Sonic Shocks - Issue 8

Issue 8/2012

£ FREE

FULL REPORT

IT’S THAT SUNNY TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN

We talk to Cattle Decapitation, Job For A Cowboy, Carnifex, Deathstars, Emilie Autumn, Rolo Tomassi, Jettblack, Micki Free, The Vex, Jubilee, Guitar George, Rival Sons, Sabaton, Jonny Cola & the A Grades, Firewind, Cancer Bats, Exumer, Decapitated + reviews, live, burlesque and much more!

30 YEARS OF

Brian Slagel (that guy who discovered METALLICA)

talks to Sonic Shocks

SUMMER FESTIVALS 2012: LEAVE YOUR WELLIES, PAY TO WRITE PACK YOUR PASSPORT How did we get to this?

AS ARTISTS KEEP FALLING VICTIMS OF DODGY ‘PAY TO PLAY’ DEAL, THE INDUSTRY REACHES NEW LOWS

in the London area alone returned 82 results (source: UCAS coursefinder), including ‘Sport and Exercise Science with Sport Journalism’ or ‘Journalism Studies with Animation’; extending it to media is just too painful, with stuff like ‘Media Make-Up’ included in the pick for ‘course of the week’. In such a state of affairs, it was only a matter of time before the ‘Pay to Play’ culture invaded the journalistic profession.

by Cristina Massei With ‘reviewer’ and ‘photographer’ being two of the new ‘cool’ jobs for all those too shy to earn themselves direct celebrity status on reality TV, useless Uni courses have multiplied like disease, breeding more unemployed wannabes who have never heard of punctuation, aperture and shutter speed or know how to spell ‘definitely’. My search for journalism Uni courses

So here comes yet another free digital magazine in Guitar Media, at its second – well done I must admit – published issue, coming up with a ‘Gig Reviewer Membership Scheme’: IF you are one of the few talented journalists out there AND pay £50, you get a chance to WORK for them.

Let me quote: ‘At the end of the day you will be getting into these concerts as a member of the Guitar Media Press Team for free and we could be sending you to many concerts every year. If we offered this for free we would be inundated with people just wanting free concerts tickets and ITS possible (yes, no apostrophe there) that no reviews would be sent to us’. How’s that for an excuse to make a few quid? You don’t believe me? Well, they’ve taken it offline now, so if you continue to page 2 we’ve kept a screenshot of this ludicrous ad…

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Continues from page 1 Let’s state the obvious here that too many seem to be forgetting: the motivation to produce a well written review - or some good shots - after a show shouldn’t be LOSING money but EARNING some.

Everyone can start a blog and review/shoot gigs they attend as paying members of the public - or for free as friends of the band, bar staff, roadies, merch guys, groupies etc. The good ones should then get a chance to take it to the next level, where PRs and labels happily put them on the guest list/ photo pit in exchange for a nice bit of exposure on a publication with a decent amount of readers. The very good ones will then get onto bigger publications and start getting paid for their time and talent, and occasionally those years spent studying.

Guitar Media has a more than fair amount of advertising at £100 a pop for a magazine that is digital, therefore 100% free to produce and network. The advertising revenue should more than pay for the editors’ time and effort in putting it all together. As they’re up to a good start, their advertising portfolio should hopefully increase, giving them the opportunity in the future to cover expenses and possibly pay a fee to their more consistent contributors. An internship with a view to paid assignments would surely make a stronger motivation than having £50 fleeced off you for the privilege, which is anyway what a couple of tickets would cost so - if I were to exploit the reviewer route for free tickets - I’d be quite happy to pay £50 for a year access.

Timewasters and freeloaders are not that difficult to spot and eliminate: 1 - Ask for links to previously published work – even if it’s just a personal blog, you can check regularity and speed of articles to judge commitment disposition.

2 - Get them to send you a review/ photos of the last gig they’ve attended - without any guest list involvement from you or other publications. Even a tribute band at their local will do.

3 - If there’s commitment and quality, pick a couple of small gigs from that list of shows that PRs/ labels have asked/begged to cover.

4 – Make it clear that they won’t get to pick gigs until a later stage when they’ve shown commitment.

Without going that far, often their ‘I want to write for you’ email is enough to decide if it’s worth going through the above process or it’s best in everyone’s interest to redirect them straight to Ticketmaster or their nearest English tuition establishment.

So back to Guitar Media, their ‘scheme’ would presuppose one of the following scenarios: a) They’re accepting £50 from anyone and giving out free guest list in exchange, which – on top of being extremely unprofessional towards labels and PRs – will contribute in giving music journalism a bad name. And that’s really not needed… b) They’re actually only accepting £50 from those who have the potential and will to commit, in which case why should they pay for the privilege to increase Guitar Media’s audience?

I would like to tell you that Guitar Media is no greedy evil, just trying to rectify – maybe in the wrong way – the current ‘everyone’s a journalist/everyone’s a photographer’ trend; however, I did also find that they are selling their address book through their site, which is disgraceful and I suspect not completely legal. We took a screenshot of that too in case they take it off like they did with the Reviewer Scheme - see right.

I paid my £1 for the press list, and here’s the list of media (I quote) ‘to help get your music infront of the right people. Perfect lists for sending out mass amounts of press kits and press releases’ – see for yourself (Titles only, send me 50p for emails and 50p for phone numbers)!

Billboard BBC Music Magazibe The Beat Blues and Soul City Life Classic rock CMA Publications Country Music People DJ Magazine Early Music Echoes EP

The Fly Folk Music Journal Frootsmag Fusedmagazine Gramophone The Guide Heat Hi-Fi Choice Hip Hop Connection Honk It’s Hot Hot Press Magazine Jazz Journal International Jazzwise Magazine Keep It Live!

Kerrang !

Media Research Publishing Ltd Ministry Mixmag Mizz Mojo Music Business Journal Music Week The Musical Times NME Opera Now Orpheus Publications Ltd Popular Music Pro Sound News Promo Q The Radio Magazine Record Collector Record of the Day Revolutions Rough Guides Ltd Sandman Magazine The Singer Smash hits Songlines Songwriter Sound Nation The Stage Straight No Chaser Sugar Tempo Time Out Top of the Pops Magazine Touch TVB Europe Uncut The Voice What’s On In London The Wire Yes, that’s all folks. I do recommend HEAT and now DEFUNCT Smash Hits and TOTP as absolute priorities for your press kits. And some of the email contacts are actually advertising ones. I’m scratching my head in despair, while an evil little corner of my brain wonders how much my address book may be worth…

But the bottom line is, Guitar Media is not the only one at fault. Everyone trying to cash out on artists naivety and the current thirst for 15 minutes of fame is to blame, for

Issue 8/2012 this and for the sorry state of this industry.

There’s a lot of shit music around because there’s a lot of shit people waking up one day with the genius idea of starting a record label to fleece talentless wannabes.

There’s a lot of shit emails in my inbox because there’s a lot of shit people waking up one day with the genius idea of starting a PR firm to fleece talentless wannabes.

There’s a lot of shit press around because the above shit people will give any kid free tickets to say kind words about the talentless wannabes they’re trying to fleece.

There’s a lot of idiots with iPhones in photo pits because – see above.

There’s a lot of shit bands playing venues because, on top of good old ‘pay to play’, as long as they have friends, those friends can be fleeced at the door and most of all at the bar.

Sonic Shocks Ltd www.sonicshocks.com info@sonicshocks.com

Editor in Chief and Creative Director Labels, PRs, venue promoters and Cristina Massei owners should learn to tell wannabes they’d be better off learning plumbing for a living. There’s plenty of undiscovered talent out there, obscured by an ocean of annoying useless so-called musicians who have enough cash to pay off pen-pushers. If you want to start a label or PR firm, take the time to scout the talent; then take the time to examine the press requests you receive before giving out free tickets and photo passes, because even there the world is missing out on real talent in favour of illiterate kids with nothing to say and happy shooters with camera phones or pricey equipment they don’t know how to use.

Guitar Media may have gone too far, but what is terrifying is that someone saw a gap there to be financially exploited, and I’m sure someone will come up re-phrasing it a bit better and trying it again.

Please, for the sake of this suffering industry, learn to tell people two simple words whenever needed: YOU SUCK. Find a more polite way if you wish, but make it clear, for their – and ours –sake. Either you’re a label, a PR, a promoter or a magazine editor, I can guarantee you will never run out of artists.

Just please please please, if you want that money EARN IT and take the time to find the REAL TALENT.

thewickedwitch@sonicshocks.com

Content Director Matt Dawson

cygnus@sonicshocks.com

Business Director Marcus J West

marcus@sonicshocks.com

Unsigned Editor Dan Balchin

zorro@sonicshocks.com

US Correspondent Denise Bales Britt Burlesque & Nightlife Sophia Disgrace Photographers (this issue) Cristina Massei Marcus J West Becky Williams Matt Higgs David Lees Writers (this issue) Cristina Massei Matt Dawson Marcus J West Dan Balchin Matthew Tilt Darren Law Sophia Disgrace Claudio Pucci Matt Higgs David Lees Becki Kremer Dave Ashworth Chad Alexander Ed Fennell John Morgan Denise Britt For general enquiries please contact info@sonicshocks.com For advertising please contact advertising@sonicshocks.com To stock Sonic Shocks please contact distribution@sonicshocks.com

Issue 8/2012

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London’s answer to the legendary SXSW Festival the Camden Crawl is rapidly approaching, ready to treat revellers to another unforgettable May Bank Holiday.

Started as a conduit to showcase the best emerging artists alongside surprise guests and seminal legends to die-hard music lovers, music industry and media under one umbrella, the Crawl has always prided itself in making live music affordable and accessible to everyone. Equally, with an aim to grow community between the artists appearing, fans and the new music promoters behind the scenes, the festival has retained its policy to democratically book talent via its eclectic committee of tastemakers and promote its artists on a level playing field.

In 2007, the festival expanded across a weekend and has, by day, become a sprawling carnival-style arts festival featuring comedy & spoken word, short film, pop quizzes, busking, acoustic performances, workshops, karaoke, exhibitions and more. By night, the two milelong stretch of pavement assumes its position as an all out live music extravaganza playing host to more than 200 of the best new talents performing across the area’s infamous venues. The Camden Crawl has grown from a 5 venue and 20 artists affair to an event which included more than 50 venues and 250 artists and events in 2011.

The 2012 Camden Crawl programme features an eclectic line up of brightest music talents from all over the UK and abroad across the area’s two mile stretch of historic pubs and venues. Following the opening night event on Friday 4th May, the full festival schedule runs from midday on Saturday 5th May until the early hours of the following bank holiday Monday. Tickets include unlimited access to all participating venues, free programme guide and free festival magazine.

On the live music side, the latest news are that Yorkshire’s best live act, The Cribs, will be making their long-awaiting return the Crawl since their humble first appearance at the re-launched Crawl in 2005. Also joining the bill is London’s very own Spector and Clock Opera. The former’s hugely anthemic songs have made them one of the standout new bands of 2012 whilst Clock Opera’s frenetic, bleep–ridden synth rock has made them another of the most talked about bands of this year. Other highlights include rising star of Canada’s new breed of independent musicians Dan Mangan and the warm the auditory breeze of Francois and the Atlas Mountains whose debut album ‘E Volo Love’ is out now on Domino Records.

These acts and a huge smorgasbord of others will be playing alongside previously announced performers such as Death In Vegas, Alabama 3, Glasvegas, The Futureheads, Gaz Coombes, The Raincoats, Kids In Glass Houses, Actress, Lady Leshurr, Ghetts, Sway, And So I Watch You From Afar. Comedians such as Rufus Hound, Henning When, Tony Law and Abandonman will also be taking to the stage this arts and music extravaganza. In typical Camden Crawl form, a handful of surprise will be revealed shortly prior to or at the event itself.

SBTV, one of the partners of this year's Camden Crawl, will be hosting a stage at The Electric Ballroom on Sunday 6th May, giving a platform to some of the UK's hottest urban artists. Hosted by SBTV’s very own Georgia La, the hot and sweaty Ballroom will feature hotly tipped new talents such as Ash Catch’Em, Scrufizzer, Context, Yasmin, Lunar C, Lady Leshurr, Drifter, Roxxxan, Mz Bratt Maxta, Mic Righteous. Renowned SBTV DJ Melody Kane will also be spinning discs throughout the day which runs from 3:00 til 6:00 pm.

Several other initiatives and exhibitions will be gracing the Camden area over the weekend to keep you entertained between gigs, here’s our pick: Alternative Press Fair - St Michael's Church, Camden Road on Saturday Sunday Monday Alternative Press is a London-based, independent group of artists dedicated to encouraging people to create their own art and to freely express themselves via self-publishing.

Since forming in 2008 they have organised self-publishing fairs, open mic evenings and poetry nights as well as organising their very own 'International Alternative Press Festival' which brought artists to the UK from across the globe. Once again they'll be bringing a slice of their alternative magic to the Camden Crawl in the shape of comics, zine-making, self-published books and print-making.

The Lexington Record Fair - St Michael's Church, Camden Road The Lexington Record Fair has been going for just over a year now with events every few months at London's Lexington venue. For the Camden Crawl they'll be hiking themselves over here especially and setting up shop at the festival. They mainly sell vinyl with the occasional music-related t-shirts, CDs, DVDs, books and posters. Expect a mix of punk, power-pop, new-wave, retro-pop, indie, metal, reggae, 60s, 70s, 80s, rock, grunge, indie, beat, grunge, ska, singer-songwriters, soundtracks, psych, garage-rock, freak-beat, oi!, nowave, easy listening, country, folk, blues and whatever else people want to sell Get Comedy - Dingwalls on Saturday and Sunday Get Comedy have promoted dozens of shows at Edinburgh Festival as well as hosting stellar comedy tents at most of the major UK music festivals. With such a respected reputation on the festival circuit it would be a crime not to welcome them back to host their own comedy stage at the Camden Crawl. Acts this year inlcude: Rufus Hound, Andrew Maxwell, Ian Stone, MC Andre Vincent, Dana Alexander, Benny Boot, Terry Clement & Pete Cain London Swing Dance Society Presents: Vintage Dance Day - The Cuban on Sunday.

London Swing Dance Society was founded in 1986 and is the UK's longest running and most successful swing dance society. The founder Simon Selmon, a successful film, TV & stage dancer, has taught thousands to dance at festivals across the world. We wanted in on the action so we've organised for the society to bring their infectious swing style to the Camden Crawl. They'll be hosting an afternoon of swing and jive, taking you back to the vintage glamour of the 30s and 40s, with a mixture of hot music for dancing, classes to show the basics & performances from Simon Selmon & his Lindy Crew to inspire you.

Rough Trade Shops Pop Quiz - The Grand Union on Sunday Paul Guided Missile brings his legendary Pop Quiz from The Lexington pub, Islington to the 2012 Camden Crawl. Rounds are likely to include pot luck, audio round, pictures, Catchphrase, Badly Drawing Boy, Blockbusters and always finishing off with the slightly rubbish live music round (indie songs played on a cheap Casio!)

Last, certainly, but not least, a diverse spectrum of cutting edge London club nights will complete each evening on an electronic high. Highlights from the 2012 club line up include: MARY ANNE HOBBS PRESENTS Sat @ KOKO feat. South London Ordnance (DJ), D/R/U/ G/S (live), Rustie (live), Thefft (DJ) MISTAJAM’S SPEAKERBOX Sat @ Jazz feat. Sway (live), Lady Leshurr (live), Cable b2b Fusion b2b BitR8 (DJ), Boy (DJ), Jacob Plant (DJ), Majestic (DJ) URBAN NERDS Sat @ The Cuban feat. Actress (live), DJs Rattus Rattus & Klose One LIFT OFF Sun @ feat Mz Bratt (live), Thadboogie (DJ), DJRD SUPA DUPA FLY Sun @ Dingwalls EDDY TEMPLE MORRIS PRESENTS Sun @ Koko feat Bobby Tank (live) Ayah Marar (live), Monsta (live), Mistabishi (live) MODA Sat @ Camden Rock feat Roska (live), Tom Starr (DJ), Jaymo & Andy George (DJ), Bxentric (DJ) BAD LIFE PRESENTS Sat @ Purple Turtle feat Attaque (live), Night Symmetry (live) PRACTICAL INFORMATION DATES: Opening Night Party at KOKO: Friday 4th May 2012 * 5pm – 4am Camden Crawl Weekend: Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th May 2012 * 12pm – 4am both days TICKETS: » Weekend Ticket £67.50 » Saturday / Sunday Tickets £39.50 Tickets available from the following outlets: 24 Hr CC Hotline 0871 2200 260 / See Tickets 020 7403 3331 OR buy online: www.thecamdencrawl.com VENUES: Abbey Tavern i Barfly i Black Cap i Black Heart i Camden GardensiCamden Head i Camden RockiThe CubaniDingwalls i Earl Of Camden i Electric Ballroom i Enterprise i Grand Unioni Heroes iJazz Café i KOKOiMonarchiPurple Turtle i The RoundhouseiSt Michael’s Churchi Underworld i The Wheelbarrow

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that is cruelty free.

Tell me about the video shoot for the song Regret And The Grave. It’s incredibly disturbing, what triggered such a terrifying plot?

This is cool to talk about. The footage in the slaughterhouse with all the hooks, that was done at a local butcher shop two hours drive from San Diego, up in the hills; it looked very creepy. We found this place because the son of the owner is a fan of the band and he knew we were looking for a certain place… they were just super-nice! The rest of it, all these human beings that are being taken in a situation where animals go to everyday, all the time, we put in the way that ….. you have done it all your life, now it’s your turn to go through it. People are let in like cattle to be exterminated. It’s all very disturbing, we are a death metal band at the end of the day, we have to do our work as dark as possible.

And now, Monolith of Inhumanity is coming out soon Originally it was supposed to come out in late May, but it’s now coming out at the beginning of May, which works great for us because after finishing the tour here in Europe, we go home for a month and then we start the US tour (the Occupation Domination Tour, with Origin and Aborted.) I am very happy with what we have achieved with it; the album is the culmination of everything that is wrong with our race, you will know what I am talking about when you listen to it.

ReapingInhumanity

What is it like to be on tour with bands like Blood Red Throne, Cerebral Bore and Suffocation?

We played with Suffocation several times back home, this is our first time in Europe with them. It’s cool to be here with a band we get along well with so much.

We all love Blood Red Throne, every night they just killed it. I have never seen Cerebral Bore before. They will be in all our UK dates, I am looking forward to seeing them. I just love their album, Maniacal Miscreation and….. I had no idea they had a female singer, she is amazing, one more reason for me to seeing them live!

Anything else you would like to add?

Thank you for taking the time for us, we definitely plan to come back more often to Europe and solidify our grounds here.

An interview with Cattle Decapitation’s Chilean/California based drummer Dave McGraw on one of the most disturbing band names out there, the human race and animal rights, opening for the conquerors, Suffocation, at the London Underworld and on the new, most wanted album coming out soon.

by Marcus J. West Dave, you have been with the band since 2008. What can you tell us about the band name? In some languages, the translation sounds even more upsetting…

Travis (Ryan, frontman, singer and founding member of the band) is probably the best person to answer this question as he was in the band in the days the name came up. Technically, the way I look at it, Cattle Decapitation has a very harsh meaning: it’s about how us humans are cattle and the whole concept of decapitation is based around an idea of anti-humanity. We are all cattle and we are going to have our head cut off. It’s the result of all the ills that humanity has caused throughout the years. The meaning of the band definitely comes out a lot on Karma.Bloody.Karma, our seventh album, and on our latest work probably even more as we focused a lot on all the environmental issues and everything that we feel is wrong with the world.

Nine albums since 1996: what makes The Harvest Floor Cattle Decapitation’s best album to date according to many?

It was my first record in the band; as a new member, I was given total freedom to create, so there was something totally new in the way it sounded. Plus, I think that The Harvest Floor represents a high point of the evolution of the band without losing certain elements that make the band what it is. We do not really want to stay still, we do want to entertain ourselves too as most of creative people tend to say. With the new record that’s about to come out, we picked up where we left with The Harvest Floor.

You’ve had similar lyrical themes and values on all your albums relating to animal rights. How did you develop this constructive approach to songwriting?

The band started as a gore band with the awareness about animal rights and the way they are tortured. It was never a requirement to be vegetarian to be part of this band, some people think that we are a militant vegetarian / vegan band, but we are not; Travis and Josh (Elmore, guitarist) are the only true ones. Sometimes I do struggle, so I go back and forth. Now, if I do eat meat I make sure to eat meat

For Shooting, Tuition and prints please contact CRISTINA@CRISTINAMASSEI.COM

WWW.CRISTINAMASSEI.COM

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Why did you choose such a name for an extreme metal band?

I think that Job for a Cowboy is a horrible name for a death metal band (laughs!) I chose it very randomly, thinking that it definitely sticks in people’s minds just because it has nothing to do with our music.

THE REAL EVILS

By Marcus J West Job For A Cowboy are back from their native Arizona, fiercely led by frontman and founding member Jonny Davy. As he builds his future as a talented musician, Davy remembers his inspiration: a cool metal mum who taught him all about Pantera and Megadeth, and a great grandfather prominent in politics. From the release of their very first EP, Doom, to their latest full-length studio album, Demonocracy, Job For A Cowboy have had a succession of lethal must-have death metal albums, and they have always struck right. With his bandmates Al Glassman (guitar,) Jon “The Charn” Rice (drums,) and the two new recruits Tony Sannicandro (guitar,) and Nick Schendzielos (bass,) Davy has just finished the marathon Destroyers of the Faith tour with colossal label mates Cannibal Corpse. At such a young age, Davy could not ask for more; or could he?

Welcome back to London Jonny!

I remember last time that we played live here, at the Dingwalls with Whitechapel. It feels good to be back and play here at the Forum; we are proud of being part of such an amazing line-up with Cannibal Corpse, Enslaved and Triptykon.

Let’s talk about your background: what was it like to grow up in Arizona following the path of extreme death metal?

I grew up in Glendale surrounded by so many different types of band, although grindcore was definitely the prominent music genre those years. It all happened so quickly for me, Doom literally exploded; the metal community formed an opinion on Job For A Cowboy from the very early days without giving us the time to release a full studio album. Sometimes I think that it would have been better if we had had more time to shape ourselves musically, but it all went in the right directions and I am happy with the results.

Which are the bands that mainly influenced the music of Job For A Cowboy?

I grew up with a metal mum; she was into Megadeth, Metallica, Pantera; she used to take me to the gigs all the time. As I became older, I got closer to punk and grindcore. I have always been attracted by the atmosphere at my early gigs; I just wanted to be part of the local extreme music scene. As a teenager and as a rebel I felt the need to jump into something even more extreme that what my mum was listening to, that’s how I started Job For A Cowboy.

Doom was released when you were a teenager. What was your reaction to such immediate success at such a young age?

It was all very strange for me; I did not expect all that happened afterwards. If, back then, somebody had told me that I would have continued on that path for eight years, I would have never believed it. I feel, honestly, very lucky.

And now Job For A Cowboy has released a third full length album, Demonocracy. Why this choice of this word as the title and what can you tell us about the contents?

Demonocracy is a word which is widely used in American journalistic language. The album, as a matter of fact, has very strong political content, particularly in tracks like Children Of Deceit and Imperial Wolves (which will be our first video to be released;) both have a very intense structure. Within Job For A Cowboy, there isn’t a tyrant figure that dictates and runs the course of the album, we all work together as a team and respect eachothers’ opinions. Demonocracy represents a very good part of our progress as a band also from the songwriting point of view and the way the lyrics have been voiced. My great-grand father was the president of the Dominican Republic; in my family, we have always been used to having opinions and sharing them, and this is exactly what I do when I write songs, getting lots in inspiration from bands like Napalm Death and Misery Index. Both

bands have always developed their songwriting based on the real evils of modern society, rather than the fantasy ones like zombies and ghosts. In addition, Tony (Sannicandro) and Nick (Schendzielos,) the newest members, bought lots of speed and technicality to the whole concept.

