YesterdazeNews Magazine by YesterdazeNews Magazine

YESTERDAZENEWS K.K. DOWNING Talks Heavy Duty

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Letter from the editor We’ve had a busy last few months since our last issue was released. With this new issue, we wrap up our year of insanity and adventures. We will take a short break around the holidays to enjoy time with our families and get some much needed rest! I’d like to thank all of the readers who’ve helped make this year a spectacular one for us. Your support means so much to me and us. I’d like to give a shout out to all the writers and photographers who’ve worked for us over this past year. There’s so much passion for the music flowing through them all. Lastly, I’d like to thank all the bands, artists, tour managers, tour staff, PR, labels, vendors, venues and their teams for another amazing year of collaboration, music and amazing opportunities that they’ve allowed us to be a part of. As we look into 2019, there’s another year of music to enjoy. We’ve already started planning out the next year for the magazine and our website. Tons of new albums and tours on the horizon starting in January. We will start the year off at NAMM getting the scoop on all the new gear and tech coming out in 2019. We will also be chatting with a number of musicians as well before we start into the tour cycles and head off for the summer of music festivals. So stick around, we will continue this journey to bring you new bands and new music again in 2019. Have a great holiday season and a safe and happy New Year! See you in 2019!

YESTERDAZENEWS Volume 1 - Issue # 4 PUBLISHER/EDITOR WRITERS

PHOTOGRAPHERS TRANSCRIBER/ COPY EDITOR LAYOUT & COVER DESIGN FRONT COVER BACK COVER

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Who We Are:

We are an online and print publication based out of Seattle, Washintong with writers around the USA. We cover music from all around the world as well as select European, UK and Scandinavian music festivals. If you’d like us to cover an event, an album or video release, or other item, reach out to us at: media@yesterdazenews.com

Keep an eye out in this issue for special contests we have going on!

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DIANE WEBB DIANE WEBB PATRICK BURT RUBEN MOSQUEDA JAMES BEACH DIANE WEBB PATRICK BURT DIANE WEBB DIANE WEBB, YESTERDAZENEWS PHOTOGRAPHY DIANE WEBB DIANE WEBB

In This Issue FEATURE STORY: Headbangers Con 2018

30 06 Bands to Discover 08 2019 Summer Festival Preview 10 Meet Cane Hillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Elijah Witt 12 Fallout From a Fake Tour - Threatin 14 Interview - Graphic Artist - Claudio Bergamin 16 Geargasm - Corroded - Per SolĂ¤ng 18 Interview - Kee Marcello 24 Interview - K.K. Downing 30 FEATURE - Headbangers Con 2018 38 Interview - Suicidal Tendencies - Ra Diaz 42 Concert Review - The Black Dahlia Murder & Pig Destroyer 44 Concert Photos 54 Geargasm - Dead City Crown - Anthony Ponce 55 Interview - Messer - Maddox Messer 58 Convergence - Richard Chambliss 60 Top 25 Album Releases of 2018 63 Upcoming Album Releases 2019 64 Album Reviews 65 Guest Album Review On The Front Cover: Nita Strauss on The Guitar Collective Tour On The Back Cover: Kenn Youngar of Messer Concert photos - p.43 Pig Destroyer (top), The Black Dahlia Murder (middle and bottom), p.44 Pig Destroyer (top), Sevendust (bottom), p.45 Clutch, p.46 Cane Hill (top), Trivium (bottom), p.47 Avatar, p.48 Angel Vivaldi, p.49 Wednesday 13 (top), At The Gates (bottom), p.50 Bulletboys, p.51 Sin Circus (top and bottom), p.52 Rivals (top), Messer (bottom).

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Bands to Discover

The Sunny Devils Genre: Heavy Metal Location: Glasgow, Scotland How to find them: www.thesunnydevils.com Photo by: Kian Kazeminia

DND7 Genre: Alternative/Punk Rock Location: Portland, OR How to find them: www.dnd7rocks.com

I Am Infamy Genre: Heavy Metal Location: Seattle, WA How to find them: www.facebook.com/IAmInfamy

Cane Hill Genre: Metal Location: New Orleans, LA How to find them: www.wearecanehill.com Check out our interview on our website.

Vein Genre: Hardcore Location: Boston, MA How to find them: www.veintv.net

Artificial Sky Genre: Metal Location: Stockholm, Sweden How to find them: facebook.com/artificialskyband

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Bands to Discover

Bexley Genre: Rock Location: Seattle, WA How to find them: www.bexleyofficial.com

Joyous Wolf Genre: Rock Location: Los Angeles, CA How to find them: joyouswolf.com

Red Dragon Cartel Genre: Rock Location: Las Vegas, NV How to find them: http://www.reddragoncartel.com Interviews with Jake E Lee & Darren James Smith on our YouTube Channel!

Messer Genre: Hard Rock Location: Dallas, TX How to find them: www.messerband.com

Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown Genre: Rock Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Roll Location: Nashville, TN How to find them: www.tylerbryantandtheshakedown.com See the interview with Tyler Bryant on our YouTube Channel!

Zola Genre: Alternative Rock Location: Glasgow, Scotland How to find them: www.zola.scot

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2019 Summer Festival Preview

Summer

music festival planning is currently happening all across Europe and the USA. What is the festival season for 2019 starting to look like? We thought we’d take a look at a number of big festivals and bring you up to speed with planning for next season, it’s never too early and many festivals have started selling tickets already, and a number are sold out while a few others are already close to being sold out. Whether you stick to just shows in the USA or if you are adventurous and want travel the globe and experience something new, there’s a festival out there for most everyone.

While we are still waiting on official announcements from many of the USA festivals, we will give you a quick rundown of a number of festivals worldwide that have already announced. Hold on tight, some of you who’ve not been paying attention might be sad to hear who’s already sold out. Those festivals who have not officially announced dates yet, will not be covered as we only want to provide you with accurate information. We hope inspire you to book a trip somewhere outside of your local area to take in some great music and meet like minded fans who travel from around to the globe to enjoy these festivals. So onward we go!

The Short List May

Epicenter Festival May 10-12, 2019 - Rockingham, North Carolina epicenterfestival.com Korn, Rob Zombie, The Prodigy, Evanescence, Machine Gun Kelly, Meshuggah and more. Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival May 17-19, 2019 - Columbus, Ohio sonictemplefestival.com Foo Fighters, System of a Down, Disturbed, Ghost, Bring Me The Horizon, The Prodigy and more. Chicago Open Air Festival May 18-19, 2019 - Bridgeview, llinois chicagoopenair.com System of a Down, Tool, Ghost, Gojira, Meshuggah, In This Moment and more. Maryland Deathfest May 23-26, 2019 - Baltimore, MD www.deathfests.com Voivod, Immolation, Tormentor, Cro-Mags, Decide, Mortician, Unleashed, D.R.I. and many more. Rocklahoma May 24-26, 2019 - Pryor, Oklahoma rocklahoma.com Lineup TBA

YesterdazeNews Magazine www.yesterdazenews.com

June

Sweden Rock Festival June 5-8, 2019 - Sölvesborg, Sweden www.swedenrock.com (Tickets almost sold out) Kiss, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Def Leppard, ZZ Top, Slayer, Tenacious D, Disturbed, Thundermother, Dream Theater, Amon Amarth, Styx, Demons & Wizards, UFO, Beast In Black, At The Gates, Death Angel, Arch Enemy, James Holkworth and the Coolbenders and many more. Rock Am Ring June 7-9, 2019 - Nürburg, Germany www.rock-am-ring.com Alice In Chains, Architects, Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Behemoth, Dropkick Murphys, Godsmack, Graveyard, I Prevail, Halestorm, Sabaton, Slash, Slipknot, Tool, Trivium and many more. Download Festival June 14-16, 2019 - Donington Park, England UK downloadfestival.co.uk Slayer, The Smashing Pumpkins, Dream Theater, Slipknot, Eagles of Death Metal, Lamb of God and many more. Hellfest June 21-23, 2019 - Clisson, France www.hellfest.fr (sold out) Manowar, Dropkick Murphys Slayer, Kiss, Tool, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Gojira, Whitesnake, King Diamond, Stone Temple Pilots, Anthrax and many more.

Copenhell June 19-22, 2019 - Copenhagen, Denmark www.copenhell.dk Dimmu Borgir, Rob Zombie, Slash, Slipknot, Tool, Demons & Wizards, Whitechapel, Eluveitie, Belphegor, Skindred and many more.

July

HelgeĂĽfestivalen July 4-6, 2019 - Knislinge, Sweden helgeafestivalen.se Lineup TBA Rock Fest Barcelona July 4-7, 2019 - Barcelona, Spain rockfestbarcelona.com Def Leppard, Arch Enemy, Avatar, Candlemass, Cannibal Corpse, Children of Bodom, Dee Schnider, Elvellon, Gamma Ray, Hammerfall and many more. Bang Your Head July 11-13, 2019 - Balingen, Germany Steel Panther, Krokus, Skid Ros, Soulfly, Dark Tranquility, Metal Church, Hardcore Superstar, Audrey Horne, Evergrey and many more www.bang-your-head.de Metaldays July 21-27, 2019 - Tolmin, Slovenia www.metaldays.net Tarja, Soilwork, Tribulation, Lucifer, Hypocrisy, Dimmu Borgir, Dream Theater, Finntroll, Decapitated and more. Gefle Metal Festival July 19-20, 2019 - GĂ¤vle, Sweden www.geflemetalfestival.se Dimmu Borgir, Ministry, Satyricon, Jungle Rot, Dark Tranquillity, Carach Angren and more.

August

Wacken Open Air August 1-3, 2019 - Wacken, Germany www.wacken.com (sold out) Dark Funeral, Sabaton, Parkway Drive, Avatar, Cradle of Filth, Battle Beast, Hammerfall, Jinjer, Queensryche, Soil and many more. Bloodstock Open Air August 8-11, 2019 - Walton on Trent, Derbyshire, England http://www.bloodstock.uk.com Scorpions, Dummu Borgir, Sabaton, Tesseract, Anthrax, Cradle of Filth, Metal Church and more. Sabaton Open Air August 13-15, 2019 - Falun, Sweden www.sabaton.net/sabaton-open-air-festival Sabaton, Manimal, Arkona, Bloodbound, Brothers of Metal, Ensiferum and more. Summer Breeze August 14-17, 2019 - Dinkelsbuehl, Bavaria www.summer-breeze.de Testament, Cradle of Flith, Anaal Nathrakh, Bullet For My Valentine, Airbourne, Evergreen Terrace, King Diamond, Krisiun and more. Reading Festival August 23-25, 2019 - Reading, England www.readingfestival.com The 1975, Post Malone, Twenty One Pilots, Foo Fighters, Bastille, The Distillers and more. YesterdazeNews Magazine www.yesterdazenews.com

Meet Cane Hill’s Elijah Witt

Many

people who do not know Cane Hill’s frontman, Elijah Witt would probably jump to the conclusion that he’s just another musician with a typical drug habit, simply based off the media buzz surround the writing of Cane Hill’s 2017 release, ‘Too Far Gone’. An album that’s made our Top 25 Albums of 2018. To some extent that statement holds true, as it’s been explained in numerous interviews about the writing process being a drug fueled rage. In truth, he’s a musician who’s periodically uses drugs and in his own words said, “It’s not the most insane thing that people of music deal with.” Something that’s truly not a shock for music fans. If you scratch beneath the surface and take the time to talk with him, you will find a well-spoken, intelligent man who’s got a keen eye on the things going on in the world today. While Cane Hill was in Seattle I took the time to talk with Witt about the music and who he is. What I found is that there are many facets that people don’t see, but if they pay attention it’s pretty obvious who he is and what he stands for. When I asked him about how their style of music and how their sound came out of the Louisiana region, because it’s not the style of music that you would expect to come from that region. He explained “That New Orleans is its own little pocket, where there’s the state of Louisiana, and there’s New Orleans were so many different things happen. It’s a different type of people living in the area. YesterdazeNews Magazine www.yesterdazenews.com 10

