have the necessary acoustic treatments working as insulators of this type of sound. In this scenario, it is complex and almost impossible to be able to train your voice without disturbing or “being inconvenient” for the community that live around this shared space.

Given this situation, did you receive calls asking you to stop screaming? Did they come knocking on your door to find out “who’s dying” inside? Receiving this kind of comment can affect us, and the truth is that it affects most of us. Although we do not stop practicing, despite these comments, we are obliged to modify certain things to avoid this type of conflict with others. Everything that has been said previously, has caused many screamers to lose the muscular condition of their voices due to the lack of training, added

to the lack of shows and rehearsals.

Due to what has been exposed, when the pandemic is behind us, we will have some problems so that we can resume our normal activities, so I leave the following suggestions:

1. Find a speech therapist to help you keep your voice conditioned.

2.

Work with a qualified teacher in extreme metal so that you do not lose access to the Screams you have already achieved (it can also help you improve them or find other sounds).

3. Try to take care of your mental health. Psychological support is always something nutritious, because although music is a good catalyst for emotions, we know that specifically in Screaming techniques we must be very careful not to get carried away by emotion,

Photo: Oliver Haremsa 116 // ROCK MEETING // APRIL . 2021

ARTICLE . VOICE TALK

Pho

to:

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as this can cause problems to our vocal health.

4. Keep practicing! In some cases, it may be very difficult to maintain the practice, but you should not give up (consider the help proposed in the pre-

118 // ROCK MEETING // APRIL . 2021

vious point). One solution may be to reach an agreement with the people around you to define times and days when you will practice your Screams.

We know that this may not be the best time, but we can learn a lot from everything that is going on.

We will continue to practice, keep screaming and showing the world what we are made of!

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH!

INTERVIEW. ETERNAL VOID

BY UILLIAN VARGAS / PHOTO PROMOTION

E

ternal Void is one of those bands that feels no fear of renewing itself and following the new winds. Formed near the end of the first decade of the 2000s, but it was in 2010 that the band gained strength and consistency.

And there's this very interesting story of how the band emerges as a project, from the musicians, and ends up becoming the main band. Dayton, Ohio, was the sacred ground that saw the band born and conquer the world. The band is formed

by Waylon Baker (guitar), Dylan Krebs (drums), Evan Hilderbrandt (guitar) and Logan Adams (vocals).

Eternal Void has just released their second studio album, "Serenity in the Black", a collection of influences, heaviness, powerful lyrics, and melody. We had the great opportunity to talk to the guys from Eternal Void and they told us a lot of interesting and curious things about the band and its trajectory until the present days.

Check it out!

Photo: Jenny Rosa

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Let's get start this conversation with a brief story about yourselves. Heavy sound, melodic and music full of energy. Tell us about the beginning of the band. What is behind the meaning of the band's name?

Evan - BWell, the band actually was a side project of Dylan’s while me and him were in another full-time band. Eventually that band broke up

Photo: Ryan Ferdelman

and then Dylan started getting more serious with EV and I begged and begged to join and was finally offered the job. In the beginning it was definitely more thrash/tech-death metal influenced as we were all into more of the classic metal bands like Death, Sepultura, Megadeth etc. Obviously that sound started to change and develop over time. As for the name “Eternal Void”, it didn’t really start with any special

meaning or anything behind it. Dylan heard it in Black Sabbath’s song “Into the Void” and the rest was history. I think it’s one of those names though that start out without any sort of meaning and then over time it starts to develop its own vibe and character.

Eternal Void was born as an alternative project of Dylan Krebs. How was the process from being

born as a project than after becoming a band?

Dylan - It was a fun band on the side that turned out to be our main project once we had acquired the right people. It blossomed into its own thing around 2010 and since then we have continued to make great advances across the board. It makes a big difference when everyone is on the same page with the same goals in mind and a determi-

INTERVIEW. ETERNAL VOID

nation for success through creativity.