How did you find the time for Fleshwrougt as well? (Jonny Davy’s band with Animal as Leaders’ drummer, Navene Koperweis) I have no idea (laughs!) Navene has two third of the new album ready; it will be pure experimen-

tal death meal with lots of electronic stuff. With Fleshwrought, both me and Navene are able to bring together everything that for one reason or another does not fit with our bands, and we are really looking forward to playing live finally once we have managed somehow to get our schedules sorted. My first touring priority now is to come back with Job For A Cowboy as headliner sometime in the autumn.

See our Review section to find out more about Demonocracy

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By Matt Dawson, Marcus J West and Cristina Massei Photos Marcus J West and Cristina Massei One of the highlights of the European summer festival calendar is Hellfest where Clisson, France gets to showcase the best and brightest from the world of metal and hardcore; with the theme of this year’s event being ‘a new battlefield’, they are set to show their peers once again what they are capable of when delivering a festival bill of this magnitude, proving the critics (mostly those of a religious and political nature) wrong.

You’re bound to find better weather and less expensive chips – oops, French fries – than in most UK similar gatherings on top of cheaper weekend tickets, so check out Eurostar, Easyjet etc and you may find a trip to Clisson being more gentle to your stretched budget than Download after all. Ultimately, however, it’s all down to the line up, and there’s more to it than Black Sabbath vs Ozzy Osbourne and Friends.

What follows is, in no particular order, who we at Sonic believe you should catch during the three day weekend. If you like what you read, Hellfest has an excellent website with very comprehensive info, ticket links and the latest iPhone and Android applications for you to download. There’s even a discount code to use on Air France and KLM flights! Point your mouse to www.hellfest.fr now and see you in Clisson…

KING DIAMOND As one of his songs rightly puts it, ‘Welcome Home’. Back to the live European stage for the first time since heart surgery this is a welcome return for any respected fan of the metal genre. Don’t believe us? The King’s influence can be felt as far as Metallica and fellow main stage headliners Megadeth, the former getting him to join them during their 30th anniversary celebrations last year.

Without the King would Black Metal have a bigger theatrical element, as seen with Cradle Of Filth or Dimmu Borgir? Probably not. Would the landscape of metal be as bright without him? Again probably not.

To quote Ash from Evil Dead: Hail To The King.

ALCEST As the creator of one of the most beautiful albums to listen to in 2012 in Les Voyages de L’ame, this is a great occasion to catch Neige in his home country. Even if you’re not a fan of the typical ‘template’ of black metal, the use of melody and elements of folk will probably make even the biggest tough guy into quite the emotional person.

That’s how powerful Alcest truly are.

REFUSED There’s been a manner of debate when it comes to this particular reunion: some say it’s great to finally hear The Shape of Punk to Come live - possibly for the first time some believe that have gone back on defiance and giant they sent to the meit came crashing Let’s be honest once ‘New Noise’, and ‘The Refused gram’ kick in, the will start to wash quick.

for many; Refused the act of fuck you dia when down. though: ‘Circle Pit’ Party Prodoubts away very

EMMURE Now before we get people calling us crazy for including this band as one to watch, there’s these words: Escapism and Frankie Palmeri. Love them or hate them you can’t deny that the topics appeal to a particular demographic: the comic book/video game and conspiracy theorist lovers. Also helps that Frankie’s persona can be interesting to say the least.

GAMA BOMB Thrash magic from Ireland will hit Hellfest, perfect summer festival music hitting you hard and fast and hell who knows Philly will wear another brilliant jacket (and we’re going all the way to Hellfire Festival II in the UK for that!), plus they have a song praising the cult films of BRUNO MATEI (and his many aliases). How can you not love that?

OZZY OSBOURNE AND FRIENDS Originally planned to be Black Sabbath continuing their European tour until sadly plans changed due to Tony Iommi’s health issue (Tony has stated that the chemotherapy is helping fight the cancer). So what Hellfest get is Ozzy teaming up with musicians such as Zakk Wylde, Slash, Gus G and Geezer Butler to name a few, to give fans a great closer by mixing Sabbath and solo material with possibly even more surprises.

ABORTED Belgian extreme death met-

allers Aborted have been around a good fifteen years and six albums, the latest Global Flatline which was released in January this year has found its pool position amongst the most dangerous moshpit soundtracks around. Global Flatline continues Aborted outstanding path that attracts nothing but dedicated brutal followers and hosts very special guests by the name of Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder, Julien Truchan of Benighted, Jason Netherton of Misery Index and Keiijo Niinima of Rotten Sound. Enough? Live, the Belgian platoon - led by unique frontman Sven "Svencho" de Caluwé - delivers mayhem and destruction, in name of death metal perfection. Aborted role as opening act for Decapitated on their recent European tour confirms that their prestige is always in demand.

DAD For Danish veterans DAD life is certainly not too short, as they have always had and still are clearly living it at their fullest. Their last album, DIC.NII.LAN.DAFT.ERD.ARK (yes, it’s pronounced just like their banned original name, Disneyland After Dark) is not the usual new found energy and creativity boring stuff, it’s the real stuff that they never allow to get spoiled.

It’s the breath of fresh rock n’roll air that the rock community, even the insanely heavy one, is always in need for, DAD knows how to feed it. For the lucky ones that had a taste at their most recent performances (like the memorable sold out London show at The Underworld last February), DAD slot at Hellfest will be that but bigger, the planets will certainly collide. No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims does not apply in reality: there is plenty of fuel left for these rockers that are anything but pilgrims. On a one of the funniest visual note: let’s see what base guitars Stig Pedersen will surprise his fans with, in London everybody enjoyed his futuristic one.

SUFFOCATION Suffocation are back with their unique blend of death metal and destructive force; they did an astonishing live performance at The Underworld in London headlining the Reborn Of Death Tour with the likes of Cattle Decapitation, Blood Red Throne and Cerebral Bore. There was a slight change in the

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INSOMNIUM Finnish Insomnium are on fire! Their latest work, One For Sorrow is a collection of powerful melodic death metal, perfect to be played under the sky. As the opening band for Paradise Lost European spring tour, they are having the perfect warm up for Hellfest where

they will grace their fans with captivating riffs and mesmerizing melodies.

GOTTHARD Switzerland is not a neutral country in the eye of Lugano based Gotthard: their blend of dominant rock and metal is belligerent enough to provoke wars amongst the audience in the name of pure genuine mayhem. With a brilliant career to support them, two million albums sold and multi-platinum awards received all over the world, Gotthard are ready for a comeback with their new album Firebirth, the first one without legendary frontman Steve Lee who tragically lost his life in a motorcycle accident in 2010. Nic Maeder has been confirmed as Gotthard new singer: their performance at Hellfest will be an honourable tribute to the forever missed band mate.

DYING FETUS With one of the most anticipated album this year Reign Supreme, the seventh for the dangerous death metal trio known as Dying Fetus, Hellfest will offer an even more insanely brutal live experience.

IHSAHN Norvegian Black Metal veteran Ihsahn will grace the line up with his latest work, Eremita, bringing his Emperor past to his solo level, not forgetting his brutal roots.

HOUR OF PENANCE Death metal becomes brutally Italian with masters Hour Of Penance: currently on tour in the US with The Black Dahlia Murder to support their latest album, Sedition they have proved to know how to ignite their increasing fans in their scorching and piercing notes, and they do it mercilessly Hour Of Penance are simply unmissable live and they will leave their mark wanting for more.

LAMB OF GOD It’s all about stars and stripes at the very finest: the Pure American Metal Gods are back on the road, to support their seventh masterpiece Resolution. This is a band that always shine in every festival line-up, their unique live performance being one of the most wanted in the planet. Outdoor, they give their best: the guitar duels of Mark Morton and Willie Adler fill the air with pure fire, the harsh soaring vocals of Randy Blythe are the gallons of gasoline that feeds it. Europeans are dying to see live some of the tracks from Resolution, hoping it will be Desolation and Ghost Walking, at least. Hellfest will be the perfect ground for Lamb Of God.

BLOOD RED THRONE Wonderful job opening up for Suffocation at the Reborn Of Death Tour. Norwegian Blood Red Throne’s latest album Brutalitarian Regime live is a must do act of bravery, however expect some of the previous material to be thrown mercilessly to the hungry crowd.

CHILDREN OF BODOM Back to Finland with Children Of Bodom, Alexi Laiho & co know how to attract fans to their set at every festival; who would’t want to headbanG to the notes of Not My Funeral or Blooddrunk?

As a matter of fact, Children Of Bodom have released the perfect soundtrack to get ready for their Hellfest appearance, Holiday At Lake Bodom (15 years of Wasted Youth).

BETRAYING THE MARTYRS Great performance at the latest Bone Crusher tour opening for Californian Carnifex for the French Betraying The Martyrs. With their unique blend of deathcore and metal core, the Parisian contingent will no doubt honour Hellfest, it’s their home.

CANNIBAL CORPSE With Cannibal Corpse and their colossal presence on stage pure havoc is guaranteed, as confirmed by their recent success with the Destroyers Of The Faith tour. Corpsegrinder George Fisher & co. bring the crowd to his knees by delivering some of the most dangerous death metal around. Twenty four years and twelve albums later they are still going marvellously strong: the quintet from Buffalo has another great album to share with the world: Torture is only a month old and there will certainly be some of it live at Hellfest.

GUNS’ N’ ROSES/ SLASH Let’s face it, although they’re playing on different days this is probably the closest we got to a reunion, and it’s not over until the fat man sings as they say… Many are likely to put up with Axl’s diva behaviour this time in the hope to see that hat popping on stage at some point. Unlikely to happen, however make sure you catch Slash on his own (well, with Myles Kennedy really) on Sunday; especially if you’re too young to have seen the real thing, this is the closest you will get to the legend that is Guns’n’Roses.

AMON AMARTH Swedish Amon Amarth, the unstoppable Vikings. They truly represent the force of the heroes they brilliantly portrait in their storytelling powerful lyrics, and they bring them on stage with their unique passion and adoration for their timeless past, full or wars and epic

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ST VITUS One of the founding bands of doom metal dating back to 1978, St Vitus are one of those underground music legends who, despite selling out each date when they decide to tour, keep playing venues the size of the Underworld. This is your chance to see Scott ‘Wino’ Weinrich and co. on a bigger stage; an exceptional - and indeed educational - performance not to be missed.

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DROPKICK MURPHYS Aim for something different with American-Celtic Punk Rock legends Dropkick Murphys. Influenced by British punk – like Clash and the Pistols – and Irish rock – firstly The Pogues – alike, not only is their sound unique but their show is truly unforgettable. There’s a new album in the pipeline and a small chance they may experiment some of it on the Hellfest audience. Be there.

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adventures. After their remarkable performance at Welsh gathering Hammerfest last March, Amon Amarth 2012 touring schedule will reach its peak with their show at Hellfest.

BEHEMOTH One of the most missed and wanted band in the planet, the Polish Kings of black metal Behemoth have marked 2012 as their big come back to the international circuits. After the European warm up with the Full Of Hate Tour together with Cannibal Corpse, Adam “Nergal” Darski - well recovered after proudly overcoming quite big difficult challenges - is ready to take his contingent in front of a well deserved bigger crowd at Hellfest. The follow up to 2009’s Evangelion, which would be the ninth album for Behemoth, is in the pipeline, one more reason to see them live hoping for some anticipations.

ENSLAVED Well recovered from the Destroyers of Faith Tour where they savaged Europe together with Job For A Cowboy, Triptykon and Cannibal Corpse, Norwegian Enslaved have all the right weapons to take possession of an outdoor festival the level of Hellfest. Their current line up, which includes Grutle Kjellson (vocals, bass), Ivar Bjørnson (guitar, vocals), Arve "Ice Dale" Isdal (guitar), Cato Bekkevold (drums) and Herbrand Larsen (keyboards, vocals), is synonymous of some of the highest standards of lethal musicianship around. Listening to their latest EPs The Sleeping Gods and Thorn is a great way to get ready to jump and headbang in fourth gear.

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line-up then: frontman Frank Mullen was temporarily replaced by Bill Robinson of Decrepit Birth who did a remarkable job, having to fill some quite big shoes. They proved that they do need a bigger stage though, as their scorching notes expand way too much. Suffocation will definitely be one of the sought after band to watch as close as possible to the barrier.

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STEEL PANTHER Laughing is healthy for the body and soul, and who better than Steel Panther to make a congregation of rock and metal fans laugh? For the uninitiated, Michael Starr and his long-wigged companions pay a tongue-in-cheek tribute to 80s hair metal, managing to fuse their talent for rock’n’roll with an equal one for comedy.

After a residency of over ten years in LA’s Viper Room – later moved to the Roxy – which made them an Hollywood legend, Steel Panther recorded a couple of albums and conquered the world with titles like ‘Asian Hooker’, ‘It Won’t Suck Itself ’ and ‘Gold Digging Whore’. Don’t take them – or yourself – too seriously and enjoy irresponsibly.

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because we were friends but we weren’t hanging out enough and now we’re in a band together we have to hang out for at least three hours a week, more when there’s a gig. It’s nice; it’s just about the good time.

Interview with Adam Sagir by Matthew Tilt What’s it like playing Hammerfest?

It’s cool man. A little bit random being in a Pontins, never been here before. It’s a bit like playing at kids party without kids. We will be going to see the ballpit after this interview because we haven’t being there yet. Hammerfest has got the best backstage ever because it’s got a ballpit, Captain Croc’s Adventure and beer. They make you feel special.

A lot of people have this vision that one day they’re going to sit back in a hot tub, sipping champagne and enjoying the fact that they’ve made it. For me being in the ballpit with a can of Red Stripe is the crowning moment. The moment that I realised I’d never make it, but I am in a ballpit with a can of beer. Prince can’t say that can he? We got one up on you little man.

For the people who don’t know you, could you just give us a little background on Dripback?

We’re all just friends trying to play hardcore riffs, but we do it for Luca. Luca made us get together

You’ve had some great tours over the last twelve months: Biohazard, The Rotted, Lock Up. How does it compare playing with these different styles?

I think we’re somewhere in between. I think we could be thrown into whatever mixture, so long as it’s brutal and involves hardcore or grindcore in some way. We could play some kind of crust punk gig and not offend anyone.

We could play with Dying Fetus, the shorts that you are wearing. I see you’re wearing a Christmas jumper with summer style, death metal shorts. It’s like winter in Hell.

The Winter in Hell tour. That’s going to be the name of our next album now. Coming next year…in the winter.

You played some new songs today.

For us it was two new songs, but for you guys it was like four. One we’d never played live before and another we’d played on the first date of the Lock Up tour and it went kind of badly. It went so well that we’ve changed it since.

So how is the new material coming along?

Swiftly and sweetly. We’re on top of things.

[Luca walks over] Adam is this another interview you’re pushing me out off?

Adam: Yes, fuck off.

not just frantic all the time.

Your last album, Until I Feel Nothing, has as a matter of fact a strong, reflective order of emotions.

I think the strong emotions are easy to be perceived by the listener because the breakdowns are not super-complicated to relate to. I love Beneath The Massacre; they are super-awesome, but all that technical shredding, I can only take so much of it. In music, everything has already been done; we are just trying to add our own elements in order not to sound another deathcore band.

By Marcus J West One of the most devastating indoor events in the chronicles of extreme metal happened in London last February, promising neither pity nor mercy. Led

by California’s Carnifex and their malevolent wall of bleeding sound, they mark their territory well with impenetrably crushing, brutal deathcore, fully loaded with reverb-drenched explosions. On the stage, the San Diego quintet shows the confidence of a battalion of marines ready to wage a profound, overpowering, war fuelled by destructive anger that makes the audience tear each other apart. Drummer Shawn Cameron shares his thoughts on what Carnifex are destined to become, before giving the hungry Londoners some blasting carnage.

Welcome back to London Shawn, how is it going so far?

Thank you, it’s always great to be here in the UK! We have been playing non-stop in this tour, we have been really pleased with the response we have had from the crowd in Germany; those were all great shows!

With album titles like The Diseased And The Poisoned and, the latest, Until I Feel Nothing, would you say that there is some form of pessimism that runs through the band’s veins despite the fact that you come from one of the most stunning parts of the US? Scott (Lewis, vocalist) writes all the lyrics; we have been friends for the last seven years. What he express with anger is about having things that hurt emotionally, everybody has that happening; it does not matter where you come from in the world. You are right, San Diego is a great place to live but you know even there you can have any relationship ending with plenty of elements that hurt emotionally, with the anger towards other people that results.

Your anger does not sound random though, it feels much defined despite your young age. Let’s talk about the choice of your music direction: deathcore vs deathmetal?

We are definitely deathmetal influenced. We like the melodic, fast, deathmetal riffs. We also feel that those breakdowns, those heavier parts of our music, bring another element to deathmetal, giving a whole new emotion but not being fast all the time. When the slow parts and the fast parts are placed right, they make the song heavier, giving a more angry vibe; it’s

What was the mood of the band like when you recorded Until I feel Nothing?

In the studio we were very concentrated. We all pretty much recorded separately, like when I was doing my drum parts it was basically just me and the recording engineer. This is the album that we took the longest time we did preproduction on, so we did have the album ready before we went in the studio; we only did very subtle changes. We all took it very seriously and wanted to make sure all of us were happy with the results. As far as the intensity of the music, we just looked at what we did with the previous album with the intention to do a bit better, and more. Also, Daniel Castelman, our engineer did an amazing job with the album!

Was there anything you really tried to avoid while you where recording the album? Is there anything you would like to change now on any of your works?

Thinking about it, no. At that point, we were not trying to avoid anything; we were and are just trying to do what we do but do it better! If I look back, the vocals on Hell Chose Me should have been louder. I think that all the vocals in Until I feel Nothing sound definitely more Scott.

What was the role of As I Lay Dying’s singer Tim Lambesis in the making of Until I Feel Nothing?

We had him produce it. We brought him the music we had done, he listened to it and for the most part he said he would not change anything. For the parts we were unsure about, he had some very good suggestions. In one of the songs, Dehumanize, there is a part where everything drops down and there is a part with an acoustic guitar; he initially mentioned that idea and we all thought it sounded awesome.

You are such an amazing drummer, Shawn, is there anyone out there that inspires you to perfection?

Shannon Lucas of The Black Dahlia Murder. He always sounds flawless! He plays amazing, I do aspire to be that consistent.

What are the plans for Carnifex in the near future?

The last date of this tour is the Neurotic Death Fest in Holland with Cannibal Corpse and Behemoth. Then we are coming back in the summer to play at the Full Force festival in Germany for a total of about three weeks; we are pretty excited by all this.

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Luca: Tell these people I don’t do interviews, and if they want me I shall be in my luxury Pontins cabin.

[Luca walks away] You’ve being part of the UK scene for a while now as part of Labrat. How has it changed?

It’s worse. It’s shit now. It’s hard for everyone but it’s still ticking by, there are still good gigs. We’re kind of spoilt with gig offers, but I can’t afford to go to a gig so why should someone pay to see my band? There’s a place called The Unicorn and there’s a bit of a scene starting there. It’s all about the free shows…as long as we still get paid.. I have this vision of starting a scene on the Holloway Road. I’d call it Hollowood, and it could be the Hollowood Metal Scene. It’ll be like Guns ‘n’ Roses in the 80’s. By the way this is a beer called Red Stripe, which coincidently is the name of our newest song. We don’t really have song titles, we just call them whatever we like at the time.

And what does 2012 hold for Dripback?

Not a lot, we’re recording an album. Couple of festivals maybe, but it’s about next year really. We’re not putting in too much effort this year because the world might end and if it does we’ll all feel a bit silly. If we’re still alive in 2013 we’ll release an album. It’s the least we could do if the world doesn’t end; we’ll celebrate the world not ending by playing and making everyone want to kill themselves.

By Marcus J. West Deathglam stars Jonas "Skinny Disco" Kangur (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Eric "Cat Casino" Bäckman (lead guitar) from Sweden’s Deathstars share their thoughts on touring with Rammstein during an interview at the O2 Arena, prior to warming up the stage for the German Emperors.

How do you feel about being on tour with Rammstein at such a young age?

Skinny: To be honest, we find it really hard to believe that in few hours we are going to be playing here, at the O2, opening for Rammstein! We are used to venues way smaller, so we have prepared ourselves at our very best to deliver the best performance ever; you will see!

Cat: We are well aware that the Rammstein fans are extremely demanding and expect to experience the best live show; we will try to impress them as much as we can. Touring with them has been great, they are all fantastic people and great musicians and never once have they mistreated one or disregard any of our needs. For us it’s an honour to open for them.

Do you think that Rammstein’s demanding fans will end up appreciating your music after seeing you live?

Skinny: We are definitely trying to promote ourselves to them. As a matter of fact, we have added our The Great-

est Hits on Earth on the merchandise table so that fans can grab it and remember what they saw live of us. We choose our most representative songs of our three albums, Synthetic Generation (2002) Termination Bliss (2006) and Night Electric Night (2009) with the intention of giving an overall idea on what we do to people that do not know us yet. Some fans perceived it as the first step that will announce our split, others said we released it because we had nothing better available, but I can guarantee it’s nothing like that. We simply wanted to concentrate our work and make it more accessible as the first step to get to know Deathstars. By the way, there are two brand new songs on the album, Metal and Death Is Wasted On The Dead.

Talking about The Greatest Hits on Earth, the press release states that the two new tracks (Metal and Death Is Wasted On The Dead) showcase the future musical direction of the next Deathstars release.

What does this mean exactly?

Skinny: For us, making music has always been a way to rebel; we have always wanted to be musicians and do something completely different from what we were witnessing growing up in Sweden with lots of great bands around us. We wanted to something that was just ours, both musically and visually; we wanted to give out a true meaning on what Deathstars was about. Our albums represent a true evolution of the band which happened very spontaneously for us; we meet in the studio with our ideas and the songs happen.

Cat: In Metal and Death Is Wasted On The Dead this evolution is perceived quite clearly with the addition of strong guitar parts. I am responsible for that, which makes sense as I am a guitarist (laughs!)

Visually, you look very glamorous. Who is responsible for your awesome outfits?

Skinny: Thank you, I am flattered. The choice of outfits was born from a very good working relationship with close friends who helped us find out exactly what we wanted to represent our music visually.

These have always been very important people in our life that managed to give us the best advice and are doing an excellent job!

You have a much defined identity as an industrial / gothic metal band; however, you have been associated in the past, particularly in terms of the vocals, to Rammstein. Would you agree that comparing Whiplasher to Till Lindemann makes sense?

Cat: I do not think that Whiplasher sounds like Till. People say that because they both have a very low pitched baritone voice. The music is completely different and that also affects the perception of the vocals.

Skinny: I think they are both great singers.

That’s where the comparison goes.

It’s always difficult to categorise musical genres, but ‘deathglam’ has been a term often used when referring to Deathstars. How do you define it?

Skinny: We are actually very proud of being called a deathglam band. We invented this word, almost as a joke, but it became very representative for what we do. In truth, I do not believe in any music genre classification, this would be too restrictive. When you play good music, it materlialises in any possible genre, including our “deathglam.”

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ROCK’N’ROBBED

It may be only rock’n’roll, but always make sure you read everything first!

Every week we’ll talk to musicians and industry figures to help you find out more about your rights and the importance of understanding even the smallest print before signing.

This week we have the honour and pleasure to talk to the man who 30 yearso ago founded one of the top independent labels in the world of metal; we’re talking of course about Metal Blade, and answering to our questions is Brian Slagel himself. Here’s the story of a worldwide success born from a genuine passion for music, a taste of the joys on difficulties on ‘the other side of the fence’ and a few tips for those of you chasing a record deal.

30 years of METAL BLADE an interview with BRIAN SLAGEL

By Cristina Massei So it’s 30 years for Metal Blade, do you remember the actual day you thought to create the label and how it all came about?

Brian: The weird thing is I never had any intention of starting a record label, when I did the first Metal Massacre album it was an extension of the fanzine that I was doing at the time and I just thought it was going to be an one off, get some exposure for these bands in LA that back then before the internet nobody could hear. It sold out really quickly but I had no money so couldn’t make any more. One of the distributors then said ‘we know you have no money but you know all these good metal bands so we’ll get you a pressing and distribution deal in which we cover all the costs ‘, I said ‘sure I’ll give it a shot’ and it grew from there!