Where the atmosphere and vibe is different than the rest of the state.” We touched on number of subjects during our conversation. The first being what he would do if he wasn’t making music? I was pleasantly surprised to find that Elijah Witt studied history and when asked what he would have done if music wasn’t an option his response was, “I would have been a history teacher.” When it came to the topic of how he feels about the state of the things in the world, Witt expressed, “I believe that where we are today, things are already too far gone and that our environment is already on its worst path.” He went on to say, “We are so far behind already. We need sustainable energy sources now, in order to slow down any further depreciation of the environment.” A self-professed animal lover, he also expressed how he believes that animals seem to be more important to him than humans are right now because of the way people have become. As we talked about the tour plans for Cane Hill in 2019, Witt said that they’re looking forward to doing some summer festivals overseas in Europe. We talked about the European metal music scene, about how great it really is and reminisced about the European music festivals. Inevitably that led to a quick discussion about how metal music is a true lifestyle there. It’s not simply, I might go to live music show and I might like a metal band. Instead, it’s a

yearly season of outdoor musical events that brings people album. If you haven’t picked up ‘Gone Too Far’ yet, do that now. It’s a great album. out in the masses, a sort of family among the metalheads. When summers over, the music goes on! Cane Hill will be on tour with Sevendust starting in February 2019. I highly suggest going out to see them both It is a completely different scene when it comes to USA live. Both of these bands do an amazing live show. Dates are festivals. Elijah Witt also gave accolades for Danny listed below. Wimmer Presents (a major USA concert promoter, Welcome to Rockville, Carolina Rebellion and many more) and what they’re doing here in the United States for music CANE HILL ON TOUR WITH SEVENDUST: 2/1 — Houston, TX — Scout Bar festivals. He even said and I agree, “It’s about as close as 2/2 — New Orleans, LA — Southport Music Hall you’re going to get to the European festivals, they are a completely different level, but Danny Wimmer Presents 2/4 — Ft. Lauderdale, FL — Revolution 2/5 — St. Petersburg, FL — Jannus Live is doing a great job.” 2/6 — Greenville, SC — The Firmament 2/8 — Greensboro, NC — Blind Tiger I asked Witt about how he finds the inspiration for his 2/9 — Norfolk, VA — The NorVa lyrics and he said, “I’m not a happy type of person and 2/10 — Baltimore, MD — Rams Head Live am pretty down about shit most of the time and that’s where the musical influence comes from.” He went on to 2/13 — Huntington, NY — The Paramount say, “Some things around in the world that really piss me 2/14 — Boston, MA — House of Blues 2/15 — Providence, RI — The Strand off, you know this crap with a Neo-Nazi shit that’s come 2/16 — Sayreville, NJ — Starland Ballroom back to light where we have such a division where our 2/18 — New Haven, CT — Toad’s Place governments is just dividing us.” 2/19 — Poughkeepsie, NY — The Chance As we were about to wrap up, I had to ask Witt if he stands 2/20 — Buffalo, NY — Rapids for any personal causes. He said, that most of what is stands 2/22 — Flint, MI — Machine Shop 2/25 — Columbus, OH — Newport Music Hall for is addressed through the music but that, “People just 2/26 — Chicago, IL — House of Blues need to not be terrible human beings. That we need to 2/27 — Columbia, MO — The Blue Note be taking care of animals and working on saving the 3/1 — Wichita, KS — The Cotillion environment.” 3/2 — Oklahoma City, OK — Diamond Ballroom 3/3 — San Antonio, TX — Vibes Event Center By now, most of you know that Cane Hill has a new album coming out. When we talked Witt expressed that the Head over to our website to check out the photo gallery album was recorded and ready for release, but didn’t have from Cane Hill’s show in Seattle! a date yet. Since then it has been announced that the new album is titled ‘Kill The Sun’ and will be released via Rise Records on January 18, 2019. Make sure to get the new YesterdazeNews Magazine www.yesterdazenews.com 11

Fallout From A Fake Tour - Threatin

usic fans world-wide were taken by complete confusion in November as the story about Los Angeles based rock musician Jared “Threatin” Eames broke. The instantly viral story of one musician setting out on a “fake” tour in Europe left people scratching their heads as to how this ever could have happened.

Taking a step back, for those of you who have somehow missed this story, it goes like this. Local Los Angeles based musician books 10 date tour in Europe and the United Kingdom. Sounds pretty normal to most everyone, except it wasn’t. The entire tour was booked on lies based on a fake fanbase and fake ticket sales. The true facts, Jared Eames is a musician. He has an album that he self-financed. There’s no disputing that. Where it gets murky and turns into faking and lies is the rest of the story. According to multiple sources, too many to list them all (The Guardian, New York Times, Rolling Stone and the list continues), Jared Eames faked the websites of his record label, PR firm and management. He even faked their concert videos using stock footage. So built on all of that and a small amount of cash personally from Jared Eames, he was able to convince venues to book dates for his shows.

After 6 shows and word spread through the music community, the other venues canceled his booked shows. Since that point and the viral explosion online, Jared Eames has started spinning the story claiming it was a planned publicity stunt to get notoriety quickly. When you look at it that way, it equates to fraud, not a funny publicity stunt. Venues and bands lost money because of his desire to become famous. The entire music world has been so focused on this, that they’ve failed to even mention the support bands who got the shaft by a fellow musician who knows all too well the struggle of making it or a living as a musician. I think that’s the worst part about this entire ordeal, the way he callously screwed over a ton of hard working musicians without the slightest concern for them getting paid to support his tour. That’s where it infuriates me. The entire reason I got into writing about music, is to help bands. The unknowns, the locals, the rising stars and those who’ve established themselves in the industry. There’s many more writers all around the world who work tirelessly, often for little to no pay, to spread the passion of music to the masses. Then to see this person taking advantage of everyone from venues, fans, other musicians and media in such a disgusting manner just makes compelled me to have to make something positive come out of this entire pathetic event. By positive I mean, tell the readers who these awesome support bands are. To YesterdazeNews Magazine www.yesterdazenews.com 12

highlight them and give them the notice they should have gotten from this international tour that should have given them press attention, but instead is focused on the scam artist instead. Another part of this entire story that truly sucks, he is the brother of Scott Eames, a successful musician in the Black Metal band, Thy Antichrist. A band I’ve seen and is full of amazing, hard working musicians! To be clear, Scott Eames had no knowledge of what his brother was doing and only found out as the rest of the world did. He was also quite stunned about what transpired telling Rolling Stone “They’d not spoken for six years”, prior to this event and went on to say, “This isn’t even the same dude”. Growing up they had a band together and knowing the skills Scott Eames has, his brother has to have a share of that. But it all goes out the window once you go down the road of lies and deception that not only makes you as an artist look horrendous, but hurts many other musicians who were booked for these shows which is unforgivable. So who were these bands that got screwed over by Jared Eames? I set out to find out and I have the list for all of you to check them out! Please go to their socials, check out their music and find some new bands that are working hard to make music and make their ways in this vast industry the honest way.

Going in order of the tour dates: London, The Underworld: Evyltyde Female-fronted Metal band from London. www.facebook.com/Evyltyde Tales of Autumn Metal/hard rock from Brighton. www.facebook.com/talesofautumn

England. www.facebook.com/skiesturnblack LUTE 4 piece progressive Rock/Metal band from Manchester. www.facebook.com/luteband Birmingham, The Asylum 2

Newcastle, Trillians

This Elegant Chaos Heavy Alternative Rock from Birmingham. www.facebook.com/thiselegantchaos

DOGSFLESH Metal/Hardcore from Teeside. www.facebook.com/dogsfleshofficial

The Unresolved Hard rock from Coventry. www.facebook.com/unresolvedofficial

Glasgow, Ivory Blacks

Belfast, Empire Music Hall

Vague Reality Alternative Rock from Glasgow. www.facebook.com/vaguerealityband

Periapt Hard Rock from Northern Ireland. www.facebook.com/officialperiapt

The Sunny Devils Alternative Rock from Glasgow. www.facebook.com/thesunnydevilsband

Red House Indie Rock from Belfast. www.facebook.com/redhouseni

Heavy Smoke Hard Rock from Glasgow. www.facebook.com/heavysmokeband Bristol, The Exchange

Paris, Le Klub

GHOST OF MACHINES This hard rock outfit from the south-west of England infuse elements of grunge and alternative metal, and have become known for their energetic and commanding live presence. www.facebook.com/GhostOfMachines KAMINO Bristol alternative rock four-piece. Raw, yet polished. Explosive, yet subtle. Dangerous, yet heartfelt. There’s an air of mystery to the band’s sinister rock’n’roll snarl. https://www.facebook.com/KaminoUK Manchester, The Rebellion Skies Turn Black 4 piece Hard Rock/Metal band from Northwest of

The Desperate Sons Hard Rock www.facebook.com/thedesperatesons Ranica-Bergamo, Druso Wolf Theory Rock/Metal aus Milano. www.facebook.com/wolftheoryband Weinheim, Café Central Alveole Alternatives Metal aus Nürnberg www.facebook.com/alveoleband Wolf Theory (They were scheduled for 2 venues on the tour) Rock/Metal aus Milano. www.facebook.com/wolftheoryband

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Interview - Artist - Claudio Bergamin

eet Claudio Bergamin. You may not know his name,

yet, but you do know his work. He’s a renown artist who’s making some crazy album cover art along with his Sci-Fi artwork. He joined us for a sit down at Headbangers Con in November and we chat about his work. Enjoy the interview below.

Diane Webb for YesterdazeNews Magazine. I’m talking ... I don’t know ... An airplane. Probably I’ve never drew an to Claudio Bergamin and he’s an amazing artist. Album airplane before so it might take longer, you know? cover art; you name it. We are here at Headbanger’s Con. How are you doing today, Claudio? What is your favorite style when you’re doing your own artwork? Do you have a personal favorite? Because you Claudio Bergamin: I’m good. Kind of early, but good. do very intricate, different types of work. Do you have a specific style? We’ve been talking about your album artwork. You’ve done Judas Priest’s ‘Firepower’, Manimal’s ‘Purgatorio’ Yeah. I like science fiction. That’s my favorite. Whenever and Nocturnal Rites ‘Phoenix’, just in the last couple somebody comes with a science fiction concept I ... My of years. Tell me about how you design your art. Where imagination flourishes. does the inspiration come from? Do you listen to the album first? Or is it some concept you come up ... How How long have you been doing this professionally? do you design? Professionally? Almost 20 years. But only the last 10 years Well, as far as listening to the music, it’s not absolutely have been doing just this. Before that, I had a day job. I was necessary. It is for kind of ... figuring out the style. I mean, working in a photography studio and advertising agencies you’re not going do skulls for a progressive band or ... I in London and I kept the cover thing on the side like as a don’t know ... Something ethereal and surrealistic like Dali personal endeavor. But back in 2009, I went completely for a thrash metal band. independent and just doing this. So, you have to listen to the music just to find the right tone. That’s it. But for the concept itself, it requires a lot of discussion. That’s it. Discussion. And I usually ask the band to send me a briefing with the concept, the title, and visual aids if they want; if they like. And we take it from there. Usually, after that, I send a bunch of concept sketches, pencil sketches on paper. They might approve one as it is or ask for modification, changes or suggest stuff to add or to remove. It’s a process.

