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Contents Vandala August 2014

8 Album Reviews Cocteau Twins "Milk and Kisses" (Shoegaze/Dream Pop) Klines "Mirror" (Electronic) Below "Across the Dark River" (Classic Rock) Tengger Cavalry "Ancient Call" (Nomadic Folk Metal) Bob Wayne "Back to the Camper" (Rock/Outlaw Country) Sigor Ros "Agaetis Byrjun" (Post Rock) Inanimate Existence "A Never Ending Cycle Of Atonement" (Death Metal) Fallujah "The Flesh Prevails" (Metal) Album Cover Pick: Smash 20th Anniversary Edition

18 Editorials Why Your Rehearsals Are A Waste of Time Gimmicks: The Good, The Bad/ and The Ugly

28 Cover Interview Monster Truck: Crushing Their Way Across Canada" Interview with Jeremy Widerman We caught up with Jeremy at Edgefest to find out more about the upcoming tour with Alice in Chains, R&R and radio, and the origins of Monster Truck.

Plus we also caught some great photos of the band at Keloha Music and Art Festival.

34 Festivals and Photo!.

Toronto Urban and Roots Festival 2014 "It's About Time We Took This Party Outside" Keloha Art Music and Art Festival 2014 Music, Beaches and a Blazing Sun Vans Warped Tour - Montreal Edition Thunder in the Valley: Armstrong Metalfest 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival - Toronto Edition

77 Festivals Diaries Hellfest France - Fear and Loathing in Clisson Cracking Skulls at "This Is Hardcore"

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7,4 ivIONSTER PUCK "CRUSHING Ti-IETR WAYNCROSS CANADA

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Interview with Jeremy Widerman Front Cover Design By Erin Torrance

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Cocteau Twins "Milk and Kisses" (Shoegaze/Dream Pop) www.cocteautwins.com - 4.6/5 Dragons All the fan made music videos for the work of the Cocteau Twins (Elizabeth Fraser, Robin Guthrie, Simon Raymonde) seem to have one thing in common. A lot of them feature slow pans over pictures of sunny beaches. Like, an unreasonable amount. Although I was initially annoyed, having finished the album Milk and Kisses I can finally see why. Non lyrical and lush, it's a well deserved vacation from your surroundings The last album of the Cocteau Twins, Milk and Kisses acted as a beautiful conclusion to 18 years of soft spoken ingenuity. Famously known for speaking in tongues, Elizabeth Fraser did not disappoint with her last adventure in glossolalia and provided fans with a final opportunity to find meaning on their own, relying only on voice to convey feeling. The only song with definite significance was dedicated to the late Jeff Buckley, titled Rilkean Heart. Recorded a year before his death, their one of few discernible songs was layered with poignancy and acted as a stunning tribute to a man who died far before his time. The rest of the album, although equally impassioned, did not carry the same weight and allowed ample room for interpretation.

Klines "Mirror" (Electronic) www.lowindigo.bandcamp.com - 4.5/5 Dragons Under the recommendation of a friend, I grabbed my noise canceling headphones and hunkered down for the night to the soundcloud of a musician named Klines. To which I say - thank you friend, I'm glad I finally learned how to listen to people. Low tempo with abysmal beats, the perfectly orchestrated bass almost seems intangible - the sheer vibration reaching to the depths of your core. The first song made available on the webpage entitled "Watch Our Strange Minds Grow" is hypnotic, entrancing, and one of those great pieces of music that seem to defy the way we perceive time. Fortunately, if you'd rather get down with it, he's got something for your palette as well. "Late Night" has got a flexible sort of rhythm that can accommodate even the whitest of dancing and as the name suggests, is best listened to when the sun's gone down. His newest EP 'Mirors' (released late last year) took the electronic community of Vancouver by quite the surprise and it's safe to say that he's mixing with the best of them now, having recently featured Francesca Belcourt and Oshea Adams on two of his tracks.

Mirrors offers a soundtrack for fancier footwork - although the much adored low tempo stays just that, the resonance provides something you can tap your toes to. The tracks are smooth with a balance of tranquility and stimulus that makes for a refreshing listen and I eagerly await the electronic expounders next release. jtr

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08 vandaiaMagazine.Com - August 2014

Below "Across the Dark River" (Doom Metal) www.metalblade.com/below - 4.5/5 Dragons If you don't like Candlemass you can skip this review.

The rest of you may take a seat with the rest of the adults — we're telling ghost-stories. Forget all the other crap, this is the album you want to check out this year. One of the few records in 2014 where I actually want to hear the whole thing front-to-back.

Some people are gonna pass on over this for being blatant Candlemass/Solitude Aeternus worship.

Whatever. Do not care. If you don't get goose-pimples when vocalist Sebastian Jansson waxes nocturnal about watery graves haunted by mournful spirits, then perhaps you should go back to marathons of My Little Ponies. Songs gravitate toward slow dirges and middling doom machines with a strong emphasis on guitar harmonies.

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Even the modern production doesn't suck! Seeking: ghouls and grave-robbers; must enjoy long walks in the crypt.

Tengger Cavalry" Ancient Call" (Nomadic Folk Metal) www.tengger-cavalry.com - 3.5/5 Dragons Just when you thought Folk Metal was dead and buried in a doom-shaped box, THIS comes out of iffitgrr molly nowhere in a flurry of blood, iron and hooves. This is the Cavalry's sixth full length album since '10 and they're only just starting to pick up steam west of the orient. Fans of their previous albums won't find anything new in this new album; Ancient Call covers less musical ground compared to 2013's The Expedition. For the uninitiated folkie, this album will be a refreshing treat as an array of Kazakh and Turkic folk instruments hold court over metallic chug-a-chug chords and double kicks. While the music occasionally threatens to sink into the mire of laziness that Z.,E1944 *dna jredi Eluveitie and Epica have drowned in, there are just enough decent riffs and guitar solos to pass. The pass. The throat-singing and asian fiddles are the best bits, singing hymns to wolf and khan with a rich legitimacy that reminds me of Arkona. "Battle Song from Far Away" is the track I keep coming back to.

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Bob Wayne "Back to the Camper" (Rock/Outlaw Country) www.bobwayne.org - 4.2/5 Dragons Taking a break from all the dream pop I've been reviewing, next up we have one of Nashville's finest. Bob Wayne is a lovable southern dork and if his charmingly crass lyrics don't draw you in, his intricate banjo will certainly do the trick. Complete with a jaw harp and what seems to be a digeridoo, Back to the Camper embodies the sense of fun outlaw country brings. Although it's obvious Bob Wayne primarily focuses on the musical aspect of his work, it seems like his second love is to entertain - a single track off this album will have you dancing like nobody's business. With songs entitled ''All Cops are Bastards", Bob Wayne is best listened to while drinking or in the privacy of your own home. But don't let that stop you from rocking out! For some of our less dancy readers, I highly recommend listening to Back to the Camper by the warmth of a fire with a six pack of beer in tow. He's well worth the hangover.

Sigor Ros 'Agaetis Byrjuri" (Post Rock) www.sigor-ros.coauk - 5/5 Dragons It's been a while since I've reviewed an album that came remotely close to top 40, but Sigur Agmtis Byrjun is well worth the sacrifice. Having recently been featured on both How to Train Your Dragon movies and a Game of Thrones episode, lead singer Jonsi has created quite the buzz in the Nordic country of Iceland, the album in question reaching #2 on Pitchforks best albums of the year 2000. Although all their music is worth talking about, this release in particular hosts one of favorites and I just couldn't stay away.

Svefn-g-englar (taken from the Icelandic pun "sleepwalkers") follows the intro on Agmtis Byrjun CliT414; and it's easy to see why this song took the coveted spot of being the first listed on the album. Although I'm not exactly clear on the translation, the lyrics seem to tell a somber tale of a being frustrated by finding himself trapped without a voice. The accompanying video goes along with this story well, featuring a rather predominant group society tends to alienate, the teenage participants all possessing down syndrome. The rest of the album proves itself to be just as pensive, the combination of Jonsils dreamy counter tenor and a mostly string orchestra makes for a beguiling rapture.

10 VandalaMagazine.Com - August 2014

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Inanimate Existence "A Never Ending Cycle Of Atonement" (Death Metal) www.facebook.com/TheInanimateExistence - 4.8/5 Dragons

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The sole reason one refines a fancy for technical death metal is because they like the concept of challenge. As a listener they like the challenge of deciphering the obscure poly-rhythms buried under obtuse melodies, they crave watching the band challenge established standards of musicianship and artistry. This genre staple leads to innovation, but leaves little frame to focus anything but cookie cutter lyrics about "evil" or "brutality". On average this afterthought at most only gets as creative as "evil brutality", as long as it fits into the music and sounds cool. The polar opposite of this of course, is when a band slips over the edge story wise and we end up with Swallow The Sun's 30 minute "Plague

Of The Butterflies". Admirably, that is a black metal band (and I liked the album), but one can only pass off the same power chord as atmospheric in a 30 minute song.

With that contrast in mind, A Never Ending Cycle of Atonement is is a medium rare, savory steak for the literary minded. Inanimate Existence mindfully balances storytelling and lyrical theme with songwriting and technical prowess. A Never Ending Cycle of Atonement (hereafter referred to as (ANECoA) is a tastefully seasoned piece that rewards the listener that seeks to be challenged.

Just like their surprisingly mature 2012 debut Liberation Through Hearing, all of the lyrical subject matter is inspired by Tibetan folk culture and Buddhist theology. In short, tt is a tale of the universal destiny bestowed on a tribal man named Tenzin.

Tenzin is burdened with the quest to destroy the evil that sleeps in the center of the earth, which has made the mortal plane inhabitable and is responsible for his wife's death. Tenzin is the thematic axis point for ANECoA's metaphysical discussion. This sets an Odyssey level of standard in storytelling within the genre, without simplifying a single bar of songwriting. Each song is a ballad of ruthless riffs, asymmetric melodies and atmospheric contrast that build a long term feeling of epic excitement. Every track is as unpredictable as Tenzin's metaphysical journey.

Calculated cacophony of irregular percussions abruptly break in favor of softer, jazzier tempos. Hostile, headbanging riffs are broken up by the contrasting clean sweeping arpeggios, that are contrasted the ominous rhythm and vocals. In every track this turbulent journey is usually resolved within the tracks 'bridge segments where everything converges into some extremely grooving, heavy pieces, which really are textured resolutions. The best examples are most definitely Bioluminescent Photopores, Staring Through The Fire and Out of Body Experience.

During my initial play through I inwardly digested EcoA "Cynic's penchant for philosophy with Ring's of Saturn's flavour of chaos". I later learn that this is because band's line up is completely stacked with veterans like Ron Casey (who was in ROS when they wrote their debut album), as well as Riley McShane (ex- Sons of Aurelius) and Cammeron Porras (ex-Flesh Consumed). While Joel Guernsey and Scott Bradley are currently of lesser fame, they are incredible musicians and will inevitably be known widely as such. The only minor critique I have is that for an album so bound 12 VandalaMagazine.Com - August 2014

Album Reviews by lyrics, the vocal clarity was somewhat underwhelming. That aside, EcoA is a work that definitely warrants purchase, audiophilia and perhaps a live play-through, start to finish.

Fallujah "The Flesh Prevails" (Metal) www.fallujah.tumblr.com 4.8/5 Dragons Hailing from San Francisco, Fallujah a genre challenger that appeared on the radar of notability in 2011, when they turned heads with The Harvest Womb. In hindsight, it is arguable that they knew what direction the genre was headed at the time.

The 2014 full length follow up, The Flesh Prevails is a maneuver of similar caliber. In statistics, once is considered a chance, but twice is a pattern; on this ground we have concluding proof that the members of Fallujah are clairvoyant. Look, The Flesh Prevails is excellent; however, the stylistic departure even from the 2013 EP, Nomadic, is far from linear. They aren't the first band to deem besieging heavy deliveries and feral vocals as gimmicky. Yet groups like Scale The Summit fully commit themselves to that style. Fallujah s artistic dedication to change and rival the established contemporaries of this niche is why The Flesh Prevails exceptionally outstanding.

We already know how chaotically heavy they can be. This time it is the tasteful scarcity of chaos, precision and harmonious major key riffs that awes the mind. The result is something that can only be summarized in abstracts like "celestial", or "ethereal" First off, half of the album is completely instrumental. The first 2 initial tracks are especially familiar and ease fans into comfort. After this point, the atmosphere is build through an album long harmony between a post rock sort of way of using utilizing effects to hold and echo notes. This is frequently used with a great variety of (what I think are?) samples. This psychedelic technique creates an album wide sense of humility, as if the effects are as grand, yet indifferent as a skyline. No matter how fast the blast beats or Valkyrie-like the galloping melody may become be on tracks like Sapphire it will always be dwarfed by the ominous backdrop and it's scale.

This feeling could not be conveyed without Andrew Braid's, ability as a drummer, which is the very core of this album. On tracks like Chemical Cave, Allure or The Flesh Prevails it is clearly evident that the drummer is there to map out every beat, while the stringed instruments will unpredictably wander off to create harmonies.

Thus, the consistency of the percussion segments is the main attention grabber.

This sets a quantity to the listener's progress and the album's pace. Particularly on the instrumental tracks, there is a feeling of a story, or recollection being told through a binary sort of measurement that creates meaning by either playing or omitting every 1/16 or 1/32nd note. If the ominous use of delays and samples sets the celestial scales of this album, the percussion's variety Sc precision are the contrasting depth and force that sought to reach them.

August 2014 - VandalaMagazine-Com 13

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Smash 20th Anniversary Edition W WIN . offspring.com

Review By Dustin Griffin

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Admittedly, and obviously, this month's cover choice is a bit of a cheat, as Smash actually came out 20 years ago. But because the cover has been slightly redesigned in the new, flashy anniversary package out this month, I'm running with it.

It's easy to take it for granted now, but Smash literally helped change punk music forever. For better and for worse. And though it came out four months after Green Day's Dookie, which had an even bigger seismic impact on the industry and the shape of punk to come, Smash made a splash all on its own that in different ways can still be felt today.

Although they've always gotten unfairly lumped in with the grunge crowd, Nirvana to me were always more of a punk band and Nevermind was the first true punk record to sell millions. By 1994 though, it was still a bit of a phenomenon for a punk rock band to be successful enough to quit their day jobs, much less reach a global audience. But Green Day and Offspring changed all that. What put the exclamation point on Offspring doing it was that, unlike Green Day or Nirvana, who were backed by major labels, Offspring were an indie band on an indie label. Epitaph had other heavy hitters at the time that could sell a relative boatload (Bad Religion, Pennywise, Rancid), but nothing compared to Smash's numbers and it's interesting to think of where the label would've have ended up, indeed if it would still be around, without it.

The cover of Smash is one of the great punk rock covers, and statements, of all time. Sure, Dookie's busy satire is cool and entertaining, and Nevermind's snide comment on commercialism and materialism is poignant and timeless. Smash, like Nevermind The Bullocks... before it, finds power and a middle finger in minimalism. The low budget, low definition image of an upper body x-ray Xerox, with a ghostly overlay that looks like a giant baby is both striking and aggressive.

The cover of the album, a common theme that ran throughout the Smash era and, in different forms, extended to the band's succeeding albums, is a representation of the dark and nihilistic thematic content found within the record's songs: Death, greed, suicide, violence, addiction, and abuse. And while the premonition laced title of the record doesn't seem to correlate directly with the image, it can also be applied to each of those six thematic avenues the band were exploring with the album.

The 20th anniversary of this game changing record see's a number of exciting celebrations on behalf of the band. They are currently on a mouth wateringly exciting tour with fellow Epitaph alum Bad Religion, Pennywise and The Vandals, on which they will be playing Smash in its entirety at every show. They're also releasing the record in a couple of different, beefed up vinyl deluxe editions with new remasters and assorted goodies found within.

Smash is one of punk rock's great recordings, and not just because of the number of units it moved. And that distorted, ominous skeleton, along with the band's name stamped/smudged across the top, one of its greatest covers.