So Metallica were on this compilation along with more bands you handpicked personally…

They were bands I knew from the local LA metal scene: Bitch, Ratt, Black And Blue, Malice and then of course Metallica, Lars [Ulrich] was a good friend of mine and he asked if he could get his band out there. I was influenced by the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal and the compilations there and gave me the idea to do one of LA heavy metal bands.

You see a lot of independent labels coming and going as it gets harder but Metal Blade has got stronger, what do you reckon makes it stand out?

A couple of things: myself and everyone that works for us are huge music fans and do it for the love of music more than anything else and that’s how we ride out some of the not so great times and the second thing is I’ve been a fan of all different types of metal and have never been afraid to find the latest type and have been lucky to find new bands. Business wise we’ve never been afraid to change anything whether it’s been how we market and promote and we’ve seen it change so much from how people get music to how they promote it with new technology. Instead of being afraid and do what we normally do we’ve always been open to try new things.

All artists on the roster were removed from Spotify last year. Why did that happen?

The thing with Spotify isn’t anything too major. They had done a deal with our European company for some stuff and then they were not supposed to put out in other countries which they ended up doing. [this is a reference to Spotify’s release in the USA]. We’re still working with Spotify and some of our bands are still on there.

You must receive tons of mail from artists looking for a deal so when you get these how important is the presentation?

We listen to everyone that sends a demo in whether it’s email or physical, it really comes down to the music more than anything else, you can make the nicest email or package in the world but if the music’s not good it doesn’t really matter. On the other level the email can be small but the music can be really good! Sometimes it takes a while to listen to everything due to the amount we get but we do go through everything that people send in.

From my point of view with the technology that’s out there now you do get a lot more badly recorded myspace links for example, do you feel something like that can show a low level of commitment?

Like I said it’s the music that matters most but obviously it’s nice to have a band that’s already working on stuff and has some sort of following out there before you sign them, the music matters more when it comes to signing a band.

What is the deal maker or deal breaker when listening to a band then?

There isn’t a formula that we look at, it’s a case of if we like it we’ll work with it. The only thing that I will say is we like working with bands that have a different sound to them and aren’t like everybody else; if you’re going to be ultimately successful it’s good to have your influences but if you’re just starting out you shouldn’t try and sound EXACTLY like somebody else. If they sound similar but have their own take then I think that’s better, that’s one thing I think all labels not just Metal Blade look for.

With the rise of illegal downloading over the past few years how has it affected the label and how do you make up for any losses caused by this?

It’s interesting as even though there’s more of it out there it does mean people have more access to it than ever before, so in that way there’s more listening to our music than ever and what we’ve been really super lucky about is that the metal fans have been so supportive as a community knowing that if they didn’t, the music they love wouldn’t continue to exist.

It’s almost like a badge of honour for them to buy the music because they know they’re supporting the artist and us as well which we greatly appreciate. Everybody’s lost something that’s for sure, I do think having the access to the music is a good thing and we just try and do whatever we can to make the product as interesting as possible for purchase.

With artists being able to create their own product and network it what makes a label still important?

If you’re in a band and are wanting to put out a CD you don’t have the network of people wanting to help promote your product and I think we as a label are more a service company than anything else; we have a lot of people around the world whose job is to promote and work on the branding of all these artists, whether that be social media, online or touring.

When you sign to a label such as ours you not only get the employees we have but the hundreds our distributors have and the magazines have. It’s a huge far reaching thing which as a band you wouldn’t have, you don’t have all of those people out there working for you and also with you helping you get to the next level. Any label that’s doing the right thing is helping their bands in all these different areas, especially making sure people know the band exist. There are so many bands out there that trying to crack through the thousands

out there yourself is pretty much impossible.

Sadly there’s not many people that are reputable and honest as you are and they’re in the industry to try and take advantage of musicians. When a band goes to sign a deal what do they have to avoid?

Sadly as you say that is true with some whose interests aren’t with the band at heart. There’s two things I’d say to look for: firstly there needs to be at least one member of the band that has some knowledge of business and how it works, I know a lot of musicians don’t want to hear that and don’t want to be involved in that but it’s SO hugely important. Any huge band whether it is Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax or Black Sabbath, there’s always one guy in the band who has a working knowledge in how business works. Whether that means you take a class or read a book you need to have a basic knowledge because ultimately a band IS a business because all the hundreds that get involved – labels, managers, booking agents, merch companies – they all work FOR YOU, you don’t work for them, so you have to make sure you show your due diligence as to who they are . If you’re looking for a small label, go to their website and see who else is on the label, talk to the other bands or anyone that knows people who work on the label about experience because if you don’t do that work you can very well end up with the wrong people. I know it’s not fun but it IS a business and for bands it is SO important that one person knows the business side.

From a business standpoint what do YOU expect back from the artist?

They have to work. It’s funny that still to this day 30 years on every once in a while you’ll find a band that have a good buzz out there and have done the work up to a point of getting signed and then once that happens they go ‘we’re signed now, we can kick back and everything will be taken care of and we’ll be successful’ when it’s more the opposite. Believe it or not the easier part is to get signed, the hard part is the work you have to put in afterwards; you have to continually promote yourself, these days you HAVE to be interactive through social media, that is hugely important as you’re connecting with fans. Before it used to be bands were moving one step away – which for some that’s probably good for – but now fans are more your friends as you directly connect and they want to support you more.You have to do all that and tour, if you’re starting out you’ll have to tour in a small van, make no money and sleep on people’s floors which every successful band from the beginning of time has had to do.

Do you still get the same feeling of excitement when the label brings out new talent?

Absolutely! The most fun for me is to turn people on to new music so it’s fun to go out and find a new band then having other people really like it, followed by working with the band. I also think the state of metal right now is probably the best that it has been in a long time in terms of that there’s so many good bands out there and those that are coming up. The older bands are still doing well so it’s a nice little world that we have!

Are there any particular names we should keep an eye on?

There’s a few such as Ghost who have become quite big really quickly, there is one based here in the US called Battlecross and they’re a great example of a band that uses the social media so well that I wish more would use it as they do! We have Gypsyhawk that’s more a Thin Lizzy type of sound. Another band that I’m really excited about is In Solitude from Sweden.

They’re coming over here with Behemoth, Watain and The Devil’s Blood. There’s so many coming up as well as the established artists.

Which was the most difficult/rewarding moment in the history of Metal Blade?

It’s so hard to say, my stock answer these days is putting out the first record as to be a kid in LA putting out a record in 1982 was kind of crazy! There’s been so many over the years it’s hard to pinpoint one.

Would you like to tell us more about the plans for Metal Blade’s 30th anniversary?

It’s always tough with these anniversaries as there’s been so many so we’re trying a few promotions such as parties and shows that we’re still working on.

Is there anything else you want to say?

Thank you to the fans, journalists and media that have been supportive as without you we wouldn’t exist. It’s been great to be part of the metal community!

Page 10

Sonic Shocks

Issue 8/2012

By David Lees As the multi-talented Emilie Autumn prepared to start the European leg of her Fight Like a Girl tour I got a chance to sit down and talk to her about her future plans for her Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls project and her move into the movies with The Devil's Carnival.

By Becki Kremer

So this is your first date in the UK, how's the American leg of the tour gone?

Yeah, we're extremely excited to be here. We've actually been to Scotland a couple of times in the past, gone to the Willow Tea Rooms here, had a lot of champagne, proceeded to get on stage and had Naughty Veronica forget that we're not in London. So that was good but, yeah, just got off the North American tour – all practice for being here tonight of course, so, yes, that was amazing and we're just ready to tell people a whole new story, ‘cause this is definitely not a rock show, this is a musical.

I wanted to ask about you evolving the show, each tour it seems to get bigger and bigger and I was just wondering where that's going to go eventually?

There some very serious, exciting plans for this. With the Opheliac era it was very much about these individual songs telling this story, really laying the groundwork for it. This is this person, this is the asylum, this is the setting that this world is happening in but now it's the next chapter, which is literally a chapter; it's about the book that came out after Opheliac, the Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls book, and so the show and the new record, which is coming out right after the tour – it’s backwards but there's reasons for that - is completely from beginning to end, as is the FLAG record, not a rock show or a rock record, it is a musical and it is like a Broadway theatrical. What we're doing tonight is a two hour show but even that is just a few chapters, just a small amount from what this is really going towards which is musical theatre. I’ll be spending the next year and a half making into reality, this is turning into the Broadway style production of 3 hours long with an intermission and a cast of forty people. We're a cast of four people right now showing the characters and the energy of what this going to be like. This is going towards the next project after this record, but musically the next big thing is the musical of the book which incorporates the you’ll hear tonight, some of the Opheliac and then hours of new theatrical amazingness for all these different characters.

I was also wondering if there were plans to evolve it into a movie and if your involvement with The Devil's Carnival was trying to move into that world a bit more?

Actually no, it wasn't. It's a wonderful learning experience for me to make. The book was meant to be a novel, a psychological study, an autobiography, this fantasy time-travelling tale, an art book, all of these things; but it was also meant from the very beginning to be a screenplay because it simply needs to be seen. The Asylum world which is a very real thing has, I mean the building itself is terrifying in its proportions, it is so massive and the world is just such an epic massive thing that it needs to be seen on a big screen.

Something useful, as a side-effect of being part of the awesome project that is The Devil's Carnival is that I got to, basically, get the practice and meet the crew and be on that side of the camera to see how that is done, because it is incredibly different from my comfort zone which is being in the theatre, being on stage, doing things live for an audience that then reacts. When I accepted the Carnival role and involvement in that project was thinking 'ok this makes sense, this is why I'm doing this,' before I became friends with Darren and Terrence. ‘When I make the Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls film I don't want that to be my first time, I don't want to fuck it up’. You don't get a second chance to make an epic film like that. Basically we'll do the musical and the musical will be made into this thing. I'm thinking way, far ahead which is how you have to do it to make sure it comes out right. I've been planning this whole progression for years and I'm very determined that I don't fail in making this a reality. So yeah, the whole Devil's Carnival's an amazing thing in itself but that was a great side-effect. I'm learning and it's becoming more natural to work with a camera in your face than an audience out there. Very different.

Were you a fan of Darren Lynn Bousman and Terrance Zdunich work before, like Repo: The Genetic Opera and the Saw movies?

I had no idea. Maybe that's crazy but I live in a completely different world most of the time. When he contacted me over a year ago I had no idea who he was... this isn't meant to be in a bad way, there's a lot of things I don't know. I have songs on the Saw 3 and 4 soundtracks, I'd never seen the films because I can't, because there's a lot of really gory stuff. I love scary, I love mysterious, I love suspense but really really gory I can't do, there's enough badness inside my head already that I can't deal with it, so I haven't seen those, which now I feel really bad about, but I haven't and I hadn't seen Repo, I didn't really know about any of it; so when he wrote to me I thought 'who is this person', partly because I do get a lot of requests like that for a movie, school project, short film, sometimes small sometimes larger but usually it's not something I'd consider because it just has nothing to do with my world, my music or the things that I'm very set on focusing on It seems like all actors want to be musicians, all musicians want to be actors and I didn't have that ambition. I'm trying to be very focused in what I do to make this story, to make this dark Disneyland for the Plague Rats and everybody involved so I didn't jump on that, I just thought 'Explain yourself! Who are you and what do you want?' and he just sent me a link, 'Just look at this', and it was a link to a YouTube video showing the fans and followers of Repo freaking the fuck out and doing their dress-up and their shadow casts and showing me how this whole world has evolved around this film that they had made which was very different, which has become this underground, this cult thing. Clearly it's a Rocky Horror connection but the thing that I really saw - which is what he wanted me to see - was that it isn't about me, this girl who looks a certain way on stage or writes these songs or sings, it's about something much bigger than just little me, it's about this world that people can be a part of and live it and play in and fight in and all of these things, it's like a role-playing game that is actually very real and I am just one part of it. From that moment on I started to really get it. The girls and I were like in Germany or something, we all got in our hotel room bed together, just Netflixed this thing and watched it on the computer and I thought 'right now I get what's going on, I understand completely why he would be contacting me and I respect this person' so then I got back to the States and honestly, over the last year, I'm just so glad that he got in touch with me because – almost more important than the project or the movie itself - they became two of my very closest, dearest, best friends on the face of the planet. We made The Devil's Carnival which is just the beginning; after this there is more and it's going to get crazy and it's a big story to tell but I can't wait for you to see it. It is a musical as well but it is nothing, and they're the first to say, it is nothing like Repo and it has no relation to that, it is so incredibly different and beautiful. I can watch it because it's not just gratuitous gore and violence, and I will admit that I'm much more into horror now than I was because now being on the other side, there is violence in there but I'm the one doing it. So now I know what movie blood tastes like, it's mostly honey, it's not so bad, it's like what your put in your tea, other than that it's really really red and stains white corsets. We were so honoured to get to work with some of the absolute biggest and best SFX make-ups and prosthetics people in the entire industry and they just wanted to be a part of this project because all of us main characters are completely transformed into these creatures and they got to do some amazing, very different from doing zombies or dead people. Now when I see horror I can completely see it from a different angle, looking at how they did the make-up, how long did that take, and how are they doing that thing with the blood. I would go and shoot all night and be this thing that they made me into. I have pictures, close-ups of the make-up on my phone and I'm DYING, I'm going crazy right now not showing it to you because I know I'm not allowed to but I want to so badly. It's mind-blowing what they've done, this project is so beautiful and the music is incredible. And I get a really awesome song to sing in the middle of a circus ring, so it's good times.

When it finally comes time to make the Asylum movie do you plan on actually taking the director's chair yourself or collaborating with someone?

I feel that for the movie, as well as with the ‘Asylum…’ musical that will come before the film, I will be more than happy to allow an outside director into our small circle. I have a few in mind already.

You said you're a fan of scary, not gory movies, so what are your favourite scary movies?

Anything Hitchcock made: ‘Rebecca’. ‘Vertigo’ and so many more…

Though you said you tend to exist is your own world most of the time while working on the Asylum project are there any other artists or musicians or writers that you admire right now or would consider an influence?

No, actually. My job at the moment is to make the ‘Asylum’ world and my book into a musical, visual, literal reality for people, and so the influence is the story itself.

Given your love of the Victorian era, when you're touring Europe and the UK do you get much chance to get out and see the architecture and the places it all spawned from? Do you get any inspiration from being here?

What I try to do when I’m in any country is to look for the secret places, the magick shops, places where tourists would never think to look. I’ve met many magical creatures, witches, friends…So much of a country’s culture and history is told by its magick.

I

I

So you guys have been around for about 7 years now – what do you do to keep driven and help you keep going for so long? think we started the band in the last year of high school and it kind of carried on over our A Levels, so it was always a welcome distraction when we were still in education. enjoyed every aspect of playing and organising, and it was just what satisfied me the most. As time's gone on we've been able to do more things that I never thought we'd be able to do, and I'm driven by that – just wanting to explore as much of the world as possible, to travel with my friends and just to make interesting music as well.

You've recently had two new band members added to your lineup. Have they gelled into the lineup?

Instantly – it's been the smoothest transition we could've possibly hoped for.

We've known both of them for coming up to about five years, so we've been really close friends with them for a long time and they were the first two people we had in mind when it came up that we needed new members. We've been playing music with them for the last five months now, and obviously these are the first few shows we've done with them and it's hard when you're in such close proximity but it's been amazing and it just feels right.

Being a female fronted band in a mainly male-dominated genre, do you think that things have changed since you first started out and do you find that people take you more seriously now?

Well in the past we were always referred to as a band of kids, because to begin with Eva was 14 and the rest of us were about 15, and now we're in our twenties so I think it's changed in that sense – people take us more seriously now that we're older and actually have quite a bit under our belt. But there's still some problems at some shows with people shouting stuff out at Eva, and unfortunately there are those people that are really inappropriate but she can deal with it and doesn't take it to heart too much. We're fortunate that those people doing that are the minority – but it has and hasn't changed.

So it's the last day of the tour – how's it been playing with Architects?

It's been absolutely amazing, I mean we did a couple of tours with Architects in 2010 so we know those guys really well. It's been such good fun every day, when you're with people who enjoy being on tour and I've not been bored watching them play every night!

When you're really old, what would be the one really cool tour story that you'll tell your grandkids?

Ahh, that's such a good question! I may have to take a minute (laughs). Erm...

Well, several years ago we toured with this band I Was A Cub Scout – and this would've been in 2006 – and downstairs in the main room was Dillinger Escape Plan and we were huge fans of theirs. And we sat and watched them soundcheck from the balcony, just blown away that they were just playing in the same building, and right at the end of the night myself and our old guitarist Joe went down and gave one of their guitarists a copy of our CD and said if it wasn't for your band our band wouldn't exist. And then three or four years later they hand picked us to go on tour with them, and that for me just stood out as being so incredibly cool. I never thought we'd get to play with people we respected so much. I'm sure there's been loads of other things but that's probably the most wholesome story I can give you!

You guys have a new album due out in September time, so what's in store for that? Is it a new sound, as I've heard it's a lot darker and heavier?

Yeah definitely. We've written all of the music but not all of the songs yet, if you know what I mean? We're going to come up straight away from this tour and continue writing and finish that. It's a lot more direct and straight to the point, cus we've condensed some of the things we would've done in eight minutes but can easily put across in four which was definitely a conscious decision. We wanted to make music that's fun to play live that we can enjoy and will hopefully make for more fun shows where people can instantly get into it more.

We've been messing around with the way we write and the way we structure songs and making sure it works properly rather than it being very disjointed or haphazard. We're not straying too far from how the band sounds though – it still sounds like Rolo Tomassi.

Only one more question – at the end of everything what would you want to look back on and have your life remembered for? Ultimately, what do you want on your tombstone?

I just want to look back on it fondly and know that I spent the best years of my life doing what I truly love and enjoy. A lot of people don't get to do that and we're fortunate enough to be able to, so I want to look back and know that's what it was like for me.

Sonic Shocks

Issue 8/2012

Page 11

Forecast: Heavy Metal Thunder

By Cayleigh Shepherd While the rest of the band has been racing around Europe supporting American rockers Valient Thorr, Jettblack’s Matt Oliver has been stuck in ol’ Blighty nursing drummer injuries. Although he may not be able to play for the time being, he’s certainly well enough to answer a few questions about their upcoming album Raining Rock….

Tell us about Raining Rock.

Raining Rock is a diving head butt to the bollocks. Pretty full on.

Loaded with all the usual JB hallmarks. Energy, sleaze, emotion, love, with a heavy political theme weaving throughout, as well as thorough coverage of geology and more importantly sedimentary petrology. Or in two words: It's better!

Is it true the title came from Will watching the weather forecast one evening?

Kind of... Myself and Will ventured on a south Buckingham-

shire ramble, Whilst negotiating a craggy rockface Will stumbled on a bramble and found himself face to face with a rather portly badger.

Instantly fearing a potent dose of TB courtesy of his foe, he wrestled the creature onto its back, out of jaws way. What we found was quite remarkable. Small globules of magma and a volcanic patterned belly. This set us off on a volcanic rock trajectory; it seemed only natural to 'Rain Rock'.

You have a few guest appearances on the album in the form of Ian Paice and Udo Dirkschneider.

How did they become involved?

Ultimate drumming legend Ian Paice got involved because we recorded the drums at his personal studio. We're friends with his son and daughter and they hooked up the studio for us. It was amazing, but very unnerving, having a legend peering through the glassrecording booth in his purple sunburst shades. I was also honoured to be using the Deep Purple drum kit from the Perfect Strangers album. The one he used on it! Udo

heard the track and soon realised his incredible goblinesque metal pipes could add a new dimension to a version of the track. We love it!

Can we expect a tour soon to support your new release (aside from the album launch at The Borderline in London next month)?

Yes there are rumours of a long tour in maybe October.

Any UK festival dates this summer?

Watch this space. With Sonisphere and High Voltage down the pan the slots are thinning out unfortunately. We might have to set our own festival up. I've already thought of the name: DESIGNA8 - basically the punters 'designate' who they want to play, and in what order, it’d be a totally fresh outlook, so you could have Nickleback on 1st and a less well known band - Hornet, for example headline.

Oh and it would be 8pence to get in and sponsored by After8 mints, and 888 online gambling. '8' would be the gimmick running throughout. 8 bands a day too. I'll get on it!

We hear you're also off to South America soon. Excited?

Very excited! We urgently need to spread JB to other territories!

So what will be the first single off

Micky Free NATIVE LICKS

the album and when's the release date?

First single is RAINING ROCK and the album will be released on June 4th.

You’re obviously an extremely versatile musician, from Shalamar to Crown of Thorns to Micki Free’s rock & blues, and the Native American flute music albums you bought out – are these all genres close to your heart? Do you think musicians are pigeonholed these days, and that this stands in the way of true creativity?

You’ve hit the nail on the head. Winning a Grammy comes with perks sometimes - so as far as I am concerned I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. The

By Darren Law world of music today is not the way it once was and I do feel sorry for those people starting out and being holed with a certain look and sound, it’s not something I will do. I make records because I want to and How did you end up being discovered by pigeon I like what I do – if people happen to buy them then of course that’s even better. I hear blues rock is not in style Gene Simmons?

It was lucky for sure. I was on a tour in the Mid- but I couldn’t care less about trends. west with this band I was in, a three piece called What’s the Mojo with your Black Coffee?

Smokehouse -it was Kiss, Rush, Ted Nugent It’s my Mom’s coffee, no sugar she just stirs if with her finger –haha. It’s some strong black coffee and if you wake and REO Speedwagon. We were doing a sound up not feeling good it will get you going. check and Gene was watching me and he came up to me and said , “you’re a star-call me if you performed with Bill Wyman at Hard Rock Calling – the live track Red House is included on the new are ever in LA”. So I went to LA and was rehearsing in a studio on Sunset and Gene put his head round You – how did you come to work with Bill and are you a Stones fan? the door and says “remember me? – I can tell your guitar playing anywhere. Step outside for a minute ICD love the Rolling Stones, they get it man, Tumbling Dice and Angie…to meet one of the Rolling Stones is there is someone I want you to meet” – and it was Diana Ross who at the time was Gene’s girlfriend. amazing.

Little Steven is a friend of mine and introduced me to Bill Wyman in 2009 when I played Hard Rock Diana Ross then signed me to her management company. I then went on tour and Gene did the sound Calling. Bill’s wife is part Native American and we became friends. So when I performed in 2010 he agreed to for me-with his tongue, from 40ft away –haha get on stage with me and we did Jumping Jack Flash and Red House. So at some point you will see this on the forthcoming Micki Free DVD. Obviously Jimi Hendrix is one of your heroes – how did you first get turned on to Hendrix?

My stepfather was in the services so I saw Hendrix at a gig when I was 12 years old – he had on these pink You’ve worked with some amazing names & musical legends including Prince and Janet Jackson – do you bell bottoms and did Foxy Lady for these girls in the front row – I didn’t even know he was playing or who have any stories or anecdotes you can share with us? he was really – but he was amazing and the girls that were there certainly made a big impression on me! So many! Here’s a quick one about his Royal Badness, we used to jam in this studio in LA called Sunset Sound and there is a parody on the David Chapelle show (you can find it on YouTube) and its all true. Me and Prince Were you bought up in a musical family and how did you first come to pick up the guitar? into this club and Eddie Murphy is there, we go back to Prince’s house and play basketball. Prince is I wasn’t bought up in a musical family but I was inspired to pick up the guitar after seeing Hendrix and come playing basketball in 6 inch heels. I am like ‘why am I on Prince’s side, he can’t play ball’ –but he’s all net like the Everley Brothers on TV. My Mum’s brother bought me my first guitar.

Michael Jordan all night! Eddie was totally shocked –haha. So Prince and I won -and then his cook made us all pancakes.

How do your Native American roots influence your music?

There’s no blues for Native Americans, but my roots give me soul and spirituality and realness. I write in What are your thoughts on reality TV? I understand you are in talks with regards to a show? a real way from the heart and soul.

Right now a network is selling the pilot idea worldwide, it would be great for me to reach a whole new audience.

You ride in the New Year’s parade in LA – can you tell us a bit more about that? does the future have in store for Micki Free?