I think there’s a lot of bands that are probably very thankful that you’re just doing this now because your covers are beautiful.

How long does it typically take you to do one of your artworks for an album cover?

No, I went to art school.

Depends on the complexity of the artwork. The Judas Priest one ... Although it seems very simple because it’s just one character with flames, I knew they were going to need big format printing and maybe projection, so it had to be very detailed. So, that one is incredibly intricate. I mean, all the lines are very fine. But then some others that I do very intuitive that take a couple of days. Really. Just a couple days. But the Nocturnal Rites one took a bit longer. It took me four, five days to do it. Quite bit of work. But that’s it. It depends on the project. It depends on how complex the image is. Or it depends also if I’d done it before. Sometimes people ask me to do like 14

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Oh, thank you. Were you classically trained in art? Or was it something that you ... It was a very natural talent for you?

Would you suggest for anybody trying to get into the art industry, drawing today, doing the kind of work you do, to go to school? Or if they’ve got natural talent to develop it? That’s a tricky question. Yes and no. I mean you always need to be aware of your surroundings and try to be aware of how good you are professionally. There’s a lot of people who don’t need any training. They come with a natural talent and probably going to art school is going to do more damage than good, you know? In my case, I struggled through art school because it was

a very tendency-driven art school and what I wanted to do wasn’t fashionable back then. It was kind of ... I don’t know. They were into more of the political aspect of art than the abilities to actually craft the artwork, you know? So, in my case, I don’t know if I needed it. Probably I ... Yeah, I do. I took what I needed and learned the rest by myself. But I guess it depends on case to case. I met a lot of self-taught artists that, in my opinion, they don’t need any training. And maybe some other people that have more of a rough diamond type of talent, they might need the classical training. I guess it depends on the person. Awesome. Have you put anything out recently that you want to let the fans know about so they can go look for it? It’s kind of a blur. I don’t remember which one ... The last one I did. You have your own website where you sell prints? Can you let people now where to come get your stuff? Well, I have my own website, which is Claudiobergamin. com and my online shop ... it’s Shopify. So, Google Claudio Bergamin Shopify and you’ll get it. And that’s where I have most of my artwork available. But if you want me to point people in the right direction, I would say to look for my paranormal artwork because that’s a big part of what I do. I not only do album covers, I do a lot of book covers for Big Foot researchers and UFOlogists. You know, basically it’s ... I move between realms and worlds. So, I have the heavy metal world on one side and I have the paranormal, UFO activity community on the other side. And I’m equally active in both fields. Rad. If somebody wanted to commission work, whether they’re an artist or just a fan, could they come to you to commission work? Yeah. Sure. Just go to my website. My email is right there or contact me through Facebook. I answer the messages myself. My email is info@ClaudioBergamin.com and my Facebook is just ... Just Google my ... Put my name on Facebook and you’ll get my fan page and you can message me directly there. Awesome. Thank you so much.

CONTEST!!! Would you like to win a Nocturnal Rites artwork print autographed by Claudio Bergamin? We are giving 1 lucky reader a signed print, same as the one being held in the photo to the right. Head over to our Contest page on our website to enter to win this killer print!!

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Geargasm - Corroded - Per Soläng

wedish Hard Rockers Corroded have a new album coming out on January 25, 2019. We’ve already had the opportunity to hear two singles from the new album ‘Bitter’. It’s sounding like Corroded has a solid follow up coming behind the 2017

release, ‘Defcon Zero’ and what better time than now to pick the brain of madman Per Soläng about his gear? Just before NAMM 2019 and just before they release the new album! Take this time to learn a little more about Corroded through their drummer!

Aside from drumming for Corroded, do you play with anything other bands?

Oooh, I had my first kit when I was 12 maybe, I’d been steeling kitchen gear from my mother prior to that.

Yes...I’ve just joined a project in Stockholm, The Sonic Temple. It’s more of the old school-stuff like Rainbow, Black Sabbath vibes. Perfect to keep my timing and arms running between the CORRODED tour cycles... the plan is to play clubs, biker parties and so on.

What’s in your collection today?

I’ve got 1 kit which I’m rehearsing on, an old PDP-kit 24,12,14,16” which used to be The CORRODED tour kit. It’s been retired, my tour kit now for festivals and larger clubs in Sweden is the one you saw at Sweden Rock Festival 2017, a TAMA Starclassic b/b, 24,13,16,18”. It’s sort of my Do you play another instrument besides drums? mothership. The HQ, for smaller clubs in Sweden or down Nope, I can’t figure out how. For example, a guitar works ... I through Europe I’m using a DDrum dominion, 26,14,16,18”. I play Paiste cymbals, Wincent Drumsticks and REMO or just sort of, break them! EVANS heads and of course, my precious ... the 101drums 14x5,5 Black Diamond signature snare. It is truly amazing!! What was the first piece of gear you acquired? And as we speak I’m building a kit with 2x30”s bass drums, YesterdazeNews Magazine www.yesterdazenews.com 16

now let’s see if they are playable at all.

... I do not have any deal on the drum brand situation ... yet ..

What do you think is the most unexpected piece of gear you use, something fans or other artists might be surprised to learn?

Who would you like add being sponsored by? Drums.. the actual drumkit ... and heads...

Do you have any signature gear? It’s hard to say, it’s so very individual from drummer to drummer. I’m not using backtracks, but I do enjoy and use a clicktrack, just to keep down the tempo, if you’re fired up That would be the 101drums snare drum. you know. Not everyone likes to play, following a click ... but to me it has become a tool. What type of ear protection do you use? What is your go to piece of gear or multiple go to pieces? As I’m playing with a clicktrack, I use in ears officially .. I was stupid enough not to use ear protection during the first 15-20 years I played so my hearing is pretty messed up My clicktrack, my sticks, cymbals, double pedal and my today...KIDS, protect your ears!!! 101drums snare. What is it about them that makes you enjoy using them and what makes it unique for your sound?

Please tell the readers about other projects or organizations you are involved in outside of music.

I’ll take my snare for example. I wished that every drummer in the world could have the opportunity to try it. I’m having a hard time playing another one today. And officially my Paiste cymbals... I just love them, they just fit me so well .... what I want and what I need, from a cymbal!!

Is there anything else then music? Well I’m involved working with disabled kids, I’m a huge hockey fan, Blackhawks forever ... I need to see a game at United Center before I leave this place, life goal!! I’ve got 3 teenage daughters ... enough said?

Who are you sponsored by?

You can find Corroded at: facebook.com/corrodedsweden

Take a wild guess!! Seriously, I’m very proud of being an ambassador for Paiste, 101drums and Wincent drumsticks

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Interview - Kee Marcello

ee Marcello is an artist who really needs no introduction. He’s a musician, producer, author and even an owner in the horse racing industry. Where has he been since his departure from the band Europe (yes, The Final Countdown band)? If you’ve

failed to follow his career along the way, he’s still making great music and touring! I had the chance to connect with him to chat about life since Europe and Easy Action. Check out our interview below and keep an eye on Kee’s social media accounts, there’s a HUGE announcement coming soon about his plans for 2019 a bunch of diehard fans will be thrilled to see! I know I was when he told me. There’s a teaser in this interview too!

Diane Webb for YesterdazeNews Magazine: I know from your book and following your career that Deep Purple was big influence for you. When you look back today and where you are as an artist, who do you feel influenced you the most as an artist?

To be honest, I have to say that I am thrilled you decided to go solo. The riffs and heavy solos on songs like Raptor, Evil Ways, Dog Eat Dog, I’m Stoned, etc.. wouldn’t have ever been on a Europe album and fans would have never felt the joy these tracks give the listener. The gritty, sometimes blues feel in many of Kee Marcello: Besides the obvious 70’s hard rock acts your songs show your writing style, technical skill and I’d say I’m very influenced by Todd Rundgren. You can artistry in a way that I feel would have been diminished sometimes hear it in my song writing and my way of singing, but almost always in all my background vocals and as part of Europe. Do you feel your solo work is more rhythm guitar & keyboard arrangements. His musical feel personally rewarding to you than being part of Europe? has had a huge impact on me. Thanks! Well, in many ways my solo stuff feels more Patto. This 70’s UK band moved effortlessly between Small rewarding for me, since I’ve basically get to speak freely without getting interrupted (musically speaking). Faces type R’N’R, fusion and experimental music and But having said that, I also enjoy working with other brought it all into a completely unique melting pot. Their performers. A lot of cool unexpected stuff can come out of guitarist, Ollie Halsall, is by far my biggest influence, and still today hasn’t ceased to amaze me. One of the very best that. of all times. Their vocalist, Mike Patto, is one of my all time favorite R’N’R singers, and I believe he influenced me a lot But you are right! Had I presented, ‘I’m Stoned’ or ‘Raptor’ to the guys in Europe, they just wouldn’t have gotten it. too. What do you feel are the 5 albums that have had the most influence on you as a musician and for your love of music? I occasionally get this question, and I believe my answers are slightly different every time, but I guess that only proves that there’s a lot of good music out there!

Vocally, you have this cool tone in your voice like a young Don Henley on Shine On (1995), Melon Demon Divine (2004) and Scaling Up (2016). Then this raw, hard and gritty tone that let’s your vocals up in a heavy and fearless tone on Redux: Europe (2011) and Judas Kiss (2013 and Scaling Up (2016). Why did you decide to do such a contrast in vocals between the albums?

On ‘Redux’ I guess I wanted to bring on some attitude in those tracks that I felt was lacking a bit in the originals. And on ‘Judas Kiss’ I was connecting to the darkest aspects of my music. F.i. ‘Zombie’ goes in a sort of punky direction. A homage to the British Punk bands in the late 70’s. I grew up in the midst of the American fusion era and the British Scaling Up, your 5th solo album, 7 if you count the 2 solo punk scene, and I loved’em both. I think you can probably trace both of those influences in my song writing. “Redux” albums, was released in October of 2016. Are you working on new music at this point? But to answer your question, I think I have a brand new attitude every time I hit the studio, based on my production Yes, I’m writing new material as we speak. Don’t have any idea in combination with the song material. idea of release date yet though. I’m also working on what will be my first instrumental fusion album. I really enjoyed Redux: Europe (2011), some songs well more than the originals. What sparked the reinvention What’s 2019 look like for you? New music, tours etc.. of the music? Got a lot of stuff going on next year, unfortunately a bit It all started with me repeatedly getting this question from early to talk about it! YesterdazeNews Magazine www.yesterdazenews.com 18 1. ‘Hold Your Fire’ by Patto 2. ‘Oops, wrong planet!’ by Todd Rundgren’s Utopia 3. ‘Made In Japan’ by Deep Purple 4. ‘Birds Of Fire’ by Mahavishnu Orchestra 5. ‘Overnite Sensation’ by Frank Zappa

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my fans: ‘ are there any recordings of the Kee Marcello versions of these Europe songs?’ Since I’ve changed the arrangements little by little over the years, I discovered that they had taken on somewhat a new form. So we decided to go into the studio and give it a shot, and we soon discovered that this was not only a fact, they actually sounded so much more ’now’, way more modern. Was this how you first envisioned these songs, but that’s just not how they came out with Europe? It was partly that, combined with my curiosity about how these songs would sound with the live arrangements that emerged from playing them live with the Kee Marcello Band for years. How did you develop/find your vibrato technique? By practicing it over and over for years. It started with the early recordings of my playing, when I discovered that my vibrato didn’t sound as controlled as I experienced whilst playing. It was a bit ‘insecty’ and nervous, and I’ve personally always hated those kind of vibratos. So I just started practicing it, and eventually I did not only achieve a vibrato I was pleased with, I also discovered a couple of (at least to me) new ones. The vibrato you make with a whammy bar, the violin vibrato (when you grab the string and vibrate it horizontally as supposed to vertically) and the neck vibrato (when you simply bend the guitar neck gently back and forth).

listen to music. Since I’m working more or less 24/7 I prefer to spend that time with my family, friends and horses. What gear do you tour with? I use Marshall JVM410HJS heads and 1960 cabinets. I always play my custom made my Gibson LP:s with True Temperament frettings. TT is is simply the guitarists best friend. The inventor, Anders Thidell, is nothing short of a genius. He changed my view on playing the guitar. Now I play chords that I never dared to in the past. Forget straight frets, this is the future! I have Lundgren ‘Heaven 57’ alnico2 pickups on both my LP:s, and these are the best pickups I’ve ever had. They’re low output, and you get all the string sound you’ve ever dreamed of! I’m sparse coming to FX. I have a couple of delay and chorus stomps and of course a Cry Baby WahWah. What do you think is the most unexpected piece of gear you use, something fans or other artists might be surprised to learn?