14 VandalaMagazine.Corn - August 2014

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Why Your Rehrgsals,Are A Waste of Time

By Jeff Black

•

In my last article, we talked about ways you can duct tape your performing chops into place on an individual level. Now that we've broken things down, let's build them back up.

Remember what our goal here is?

PRACTICE HOW YOU INTEND TO PERFORM. So, maybe you spend on average ten hours per week with your band at the jam space.

But maybe your band still sucks. Maybe you're confused and bewildered and looking for help. Let me be your Sherpa up the mountain of suckage. It sounds perverse. It is.

Firstly, let's look at the arrangement of your rehearsal space. Jam rooms are gonna vary from band to band (basements, hourly rentals, garage, meat locker, hyperbolic time chamber, etc).

Let's look at how most bands prefer to rehearse:

-

- Band members arranged in a circle/semi circle .• AIL - Everyone can see each other Amplifiers and speakers tilted for optimum hearing Time spend disking around with levels to get perfect tone for everyone Members stand there, focusing on playing their parts correctly Avoiding eye contact, no body language No time or thought put into anything aside from playing the songs properly

How much of this seems familiar?

Now, I don't want to stop you from having fun, connecting with your band mates and trying to hear each other's parts but when you're talking about gig/tour preparation, this isn't going to work, especially for the newer, more inexperienced band.

Most bands want a cushy clean practice room with a mile-wide porno wall and sizzling acoustics, where everyone can set up with ample space, hear each other properly and monkey about with their gear. That's nice. How many stages are going to be like that during your east-coast death metal tour?

Martin Atkins (Pigface, Killing joke, Public Image Ltd, etc etc) has a great quote on the topic, which he calls "Practice for Catastrophe!"

"Practice at being great in impossible situations. Laugh in the face of adversity, practice in three inches of water with only four strings on your guitar, piss dripping on your head, being electrocuted by faulty wiring and the microphone cutting in and out while the 18 VandalaMagazine.Com - August 2014

Ed ifto na Flo Stajg e rapt

1

drummer is angrily throwing lit cigarettes in to your backpack which contains charcoal and lighter fluid in the event of an impromptu barbeque. Give yourself electric cattle prod shocks every time you gaze at your shoes and smile, smile, smile.

Because that's EVERY gig you'll ever play. The last thing you need is a plush, luxurious rehearsal space with reliable equipment." (Martin Atkins is brilliant, Google him) So, how are we going to prepare for the inevitable storm of sh*t that's bound to happen sooner than later?

Here's a few things I like to do with my jam spaces: - Arrange the band the same way you'd set up onstage - Face the wall as though it's an audience - Put some goddamn mirrors on that wall (or rent a dance studio to rehearse in!)

- Arrange your P.A. Speakers like wedge monitors at the front of your make-believe stage - Play your set start-to-finish while timing it or better yet, FILMING IT!) - Seriously, if your band members ever tell you not to look at them while they're playing, be sure to shove a drumstick up their nose and tickle their brain with it until they forget they ever had that ridiculous notion You'd be amazed at what you can learn from even just one run-through of your set like this.

For example, it turns out that it's really hard to hear the bass break during the bridge.

Your singer has a subconscious habit of taking a step backward during high notes, causing more than a few trip-ups when you try to cross the stage. The lead guitarist accidentally stepped on the bassist's tuner pedal four times during the set! F*ck! Now everyone's pissed off and ready to go home and they blame you for ruining what should have been a delightful little jammy-jam.

Sh*t son, it's a damn good thing this is happening in rehearsal, and not ON STAGE! Tell your band members to pull up their knickers and untwist 'em, because you're going in for round two. And this time, everyone will have some sort of idea about what they have to watch out for in the real world.

Your rehearsals aren't just about playing the songs properly. That's for at home. They are about learning, discovering, experimenting, improving, evolving, studying and preparing for everything else. There's no better place to realize that there's too much dead silence between songs, or that your singer's stage banter isn't funny (that's a whole other article) or to find spots where your momentum is sagging.

Finally, a band member not being able to show up for rehearsal is no excuse to cancel.

Practicing without your bassist can lead to incredible revelations about how you listen to your band and how your drummer locks into the pulse of the song.

This doesn't just happen overnight. You need to soap, scrub, rinse, repeat, soap, scrub, rinse repeat, soapscrubrinserepeatarghIgotsoapinmyeyegoddamnitsoapscrubrinse etc until it's ingrained into your DNA coding and becomes a primal instinct of your survival.

This brings me to my next point: One of your most important resources as a band is time. Time is the king. Time is the keeper. So much of the music industry is based on time. Most industries are, really. Our time here is limited, so we need to use it effectively. I think the best bands are the ones who spend more time in the rehearsal room honing their craft, putting in hours and turning those into precious nuggets of performance gold.

August 2014 - VaridalaMagazine.Com 19

It's not always about HOW MUCH time you put in. The QUALITY of that time is paramount.

Here's a breakdown of the average band practice: 7:00pm - Guitarist arrives, doesn't have keys to jam space 7:12pm - Drummer arrives, opens up the room. Guitarist tunes 7:1 pm - Guitarist gets idea for AMAZING RIFF 7:14pm - Guitarist yells at drummer to shut the f*ck up so he can figure out said riff 7:15pm - Bassist shows up with 6-pack, amazing riff promptly forgotten 7:32pm - Singer arrives, drinks last beer 7:40pm - Band is tuned up, starts first song 8:03pm - Drummer forgets that 5/8 rhythm during the bridge 8:20pm - "I'll work on it at home" drummer lies 8:21pm - SMOKE BREAK! 8:56pm - Starts next song on list 9:04pm - Talk about Game of Thrones/Orange is the New Black/new Judas Priest album/band next door that keeps playing "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton 9:40pm - SMOKE BREAK! 9:48pm - Finish last four songs in set list 10:12pm - "Crap, wife's calling, See you guys next week!"

10:15pm - Band practice adjourned I shouldn't have to explain what's wrong with this picture. Smarten up. Show up on time, be ready to go, leave the distractions at home. Smoke breaks, video game breaks, pizza breaks, breaks from breaks, breaks compound into a black hole of breakiness that sucks so hard, no amount of productivity will ever escape.

Nuke that sh*t. Are you rehearsing, or hanging out?

SET GOALS. Playing the set list twice through, working out the kinky difficult sections, work-shopping specific songs, nailing down vocal harmonies, stage plotting, whatever. Give your band practices a goal to work towards. One cover band I played for had a drummer who was a project manager for his day job. After each band practice we'd have an email waiting for us at home details the weak points of that rehearsal which we'd go over next time, plus fresh stuff to work on after a scheduled break. Maybe that's a little much.

Or is it If you set down a game plan in advance, then you'll know what to work on at home, and your rehearsals will actually have a set of goals in mind. If you're really wild, you could set up specific times for breaks. You'd be amazed at how stupid little things like these can keep the most A.D.H.D. musicians on target and on point.

USE YOUR TIME WISELY. Ideally, bands should practice two or three times a week in order to be really tight and have their figurative poop in a group. If you only have time to jam once a week, then it'd better be a damn good jam.

That's all my time for now. Next on the chopping block: The IMAGE Debacle.

Jeff Black is a professional musician and piano teacher based out of Edmonton, Canada.

He has toured across the nation with groups such as Scythia, Samandriel, The Ozzy Osbourne Experience and has performed on nine studio releases to date. When he's not busy in the lesson studio or onstage, he's probably reading or writing, often enjoying a cold European ale in the process.

20 VandalaMagazine.Com - August 2014

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Gimmicks: The Good, The Bad, and The Ughi

By Matt Bacon There's been a lot of discussion in recent years about the use of a gimmick to make your metal band stand out. Some, like Job For a Cowboy say that this is just being a sellout, who needs a gimmick when the music does the talking? Others claim that a gimmick of some form is actually necessary since it allows your band to differentiate itself from legions of similar groups working just as hard. I believe that the true answer lies somewhere in between, and think that if your gimmick is good enough, and smart enough, then it just might work out for you. But if it isn't, well then, things could go very wrong for you and your little motley crew.

So, on to the good, the bad, and the ugly gimmicks!

The Good I'll admit, I had some difficulty with this one. It's always seemed to me like the best bands for me are simply the ones that stand out the most musically. Then I thought about it again and stumbled upon a couple of examples that prove a good gimmick can help your band.

Perhaps the most obvious example of a gimmick is the almighty GWAR who may or may not be reuniting after the death of their legendary frontman Dave Brockie. For the uninitiated GWAR is a group who may be more gimmick than band, their unique image and backstory, being aliens who had frozen in Antartica for thousands of years, is certainly better known than their music. Be it in the late Oderus Urungus's infamous 'cuttlefish' codpiece or the bands ridiculously inappropriate stage show, GWAR are the kind of band who make Sunday School teachers tremble in fear.

Part of what has always made GWAR so appealing to me as that the band members, when dressed up, never broke character. There are stories of Brockie backstage dressed as Oderus yelling at roadies in character. The vast majority of interviews the band does are in character too. It gives the band a massive appeal. These are guys who seek to be the ultimate rock and roll band after a fashion, spurting fake blood and waving giant plastic swords until you too are decapitated. The lesson to be learned from GWAR is that if you're going to have a gimmick, take it all the way, and make sure you never acknowledge it.

If you think that this is the sort of thing that could only have grown up as a product of longevity and luck, I encourage you to look at Steel Panther, a relatively new band who are blowing up the rock and metal scene. Though their music is essentially derivative, they, like GWAR have a very clear image and character. Steel Panther actually take it to a different level. Whereas GWAR would occasionally make jokes about their human counterparts, the guys in Steel Panther insist the details behind songs like "17 Girls in a 22 VandalaMagazine.Com - August 2014

Row" and "Gangbang at the Old Folks Home" are totally true. The band claim to have no lives outside of being rock stars, and the more they pretend, the more this fantasy becomes a reality. In other words, if you paint an extreme enough image, not only will people gravitate towards it, they will help to make even its most ridiculous aspects a reality.

Now we get to put on the boxing gloves and unveil what makes people hate gimmicks so much. There are more bad gimmicks than I can count, but a few recent ones come to mind. These are the sort of things that make fans not just angry but also frustrated. These groups attempt to gamble with the notion that "All press is good press" and often lose out. There's a reason some bands are almost universally hated and it is very often simply as a result of a gimmick that only succeeded in pissing folks off. There are two bands who really embody that on the metal scene right now and I think it's important to look at and analyze their mistakes.

The first is King 810 and their many futile attempts at 'street cred' which have only succeeded in impressing thirteen year old boys. Their first press release upon signing talks about how the band had to learn to 'fend for themselves' as children. It paints their town of Flint, Michigan as some sort of anarchist hell well everyone is out to get everyone else. Within three days of the announcement the band posted a picture of a fan who had carved their logo into his leg. (Which won't be share here as it is NSFW) A short while after they unveiled a new live show featuring 'armed gangsters' pretending to guard the stage. If that doesn't seem tasteless and stupid, I don't know what is.

The band only exacerbated the dislike for them with recent charges filed against them for "Intent to do Great Bodily Harm". King 810 seemed to take pride in their arrest. Even going so far as to post their arrest report on Facebook. This gimmick not only made it feel like the label (The rapidly failing Roadrunner) had set up the whole 'scandal' but also made it seem like King 810 were trying too hard to be 'tough guys'. In other words, it established King 810 as yet another silly and bland group who seem to want to be a part of what Axl Rosenberg of Metalsucks as the "Nu metal revival apocalypse". In other words their gimmick failed because not only did it feel illegitimate it also felt as if the band wants to insult the fans intelligence. There is nothing funny or intellectually stimulating here, only 'tough guy' poserdom by people who wish they could have the same street cred as bands like the Cro Mags and Bad Brains.

Another example of a 'bad gimmick' is the latest stunt from the deathcore band Upon A Burning Body. The band claimed their frontman Danny Leal had gone missing after posting a few mysterious tweets. Right away holes were found in the story, no missing person report had been filed and it took the band a surprisingly long time to figure out that Leal had disappeared. Within hours of the story breaking a rumor was spread that this was all a publicity stunt. Turns out the rumor was right and it was. This is another case of how if a gimmick crosses a line or is especially stupid it will only generate bad press for your band. GWAR proved that it's okay if the music and imagery is offensive, but it's definitely not appropriate to joke about one of your band members possibly being dead. Personally, I lost even more respect for the band when their label, Prosthetic Records came out and said they had been given no prior warning. So not only did the band scare their fans, they made their label believe that one of their biggest bands had lost a key member seemingly out of the blue.

In other words, it would seem that while it's okay to offend people with extreme imagery, there is also a certain level of maturity required. For people who have been following their local scene for a while the antics of King 810 should seem totally mundane and the way August 2014 - VandalaMagazine.Com 23

Ed it.. al and the way that they made a big deal of getting arrested is clearly in bad taste. Upon A Burning Body also seemed to totally miss the point of a gimmick, causing genuine concern and then almost mocking the fans by showing that in the end it was all a publicity stunt.

So, if a gimmick leaves your fans offended, frustrated, or simply bored, well then, maybe it isn't a gimmick you should be using.

he Ugly Now here we are going to start walking a fine line. I wanted to take a minute to talk about bands that use their (almost always female) singer's sexuality in order to sell more records. There are entire subgenres of metal that seem to be okay with this institutionalized sexism. Symphonic metal in particular seems to be a haven for large breasted white women wailing into a microphone while the camera pans over their chests.

I'd like to take a moment for a drinking game invented by Axl Rosenberg of Metalsucks to illustrate my point. I want you to take a shot every time the director pans down onto the singers boobs, up onto the singers boobs, or simply reframes the shot, so you can see the singers boobs.

Now that you might die of alcohol poisoning let me make my point. While it's okay to celebrate sexuality in music, doesn't it feel a little wrong when you decide to hide your music behind your singers double D's? There is definitely a place in music for femininity, but in most cases it seems silly to make that the counterpoint. Some of my favorite bands today, like SubRosa, whose latest record More Constant Than The Gods was billed as the second best record of 2013 across all genres by Sputnik Music, celebrate their femininity without trying to sell their bodies. If the band is trying to sell itself on the fact that dudes are going to want to sleep with the singer, you're going to lose a lot of respect. If the band is selling itself on good music and hard work and happens to have a singer dudes want to sleep with, well then, no one can blame you for that.

Long story short, I, and many of my peers in the music industry are more than a little frustrated with the needless sexism within the industry, lifting up women as sex objects.

If you take part in that and try to use it to promote your band of course you are not going to get the respect you want and probably deserve. Instead people will be drawn to the band by pure sexuality and while that may sell albums, does it really lead to artistic satisfaction? Lots of guys will support these kind of bands, but personally I just don't see the point. Why listen to Huntress when you have far better, less sexualized options like Sister Sin. As Paul from Conan put it "I'm all for women getting their boobs out, but when they use it to further their position in an industry that should be unrelated it's utter bullsh*-r.

Conclusions: So what does this mean for you, a musician in an independent band? Well, it means if you're going to have a gimmick choose it with care. Remember, every day bands are signed that get by on just the music. Check out the promo shots for a group like Unscarred, through a clear image that is not at all gimmicky they are still able to get attention from lots of blogs and have some great options for their debut D. As Nate Carson of Witch Mountain and Nanotear Booking once told me "Two things pay off in the music industry, longevity and luck". Maybe there is no need for gimmicks, maybe, if we just keep it pure and honest we will always triumph.

A UGUST 8-10. 2014

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Comer Stc•ry Int r iewWall Jeremy 1l id "Monster Truck: Crushing Their Way Across Canada" Interview By Lana Nimmons Originally formed in 2009, Monster Truck broke out in 2011 when they signed with Toronto favorites, Dine Alone Records, releasing The Brown EP. The EP blew up quick, spawning radio play and plenty of opportunities. Like a ranging train their music is injected with furious riffs and an absolutely infectious chorus'- simply just amazing R&R. This month I had the great pleasure of interviewing Jeremy and we chatted about their upcoming tour with Alice in Chains, R&R and radio, and the origins of Monster Truck.