I’m Comanche and this tribe were considered the greatest horsemen in the world - so I am a natural born What will be what it will be. The cards will fall where they may. At this point in my career I make records for me rider and never had a lesson in my life. I ride in full regalia with my face painted in the Rose Parade in It California –in fact I was the first Native American to ever ride in the parade. What’s crazy about it is it’s and people that understand what I do. like 5 miles from beginning to end and I ride bare back but you have to go so slow because of the other Micki Free’s new album, Tattoo Burn is out now on Cargo Records horses and people in the parade, so it takes ages - I couldn’t feel my legs after that!

BERMONDSEY JOYRIDERS

THE

THURS 24th MAY 2012 MADAME JO JOs SOHO.LONDON

‘NOISE & REVOLUTION’

ALBUM LAUNCH 7:30 - 12pm

£5

+ ‘THE PHOBICS’ ..Exotic Burlesque ‘LUNA ROSA’ ,Mistress of Ceremonies ‘KIRIA le PINK’...D.J JEFF MUNDAY

Sonic Shocks

Page 12

The new band to see in London

THE VEX

DON’T SAY WE DIDN’T WARN YOU...

Issue 8/2012

What do you feel when you go out there?

It feels right. It’s like we’re delivering a message, our songs all have a message, some more poignant than others but every song’s got a message in it, we don’t just pick random words out of the hat and put them down on a bit of paper, we have a subject matter that we want to get across.

You see a lot of bands that play their music, look cool and you can tell there’s no conviction you’re earning money from there, you have another gig lined up, an album lined up. There’s a contradiction. We play music when we get up and you can tell how much we’re enjoying it. We’re enjoying it, people enjoy it, that’s honesty there, we love this and people enjoy it because there’s nothing fake about it.

Which song usually gets the best response live?

Hard to say, depends where we’re playing but usually I’d say Invictus is pretty big at gigs.

What’s the message behind that one?

Well, there are quite a lot of messages in that one, I think for that one you should listen to the song’s lyrics and take it from there. It’s quite a deep song, it’s inspired by the poem William Ernest Henley wrote on his deathbed; that basically were his last rites really, which basically says however you’ve done in life take full responsibility and full consequences, for whatever I’ve done and whatever happens tomorrow. It’s about the belief in yourself and being a man really.

Have you played anywhere other than London?

We’ve all been in bands before, with this band it was literally January so three months later we’ve only played here, Camden, Peterborough and Southampton.

You got drunk!

Oh yeah I remember getting drunk!

You guys seem to have a great chemistry on and off stage; how’s your relationship outside The Vex, do you only hang out for band related matters or are you friends beyond the music?

It’s like having three other girlfriends really, we live in each other pockets constantly as everything we do is completely DIY. Making CD’s, the badges even the banner we hang behind us, we do EVERYTHING ourselves.

Whether it’s music or servicing the band.

That’s what I really like about the band, we are like a family and absolutely best friends and there’s crossover from personal and business lives. However we don’t let this personal bit interfere with the band. Work’s one thing and social is the other.

It’s because we are so close that we know that any argument’s going to be resolved, so we just get on with the business side.

By Cristina Massei I went to see The Vex live the first time under advice from their manager Chris McCormack.

I expected a young nice rock’n’roll band; instead, I found myself witnessing a show that, although totally genuine, ticked all the boxes to be a mainstream success, including a packed Barfly on a weekday and an audience seemingly having the time of their life.

So here I am, having a chat with The Vex lads themselves, to find out that they only existed as a band for about three months! While Chris keeps popping his head through the door telling them how awesome they were tonight, we get to know them better as we try to understand the secret behind their unbelievable chemistry.

We start with guitarist/vocalist Jacko and bass player Andrew, and soon the rest of the band joins the mayhem…

What made you want to join the music circus? You know you’re not going to make a penny out of it, right?

(Jacko) Obviously! We’ve all been in bands before, we grew up with music but wasn’t until January this year that we formed The Vex… it just felt right. We played in bands before but this line up with the four of us sounded a lot better.

What are your main influences?

Andrew: we all come from different circles. I was more on the metal/punk side…

Jacko: I grew up listening to hip hop when I was younger, then getting older I discovered Sex Pistols and the Clash and then went even further with the Kinks, the Beatles and the Who, so a combination of all them has been coming through me and Josh, the drummer…

- Josh (drummer) and Josh (guitarist/singer) join in Jacko (talking to Josh): We were talking about influences, and how you used to listen to Monopoly, Pinocchio, Fantasia…

Josh: Fantasia is great!

(Chris McCormack pops in complimenting the band for their best show tonight, Jacko offers him a fiver and makes sure I’ve got that on tape, everyone’s laughing) And the next question is: why on Earth did you get this guy to manage you?

Jacko: We lost a game of cards.

Will you have another game or are you stuck with him?

We’re stuck.

So, now that I’ve got you all together… How did this all start?

We like playing music, we all like different types of music and the same type of music, we all came together and thought it was a good idea, and in January this year The Vex was born!

We practice regularly, we bring our different influences into the mix and what comes out is what we played tonight. We were talking about it the other day, people asked ‘why this line up’ and my conclusion was that we played in bands before and we took the worst member from every band and made a band out of that.

That’s right! And it’s working good so far (laughs) We were the members who sucked from every other band!

What’s your goal?

To make as much noise and havoc as we can really, I suppose, and let people know who we are, and play every country that has live music And those that don’t have live music as well!

What kind of people are going to like The Vex? People who like comedy I think will like us, because we’re quite comical…

Is it Chris again?!?

People who like music, people who like going on a night out…

People who like going on days out as well!

People who like to listen to music with a bit of message and meaning behind it, songs with substance; we can’t churn out 4 or 5 songs a week because subject matter we strongly think about, it’s music you can draw your own conclusions from and apply that to your own life.

Why should we come see you live?

We’re a guitar based rock and roll band, we put on a really good show…

What’s coming next?

At the minute we’re just wanting to play gigs together and be tight on stage, we were pretty tight tonight but there’s always room for improvement I say. The more gigs we do the more the momentum grows and we get more people turning up whether it be the first time or again.

If the momentum keeps going we should have a nice following by the end of summer and then from that we can maybe plan overseas. We’re looking to put something out in the summer.

Who would be your dream bands you’d love to play with?

We’d be good opening up for Frank Sinatra and Aretha Franklin in a vocal duet! David Sandstrom from Refused on drums, Cliff Burton on bass and Hendrix on guitar.

Finally we touch on about Jacko’s Union Jack’s guitar…

I’ve had that guitar a long time, there was a time in 2006 in which it was condemned to fly the English flag as it was seen against multi-cultured Britain which was a load of rubbish when you can’t fly your national flag. I know in the 70’s and 80’s the National Front took it and adopted it as their logo but that’s bollocks as it’s been the English flag for 100 years. Look at America where the flag is everywhere and they’re so patriotic, probably why they win at everything!

I think it’s sad that we forget our identity and where we come from, you shouldn’t frown upon the St George’s Cross.

We all live in England.

What’s your final message for our readers?

Come to a gig and bring anything that’s handy such as drumsticks and guitar strings!

Sonic Shocks

Issue 8/2012

Page 13

LONDON AT NIGHT

by Cristina Massei For us Londoners this year ‘Jubilee’ follows ‘Olympics’ on the list of most dreaded words; they mean traffic, badly spent taxpayers money and way too many tourists out to pasture in our already overpopulated city. But here comes an event aiming to rehabilitate at least one of such words in The Barfly new Friday night club Jubilee. I tried it myself on the first night of a two days Easter extravaganza, a Thursday. Too old to do the Friday as well, but hell I was tempted!

by Sophia Disgrace Burlesque!

Welcome to your one stop drop for all the news on the best burlesque nights, in the capital and beyond! My name is Sophia Disgrace and I’ve performed at numerous events in the U.K and abroad, from festivals to the most exclusive clubs. I tend perform in a neo burlesque style and o en incorparate other elements, such as fire play, into my routines.

Burlesque - or ‘the art of tease’ as it’s also known, first rose to prominence in the 1950’s; in recent years it’s enjoyed something of a revival, with stars such as Dita Von Teese helping to popularise the scene once again.

London as ever is at the fore front of this movement, which is both alluring and inspiring for men and women alike.

Here are my pick of all things burlesque this month...

Strictly Burlesque Rouge Gentlemens Club,Blackpool Every Sunday From 8pm until 11pm Every Sunday night is a Burlesque night at Rouge! Sit back and enjoy at least 16 acts of burlesque, comedy, striptease, Can Can and even fire eating! Held at sumptuous Gentleman’s club Rouge, expect class, glamour and a delightful dash of sleaze-equisite entertainment for less than a tenner. The venue also offers tuition in Burlesque - so you can join in the fun and frolics too!

Tickets are from £6.00 and can be purchased via their contact number-01253-423-711 The Burlesque Show Queens Theatre, Hornchurch 15th May 2012 From 8pm until Late.

Steal yourself for an event brimming with sophisticated tease, comedy, magic and mirth, from the country’s finest burlesque artistes and entertainers. The guest artist Elan, is a headline comedy star from the infamous Moulin

Rouge and Crazy Horse de Paris!

Show stopping antics, hilarity and a multi talented cast are sure to make this truly a night to remember - forget The Titanic!

Tickets are from £18.50, please call the Box Office 01708 443 333 for further information.

The International Burlesque Circus Tivoli, The Netherlands 26th May 2012 From 9pm 'until we drown!

Venture a little further afield and be prepared to get ship shape for this guaranteed corker of a night.

With a strictly tongue in cheek sailor theme, delights include a charity tombola,50's hairstyling, candy girls and 40's/50's DJ's.

Confirmed line up also sounds suitably impressive, with comedy burlesque from the UK's very own Kittie Klaw, Big Chief Random Chaos from Ireland doing sideshow, Tango Magic from Dion Illusion and various other avantgarde artists.

For further information and booking details, please refer to The International Burlesque Circus website - www.boudoir-noir.net

Jubilee comes courtesy of three well known characters of the capital’s nightlife, guaranteed to bring you a mixture of killer tunes more assorted than a bag of Skittles: Carl Barat (Libertines/Dirty Pretty Things), Chris McCormack (ex 3 Colours Red/ Gary Numan guitarist), and Alan 'Cherry Cola’ (of London's Rock 'n' Roll club night 'Cherry Cola'), joined on deejay duties by Stuee (The Paddingtons) and occasionally by some pretty special guests. Spinning the decks tonight is another much loved member of the McCormack family, brother Danny of Yoyos and Wildhearts fame, who seems to be having the time of his life… A sign the unforgotten Geordie may be rejoining the scene on a more regular basis? Let’s hope so.

As mentioned, the music selection is unusually varied in genre and time, yet the songs flawlessly follow each other satisfying everyone’s taste without sounding like a random playlist. In a set covering from Blur to Jackson 5, Velvet Underground and everything in between, you’re guaranteed a pleasant background and some tracks to really rock your boat all the way to the dance floor.

However, this is just the ground floor: upstairs – included in your £5 entry fee – Jubilee offers live music, and the bands selection is as open as the music downstairs. First to grace the stage tonight are The Vex, four young Londoners taking inspiration from a wide range of artists, from the Sex Pistols to the Who and a lot more; despite an unbelievable chemistry, presence and excited fan base, the likely lads have only been together since January, and if you add that they’ve got the songs – that’s the hard part folks! – we can foresee great things coming down their way soon. Remember this name. I can only hear the next band, Apologies I Have None, while I’m talking to The Vex upstairs, but I like the energetic punk noise I hear and I’m looking forward to the next chance to see if they look as good on stage as they sound. Pettybone end the evening and, although I only manage to catch part of the set, it’s enough to appreciate the punk spirit, that real ‘something’ that grabs you by the balls and is earning them such a growing, passionate fan base… including a lovely girl I meet later on the bus home, happy and drunk as you are after a good night out in Camden.

Times goes fast without a dull moment between live bands and DJs, and burlesque is also on offer for your eyes’ pleasure.

The crowd itself is a colourful, interesting mixture with in common a love for music and good times.

This months velvet curtain reveals...

Burlesque Spotlight!

Love Burlesque online Peep Toe Slippers!

Yes it’s shopping o’clock once again - and this time you can do it from the comfort of your own home!

That’s right, a few clicks on your keyboard and you too could own a gorgeous pair of rhinestone encrusted or leopard print retro heels.

Deliciously cute and definitely dangerously more -ish, check out some of the other items for sale whilst you’re having a browse on the Love Burlesque site - shrugs to vintage lingerie, it’s all there, with a price range to suit most budgets! www.loveburlesque.com Sophia is modelling To Die For Vintage

Many clubs have come and gone in Camden throughout the past few years of financial difficulties and cheap nights in; we’ve seen empty dance floors and disappointed promoters, but every now and then one rises that is worth your time and money. Jubilee seems to have found the magic formula and, judging from how packed tonight was, word must be going around quick. If you want to see what the fuss is all about, put it on your diary now: Jubilee @ The Barfly, Camden – every Friday night from 22.30 to 3.30. The best place in London to start your weekend.

BREAKING NEWS: JUBILEE GOES ON TOUR! Following the great success of its Camden gatherings, Jubilee announced a tour starting 1st June. Live bands on the bill so far are The Vex, The Howling and Electric River. Stay tuned for details by following http://jubileeclub.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/JubileeClubNight

Page 14

Sonic Shocks

Issue 8/2012

What was it like to tour the US with Evanescence? I cannot think of two more different crowds than Evanescence’s and Rival Sons’.

It went great; to be honest, at first I really did not want to do the tour. I thought the line-up was totally senseless. I just could not understand how any of their fans would ever want to see us. Even though people try to see differently, we have so many diverse elements in what we do. We made very good friends with the band; they are all wonderful people. The reaction of their fans was just amazing, Evanescence attracted ten year old and sixty year old people to their shows; the audience was so broad, people that want to hear good music and feel something. We tried to do our best for their fans and every night we have been welcomed very warmly.

Pressure and Time could easily be considered as part of the Soundtrack of 2011 if there was such a compilation. It’s a great album that reached a very diverse audience, not just the traditional rock and blues fans.

There is always a way to go bigger and further, but we are very happy with the way Pressure and Time was welcomed; how could we not be? What we have achieved is very visible on the last two tours; we have reached out to lots of people. The goal for us is to make good music

An interview with Scott Holiday (guitarist) and Mike Miley (drummer) by Marcus J. West Always nice to see you back, Rival Sons, you look great! It’s been very busy for you guys since the release of Pressure and Time last year.

Thank you. Yes, it’s been pretty hectic for us over the last few months; we only managed to get a little time at home with our loved ones. We are very lucky, we showed up to sold out shows almost every night. It’s really rejuvenating, no matter how burn out we are; it just feels good. We have just finished our new record which will come out in the summer. We will be finishing the mix and the artwork when we go back home after this tour so that it will be ready before we leave again for the festivals.

I cannot believe you have the follow up to Pressure and Time already! We will come back to this significant subject at the end. Talking about festivals, last year you honoured the UK with two big ones: Sonisphere and High Voltage. In 2012, you are coming back to play at Download.

We are really pleased! It’s THE ONE considering that there will be the Black Sabbath reunion and Soundgarden on the same day we play. I am a big Soundgarden fan, it will be cool to see them!

How is the current tour with Black Stone Cherry going? This is the ideal line up for a great rock concert; Kentucky and California united on stage! Why do you think this show is having such a success?

The guys in the band are just great; it’s interesting to be touring the whole of the UK with another American band. All the shows are sold out, we have a pretty decent contingent coming out every night and I think we made it to make a couple of believers out of their fans too. London is our home away from home, so we hope we will be reunited with all our fans here and to get to know new ones.

Is there any European city you are always looking forward to playing live? You don’t have to say London.

There are not too many I have not liked! Europe is so beautiful; I love Italy, there was a wonderful crowd there and everybody was singing along to our songs, unbelievable. We also love all the Scandinavian countries, people there have a great energy! Oslo and Stockholm are good places to play live.

that makes people not want to think about anything and disappear as they listen to it. We want to create a freeing state where you forget about the daily troubles and the craziness of the world and the shitty things that hunt us.

Let’s talk about the new album now. I thought it was merely in the pipeline and you mentioned it’s almost finished?

Well, for us being in the pipeline and being finished are always very close states! Like for Pressure and Time, our new album was made in twenty days or so. We came off the tour and decided to record it in Nashville this time; it’s such a great city! We wrote the songs on the spot with the help of Vance Powell the engineer who also worked with Jack White.

We did not try to re-create Pressure and Time; you can definitely say this is a whole new record. Think of Let it Bleed and Beggars Banquet from The Rolling Stones, they are two very different records. Some of the songs are very long while others are very slow. We wanted to make a record with some adventure in it.

Tales and Battles of the Swedish Titans: an interview with Sabaton’s frontman and vocalist Joakim Brodén, who leads the Falun based contingent ready for a comeback with their much anticipated seventh album, Carolus Rex.

by Marcus J West Great to have you back in London Joakim: how did the recent show at the Koko go?

To be honest, I have never really liked the venues in London, but I must now change this statement because the Koko is one of the coolest places I have ever played. I think that because of its shape, everybody in the audience can see the bands playing at all the time which gives us the feeling to be closer to the crowd, I really like this feeling and I would love to play there again.

Your lyrical themes have always been mainly about historical wars: albums like Primo Victoria, Attero Dominatus and Coat Of Arms are clear example of your songwriting path. Why all this fascination about conflicts for a band that comes from quite a peaceful country like Sweden?

Yeah, we Swedish are totally neutral. I do not know, it started I guess with the song Primo Victoria. I had the music, I had the melody and I thought we needed the lyrics to be as strong and as powerful. I started doing some research as I did not want to repeat the same heavy metal pattern of drinking beers, riding bikes, having sex and doing drugs. All of the sudden, wars and writing lyrics about them became interesting; in our music, you have elements of happiness and euphoria, sadness, extreme hatred and anger. These are all emotions that happen in warlike situations.

And then we knew this was what Sabaton wanted to be about.

The Art of War, your fifth album, was inspired by the influential cult book by Sun Tzu, with Cliffs of Gallipoli being one of my favorite songs. This masterpiece seems to represent a major step in your discography.

I am glad you like that song. I took me a while to write it, nearly two years; I had the chorus, I had the bridges and some middle parts. As I ended up reading what happened in Gallipoli in 1916, because a friend gave me the heads up on this battle, the idea of how the song should be came into place; it was kind of spooky as it only took a couple of hours to suddenly finalise it. With Primo Victoria, we found what we wanted to be about, with The Art Of War we found a formula that corresponds to every chapter of the Sun Tzu book, going deeper on concept based elements. I have always been interested in reading. I hadn’t heard or read about Sun Tzu very often until I came across a while ago to one of the Tom Clancy books, where the main character, Jack Ryan, mentions Sun Tzu. I got curious because I thought that if such an ancient book keeps on being mentioned, there must be something in it. So I bought it and I was very surprised by its size, it’s very thin; I read it twice the same night. I found out that all his concepts can be applied into modern warfare: even though you can make hasty decisions, nobody is going to ever win in prolonged and slow battles; be quick when you do it, like a blitzkrieg. This book made me learn and gave me a complete new dimension by following it.

The new album, Carolus Rex, will be about the chapter of Swedish History that goes King Charles X to King Charles XII and the Northern War of 1700-1721. How did you develop this concept and why did you choose this kings?

The album is all about the rise and fall of the Swedish Empire. The whole album evolves not just about King Charles XII, it starts with the reign of Gustav Adolph II and his daughter, Queen Christina, in the mid-1600s. He was seen as the protector of the Lutheran faith, in his propaganda he used the German legend that there would come allies from the north to save the Lutherans from the evil empire of the Eagle, which was the Holy Roman Empire. He was seen as a liberator and the Germans did join with him to protect the Lutheran faith. Later, when King Gustav Adolph died, his daughter Christina renounced the throne, moved to Rome and converted into a catholic; that was a huge scandal those days. Then her cousin, Charles X, became the King and the whole album continues until the arrival of Charles XII. If you follow the lyrics in the booklet, you will know exactly what was happening in Sweden at this point.

I cannot wait to see all the historical drama live on your stage!

We start in Tampa Florida on April 10th and then we keep going until September 2013, we are looking at nearly 170 dates worldwide.

Sonic Shocks

Issue 8/2012

Page 15

You’re not known for your cover versions, but on the EP you covered Erasure’s Ship of Fools. Appropriate, but not an obvious choice – what was the thinking behind that?

Mauro: That was my idea, weirdly – seeing as Jonny (Cola)’s the Erasure obsessive (I think they were the first band he ever saw live)! I think we were round Jez’s one night and having a YouTube session, and that one came on – I hadn’t heard it in decades, and forgotten what a brilliant tune it was. Figured we could have a decent crack at it…

Simon: I must confess, I barely knew the song before we covered it. I think it only took me two listens before I decided I liked it though. When it comes to cover versions, obvious choices are rarely the right ones.

This is the second EP you’ve released in the last year or so, following the Postcode Wars EP. Why continue to do EPs and singles? They’re an increasingly rare approach these days…

Mauro: We only really got the current line-up together about a year ago, so EPs are a more instant way of getting our stuff out there in the meantime, while we get enough material for an album together.

Simon: Four-track EP's are great, I think they suit a band of our size. I guess B-sides are a dated concept now, but it's nice to have tracks on an EP that wouldn't be on the album.

by Dave Ashworth - Photo Nikki Q Making classic British Pop with a mix of Bowie glitter, hard rocking punch and the darker side of 90s Britpop, Jonny Cola and The A-Grades stand rather out these days as a band unafraid of catchy melodies, but with a depth that appeal to the more discerning listener.

After a string of triumphant live shows around the release of the Halo EP, including a performance at this years Pure Rawk Awards (where they walked away with the New Breed Award for best new band) and as support to cult favourite David Devant and His Spirit Wife, they’ve really started to turn a few heads.

We catch up the band and ask them… are you fed up of being compared to Suede yet?

For the benefit of the uninitiated, what is Jonny Cola & The AGrades, how much is one, and what do I do with it?

Mauro (Venegas): How much depends on what mood we’re in.

We tried “pay what you like” at the Postcode Wars EP launch, and decided to go for “pay what we like” at the last one (Halo EP launch). What you do with us is up to you and your imagination!

Simon (Drowner): But broadly speaking, we are five men with guitars and drums. And very good value for money!

You recently put out the Halo EP, how has that gone down?

Mauro: Seems to have gone down very well with anyone who’s heard it, as the reviews have been about 99% positive I’d say!

Simon: It's gone down a treat with most people.

As well as the obligatory download versions, you’ve also put the Halo EP out as a digipak CD, and the Postcode Wars EP releases included 10” vinyl. I’m guessing there’s quite a love of the physical format in the band…

Mauro: Yup, especially vinyl – I was almost in tears when we had to decide not to do vinyl again for this release. People kept asking us for CDs when we were on the road though, so we had to be practical I guess…

Simon: CDs were a compromise I was happy with. I spent my teenage years going to record fairs, so of course I love the physical format.

(Rain Stopped Play)? I don’t know about that one, but I think that Luxembourg quote (The Party’s Over) is deliberate… I mean, why would anyone want to move there?

Simon: Yeah the 'drowning for sure' is in reference to me, and the song itself is your average sex, drugs and cricket type of rock song.

You’re playing the Now We Are Weekender in West Bromwich (near Birmingham, London readers) with Art Brut this weekend (Sat 7th April). West Brom is not an obvious choice for a festival, nor a Jonny Cola show. How did that come about?

Mauro: Ouch.

Simon: It didn’t happen. Poor Jonny had to spend the weekend in hospital, so it was a shit Easter. I didn't even get an egg!

Would you ever abandon physical releases?

Mauro: I doubt it.

Simon: No, I can't see why we would. Besides, my parents will never catch up and get an iTunes account, let's face it!

What’s next for Jonny Cola & The A-Grades?

Mauro: Basically, we just want Jonny Cola to get better and get out of hospital. All plans are on hold till we know how he’s going to be, but hopefully we can finish our new recordings and reschedule any gigs we’ve had to cancel.

I understand you’ve recently been in the studio with David Ryder Prangley, what have you been working on?