Well, I’m notorious for breaking my pickup switches, since a frequent changing between the neck and bridge pickups is an integrated part of my playing style, and by doing this I’ve broke or simply worn out a lot of them over the years. Finally, Jerzy, my guitar tech, who got fed up with always How do you feel your musical growth over the years has having to change them, spoke to his mate (who is a farmer) and he recommended a switch that he uses on his tractors allowed you to evolve your sound? (!) Well, since I’ve done all those solo recordings, my writing, So I use tractor switches on my LP’s. producing, singing and guitar playing sort of integrated into the same entity. So it feels like all these parts counteract when I’m doing new material, and that’s a sense Who are you sponsored by? of true musical freedom! I no longer have to figure out a I work with Gibson Guitars. I guess I’ll see what’s going to production ideas or a cool solo idea that works for a new happen to Gibson though! They’ve been in a lot of trouble song, it all comes natural like one single move. lately, most of them put on themselves due to some really Do you take more risks today in your writing style or do sketchy business decisions from their CEO. you feel you’ve found the place you want to be in your I hope they can resolve their financial and political issues writing? and make Gibson great again. I think I’m more confident with my song writing today Marshall Amps. I’ve been using their amps on and off since more than anything. And I don’t worry about musical I was a kid, and I don’t think that’s ever gonna change. styles. For example, ’Shining Through The Rain’ that I wrote for soul legend Percy Sledge, or the smash hit ‘Bang Bang Boom’ that I wrote for the Moffats would easily have Pick Boy picks. My favourite picks since I first tried their made it on one of my solo albums, if I’d arranged them that ‘Jazz’ model. way. A song is a song is a song. You released your autobiography in 2011 titled ‘Rockstjärnan Gud glömde’ (The Rockstar God Forgot). Fans have been asking if there will ever be a return of It’s very personal about your life, what compelled you Easy Action, what do you have to tell them? to write the book at that point of your life? I’m happy to announce that Easy Action ....... I can’t disclose any more details at this moment unfortunately. More news I thought it was about time to reveal my side of the story, and in the same time get down on paper a lot of stuff that to come. otherwise would have been forgotten. What are you listening to today? It’s not an all glitz and fame book, it also shows the honest dark side to fame in the music industry. Did you I know this is a boring answer, but I rarely have time to YesterdazeNews Magazine www.yesterdazenews.com 20

have any unexpected responses from family, friends, fellow musicians or fans after they read the book?

bit surprising, I was always on The Jokers side. I felt sorry for him being such an outcast, and I loved it everytime he managed to dubblecross Batman. I also loved Spiderman, cause he was somewhat an existentialistic super hero, with Mostly positive, I’d have to say. I think my kids already all his economic problems, sense of guilts, and not being suspected that I wasn’t knitting bed spreads and drinking able to reveal his real identity in fear that his enemies herbal tea during the tours with Europe! would hurt him. I could relate to him in many ways. I was never able to find the book in English translation, When I later dug into Jean Paul Sartre, Franz Kafka and but read the origianl Swedish version. Any plans for an Fjodor Dostojevskij, Spiderman echoed in all their stories. English verision release? I would love to point readers (Obviously it was the other way around!) to your book, I feel that many would love to read it. You’re an accomplished horse racer, probably one of the more surprising facts about Kee Marcello for fans We’re looking into creating a version in English, more to learn! Do you own horses today and are you still news to come about that during 2019. involved in racing today? You produced Swedish Metal Aid in 1985 to help people I’m still a co-owner in one race horse, but I don’t get the in Ethiopia. You clearly have an eye on the world around you. What do you think of our world today and chance to race I much as I would like to. I’m simply too busy! Maybe it’s something I could dig into when I retire? what changes would you like to see happen? The most critical issue right now is the environment. If we don’t start doing something it’s going to mean the end of Homo Sapiens. Another one is all the war refugees arriving in the EU. It’s and extremely difficult issue, and all countries in EU have to work together to solve it. Humanity are facing some difficult issues.

Yeah, like that’ll happen! I love being around horses, and I think it’s mutual. I’ve got a feeling we connect. It’s an awesome feeling. Is there anything you want to express to all of your fans today?

You have self-professed you loved comic books growing up, do you still read comic books today? If yes, what are I would like to express my gratitude, deeply and heartily, to all my faithful fans out there. The kind of fans I have are your favorites? the ones that seem to know everything about what I’ve ever Yes, I grew up on comic books! But I eventually grew out of done, into the smallest details, and I’m so grateful to have them, and today I’m a bit of a book worm. But my favourite such devoted music lovers as followers. Hope to see ya’ll soon! back in the days was Batman and Superman. Although, a

Find Kee Marcello Online: facebook.com/keemarcello instagram.com/keemarcello twitter.com/MarcelloKee YesterdazeNews Magazine www.yesterdazenews.com

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Interview - Judas Priest - K.K. Downing

Judas

Priest founding member, K.K. Downing needs zero introductions anywhere. He’s a mastermind who’s had some of the most wicked guitar solos known in heavy metal. His contributions to the heavy metal genre and the leather clad image, will forever be ingrained in the minds of heavy metal fans around the world. K.K. released his memoir called ‘Heavy Duty; Days and Nights in Judas Priest in September. I recently sat down and had a candid conversation with him about his book, the music and Judas Priest. Enjoy the conversation with K.K. Downing!

Diane Webb for YesterdazeNews Magazine: How are you today, K.K.?

belief about who you are as K.K. Downing?

I’m not too sure, really. I think some people go through K.K. Downing: Very, very cool, Diane. Thank you very much. their careers, and people in the media and fans get to know pretty much everything along the way, but with a band like Judas Priest, from what people tell me, I didn’t realize You released a new memoir book, “Heavy Duty: Days this, that we’ve been quite under wraps, discreet, not very and Nights in Judas Priest,” back in September. What forthcoming with anything to do with our personal lives, was the inspiration for you at this point in your life to or how things actually worked in or outside the band, and write that memoir? so taking all of that into consideration, you never really do know what people’s perception is of you, but certainly A few deciding factors, Diane, really. And I make no bones do something like this, a book, and getting ready for the about nothing, age has to play a part with. I’ve just turned 67 years old, and you never know what’s around the corner feedback when you release it, because you never really know how it’s going to be received, but I think somebody and as much as I declined the option to do a book, you know, year after year. Last year I was approached by Mark told Bert the reception has been very, very warm, you know, Eglinton who I know had done a book for one of the Pantera and I’m very, very pleased with the feedback that I’ve had so far. guys, Rex. So better do it now, well, you know, while my memory is still not too bad really, Diane, I see that (laughs) you know, and that was one main thing, but the other thing Now, I know there was a little bit of controversy sparked by the book when it was released, and did you is I fancied at this late time in the day to, I wanted for the expect any controversy to come out of the release of the fans to get to know me a little bit better. They know of me book? very well, but not really know me. So I thought I’d give them, you know, the fans, I wanted them to get to know K.K., the person off the stage if you know what I’m saying. Not really, Diane, but you know, it’s one of those things you never really know, certain people’s perception and how You know, when you bring that up it makes me wonder, they think, and sometimes I guess you can say something because you know, innocent and all, in the book, but you what do you think is the most misunderstood thing or YesterdazeNews Magazine www.yesterdazenews.com 24

just might upset someone. I just thought that I’m just going to go ahead and do this and just do it honestly and openheartedly. Whatever will be, will be really, but I think that’s been really all good, really, because I’ve been a has-been, or I would have to say more busy responding to the book than I ever have with an album I think, even though I’m sailing my own canoe here if you know what I mean.

Glenn’s right to hand over the baton and someone to step into his shoes, but we also have to balance the scales as to what justifiably should be done, and also take into consideration that lots of media fans, and also the fan base, also really should have a voice. That’s how I feel about it really, and I think that the world was pretty much asked to butt out and not get involved because you’re not going to have a say anyway, you know, but it is what it is.

I was in a band, in a band you’ve got some ship mates to toe I have to take that on the chin and move forward you know, the line a little bit, but anyway, that’s how it seems, and it and I guess that’s yet another reason for writing the book, seems all good, really. is the fact that as the years went by, you know, some seven, Have you actually stayed in contact with the guys since eight years now since I was in the band, but I’m probably not going to have an opportunity to return to the band, your departure from Judas Priest? I know a lot of fans and so I thought that explanations and my reasoning and have wondered if you’re actively in contact, or if you everything, think that the fans and the media deserve some guys have just kind of cut ties. kind of an explanation as to exactly why I was unable to continue with the band as it was. You know, after so long, I mean, we were actually manical together you know I mean, we were, it was a marriage for You know, I like that you touch on that, about the fans about 40 years or more, and I always felt that even when I should have had some sort of say, or at least the band quit the band, we’re all of an age, and we’re all in a state of mind and body to think that any one of us could have been listened to what the fans thought, and I know at one point, I saw something that Ian Hill had put out that the the first one to depart, and everyone’s entitled to do that fans were not going to miss you being back with the for whatever reason they may have, but I always felt that band. And as a longtime fan, I discovered you guys in everything would stay very much intact, you know, with the 80s, and I’ve seen you guys in all different versions our friendship and that but unfortunately things got said in the press, and you know, things got a little bit ragged and of the band now, and I have to completely disagree with him on that, because the fans that are the diehard it’s affected our relationship somewhat. fans that have been around for a long time absolutely do miss your presence, they’re going to miss Glenn’s I can honestly say at the moment, and not for the want of presence. It doesn’t take away from Richie, it doesn’t trying, but it doesn’t seem to make sense the way things take away from Andy, I mean it’s just different versions have panned out, really, because I just kind of went away of how that band is now. quietly and let everybody take the reigns because it was never going to be difficult to find someone to step into my But to see something like that, it was kind of appalling shoes, although that person is never going to be me, but that’s what’s going to happen to all of us at some point. As to me. Was that something you would have ever expected for him to say, that the fans would not miss we know, obviously Glen’s had to step down now also, so you as part of Judas Priest? everything starts to get diluted. Absolutely. And you mentioned that about Glen stepping down, and I actually caught the tour here in the United States earlier this year, and then I’ve covered them in Sweden Rock. Glenn was there for the last few songs of each show I saw, and there was a lot of media controversy about them not inviting you back to join the band as he started stepping down. What do you feel about the media’s attention on that and how they’ve skewed everything? Yeah well, I think in all honesty, in the nicest way possible really, I think myself and Glenn, we were really the driving force behind the band, because we were the songwriters, and we were both Scorpios, and we were pretty competitive, I think, with each other, but that kept us very prolific with the jobs that needed to be done, and so therefore if there’s any tension at all within the band, it was with myself and Glenn. And I think that that’s why when Glenn decided that he couldn’t continue, I think that the rest of the band would have known that there would have been a very good chance I would have stepped back in, because of say, that tension, which unfortunately manifested itself. But we did exceptionally well, we really, really did, and I think as much as I guess, and I have to think about this,