WE’RE CONTINUALLY TRYING TO DIAL IN WHERE WE PLACE OURSELVES IN THE SCENE AND FIND OUT HOW WE CAN SET OURSELVES APART FROM EVERYONE ELSE IN THIS STYLE OF MUSIC

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The U.S. has a very strong music scenario, and each city has its own sounds connections.

How is the heavy metal scene in Ohio? Especially in Dayton?

Waylon - The Ohio metal scene as a whole has always been pretty solid. A lot of great bands have come out of Ohio and/or Dayton for example The Devil Wears Prada was originally from Dayton.

Bands like Miss May I, Like Moths to Flames just to name a few are from Ohio. There are probably many more I’m

missing but those are a few good examples. There’s always been a strong DIY community in the scene and hard-working bands that have come up. Dayton itself still has a lot of great local bands and just a lot of great/talented people involved in the music scene that inspire us to work harder and be the best we can be.

From "Art of our Demise", through "Catharsis" than to the two new singles ("Crippling Thing" and "Willow"), you have grown as a band. How do you evaluate yourselves in this journey as a band?

Evan - I hate to give the typical “we matured in our sound”

Photo: Ryan Ferdelman

Between the old and new music influences, what are you currently listening to?

Which bands inspire Eternal Void and also recommend to our readers?

Logan - I tend to only listen to more modern music like Good tiger and Thundercat. Though the band overall listens to a wide variety ranging from classics like Metallica to modern titans like Spiritbox.

INTERVIEW. ETERNAL VOID

answer but I think that’s the case here. During “Art of our Demise” we didn’t really know what we were doing to be honest. If anything, it was “how can we play the most insane stuff and just string it all together”. Not to say anything from that era was bad, but we were still young and just trying to figure things out. “Catharsis” is where we really started to cut our teeth and discover ourselves and create our sound and that’s 124 // ROCK MEETING // APRIL . 2021

mixes elements of Post Rock, Death Metal and Djent in the songs. During the composition of this album, is the mixture of styles something directed, or does it come naturally?

Dylan - A bit of both. Going into a new album we all have ideas that stem from genres and other artists we like. I think naturally we are "Catharsis" it’s your sec- all drawn to those styles. We ond album. The band do reference those styles only been amplified with the new album. Take road experience, practicing your craft, and life experience and naturally there is going to be some kind of progression in the sound. In our case it just happened to get darker and darker, and the music and lyrics got more “real” and the band name started becoming a reality in a way.

Photo: Ryan Ferdelman

when it comes to building the songs. We all have different music tastes so it is nice to have multiple inputs, that can really allow creative growth.

On the band's official facebook profile there is a funny post about the "old Eternal" vs. the "new Eternal". Besides the heavy sounds, aggressiveness, and attitude, what is this change in the band's career about?

Logan: Mostly the fact it's around seven years since Catharsis. That's a lot of time for influences, members, and us as people to change.

"Art of Our Demise" was released in 2012. How do you evaluate the songs made in that age? Would you change anything?

Evan - For me I don’t think I’ll ever be 100% satisfied with a release. Not to say I’m not happy or proud with the past releases but for most musicians I feel you’re always going to look back and wish you wrote something just a little different, or

maybe the mix could have been tweaked, or maybe you should have handled the marketing differently. With “The Art of Our Demise” I look back on it fondly. I wished we would have had a better mix, but again, we were just starting to figure things out. However, I did try playing along to some of the riffs the other day and a lot of it is REALLY difficult and there is some solid playing on it, so I am happy about that. If anything, I think some of the naivety actually helped us because we weren’t over analyzing anything.

It was a lot of fun.

"Catharsis" was released twice, in 2014 (originally) and in 2018. With some bonuses, what is the reason for releasing the same album twice?

What changes were made?