Mauro: Aha! Some new stuff. Exciting times.

Simon: David’s great, I'm sure he'll get the best out of us in the studio.

And finally… are you sick of being compared to Suede yet?

Mauro: Nah. So long as they mean Bernard Butler era.

Simon: Suede are great so I'll live with it! I hope it's nothing to do with my name though – I'm changing that to Simon Deeply Dippy next week…

You’ve all been around in various bands before as one might expect… the names of two of whom I’ve noticed (Luxembourg and The Drowners) pop up in the bands lyrics. Are these intentional references, or do I have too much time on my hands and need to get out more?

Mauro: Haha, are you referring to “we’re drowning for sure”

Between sending over these questions, and Mauro and Simon’s replies, lead singer Jonny Cola was admitted to hospital with kidney problems, where he spent most of the Easter weekend. He has now been discharged, and we wish him all the best for a swift and permanent recovery, and a return to the live stage. Get well soon Jonny, from all

THE HAIRSPRAY CORNER:

at Sonic Shocks xxx

by Claudio Pucci

After talking to Todd Chase, this time in Hairspray Corner we meet Guitar George, aka Jorge De Saint, Tuff ’s original guitarist, who has something to say to Rachelle & Co but most of all is here to introduce his new great project Rock’n’Roll Inc. George is an exquisite person beside being an extremely talented musician and he deserves your unconditional support, so go on and read this unique interview from beginning to end and I’m sure by the end you’ll be dying to hear RNR INC! LADIES and GENTLEMEN, please welcome Mr Guitar George and get ready to be intrigued as much as I am right now!

I know you played for a hospital for cancer patients, may I ask why?

I know how much the power of music brings joy and hope to everyone, it's like having a gift from God to make people happy it’s my way of giving back.

Tell us more about Rock’n’Roll Inc. music.

One song is called Hypernation and it’s about America, The United States of Frustration, a country that’s high on prescription pills to solve all their problems. Also a song called Califakinfornia about how fake everyone is in Hollywood Ca. La La Land!

Do you think rock’n’roll changed the world?

I think that anyone who said that rock’n’roll music hasn’t changed the world is crazy! Just take a look around the world: rock’n’roll has influenced so many people all over the world in a positive way. Music is powerful !!!

Who are the fellow artists you’re closest to?

No one, that's why I wrote Califakinfornia, because don’t know who to trust or who's your friend. That’s why I came up with the name TUFF, because it is a Tuff business! But that’s the past, LONG LIVE ROCK N ROLL INC.!!!!!

What are the main influences for Rock’n’Roll Inc.?

Well we try to incorporate Classic rock like Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith to some newer Rock like the Foo Fighters and Stone Temple Pilots, with the band having a commercial hard rock sound.

Which are your three favourite albums?

The 1st Van Halen Record, Ozzy’s Blizzard of OZ and all Led Zeppelin albums What do you think of the new Van Halen?

I Iove it! It's such a great album all the songs are awesome. Thank God they’ve put out another album out so this generation can hear what a band is really supposed to rock like! Eddie Van Halen is the reason why I started playing guitar, he is my Influence and a Guitar God. What have you been doing musically in the past few years?

I’ve been taking a deserved break from being in a band and I have been teaching guitar

for the last 7 years, giving back and empowering my students with self esteem and confidence through the Power of Music and Rock n Roll…

That will last them a lifetime! But now I’m ready to come back and rock the world, with the power of God and my band Rock’n’Roll Inc! What are your favourite new bands and music?

I love the new Van Halen, it so kicks ass it makes me feel like a kid again!

That’s what music should do: make you feel alive and happy. I love Amy Winehouse, too bad she is not with us, she was too talented for this world. STP and the Foo Fighters have been a big influence on me, they’re the best band out there that’s new in the last 10 years… at least until the new Van halen came out!

What else do you like to do besides music?

Unlike other musicians I love to take care of my body, I go to the gym 5 days a week 2 hours a day, it’s like therapy for me, I love it and do it religiously. I love going to the beach and getting some sun and running on the beach, it’s helped me with my performance, staying in shape. I’m also a neat freak, I love everything clean and organized from my guitars and my truck and most important my home or I go crazy! But I like being like that, it’s attention to detail, it's the musician in me, I can’t help it, it's OCD! What are your favourite actors and movies?

Brad Pitt,Al Pacino,George Clooney,Robert DeNiro,Tom Cruise,Sean Penn and the best Robert Downey Jr. I love The Godfather, Scarface, Interview with a Vampire, Risky Business, My Cousin Vinny, Fast Times at Ridgemont High - it's exactly how it was when i went to school! - and one of my favourite movies is Chaplin.

Do you have a message for our European readers?

I’d like the people all over Europe to know that I AM TUFF! It’s my name and vision only, no one else's. But I also want the people of Europe to know that I’m onto bigger and better things with my new band Rock’n’Roll Inc. The website will be up and running soon, will keep you posted. The address will be www.rocknrollinc.net and also the Guitar George website 1guitargeorge.com will be available soon.

I promise you that what you hear will be some KICK ASS HARD ROCK N ROLL! Keep your eyes and ears open…

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Sonic Shocks

Tempestuous Winds and Sweltering Fire Through The Sonic Evolution An interview with Firewind guitarist Gus G. on the forthcoming follow up to Days of Defiance, Few Against Many.

by Marcus J. West How did you decide to become such an amazing guitarist while growing up in one of the most traditional countries in the world, Greece?

I just woke up one day and decided I was going to become an amazing guitarist; it was easy (laugh). Seriously, my dad had a vinyl of Peter Frampton, Frampton Comes Alive; that album changed my life. I was nine years old then and I asked my dad to buy me a guitar, so at ten I started taking guitar lessons and when I was fourteen, I got an electric guitar. I have never looked back. It was the life choice I made, despite all the years of hard work.

Do you still feel Greek, or do think you have become an honorary citizen of the world with your music?

I am very proud to be Greek. I feel Greek, but at the same time I do feel very different from the people that live there. It has to do with all the travelling that I have done over the years, coming across so many different mentalities, meeting and working with so many different people.

You have been defined as Ozzy Osbourne’s right hand man at such a young age. Was that something you would have considered happening to you?

Never. How could you possibly imagine something that big happening to you? You can dream all you want, but it does not mean it’s going to happen. This came all out of nowhere. I had my band and I built up a name in Japan, Europe and the US; it was going well for me, I was very happy.

Then the phone call came to audition for Ozzy.

Once that happened, it changed my life drastically. It all became what I had times 100. All of the sudden, I found myself doing everything I have always wanted to do, but at the highest possible level. It made me a much better musician and it made me appreciate everything that was happening to me a lot more. Then when this finished, I went back to my band as a better person and definitely as a better musician.

How does it differ to you to play live in front of Ozzy’s crowd versus the Firewind crowd?

First of all, there are several thousand people out there; that’s the main difference (laugh!) With Ozzy, I get to play The Bible every night; it’s such a great feeling to play some of the most iconic metal songs in history with him, and when I go back to my band, I play the stuff that I have written with my friends, which is also very fulfilling.

The (much less) people that come to see Firewind come because they want our music and want to see us; two different things, but both very fulfilling.

Days of Defiance is still a relatively young album and you still managed to give the metal community the follow-up. What triggered so much creativity and passion?

Days of Defiance was ready in 2009; we had to wait a while and see what was happening with the Ozzy tour before releasing it, so for me it was about time to start working on new material. I had a lot of free time during the tour because there were lots of days off and tour breaks. I am not the kind of guy that likes to sit around; I like to work. I had so many ideas and the fact that we had no pressure from the label to finish it by a specific time made it all very smooth; it was on my own terms. I think that it all worked pretty well because we did it all one step at a time; it was a very good strategy, I think.

Few Against Many: I find this title really powerful. Is this the perception of Firewind you would like to share with the world?

It’s a title that represents our history as a band; there is so much to fight in this world to really achieve something valuable in this business, to establish yourself and make people listen to you.

You work so hard and get so little in return these days. Few Against Many is all about the battle, it’s a strong concept behind the band, but not just from the business point of view, but also on a personal level.

I do like the intro to Wall of Sound: your guitar is on fire here and I can imagine this song being

Issue 8/2012

a Q&A with Liam Cormier by Matt Dawson Dead Set On Living’: you’ve described as the connection between the live show and what you put on record; how did the decision come about to make the sound on this record that way?

I feel like any heavy band is constantly searching for a way to make their recordings sound as gnarly and brutal as their live show. This time around our long time friend and producer Eric Ratz just told us all to man up and record the album live and keep all those heavy vibes.

There seems to be a more personal slant towards the lyrics on tracks such as ‘Road Sick’, is this a result of gaining a wider audience allowing for an easier connection to be made?

I've always tried to make the lyrics very personal and honest. I think just this time around I've gotten better at writing with a few albums under my belt, so I'm better at getting out what I want to say.

played live in big festivals like Download this year (Firewind are confirmed on Sunday June 10th). Would you agree?

I agree totally! You will also see the video when it comes out; it’s basically the band on stage. I wanted to show how intense our live shows are and how intense we play. This song is about a sonic revolution through the wall of sound.

The solo in the title track is pure perfection, how did you come up with it?

Thank you, I am very glad you noticed it. On this song, I had lots of good riffs that I had somehow to put in order; the song turned out to have almost a thrashy feeling with a hint of Motörhead. The melody, which is very dramatic, just came to me.

Tell me about The Edge of a Dream, what a mesmerizing song!

In this song, I wanted to bring back the melody of Few Against Many as a theme. When I first heard it, I did not want to have a piano in it; I was not sure about that. I listened to it more and slowly I got into it to the point that I thought it needed also some cellos. That’s how the idea of having Apocalyptica came along. We did not know the guys at all; our manager sent them the demo and few days later they came back to us saying that that would love to be part of it. I think this song is a great intermission from the craziness of the whole album.

No Heroes No Sinners has the perfect closing feeling with your guitar sounding angrier….

It’s also a very different song. With the acoustic parts and then the heavier parts taking over, it feels like three or four songs all layered together.

This is one of the very first songs I wrote for the album and I was not too sure about it, but then when Apollo combined the lyrics, it all came together as a whole and we really liked it to close the album.

The artwork of Few Against Many is, as always, very Firewind and very distinguished. Did you choose to work with the Brazilian artist Gustavo Sazes again?

Yes, we exchanged few ideas; he is the guy that understands what we are about, that’s why I went back to him. He is very creative and it’s really easy for him to come up with the exact art concept we want to give to the album. I was inspired with the Kurosawa films and he recreated all that, adding a Greek element with the flaming statue.

Are you looking forward to playing at Download?

Download will be the debut show of Few Against Many; I cannot wait, considering that Black Sabbath will be playing there too. I was going to go to the show anyway; the fact that my band is also playing makes it a much bigger event.

“A notoriously hard worker, Gus is rarely without a guitar in his hand:” this is a great description of your persona that I have read. Would you agree?

Totally, all my friends call me a workaholic!

clude all of the kids that want to come and party. This way it works out and makes the whole thing special.

What are your feelings on the hardcore scene in 2012?

I think things are great right now. There's tons of new rad bands coming out and lots of awesome tours happening, vinyl is coming back huge, I couldn't be happier.

Do you see services such as Bandcamp a sign of the future in the industry?

I think the internet is going to play a huge part in how business is done and there will always be new and different platforms for music. Whether its mp3.com or myspace or facebook or bandcamp or soundcloud

How did the guest appearances by Dez from Devildriver, Rob Urbinati and Kate Cooper come about?

Dez and Kate are both homies and I thought would really compliment the song, as its all about how being in a band fucks up your life, but you love and still do it anyways. So having them adds that perspective nicely. Having Rob on the record was rad because he's a Canadian metal legend and he and Ratz knew each other from working together years ago, so it was our way keeping T.O. Metal alive in the vibe!

The band will be quite busy with tours with Every Time I Die, the special Pentagram tour of venues in London and even a confirmation to play Download Festival; what’s the best aspect of touring for you?

I love travelling all over the place and playing different rad shows every night. I love playing so much that it never gets boring for us.

or something else. It will always be evolving as time goes by.

Any plans for a headline tour of the UK in the future?

We’re trying to figure some UK headline plans as we speak. We love it there too much to not want to do a serious tour What was the reasoning behind playing 6 there soon. shows in 5 London venues in 24 hours?

The whole idea was to be able to play small Any final words for the fans? venues again, but at the same time not ex- Can't wait for us to party together for

Robinson a music painter in

a Spanish bordello

by Sophia Disgrace

Your forthcoming single is an ambitious one, telling the elaborate tale of a Spanish bordello, a lost Hemingway and a muse amongst other things. As a boy from sunny Worcestershire, what inspired/grabbed you most musically and lyrically?

My middle brother had made quite a name for himself as an artist/painter. He had been living in Madrid for 5 years.

Every now and then I would get a cheap flight over and go and stay with him and his wife. He had a flat close to Ritiro park and all he would do is complain about the beautiful city. He hated the accordion players that busked in the sunshine and his idea of a good afternoon was to sit on the banks and watch the roller bladers fall over and I must admit I rather enjoyed watching them to. One evening he took me to an underground bar called "Sessamo's". I climbed down this ancient staircase in through a dusty old door.

The sun was high and yet again another boring blue sky.. the darkness of the bar was refreshing. The walls looked like they had been plastered a thousand times, the ceiling was tobacco stained and the only alcohol available was sangria or whisky. A withered old Spaniard played an arthritic piano and the small round tables glowed with candle light. I sat there listening to the out of tune piano, playing around the chords of Am and Dm. I could almost smell the perfume of the prostitutes that once graced the bar. I felt all the bitterness, all the heartbreak, all the romance and all the

pain... it dripped from every corner. At that point I began to think of the girl that I once loved, I realized my story was the one of Scrooge.. I left her in order to pursue my music career. I quickly got drunk to swallow the guilt but then woke up to a woman twice my age. I felt disgusted and ashamed and understood at that moment that I had become debauched and would be faced with the reality that every woman would never fill the void in my heart... they would never be her.

Your sound is quite striking - and seems to have achieved a more melodic, fluid feel than some of your indie folk/ rock contemporaries - do you feel you may be fulfilling a niche in the scene, or are you contributing to an already established one?

I've never cared for scenes or fashion, I only like what I like and only write the music that I want to listen to.

The track is at first listen, deceptively humorous; 'Middleaged groupies, but no tooty-fruities'... However, on closer inspection, it has a far darker tone and real storylike quality to it. This really adds to its old worldly evocation, where the simpler, more rustic music of days gone by was somehow more meaningful in what it strove to convey to the audience. Do you have any thoughts on this?

Everything is so visual these days that the old fashioned art of storytelling has become diluted.. a short cut to thinking. I've always been interested in music that paints images in my mind. The words are so important to me, sometimes more important than the music.

Okay, you’re in a Spanish Bordello... name two people you'd like to be there with...!

Salvador Dali and Hunter S. Thompson.

You've had some amazing feedback re your work, from industry heavy weights such as Will.I.Am. How does that feel to be getting such recognition from top artists such as him?

It’s surreal, I'm here in my small town and yet these huge musical names are into my music. I've never met them

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Thrash of fire and damnation at the speed of hell an interview with Men von Stein, vocalist and funding member of German thrashers Exumer.

by Marcus J. West Photo Thomas Pullicino You formed Exumer with guitarrist Ray Mensh in 1985 and disbanded only after two demos (A Mortal in Black and Whips & Chains) and two albums (Possessed by Fire and Rising from the Sea), what made you decide to re-start Exumer in 2001?

We didn’t really got back together that year.

Everyone was involved in other projects, especially Ray and I. The Wacken Open Air was like a “Thank you”, to all our fans who didn’t had the chance to see Exumer with Ray and myself in the line-up. I founded the band with Ray in 1985, but left the band shortly after Possessed by Fire was released and a lot of people never seen the band with that line-up. We were all there, except the drummer; Syke.

What was it like to play Wacken Open Air in that year?

It was a lot of fun, many bands were doing one-off reunion shows at the time in Wacken and it definitely was the right place and time to pull off a one-off like that.

In 2009 you release a one track demo, Waking The Fire: why was the new material delayed for eight years?

Like I mentioned, the Wacken show was a one-off, I decided to bring back the band for the 3rd time and for good in late 2007/2008.

We just wanted to take our time to really produce the best album that we could. This is a very important album in the band’s career, so we didn’t want to hurry into something and make wrong decisions along the way.

Where you exploring other career possibilities during these years or did you just want to focus on bringing back Exumer at the right time and with the right band-

mates? Did you even feel you wanted to give it all up?

I was involved with my band here in NYC, Sun Descends and Ray was playing in a rock band. It’s always about timing and now is our time. It has been our time, since we reunited for good in 2008.

Tell us about the Exumer line up as it is today.

We were getting so much mail over the years and it really did not stop after we played the reunion show at Wacken in 2001. I was playing with the idea of putting the band back together for a while but then in 2007, Paul Arakaki (2nd EXUMER singer/bassist), came to stay with me in NYC over Halloween. We connected in such a profound way that it brought back my initial thoughts about reforming the band. Ray got onboard almost immediately after I had introduced the idea but all this was only possible because the timing was right this around and the idea was not to have a reunion type of format but a working band. That means going on tour, writing new material, recording new albums and getting signed to a label. We toured in 2009 and 2010, played all over the world and recorded a 2-track demo called: Waking the Fire. Paul left the band for a third time after the 5 Nights of Fire tour in 2009, and so Ray and I we got a new line up, which has been the same since 2010. We then took a year off the road in 2011, to complete writing, recording and mixing our new album, Fire and Damnation. In terms of the line-up, it’s myself and Ray, along with my very best friend in NYC, T. Schiavo, maybe some do not know this but I have been living in NYC for the past 24 years. We found Matthias through Death Squad Management, who knew and recommended him. He immediately fit in and his drumming chops are out of control. H.K. is an old time Exumer fan and guitar teacher who lives in Ray’s area. He approached Ray after he had heard that we were looking for a new guitarist. He went to Ray’s house- they jammed a bit and a week later Ray gave him a call, asking if he wanted to join.

Fire and Damnation, your first new album in 24 years is out now (check date), how was your third studio album conceived?

The process of writing this album went in steps; we started getting ideas as early as 2008, continued to write through 2009/10, while we were touring and finally took off from playing live in 2011, to complete writing and rehearsing/recording in 2011. We scheduled a 3-week rehearsal session in spring of this year, prior to entering the studio for recording, in order to play and finish writing the new songs in the rehearsal room. This way we sounded like a cohesive unit when went on to record the tracks in the studio and the material got a total “band/ rehearsal room” vibe. We then recorded the album in Germany, around the area of Dortmund. The tracking was fairly quick but mixing took 3 months and in phases and with a lot of A/B the material. The end result is what counts and we were all in agreement that we will mix the record until all parties are happy with the end result. It just took a while to incorporate all the elements and everyone’s wishes.

classically thrash.

We recorded 10 songs for the new album and I would say that it is by far the best effort in regards to the level and quality of musicianship that this band has ever recorded. You have to remember that we were quite young when we our first two albums dropped and now all our experiences or technical gains have been poured into this record.

Having said that, I think we were able to maintain the spirit of our sound from the 80s with the force of our expertise of today.

Any particular reason you choose to work with producer Waldemar Sorychta (Grip Inc., Therion, Sodom, Moonspell)?

We liked his work on the latest SODOM album, to be as honest as possible with you but of course we knew his previous work as well and knew that he would be able to bring out the best Exumer out of us, without losing the band’s spirit/vibe. And he did, at least we think so. He definitely brought out good performances out of all of us and was very helpful in the tracking process overall. It’s just really reassuring to have someone with a lot of experience behind the board, who knows how important this next record in the band’s future really is. That was just a good feeling to know about the level of Waldemar’s commitment to the project and likewise his engineer’s commitment.

One of my favorite song of the album,

What can you tell us about the title track?

Why was this particular very Slayer-ish song chosen to represent the album?

We just thought it would be an awesome opener, not really paying attention to how it might sound to be influenced by Slayer. The title reflects what this band has been going through in the past 26 years+. It also speaks to the difficulties of making this album and that is felt like going through fire, just to be damned on the other side. The artwork for the cover and rest of the sleeve is amazing and reflects all of what I’m speaking of.

particularly from the point of your grand, pronounced vocals is Devil Chaser, is there anything you would like to share about this song?

I wrote the lyrics for that song after watching this documentary called “The devil came on horseback”, which follows the crazy conditions in Darfur, Sudan as it is captured by this ex US-marine photographer. He follows the massacres with his camera and slowly sheds so much light that it was impossible to ignore at some point. So, I came up with the title Devil Chaser, where he is the one who is chasing the devil.

Any touring and festival rumors to anticipate to your fans?

Lots of touring, starting with a few warm up shows in Europe, followed by a South American tour and then hopefully a few dates in the U.S. in the fall. So, yes, we will keep busy after taking an entire year off from touring last year. Thank you for having us and most important thanks to our fans that have been faithful throughout our 27 year long career, in the end none of this means anything without them!

My first impression is that Fire and Damnation is 10-track strong, hard hitting album,

before, I hear them on the radio and I see them on TV, they may as well be the new roman empire and me, just a humble goat herder. It’s extremely flattering and insanely bizarre. Tomorrow morning at 6am I'll be working on the nursery looking after the plants and driving the tractors come wind, rain or shine, yet people that walk the red carpets know who I am!

What do you hope for in 2012? Any goals career or otherwise you’re hoping to achieve?

I'm hoping for an upgrade of DNA with all these solar flares going off but other than that it would be great to get onto Later with Jools Holland, it would be perfect exposure. I have my single "You'll never be her" coming out late may and it'll be serviced to radio. To get it play listed on BBC radio 6 (my favourite radio station) would be incredible. I'm planning on touring California in September and hoping to finally get over to France and Germany too. I hope to write material better and broader than I ever have done and to collect more and more different sounding instruments. I also hope for my own tractor.

I’ve only just heard one of your songs has been nominated at the Independent Music Awards, would you like to tell us more about this?

This is the best news I've had in my career so far. Ive been nominated for my song "Wherever you are" in the love song category of the Independent music Awards. There are 77 judges on the panel including Keith Richards, Tom Waits, Suzanne Vega, Ozzy Osbourne and Tori Amos. It would be amazing to win it but even if I don't, the fact that heroes of mine like Tom Waits and Keith Richards will listen to my music is enough for me.

Okay, I have to ask, as it is the event of the year... What are your thoughts on the Olympics 2012?!

I think in these dark times of recession, the Olympics is something we can all get excited about.. I'll be paying close attention to the ladies Gymnastics Finally, Blur are reforming and will play at The Olympics apparently...over rated or eagerly anticipated?Neither. I do love Blur but then again I really don't like big gigs. If they were playing in a small club in London I would be far more excited.

When and where can we see Robinson live?

• •

30th of April in The Halfmoon –Putney 27th of May in Barfly – Camden

And more coming up, keep an eye on www.robinsonsmusic.com and www.facebook.com/robinsonsmusic

Back from hell…to stay carry on the band without Vitek?

Vitek was not only my brother but also my best friend; losing him was just so hard. It was my wife who gave me the strength to continue; the tragedy of that accident hit me pretty badly. You can only overcome terrible losses like this if you are surrounded by people that you have total trust in, like I have for her. I would have never made it without her.

very profound technical death metal: what makes your music genre technical?

To be honest, when we started we never really focused on the word technical. We just started with the idea of doing exactly what we wanted to do, which was to play good death metal. The word technical does not really mean much if you think about it; it’s not your skills that determine a genre, it’s the core of the way you play it that defines it.

bus accident that took Vitek’s life) and his recovery; how is he doing?

He is doing so much better, we are so proud of him! His recovery has been tremendously slow; we have been helping him as much as we possibly can. We have established two web pages (www.wakeupcovan.com and www.adrian.org.pl) where fans can contribute to helping him financially, the costs of the medical care he must undergo are massive, we needed some external support. The response has been Have you ever thought you would be fantastic, we are really touched by this and with Decapitated for so long?

I think that at some level his recovery has No, absolutely not. To me, everything that been affected by having so much support. has been happening to us and to the band is still hard to believe.