Yeah, well I was gutted really, because Ian, if anyone in the band was like a brother, you know, we grew up together, we went to infant’s school together, we went to junior school together and senior school, we were there at the beginning, way back in the 60s, and it was just a low blow when I read it, when Ian said none of the fans are missing K.K., if he’d have said not all of the fans, maybe, but I also looked on the internet and I saw how many fans are saying no K.K., no Priest, and stuff like that. So it was totally unjustified to say that, and so I still don’t have an answer for why things that went on, I really don’t, because I was like Ian, you know, very, very dedicated to Judas Priest. I, unlike Rob and Glenn, I hadn’t left the band, Rob left the band for 14 years before he came back, and I was very instrumental in getting him back, but both Rob and Glenn had done solo albums, had their own websites, were selling their own t-shirts, selling their own goods, you know. I never ever did that, I stayed absolutely true blue to Judas Priest, and so did Ian, you know I’m not a big fan of bands that peel away and do their own solo projects, it doesn’t really make a lot of sense. So that’s something worthwhile giving to the fans musically, then they should give that worthwhile music to Judas Priest is what I think really, because it’s hard to keep coming out with songs and YesterdazeNews Magazine www.yesterdazenews.com 25

content and all that. We were a pretty damn high energy act really, compared to a lot of bands, and that was our strength, you know, one And if it’s sub-standard, then they shouldn’t release it anyway, it doesn’t really stack up. I’ve seen so many people of our strengths, is what I think. You absolutely slowed try to in the past and fail, and even in the year that I left, in down to a walking pace, it seemed to me, and I wish the 2010, I left very early in 2011. In 2010, Rob actually released guys would just take those, as great as they look, all of those screens and that and just get back to the roots really, and not one, but two studio albums and he did his own tour with the Halford Band, so all of these things started to wear perform for the audience really. And so the focus is on the band and not the televisions, because it’s like going to a me down. I was thinking, the crux of it is we get older, and you go out there, it’s not like it was when you were a young movie, not a rock concert seems to be, I don’t know. If you go to see bands like Nightwish or a ton of bands, they’ve man, you know, it was exciting going to new places, lots of girls queuing up to get you, and it all changes, so you have all got the screens, and so I don’t know why Judas Priest doesn’t have their own bespoke, backdrops and stage to enjoy playing the shows, and I wasn’t enjoying playing shows and what they always did do, really. the shows because the band just seemed to be going through the motions, and that was the biggest reason that I So today, do you have any regrets about leaving Judas quit the band. Priest? And that’s a fair statement, because as an artist, if you I can’t say that I do really, because obviously I thought are not loving what you’re doing, there’s really the about it hard and long, I couldn’t carry on. Those guys question is what’s the point of doing it anymore. literally just before I quit, they asked me to start writing for a five track EP, and I just refused to do it. Rob just released Yeah. Rob was glued to the auto queue for some reason, you know, and Rob didn’t seem to be the same frontman to two studio albums in the last year, and I’m supposed to me, and he still doesn’t today, he still says the same things write songs for a five track EP after the epic Nostradamus album, the answer’s no. If that’s the way it’s going to be, he said to the audience year after year after decade after decade. Rob seems to have lost his flair for connecting with I’m out of here. So that was kind of the straw that broke the the audience on stage, and it’s very, very noticeable to me, camel’s back really. I thought “You guys just don’t know what you’re doing”. And fortunately for those guys, they and as I mentioned in my book, Glenn was just drinking realized it was a rubbish idea and went and made an album, too much beer before and on stage, he was kind of at the to late then, I was gone. pub, you know, you’ve got to think. I would turn around and look at Scott, and even today he kind of looks bored Gotta ask you about the music. One of our fans asked if up there, you know, he looks like he’s going through the you could explain where you got the inspiration for the motions. And I could understand that, because Scott’s a good guy, and Scott’s a true professional, but part of it rubs intro for Sinner. off on other people. That’s just typically me really, I think I just wanted to The perception is that people are not giving all, everything, create, and most nights it was really, really good, it wasn’t always crap but I wanted it to sound like the devil rising up you know. We seemed to be, and I hate to say, we became kind of a shadow of our former selves, really. We could get from hell, just wanting to sound just nasty and demonic and just crescendo into that note and hold the note and away with an awful lot of things when we were younger, kick into the song and it’s just something I guess I just there still was some mistakes or the music wasn’t quite stepped up and did way back in 1975, something like that. tight, but at least everybody was running around, the But yeah, it’s all about being a showman and putting on energy was there, and the crowd could sense that, that we a great show and obviously I was very influenced by the were busting our balls to give them a show and I didn’t feel that was happening, I really didn’t. Just because you’re great Jimi Hendrix with improvisation and feedback, so it’s just something I came up with. getting older, taps should never really turn off, you know. That’s what I think. It’s not asking too much for five guys to go on a stage, 40” by 80”, and run around and throw some And absolutely nobody’s ever asked me that before, so shapes and, you know, enjoy yourself for an hour and a half that’s proof to be called a difficult question, to be fair, so well done, well done for that. I’ll be thinking about that a day. all night now. I’ll be thinking “How did I come up with that? Let me think, I don’t know”. Because none of the I mean, the rest of the day we could rest up, sleep on the band would have suggested I did it, just something that I bus, sleep in the hotel, you know? Sleep in the dressing wouldn’t know what to do, I guess. rooms, relax, you know, I don’t think it was asking too much. It just sounds a bit like the devil’s vomiting sometimes, and I like that, that’s well metal. After seeing the two shows I’ve seen this year, I can agree with what you’re saying there, it seems like Well, you said Hendrix and I’ve always loved Hendrix something’s kind of lost in the mix, and I actually, on the American tour, had a hell of a better time watching work, and the distortion that he had and the style that Saxon than I did Priest, and my friend that was with me he played, you could hear that influence in your style is a huge Priest fan, and was like “Are you crazy?” But I of playing so I could totally see how you incorporate a little bit of ... maybe there’s some Hendrix flare in there didn’t get the feel that I’m used to getting seeing Judas that’s completely agreeable. Priest play. YesterdazeNews Magazine www.yesterdazenews.com 26

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Absolutely, yeah, yeah. Besides the flanger, what other techniques and effects went into the intro of Solar Angels? It’s heavily distorted, that flanger is neat as well, and obviously it’s quite a heavy repeat on there, I would have to go back and listen to it to be fair, of the top of my head I can’t really think what else is in there. Fair enough, you know, it’s been a while, so it’s definitely a fairIt’s definitely been a while. Can I ask you, what are your five personal favorite Judas Priest songs that you’ve done solos on? Oooooooooh yes! (excited tone) well, obviously, I guess it goes without saying, you know the improvisation stuff I’m doing, and songs like Sinner and Victim of Changes. I liked in particular Blood Red Skies and One Shot At Glory. And of course we won the Grammy for Dissident Aggressor, which is a relatively short song but obviously the solo in there is pretty funky. I do like my Before the Dawn solo, I think that’s pretty cool. Stuff I did on Nostradamus, I like that too, you know. And some of those things like Rock Hard Ride Free, I like that, I guess the list goes on, really.

rather than have to go through the ordeal selling guitars that I’ve had pretty much all of my career, if that makes sense. It’s kind of an emotional thing, you know, and I don’t want ... and I’m still going through my house now, the vaults, the cellars, and I still have tons of stuff really though that I would rather dispose of, you know, before I go than have my family disagreeing as to what should be done with these things, I think it’s better to do that and let them see unforeseen benefits of them if it’s all done now, being realistic about age, I think. In the limelight of the media, of music and all of the losses we’ve had over the last two and three years of people that you wouldn’t have expected to leave our earth this soon, I mean it is a reality that people have to think about. Exactly that, you know, I nearly caught my end not too long ago, this summer actually. I found it pretty exhilarating and rejuvenating you know, to literally get back on my bike and bike along the canals in England, and it was great, I enjoyed it, you know, but I nearly got demolished by a great big truck the one day, and I’m thinking Jesus, you know, I was so close I could have been wiped out in a millisecond by this crazy truck driver, so those things do happen, you know, so you have to think about things like that, really. In that lot of items you have in the auction, what is your absolute favorite piece that’s in there?

It’s hard to pick when they’re all your babies, you know? Can you tell me what you think was probably the It would definitely be the 67 Flying V, because these artifacts, there’s so much stuff on the internet with me, worst song that Judas Priest ever recorded? photographs with me, playing with Led Zeppelin in Oakland Coliseum with that instrument, you know, and they only That is another question (laughs) nobody’s ever asked actually $111 off them. (Editorial note: The Flying V sold for me, let me think about that. There’s got to be one, hasn’t there? There’s got to be a few to be fair, let me try and think, $ 189,170 USD! Congrats to the new owner!) because you asked me the worst, let me think. Now that is a good question. Well, there was a few on the last couple of I think there’s a lot of people out there that have such albums, isn’t there? (laughs) There’s got to be one. It’s kind deep respect for your music and the contributions you’ve made that they would love to know, who do you of hard because it’s all being history and legacy now, isn’t listen to today? Is there anybody new that’s come out in it? Everything’s got such an age that it’s become antique the last 5-10 years that you think is worth listening to? and obviously if it’s antique, we have to ignore the scars and the blemishes I guess, you know. I’ll have to think It’s a tough one that, Diane. It really is tough, you know, about that, Diane. I thought that ... honestly apart from Greta Van Fleet, Let me ask, you recently put some of your personal gear they’re a great sensation, I’ve got to admit, they’re pretty entertaining to watch really. You think they’re good at up for auction over at Bonhams, looks like it’s going what they do, they’re excellent at what they do, and I say to finalize on the eleventh of December. Why did you decide to do that now, and how did you decide on what it’s kind of fresh but I’ve been looking for somebody in the metal world, you know, and there hasn’t really been a new pieces to put in that auction? superstar band, has there really, in the metal world, you have Priest, Maiden, you know, Saxon, you know, in that First and foremost, I think that I actually only put stuff kind of genre. in the auction that really, at my age and where I’m at now, that I’m never actually going to use again, and The traditional style of heavy metal, and the New Wave there is some guitars in there and stuff, you know some antiquities, obviously, I still have a very sizable collection of Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM), that sound you instruments (laughs) and it would just became this storage don’t find a ton of bands that are fresh coming out doing that anymore, and it’s just interesting to hear what’s nightmare really, so it was time to clear it out of the attic, coming out, because there’s a ton of great music out and I think because my profile is really, really high now there, it’s just trying to navigate your way to find it. because of everything, and it was said before, you never know what’s around the corner Diane, and I think that I I guess we have to blame how the industry’s changed really, would rather liquefy the money and give it to my family rather than them have to go, if something happened to me, Diane. Like you said, there’s a lot of acts out there, but YesterdazeNews Magazine www.yesterdazenews.com 28

they’re not getting the support from record companies or promoters, you know, agents and managers and everything, basically to nurture them and to get them, to improve them and get them the worldly experience on tours that they desperately need, you know. It’s kind of tough, I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but something needs to happen, I think. And I could say, boy I’ve been saying to young bands that I’ve been helping here and there, kind of believe that the future is in the past, and next thing I know, that Greta Van Fleet comes up you know, their sound, Led Zeppelin, and their selling out shows here, there, and everywhere, so maybe there’s something, and lots of bands are doing covers aren’t they? Disturbed, half a billion views with Simon & Garfunkel, and just heard today Def Leppard have done a cover, I don’t know what it is, maybe I was kind of right, maybe the future or some of it at least, is in the past? I believe so, because there’s a band Bonfire that just put out a 2 CD Legends, it’s all covers, and it’s some of the most incredible songs throughout history of rock and metal that they covered that is kind of interesting to see when bands decide to pay that homage or they just go back and want to rework it, to see how it would work for them. Yeah, is that the German band Bonfire?