INTERVIEW. ETERNAL VOID

Dylan - We released “Ca- In "Lie Awake", from the tharsis” a second time out of album "Catharsis", I have obligation with our record the impression that it contract. We wanted to add was written for someone. some bonus material to that "You're everything to me, release that we previously did no sense in wasting time, so we begin to learn, from not get too due to time conmistakes we've earned". straints when tracking the alIs it an impression or was bum. We re-did some of the it dedicated to someone tracks in a softer version and you were in a relationincluded a new song “Susship with? pended Animation” as well as Logan - It's about finding instrumental versions of the comfort in someone you care ambient tracks. about, while facing the hard126 // ROCK MEETING // APRIL . 2021

ships of life together. So yes.

"Element" brings the biggest question and one that we are unlikely to have an answer to. "Think of a situation, where if you die tomorrow". As individuals, in a situation like that, what goes through your head when thinking about it?

Evan - Yeah, that line came from Logan. For me though when I think of that it kind

of lights a fire ya know? Like it motivates me to want to do more and accomplish cool things cause the clock doesn’t stop and eventually one day we will all die. So, make the most of things while we have a chance.

In the recently released singles, there is a difference between "Crippling Thing" and the newer "Willow". The last one is much more aggressive and fuller of emotion. Is there a character

behind "Willow"?

Evan - In a way yes. The original idea behind “Willow” was a literal Willow tree that basically stands the test of time through hundreds of years of mankind and witnesses the uprising and ultimate self-destruction of mankind.

As I was writing the lyrics to the song, the viewpoint of the tree ultimately got removed, but the self-reflection of mankind as a whole stayed. I was really thinking about the dynamic between the groups of people that focus on greed

and self-development at all costs, and how there is another group that is purer and caring and how they legitimately want to improve life. I think it’s a beautiful thought, but there is a sense of hopelessness at times in it. Hence the line “Chasing the empty space”. While I wrote the lyrics, I reflected on the events of 2020 and the overall state of the world and how we’re all supposed to be working together to get through life and how it just wasn’t happening. That led me to the

INTERVIEW. ETERNAL VOID

line “interlaced purposes, but we’re lost in the dissonance”.

In the two recent singles, I sense a presence of inner struggle in the lyrics. In "Crippling Thing," the bridge to the chorus says, "I can't tell you how you need to learn how to breathe again" it’s almost a phrase that can be said to the self-conscious. Can you talk a little about this music message?

Logan - Life is hard. It's harder when your brain constantly tells you how horrible you are at everything and as a person.

Though normally in these cases it's one-

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self that is the problem. Learning to push that voice aside and just breathing, being calm, can help a lot.

"Willow" went to Youtube, through a montage of beautiful and impactful images. Together with the lyrics these images bring "Willow" very close to a self-questioning. What reactions do you expect this sound to cause?

Evan - I really want people to reflect on their life and what they are adding to the world. How are they contributing? We’re all taking the same way out of this world, one way or another, so how can we make

Photo: Jenny Rosa

our time here just a little better? Beyond that, I’m hoping people are more conscious of their actions. Good or bad. I wouldn’t consider myself a big “peace and love” vibe kind of guy, but I think self-awareness can go a long way in making day to day life better.

"As time moves on, I lose hope within myself, I'm giving in" this part in "Willow" catches my attention quite a bit. What is the way for this individual to trust himself again?

Logan - This is one of the only lines I wrote for this song, Evan did most of it!

Though in growing as a person. We all can afford to be better people.

You have released the song "Despondent" featuring special guest Courtney LaPlante (Spiritbox). filled with feeling and expressive, was it written to someone? When the song was written, were you already thinking about a duet with Courtney?

Logan -It's written to reflect the idea of watching a loved one suffer while there is nothing that can be done on your end. I sadly have multiple people in life I've felt this way about. Though it wasn't written with Courtney in mind, we had wanted a female vocalist on a track for a while.

Amidst this scenario of social isolation, away from the stage, as a band,

Photo: Richard Rodrigues

INTERVIEW. ETERNAL VOID

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in this style of music. It’s a tough thing to do and we’re still learning as we go but we hope the songwriting will speak for itself when people hear the songs. What works for another band may not work for us and vice versa so we’re just trying to define and find our own lane to be in.

how are you managing and thinking about the next steps for Eternal Void? How do you work in a social scenario where you can't perform as a band?