Decapitated have become one of the most influential death metal bands around.

How difficult was it for you to decide to The name Decapitated is synonymous of

(Kerim "Krimh" Lechner on drums and Rafał "Rasta" Piotrowski’s vocals) how do you feel now about this great album?

It’s a weird feeling to be back. This album represents all the strength that I found in wanting to continue Decapited in Vitek’s memory, while also hoping that Covan will finally recover. The response has been great; we are really proud of what we have achieved

by Marcus J. West An interview with Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka, the guitarist and founding member of Polish death metal gems, Decapitated, prior to their London comeback show at the Dingwalls with Belgium’s Aborted.

2012 marks the band’s fifteenth anniversary. How does it feel to have been around for so many years with Decapitated?

I really find it hard to believe we have been around for so long after we have been through so much already. I started Decapitated with my brother (drummer Witold "Vitek" Kiełtyka who tragically died in a bus accident in late 2007) when we were kids and now… It feels good to be back again, we have just finished touring with Meshuggah in the USA and now we are playing all over Europe with Aborted; I love this band, this tour is going really well for us.

to give our best.

From Winds of Creation to Carnival is Forever, Decapitated never failed to deliver as fans wanted. How do you maintain such an integral, defined music direction?

Since day one, we just wanted to stay true to ourselves. We have never paid attention to what was going on outside the band; the music that we put togethA lot of people are still deeply concerned Carnival is Forever, your fifth album, has er over the years is the one we have always about Covan (Adrian Kowanek, the for- been out for a while now, marking your wanted to play and that we want to play in mer vocalist who was badly injured in the return to the scene with a new formation the future.

I read last summer in that Decapitated were listed as one of the top 25 most anticipated releases for 2011. How do you feel about being part of the list of albums that fans have been really waiting to hear?

To be honest, I found it hard to believe when I read that. It means a lot to us and hopefully our fans will perceive that we put a lot of work in it because we wanted

One very straightforward question: how do you manage to play so fast?

(Laugh!)I do not have the faintest idea! I think this all goes back to the human nature: we do impose on ourselves too many

unnecessary limits; we do not often realise our own capabilities. Think of the people that do extreme sports and what they can do. They do not think on what they have to do, they just follow their inner strength, that’s why they can achieve so much. I think the same concept applies to my way of playing guitar.

Festival rumors?

Wacken Open Air has been confirmed and we cannot wait!! (Please access www.wacken.com for all details about the festival’s full

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LIVE!

Issue 8/2012

DESTROYERS OF THE FAITH:

CANNIBAL CORPSE

TRIPTYKON - ENSLAVED – JOB FOR A COWBOY HMV Forum, London - 11th March 2012

22nd February 2012 House of Blues, San Diego, CA Words and Images by Chad Alexander Warbringer opened the show they did a great job of getting the crowd ready and intense for what was about to follow. I've seen them several times over the past 18 months and they have put on a great energetic show; highlights were "Total War" and "Severed Reality". Up next was Symphony X, I'd never seen them live before and was really excited. They played lots of new stuff off Iconoclast, and singer Russell Allen (who is currently the lead vocalist for Adrenaline Mob) showed his incredible range. The rest of the band offered an extremely tight performance. Show highlights were ‘Iconoclast’, ‘Eve of Seduction’, ‘Off ’, and ‘Set the World A Fire’.

Finally Iced Earth hit the stage, set with tapestries of the Dystopia album cover on both sides. New vocalist Stu Block handled duties like a pro, while John and Troy had great dual harmonies, along with Freddie and Brent keeping everyone in perfect time. It seemed like all three bands were happy about the crowd’s response and, being their first time in San Diego, they vowed that they would come back. One very cool moment was during the song ‘Watching over Me’; a young serviceman named Trevor came on stage to sing backup vocals during the chorus, and with San Diego being a huge military town the crowd really got into that.

Congratulations to all three bands for an incredible show.

BLACK STONE CHERRY RIVAL SONS London, HMV Forum March 28th 2012

by Marcus J. West Fireworks are flying tonight at the HMV forum, exploding in bright arrays of stars and stripes. Kentucky’s Black Stone Cherry and California’s Rival Sons, two of the most sought after bands of the decade, are on the same stage; together, they give the perfect idea of what rock ‘n roll in 2012 is all about.

Rival Sons are always welcomed in London with opens and arms and ears in, as guitarist Scott Holiday describes it, the “city that is home away from home,” and this is more than understandable; Londoners adore them! Their mesmerising, bluesy rock is what a cold and foggy city needs in the endless March. Rival Sons open the set in fine fashion with Torture and Burn Down Los Angeles, offering a live flavour of the follow-up to Pressure and Time, slowing things down to brilliantly serve the songs; they never fail to disappoint

and this was just a taste of what they will deliver at Download. Seeing their name blasting onto the band list was simply amazing news. The fiery Edmonton quartet, Black Stone Cherry, showed with their impressive performance opening for Alter Bridge that they were ready and able to stand up as headliners. They kept their promise to the feverish crowd at Wembley and here they are, as if back from the future! What followed confirms that Black Stone Cherry must be watched and followed very, very closely; they are firmly into something which is really deep sonically and they always manage to pull it off and get better every time. What do they add?

More of themselves and their innate passion for music and life. Frontman, guitarist and vocalist Chris Robertson wraps his audience with his warm, intense notes, whereas guitarist Ben Wells runs and jumps along the whole stage nonstop, delivering amazing long distance riffs and breathtaking solos. Noting is missing from their perfect set; Blame it on the Boom Boom from Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Black Stone Cherry’s latest album, is hardly heard over the crowd’s delirious voices as they sing along. Their masterpiece, Lonely Train, evokes fond memories of last year’s Download when they played it during the only moments of sunshine that graced the festival, the sunshine that Black Stone Cherry always seem to have on them. Nice!

by Marcus J. West Tonight is what could easy be a concentrated death metal festival, a compressed Bloodstock with a hint of Wacken: the Forum hosts some of the deadliest heavyweights around, starting with the very first opener, the Arizonian Job for a Cowboy.

Jonny Davy proudly leads his mighty squad to satiate a very hungry crowd with nothing but the loudest, most brutal and the deadliest notes. The band’s latest album, Demonocracy, is in the air, promising to ignite the heaviest headbanging against everything that is wrong in the world. This band deserves a bigger slot to give them time to completely get their message across; however, as promised by Davy himself, Job for A Cowboy will come back to the British capital as well deserved headliners. There is very little time to recover from all that has already happened on stage when Norway’s Enslaved storm out at uncontrollable speed. Ivar Bjørnson, frontman, awesome vocalist and guitarist, clearly shows that the Bergen quintet do indeed know it all, they have immense destructive power and they have everything they need to conduct war. Their set takes off with thunderous riffing and a deep, pounding percussive backbone. The resulting piercing sound is death metal to the core, played at overpowering volume. For the forever nostalgic, the Led Zepellin cover of Immigrant Song, pours forth ruthlessly; looking at the crowd now, it seems fair to say that a lot of people have been looking forward to this show for a very long time.

Enslaved did not disappoint, as usual; it will be very hard not to follow them at Hellfest this year (15-17 June, www. hellfest.fr.). Switzerland’s Triptykon are next; having Tom G. Warrior on stage is always good news, but do we need to witness the channeling of the Celtic Frost ghosts? The man is a legend, no doubt about that, and he managed to put together a great band with Triptykon; however, although tonight’s set is amazing in places, the overall feel is as soulless as a landmine with no explosion. With the arrival of George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher, Cannibal Corpse’s most wanted frontman, on stage to close Triptykon’s set with Dethroned Emperor, the temperature rises again. And here they come, the deadliest of the deadliest quintet from Buffalo NY. Torture, Cannibal Corpse’s twelfth studio album, has just been released and proves that once again they are back to devastate. Impeccable, slick and brutal versions of their latest songs, Demented Aggression and Scourge of Iron, fan flames and bear crushing weight. Open mouths, fists in the air, sweaty defeated bodies against the uncontrollable barrier until the very end; there is very little more to say. Cannibal Corpse are definitely another band to follow at Hellfest.

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Issue 8/2012

by Ed Fennell - Photos Matt Higgs On the 10th April at the Birmingham Glee club, a spectacle was put on by The Futureheads. Taking on a completely different direction, they played an acoustic gig showing just how much they can adapt and transform not only their own songs, but covers from other artists, with a huge element of comedy throughout and in-between songs.

The Cornshed Sisters were the support group for the evening, haunting

close vocal harmonies and more upbeat numbers the call of the day. While the group are obviously accomplished singers, I would be lying if I said they were pushing any great musical boundaries or lacked some of the finesse some close harmonies groups like the Puppini Sisters achieve. The kind of band whose album you would not be ashamed to buy for older relative, but properly wouldn’t be slipping a guilty second copy into your own CD player.

The Futureheads as the headlining act, on the other hand, were brilliant. They kept the crowd entertained throughout for a very enjoyable set and possibly one of the better gigs I have been to in the last few months. Labelling themselves as a ‘Butchershop quartet’ they started as they meant to go on cracking jokes with the crowd as well as producing beautiful harmonies. ‘Acapella’ sounded brilliant, just as good as when they played it on the live lounge, which started off this whole process.

Playing some of their original songs

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in acoustic versions such as ‘News and Tributes’ and ‘Decent days and Nights’ shows just how much they have grown as artists. After previously seeing them supporting Biffy Clyro in big venues, this makes the songs much more interactive and it becomes a lot easier to connect with them and listen properly.

Little moments of genius kept on popping up throughout the gig, such as Jaff the bassist rapping along to ‘Regulate’

by Warren G and Natedogg. After that a couple more covers followed with ‘Meet me half way’ and ‘Number one song in heaven’, in which they were joined by the support act, ‘The Cornshed Sisters’. An obvious amount of hard work had gone into making the harmonies between both bands work and the end result was simply amazing and made the hairs on the end of your neck stand up. The band were then finished but due to a raucous applause from the audience they returned to the stage to finish the set with ‘Hounds of Love’ which had a big helping of audience involvement, and then it was all over with a standing ovation .

Overall this is one of the better gigs I’ve been to in a long time, and even with the venue being a small comedy club in the centre of Birmingham, and to be seated, it was truly brilliant. Two thirds music to one part comedy made it a very enjoyable evening and very fitting to its surroundings.

Parkway Drive Birmingham HMV Institute - 8th April 2012

by Matt Higgs

In a sold out venue filled from front to back with Brummies more than ready to burn off a few of the mornings eggs, Parkway Drive gave the city an Easter to remember.

Opening on fan favorites ‘Bone Yard’ and ‘Sleepwalker’, the Aussies started their set and the venues pits in the style they meant to carry on: brutally. Whipping the audience into a frenzy, security battled to cope with the tsunami of crowd surfers piling over the barrier from the offset, as vocalist Winston McCall encouraged even more to get to the front between his gut wrenching screams.

Out of the wheelchair that appeared at the summers festivals following a surfing accident, guitarist Luke Kilpatrick and bassist Jia O’Conner started an onstage circle pit as the riff to ‘Karma’ sparked the crowd into their own circle of what must have been over 100 bodies. The running only stopped for some air guitar, as the band tore off into the tracks melodic breakdown.

‘Unrest’ fuels the fire of the pits once more, before Parkway Drive take the time to preview an unnamed song from the album they are due to be recording at the end of this tour.

Suffice to say if the album features ten plus tracks of the same, it will be

an even bigger smash then ‘Deep Blue’. Mixing the bands melodic riffs with Winston’s deathly growls it’s clear Parkway Drive, and that can only ever be a good thing.

During ‘Deliver Me’ it’s easy to see how much the band enjoy the energy given by the fans, with grins plastered across their faces as they watch more bodies pile to the front of the stage and several thousand voices match Winston’s in the breakdown.

As the crowd join in once more to sing ‘Home Is Where The Heart Is’ the volume of the singing in the venue becomes nothing short of monumental; the passion shared by both the fans and the band for the music is something unique, and some-

thing that really does set apart a Parkway gig to most other metalcore acts. They are a band short of the pretentious nature lots of groups their size pick up, you do get the feeling that for them it honestly IS about the music and having a good time.

Opening on its distinctive solo to a sea of hands and fingers tapping along, ‘Breaking Point’ gets a rare outing as Winston stomps across the stage. ‘Romance is Dead’ brings the bands set to a close as the crowd maintain the energy that has not lulled for a minute all night. The chants for an encore are successful as with sweat dripping from the ceiling Parkway return for one last song.

As Winston asks for the house lights on the pit and the initial notes of ‘Carrion’ are played all hell descends for one last time. Every last bit of energy is poured from the crowd as even those on the balconies look like they may cascade onto the stage at any minute. As ‘Carrion’ is brought to a close, Parkway thank the crowd once more before leaving the stage. There is a reason Parkway Drive have found themselves at the forefront of the genre, and a reason they will stay there; if you don’t know what that reason is, I advise you go and find out at the next show near you.

INME + Mojo Pury and Lost Alone 28th March 2012 - Birmingham HMV Institute Temple

by Matt Higgs Inme have long been under-appreciated in my eyes; while other bands have risen through the charts before disappearing into obscurity, the Essex troupe have endlessly toured since their debut studio album Overgrown Eden in 2003.

Through hard work, the band have amassed an avidly loyal fan base that has taken to venues across the country for this huge 33 date tour. As Inme stop off at the Birmingham Institute the venue is packed out with over 250 Brummies, all ready for their first live taste of the band’s new album ‘The Pride’.

First to take to the stage are Irish alternative rocker’s Mojo Fury, who on a couple of tracks share a passing audible similarity (to my ears) to Hot Hot Heat.

That was at least before the samples and keyboard riffs for single ‘We Should Just Run Away’ kicked in, rewarding the band with an increased response from the packed in crowd. Unfortunately, just as performers and audience seemed to be easing into the evening, the set drew to a close.

Quicker to make a noticeable impact on the evening were Lost Alone, as the three piece made their way onto the stage adorned fully in black à la The Horrors. The Derby trio have themselves been bubbling under the surface of the mainstream for a few years now, having previously supported the likes of My Chemical Romance and 30 Seconds To Mars. They were also previously nominated in the Kerrang awards for ‘Best British Newcomer’ way back in 2007.

The band may not be pushing any great musical boundaries, but their music is catchy and soon has the Birmingham crowd moving and whispering (on instruction) with them. Front man Steven Battelle fulfils his role well as a figurehead, strutting and grinding about the stage at every opportunity between his slightly falsetto vocals. New single Love Will Eat You Alive is a set highlight, as a few in the crowd join the band to share the chorus in unison.

As the room falls dark, the anticipation builds before Dave McPherson and his boys make their way onto the stage to rapturous applause.

Opening on a new song from ‘The Pride’, Inme prove that far from being peddlers of

bygone years, they still have plenty to give the industry. That said, as the band play the first few notes of crowd favorite ‘Faster The Chase’ the movement in the room rises to a new level, as every word is sang back with vigour by an audience hanging on every word.

Following ‘Faster The Chase’ Dave requests a ‘wall of handshakes’, descending from the stage into the crowd, shaking as many of the clambering hands pushed in front of him as possible, as he makes his way right to the back of the room before returning to the stage.

Upon returning the band break into ‘Cracking The Whip’ and ‘So You Know’ causing the crowd to rock out at ever escalating levels. As Dave strikes a power stance beginning the riff to ‘7 weeks’, it’s clear that there are plenty in the room tonight who have had parts of their lives soundtracked

by Inme, themselves throwing their all into singing along with Dave’s distinctive vocals.

The lights are once more dimmed for new single ‘Pantheon’, a track which shows that Inme are still more capable of writing the catchiest of rock songs.

In between songs the band are eager to show their appreciation to the fans that have followed them throughout the years, making a special effort to thank the lone security guard who has stood like a sentinel at the front of the packed out room. ‘Ferocity of Desire’ receives a warm reception as the band bring the evening to a close. Inme are no longer the 18 year olds they once were, but experience has never been a bad thing, they have kept the bar set by their live shows as high as it ever was - if not higher - and the fans love them for it.

Pelican + Blacklisters Birmingham Academy 3, 8th April 2012

London, Royal Albert Hall – 4th April 2012

by John Morgan - Photo Cristina Massei The Royal Albert Hall has played host to some of the world’s finest musicians over the years, and tonight is no exception. "Look ma… I’m playing the Albert Hall" is the cry from Les Claypool as he leads his Primus cohorts into the first of two very special sold out nights celebrating all things alternative. Tonight’s show, billed as "An evening with Primus", features two full sets from San Francisco’s finest. Set one consists of a full airing of the 1991 album "Sailing the Seas of Cheese", set two features the band’s 2011 opus "Green Naugahyde". Primus has always been a band that has been very hard to label. Rock, jazz, funk have all been used in the past, but the thing that sets this band apart from so many others is ability. James Hetfield once said that bassist Les Claypool was just too good for Metallica during a late 80s audition, and he was right: his hypnotic bass rhythms leave part of you wanting to get down and funk the night away and the other part transfixed with his every movement wondering just how the hell can he get that sound. This, coupled with Larry Lalonde unique style of guitar playing, leaves the crowd begging for more. A very special night…kind of makes you want to take up fishing. 9/10

by Matt Tilt - photo Becky Williams There are few occasions when my need for how-to songs regarding horticulture are met, but tonight Blacklisters are on hand to meet this bizarre demand. Bringing the audience kicking and screaming around to their way of thinking via some seriously noisy tracks and some blackly self-aware humour. Essentially a punk band, but a punk band in the sense that Pissed Jeans are a punk band, stripping it back to a mess of feedback and untapped aggression, slipping away into nothingness and then exploding blasts of chaos.

Instrumental music can be a strange prospect live. Sometimes a frontman can add that little bit extra to a performance, bring the crowd that little bit closer, but luckily Pelican are a joy to watch. It’s hard to think of a band more in tune with their instruments, so in tune that you could easily be watching a completely improvised set. Every song seems to take on new life in the live setting, capable of crushing people under weighty riffs or lifting them above for moments of calm, almost shoegaze.

Tracks from their latest E.P. Ataraxia/Taraxis shine, especially Parasite Colony as it slowly builds. The two guitarists heading in the same direction but taking such different routes stylistically, and the basslines and drumming all adding to this feeling of majesty that they manage to achieve. Every song is met with rapturous applause, but during the songs the crowd are quiet. This is not a band who need crowd interaction, and the crowd respect this, expressing the same quiet thoughtfulness that you can see has gone into every riff and every drumfill, every microsecond of every song.

Sonic Shocks

Page 20

Issue 8/2012

+ THE ICARUS LINE and CRYING SPELL Orion, Rome (Ciampino), Italy – 22nd April 2012

By Cristina Massei I’m getting used to see Killing Joke live at least twice a year since their return with Absolute Dissent, but for Italian gatherers in the ‘musically forgotten’ capital tonight’s event is a rare and much welcome treat.

The first band to take to the stage is young alternative Seattle outfit The Crying Spell. Their Eighties influenced sound is closer to The Cure and the darker breed of New Romantic than it is to the legendary headliners’ work.

Next on the bill are The Icarus Line, more seasoned and familiar to the UK public, trying to earn a fan base here on the prestigious tail of Coleman & Co. Frontman Joe Cardamone shows up shirtless and determined to warm up an audience left tepid by the openers; his mixed impression of Jagger and Iggy Pop and the band’s dirty and loud brand of hard rock shakes the Orion quite a bit, but the real apocalypse is clearly still to come.

Geordie, Youth and Paul Ferguson take their place on the

tiny stage, shortly followed by iconic Jaz Coleman in his classic camouflage one piece. ‘Love like Blood’ opens proceedings, as all present are fast under the spell of his piercing dark eyes. What follows is a long set list of old and new received by the audience with moving gratitude; plenty of singalongs and, back near the bar, dancealongs as well, in an inebriating state of musical euphoria.

Requiem, European Superstate, one after the other filling the room, a set list of about 20 songs taking us through over 90 minutes of past and present life and history, all the way to Wardance and Pandemonium: it’s almost 1am – they don’t like early starts out there – and still no one wants to go home, as Killing Joke leave the stage looking pleased. No one wants to break the gathering when you don’t know how long you’ll have to wait for the next one. Hopefully for our Italian friends, after such a warm welcome Rome will have found a stable place on the band’s touring map.

THEFOURTOPS&THETEMPTATIONS with special guests THE CRYSTALS and TAVARES

+ THE TREATMENT

London, O2 Arena - 28th March 2012

by Cayleigh Shepherd - photo Cristina Massei It’s been 40 years since The Temptations released ‘All Directions’, featuring their classic Grammy Award winning rendition of Papa Was A Rolling Stone. Stepping into the arena, the signs aren’t good: the upper tier seats have been curtained off, and although the rest of the venue looks pretty packed, it does make one wonder whether the reason for this is due to the event being held midweek, or if the sounds of Motown just aren’t as popular as they once were.

Not fazed, The Crystals step up to the plate as opening act to the evening. Pumping out hit after hit, it doesn’t take long before the crowd have jumped out of their seats to start dancing. As the girls loosen us up with some humorous banter, they remind us of great songs such as Then He Kissed Me and Da Doo Ron Ron. A perfect start to the night’s proceedings.

Tavares kick off their set in fiery form with as much energy and enthusiasm as they did back in the day. With flawless dance routines they really get the crowd going. Firm favourites like More Than A Woman completely live up to expectations, as the only band with the original members help us take

a trip down memory lane. Their short but prominent set is, well, perfection.

As the two top billing bands take turns headlining each night, tonight’s honours go to The Four Tops. A somewhat slower paced set than their predecessors, emphasis is placed on the fact that each show is a tribute to the gone but not forgotten Tops who are no longer with us.

Sole surviving member Abdul Fakir highlights this with a touching and emotional tribute by singing a rewritten version of My Way. Completing their set with their number one hit I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch), the band stays true to the winning formula that appealed in the 60s and is still relevant today. Despite the powerful performance, it is The Temptations who really steal the show.

One thing that will always stand out when talking about The Temptations are their perfect harmonies that are second to none. Tonight we’re reminded of just how great they are. Smart, sassy and organised, they tick all

London, O2 Brixton Academy 31st March 2012

by Cayleigh Shepherd - photo Crisitna Massei

the right boxes for the audience and deliver what is effectively a perfect setlist. Though the names attached to The Temptations have changed numerous times over the decades, the quality in their vocal abilities and performances have not faltered. Putting many younger musicians to shame this evening, Otis Williams, the only original member, brings that old school charm to his performance as the band close their set with the classic My Girl.

A wonderful evening. Though the crowd were for the most part around the ages of 40+, any age was welcomed. It didn’t matter whether they were there the first time around, or if the sounds of The Four Tops And The Temptations were welcomed into their lives at a later date. Tonight, four legendary Motown bands proved their music always has, and always will, be there.

view e it in t s u A n A by Denise Britt My second year of SXSW, this time as a bonafide Austinite.

Things don’t seem as “weird” around here as they did last year. Perhaps it is because I see the weirdness that is Austin every single day now. Even the dude on the 100 foot (seemed like 100 feet anyway) bicycle didn’t get me too excited. What did get me excited was the fact that Foxy Shazam was playing in the Waterloo Records parking lot.

For free. I have seen Foxy before and no one, and I mean NO ONE can bring the energy like this group. From the flips, headstands, lighting a mouth full of smokes and eating them, to crazy ass Eric placing the crash cymbal on his head and letting the drummer beat the piss out of it this show was full on craziness.

Next on my list of must see performers was Austin’s own Gary Clark Jr. They call this 28 year old the ‘Savior of the Blues”. Born and raised right here in Austin, Gary has a style and sound all his own. Think Jimi Hendrix mixed with Stevie Ray Vaughn, and there is Gary Clark Jr. Yes, he is that good. He will be legendary just as they are. Trust me on this one.

Last on my “I have to see them” list was The Cult. Yes, I could have gone and seen them play a whole set at Auditorium Shores Saturday night. Yes, I could have witnessed with my own eyes Matthew McConaughey shirtless (yes ladies, SHIRTLESS) joining them onstage and playing the infamous bongo drums. But no, I thought I would be smart and see them in the Waterloo Records parking lot on Friday evening. The Cult - specifically Ian Astbury - sounded great

despite the fact that it took almost an hour to get everything stage ready for a 30 minute set. Yeah, 30 minutes. They only played one solid song (in my opinion). No big crowd favorites.