alone, so I really do appreciate my band mates and respect them very highly. It was such a great thing to be able to do, create, and you know, it’s still up there now, you know, with everything that’s important, whether it’s Van Halen, Zeppelin, Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Saxon, you name it, you know, it’s important. So for me to want to start again, I can’t be doing that. Music is the one thing that brings more people together, and that’s shared by more people than anything else. And like for me and my book, he gave me a direction in life, he gave me a reason for being, you know, andI completely understand, without words even explaining it, I know exactly what you mean there. So my very last question for you, and I have to do this one because it’s for the fans, is there anything that you want to say to your fans? A big hello, and a big thank you, obviously for all the support, you know, and dedication, not just over the decades, but it’s obviously ongoing and I’m aware of that, and I would just like to say that I, as I mentioned in the interview, would like to give my utmost appreciation to all the fans for the relationship and the time that we’ve shared together, and the experience that we’ve had because serving without that fans was never an experience for the band. And hopefully one day, we’ll meet again, until then, keep defending the metal faith, and that’s about it, really.

Yes, it’s a really cool album. Yeah, yeah, I’m going to check it out. Is there anything musically yet you still haven’t done but you want to do?

Thank you so much, it’s been a great time chatting with you about everything to do with your book, Judas Priest, and life for you, it’s really cool to hear your firsthand experiences.

And thank you very much for the call, it’s very kind of you, you’ve been great to speak to, especially you’re in Seattle, I keep asking myself that probably nearly every day, and which is such a very special place. Thank you very much, I’m thinking to myself, I was there at the very beginning, you know, creating and molding and Judas Priest, and I was Diane. very successful, you know, as I said, I couldn’t have done it

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Headbangers Con made its debut in Portland, Oregon over the weekend of November 9-11, 2018 at the Double Tree By Hilton Conference Center. The brain child of tattoo artist Chris Rohaley better known as Chris 51 and Morgan Rose, Sevendust drummer, Headbangers Con was created to merge live music, musicians, body art and fans all on one place. A first of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, HBC catered to the music lovers. The Pacific Northwest is known to have a number of great comic conventions, Emerald City Comic-Con and Rose City Comic-Con. Yet, there’s not been a convention locally for the metal music fans to embrace, until now and what a great start by having something completely unique.

Headbangers Con Founders: Morgan Rose and Chris Rohaley at the kick off party

The weekend also included two off-site live shows from Stryper. Stryper’s show was the kickoff event on the Friday night before Headbangers Con opened. The second show was on Saturday night of Headbangers Con. A night with Soil, Hyro the Hero and Silent Theory. Both shows were held at the Bossanova Ballroom.

ink in the live tattoo area of the showroom. So anyone who’s been to Comic-Con somewhere, will understand the concept, but just pull out the comic celebrities and actors and insert musicians in their place.

Many fans who chose to kick their weekend off early and take in the Stryper show also upgraded to a VIP experience to take in the meet and greet with Stryper and the VIP party on the upper level of the Bossanova Ballroom. As the weekend kicked off with the star studded pre-party, fans got to rub elbows with the celebrity guests appearing at Headbangers Con over the two-day weekend event and take in a great live show. The mixer also provided fans with ample opportunities to get some photos with their idols.

Celebrity Appearances by: Morgan Rose – Sevendust David Ellefson – Megadeth Eddie Ojeda – Twisted Sister Corey Clover – Living Colour Davey Grahs – Pop Evil Ryan McCombs – Soil, Drowning Pool Mark Heylmun – Suicide Silence Alex Bent – Trivium Aaron Patrick – All That Remains Wayne Lozinak – Hatebreed John Tempesta – The Cult, Helmet, White/Rob Zombie Dan Chandler – Evans Blue, Fight or Flight Nathan Hunt – Shaman’s Harvest Ron Keel – Keel, Steeler Dirk Verbeuren – Soilwork, Megadeth Brian Fair – Shadows Fall

The actual convention was held at the Double Tree By Hilton Conference Center next to Portland’s Lloyd Center. The convention was somewhat similar to comic conventions with panels, celebrity autographs and photos and a vendor show floor where music fans could do some serious music related shopping and even get some new YesterdazeNews Magazine www.yesterdazenews.com 30

The lineup was stacked! Guests included:

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Jason McMaster – Dangerous Toys Hyro The Hero – Hyro The Hero Heidi Shepherd – Butcher Babies Carla Harvey – Butcher Babies Burton Bell – Fear Factory Ra Diaz – Suicidal Tendencies

Fans walked away from each panel knowing so much more about the personal side to the musicians they’ve admired for many years along with hearing first hand stories about the bands and the music they made. The panels were all interactive too, allowing fans to ask questions they’ve always wanted to know and there were some great questions!

Celebrity Artists: Derek Riggs – Iron Maiden’s “Eddie” artist Claudio Bergamin – Judas Priest, Nocturnal Rites, etc Steve Anderson Brent E White – Megadeth and Trivium album artist

I also watched a number of fans and celebrities get new tattoos. Grabbed some yummy Dave Ellefson Coffee, that stuff is superior and delicious! Talked with many fans about their experiences with the music of the musicians who were in town and how they’ve impacted their lives over the years. And even lost my own mind during Hyro The Hero’s live show. I knew it was going to be a good show, but didn’t expect to be overwhelmed with the urge to be in that pit. Surprises all around!

Celebrity Special Guests: Bobbi Jean Brown – Music Video Vixen and Author Brandi Brandt Jose Mangin – Sirius XM Octane / Liquid Metal Bitch Patrick Gretchen Bonaduce For me, as a music fan of rock and metal for as long as I can remember, this was the perfect convention to attend. I took in a number of panels and sat and listened to the stories that everyone had to share about getting into music and what it’s been like for them along their journeys. No two stories were the same either. Stories of coming up, touring, outside interests from music as well as other endeavors.

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There’s wasn’t a huge turn out for the debut. I heard a lot of people saying after the event came and went, that they wish they’d known about it! There’s definitely a desire and need for this kickass convention to grow and continue on and that’s exactly what the plans are. Headbangers Con is scouting areas around the USA to bring the show closer to fans, so keep an eye out for announcements to come on HeadbangersCon.com. Now enjoy some photos from the event and a few interviews from Headbangers Con in this very issue. You can checkout the full photo gallery on our website at YesterdazeNews.com.

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Interview - Suicidal Tendencies - Ra Diaz Diane Webb for YesterdazeNews Magazine: We are here at Headbangers Con, and Ra Diaz from Suicidal Tendencies showed up on the Sunday bill. How you doing Ra? Ra Diaz: Good. Better late than never, right? Right. So you just flew in this morning for the show. How’s it going? Good. Everything’s going smooth. I’m tired, but I’m hanging in there. The good thing is like, where I’m sitting, I don’t really have to move much, and I can just turn my head and see all the panels, so that works in my advantage. So that’s good. So you just got back from Europe. You guys were on Suicidal for a six show run. How was that tour for you? It was great. We went for a week, we only did six shows, but really, really cool shows. I think out of the six shows, I think five were like sold out. People in Europe, we play places that we know they loved us. It was really, really, really fun. We had a great time. It was super easy and smooth. It was like no drama at all. It was like quick and perfect. We did it with Ben Weinman on guitar, which is one of my favorite performers ever. I’m living the dream right now, a little bit.

that I just ... I have a couple beers, I chat with people. For the most part, it always ends in food and going to bed. So what’s your favorite part when you tour? Do you like the smaller clubs, the mid-sized? Or do you love the festivals the most? Or is there no difference to you? I prefer, no brainer, a small club, for sure. But when we play those big festivals, it’s cool because I get to see other bands that I love, or meet them and stuff. I think for me, the kind of show that I like, is that show with people in your face. And also, you have the time to actually meet most of the people there. You can stand in the crowd for like 20 minutes and pretty much talk to everybody, and take pictures, whatever. So it’s more personal. I like that. I know most of the people in the band, they do too. But I mean, of course being part of well-known and respected festivals across the world, it’s always a good feeling too. Absolutely. So how did you end up in Suicidal Tendencies? I met them 2007, the first time that they played in Chile ... Well before that we were exchanging emails because I’ve always been a fan. So I would write them and whatever. Then whenever they ... I mean, when they played in Chile, I think it was January 2007 ... They laugh about it now, but I mean, I don’t care because it kinda worked out for me. But I was waiting for them at the airport and all that to take pictures. Pretty much just stalked them for like two days.

You’ve only been with Suicidal Tendencies for about three years. What is it like for you to just jump in with such an amazing band? And what’s the best thing about it for you now? And it worked out. Well I mean, honestly, I still feel the same since day one. Every single day that we have a show, it’s like the best day ever for me. The best thing I guess is doing stuff like this. Being able to travel and meet people. I think that’s a blessing just to be able to ... Not just see the world and stuff, just like go and play a show and see people happy, and make people happy. I’m super lucky to be able to do what I’m doing.

But in a good way. They knew who I was and I was helping translate stuff. They went to my hometown, so I’m like, “Hey you guys should go here.” Like in very cool, safe way. To the degree that we always stayed in touch. And then they went to Chile again. I moved to Mexico and then I ended up moving into LA, kinda meeting people and hanging out. They saw that I was playing shows around town, then they saw that I was more than just a fan. I actually knew all the songs and I was a musician, like a Now you’re immigrating, as well. What has it been serious one. Just one thing led to another and it got to the like for you coming to the States and what do you think point they needed someone, and they decided to give me a about how we live here in the States? Like the crazy fun, shot. rock and roll party life, and then you get to just go and travel. Is it a different experience for you because you That’s so cool. So what is it like for you now? I know have such a different career? your mom and your family are back home in Chile. Does your mom love that you’re doing this? Or is she I don’t know. I always say this, “If you want to party, you can just kinda like, “You need to come home.” party anywhere.” No, she’s the complete opposite. She’s like, “Go. Live your I’m not that much of a party guy. I mean, I’ll have a few, a dream.” And sometimes we have conversations like, “Hey couple beers and have fun. Nowadays, I’m more into like, what happens if I’m in Europe for example, and something “Let’s go and have a nice dinner.” That’s cool because happens back home?” Which hasn’t been the case yet. But that’s actually something that everybody in the band likes she’s like, “Don’t you dare come in here. Go finish the tour to do. So everywhere we go, if we have a day off or the and then you deal with whatever you have to deal later.” time, we designate someone as, “Okay you’re in charge of finding a restaurant today.” And we go and have fun, and That is cool. whatever. We’re not really party people anymore, I guess. I’m sure they probably did party back then, but ... And yeah, Yeah, my entire family they’ve always been the most I did too, but now it’s, honestly right now, it’s more about supportive people ever. playing good shows. That makes it easier, I guess. Also nowadays, you can I learned it the hard way, being on the road you can’t really FaceTime, you can call or whatever. In a way, when I moved party every night. At some point it’s going start affecting out of Chile, in a very weird way, now I talk to my family your shows. So usually if I party, it’s the last day, right after way more than when I used to live there. I mean, that the last, the very last show. And still, usually I’m so tired doesn’t replace the feeling of getting to give your mom a YesterdazeNews Magazine www.yesterdazenews.com

hug, but in a way we’re closer, in a weird way, I don’t know.

some of those people on those forums that we’ve been talking for the last 10 years or so. We never thought we were going have the chance of meeting in person. So it’s like a super, super, cool feeling.