Waylon - SYeah, when we started writing this record together, we tried to write the songs with the live performance in mind. Asking ourselves how they would translate in a live scenario. I think now we’re just trying to focus on building our brand and being consistent online with new music and content to support it. We’re continually trying to dial in where we place ourselves in the scene and find out how we can set ourselves apart from everyone else

In Feb/21, Eternal Void released another single. This movement of releasing albums in fragments is already a musical reality. With this brevity of nowadays, is releasing a fulllength still valid?

Waylon - Artists releasing full length albums is absolutely still valid. We felt after being sort of dormant for so long it was best to write a collection of songs and put them out as an album and there is a consistent theme throughout these songs as well, so it just made sense.

Now being a smaller band that we are would it have been better to just focus on writing singles vs an album? Perhaps, but things are different now than they were when we started writing the album and we

INTERVIEW. ETERNAL VOID

felt it was best to stay the course and keep our promise to existing fans to release a new full length. After this album is out, we will most likely be focusing on writing the best individual songs we can at a time, and it will probably be a while before another full length from us. It won’t be until it makes sense again for us to do one. Also, we want to experiment more stylistically with singles and see what fans might gravitate toward or not. There are pros and cons to both but really just depends on the demand of and size of the artist.

To conclude our chat, what can we expect from Eternal Void in 2021? Success, take care, and we hope to see you in Brazil. Thank you!

Logan - We have a lot of cool ideas floating around this year and a lot of ideas surrounding the album and further. All I can say is follow our pages and stay up to date. Thank you for having us and thank you to our fans new and old!

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INTERVIEW. THE HEALING

BY PEI FON / PHOTO PROMOTION

I

t has even repetitive to say how much Rock Meeting has been looking for new bands since we changed our editorial line. But it is based on these amazing discoveries that we are happy to bring to the attention of our readers bands that are here to be heard.

This time we brought a band with one foot in Canada and another one in England.

The Healing came on our radar and it was a happy ‘find’ that we now share with everyone.

The band consists of Joe Garant (Guitar), Jason Dykeman (Bass), Kris Garant (Vocals) and Ned Skiffington (Drums). We had the opportunity to talk to them about many subjects and, mainly, to know about their future launch.

Follow us!

The scene in Canada has gifted us with many good bands and the fact that Rock Meeting has recently talked with Spiritbox and The Northern is proof of that.

What’s your perception regarding this highlight Canadian metal is having?

Firstly, thank you for reaching out to us for this interview! We think it's great to have Canadian metal get more spotlight as it's well deserved.

More great bands keep popping up from here and it's awesome to see.

The Healing has two EPs (“Transcend-

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ence” and “Elevate”) and one full length (“Hollow Earth”) and has recently released two singles.

How do you evaluate the path the band has been on since 2014?

The band has slowed down due to the pandemic, band members moving around, etc., but we are still writing music and releasing it when

we are happy with the result. sound modernization felt We plan on having another in the début?

EP out this year.

We continue to grow overtime, with our outlook and Covering what has al- beliefs molding to new inforready been put out, it’s mation we come across, inevnoticeable how much you itably changing the direction guys have matured and of our music and sound. As explored the music even we learn more of what works more, bringing dyna- and what doesn't, we conmism to the band’s sound. tinue to work on achieving What has generated this a greater overall sound with

INTERVIEW. THE HEALING

each release and hopefully pick up a few new fans along the way!

On an old Facebook post of the band concerning the release of “Diary of Jane” single, you guys have said that there would be a new album in 2020. However, the pandemic has arrived and imposed a sudden break.

What’s the reason why you still haven’t launched a new record?

The pandemic has really dampened the plans we had, and we weren't able to fulfill our words on a new record. We decided on a new direction with mixes and songs, so we ended up starting from scratch. Our latest release 'Watch the World Burn' is a good indication of the new direction we are going musically, and we hope to bring more music in the near future.