Guess they saved it all for Saturday night with Matthew.

The highlight find of this year’s SXSW was a band called Suite 709. I didn’t get the chance to see them play but I was given a CD by their keyboard player. This band had flyers on every corner with a phone number to text. So I texted. Went and had a quick meet and greet on the corner. Sweet, sweet guys. I stuck their CD in as soon as I got into my car. I was not expecting such awesomeness! With a sound that has been classified by fans as funk to rock & soul, Suite 709 blends the elements of R&B and Soul with just the perfect amount of rock and roll.

They have been described as being reminiscent of The Jackson 5 to John Legend, with a touch of James Brown's flare. What is not to dig about that? Check these cool cats out at www. unlocksuite709.com I love Austin and I love music but sometimes maybe you can have too much of a good thing. SXSW is an amazing way to get your music heard and get discovered but for a fan (one who is not willing to pay 600 US dollars for a wristband), it is almost too crazy. If you love music as much as I do, it is a must do, put it on your bucket list type of event. And when you do, hire a guide, it’s crazy out there!

When a band can make the streets of Brixton look like a set from the upcoming Rock Of Ages movie, you can guess that something good is going down at the Academy that evening. Steel Panther have returned with a brand new album and tonight is the culminating date of their European tour to support Balls Out. Support comes from Cambridge based band The Treatment. While some would be worried about leaving these young boys alone on a European tour with the infamous Panther, it seems this field trip has done them the world of good, as they’ve returned to the UK with a bigger, badder and better stage presence than ever before.

As the band march on stage behind two girls dressed as nurses carrying Union Jack flags, it’s clear they’ve shaken off the band next-door look and are ready to be taken seriously. Blasting through This Might Hurt, the audience can’t seem to keep still. Jumping, fist punching and screams for more at the end of their set, The Treatment deliver the perfect blueprint for a warm-up performance.

It shouldn’t be long now until The Treatment are headlining their own shows here.

When Steel Panther attack the stage, it’s clear that this isn’t your normal concert from the sight of the security in front of the stage. Not even one of them is able to resist turning around and witness the heavy metal madness, laughing at the profanity within the lyrics and typical stage banter. High velocity rock n roll in the form of opener Supersonic Sex Machine is mixed up with some lighter-raising power ballads, as London is treated to a wonderful performance of Weenie Ride, where drummer Stix Zadinia jumps down from his drumming throne to play piano for one of their latest songs, as not a dry eye (or indeed, set of panties) is to be found in the room.

As the band charge through a mixed set from their latest effort and debut album Feel The Steel, there is no need or call for any covers tonight, as Michael Starr

and co have proven that they have what it takes to play a full headlining set with their own material and still manage to raise the rafters.

It isn’t long before the audience launch themselves into the debauchery and sin that accompanies a typical night out to see the LA foursome. Satchel is quick off the mark at spotting the ‘talent’ in tonight’s crowd, as calls of “BOOBIES!” are made to the ladies sitting on the shoulders of boyfriends. As is Panther tradition, girls are picked out from the front and brought forth on stage to dance alongside the band, whether it be grinding hips with each other or primping their hair alongside bassist Lexxi Foxxx.

The calls for an encore are thunderous tonight as the band returns to the stage once more to play Eatin’ Ain’t Cheatin’ and latest single 17 Girls In A Row. Many people are say that Panther are a worn out joke now; that they weren’t meant for the long haul. But judging by the sold out Brixton Academy tonight, I wouldn’t say Panther’s fan base shows any signs of slumping. Maybe we’re all just immature people who will forever find dick jokes funny, but I believe the reason Panther will continue to grow from strength to strength is that they still push the boundaries and ignore the rules of what is considered acceptable.

Because of that, they are able to give the audience exactly what they want, every time, without fail: a perfect rock n roll concert.

Sonic Shocks

Issue 8/2012

7 Horns 7 Eyes THROES OF ABSOLUTION Basick Records - 23rd April 2012

by Matt Dawson

In the past year there has been quite a buzz about 7 Horns 7 Eyes, like Jeff Loomis becoming a fan and not only contributing a solo to Throes of Absolution, but helping them garner the attention of Century Media (for the north American release). Add people like Jens Borgen and Andy Sneap working with the band in some form or another and you have a pretty good gathering of followers.

Of course the buzz is worthless if the album isn’t good musically, and in this case it can honestly be said that there is no risk of the hype overwhelming the brilliant quality of the music within as ‘Vindicator’ and ‘Divine Amnesty’ have already proven. Aaron Smith and Sean Alf’s use of the guitar allow for some complex and powerful rhythm sections throughout such as the intro for ‘Delusions’, and when it comes to the solos the true power shines, with an influence from the progressive side including Jeff himself.

JJ ‘shiv’ Polachek’s vocals are ones that command your presence and give another dynamic to a genre that can get criticised unfairly most of the time as being TOO similar, allowing the band to stand out.

If you like your metal world to be just that little bit grim and dark then Throes of Absolution is the right purchase to make and believe me: these guys WILL be big in 2012.

Bermondsey Joyriders NOISE & REVOLUTION

Collisions BELIEVE IN THIS

Job For A Cowboy DEMONOCRACY

Self Released - May 2012

by Cristina Massei

Candlelight – 21st May 2012

By Marcus J. West

Self Released – 7th May 2012

By Matt Dawson

Metal Blade – 10th April 2012

By Marcus J. West

Punk underdogs The Bermondsey Joyriders are ready to unleash their sophomore effort ‘Noise and Revolution’ on record, after shocking live crowds with what calling an album would be simply superficial and narrow-minded. Here’s a manifesto of a generation desperate to oppose to a negative change in society, made of greedy property developers, phoney politicians and an army of assorted crooks with no scruples; a generation left so confused and sedated to blindly erupt in a random rioting craze without being able to point out and take down a real enemy.

In a fast, uncompromising succession of old school punk anthems and spoken words by iconic performance poet John Sinclair, the Joyriders indicate rock’n’roll as the eternal saviour and congregating point for a revolution, as long as its creators resist getting bought into the whole industry circus and its alluring decadence. The whole concept is vividly exposed with a healthy dose of humour, keeping safe from any self-importance allegation; references to pillars of UK popular culture, from crawling survivor Keith Richards to London Bridge and the national dear Cuppa Tea, contribute making ‘Noise and Revolution’ a potential underground classic of our days, sure to find a special place in the heart of us Londoners.

It’s nice to find that, below the layer of manufactured one hit wonders and opportunistic reissues of ‘God Save The Queen’, there’s still fresh music and ideas; it’s encouraging to know that there are people like Gary Lammin, using the voice of the Rock’n’Roll Demon to scream some sense in a Society Rapidly Changing and heading towards disintegration pretty damn fast; it’s reassuring to hear that, next to scorpions, coachroaches and Keith Richards, truth will keep walking as fiction crumbles to dust. Rock’n’Roll saving the planet? Maybe not on its own, but with people like the Bermondsey Joyriders in charge it may at least wake it up.

Amongst the many Norwegian black metal forces that, decades after decades have been fiercely taking over the globe with their insatiable power to shake all dormant souls, Varg Vikernes aka Burzum materialize the most prevailing weapons of all: intelligence. Back in 1994, when he infamously murdered his rival Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth from fellow black metallers Meyhem, Burzum was perceived as destruction, hate and lots of blood, his screams in Aske are still resonating in the ears and in the brain of those many followers who dared to get involved in his dangerous and deadly vortex. After several years spent in the prison of Bergen to pay with justice for his cruel act, Burzum is finally back. Fans have been waiting for Umskiptar for quite a while now, the long wait was totally worth it. Umskiptar is scorching stuff: it starts with a resonating haste in Blóðstokkinn, a track that is both surreal and evil as hymn from hell. The bowel-shattering screams have been replaced by deeper vocal tones and by a close eye to detail for an eerie fashination creeping through the mire, particularly in Valgaldr. And the exquisite piano hollowing through? Burzum has clearly replace his hate towards the world with his love for his black metal.

Think back in time for a moment, let’s say around the end of the 90’s when nu-metal was the main weapon of choice and bands such as Pitchshifter, Slipknot, Dub War and even for better or worse Kill II This gave us ‘the soundtrack to murder’… hey it WAS the late 90’s!

Compare this to what accounts as ‘industrial’ or crossover these days with Skrillex and a sense of nostalgia begins to creep in. thankfully Collisions manage to allow the good memories to return with the lead single ‘Believe In This’, combining of drum ‘n’ bass influences and metal grooves creating the perfect vibe for the dancefloor.

In fact the whole EP contains songs for the true dancefloor moments of the night, none of this waiting for the drop to finally bring the beat in nonsense, and with Olly Simmons providing a very good melody and some decent rapping skills on tracks such as ‘Fire Fire’ it makes sense for them to be endorsed

by M.D. Clayden from Pitchshifter.

Keep an eye out for Collisions, take a step back into the past and enjoy, who knows the idea of them and Skindred on a tour in the future isn’t a bad one.

Third full-length studio album for American death metallers Job For A Cowboy, Demonocracy follows in a perfect lethal sequence after Genesis and Ruination. Fully equipped with a new line-up that sees the arrival of two brand new members, Tony Sannicandro on guitar and Nick Schendzielos on bass, and led by the unstoppable frontman Jonny Davy, Job For A Cowboy strike again with their scorching tracks loaded with pure aggression and total disgust for the corrupted, contaminated outside world. Davy’s growling fiercely attacks from the very first notes with the piercing and deeply disturbing Children Of Deceit and the path brutally opens up on the majestic Imperium Wolves (watch out for the upcoming video) with Al Glassman’s dangerous and untamed riffing that gradually sets the deadly motion. Demonocracy could not end better with Tarnished Gluttony an heavier, darker reminiscence of Ruina-

Crazy Lixx RIOT AVENUE

Bong MANA YOOD SUSHAI Ritual - 15th May 2012

by Matt Dawson

There are certain genres of music that represent states of mind more than anything else: the right punk record probably induces a feeling of fighting the system, this record

by Bong makes the listener want to chill out like The Dude from The Big Lebowski, probably with the instrument the band are named after.

Inspired by The Gods Of Pegana by Lord Dunsany (a work that influenced Lovecraft and Tolkien’s mythologies no less), Mana Yood Sushai focuses on the idea that repetitiveness is the key for making sure the listener stays focused – so if you have a short attention span this probably is not the album for you - by working on one chord and repeating a mantra for over 27 minutes on the first track ‘Dreams Of Mana-Yood-Sushai’ alone.

At the same time that’s what makes this album a delight; around 15 minutes in of the first track the VERY faint sound can be heard of a solo over the main structure as the drums represent another character in the novel named Skarl – according to Dunsany the being that keeps Mana in his dream like state to avoid the world ending – a hidden surprise amongst it all.‘Trees Grass And Stones’ could be seen as what would happen if the trance was broken: the sense of dread suddenly washes over the listener as the dream starts to crumble.

Just like that it ends, and you’re awake but find yourself wondering what other secrets does the album hold and so you enter it again… Sure it’s nothing different from the world of drone, but if it helps someone escape into another world then Bong believe that all is well.

Burzum UMSKIPTAR

Page 21

Cattle Decapitation MONOLITH OF INHUMANITY Metal Blade – 8th May 2012

By Marcus J. West

With the undeniable intention of waking the world from its deadly injustices and distortions, Cattle Decapitation’s seventh studio album will soon grace the metal community with its disturbing and detonating path, continuing the Californian deathgrind troopers’ legacy of animal rights and misanthropy.

Monolith Of Inhumanity offers nothing but the most untamed complexity from the very first track, The Carbon Stampede, which bears the impossible coexistence of brutality and pure technicality. Lifestalker emerges like a threat from which one must escape; the melodic bridge is only a false hope, Josh Elmore’s blazing solo brings back the evil reality. Monolith Of Inhumanity is destined to cause many major disturbances; Cattle Decapitation, led by the honorable Travis Ryan, are meant to wake up polluted souls, the ones that have been affected by everything that is wrong and corrupt in the world.

Philm HARMONIC

Frontier Records – 23rd April 2012

By Cayleigh Shepherd

Ipecac - 14th May 2012

By Matt Dawson

After emerging in 2002 and firmly establishing themselves as part of the NWOSS - New Wave Of Swedish Sleaze, Crazy Lixx are back with their third venture, Riot Avenue.

Although the band have recently lost drummer Joél Cirera and rhythm guitarist Loke Rivano, thankfully they managed to record this gem of an album.

With their latest effort, they’ve become grittier and sleazier than they were with their previous releases Loud Minority and New Religion, bringing in a sound which can be likened to 80s Aerosmith and early Guns N Roses. Opener Whisky Tango Foxtrot, although a good upbeat song, sees the band regressing to a younger generation. It's possibly down to personal opinion, but the 'WTF's and 'LOL's of this world should be confined to a thirteen year old's cell phone, rather than being used as lyrics. They're certainly not the only set of musicians to do this, but they are forgiven, as the following tracks are golden.

The vocals are perfectly layered enough to challenge Def Leppard (especially prominent in Church Of Rock) and the hauntingly powerful Only The Dead Know has such a beautiful guitar track, it sounds like it's been lifted from Carlos Santana’s back catalogue.

Under no circumstances can Crazy Lixx be referred to as 'just another Swedish rock band' anymore. They've firmly grasped their own style and have perfected the balance between old school rock riffs and sleaze metal vocals. When new blood is found to join the ranks alongside Danny, Andy and Edd, I can only hope they continue to write and sound as good as this. A superb achievement.

You have to love Phil Lombardo’s skill musically: from Slayer to Fantomas he’s shown a power that very few can try and match up to, so it may come as a shock when he decides to work on a project where he scales down the drum kit as a four piece to create a more 60’s influenced sound.

Of course by ‘60’s influenced’ we’re not talking about the more pop orientated side like The Beatles before they decided to record The White Album; think instead of what bands like Blue Cheer, Vanilla Fudge, Steppenwolf and others were creating.

So forget that Lombardo’s in Slayer and welcome him, Garry Nestler from Civil Defiance and Pancho Tomaselli taking the listener onto a journey that borders on the fringes of punk and psychedelica.

Great examples of this throughout Harmonic include the dark and brooding open to ‘Vitriolize’, the bass groove on ‘Area’ and how ‘Way Down’ brings Harmonic suddenly from its punk nature into a more Grateful Dead style record.

From there onwards we enter a more progressive/jazz fusion world on the beautifully insane ‘Exuberance’ instrumental; think of it as a test towards whether the listener is willing to accept this record: if they enjoy this then carry on, if not well sticking to Slayer may be a safe bet.

Harmonic is one of the most experimental projects from an artist in quite some time.

If you’re willing to hear what the musicians grew up on, but done their way with small hints of what they are well known for, then this is for you.

Torche HARMONICRAFT

Volcom - 23rd April 2012

By Matt Dawson Torche have returned with their third album and bring with them some of the finest hooks heard so far in 2012 with Harmonicraft. When an album’s opener ( ‘Letting go’) can remind you of summer – despite the wackiness of SNOW popping up in certain parts of Britain in APRIL – and Ritual De Los Habitual era Jane’s Addiction in 2 minutes, a record can qualify as something special indeed. Granted the fact the band originate from Miami, Florida, also adds a bit extra to the idea of that warm summer feeling.

Worry not those afraid that they’ve gone back too much on the sludge/ stoner metal tag, as the harmony provided becomes an added bonus to songs such as ‘Snakes are Charmed’, the psychedelic ‘Solitary Traveller’ – one of the major highlights of the album- and ‘Looking On’.

Steve Brooks’ vocals allow the melodies to escape freely along with the great chemistry between him and new addition Andrew Elstner on guitars; if you don’t believe me take a listen to one of the punk style tracks on the album such as ‘Sky Trials’ and the riffs created within.

Harmonicraft is probably the most upbeat record that you’ll hear this summer and we all can thank Torche for creating an album that can be enjoyed whether a fan of sludge or not. Hell even if you weren’t a fan of Mastodon’s latest this may crack a smile, if not it’s a shame.

Sonic Shocks

Page 22

Donnie Vie WRAPPED AROUND MY MIDDLE FINGER

Livewire/Cargo Records – Out Now

By Cayleigh Shepherd I’ve got you wrapped around my middle finger/ all the world loves a rock n’ roll singer sings Donnie Vie on the opening and title track to his latest album. And if anyone knows about rock music, it’s him.

Vie and his band Enuff Z’Nuff have never had it easy in the music world. Instead they’ve had more ups and downs than a Six Flags rollercoaster ride: an endless list of broken promises, friction between band members, and the passing of others. And yet, they keep on going and keep on giving to their fans worldwide.

While Enuff Z’Nuff have started playing a few shows in North America after a break last year, Donnie spent that time in the studio with his own band creating this little gem. With the essence of The Beatles and old school Enuff Z’Nuff vibes riding this album, Vie’s hit the nail on the head and pulled out all the stops on his latest venture.

Now Ya Know sees Vie joined by Winger frontman Kip Winger lending his vocals to the song. It’s heavier than something we’d usually associate with Donnie, but the mix works well. Wunderland emphasises his love and admiration for the Liverpool quartet with a groovy Lennon style ballad, while Flames Of Love sounds like an outtake from EZN’s hit album, Strength.

Both the heartbreak and the heartfelt emotions shine through in the lyrics, creating a ideal balance – a talent Donnie Vie is able to play with and perfect every time. The result is a wholesome effort, and while the vast majority of tracks sound like something we’d expect from Vie, the rest of the album is an unexpected and pleasant surprise.

Firewind FEW AGAINST MANY

Century Media – 21st May 2012

by Marcus J. West Is it already time to be graced by the followup to Firewind’s Days of Defiance? Gus G. sets aside his prominent role as Ozzy Osbourne’s right hand man to continue leading his Greek army. Firewind embody the title of their seventh studio album completely: Few Against Many is a collection of ten pure metal tracks just begging to be unleashed; it is a scorching fire ignited and fuelled by limitless might and energy. From Wall of Sound (the first single and the first video of the album,) to the epically transcendental Losing My Mind, there is no intention of the dexterous riffs that rip into the soul slowing down.

Gus G. & co decided to invite the Finnish cello masters, Apocalyptica, to feature on the beautiful Edge Of A Dream (yes, this track emanates pure, enchanting beauty,) giving that unexpected magic touch that screams “legendary!” But the warm, embracing path is only an illusion as the speed picks up again with Long Gone Tomorrow. Vocalist Apollo is on fire and beyond during the angry ending track, No Heroes No Sinners (watch out for the solo here!) Overall, Few Against Many is a knife that will slash hard and leave deep scars; you can experience its first live flavour at Download on the same day as the Black Sabbath reunion. Do you really need more?

Dope Body NATURAL HISTORY Drag City – Out Now

By Matthew Tilt

Anyone can be influenced by someone; have big bright ideas, but it’s how you put these things together that make the album. It’s the difference between some horrendous clash of ideas and a work of genius. Unfortunately Dope Body hasn’t got it right for Natural History, or maybe I haven’t.

For those of you who don’t know Dope Body they’ve always being a mess of half cooked ideas, of riffs and fills that verge on improvisational. That Natural History seems incoherent and disjointed is probably closer to the true spirit of the band.

There are moments of inspiration; that opening riff of Weird Mirror that leads into something that verges on truly accessible, while opener Shook hits all the right notes for some sort of psychedelic, sludgy doom.

Even one minute bonus Alpha Punk is brilliant because of its sheer simplicity.

Tracks like Beat don’t hold down any sort of rhythm long enough for you to get into the song, and for all the great ideas that are present in the following track Twice the Life you’re kept at arm’s length because you know that once this track is over it will change again.

Natural History is several singles, it’s not an album. This might be Dope Body’s most accessible work but that only works for certain tracks, as an album it’s very hard to feel involved or to even get close. It still feels like an experiment, one which is probably bringing the band that one step closer to a really good album, but as the guinea pigs, this is like that first drug trail. There are some definite good points, but it never seems worth it at the end.

H.E.A.T. Address The Nation

Gain Records – Out Now

By Cayleigh Shepherd The departure of Kenny Leckremo may have come as a shock to many music fans. With such a prominent voice it would be hard to find someone to replace his vocal stylings.

Someone who's voice would not only suit their older hits, but help carry on the bands legacy. Thankfully, the saviour turned out to be in the form of ex-Swedish Idol contestant Erik Grönwall.

Yes you read correctly. Who'd have thought the word 'saviour' and the name of a reality TV show would have ever appeared in the same sentence? But it's no typo, as the introduction of Grönwall to the H.E.A.T family has given them a giant leap forwards in their quest to be today's answer to the melodic rock greats of the 70s and 80s.

The whole album already sounds like a classic. It's so annoyingly good that it’s hard to find fault with it. Keyboard heavy Living On The Run feels like a familiar friend, whereas It's All About Tonight brings a refreshing spin on the sound the band are usually associated with, thanks to the opening sounding somewhat reminiscent of Michael Jackson with a funk twist. Opener Breaking The Silence let's our new lead singer shine, whereas Heartbreaker goes full throttle into the H.E.A.Tosphere, throwing everything they've got into this one and reminding us why they're so darn good.

Address The Nation answers a lot of questions that were raised after the loss of Leckremo. First and foremost being yes, Grönwall has what it takes. Secondly, the band has successfully built upon their older work and are sounding better than ever. Finally, this is a warning to the greats of the genre: best step up your game, cause there's a new kid on the block, and they're out to steal your crown.

They’ve been left for dead after the disappointing reception of the Pick of Destiny movie, but fear not: Tenacious D are about to riZe from the dust of obliviousness like a Phoenix from the flames. So the two main questions are: will we have flames on stage for their June 2012 shows, and is this album as good as their unforgotten 2001 debut?

At the moment, we can only answer the second question: if you’re looking for rock comedy genius, you’ve got it. ‘Rize of the Phoenix’ is a tongue-in-cheek collection of hilarious tracks, where Jack Black and Kyle Gass laugh at themselves and invite us to laugh with them. The middle age wannabe musician stereotype is again protagonist of the whole album, an ideal soundtrack for the Anvil movie.

From the safety of a mature slutty lover in opener ‘39’ to anthem ‘Roadie’, from the absolute genius of ‘Classical Teacher’ and ‘Flutes and Trombones’ to the haunting obviousness of ‘Rock’n’Roll is Dead’ and the autobiographic title track, if Steel Panther did pretty good lately with their genre specific satire ‘Rize of the Phoenix’ should no doubt conquer the world, or at least that part of it who’s up for a good laugh. And back there, behind the drums, is Mr Dave Grohl. I rest my case.

Zico Chain DEVIL IN YOUR HEART Suburban – 16th April 2012

By Becki Kremer

It really does take a lot to make me excited about a new release, and recently none has had me more excited than the latest Zico Chain release, Devil In Your Heart. Anyone who knows me well knows that I think this band are, to put it bluntly, fucking brilliant. And after waiting years for this new album, I can finally rest my case because they've only gone and blown my socks off again. This band seriously owes me a variety of footwear.

On first listen, it took a play or two to get me warmed up, but once it weaved its way into my brain it was near impossible to pry it from my iPod. I'm pretty convinced I was one play short of having Apple representatives email to inform me that I had officially broken iTunes. Breaking you in with punchy Evasion, the album starts with a no-nonsense attitude and a new, maturer sound for the boys. The days of gruff bass lines and static riffs are not long gone, but instead have morphed into more complex and engaging melodies that really capture the emotion of the album. With kickers like Black Turns White and The Real Life, it's almost as if you're listening to a different band altogether, but you can still feel classic Zico harmonies and energy woven into every note. Strikingly caustic Our Evil is a stellar throwback to their earlier stuff, but the rest of the tracks slot in just as nicely with their back catalogue.

Their 2007 album Food is by far my favourite thing they've released so I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid DIYH could turn out be about as thrilling as a bowl of fucking cous cous, but luckily they proved me very, very wrong. I'm not normally one for change, but it seems that instead of leaving their past behind these chaps are merely just growing in experience and musicianship and I'm cannot wait to hear what they have next in store.