That’s awesome. Let me ask you this because I know you post a lot about your love of avocados. Oh yeah, you have an avocado on your fret wrap for your bass as well as an avocado tattoo [arm held out pointing to it]. So I feel like when I joined the band, in a way it was like a rad. Is that on your Riders when you guys are out on the victory for a lot of people. Not just my family and stuff, but road? also other fans that they were like, “Dude we know you love the band and you know all the songs and stuff. How cool Yeah, but not because of me. It was already there and Mike would it be for you to play in the band?” I’m like, “Yeah you loves avocado as well. So we bonded over avocado. But know, whatever.” Then it actually happened and everybody what I mean, no, everybody in the band loves avocado, but that I always met through the forums and social media, usually if they see it there, they kinda save it for me and whatever, they were all super happy for me. Mike. That’s cool. Like everywhere we go ... Believe it or not, we went to Russia last year and we did a signing thing That’s why every show I just go out there and I gotta give for Monster Energy, and one person showed up to the my best for them, and for me, and my family and all that. I signing with an avocado. Just for me. just love them. And everybody in the band loves the fans. We do whatever is necessary to make them happy. Mike, Yeah, she was like, “Hey I know you love avocado, so after every show he’s willing to stand outside a venue welcome to Russia” and she gave me one. under the rain for hours, just talking to people and taking pictures. I’ve witnessed that. So I just try to do the same That’s awesome. and follow his example, I guess. Yeah.

That’s awesome.

So one last question for you: for the fans that love Suicidal and have embraced you into the family, what do you have to say to them?

Yeah, it’s a really cool thing when it feels right to do it. It’s really cool.

Well thank you so much, Ra. Hey Suicidal, thank you so I absolutely love every single one of them. To this day, I still much for bringing Ra to the band. We love the addition! consider myself a fan. When I joined the band, I was in all the fan forums and stuff. It was cool that now that I’m in the band, I get to, for example, go to Germany and meet

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CONTEST! How would you like to win an autographed poster? Ra signed a couple of shots from the 2018 Suicidal Tendencies summer tour from Vancouver, B.C. These are exclusive shots you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get anywhere else. These two exclusive posters were shot by me and autographed by Ra personally during Headbangers Con 2018!

To enter, visit our contest page on our website at: YesterdazeNews.com

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The Black Dahlia Murder and Pig Destroyer Crush Portland’s Bossanova Ballroom

On November 29, The Black Dahlia Murder played Portland’s Bossanova Ballroom. The death metal giants were on their way down to California for the Decibel Magazine Metal and Beer Festival. Along side the band for the show were grindcore legends Pig Destroyer, Khemmis, GosT, and Vital Remains.

off with the song “Tunnel Under The Tracks” off of their latest album ‘Head Cage’. The energy the band put off was being matched by the audience. The band was relentless for the entirety of their set. They played song after song with no hesitation or break in between. It was unlike anything I had ever seen live.

The first band up for the evening was Vital Remains. The veteran death metal act had a darkly lit stage, and a fog machine that filled the venue with smoke. Unfortunately, due to lack of parking in the area and another reason, I was only to catch the last song of the set. From what I heard and was able to see, the crowd loved the performance. Hopefully these guys go back on tour soon because I would love to give them a proper review, and photos. If you are a fan of old school death metal, check these guys out!

The band ended their set with five songs off of their hit album ‘Prowler In The Yard’. During the beginning of the song “Jennifer” the crowd talked along with the intro of the song until the band ripped into playing “Cheerleader Corpses”. Their set came to a close with the song “Piss Angel”. Pig Destroyer puts on an incredible show. The high intensity of their set can cause sheer chaos in an instant and it is amazing. If you are a fan of off the wall, aggressive sounding music, then you need to see these guys live. The musicianship of the band is mind blowing and the way they can own the stage is even more impressive.

Following that performance was GosT. The synth-wave performer had quite the stage set up. On both ends of the stage were giant pillars with what looked like satanic symbols on them. The performer came out to an intro track talking about cults, and sacrifices. This caught the attention of the entire audience as the crowd stood in anticipation for what was about to happen. When the intro track was done, an GosT grabbed a bass guitar and started playing it alongside an electric drum beat.

Finally the moment the crowd had been waiting for. The Black Dahlia Murder was ready to perform!! This was not just going to be a regular set for the band. They were going to be playing their latest album “Nightbringers” in full. When the lights went out, the crowd went ballistic and immediately rushed towards the stage. The band started off their set with the song “Widowmaker”. As the song continued the crowd opened up the floor more and more and even started sending fans up towards the stage to dive Not to long after this the audience started dancing to the off. Vocalist Trevor Strnad even encouraged the fans to get rhythm. The high intensity of the songs reminded me a on stage and have a good time! At one point during a song bit of the Australian band The Berserker. Throughout the set the songs got more and more intense. GosT eventually he even pulled up a little kid and had him stage dive off! addressed the crowd and gave a blood curdling scream into You could see the smile on the kids face from ear to ear as the crowd surfed him back to his dad. the microphone. The set came to a close with a cover of the Nine Inch Nails song “Head Like A Hole”. GosT is quite The hour and a half long set came to a close with the an experience to see live. If you have a chance to see him song “Funeral Thirst”. The Black Dahlia Murder puts on a perform, I suggest doing so. It will be a performance you crazy show! The amount of audience participation the band won’t soon forget. expects is unlike any other. If these guys announce a show near you make sure to be there. They will not disappoint The next band up on the bill was Khemmis. The Colorado based doom metal band came out to an anxious crowd. As you. Just make sure that if you do decide to see them and soon as the lights went out and the band started, the crowd there is no security barrier, be prepared to be jumped on. If that happens maybe even get up on stage and dive yourself! started head banging. During one song, the sound went Feel the insanity and fun that only The Black Dahlia out half way through. The house lights came on but the Murder can bring live. band continued to play. This got quite a chuckle from the audience. As the set continued, you could feel the tension - words and photos by Patrick Burt in the room start to shift. Some audience members were ready to let loose and get the floor moving, while others were hesitant. It wasn’t until the last two songs that the first mosh pit of the night opened up. The band seemed to love it, and so did many audience members. The bands set came to a close with their song “Maw Of Time”. Check these guys out live! The fourth band of the night was grindcore legends Pig Destroyer. The band spent next to no time getting their set put together and was ready to play in about 20 minutes. Before the band even played a note the crowd was so rowdy, they already opened up a mosh pit. As soon as the band started, all hell broke loose. Pig Destroyer started their set YesterdazeNews Magazine www.yesterdazenews.com 42

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Concert Photos

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Geargasm - Dead City Crown - Anthony Ponce

nthony Ponce is the bass player for the New Jersey based Melodic Death

Metal band Dead City Crown. The band released a new EP earlier this year called Apex of Fury that was pretty intense! You can check out the new EP today on Spotify. YesterdazeNews Magazine: Aside from DCC, do you play with anything other bands? Anthony Ponce: Dead City Crown is my one and only project at the moment What was the first piece of gear you acquired? From my current gear it’s definitely my Darkglass B7K. What’s in your collection today? I currently have 2 Spector Rebops and 1 Spector Rex 5 all with Hipshot ultralite tuners and bass xtenders. They all have Nordstrand custom pick ups and 2 band pre amps. What’s on your pedal board? I current run a Shure GLXD > EBS Studio Multicomp > Darkglass B7K > MXR Phase 90 > MXR Smartgate. What gear do you tour with?

The feel and natural growl of the Spector basses is hard to find in other Basses in my opinion and the necks are perfect for my hands. The B7K allows me to cut through the two 7 strings guitar players in my band.

Along with my pedalboard I also use A Darkglass MT900 Amp head and always have at least 2 basses with me. I also Who are you sponsored by? travel with a Line 6 Helix Floor as a backup rig. It has all my guitar players patches and my bass patches in case My current endorsements are: one of our rigs fails. Spector Basses Nordstrand Audio (Pickups and Preamp) What do you think is the most unexpected piece of gear DR Strings you use, something fans or other artists might be surSpectraflex cables prised to learn? Hipshot Hardware Gator Cases Really thin guitar pics. I use Dunlop Tortex .60 Orange pics. I feel that thin pics leads to more natural compresDo you have any signature gear? sion while playing because the pick flexes more the harder you play and it is actually easier to play faster passages I consider my Basses signature in my opinion. All the work with less effort on thicker strings like on a bass. done on them was done the way I wanted at Spector HQ in Woodstock NY. What is your go to piece of gear or multiple go to pieces? What type of ear protection do you use? Always my Spector Basses and Darkglass B7K preamp. I I use Earasers on stage as they just filter out the harmful can do most shows as long as I have at least those 2 pieces frequencies and makes everything a little more even while of gear. still having a very “live” feel. What is it about it/them that makes you enjoy using and what makes it unique for your sound? YesterdazeNews Magazine www.yesterdazenews.com 54

Inter view - Messer - Maddox Messer

Maddox Messer: I’m doing great. Thank you so much for having me.

And you guys absolutely do that, because as I was listening through it, there’s a few songs that really stuck out to me as the songs that were just the ones that just really hit me, like “Fight of my Life,” “Simple Man,” “Whiskey”– they were, like, really just great songs. You guys worked with Chad Gendason, correct, on a few of these songs?

The new album is fantastic. I’ve listened to it, and I’m just like, it’s never surprising to me that somebody from Dallas has got a killer rock album because there’s just something really special about what comes out of Dallas where rock music is concerned.

That’s correct. Actually we co-wrote the whole album with Chad, and he’s not only our producer and co-writer; he’s our best friend and brother and just a tremendous songwriter, and he’s taught us a lot and essentially helped us build this from the ground up.

Diane Webb for YesterdazeNews Magazine: I am talking to Maddox Messer, bassist of the Dallas rock band Messer. Messer released their self-titled album in April. How are you doing today, Maddox?

That’s true. Obviously those are big shoes to fill, so we take And so you guys have written with him before this, then? that very serious. Yeah, people don’t think of Texas and rock music hand in hand; they think Texas and think country music, but there’s always been this really great vibe of rock music, and depending on what area of Texas you’re in, it’s a little bit different. Everywhere you go, each city has their own kind of vibe of the rock music, and you guys just do this really great raw rock and roll sound that you have. Thank you very much. Yeah, we’ve took a great deal of time to write and record this album, and we were trying to create some new classic rock songs that could live on for the future.