You guys just got back from Europe, how did it go?

Jeremy: It was great! It was more vacation than anything else, just a one hit scene festival, and then just sat our asses on the beach.

Sounds like a dream! You guys were in Europe the spring as well right?

Jeremy: Yeah we did a headline tour in the UK and in Germany and headed up another tour last year in Europe. The return to get a little memento there is pretty fun.

Is there any particular place in Europe that you just love playing?

Jeremy: Germany has been great to us, right from the get-go which is encouraging to see that kind of enthusiasm. The whole scene went really well they really have enthusiastic fans for rock n roll music. Which is a little lacking North America.

It's starting to pick up a little bit here in Canada, I find a lot more rock and roll band emerging.

Jeremy: Yeah I kind of see it going in the other direction, yeah but its a matter of perception. Rock radio is taking a huge s*** right now, and everybody switching formats. It's kind of disappointing to be honest. That being said, there's definitely a lot of great bands, I just don't think and I'm not really sure that mainstream media and the general music going population are reacting as strongly to the quality of music that's being put out. There's still time to turn it around and I think that as it grows from the band and artist perspective it takes a little longer for everyone else to come around. so there definitely solid groundwork being laid.

I agree mainstream radio is kind of taking a dive, and for that matter has been since the eighties. But that being said most people I know do not listen to mainstream radio. They listen to independent radio stations because they more likely play better music- in that essence people are reaching out more too. For example, I'm in MTL and I listen to K.103.

Jeremy: Yeah that's something I've noticed very much from Montreal we for sure had our share of challenges. I think that is something kind of natural because of the mainstream success in the rest of the country it is kind of taking a little bit longer to get things going over there do to the fact people don't tend to pay attention to that We had to do it more from the grassroots level we're most used to, and it's starting to get us a little more momentum as far as getting people out to shows now.

Speaking of momentum, this summer/fall you'll be touring with Alice in Chains, that's pretty amazing!

Jeremy: Yeah we're doing another run with them, this would be our third run with them. It's kind of the smaller out of the three we've done, so it should be good. It's in a a lot of s*** areas in the United States that we don't have to go to, but we always like 28 VandaiaMagazine.Corn - August 2014

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touring with Alice in Chains- great Canadian market that really make it worthwhile for us.

I remember a few years back seeing a poster for you guys, I think you were playing a show at the big Or and I literally thought it was for a rally. After it dawned on me that, there was no destruction, but in fact a band I looked you guys up.

Jeremy; Because of that we've received a little recognition, just from people being curious about the name. Its kind of funny because it gets a little weird looks and questions in North America but everywhere else people kind of eat it up. Whereas in the United States especially we have to justify it, or they need to get over it at first.

Its not something that I can just get behind, they actually have to see the band in person. It takes a while for people to let go of their initial reaction of being something stupid. (laughs) So that has been something that's been a bit of a hurdle. In the UK and Europe they're kinda like how did you get such an awesome band name, and then in the states they're like: why did you name the band that? It's interesting to see the difference initial reactions from the different areas.

How did you guys actually come up with the name?

Jeremy: It's nothing really, no story behind it other than you should name it Monster Truck, and it was taken. That's pretty much the extent of that.

Well, it works for you guys. You literally have this monster sound, if someone were to ask me how you guys sounded I could go on and on about influences but in reality I would just refer back to your name. Even when I first listened to your album on my little Chrome Book it still maintained this massive sound, Jeremy: One of the biggest challenges is making an album make it sound good on anything, and I feel as though we did a pretty good job of that.

Just out of curiosity did you record on tape?

Jeremy: No, but we mastered to tape. We had our hands a little tied while doing the recording of this record. You see, we already attempted one time and failed. So we were kind of under the gun, so when it came to affording expensive things like tape it just wasn't in the cards. But we were able to master to half inch, and it kind of gave us this more round sound. We actually weren't really set on it until we actual heard it.

We were presented with both, we didn't know which one was which and chose which sounded better. And that happened to be the one that was mastered to tape.

Not to sound too clichĂŠ, but how did you guys come together to form Monster Truck?

Jeremy: Basically a bunch of friends coming together, playing just to have some fun.

It just accelerated at an unrealistic pace at the time for us. we had to make the shift from being weekend thing to a full time thing.

You guys haven't been around all that long, did you guys ever imagine doing a big tour like that? OR even playing huge stadiums?

Jeremy: No that was never the intention. So no I never imagined or anticipated by any means. When it started happening it was exciting and surprising and we're still kind of in awe from where we've come and what we been able to accomplish from something that was only meant to be for getting drunk and having fun in our hometown.

I know you need to get going to get ready for your set tonight, but any last words?

Jeremy: Yeah I want to mention that last two records are always free download on are website- just go to ILOVEMONSTERTRUCK.COM 32 vandaiaMagazine.Coin - August 2014

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"It's About Time We Took This Party Outside' Photos and Article By Gideon Greenbaurnue5hincler

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Living in Toronto's Downtown the proper outdoor festival experience is something hard to come by (inside the city at least). TURF is therefore a most welcome new tradition for those of us who love hinging on live music in the sunshine. This was only the second T.U.R.F. (Toronto Urban Roots Festival) and I must say that for a very young festival it is already an amazing talent magnet for TO and it was actually quite well organized, which is often a main worry when it comes to younger festivals. Put in grander terms it is the best outdoor festival downtown Toronto has conjured in years.

Bringing in brilliant acts, from every level of notoriety, for convenient consumption in the heart of downtown Toronto. In fact, all of the best independent acts performed on a smaller side stage on a hill, giving the performances there an intimate cathedral like quality.

Hands down my favorite acts of the festival where The Strum bellas, Black Joe Lewis and Man Man. They all played this lovely little stage which simultaneously over looked Toronto's historic Fort York, this was of course juxtaposed by the ugly bottom of the highway. Some other personal highlights of the festival for me were The Violent Femmes, Gary Clark Jr, Neutral Milk Hotel and Gogol Bordello, the point being, this festivals line up was stacked. I saw guitars smashed, I got wine thrown on my lens, I crowd surfed and I made new friends. So here's hoping that TURF continues to grow into a happy, healthy, crazy festival.

The Strumbellas - Blowing Minds and Broken Guitars Especially in Toronto, their home turf (teehee), The Strumbellas live show has some serious vibrato to it. The Strumbellas fabricate a certain kind of hive mind, both with their remarkable music but also with the connection they establish with the audience.

This is some of the best 'rock' music for a big crowd setting, partially because there are so many memorable lines to chant along with the band, giving the whole experience a very communal feel. It is, however, also because of the obvious earnestness with which each one of them, put simply, plays their freakin hearts out.

Playing back to back, screaming into the same microphone and jumping into the crowd, The Strumbellas are genuine entertainers. The Strumbellas are a Juno award-winning band from Toronto and has been slowly but surely growing its brand as the folk-country rock band to measure up to. They have an amazing symphonic wall of sound paired with inspired compositions and truly poetic lyrics. Of course their live show is the real treat to be had.

Their music combines good old school rock and roll sensibilities with complex layers of folk not to mention an overall epic orchestral feel added by their spectacular violinist Isabel Ritchie. They use complex chord progressions, gang vocals, emphatic rock drums and sparse but vigorous pop soloing. This all adds up to an innovative blend of new music compounded by front man Simon Ward. He is a sincere songwriter with a serious stage presence. Sporting a giant sun hat and no shoes for most of the set. One obvious highlight of the set was when Ward actually threw his guitar into the stages lighting, over twenty feet into the air, and broke part of the body of his guitar.

The crowd has was struck. Of course the duct tape lining the body of the guitar was a good indication that this was not this particular instruments inaugural flight. Other members of the band actually piped in after this spectacle about having a mild fear for their own lives. Keys player Dave Ritter also added a particularly warm and joyful presence on stage. Ritter is a large man, however his size is greatly overshadowed only by his seemingly endless well of energy, he head banged, foot stomped and key tickled like a madman throughout the whole set. This band is well seasoned, road 36 VandaiaMagazine.Corn - August 2014

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hardened and ready for more. The Strumbellas are coming out of their shell and are surely on the rise, be sure to keep track of their constant tour schedule.

Man Man — Talk About Performance Art

Some people fear change, but most music aficionados embrace it. Some times you stay within your comfort zone and sometime you tread water listening to the same dependable acts of your past. Occasionally, however, you need to jump into the freakin deep end, after all this is the only way we can expand our horizons. Speaking of such things Man Man is one of the most novel musical acts I have witnessed in years. I had never heard or seen of them before they went on stage. As I walked over to TURF's south stage I heard people extoling the virtues of Man Man, so I inquired as to what they where 'all about', all they said was, 'you have never seen anything like this before'.

This is actually one of my favorite factors when it comes to attending festivals, the odds are you are going to be exposed to music you have never heard before. Discovery of amazing new bands as they whollop on stage and into your ears is one of my favorite things about music in general. I know that we all have access to the internet 24 hours a day and that almost every band has music available up here, but if you have the opportunity and the will power it is sometimes important to just let the band make its own first impression. Man Man delivers blistering experimental rock music fuelled by the fire of chaos punk jazz combined with what could be described as a slightly insane stage presence. Front man Honus Honus (that's right) came on stage with a crazed glint in his eye that seemed to convey a combination of extreme confidence, motherly pride and some sort of confusing sibling rivalry. Or of course I could just say he is a pretty weird guy. He truly performed, always seeming to be on the cusp of madness, in an array of hilarious costumes. These creative getups ranged from a bedazzled hippie moomoo to a white fur coat and a band conductor outfit combined with a rubber alien mask, just to name a few. The audience was simply August 2014 - VaridalaMagazine.Corn 37

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eating out of his hand, Honus strutted about the stage almost always the center of attention. He even stooped down at one time to awkwardly stroke the hair of several audience members. He also played some toy noise makers and pots and pans. Honus did take a back seat at certain moments. Several songs featured intense musical breakdowns featuring frenzied but calculated time and key changes where these players got to really let loose. Rivulets of frantic jazzy horn riffs and hysterical guitar careen into a waterfall of inventive jazz configurations housed by an immensely tight rhythm section, who carved out a grueling pace overall. This was all topped off by the eclectic punk rock vocals and tumultuous key pounding of Honus Honus. Their songs are epic, ridiculous and ultimately dynamic. This bunch of Philadelphia natives is currently on a huge tour of North America, so keep your eye on it if you're in the mood for something you have never seen before come out and expand your horizons.

Black Joe Lewis - Some Real Rock Music Every so often you encounter a band that reminds you why music is important to you.

Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears is a band that affected me in exactly such a way.

This is music that I had the pleasure of discovering several years ago, so I have been eagerly awaiting there return to Toronto. On their recordings their music translates into a polished, sparkling rock entity. Live, however, they are a sprawling funk rock beast, spewing raw talent, it was truly inspiring.

As a wannabe child of the 70's I am obsessed with the archetypical titans of the era.

Artists like James Brown, Maceo Parker and Otis Redding, so when music based on this era of (in my opinion) perfect music rears its beautiful head in modern times it makes me truly thankful. I believe that all genuine music fans long for a rebirth popular music, for a time of talent, not in producers but in their artists as well. Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears is one of few current bands which represent a small resurgence of the time when pop music was not a four letter word. People like Black Joe Lewis and The Honey Bears may be few and far between, those who bring the RIB, funk driven, rock of the past to our eagerly awaiting ears, but they bring hope to us true music lovers. This music is not only catchy and refined but it reminds us of a very important factor, a musical genre itself is never stale, it just takes the right artist to bring a fresh perspective to it.

A combination of classic funk, soul and modern rock music, Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears are not your typical retro throwback band. Although they do encapsulate many of the best things about 1970's funk rock. This band blends elements of modern rock to create their own niche genre. Their songs range from funky bass driven party songs to grand rock anthems to slow soulful balladesque arrangements. They released their fourth full-length album last year, 'Electric Slave'.

Their compositional style has a spirit comparable to something that Joe Tex or Wilson Picket might have accomplished in modern times. Songs like Booty City or Sugarfoot are so raw and high energy that I was actually tired by the end of them. Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears employ thunderously funky in your face bass lines woven in between resounding staccato horn riffs and stadium rock drumming. This coupled with the pure charisma of Joe Lewis' roaring soul vocals, his jump-blues guitar picking and his larger-than-life chicken dancing makes for a truly unforgettable live show.

Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears have performed at Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and many more. So the next time these talented Texans roll into your town I suggest you have your mind blown. They are currently touring all across North America.

40 VandaiaMagazine.Com - August 2014

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Kelowna's Keloha Music & Arts Festival has wrapped for another year and for all intents and purposes it was a smashing success.

Two stages were set up on opposite ends of Waterfront Park in downtown Kelowna, with a dozen or so tents selling all kinds of swag peppered in between.

The Okanagan masses came out to enjoy a cross section of independent and mainstream music on the shores of beautiful Okanagan Lake.

With the sun beating down and the city in the grip of a heat wave, this year's Keloha was probably one of Canada's hotter festivals to attend with temperatures all weekend floating around the upper 30's and some accounts over 40C. People know how to make due though. Supersoakers, food trucks and lots of water helped keep the heat in check. While the fact that Keloha's sand stage was literally right on the water gave people the option to splash around in the lake while a band played just a few feet away.

The festival kicked off Friday night with the band JPNSGRLS, a group made up, ironically, of boys.

The Vancouver band play a brand of energetic indie rock/punk that's fairly popular, or at least easily found, these days on the Pacific coast. Think of a less fuzzy Japandroid.s, or a more polished 8-Lines and you're on the right track. ortly after JPNSGRLSwrapped up, Kelowna's own The Wild! hit the stage. The Wild! are a hard rock outfit that sound ,like a cross between early Guns N' Roses and garage punkers The Hellacopters. And with Andrew W.K. approved song titles like 'Party Till You're Dead', you know these guys exist as The Wild! for no other reason than to rock the house, be it basement show or beach festival.

Keloha isn't anything close to a punk or metal festival and those looking for a little punk rock grit in their music were to be found in front of the Island stage during The Wiles set. Mohawled parnts with Mohawk'd kids milled, around with people decked out in leather and studs (in temperatures pushing 40 degrees Celsius. Apparently heat has no baring on fashion). And the band gave 'hem what they were looking for.

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Each member of the band is unto themselves. Pistol Pete rhythm guitar, commanded his slice of the stage by providing enough entertainment on his own to keep on lookers busy, while Dylan Villain, on vocals, impressed with booming, versatile vocal abilities that fit the music perfectly. When the band slowed the pace with a blues number, Villain showed just what it was he could do dopting a blues inflected croon that showed, whether pure rock or blues, he has the pipes to the fit the bill.

The Wild! may not have been the most recognizable act on the bill that night, but they held their own and proved what a solid stage presence they were, Most people though, showed up late to Keloha that Friday night to catch headlining act Monste Truck rock the Island stage as the sun dipped down behind the mountains to the west, finally g ing festival goers a break from the heat.

Hailing from Hamilton, Ontario, Monster Truck are a band that are committed to rock n' roll i its more basic form. Crunchy guitar licks, yowling, gritty vocals and a tight rhythm section. The band sounds like Soundgarden used to and are obviously indebted to bands like CCR. In fact, Monster Truck's singer Jon Henry, is not only a vocal dead ringer for Chris Cornell, but looks le hell of a lot like him as well.

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The band have a great presence on st ge and had more than a few eager and appreciative fans in the audience that night. They rocked their way through a set that touched on every album, including a few covers and non album tracks. The band commented a number of times on the beauty of Kelowna and how welcome they felt while here. The band commented on their time here: "Well, I almost feel spoiled after our time at Keloha. We arrived a day early and divided our time on the beach in the sun, boating around on the picturesque water, taking a few laps around on the wakeboard and eventually played a nighttime set under a full moon to a sprawl of new and old fans. A perfect 48 hours!"

By the time Monster Truck wrapped up, Keloha festival goers had experienced their first full day of beachside music, munchies and heat. A decent primer for day two, which was supposed to be even hotter. Music and temperature-wise.