Experimental Pop Band VERTIGO

Tenacious D RIZE OF THE PHOENIX Columbia Records – 14th May 2012

By Cristina Massei

Issue 8/2012

Jaill TRAPS

SubPop - 11th June 2012

by Cristina Massei The legend that is SubPop is finally onto another winner with Jaill’s second release for the label.

Traps is a modern take on the Beatles and a vintage take on Weezer, or if you prefer eleven pieces of brilliantly crafted pop with added mood enhancing ingredients.

Opener ‘Waste a Lot of Things’, as perfect as it is in its simplicity, is just an appetizer of things to come; ‘Traps’ is a succession of little unpretentious pop gems like ‘Horrible Things (Make Pretty Songs’, ‘Madness’ or ‘Everyone’s a Bitch’, culminating ‘I’m home’, a genuinely catchy number which will leave you begging for more of the same. There are darker episodes like ‘Million Times’, which are just as memorable, however it’s in more uplifting tracks that Jaill’s song writing talent really shines. ‘Ten teardrops’ and ‘While You Reload’ are worth numerous spins, with the latter kind of bringing back to mind Oasis when they were good. Closer ‘Stone Froze Mascot’ and its Eighties tinged atmosphere come as a bit of a surprise, a nice one indeed.

Ride this album from beginning to end and let yourself get Trapped in a jungle of irresistible hooks, on a journey to rediscover what pop is all about. ‘Traps’ is out on Subpop on June 11th, ready to crown Jaill as one of our 2012 summer favourites.

Halestorm THE STRANGE CASE OF Atlantic/Roadrunner – Out Now

By Cristina Massei

Here’s The Strange Case Of a young band surprising us all by not falling into the classic sophomore album’ High Expectations Fear trap, a band who manage to hold onto and develop the identity already acquired with their self-titled debut in 2009 rather than lazily repeat themselves.

Welcome back to Halestorm, more mature and sexier than ever, with a Lzzy Hale showing off her impressive range of infinite shades without reserve. As the first three tracks – starting with the irresistible Love Bites (So Do I) – bring back their aggressive side raising the bar to new heights, Halestorm are not afraid to follow that with as many power ballads, just like they were not afraid to lend closer ‘Here’s to us’ to TV show Glee.

To the sellout allegations, the band responds with rough diamonds the size of ‘Daughters of Darkness’ and ‘You Call Me a Bitch Like is a Bad Thing’, made more precious by one of the most versatile female vocalists of our times. Meet the woman that can go from Amy Lee to Brody Dalle and even have a shot as a female Marilyn Manson, then shamelessly explore Taylor Swift territory and make it remarkably interesting.

I firmly believe there’s only two types of music: good and bad. In an ideal world, good music should sell to everyone with functioning ears - including Glee followers - so stop moaning and get yourself this gem.

Taurus Trakker BUILDING TEN

Wearitwell! Records – 30th April 2012

By Cristina Massei

Gemlike Records – 28th May 2012

By Cristina Massei

Young music fans may be forgiven for not remembering Experimental Pop Band after their five years hiatus, but there’s no excuse to leave Vertigo out of your shopping list, especially if that list includes tickets to the upcoming Blur’s reunion gig.

EPB last album – their sixth to be exact – dates back to 2007; ‘Tinsel Stars’ didn’t do that well sales-wise, yet the accompanying tour was a triumphant one, a testimony of the band’s back catalogue strength and their relevance in the UK pop indie scene for the past decade. With Vertigo, Davey Woodward’s band complete its journey to adulthood, finally finding that all-round maturity which, together with their uplifting playfulness and undeniable ability to nail the catchiest riffs, should get them back in the national spotlight right on time for the Festival season, the Olympics and all things British.

14 tracks divided in side 1 and 2 for that vintage touch, Vertigo is captivating like early Blur, with a hint of Smiths and even some Bowie at times; yet EPB stick to their eclectic roots and take ownership of the sound with added Boho elements like brass adorning its guitar-keyboard base.

Hard to find a highlight, although I find side 1 generally more uplifting and I like uplifting, but that’s just me… Buy it, play it, love it. All of it.

The irresistible simplicity of punk meets the universal call of blues in one of the catchiest albums of 2012: it’s Taurus Trakker’ sophomore release ‘Building Ten’, ten pieces of rock’n’roll heaven you’ll struggle to take off repeat.

With Martin Muscatt being Mick Jones cousin, we even get a guest appearance from the Clash legend, however I only discovered that after several spins and added very little to a record that had already found a steady place in the top section of the ‘it’s only rock’n’roll but I like it’ section of my collection.

Genuine, energetic and addictive, you can actually see Taurus Trakker sweating and smiling on a small London stage as you listen, dancing their beers away with one of those crowds you can only find in London’s legendary little venues off the tourists map, those where it all starts and feeds all the way to history.

An album where no song deserves to come second, listen from beginning to end to be reminded of what rock’n’roll and London are all about; then, if you have the luck to live in the best city in the world, revive the memories with a sweaty nights of live music. Shake it and enjoy.

Issue 8/2012

Sonic Shocks

by Dan Balchin

vocalist has traces of Skin from Skunk Anansie in her tone, which made for an interesting listen when both elements were combined.

Zoltar Speaks have opted for a four track EP, which was a well considered move, as it leaves you wanting more rather than the dreaded overkill situation. With a couple of strong support slots for relevant artists they’ll build a larger fan base and gain recognition they’ll need to be plucked from the pile of similar unsigned acts.

Visit them here - https://www.facebook. com/zoltarspeaks For fans of: Flyleaf, Skunk Anansie

Here you’ll find some full length reviews, alongside more succinct summaries of the latest in Unsigned and New music. All of these artist’s deserve your time and attention, so look them up and maybe you’ll find something special.

bers to truly show their musical potential, however this can be forgiven once you crank the volume up and engage in what this band have to offer.

Visit them here - https://www.facebook. com/ourfamousdead For fans of: Enter Shikari, My Passion, The Blackout 1. A Silent Escape ‘Self Titled’ [Album] A Silent Escape have created a very strong album to propel themselves into the musical stratosphere with. Combining melodic instrumentals with catchy verse and chorus lines, you can’t help but feel moved by their music.

Once in a while an artist comes along and you feel like they stand a chance of having longevity in this difficult market and A Silent Escape had just that effect on me. This doesn’t feel like a flash in the pan album and by utilising both subtle and heavy sounds; they’ve allowed themselves opportunity to pull in fans from multiple genres. A promising release and one which I hope yields much success.

5. Empires Fade ‘Reflection’ [EP] Empires Fade are a pretty furious band, with as much growling and screamo as one could possibly hope to hear with a band of this nature. The EP boasts five thumping tracks and each is more powerful and angry than the last. The only negative I have found is that due to the way the EP has been mixed, everything sounds like one wall of sound and whilst occasional break downs allow for the guitars to be heard, it doesn’t make for the easiest listen for new fans.

Visit them here - http://www.facebook.com/ empiresfade For fans of: Architects, Devil Sold His Soul 2. Chick Rides Artist ‘To the 9’s’ [Single] Chick Rides Artist have returned after a two year break with no updates, news or information on their social network streams. ‘To the 9’s’ is a return to form and fills the void that so many of their fans have been feeling since their silence. Ever hopeful that an EP or album will surface in 2012, Chick Rides Artists are back and causing havoc once more.

Visit them here - https://www.facebook. com/people/Chick-Rides-Artist For fans of: Something a bit trendy.

6. Tricorn ‘Self Titled’ [Album] Tricorn are the perfect house band for every small venue, because you know they’d pull a crowd night after night. The riffs are steady and grungy, the vocals gruff and hoarse, but when these factors are combined, it epitomises the phrase ‘less is more’. Tricorn have kept it simple and have a number of good tunes on this debut album.

Visit them here - https://www.tricornband. com For fans of: Wolfmother, The Datsuns, QOTSA 3. Peep Show ‘Brand New Breed’ [Album] It isn’t often that a new artist brings an album to the market with 14 tracks, however Peep Show have done just that. Having already secured support for the likes of Backyard Babies, Crash Diet and Duff Mckagan’s Loaded, this heavy rock outfit, with Motley Crue style dress code fill the void in these testing times of mediocre wannabe’s trying to master this sound. Whilst they show great promise, I still longed for a song with a real hook that could send them global.

Visit them here - http://www.facebook.com/ PEEPSHOW.OFFICIAL For fans of: My Chemical Romance, HIM, Black Veil Brides 4. Our Famous Dead ‘Claws at the door’ [Single] With a youthful and infectious sound, Our Famous Dead utilise heavy riffs and some electronic wizardry to create a perfectly accessible tune. On occasion a rest from the background synths would allow other mem-

7. Zoltar Speaks ‘Treatment’ [EP] Zoltar Speaks are bringing back a sound reminiscent of early (decent) Metallica in their musical approach. Their female lead

Page 23

Introducing

a silent escape You have reached the number one spot in our Sonic Shocks spotlight feature, congratulations!

Thanx!

Who are 'A Silent Escape' and how would you describe yourselves to potential new fans?

We are a four piece from a small town in Sweden called Falkenberg, we grew up together and started writing music when we were like 14. If I would describe our music I would say that we are influenced by many different styles; the energy of punk-rock mixed with Metal and catchy choruses kinda sums it up pretty good I guess.

Which artists do you cite as influences on your sound?

I´d say that Millencolin, In Flames and Comeback Kid are a few great bands that have influenced us a lot.

8. Jack The Frost ‘Jack The Frost’ [Single] Offering their first single off the forthcoming album, Jack The Frost combine the sounds of most melodic power-metal bands to surface from the Nordic regions. Whilst the music is competent and for the most part, flat out, the vocals soar through a number of octaves and at times this becomes a little testing on the ears. Nevertheless, the single is a strong indicator that the forthcoming album should be worth a listen.

Visit them here - http://www.facebook.com/ jackthefrost For fans of: Sonata Arctica, Dragonforce, Stratovarius

You are due to release your new album in June 2012. How did you approach the writing and recording of this record?

Well, we actually recorded the album 1 year ago, in a studio called “Studio Haga” in Sweden. The songs were written pretty fast as I recall, maybe 2 or 3 months.

Me (Patrick) and Joel write a lot of songs which we all arrange together later on.

This album is very varied when it comes to genre, we have songs that are really fast and aggressive, and then there are some more mid tempo pop/punk kinda songs as well. We are very pleased with how the album turned out.

What has the feedback been like so far?

So far it has been very good actually, we are just starting to get reviews etc and im kinda surprised that people seem to love the record the way they do. Critics tend to try to kill bands in many cases but so far they really like it!

How do your songs translate live? And are there any personal favourites for both yourselves and the fans?

I think that most of the songs are really good live. The live part is extremely important for us and keeping a tight and dynamic live set does it all. For me personally, I like the fast ones most because who doesn’t wanna see a moshpit with kids going nuts! ‘Smalltown Outcast’ is a song that fans tend to enjoy a lot live, among others!

What is it like on the unsigned circuit for A Silent Escape?

We were actually signed to a Major label with our previous band, and hated it….

We had 2 more records in the deal but we managed to get free since we felt that we weren’t free enough to do what we wanted. We have toured the USA, UK and Scandinavia all by ourselves, no booking agencies or PR companies helping us.

We love being unsigned at the moment, it’s very cool to decide exactly what we want to do, and when we want to do it. Joel makes our music vids and we manage all online content on our own. So if you are a record label and want to work with us, you better love your job and share the same visions as us, otherwise you can just fuck off and go choke on your tie….

9. Baby Godzilla ‘Oche’ [Album] This is one of the kookiest and most severe sounding outfits around. Aggressive, offbeat lyrics and music make for awkward listening, yet somewhat captivating. They a pretty unusual experience, but one which you must endure at least once, because I’ve got a feeling Baby Godzilla are going to be causing quite a stir.

Visit them here - https://www.facebook. com/Baby.Godzilla.Bastard For fans of: Unusual and kooky sounds

10. Shattered Destiny ‘Fragments’ [EP] Shattered Destiny are a band who despite being pretty good musically, find themselves in that difficult situation like many bands starting out – with a mediocre lead singer. Whilst they’ve attempted to be dark and heavy, there is something missing from this EP, which resulted in it feeling altogether lack lustre.

Whilst they may find themselves receiving some praise for diehard fans of this genre, its unlikely Shattered Destiny will make a huge impact in 2012.

Visit them here - https://www.facebook. com/Shattered.Destiny.Band For fans of: Dark Tranquillity, Helloween

Do you have any plans for 2012- tours, festivals, videos?

Well, we are doing some shows around the release here in Sweden, and then in late summer we are coming over to the UK again for a tour, since we really want to promote ourselves over there. You guys have a different music scene and a different mentality than over here in Sweden, which we love. And we have met a lot of really cool UK bands that we are eager to see and tour with again! We are going to shoot 2 music vids at the same time in a few weeks from now, so we’ll at least have a new video out before the album drops!

If you could share the stage with any band, who would it be and why?

Hmmm, we have been opening act for a few really cool bands like Funeral for a friend, Sonic Syndicate, Dead By April etc but if I could choose I would probably share the stage with Guns n Roses(the original lineup ofcourse), They have been my heroes as long as I remember.

Where can we find out more about you online?

Check out our website www.asilentescape.com Or www.facebook.com/asilentescape Any parting words for the Sonic Shocks readers....

First of all, we are very thankful for the support we get from our UK fans, And its cool as hell to be getting this feature in this awesome magazine!

they put their mind too. This being their first time over here, they’re sure to make an impression on thrash heads everywhere.

The second stage is washed over with the sound of post grunge. Slam Cartel are a talented bunch, and obviously very passionate about what they do but the whole thing seems a little throwaway. A little too being there, done that. Despite this pose their

My third year here, second in a professional sense, and still it surprises me how different this place is from other festivals. The obvious; such as the chalets which make the rain a nuisance rather than a catastrophe, to the more subtle; the sense of community that seems to stem over the short time we spend here. Even better is the fact that this year boasts one of the more impressive line ups of the year, let alone just in the short history of Hammerfest, and where better to start than in the pub? Where one corner has been put aside to allow some of the most promising up and comers to go twelve rounds with a festival crowd.

A Thousand Enemies do their best to tear apart the third stage with some bog standard, full on metal. While their last single Nothing Remains (cite) feels fairly epic and shows off the vocalist’s excellent singing voice, the rest feels bogged down by cliché; leaving two talented guitarists to put some blazing solos on hold and slum it.

Flame Fracture at least have more variety, in parts. Their rampage is far more interesting when it slows down; adding some blackened atmospherics to the death metal assault. Unfortunately these brief moments of interest are few and far between in a whirlwind of roars and half cooked guitar lines that keep a frantic pace but offer nothing new. Their big reveal, a new song called Vortex penned especially for tonight, sees these melodies thrown out the window completely and feels more like the first steps into generic obscurity.

Over on the second stage Black Rose are giving the crowd a touch of the lighter stuff with some 80’s style classic rock. There’s a Whitesnake riff here, some G ‘n’ R sleaze

there but it never quite matches up to the sum of its parts. Fury, on the other hand, impress with their balls to the wall metal.

Groove laden basslines meet duelling guitars to create something that has the crowd roaring for more, even with a muddled sound that allows the kick drums to eclipse everything. Problems like this are easy to ignore when a sublime cover of Creeping Death is presented, something that earns them an encore.

It was always going to be difficult to follow this and Saracen struggle to bring their Maiden-esque power prog to life. The songs themselves are interesting, constantly changing and swirling around the room, but they’re delivered with such cynicism, such a lack of passion that it’s hard to get excited about it.

The same cannot be said for The Dirty D.C.s.

How much does it cost to see AC/DC now?

Well save violating your back account because The Dirty D.C.s might as well be the Aussie rockers. It’s the music we grew up with, that our parents grew up with, only stripped back to the initial rawness that made those first releases so exciting; not only that but these guys have the performance element down. Brian v.2 keeps that distinctive

yell; Angus v.2 hops across the stage before performing an infantile (yet very funny) striptease and taking a piggy back ride across the room. When it comes to the set list they wisely ignore the shallow material of later albums and play the songs that everyone wants to hear; from TNT to Back in Black and back to Dirty Deeds before cannon fire echoes over the crowd for a triumphant For Those About to Rock and a ride down the Highway to Hell.

that they are.

But who better to see out the old than a band slowly but surely putting their footprint into thrash history. Evile have never played better than they do tonight. Ol truly deserves his Shredder nomination as he makes his solos look a little too easy, complementing the ever-maturing thrash hits. It might seem a little too rehearsed for some but the introductions from Joel are done with enough humour to seem natural. They seem totally in their element bashing through tracks like Cult, and the exhausted crowd seem revitalised long enough to give it their all one last time. 2012 could very well, finally, be the year of Evile.

Five minutes after we’ve got ourselves set up in the media room the fire alarm goes off which is less than convenient. All this fuss because milk spilled and shorted a fuse in the fridges? Maybe lactose intolerants have the right idea. I can’t say I’m anymore taken with Cerebral Bore either.

I’ve always admitted that I may have being too harsh in the past, and I was, but there’s still something missing. I had never noticed the technicality behind the music, and it’s impressive, but it’s also cold. Som’s vocals are great, hitting some really deep guttural notes, but it’s so repetitive. It sends the kids slam-

Everything goes up a notch on Friday, as the rest of the punters make their way through the doors. The surge is all the more noticeable when you head into the third stage, where it’s damned near impossible to get close to the bar or the stage on which Krybgrider are showing us what they’ve got. What they’ve got isn’t much cop, coming across as a confused clash of influences that neither impresses nor inspires. Drummer/ vocalist Johanne James is great with the sticks but his voice grates and only seems to disintegrate the music further.

Walking through the arena

way across the stage, especially vocalist (name) who overplays every frontman cliché he can think of, which seems all the more ridiculous when most of the crowd have moved over to Chimaira who are absolutely destroying the main stage.

The whole room is in a frenzy after the dangerous choice to play Nothing Remains and Powertrip first.

I hear something vaguely familiar, something that stirs up memories of my Dad’s record collection. Could that be Deep Purple?

Arthemis sure know how to grab people’s attention with a note perfect rendition of Burn.

After this they really show off what they can do. Fabio’s vocals can reach the heights of Joey Belladona and then slip back down the octaves to compliment the melodic thrash guitar, it’s just a shame that for final track Vortex the already deafening drums peak and drown out everything else.

Spirytus couldn’t be more different.

Transporting everyone back to a time when Limp Bizkit weren’t as big a joke as they are now. Even worse they do it well!

The raps and the shouts and even the singing parts are done with enough panache, enough knowing, to pull it off; and as generic as that description might make it sound Spirytus are this generation’s Beatles compared to One More Victim.

In fairness the name should have given it away, but I still dragged my naïve young self to the third stage to see them, only to be greeted by a whirlwind of hair, a stationary vocalist and the same death metal riff we’ve been hearing since Butchered at Birth. This is made even worse by the fact that the vocalist makes the tragic mistake of growling in between songs; the common misconception being that this makes you more metal.

It doesn’t.

Fury UK have drawn a good crowd, but seem a strange beast. The drummer seems intent to break away from the classic rock guitar lines and thrash one out, though this could be done to the fact that the drums are too loud again. There’s some definite talent on show but it’s missing something; something you wouldn’t notice unless you headed over to catch the end of Diamond Plate. Different genres yes, but these young guys have the youthful exuberance to pull off anything

Every track they play after this turns the floor into a moshpit, sending people flying over the barriers. Vocalist (name) is a monster of man, keeping some serious aggression going throughout the set and when keyboardist (name) joins in with the higher and more guttural screams it creates something completely inhuman. The trigger drums create an insane pace that keep the guitarists on their toes, and when they finally slow it down for Destroy and Dominate it’s so painfully heavy that it visibly drains everyone in the room.

Then all of a sudden the sound, that has being perfect for Chimaira and will end up being perfect for Anthrax as well, has a massive bitch fit for the moody, Yorkshire troupe Paradise Lost. The microphone keeps cutting out during the imposing vocals of Nick and the whole room is filled with distractingly loud feedback. When the noise breaks you’re treated to a reminder of why these guys are one of the most influential metal bands in the U.K. Greg makes his guitar sing with the mournful solos that are so prevalent in their music; while the electronic elements that were introduced in their later material fit in perfectly, even moving towards Krautrock on the track Erased. The crowd respond appropriately, knowing every song, applauding and awkwardly laughing at every awful Hi-dehi jokes, then soaking in the atmosphere as Nick does his best Vincent Price impression for the spoken word segments.

Of course most people are only here for one band and when that big Anthrax banner goes up, with Pantera’s Walk playing the background, people start losing their shit. Understandably, because Anthrax are the best of the big four; they don’t take themselves as seriously as Slayer, have more quality tracks than Metallica and as for Megadeth, well all of them are better than Megadeth. It’s a perfect set filled with classics and new tracks.

Caught in a Mosh and Antisocial still have that power, and Joey, despite looking frightening frail, still hits the notes that break wine glasses.

The newer songs off (album), such as We Are the Devil You Know, shine with the energy that can only come with songs a band are truly excited about and are accepted by the crowd as future classics. It’s impossible not to feel excited when you see the pit go crazy, not to chuckle when Scott Ian stops everything and tells the crowd to “fucking war dance” and when I Am Law finishes this sublime set it finishes cementing Anthrax as the Gods

ming into each other, but it’s as emotionless as the trigger drums that back it.

Sworn Amongst take the stage next and though they’re full of personality a poor sound essentially neuters their set. The songs, which sound great on record, are flattened and no matter how hard they try they can’t pull things round to their side. Dripback fare much better on the third stage. Showing off their healthy diet of modern grind and dirty sludge, they batter the crowd into submission. New track Red Stripe has a horribly filthy beatdown that nicely breaks up the vicious mid-paced deathgrind. It might not be big or clever, but it’s done so well that no one cares.

Now you’re probably all thinking: “yeah that’s great but we haven’t had any demonic preachers, Macbeth quotes or theatrics of any kind have we?” Well fear not because Hell on hand to open up the main stage with a bang. It’s a surreal experience watching these cult legends; so strange to think that this is a band that has being somehow pre-

sent since the early eighties, because there is still no one like them. Each song is a melting pot of genres, from thrash to NWOBHM, and the self-deprecating way in which they present themselves makes for one of the best stage shows you will ever see.

This being the Hammer of Thor it was always expected that Amon Amarth would be more than just a name dropped by disappointed punters, but before the Scandinavian metallers come on there’s just enough time for Mortad. They may not be the most interesting band in the world but their more melodic take on slam, mixed with some blackened vocals from Somi at least makes for a good show.

Amon Amarth don’t put on a good show. They put on a perfect show.

They’re a hard band to criticise because they just do what they do best. Those big Scandinavian tunes resonate across the main stage as they take their rightful place here.

The crowd go mad for every song, new and old alike, causing the most impressive sing a longs of the weekend.

Johan dominates the stage, looking every bit the Viking he is required to, stomping across the stage, leading the crowd through every thunderous note. For any other band it would seem cliché, but Amon Amarth have always stood above as originators and tonight’s performance proves why.

If that wasn’t impressive enough though you’ve always got Benj getting a bunch of drunk metalheads to dance to Tinie Tempah.

Few bands have the balls to play on things like Skindred, and it’s great to see a bunch of riff lovers be this accepting of some reggae influenced, dance metal. Benj has only got better as a frontman, seemingly relentless as each song flows into the next. It’s almost irrelevant which song is playing because they’re all as infectious as each other.

It’s the perfect end to a festival that is really starting to find its feet. Combining a line up flexible enough for variation with a venue that offers a relaxation few festivals can.

Things can only get bigger and better from here.

Matthew Tilt and Marcus J. West

COLLECTOR'S SOUGHT AFTER ITEM:

DEATH SS EVIL METAL 7inches

Born from the darkest, hidden pages of Italian true metal underground, soaked with the most evil influences from medieval legends, DEATH SS EVIL METAL is a must have 7inches for the true dedicated fans, the ones who dare. Very limited pieces available for Sonic Shocks readers: for information and prices please contact:

marcus@sonicshocks.com