Speaking of the successor of “Hollow Earth”, two songs have been presented so far: “Watch the World Burn” and the aforementioned “Diary of Jane”. Is the album ready? Do you in-

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tend to release it in 2021? Or are you going to keep the singles dynamics?

The album is not ready, but we are continuing to add more songs to the roster. The next release we hope to do is another EP this year.

From the perspective of the verse “There’s a fine line between love and hate”, pointed out in the song “Diary of Jane”, what’s the element that unites people to live in the threshold?

“Diary of Jane” is actually a cover song by Breaking Benjamin. An old song we used to enjoy when we were in high school. We did not write the lyrics so we cannot comment on them, but we were big fans of the song and band at one time.

As the new song made available for audition, what has been

WE CONTINUE TO WORK ON ACHIEVING A GREATER OVERALL SOUND WITH EACH RELEASE

INTERVIEW. THE HEALING

the repercussion of “Watch the World Burn”?

We have received really good feedback from our latest release and people seem to be enjoying the new direction so far. A lot of people have commented that it reminds them of our first EP 'Transcendence'.

From the album “Hollow Earth”, the song “Degenerate” has one line that has caught my attention: “When was the last time I've faced the world as myself?”. Is there an inner conflict that someone was going through? Who would that character be?

The song is about a character going through an inner struggle which causes them to resort to other vices to ease the pain, whether it be drugs, alcohol, food, etc. and falling even deeper into that turmoil. It was a reflection upon some people in our personal lives who were going through this issue.

When you are being degenerated, you find a ghost of yourself in the search for absolution. Although the earth is hollow, divinity is sought in the possibility of returning to the source. Could this be the reading of

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“Hollow Earth”?

Your interpretation is pretty close to what we intended. We tried to do our albums/EPs like a story that carries through each song, with everything tied together but ultimately it is up to the listener to determine what they believe is the message. We like where your head is!

The whole lyrics of “Hollow Earth” is quite interesting, but I highlight “Open your heart, be free of mind, as we live and let go” as a piece of advice. Has it been written for someone? Tell us a little bit more about it…

Thoughts can be something that lifts you up, or holds you down, depending on what it is.

Sometimes you need to just live your life

INTERVIEW. THE HEALING

and let go of the past traumas or negative experiences. Be free of mind is another way of saying not to dwell on your thoughts, especially if it is a negative one. You are not your thoughts. Have you ever found yourself wondering “why the hell am I thinking about this?”.

The final verse of “Phantom Self”, “Overhead, no one to face my woes but I”, is very strong. How can someone deal with their own sadness and how to get out of this situation?

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It's not an easy thing to deal with sadness or depression. 'Phantom Self' deals with questioning oneself and coming to terms with reality.

Sometimes you just have to straighten your spine and face the world or issue head on because no one is going to do it for you.

One of the best “thermometers” a band can have is their number of listeners. From the “Elevate” EP, “Aether Eyes” has been listened to a little more than 750 thousand times on Spotify.

Has The Healing music been fulfilling its purpose?

At the end of the day, we make this music for ourselves. We don't adhere to any rules or are influenced by any other decisions but our own.

If we received thousands of streams on a song, then that is absolutely fantastic. If not, that is okay too.

We are happy if we can reach even a handful of people who enjoy our music. The purpose of The Healing has always been just to make good music we enjoy ourselves and we've accomplished that.

The pandemic has currently been delaying many plans.

With this sudden stop of activities, how do you see the fu-

ture show productions? Do you believe the behavior of the audience, musicians and promoters will change?

We are hoping it all just goes away and we can live like normal human beings again without so much fear.

To wrap things up, what are The Healing’s plans for 2021?

Take care, we wish you success and hope to see you in Brazil.

Thank you very much!

Our current plans for 2021 is to put out a new EP with new music people will enjoy and maybe even some old songs remastered. Who knows what the future will bring!