Day two of the festival featured an even more action packed and eclectic mix of musical talent.

Bands like the easy folk stylings of Honest Wood and the neo blues of Vancouver's Rolla Olak helped get the ball rolling earlier in the day over on the sandbar stage. The Toronto area band The Balconies were the first band of the day to bring out the rock, with their potent bend of indie pop and pure rock n' roll attitude, best exemplified in songs like 'Kill Count' and 'Boys and Girls.'

A little later, again on the sandbar stage, my personal favourite performance of the festival came in the form of The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer, a very talented duo from the West Coast.

The band play a delicious cocktail of 50's era blues and rock n' roll, but with a modern sensibility. Considering there's only two of them, they make a hell of an impression and their command of the stage is impressive. Steve The Harpoonist' Hall has all amazing voice, not at all unlike the golden era pipes of the likes of J.D. McPherson. His ability to rock a mic and an electric harmonica simultaneously is an impressive feat. Meanwhile his wingman, Matthew The Axe Mudcrier' Rogers is a one man band, covering everything from background vocals, to guitar, drums and more, at the same time. Halfway through the set, the band brought a few extra members on stage and the sound expanded. Songs like 'Shake It, 'Roll With The Punches' and 'They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To' were highlights of the set.

Over on the Island stage, Hey Ocean!, one of the festival's bigger draws, filled the air with their beach friendly blend of pop and indie rock. Songs that suit the sun and the sand and you imagine is just the kind of music the festival had in mind when it was first imagined. Despite the heat, which, as promised, was even hotter than the day before, the band played a good set, interacted well with the audience and sounded great.

There was plenty to do at Keloha aside from music this year as well. Milkcrate Records, Kelowna's best and most authentic record shop, had a booth set up selling shirts, records and other assorted goodies. As did West Kelowna's surf, snow and skate shop Freeride. There was also a good assortment of food to be had, including a Kelly O'Brians truck serving their signature ponchos., * Tor * I There was even a fenced in, admittedly haph • rdl F constructed smoking section, which is nice idea for us none smokers.

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Later in the evening, Los Angeles indie rockers Local Natives wrapped up the night with a passionate set of easy rocking tunes to a packed audience. They're a great live band, but again, their set was probably the most popular not only because of the music, but because it was played after the sun had disappeared behind the mountains and the air had finally cooled.

Sunday kicked off in the early afternoon with a handful of BC Showcase artists, courtesy of K96.3.

Bend Sinister hit the sandbar stage around 3:30 and played a cool set of straight ahead rock n' roll that easily moved from energetic rock to easy going ballads, all of it sounding as good no matter the tempo.

Gay Ninties, ASTIR, The Funk Hunters and Blonde Fire rounded out the afternoon and lead into the festival's main draws The Mowgli's, St. Lucia and The Naked and Famous.

New Zealand's The Naked and Famous appropriately wrapped the festival, being that they were the biggest band (most commercially successful). Their indie pop anthem 'Young Blood' alone was probably the most well known song of the whole weekend. The band doesn't move around a whole lot on stage, but play their songs with a lot of energy and passion. Also they sound nearly as good live as they do on record, which is always nice. Vocalist Alisa Xayalith in particular sounds amazing with her impressive voice booming over those oversized speakers.

Keloha 2014 went off without a hitch and it was hot as hell the whole weekend but thankfully Kelowna sits on a big, clean lake which was easily accessible to festival goers.

All in all a nice primer for the city as it prepared for the more party-centric chaos that is Centre of Gravity a few weeks later.

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Shawn 'The Harpoonise Hall of The Harpoonist And The Axe Murderer Getting Fans Dancing at The Keloha Sand Bar Stage

Jon Harvey of Monster Truck On The Keloha Multistage Friday With Pure Rock

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by Lana Nimmons

Vans Warped Tour celebrates its 20th year anniversary with some of the music industry's biggest and best bands and artists, and was back in MTL after one year of absence.

Despite the dust, rain and wind, there was a crowd on the lawn of St. Helena. More than 50 groups, including Anberlin, Cute is What We Aim For, Every Time I Die, Mayday Parade and others, occurred in eight different scenes.

The event music punk rock Vans Warped Tour returned in full Saturday, July 5, on the ground floor of the Ile Notre-Dame in Montreal. After a break of one year for the Montreal edition of the North American tour, the Vans Warped Tour, this time celebrating its 20th anniversary of existence and good rock.

Although some believe that the festival has lost ground in recent years, particularly due to changes in the programming, the Vans Warped Tour is a must for any fan of punk rock respectable. And even if we draw less popular at one time, the VWT pulls out of the game with a superb organization, always focused on its target audience, that is to say young people.

Who says young people also said small budget! The VWT has always considered its slim wallet festival, keeping ticket prices to $ 49.25 for the day. If we make a comparison with events such as Osheaga and Heavy MTL, there you pay double for one day.

Always with a view to reach its clients, minors may be accompanied by a parent free to enter the site. It convinces dad come to the festival, then we'll have fun with our friends while he relaxes in a quiet area which is specially reserved.

Like every year, full time (hour by hour) is available only on the day of crossing destination. At the moment, it is impossible to know what will be the order in which the artists will play in Montreal. It retains the suspense until the last minute and thus ensures maximum attendance at the opening of the site in the morning. This is actually a pet peeve of mine. If I buy a ticket for a festival I want to know who is going to be playing that day. I wanted to see quite a few bands who were on the American bill, and because of the border or whatever did not play Montreal. I wonder why I never had any problems like this with Mayhem.

On the sparse grounds there were several kiosks also offer the chance to the most successful bands to meet some fans after their performance through autograph sessions and short acoustic performance- this was trey cool, and made up for the line-up mix up.

The Vans Warped Tour experience becomes more complete.

This year, as opposed to the usual seven stages, there were 10 stages to choose from: two main stages displaying a variety of genres, a Warhead stage where you could find many indie/ pop punk bands, Monster Stage which featured many metal, hardcore, deathcore bands, a Hard Rock Kevin Says stage which showed off punk bands with a little thrash metal, Beatport for those electronica/dance fans, Lemmon stage featuring local and surrounding local talent, and Acoustic BSMT for those wonderful unplugged acts. With this, if the Vans gods are listening, stop selling the schedule for 2$- it's annoying. Just put it up on your site, or have it on an app. I would prefer to donate that money towards one of the many foundations that were present.

While there was a multitude of bands to choose from, there were also several organizations present and in need of support. Feed Our Children featured a special deal where festival goers could donate 3 cans of food in order to proceed into the venue grounds prior to the rest of the thousands in attendance. Music Saves also participated, allowing individuals to donate blood before the tour date and receive a free backstage pass. Essentially, you could help to save a life while getting the best view of the festival.

As for the talent for this years Vans, there were a lot good and some sub-par. My schedule August 2014 - VandalaMagazine.Corn 53

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was kinda set before the date, and had to be changed day of due to only a selection of bands from the tour were playing MTL that day. Since it is not my first Vans roadeo I decided to mix it up, and see bands I've never seen before. With this I did catch, Motionless In White, Less than Jake, and of course Vanna, who once again, were all amazing. So here's my short list of newer bands: 1) Every Time I Die: Not to sound unprofessional, but these guys are amazeballs. Their set was without a stale or recycled moment, they were energetic, having fun with the audience, and (even though most people don't really care at festival), their tech guys did not turn up the sound to noise. I just love their heavy, southern-influenced style, every note, chords, vocals, and lyrics were to perfection- wait- these guys will be headlining a major tour within a year.

2) Parkway Drive: I literally was speechless after their act. This Australian metalcore band from Byron Bay, New South Wales, formed in 2002. As of 2013, Parkway Drive has released four full-length albums, Killing with a Smile, Horizons, Deep Blue, and Atlas, one EP, two DVDs a split album and one book; "Ten Years of Parkway Drive". I have honestly never seen so many crowd surfers in such a short period of time, it was amazing. In fact there were so many the security had to kick out all the photographers, and videographers out of the pit for safety- that's hardcore.

3) Mayday Parade: Good live band, wish they were shoes. From Tallahassee, Florida's Mayday Parade have honed their patented style of catchy, kinetic pop-punk with an outpour of real rock energy. You can tell their fans are die hearts, they were fun, catchy, definitely a contrast from Parkway drive. Funny enough, they sell shoes as merch.

4) This Wild Life: As their bio says "Sketchy dudes, beautiful tunes." And that says it all. But with all seriousness- I love these guys, they're amazing.

That being said, I felt the whole acoustic set out of place at Vans. I think it might be a MTL thing. Most people who go to Vans in MTL are EM, punks, and metaiheads. Our chill laid back people tend to go to Osheaga. They did have a very generous turnout, but with talent like they have, they deserved even more. Once again though- amazing. TY TWL. All in all, Vans was great, new bands, and some bands that are quite huge but haven't quite made their reach to Montreal until now. There was tons of things to do, see, and meet and greets. Thank you Vans for visiting us again, and looking forward to next year.

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Between the shadows of the Canadian Rockies and the reaches of the west coast sits a cozy little Okanogan town. They are a humble valley folk; cheese-makers, farmers, bikers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters. Little do they know that in the midst of July, a horde of long-haired hellions shall descend upon their sleepy homeland with spikes and denim on their vests and wrath in their hearts. These barbarians have come to drink the town's ale, eat her meat, make an enormous mess and perhaps woo a comely ladilass if they're lucky before returning to the hovels from whence they came.

Friday, July 18th: The pleasant, rolling landscape of Armstrong were a welcome sight after the 810 kilometer drive across the Trans-Canada. The noon-tide sun shone bold in the sky, scorching our shoulders and backs as we assembled our tents. We were eight; proud Edmontonians and Devonians from the flatlands east of the mountains. Calgarians and even a handful of Saskatchewanese could be seen alongside islanders and folk of the sunshine coast, hammering pegs into the soil as wind sighed gently amongst the sea of canvas.

My companions and I wandered into Hassen Arena to view the first wave of performers.

The sound was cavernous and all-consuming; the further away from the stage you stood the more clouded and muffled the acoustics became. First upon the lists were Axis Disrupt, a fine band in the Melodic Death school who pleasantly surprised me. Hopefully they shall be granted a higher slot in a future festival. Shortly following them was Armstrong's heroic trio, Odinfist, playing classic steel, forged in ancient methods of Manowar. Their crowd was won over before they started; hundreds of voices lifted for the chorus of the flagship song "We Are Gods".

Cold gales and frigid stage lighting gleamed as Wilt from far-flung Winnipeg took the stage. Mjolnir hung from bearded necks and guitar chords sang gloomy and forlorn.

Vocalist Jordan Dorge shrieked like a Wight before backing away from the mic, his arms and fingers splayed in meditative poses. My comrades and I struck the beer gardens at the far end of the arena, quaffing ale and fine ciders We took to the village streets in search of hot meals and cold drink. The festival grounds sits right at the edge of downtown Armstrong and many black-clad and sullen-eyed metal brethren stalked the pavements, carrying flats of beer and spirits, bleating in drunken voices. A wealth of inns, public houses and charming cafes dot the road and it wasn't long before we found ourselves seated at the Branding Iron, where we were served Rickard's Red and delightful baskets of fish & chips.

We retraced our steps and found ourselves in the vanguard for Terrifier. Classic thrash was the name of the game and while the players were strong, the band's constant abuse of the same tempo/drumbeat in every song made it clear that the band was best served as a warm-up for West of Hell, who annihilated Hassen Arena in both a figurative and a literal sense when their pyrotechnics put two smoking holes in the ceiling. One of the most entertaining bands in the western Canadian provinces, with a singer who flays his vocal chords with berserker force while still managing to carry a tune. My cell phone still has confetti stuck to it. After West of Hell's explosive conclusion, festival-goers assembled in the campground for one of AM F's premier activities: the One Hundred Man Shotgun, an event that is exactly what it sounds like. Beers were punctured, cracked, downed, their cans smiting the earth in a hail of aluminum. The shotgunners loosed a thunderous cheer, one that put shivers down the spines of the unworthy and put tears of sorrow in the eyes of garbage collectors everywhere.

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Arimslait.:Img Meta!fest 2014 As most Albertans know, the only suitable way to follow up a mass-shotgun of beer is with a set by Edmonton's finest, Striker. The five-piece delivered their classic set with their usual deft-fingered grace and vocalist Dan Cleary was in fine form, as per usual. While Striker's approach lacks the technology of West of Hell, they make up for it with youthful spirit and professional showmanship.

The next band upon the chopping block were easterners Crimson Shadows, who won Canada's battle for Wacken competition last year. Alas, my companions whisked me away back to the Branding Iron for karaoke, where we dazzled the locals with renditions of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and other favorites. It was quite some time before we rolled out of the establishment, suitably drunk and obnoxious. With all that out of the way, it was time to party. Due to the all-ages policy of the festival, the bands don't hang around much longer than midnight, meaning that when the headliners end, the time to party has only just begun. My Albertan fellowship entertained (or annoyed) the surrounding campers with renditions of popular Disney songs. All was well when I finally laid myself down to rest.

Saturday, July 19th: I was a little "top-heavy" when I awoke from my slumber that morning. Foul lances of pain arced through my cranium, but I still struggled upright and made for the bathrooms.

Armstrong doesn't bother with porta-potties, there is a large complex with toilets, sinks and showers available for the sanitation-inclined. In the massive parking lot that stands between the campground and the arena, a farmer's market had been set up. Locals and fest-goers mingled amongst stands of fruit, fresh vegetables, jewelers and peddlers of fine clothing. I fell upon a lovely Indian couple's food stand and gorged myself upon home-cooked samosas and mint chutney.

It took myself and my mates a while to gather ourselves. We were in time to watch Sh*thawk stumble into a suitably hung-over speed metal assault, taking cues from luminaries such as Venom and Razor. They were sloppy, their drummer winced with every snare-stroke, but their riffs were well-honed and their energy beyond admirable for a band in the noon slot. As they played, two fools wearing frog and squid headgear battled for mush pit supremacy. Your guess is as good as mine. After a brief lunch break, we visited the arena again for These Colors Don't Run, a metalcore outfit hailing from Edmonton. While they were tight players, the timid boy-band singing grated upon me.

Even the crowd wasn't convinced, there couldn't have been more than 150 attendees watching. Following up were Calgarian extremists Vile Insignia. They sported one of the strongest mixes for the weekend, bearing riffs heavier than iron ore, their weight carried by a powerful rhythm section. While their sound is thick and oppressive, they are statues onstage. A stronger live approach would cement them as one of Alberta's premier death/black metal groups.

I snatched a bit of much-needed nourishment during Witch of the Waste, having seen them at Farmageddon festival already. When I returned, Edmontonian legends Quietus were in the midst of bringing the vastness and power of the flatlands to the stage. Lead vocalist and guitarist Ci King's booming baritone filled the room without any apparent effort. Over the Coals, a femme-fronted death metal act based out of Vancouver took the crowd by storm afterward. The comely gold-haired lass on vocals was easy on tired eyes and the band performed well, but the music was middling and generic for tired ears. In any case, they were well-liked by the locals.

The metal revelry was brought to a stand-still when the arena's power was cut. When it became clear that the outage wouldn't be fixed anytime soon, we returned outside to find the campground in utter shambles. During the day, the wind had risen into violent gales, 64 VandaiaMagazine-Com - August 2014

tearing apart tents and throwing belongings into the sky as though Freja herself cast doom upon the festival. Several of my companion's tents became heaps of broken plastic and fabric, and Striker's fifteen-man tent complex was a flattened wreck. To off-set the downtime, Thrash Wrestling was bumped ahead. We spent the next thirty minutes watching a handful of dudes in shiny panties duke it out, though I didn't stick around for the final championship.

The power returned at around 7:30pm after two hours of darkness. Festival chieftain Jesse Valstar patrolled the grounds, informing hangers-on that every band would still perform though sets would be shortened. We re-entered the arena in time to enjoy a couple of Black Wizard's classic doom cuts. Excellent band. Following them were Calgarian grinders Exit Strategy, Alberta's Wacken-battle finalists. I'm not a fan of the group, but they have some enjoyable sections where they nerd out over odd rhythms and fretboard-tapping runs. Tighter than a bug's ear.

Vinlandic heathens Dark Forest took the stage next for a set of pagan metal harkening back to ancient sagas and legendary ancestors. The crowd roared approval, battle-lust in their eyes and fire in their blood. Unleash the Archers from the coast followed, a power metal band who have earned their stripes on the touring circuit. Powerful vocals, sleep-haunting choruses and nimble fretboard work from the guitarists responsible for the mighty Archon Legion inspired the crowd into fits of utter madness. Crowd-surfers were proffered to the gods and raised fists filled the air.

During co-headliners Archspire I left for a brief beer-soaked respite from the chaos. When I returned, recent Seasons of Mist signees Anclients held the crowd under sway with arcane prowess; a roiling cauldron of metal stylings from prop to doom to hard rock to melodic death metal and everything in between. It warmed the cockles of my heart to see a band where three members could carry a tune.

The festival headliners Cryptopsy ascended swiftly afterward, banners streaming and fans screaming. Their vocalist had perhaps the longest hair I'm ever seen on a man, his headbanging sent wafts of coconut-scented shampoo through the first five rows. In my books, tech-death is next to impossible to play and equally as difficult to listen to. I have my doubts that the vocalist actually uttered any words in the English language, but my ears are admittedly untrained. Their performance was a spectacle, make no mistake.

EPILOGUE And thus, the sixth edition of Armstrong Metalfest came to an end. A weekend of ale-filled debauchery and demonic frequencies. A weekend filled with comrades new and old, where the chains of friendship were forged, or shattered. As the smoke clears above Hassen Arena and the peaceful valley folk return to their lives, the thousand-strong horde of barbarians shall fade into dim memory, mentioned only in stories to frighten children into their beds at night. One thing is certain: We will return.

THE NUMBERS: Bands - 35 Attendance - ,‘,700 Festival Pass - $100 Weekend ($60/Day) Camping - included ($40 for RV) Festival Beer - $5 Breakfast Special - $3.99 Lunch/Dinner Specials at Branding Iron - $10.99 Beers Shotgunned - thousands Hours Driving - 11 each way (from Edmonton) August 2014 - VandalaMagazine. Com 65

ARTICLE BY ALEX SLAKVA PHOTOGRAPHY BY GIDEON GREENBAUM-SH1NDER

Eriterogw drink Mayhem Mayhem Festival has been establishing it's dominance as the mobile metal summer festival to attend since 2008. As an attendee who hasn't attended since then, my first impression was that this year's line up was somewhat tame. Previous years featured titans like Slayer, Amon Amarth, Machine Head or Megadeth, as opposed to 2014's Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, Asking Alexandria and Trivium headlining. In 2008 Rockstar's Mayhem Festival was a renegade angel and summer savior. That was the summer Slipknot returned from hiatus, Mastodon still played songs off "Remission" and Dragonforce impressed people. In Toronto alone, 75,000 metal heads descended onto Downsview Park that day. That scale in mind, many fans argue 2014's headliners may not all be titans? To not beat around the bush, the core of this debate lies in the fact that on average modern metal is 'heavier' than say 10 — 20 years ago. The worldly embrace of dropping tunings past D, incoherent gutturals, breakdowns other crossover trends have even taken the shock value out of the cheap thrill in asking an ultraconservative person what he thinks of Whore To A Chainsaw. What was an outside demographic, is now more accessible and welcoming to newcomers. As a result, some metal fans volunteer to further exile themselves, on a quest to find the next threshold of brutality. If they find it, they attach it to their identity and demonstrate it as a focal point of their authority. Vet, going by their logic, if 'heaviness' is a quantity that has been compounding interest for the last half decade, then why are Black Sabbath or layer still relevant? At the very core, metal concerts are form of theatrical entertainment that to leave an epic impression on the listener's imagination. For the sake of brevity, Avenged Sevenfold stole the show, and I am not even a very big fan. How did a band that (to quote their vocalist) "wasn't metal enough", win the favour of somebody that has been neutral about their music?

Find out at the end.

Pa

AVENGED SEVENFOLD STEALS THE SHOW August 2014 - VandalaMagazine.Com 69

Emmure Emmure played a surprisingly short show at the Victory Records stage, comprising mostly of their new tracks off "Bring A Gun To School". These guys have been around for a while and definitely carved their name into the modern alternative scene. Something about their hip hop inclinations, up front sound and attitude usually clears any amount of floor space. Children of Cybertron, E, Bring A Gun To School and Nemesis are sort of tracks that command a particular type of respect. You can love them or hate them, but if you will suddenly become hyper aware to be an observer in correlation to the nearest hardcore dancer. While this may not be theatrical in the conventional sense, Emmure still instigates an emotional response and this why people should be aware of the respect issue (ha!) when seeing Emmure live.

I haven't seen Korn since the "See You On The Other Side" Tour, their music was completely phased out from my Ipod's repertoire by 2009. That said, they were my 15 year old counter part's favorite band. The exceptions I inwardly set were akin to meeting an old lover for coffee: on the cautious side of optimism, but on guard they try anything.

Sure, their earlier identity played an irrefutable role in shaping my identity; but, they changed themselves.

If Korn wanted to try to reignite a flame long extinguished, their best plan was to keep things as pre-millennial as possible, "Untouchables" would be a generous halfway point.

Such defensiveness is a very common reaction in the realm discussing passions left in the past and is nothing new to those bands. Korn's been around the of proverbial block. A good practitioner of seduction or salesmanship will never try to sell the goods; they make you want to buy them. The set list Korn had assembled for Mayhem Festival 2014 had the military deception and preparation of an OODA loop (look it up, you won't regret it!)

To maintain and quantify the analogy that is already in play, consider this a walk though.

First "Falling Away From Me" kicked things off as an innocent, perhaps awkward reintroduction. Sure we all feel a bit older, but by the end of it you already remember all of the lyrics and are measuring Korn up and down. Before you manage to choose a stance about middle aged men having dread, a familiar cavernous drum pattern and guitar slide fill your ears and Jon Davis starts the primal psychobabble that is "Twist". It is at this exact point where you remember every intimate, nude and impetuous part of your relationship with Korn. Without permitting a second for your attention to wander, they seal the deal without your consciousness's consent, when you fully enter the "dance and screech/sing" for "Got The Life" and "Did My Time". Your mind goes blank on everything, but that moment and shamelessly you bask in that nostalgic 90's emotive of romanticizing a victim's vengeance. By the time the dirty stuff is stealthily initiated (Hater, Spike in My Veins, Coming Undone), you don't care and will sing and head bang to anything ranging from band, to a rhythmic rumble of a washing machine or dryer (analogy!) Remarkably, Korn's set list does not cease to be a sales/seduction metaphor here. It's an obvious truth that Korn want their audience to see them again in the future.

They don't want them to leave feeling dirty, used and publicly shamed for having enjoyed Korn in 2014. Instead they validate you with the big guns: "Shoots and Ladders" (mixed with "Somebody Someone"), "Freak On A Leash" and "Blind". These need no introduction were received as vehemently as ice water in hell.

In hindsight, a vocal majority of their veteran fans spent the last half the decade embarrassed with each succeeding release. As music enthusiast (surprise!), I complied an endless list of records that have permanently taken priority over Korn in daily life. All of that goes completely out the window when hear the signature hi-hat intro in "Blind" 70 VandaiaMagazine.Coin - August 2014

Roc sta r Eriariig and Job Davis' herculean scream and Munky's grungy minimalistic bass lines seem like the heaviest thing ever.

Avenged Sevenfold It can either be a complete surprise and an expectation for some that Avenged Sevenfold completely stole the show. To be fair, if a band is headlining a tour over Korn, they must be at a high point in their career.

High point may not actually do them justice, as it seemed every single ounce of space in Molson Amphitheater, which seats 16, 000 was cramped and at absolute attention. If one was not at attention for their music, they were instinctively coerced to attention by the sheer production value of the stage effects. Oh man, the stage effects! It would only be fitting for a metal band named after a biblical verse, to have live theatrics that on paper would not be out of place in the Old Testament. It is as if the band acknowledged that while their music may not be for everybody,.. but it bloody well will be if they start jotting notes straight from an episode of Metalocaplypse but had it scaled down to legally and financially feasible.

Only 10 minutes after Korn left the stage, the backdrop was replaced with a grand stair case merged with the black stage on a 14 foot wall. This wall served as a holding platform for 3 Gothic, European church windows, which are often defined by their staple stained glass. Each one of these windows were about 30 feet tall, branded with the signature Skull Bats. A great scatter of fog jet activate and the 2 adjacent windows open up to reveal that they are in fact giant video projections of live stage cameras. Everyone is cheering, excited and curious. Suddenly the giant black curb catches S separate small sustained fires, the stage floods red with satanic red lights and a minor riff plays the intro to Shepherd's Fire. The drums join, the flames shoot skyward and an explosion temporarily omitted every person's ability to hear for a mile, right before the singer's first vocal delivery. From this point forward every single person within the amphitheater was hypnotized by M.Shadows' stage presence.

Nightmare & Domination were comparatively light on the production's budget and only focused on vivaciously flooding - lighting everything with fuchsia, while tracking Zacky's & Synester's solos on the adjacent jumbo screens. Comparatively speaking videos of people sweeping are not flamethrowers or lasers. On record A7X is something that never tickled or offended my fancy. Presuming the all the effects tricks were out of the bag, I rose to leave to use the restroom. The singer, roared some generic banter the concluded with Hail To The King. My initial commentary was "oh please don't let it be a song about Duken Nukem". I grinned at the hilarity of my own joke and was apparently so busy inwardly patting myself on back for being so smart that I barely noticed the other odd 15, 999 people around me chanting "HAIL! HAIL" to an epic intro solo. The theatre flooded with satanic red light, only eliminating the hailing devil horns and the band. Then suddenly, the middle 30 foot tall, gothic window, which has been innocuous for the entire 3 songs splits into half. A grimacing, five person tall, skeleton brandishing a crown and sword rises. The verse begins and all eight stage flamethrowers are fired high enough, to feel the heat on your face a hundred meters away, but just short the Skeleton King's grin, crown and sword hilt. I froze in place, jaw hanging because my instincts just tripped over themselves. On one hand, a life time role-playing games has conditioned me to fight every skeleton, ever. On the other hand, when your body is so confused on adrenaline, giant skeletons popping out of walls will definitely shoot 'flight' into your nerves for a fraction of a second.

There is but a single course of action when one realizes that he is so absorbed that the mind attributed the reality of the flames, heat and auditory bombs towards a giant plastic August 2014 - VandalaMagazine.Com 71

Suicide SilencP Suicide Silence is not a band widely known for driving a performance with gears any other than brutal'', setting up', or 'not currently here'. It was therefore, extremely appropriate for them to kick off the set with "No Pity For A Coward". Following their previous vocalists unfortunate accident, they were forced to acquire a new vocalist, ex-All Shall Perish Hernan Hermida. Luke Holland was an incredibly hard act to follow. It is expected that old school fans would be very critical in their evaluations. It only took the first verse to put the skeptics in their place. It is far more difficult to peer over one's rose tinted glasses and humbly applaud instead of jeering. This track defined Suicide Silence and it was done well. Having gotten the crowd's attention and having secured the festival's attention, the band followed up with "Ceased To Exist", which opened up a quarter mile circle pit. By the end of the song, the pit became a self sustaining cyclone and it became far safer to wait for the track to end, then attempt an escape. I would like to think that Hernan re-colonized this, but every band on this tour had a frigid, non negotiable set list and time frame. Regardless, when the smoke cleared and the dust settled and there a universally felt moment of clarity. Hernan ceased this opportunity ironically ask the silent audience to "shut the fck up because I'm only going to say this once". He paused and whispered in an incredibly private tone that stretched out to odd 5 thousand people before him "if you hate the world around you...". Suddenly a swift motion split the crowd into two Unanimously, as if choreographed, the floor split to make space about 500 meters wide. The opening blast beats to "F*ck Everything" started rolling, and one brave soul in the middle challenged both of the frenzied factions by dropping trow, to proudly show case his pale and bulbous behind. He didn't even attempt to leaving the pit, or at least slightly pull his shorts up before both of the first to fight front liners converged upon him. Godspeed, brave soul. It is at this point this writer temporarily suspended his journalistic obligations, to draw his first blood for the evening to "Wake Up".

In short it was a great set. Suicide Silence began as lets 'Drop B' tuning chug out breakdowns so low, that people will have something to practice their spin kicks to. They definitely matured since then and now they are actively pursuing a glory grander than being a well received metal band. After carefully studying their rehearsed conclusion with "You Can't Stop Me" & "You Only Live Once", I was more impressed by their overall showmanship, energy and ability create non verbal relationships with the audience. They are becoming a decentralized feeling shared by a generation, much like Slipknot was before them. The proof in this is how their later tracks have a distinct nu-metal polish, like "You Only Live Once". These, particular drum and vocal segments play like Suicide Silence, but it I'm sure there is inspiration from Joey Jordison and Corey Taylor.

Clean singing on record can definitely make or break a band. A major segment of it falls on the personal preferences of the individual, but if a band falls on the wrong side of that disposition, it will not let you objectively enjoy any of the other separate musicians.

Fortunately Miss May I is 5 times better sounding live. Perhaps a recent stylistic adjustment, or the production value . If I could offer them 1 piece of advice, fire the sound engineer who recorded the vocals on their first two albums and hire the guy who mixed their live show. Within 7 songs their live performance changed my opinion of them from "bad falsetto" to "rad metalcore with an excellent drummer". Unfortunately this opinion wasn't widely shared amongst the thousands of people directly in front of them. The reception was somewhat luke warm, which to be fair may have simply been the crowd. If it was hardcore festival, "Hey Mister", "Hero With No Name, You Want Me, Gone, Day By Day would have definitely opened a hardcore dancing area.

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Lime MA= Toronto, ON statue on wheels: "HAAIILL TO THE KING!!". This was the apex of the festival. A primal, adrenal urge to submit to surged through the Amphitheater's unwashed masses. In that perfect moment, two things have suddenly become clear to me. The first is how the majority of man's known history was successfully shaped by the bluffing power of monarch minorities inventing the 'Divine Right's of Kings' concept and making the especially convincing case to their impoverished peasant countrymen that "well... God did tell me that it is his divine will for me to be lavishly rich and rule over you. The second is how gratifying it is to rest all ambiguous philosophical concepts of equality, theology and destiny on a sword, a crown and fire. Needless to say, Avenged Sevenfold went on for two encores.

What pattern can we observe across all of these acts? Showmanship and theatrics are elements that no band can ignore, no matter the genre. Even gods like Animals As Leaders and Mesuggah understand the value of trying stimulate as many sense as possible,

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1;30 KM FROM PARIS

2 DAYS PASS: 5 E + FEE FREE CAMP SITE

VintAINV. FA 1.1.0 F SUM MER.FR

Festival Diary:, Fear and Loathing in elisson eorning of Age in the Pits of Hell Diary of Matt Bacon Hellfest 2014. One of the biggest heavy metal festivals of all time. This year there would be such greats playing as Iron Maiden, Slayer, Carcass, and Black Sabbath. Suffice to say, the French metal scene was aflutter with anticipation for months before the fest. They were preparing what was surely to be the greatest heavy metal event the nation had ever seen. I was lucky enough to work for the festival, this along with my previous work with my heavy metal blog gave me an incredible level of access. I decided to take this intimate knowledge of the festival to divulge a story about Hellfest, not just another review.

Day 1-Arrivai Thursday, my friend Dennis from Sweden had stayed at my house the night before, we went to the station where we agreed to meet my friend Mike who had recently arrived from Texas and his new acquaintance Tai from Vancouver. Already, you get a sense for the very international nature of this festival. While the majority of festival goers were French, at least 50% of the crowds came from different nations and English was the predominant language.

On top of that, I barely knew my travelling companions, having met all but one for the first time that week. Things were going to be insane, no matter what we did. We get in the train, France's famous TGV, as we got closer to the sacred land of Clisson (Where Hellfest takes place) we gradually saw more and more metalheads in the train. This culminated in a jam packed regional train to the festival crammed with thousands of fans screaming as we roared down the tracks, ever closer to that sacred earth. On the TGV we made friends with a pair of older American couples who traded us liquor for food and water. Who knew that buying baguettes and Evian would one day help get me drunk? Reality was already starting to fade away. As my friend Tai put it, "This is what I love about metal, we're one big, retarded, screwed up family".

Finally, after a long walk from the station to the actual site (Put some signs up next year!) it was time to find our camp spots. As a volunteer, it took me an especially long time to figure out where I needed to be. I did however find a case of free beer, so the weekend was off to an incredible start As opE" marched about trying to find my designated camping spot and plowing my way through a six pack I realized that this weekend may very well kill me. As long as I saw Sabbath first I knew it would be okay. So I continued my search for a campground before finally setting up next to my new friends Gerard and ROW " IL L _ Gerome, the only people for about a hundred yards, they seemed nice enough. It certainly Photo Credit - Ronan THENADEY Photography seemed like an ideal campsite. As a disclaimer, after this point things started to go mad, Hunter S Thompson style mad, alcohol took over my life, and walking in a straight line was but a fading memory.

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After finally setting up my tent I head on down to the main campground and joined up with my drinking buddies, we leave for the vaunted 'Metal Corner' a camper hangout on the grounds filled to the brim with bars, places to eat, and general partying. One highlight of the early part of my evening was the discovery that you could actually purchase beer in 3 pint jugs for cheaper than buying just standard pints. This would soon lead to an alcoholocaust of the likes of which I had never before experienced. Night fell on Hellfest and the fans started to 76 VandalaMagazine.Com - August 2014

Festimal Diariy. Franeme scream in anticipation, a mighty roar going up after every pint. I sat there with my friends as we realized we were on the brink of the best weekend of our lives.

As the night got colder we wandered over to the main campsite, fully ready to get trashed in anticipation of the festival. As I wandered around the campsite I bumped into a variety of French metal buddies, all of whom were excited and ready for the weekend to come. I had never felt a stronger bond with my French metal brethren, we were sitting on the brink of a weekend that would change all of our lives and we knew it. Towards one in the morning I went on a extended walk with my good friend James from the rising French death metal band Geostygma (Somebody book those guys!). As we talked about the future and the possible ways forward after my impending move to America it felt as if we were on the brink of something new, exciting and maybe a little sad. We started down a brave new world which we would start to embrace this weekend.

By three in the morning I'm wrecked, I know I need to get back to my tent, and as I wander I start to contemplate this festival as a landmark event in my life. Away from home and finished high school, this is the closest thing I would ever have to a graduation trip, and there was a clear significance for this weekend as a coming of age ceremony. Maybe I haven't gone to Cancun with high school girls like my peers, but I certainly have made friends with random Scandinavians in a campsite of 40,000 people. Stumbling out of the campground I bumped into my friend Willem, a guy who I had spoken to online for years and had very much anticipated meeting at Hellfest. Of course, I could barely walk at this point and our first conversation was simply limited to me using my crew pass to help open a few doors for him to be able to access the campsite. (Seriously, why did none of the security guards speak English?) This reflects the strange ability of Hellfest to bring fans together, from across the globe, seemingly by accident. It's my first taste of the incredible magic of this festival. After some searching I crash in my tent and pass out. Hell is coming.

Day 2-So It Begins Turns out, the night before I had somehow lost my Slayer sweatshirt while wandering around drunk, and so I was almost dead before the festival even started. Hypothermia is never a fun experience, and trying to figure out how to stay warm when you can barely walk straight isn't always easy. Suffice to say, waking up with chattering teeth and a monster hangover is never a good start to a day. Nonetheless, I somehow made it out of my tent and wandered over to Conan, wanting to show up early so I could talk to the guys, we had really hit it off when we first hung out in Paris. On this left hand path I seemed to bump into a number of friends, and those who hurt less than I seemed to find my state most amusing. The oppressive recovery from this hangover would not be easy. Yet I still had hope, my journey to hell was finally ready to start.

Start it did, Conan delivered a simply killer set, loud and passionate. There were two key differences from the last time I had seen them. Their set time was pretty much halved and they actually had their normal lineup. The sheer power communicated in Pauls blasts and Jons roaring vocals mixed in with drop tuned guitar riffs is a force to be reckoned with. Even if you don't usually like doom metal these guys are a must-see. The grunge based attack of their songs is incredibly human and really allows the band to rise up and shine, masters of their own reality. Conan speak to the humanity within us all, using fantasy lyrics to construct strange earths that leave the listener contemplating the world around them. This is the music of men who seek to open our minds about a world that wishes we'd shut up and conform.

After the set I sat down with Jon for a quick interview and started to really get in to the magic of his music, as well as the magic of Hellfest. These guys are not just musicians, but pioneers, they are pushing boundaries I didn't even know existed. Hanging out with them (As I did for the whole weekend) taught me interesting new things about music and life, allowing me to find out things about myself that I had previously never known. Spirits connecting across time and generations bonded by an otherworldly force. This is what heavy metal is all about, learning about not just who you are, but who you want to be and these are guys who I am August 2014 - VandalaMagazine..Carr 77

certainly using as models for exactly that. Does that make me a sappy romantic? Probably. But if I'm going to be a romantic it might as well be over one of the best bands on the scene today.

M.O.D Photo Credit - Mao Gu'hal

Suddenly, it was time for Toxic Holocaust. Now, I've always believed that thrash metal under the sun is the best kind of thrash metal, and these guys certainly seemed to support that notion. By now I had kicked back a few, and that all-too familiar buzz started to consume my brain. The rapid metal attack of Toxic Holocaust is not to be missed, and it speaks to the true magic of thrash.

Bring in people smoking weed in the rnosh pit and you get a sense for the fast times and desperate measures that were crashing down around me. Something about songs like 666 prove the beauty of a genre that has helped to define metal for so long. While I wasn't too familiar with the bands recorded output, seeing them live certainly proved to me that these dudes are musicians who understand what the genre is all about. And while many modern purveyors are simply following a trend I get the distinct impression that Toxic Holocaust are bringing something new and exciting while simultaneously pleasing old school fans. A sort of communion of blood, sweat and mosh pits, how many modern thrash acts can claim to really do that?

I had a bit of a break now between bands who I wanted to see, so I made my way over to the backstage area for MOD to do another interview. These guys have long been friends of mine, and their buddy Mike, who I came to Hel!fest with, actually works with their guitarist, and was a childhood friend of the drummer (Who are incidentally, both named Mike). Seeing as the band was preparing to play in front of more than 10,000 people, their biggest show yet, tensions were running high. Though the guys were excited, it seemed like MOD's set would be life changing for most of the members and they knew that it could very well define the future of the band.

So perhaps it is fitting that when MOD finally did hit the Main stage 2 around four in the afternoon the circle pit they kicked off spawned a dust storm that towered a hundred feet above the crowds. Their set was filled with both MOD and SOD classics, proving that these guys deserve their place as legends. For an older guy, Billy Milano has a stunning delivery, his guttural growls reach into a bottom end that even guys like Chris Barnes can have difficulty with. Watching this through my sun and alcohol addled brain started to make me realize the bigger picture behind this band. MOD reigned triumphant, playing in front of more people than they ever had before and giving hard proof that one day Milano may triumph over his sworn nemesis, Scott Ian. This man may have a few screws loose, but perhaps he put it best when he cried out "This one goes out to Scott Ian" before breaking into a crazed rendition of the SOD track "Kill Yourself".

After MOD wrapped up, I ran with Mike to the Temple stage to be able to watch Impaled Nazarene. Despite being hindered by a few technical issues, Impaled Nazarene played with an impressive energy. Their blazing black metal attack was certainly something to be reckoned with and the inhuman shrieks of the bands vocalist left me in awe of a veritable black metal mega-force. This is the kind of band who understands the true darkness of the genre and use it to blaze forward, commanding the stage and cracking skulls all around. As the mosh pit raged in front of me, it was easy to feel in touch with those terrifying atavistic forces that drive a genre that seems determined to annihilate the church.

Evening still had yet to fail, but there wasn't much I wanted to see before Iron Maiden started.

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Festhval Diaw? Franeme I went around the VIP area and bumped in to old friends. I even stumbled across the guys from Satan's Satyrs, excited for what was to be their biggest performance yet when they would take the stage on Sunday. As we got closer to the time for the New Wave of British Heavy Metal's most legendary band, I also took a chance to check out the food, which was surprisingly good, and had a remarkable variety of options. This weekend was only going to get better, and after being exposed to the VIP area, I knew that my decadent heavy metal partying would be welcome with open arms.

Right before Iron Maiden took the stage I somehow snuck into the VIP Plus area, being granted access to an open bar and a better view on the Main stage 1. I was one of few long hairs in this crowded deck and almost certainly the only one to have seen Iron Maiden before.

As I talked to the people around me wearing collared shirts and nicely combed hair, I realized these people didn't really 'get' metal. I wasn't entirely sure what this breed were doing here, and so I solved this conundrum the way I solve most of my problems, getting drunker.

Anyway, the band stormed onto the stage and played a great set, what more could you want from these guys? Iron Maiden have always understood how to rip up a stage and capture the hearts and minds of the audience. So what if they played a pretty much identical set list as compared to when I saw them last year It's still Iron Maiden, and they will never fail, so up the Irons! A particular highlight was Bruce Dickinson announcing the score of the ongoing soccer match between France and Switzerland. It was even more exciting as the French team stormed forth to win 5-2, a fact that kept the crowd going and bodies flying all night long.

Finally it was time to see Slayer, one of my favorite bands ever (I wear my Slayer Eagle belt buckle, Jeff, every day of the year) and a band I had never seen before. Their set was but an hour long, yet it was incredibly satisfying. Sure they only have two original members left but these guys still bring the mosh in a way no other band in the world can. Slayer are Slayer because they have a profound and very fundamental understanding of thrash metal. No one can mess with their attack, Kerry King would just stomp them out. So while, being so far from the stage made it a bit underwhelming, these guys certainly put together an interesting and exciting set list which I will not soon forget. As they closed with my perennial favorite, Angel of Death, I realized that I had truly found my true calling in hell, to thrash 'til death.

So my first day of Hellfest came to a close. I had seen two of my favorite bands ever along with four more who I very much adore. Of course, things were only set to get better, and seeing all the interviews I had scheduled for the next day I figure I should probably get some form of sleep. After writing a translation for the Hellfest website (Which I was too drunk to remember writing, oh well) I wandered back and hit the hay, wondering what kind of treasures the next day in hell would bring me.

Day 3-The Best Day of My Life?

For a day that will probably stick with me forever, it certainly took a while to get started. The first band I wanted to see, Subrosa, didn't start until 2. So I took the intervening time to go join up with my friends in Witch Mountain (Who would be playing later in the day) and Conan.

It was around this time that I discovered that I could steal wine from the catering tent and not be yelled at for it. This, along with the fact that the catering tent was right next to the Valley stage where all of my favorite doom metal bands were hanging out, made for a very pleasant added feature to an already glorious weekend. If I wasn't inebriated enough at the start, things would only get crazier from here on out. A pleasant haze settled over me as I prepared to watch the days shows.

Meeting Subrosa before their set was truly an honor. The girls and guys in the band are all simply wonderful people. Right away, I really hit it off with Rebecca, the bands singer and guitarist, so much so that she made me an origami organ out of a flyer I had on hand. I know I'm not supposed to make friends with the musicians, but in many cases, it's exceedingly difficult, damn objectivity, isn't it simply a byproduct of a plastic culture? Sarah appreciated the red wine I scored for her, proving once again that alcohol does in fact make you more friends. As the band got ready to go on I prepared myself for the sort of heavy metal August 2014 - VandalaMagazine,Com 79

FLesivial

Hellfest 2014 redemption that comes but rarely. More Constant Than Gods was one of my favorite records of 2013 and I couldn't see myself not loving every minute of their show.

Their set was simply transcendent, among the best that I saw at Hellfest. Seeing this band that I have loved so much for so long and then getting to hang out with them afterwards...words cannot express the joy and honor I had felt at getting this opportunity. Their set was fairly long, and their closer, the instant classic, The Usher, spirited me away to a mysterious world. Musically these guys are incredibly tight, their bottom end roars mightily and the crazed violin playing of Kim and Sarah is mum both non-traditional and strangely magnificent. It's a sort of mix of Schoenberg with Beethoven, Photo Credit - CSAOH Photographyl experimental, yet also very easy to engage with. I feel like these guys are even heavier live than on the record and all of the best elements of their sound are emphasized. The fact that they have a US tour lined up in just a few weeks has got me incredibly excited.

While Subrosa was loading out I sat down with Mark from Downfall of Gala (A crazy story featuring him will show up shortly, don't worry) and Paul from Conan to talk about being a metal drummer. This was a very unique interview and I found it to be incredibly interesting.

Once this one was wrapped up it was time to talk to the incredibly sweet Rebecca from Subrosa, about spirituality in her music and the strangely holy triumph that defines so much of her bands sound. I still had a ton of interviews scheduled to go on the day and I had already done two of the most interesting in my life, where was this madness heading? Clearly I had to drink up.

Next for me was checking out Witch Mountain on the same stage. I had seen these guys only 10 days prior, but it was still an absolute privilege to get to watch them again. Uta Plotkin has a way of laying into it with her voice that no other doom metal vocalist can touch. The way she leans back and lets rip is truly something to be reckoned with. It gives the music a very profound authenticity, the sort of thing that really hearkens back to the traditional Black Sabbath-oriented roots of the band. Otherwise, these guys were magnificently tight, Rob's guitar playing simply ripped as per usual and Charles bass created a lively and engaging bottom end. Meanwhile, Nate played shirtless (hotly and my position from the side of the stage really granted me the chance to get a grasp on the incredible level of skill this guy brings behind the kit, certainly a metal master for the masses.

By now it was almost time for my scheduled interview with Carcass, so I made my way on down to the press tent, an interview the gals from Subrosa seemed especially interested to hear about. Somehow though, Bill Steer and Jeff Walker had disappeared, or at least, no one could locate them to do my interview. Perhaps I reeked too much of wine to be granted the interview, I did after all steal a beer from the artist fridge while standing in front of their label representative. On the plus side though I finally met Gunnar from Season of Mist, and then almost immediately after was introduced by him to my longtime hero Luc Lemay of Gorguts.

Having one of my favorite musicians ever be told that I'm a "Great guy" by a man who works for my favorite record label is simply one of the many surreal and magical moments that dominated my Hellfest experience, and perhaps what made this particular weekend so special for me.

At this point I got a text from my buddy Igor Cavalera (Max's son, not his brother) and I made my way to the artist lodgings. I had another dose of Hellfest magic when I walked in and found my mentor Gloria Cavalera standing right there. After a brief chat she gave me directions over to the Soulfly tour bus. Igor Cavalera let me on and we got to talking with his SO Vandalarlagazine,Com - August 2014

girlfriend Aggy. Much to my surprise, she was familiar with the obscure doom metal band Bloodmoon, (Whose t-shirt I had been sporting) like I said, Hellfest is magic. After a few minutes we all got together to do an interview with all of the Cavalera boys (Finally getting to meet Richie Cavalera from Incite and Zyon was of course an honor) by this point I was starting to get tired out, and little did I know the best was yet to come.

I made my way to the side of the stage for Hatebreed. Let me tell you, there is nothing quite like watching one of your favorite bands from less than 10 feet away with thousands of people in front of you. The band delivered an incredible set, and so my first time seeing them cemented their place as one of my all time favorite acts. The raw positive aggression and primitive destructive force of some of these songs is certainly something that few modern musicians can compare too. On top of that, the sheer energy that Jamey )asta brings to the stage is utterly unreal. How can this guy have so much power behind his music and be so damn creative? How many other men in metal can be half as busy as him and with half as much success? Hatebreed is a special band, and the friendliness of the members (I also met Chris and Matt) really left me in awe. I have long felt that Hatebreed is a force of good in this turbulent world, and seeing them at Hellfest only confirmed this belief.

The highlight though came shortly after the show when I got the chance to interview Jasta, who, if you didn't pick up on it earlier, is kind of my hero. His humility and sense of honor left me in awe, this man is not a rock star, this man is a legend, but a legend who is both approachable and kind. A man who stands above the rest because not only is he true to this word, he is one of the friendliest and most honest people in metal. After the interview he gave me a hug and I almost started to cry, this is the sort of guy who I simply cannot speak highly enough of, and meeting him certainly felt like a coming of age moment if nothing else. If somebody had told me a week before I would interview him I would never have believed them. As Jasta himself said "Take it all in man!"

Of course, by this time, Sou!fly had just started, so I darted over to the Main stage 1, now with even more people gathered out front. The band played a tight set, just as they had when I last saw them in March and it left me impressed with the incredible endurance of Max Cavalera.

Playing a set loaded with Sou!fly and Sepultura classics, these guys were a blast to watch. A special highlight for me was when Max invited his children (and my friends!) Igor and Richie on stage to perform Revengenced with him, a true family moment. It was that good old Hellfest magic in the works again. As I stood there, watching this incredible performance featuring people I chat with regularly, I looked to my right and saw Gloria Cavalera and Aggie.

Then I look left, and who is standing there but Mark Osogueda, the singer of Death Angel. what have I ever done to merit a blessing like this? what kind of strange world has been created around me that this sort of glorious magic could even happen? These are the things that made my Hellfest experience simply otherworldly, and as I write this, on my way back to America I'm still left trying to understand what the hell happened.

Of course, I still had bands to see, on this longest day of the year (It was the solstice after all) the sun had yet to set! Of course, there was still a while yet before the final highlight of the night was due on, so I once again went exploring. There were simply so many cool and interesting people hanging around the festival it was impossible to be bored. In just one brief walk I bumped into Bjorn from Kvelertak and John from Trollfest. At one point I even got taken to sit down and chat with a bunch of industry bigwigs, because, why not? Why, I even met the manager of King Diamond and Emperor. The fact that all of these thousands of people were gathered together for heavy metal blew my mind, and demonstrated the incredible triumph of this festival.

It was late now, and after a brief misadventure with Igor Cavalera (we needed to get a car for Max so he could go to see Nile in privacy) I was ready to check out Phil Anselmo & The Illegals, the aforementioned highlight of the night. Watching from the side of the Valley stage with Paul from Conan and a couple dudes from Witch Mountain and Subrosa was simply unreal. Here I was, standing with some of my favorite musicians and I was not two feet away from one of the most important men in the history of metal. As us fans on the side of the stage August 2014 - VandalaMagazine.Com 81

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started to push our way closer to the fore the tour manager, Martin, got gradually more pissed off, but it was worth it, all shall be done in the name of metal!

As for the music? Well, it was simply incredible. I had forgotten how wonderfully ugly Phil AnseIrno's & The Illegals is meant to sound, and the frightening grindcore blasts that roared out of the four piece was insane. There were a lot of interesting highlights too. Particularly interesting were a few Superjoint Ritual covers, a band whose material I thought I would never see be played live. Another special moment was when Phil turned around and gave a huge hug to Paul, who had just been telling me how much he admired Mr. Anselmo. The emotion in his face during that hug was beautiful, it was clearly a dream come true for him.

The culmination of the set was a reprise of the Pantera classic "A New Level" leaving all of us punters with a healthy dose of Pantera in our veins. As Phil trudged off stage I got a chance to reach out and touch that sacred flesh, honor the almighty one, a man who cannot be reckoned with.

My heart buzzing with joy I went over to the artist lodge where I got to interview both Steven and Marzi, Phil's bassist and guitarist, in separate interviews. Marzi's interview was a special highlight. Not only was he a great guy (As well as a fan of my pretend big sister, Nelly, and her band Unscarred) he gave a great interview, after which he declared us brothers. How's that as a way to end your night? Then it was time for a quick trip to the media team tent to do another translation then fell asleep back in my own tent. My second day of Helifest had proven to be probably the greatest day of my life.

Day 4-Helifest Comes to An End So now it was time for the third and final day of what had proven to be a truly momentous occasion. I woke up fairly early and stuffed on my bright yellow Satan's Satyrs shirt before I went down to grab some tea. Today I was going to start with Satans Satyrs and wind up with the almighty Black Sabbath, what more could a guy ask for? The day started hard and fast, people knew this would be their last chance to party before the long road home and we were all pretty pumped for the madness to come.

Satan's Satyrs played a simply stellar set as per usual. Their fun brand of occult old school rock and roll is never to be missed. These guys really understand what it's all about and sets like this one allow them to stand tall, masters of a world that they have founded for themselves. Steeped deep in the worship of the 60s heavy scene it was impossible to tell the band hadn't rehearsed in a few weeks. They blasted forward with a stunning live energy and seemed to get the crowd going. KK of the popular French groove metal act Trepalium fell in love at first site, to the point of providing the bands guitarist with a much sought after joint.

Once they were done playing we sat down for an interview (Yes, I interviewed a TON of people this weekend) and once more we got a chance to delve into what makes this group so special. They have a clear understanding of heavy music as a cosmic force and this really lets them dig in and capture the hearts of the fans. The combination of virile youthful energy with the magic of the 70s is certainly a lot to be reckoned with. atans Satyrs understand rock and roll, and as I ate lunch with the bands drummer, Steve, I started to realize just how obsessed these kids are! It's truly impressive. Not a lot of bands are willing to go back as far and have such a manic dedication to a genre that so many of their peers seem to disregard.

Once lunch was finished I ran over to see Crowbar on the Mainstage 1. Their set was loud and riff heavy as usual. These guys really know how to play their instruments and watching them take over the stage for the second time in two weeks was an honor. Kirk Windstein is not just a showman, but a veritable genius. He understands what sludge metal is meant to be all about, and watching him command a crowd is always a treat. His large arm gestures and dominating voice make you feel immediately engaged. The fact that he remembered me was also really cool and once more set my heart aflutter. As fans screamed along to the set closer, the classic Planets Collide it became pretty clear, Crowbar may be from New Orleans, but they certainly have a solid future touring the globe for years to come.

Repulsion provided another moment of that good old Hel!fest magic. This time I watched from 82 Vandalailagazine.Com - August 2014

the side of the stage with members of witch Mountain, Subrosa (And got yet another hug from Rebecca) and Satan's Satyrs. Three of my favorite bands, all of whom knew and wanted to hang out with me. You don't get cooler than that. As for Repulsion, their set was wonderfully violent, Scott Carlson is almost an American Lemmy. He roars out above the crowd with a slightly drunken swagger adding a very rock and roll feel to the music. The crazed speed of this group is not something to be forgotten and proved that Repulsion have still got it. A special highlight was when they dedicated a song to Satan's Satyrs, the members of which seemed to be really touched by the honor. In short, Repulsion was furious, brutal, and really everything I could have expected from a triumphant old school death metal band.

I had a rather special experience watching Dark Angel play, proving once again that it pays off to be nice to people I got to watch the band from the photo pit for their entire set, despite not having a camera. Turns out, I had previously shared a beer with the guy in charge of managing the photo pit and he was totally cool with me staying for the duration. This really allowed me to get a good view on the triumph that was the Dark Angel set. As they stormed through classics I was shocked at how hard Gene Hoglan hits the drums. The vocal lines were stellar and the guitars vicious, Dark Angel haven't lost their spark. Watching a band this legendary play fills me with a strange mix of emotions, joy at having gotten to see them, but also sadness that I didn't know them in their heyday, and that they too shall soon pass into the void. Is this the wisdom of coming of age or simply the ramblings of a drunken teenager?

I'm still not quite sure.

I had a bit of a wait now before the next group I wanted to see. I made my way over to the VIP area and sat down next to Justin from Electric Wizard as he smoked weed out of a pipe.

All of the doom and stoner metal bands seemed to be together, a sort of garden party from hell. Suddenly I had been accepted into this very exclusive and noble group, if this wasn't a coming of age I don't know what is. I was almost brought to tears as I sat contemplating how much great music all of the people around me had put out How do you even cope with an honor of this scale? Fortunately I didn't have to wonder too long because it was time for Emperor.

After trying to sneak backstage to Emperor with a friend in a band who shall remained unnamed for legal reasons I ended up being kicked out and then creeping around out front in an attempt to get a decent spot to see Emperor. In the end I was almost in the front row as Ihsahn roared onto the stage and led the band through all of In The Nightside Eclipse. My one disappointment was that Ihsahn seemed to encourage the mosh pit, which seems a little odd for a guy who is supposed to be a super-serious Satanist. Seriously though, moshing at black metal shows? Really? Regardless, Emperor where probably the best live black metal band that I have ever seen, and I've seen a lot. Their pyro was spot on and the playing incredibly tight.

There was a very transcendent feel to their gig, and standing there as the masses screamed along was glorious. These guys have not lost their spark, and it's easy to remember why In The Nightside Eclipse is viewed as an all time classic.

Next it was finally time for the highlight of the whole weekend, Black Sabbath. I ran about, trying to score some sort of VIP access and tragically failing. I finally made my way out to a semi-decent spot in the crowd, but was still pretty far away. Regardless, I was crying by the third song. Sure it's not the full lineup. Sure Ozzy's voice isn't always exactly spot on. But that's not what really matters to me. It's watching those guys deliver some truly colossal riffs and beautifully memorable heavy metal that will never be forgotten. Things ratcheted up to another level of madness when I turned around and noticed that I was standing next to Justin from Electric Wizard. This was perhaps the culmination of the weekends magic, watching my favorite band ever.

The emotions I felt after Sabbath were mixed to say the least. I was filled with joy at finally having seen the band, and I felt like I had gotten to take part in something larger than myself.

That being said, if the band wraps up now, be disappointed I only got to see them once.

There are so many other tracks I need to see the band play live. Even though they played a lot of classics (And only two songs off 13!) there is always more Sabbath to be seen. So was it the August 2014 - VandalaMagazine.Com 83

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best gig of my life? Probably not. But will I remember it forever? I like to think I will. These are the things that stick with you, heavy metal magic, and dedication to your favorite bands.

There is no group in the world who compare to Black Sabbath, and perhaps it's better that way.

And now it was after party time! I got down to the artist lodges early enough to hang out with Conan for a little bit before they had to pull out to go on home. Paul's final words to me were that I was "A good lad" and should "keep in touch" hugs all around, but I was sad to see them go. That's what happens when you're friends with the rock stars, at the end of the day, no matter how well you hit it off, you always have to go home. This was a major learning moment for me, coming of age in this strange world of alcohol, narcotics and doom metal is not for everybody, but it's certainly interesting. The lessons learned here cannot be found anywhere else, but then again, who else but a doom metal freak would find these things applicable to daily life?

I then went back to the VIP area, stumbling around for some friends and reflecting on the changes I was going through. It was already Monday morning and in less than 36 hours I would be moved to America. It created a weird feeling, when would I see these people again?

Not just dudes in bands, but also my friends from France. These are the kind of things that keep me up at night. I may very well have learned the most about myself at this festival simply by wandering around alone, reflecting on the sublime sadness that defines so much of our existence.

I finally bump into the guys from Downfall of Gala and things started to rage. By this point my liver was shot, and I could barely drink. The Downfall of Gala guys were hanging out with a seemingly insane girl from Belgium who kept threatening those around her. It was like some sort of surreal communion to cap off a weekend that could not have been better. What was I to think of it, and what would I do next? After a weekend like this how do you recover? After saying good night to those guys I wandered back to my tent, making friends with a security guard along the way. I fell asleep, aware that Hellfest was now truly over, and for tomorrow's hangover there would be no heavy metal redemption.

Now usually people say that their homeward journey was boring and defined by a massive hangover. Not me, I'm far too stupid for it to go that simply. See, my friends and I ended up sneaking onto a train going in the wrong direction and going a hundred kilometers in the wrong direction. Suddenly, we found ourselves stranded in the small town of Belleville, with no train due for four hours. We had not even a hundred Euros between us and no clue how to get to somewhere that could take us to Nantes and then Paris. Realizing there was no attendant in the train station and all of our phones were running out of minutes, and there was no way we would find someone to give us a ride we realized we were screwed. Or so it seemed.

Somehow we were able to call a taxi, we thought we had just enough money to cover it. As the taxi arrived we realized that we might get blown off for smelling of beer and not having showered in days. Yet Thor smiled upon us, the driver had a son our age and her boss had been to Hellfest. She knew she could trust metal dudes and that despite our alcoholic despair we meant no harm. The kind woman even thought it was funny that we had barely eaten for the past week, having instead (As you well know by now) indulged in vast amounts of alcohol, she said it reminded her of her own son. She took us to the nearest large station and even gave us a small discount on our taxi fare, things were looking up for our intrepid trio.

Now, we had to sneak past security and get onto this next train. With no place to sit, we were forced to try and find a spot in an area that looked like it was normally reserved for baggage.

Surrounded by hobos and their ilk I realized we had truly become hitchhikers. Why, that night my only prepared lodging was a squat. Electro-space hippies getting dirty looks from paying passengers, such was the sorry state of our existence. If that's not coming of age, I don't know what is. Here we were in the middle of nowhere, struggling to find our way out of a tight spot, with no 1000/o guarantee of a safe place to sleep on the other side. But perhaps this was 84 vandalarlagazine.Com - August 2014

same of that Hel!fest magic left aver. We were finding our way back from the middle of nowhere, we were young men proving ourselves, that we could triumph in the face of all adversity. Sure we didn't know each other before Thursday, and sure we all came from a different far flung corner of the world, yet somehow bonds greater than we could imagine had united us, trying to find a way out. We may not have hunting expeditions to prove our worth, nor do we have fights for honor (Usually), but we have this, hung over misadventures that test resourcefulness and show that perhaps mankind isn't as screwed as we always say it is.

The adventure still wasn't over though, we now had to smuggle ourselves on board yet another train for a two and half hour ride from Nantes to Paris. My friend Dennis and I had a conversation about politics while Tai slept. We were never even ticketed, feigning sleep every time the officer came by. Technically we had tickets, but they were for an earlier train. We had come so far we didn't want to risk getting kicked off, and we didn't have the money to pay the fine. So we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best, and somehow, we made it through. On top of that, there were definitely some illicit substances being transported, and quite frankly, smuggling products which shall remain unnamed for 600 kilometers through the heart of France is not something I needed to be busted for in my hung over state.

Perhaps the most notable thing that happened on our ride home was the middle aged woman next to me asking me about metal culture. She was shocked at how quiet and respectful we were. She also was impressed at how none of us had our cell phones out. As I explained some of the basic tenets of metal culture to a woman who had been kind enough to show an interest I started to realize something. As we had been reminded on the first day of our trip: metal is one retarded screwed up family, and I like it this way. Here we were, bold, drunk and on the verge of discovery. Maybe we would never find the American dream, but we certainly could unravel the sacred secrets and paradigms that define so much of our existence.

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Festival Diary Cralking Skulls at This Is HarcicoTegratiVal: Diary of Matt Bacon )aV This Is Hardcore Festival 2014, the first metal festival I have ever been to where I didn't have full press credentials, or any sort of guaranteed backstage access. I knew I could get interviews, but I would have a mother**cker of a time handling it. What kind of madness would overcome me, would I be able to fend off the terrors of a festival where I couldn't legally drink? These where the questions that raced through my mind on the initial car ride, from my sleepy suburban home in Downingtown, to the vaunted Electric Factory in Philadelphia.

It was a long car ride, traffic was tense. Me and Nick from Fisthammer chatted about life, the universe, and everything, blaring death metal and headbanging, much to the concern of drivers around us. Nick confided in me that he in fact wrote the first two Fisthammer records, even though he was not technically a part of the band at the time. While I find this claim to be of questionable veracity, what do I know? This world of heavy metal is a strange one, and trying to understand the mysterious ways of a genre that God forgot, well, isn't that why I'm writing this?

It's important to remember, the last band I had seen live was about a month prior, and that band was Black Sabbath. How do you follow up something like that? Apparently in my case it was with the extremely solid hardcore act Expire. Their sound is ferocious and fun, the sort of hardcore band you go see live and just immediately fall in love with. Their sound is not incredibly unique but they have a great power when they play, it's extremely engaging to watch these guys come out and rip the stage up. The legions of stage divers, often ripping the mic from the frontmans hands only added to the madness, kicking off my night in grand style.

Up next was one of the bands I had most hotly anticipated, Noisem. This extremely young death metal act are not afraid to bust skulls. Sure there were hardcore dancers rather than a mash pit, but they certainly drove their point home with crushing growls and circle pit inspiring riffs. These guys are part of a new generation of death metal masters, and watching them rip up the stage was a pleasure. They understand how intense death metal needs to be live, and they gave the personal experience, the sort of soul touching magic that defines what heavy metal should be about. These guys get death metal, and their vicious youth allows them to triumph.

After hanging out with some of the local hardcore and metal brethren and finally getting to meet Casey from Mishaps, it was time to bring the nosh once more, this time with super-heavy hardcore favorites Xibalba. Now, I go to see a lot of doom metal bands live, but a lot of them would be challenged to be as incredibly destructive as Xibalba were last night.

These guys have a sort of primal hatred running through their veins which allows them to charge forward, vicious and destructive, unholy and hateful hardcore masters who will not be stopped. There is something kind of magical about a band this powerful, the way they tear your body apart, making you a slave to the crushing groove.

It was time to slow down a bit now, I knew I wanted to see Code Orange Kids, but first I had to go to talk to my friends in Crowbar who had only just arrived. It was kind of surreal, tonight I would see Crowbar for the third time in five weeks. There is no better feeling than having one of your favorite musicians, along with his wife, recognize you and shake your hand. Its the sort of incredible experience that makes all of the hardships of this job worth it.

Somehow, knowing that at the end of the day, you know your heroes and they know you, even if it is only in passing, makes it all seem like a triumph over the darkness that surrounds us.

I hurried back inside to catch Code Orange Kids, a band who many of my American friends had raved about. Watching the bands female guitarists hair fly, and the insane frontman charging 88 VandalaMagazine.Ccm - August 2014

around the crowd like a thing possessed was a real treat. These guys have the vicious hardcore anger and destruction that makes hardcore great. But more than that, they have a certain honesty, with their fans and with themselves. They are not aspiring to be greater than they are, but simply the hardcore kids they were born to be. Something about that is very beautiful to me, and in a way, I might even describe it as refreshing, to see a band who understand themselves in such a deeply personal way.

At this point I wandered back to the stands and decided to talk to the Relapse guys. It was around this time that I found out about a Relapse aftershow which would feature the almighty Inter Arma. I was old friends with these guys, and I hadn't even thought I would have had the chance to hang out with them again. So I feel I was understandably pumped, knowing that after Crowbar my night would only get better. I was also introduced to the ever-friendly Gordon from Call of the Void who decided to do a really cool and interesting interview, not so much about his music as much as art and the way it interacts with extreme sounds. This is the sort of intellectual and beautiful talk that just makes this life worth living, discovering brave new worlds of sounds with masters of their genre.

I also ran over to the aftershow venue in order to try and set up an interview with Inter Arma.

I was stoked to see all of my friends in the band, especially the always interesting T3. These guys know where it's at, and getting to hang out with them is always fun. After slamming my first beer of the night and chatting with Ultramantis Black I knew it was time to rush back to the Electric Factory and soak up the magical vibes of Crowbar. This may not be the heavy metal apocalypse everybody expected, but it was certainly better than any that I had hoped for.

As I mentioned before, this was my third time seeing Crowbar in 5 weeks, so, suffice to say, I have a pretty good grasp on their current live set. After getting shoved to the front and trying to avoid hardcore dancers, I found myself having a very personal experience with some sludge legends who were truly in their element. The powerful grooves of this band and the crushing bottom end resonated within my soul, reminding me why sludge and doom are some of my favorite metal subgenres. As I stage dived on the bands last song (My first in far too long) I felt truly alive, a slave to all that is heavy, but finally free of the trials and tribulation of a world that never seemed to understand.

Now it was time for the Relapse after show (Because seriously, who wants to watch Unearth and Kil!switch Engage, the headliners for the night, in 2014?) I stumbled over to the venue just in time for Call of the Void to start playing. Their set was incredible, violent, vicious, but also very personal. There was maybe 50 people in the room, and that's being generous. These guys just threw themselves out there with the bands vocalist prowling in front of the stage, tearing us apart with screams seemingly from the abyss. Despite this, it seems clear that these guys have fun on stage, tearing bodies apart and allowing us all to headbang together as sons of a darker master.

I had noticed that halfway through the Call of the Void set, Tyler from Noisem had walked into the venue. When I went over to request and interview he seemed friendly and intelligent. We had a very deep conversation about being young, and deeply involved in the metal scene. He's one of the guys who just understands what all this madness and beauty is about. Getting into it with a guy who feels the music and lives it, this is what makes festivals so magical. Perhaps when I wrote about the magic of Hellfest a few weeks ago I was wrong, perhaps there is just a magic when a group of dedicated individuals come together to mosh, party, and drink.

Now it was time for my personal highlight of the day, a band who get what doom should be about and who bring it with all of their might, Inter Arma. These guys are more than just doomsters, there is a certain beauty to the colossal riffs on their new record Sky Burial that I just can't put into words. Inter Arma is the sound of mountains moving, shifting under the weight of riffs so incredibly heavy that mortal man does not know what to do with them. Mike, the bands singer, has a sick stage presence, screaming as if he is dying and making the music all the more real because of it. If you haven't seen Inter Arma yet, you need too, these guys August 2014 - VandalaMagazine,Com 89

are pushing the envelope, turning it up to 11.

As we drove home, Danzig blaring in the car, I felt complete. It had been far too long since I went to a gig and got to find myself. This is the sort of thing I live for, not just because I like it, but because I have no other choice. Is this what defines success? Finding your way in a precarious world to get at what you love? I don't know. Nibbling carrots with the bassist of one of my favorite death metal bands as we roll down the highway was a bizarre experience, but perhaps that's what's going to define the rest of this weekend. Bizarre experiences with men who make a living off of our obsession with darkness. It certainly should be interesting.

Day 2 On the morning of this strange, but fine day I used public transport in the United States for the first time on my own. This was an enlightening experience if nothing else, exposing me to the strange realities of a land where this sort of thing isn't taken for granted. At this point I felt no sense of the inevitable freakout, instead I felt a strange sort of calm, a weird link with my fellow passengers who all seemed very kind and helpful. Surely this had to be some sort of ruse right? American's can't be this nice can they? Perhaps this is what I was supposed to learn from this festival, this might be my first real exposure in years to the American way of life.

Upon arriving, I didn't yet feel like watching any groups, the first one I had planned on seeing anyway was Twitching Tongues, so I went out to the stands and tired to find some friends. I was overjoyed to bump into my good friend Michael Arellano of M.O.D who was here to play with Die Young (Who were in fact set to go on the day after) I started to get a very real sense of that wonderful bonding that makes the underground extreme music community so much fun, brothers in blood, fire, and steel, young people who just want to find another way to live in a dark world.

I stepped outside then for a brief break in between groups to do an interview with Mike Arellano on his music, life and just about everything in between. We bonded and chatted, some of my friends were thrilled to meet someone from the vaunted M.O.D, which, to be fair, made me feel pretty cool, simply by association. It felt strange to be standing there, with my buddy Mike as people wearing S.O.D shirts walked by us. This is the surreal world of music journalism, you can stand with someone who plays in a fairly legendary band fronted by a true legend, and throngs of fans can pass by without ever recognizing him. I'm still not sure what to make of that strange reality.

I know I saw a band before Slapshot, but I can't remember which one, which proves they probably don't merit a review. So on to Slapshot! They were one of the groups I had most looked forward to seeing, especially since I had missed them at HeWest. They were every bit as awesome as I had hoped. Very early on in the set, the bands charismatic frontman, Jack Kelly, sustained a cut above his eye which bled for the entire show, adding to the magic of the performance. There is a beautiful and primal punk rock energy to this band. Sure, they only have one original member left, but fundamentally, that's not what matters, what matters is that these guys will still rip your face off and beat you into a pulp. Slapshot knows what's up, they are vicious and unholy, masters of a genre which rightfully glorifies downtrodden and forgotten Boston boys.

After a short break it was time for Agnostic Front. Now, I wasn't sure how to feel about these guys, I've heard some of their records and was more or less familiar with the controversy that surrounded their new sound. Yet, honestly, I was impressed with their energy and charisma.

The songs were powerful and filled with the sort of rock and roll anarchy that makes punk rock so glorious. One thing I found especially fun was the bands longtime guitarist Vinnie Stigma's reactions to the crowd. He was constantly waving and high-fining fans. I think due to the nature of the festival the group went a bit more hardcore punk than usual, encouraging the madness of stagediving and skull cracking fun, as opposed to their more thrash side.

Regardless, they were one of my favorite bands of the festival, seeing them was an absolute pleasure.

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Finally it was time for the band who were perhaps destined to be the highlight of my night, Converge. Again, I'm not really a hardcore guy, I knew a little bit about this band and I've heard a few of their records, but I've never really had a chance to really dig in to what Converge is all about. Jake Bannon is a beast of a frontman, the way he brings the entire crowd together is unreal. Billy from Old Habits perhaps put it best when he said that Bannon has an incredible ability to write a hardcore song about any emotion. It makes the Converge live experience almost overwhelming, a glorious sensory blast that leaves you feeling more powerful than ever before.

The mix of fast and slow, destructive and ambient, these things define Converge's set. I wish they could have played for two hours to give us a full sense of what the band is all about. Yet, even as is, these guys can rage forward in a way that none of their contemporaries would dare. Few bands that have been around for almost 25 years still have this level of creativity and passion behind their music. I now understand why Jake Bannon has been vaunted as one of the best frontmen of all time, he lives and breathes on stage, reflecting humanity and our struggles with every movement.

As soon as the bands set ended, me and my friends Jake and Will headed off to get to Drexel where I was to sleep. In the car we talked about the strange world that Converge had opened up before us in their set. Sure, it was a lot shorter than any of us would have liked, but it showed us a strange new world of hardcore madness. There was something wonderfully pure and beautiful about the crushing magic of this band that touched all of us. As we excitedly planned our trip to New York for the following weekend, I think we had a group realization that this is the kind of thing that makes our youths so beautiful. Madcap adventures and eye opening concerts. Exposure to art that will preserve our souls.

Day So now it was time for Saturday, what a day, perhaps the day where we might find that piece of the American dream that This Is Hardcore had been hinting at for the previous 48 hours.

Through the fire and the flames we carry on, but can we find the true enlightenment we need, and perhaps even deserve? Or is there no way to find peace in this torn distorted world, and is hardcore simply something to take our minds off the darkness? Perhaps I will never know, but I certainly hope that this is one of the things guiding us towards a sort of cultural ascension.

It should be noticed that I had been almost entirely sober for the previous few days, something that has never happened to me at a festival before. Being surrounded by straight edge kids was starting to frighten me. Sure these guys are nice enough, but as the great Raoul Duke once said "Never trust a man who doesn't drink." I wasn't sure if I was wholly comfortable in this environment. Vegans I can deal with, but there is something strange about young people who avoid alcohol entirely. Sure they say "F*ck bar culture," but how can you hate something you've never been exposed too?

Anyway, I arrived at the venue early, and was frustrated to find that entry only started as the first band began to play. The opener on Saturday was Freedom, a group I had really been looking forward to seeing. I finally made my way into the venue about halfway through their set, yet what I did see totally ripped .These guys get the beautiful destruction of hardcore and their sound is loud and proud. It was really fun to watch these guys live, they certainly bring the mash, and their energy is oftentimes unholy. I wish I had a chance to catch them play more of their stuff, because to be completely honest, if anyone at this festival truly understands hardcore, it might just be these guys.

Up next were Old Habits, now, I had zero previous exposure to this band, but by god was I impressed by their music. They immediately came out and impressed me with an all out attack that added touches of Pantera to solid hardcore. Add in memorable chorus lines and powerful vocals and you had yourself a recipe for success. Perhaps the most memorable aspect of their performance though wasn't the music as much as the couple who got engaged halfway through the set. Though their set was limited, the bands vocalist, Billy, proved to be August 2014 - VandalaMagazine.Com 91

an able and charismatic frontman who gave everyone a great experience. I was disappointed that these guys only really play in Florida, I would be stoked to see a band who get hardcore like they do again.

The third band in a row for me was Full of Hell, another group made up of extremely young guys who play with an incredible rage and ferocity. The vocalist of Full of Hell may very well be demon possessed. The way his lines are torn out of his body and thrown upon the stage is simply impressive. These guys riffs are vicious too, every song blasts forth like a bear from a cage, leaving the listener feeling battered and broken, a slave to grinding, metal tinged hardcore that will split you in half. This is what the best hardcore is about. Youthful energy and destructive vibes channeled into something that we can all relate too and find a deeper meaning in.

Now it was time to go out and conduct some interviews. First I went down and found Billy from Old Habits, a man whose band had impressed me so much I felt almost obliged to interview him. He proved to be as cool in person as he had seemed onstage, reflecting some of that strange American magic that was dominating my weekend. I also took the time to set up a chat with Danny from Die Young, of course to properly interview him I probably had to wait until I actually heard some of his music, or at least saw him live, as I would later in the day. With that scheduled, I went and hung out with some of the local hardcore brethren and bands like Noisem. It made for an interesting time to chat before Die Young hit the stage.

When Die Young did come on I was immediately struck by the live energy of a band who have been doing this for basically twelve years now. The touches of metal in the sound helped to keep me engaged, and on at least one track there was even a *gasp* guitar solo! As the legions of stage divers crashed onto my skull, I realized that these guys really get what hardcore is about. As the bands singer, Danny, preached to the crowd about animal rights and the like between songs I realized that these guys had a very clear and beautiful driving force behind their music. These men are artists in the highest sense of the world, creating something engaging and educational, allowing us all to find something great within ourselves.

Coke Bust had a tough act to follow, but their unique brand of super angry hardcore did a good job of following up the magic of Die Young. There's something incredibly democratic about a genre of music where any old fan can tear the mic out of the singers hand and contribute a voice of their own. Coke Bust are one of those bands who really get to the magic of hardcore.

From the bandana on the singers head to the incredible grooves that these guys laid down, Coke Bust bring it hard. Sure, they never slowed down, but in all honesty, that only added to the magic, it makes Coke Bust the kind of hardcore masters who will tear your face off and force your body into the unholy two step that defined so much of the festival.

Now I had a bit of break before going back in to see Rotting Out so I did my interview with Danny from Die Young. It was interesting to speak to a man who had such a sense of balance in his life between hardcore and real life. In many ways getting a better understanding of his music was inspiring to me as a writer and musician, maybe you don't need to go the whole way with this, but you can instead find peace with the toil of this world and the glory of music.

All of a sudden halfway through a conversation with some of the guys from Die Young I heard a band covering Minor Threats In My Eyes. I knew it was time for me to jump into the pit and watch Rotting Out. This was another one of those hardcore bands who get it. Blaring forward with the kind of breakneck and carefree attitude that only legends can have, Rotting Out did what they do best, they broke my skull open with a sound that can only really be described as a heavier evolution on Minor Threat. I'm fairly new to American Hardcore being European and all, but I'm starting to get a sense for the regional sounds of the genre, and when these guys refer to themselves as Washington DC hardcore you get a palatable sense of their pride in who they are and in what they do. They just want to share their crazed anarchist sound of liberation with punters like us, and you have to respect that sort of magic in the music. Anyway, it seemed like it was a good time to get going on to the aftershow.

92 Vandalailagazine.Corn - August 2014

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