Well our first foray with writing with Chad was actually writing “Simple Man.” This album was a five year long process, and it started with “Simple Man.” That was the very first song we ever wrote with Chad. The plan was at that particular point in time was we can get this one great song and show everybody how great of a band we can be, and then get signed to some fairytale record deal that we were naively anticipating, not realizing at that time the state of the industry being what it was. After, we quickly figured out, “No one’s looking to sign a band. We have to sign ourselves,” and that’s essentially what we did is we signed ourselves to our own little record deal and took ourselves into our own studio for a period of artist development. We tore this band apart and built it back up YesterdazeNews Magazine www.yesterdazenews.com 55

from the ground. And I think you guys did something really good doing that yourselves. A lot of people think that if you wait for that record deal, it’s gonna happen, but that’s not necessarily true. There’s a lot of people out there independently doing their thing, and they’re really making their way. To persevere and go through that and make it your own way, I think it says a lot more about the band and your music and your drive. Yeah, we’re just so much more invested in it emotionally and physically doing it ourselves. I don’t even like to use the term “DIY” or doing it yourself, because it was really done together. It was really a “DIT” movement where we got together with Chad, and we sought out people in areas of expertise when it came to mixing the album like Ben Grosse and Paul Pavao, who mixed the album. We wanted to do this kind of the old fashioned way, back when there were “budgets” for records, and you could actually craft an album by hand using craftsmen, and that’s essentially what we set out to do and what we feel we accomplished.

it when it’s there, then I don’t feel like I’m doing my job because my job really is to lend a musical notation to the drums and really provide that foundation for everything else. So you played guitar before. Who got you into music? My dad. My dad was a huge music fan. He didn’t really play any instruments growing up. He wasn’t that kind of... he was a whistler. He likes to whistle. But he was really into music, and at the time in that era when I was growing up, there were cassettes and CDs were coming out, and going to the Sound Warehouse every week and getting the newest releases was always something that we did together. He actually introduced me to a lot of great music. My dad turned me on to bands like Metallica and even Slayer. That’s parenting done right. That’s right.

Now you also brought up a good thing that you were buying cassettes and albums. You guys released your own album. What formats did you do … physical, streaming? How is it that you’re connecting with the Before, I think as a musician, and again we were somewhat fans with this release? naive on some level, but I think before songwriting was Well, that’s a good question. This is a very different time approached kind of from riff ideas or riffage and things that we’re living in. I think I read an article just the other of that nature, where this we kind of approached it more day that physical sales of CDs and albums have actually as a soundscape and looked at it more as an orchestral arrangement, and created these sound beds of music that eclipsed digital downloads, but that also is largely in part to the fact that digital downloading is going away, and in the message, which is ultimately the most important part of the song, can be laid upon. Chad has an amazing ear for the matter of a few short months even iTunes you will no longer be able to download music for purchase; it will melody, and combined with the lyrics that we collectively only be streaming services. That being said, we also had came together with, I feel like we were able to tell these kind of a longing for wanting to bring back that interactive sort of complex stories or complex ideas in a very simple experience of getting a new CD, or in this case we actually way that make it really easy for new fans to connect with and be able to have these songs resonate within them very put out two forms of vinyl: a 140 gram vinyl and below the much so in the moment, especially at the live show. At the 180 gram limited edition that we have on our label. With live show it’s a very visceral experience. You’re getting the that, again, we’ve seen a lot of bands through the years that just don’t put a lot of time and effort into their physical performance from the band, and our band, we take this very serious. Every note, every drum, every word is spoken packaging, and therefore CDs have become disposable. and performed and played with a level of intention that, before this album and before this process, none of us ever When somebody hands you a CD in a little envelope folder, you typically just throw that away and there’s not much knew we were actually capable of attaining. there, but we actually wanted to put a lot of thought into the packaging so that when you pick it up, first of all you’re So let me ask, you are the bass player in the band. What bass player was it that caught your eye that made going to see it: the artwork on the front cover is interactive; you’re going to want to look at it. We’ve got a nice you say, “I have to play bass.” reflective image on the front that’s kind of like a mirror that is metaphoric as well. And then when you open it up, Well that’s a tough one because I originally was a guitar you’re going to find all the lyrics and all this great artwork player, and I always had played guitar, and in fact this is that our artist Greg Howell put together for us. It’s meant my first band I’ve actually played bass in. When I joined up with Messer and started playing bass, it was something to be an interactive experience: sitting down to the record that just kind of resonated within me and felt like this was player, the CD player, following along, and going through the liner notes. All of that stuff. That was stuff that was a something that I should be doing. I always felt the music, and typically when you’re feeling music you’re feeling the very fond part of my childhood growing up and what really got me connected with, I think, the music on an emotional low frequencies and the bass, and so I think for me, great level. bass players are kind of meant to not be noticed so much. You notice a bass when it goes away. If you’re noticing That’s awesome. So what was different in this writing process for this album than what you guys have done before?

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Let me say thank you because I’m a huge fan of collecting the albums and the CDs, and I’m one of those people who still appreciates it. I want to look at the artwork, I want to read the lyrics, and I want to read the notes that you guys put in there thanking people that helped you along the way. It’s something to me that I think more and more people are kind of getting the idea that tangible need.... I’ll download my music, yes, but I prefer to actually have that physical copy if I can get it, so thank you.

of our writers who lives in Austin knows you guys and said, “Oh, you’ve got to take a listen to these guys. I want to go out and cover one of their shows.” And then we started listening to you guys, and we were like, “Wait, these guys are really good.” And I think that grassroots your fans will find you, and they’ll talk about you, but then they’re also going to keep talking about you, and people are going to continue to grow that base of the foundation for you, and I think that’s great that you guys appreciate the fans out there that have stayed with you.

Yeah, you’re welcome. We did that specifically for you. We’re music fans, too, otherwise we wouldn’t be doing this. We just felt that if we put something out that would be quality, that it would cut through the noise of everything else around it and truly make an impact, and we hope that it inspires and empowers, not just music fans, but other bands to step their game up as well. Absolutely. Now what do you have to say to the fans that have supported you along the route so far and then the new fans that are coming to your music and finding you know? Anything you want to say to them? Well yeah. I mean, of course. Without our fans, we’re nothing. That is why we do this, and we’ve had the benefit of having a tremendous group of supporters, we call them the Messer Machine, which you can join on our website, but those are the core group of people that have been through, a lot of them have been with us since the beginning of this. They actually knew us before we decided to kind of reinvent this and do this new album, and they’ve stuck through, and a lot of them have become very emotionally invested in it as well because they’ve seen us go and grow into, ultimately, the Messer that we want the world to know now. So there’s a great deal of pride that they take in that, and we take that support and respect extremely serious, and this is why we’re out here doing what we do. That’s a great thing because your fans can be your grassroots as well, because for our site especially, one

Yeah, that’s everything. The live performance is typically, nowadays, the vast majority of our income, and we aspire to do this for a living for the rest of our lives. We’re not that good at doing the other stuff in life, but doing music and playing shows, this is what we’re meant to be doing. What can fans expect to see in your live shows that come out to see you? Well on our headlining shows, we’re going to be playing, for the most part, the album in its entirety, and then we’re going to be also bringing our light show, which we have a tremendous light show that we spend a great deal of time programming and automating that really adds, I think, to the overall performance lending these kind of colorful scenes that invade the audience from track to track as we move through the set. Awesome. Messer has a new album out; it’s called “Messer.” Hit their website at Messerband.com. You can find them on iTunes, Google Play, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Spotify, SoundCloud, Slacker. So get out there and find these guys; get out and support their tour. Maddox, thank you so much for your time, and we wish you a ton of luck with the new album. Thank you so much, and keep rocking.

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Geargasm - Convergence - Richard Chambliss

YesterdazeNews Magazine: Aside from Convergence, do you play with anything other bands? Richard Chambliss: No. I’ve had offers but Convergence takes up all of my time. What was the first piece of gear you acquired?

I actually don’t have a pedal board, I try to keep my rig as small as possible so I only have 3 things on the floor. I patch them together when I set up and that’s basically my entire rig. I run a Fractal AX-8 amp modeller/processor, a Mission Engineering SP-1 Expression Pedal, and a PRA Audio WiC Wireless unit. I just opened for Flotsam and Jetsam and Hammerfall in Seattle with nothing but that and my guitar.

What gear do you tour with? -My first gear I acquired was a Hondo black and white strat and a small Dean Markley amp. I got them when I was 13 years old from my parents for Christmas and I was so I’m currently not touring but my rig is designed specifically for that. I could tour and do fly dates with no happy to get them. changes. What’s in your collection today? What do you think is the most unexpected piece of - I use to be somewhat of a guitar collector but have since gear you use, something fans or other artists might be paired down my collection of guitars because I had guitars surprised to learn? sitting in cases for years not being used. I currently have 3 7-String guitars (1 Ibanez S7430FMTT, and 2 custom built 7 Probably my JBL Eon 612 powered monitor. I run my AX-8 straight into the front of house and use my JBL for stage strings built to Ibanez Universe specs). volume. I don’t use a conventional amp or speaker cabinet. As far as amps and effects, I’m not a collector of them. I have 1 tube amp still and that’s the first real amp I got as a What is your go to piece of gear or multiple go to pieces? teenager which is a 2 channel Mesa Triple Rectifier head. I have become very utilitarian with my gear. If it isn’t being My go to piece of gear is my Fractal AX-8. I have based used it needs to be sold to help buy something else that my entire rig around that piece and it allows me to get will. amazing, and consistent tone when I’m opening for nationals with minimal sound checks. What’s on your pedal board? My 7-Strings are all customized with Dimarzio pickups and 58

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Mad Hatter Terminator Systems so they are modified to the point where it would be difficult to play anything else.

has been a pleasure working with both of them.

Since putting Mad Hatter Guitar Products Terminator Systems in all of my guitars, my tone has drastically improved. Running direct amplifies every part of your signal chain. If you have a weak point it will show up in spades out front. Those electronics really allow my playing and guitar tone to shine in a way I haven’t heard before. My tone is much more open and wide compared to traditional guitar electronics.

I use Hearos H309 earplugs. Everything sounds great with them and they are inexpensive which is good because I lose them a lot.

Do you have any signature gear? What is it about it/them that makes you enjoy using and what makes it unique for your sound? -Not yet. But Mad Hatter built me a custom Terminator System for my Ibanez S7420FMTT. Convergence primarily opens for national acts in Seattle. As a result, I need a compact rig that is very consistent, Who would you like add being sponsored by? reliable, quick to set up, and sounds amazing. Using amp modeling and IR’s direct allows me to get the same tone Dimarzio pickups, D’Addario Strings, Fractal Audio, and every time I get on stage without having to worry about Mission Engineering whether the beat up mic that is being thrown in front of an amp in 5 seconds will sound okay out front. What type of ear protection do you use?

Who are you sponsored by? -I am an artist with PRA Audio and Mad Hatter Guitar Products. Both companies make amazing products and it

Please tell me about other projects or organizations you are involved in and outside of music. Outside of music, I am an Account Executive in healthcare. I work with a wide variety of organizations and health systems to help patients reduce medical costs, and get their medications easier and faster. It feels good to help people.

Check out more Seattle bands on YesterdazeNews.com

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There were a ton of albums released in 2018. We listened to many of them and you the readers did to. We’ve been talking about the new music throughout the year, but as we close the year out there are a few stand out albums that have never left our play rotation and desereve to be mentioned as our favorite albums for 2018. It wasn’t hard for to instantly think of the albums that delighted us this year and it’s important we let you know who we enjoyed the most and that the bands get told this as well. So sit back and strap yourselves in as we tell you our favorites. I am sure that some of you will disagree with the list because you have something you love that didn’t make it, but that’s the great thing about new music, there’s so much for so many to enjoy. Our Favorite Albums of 2018 Are:

25. Jonathan Davis - Black Labyrinth

21. Pig Destroyer - Head Cage

24. Metal Church - Damned If You Do

20. Nita Strauss - Controlled Chaos

23. Steelheart - Rock’n Milan (Live)

19. Night Flight Orchestra - Sometimes The World Isn’t Enough

22. Behemoth - Messe Noire (live album) 18. Dynazty - Firesign

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17. Judas Priest - Firepower

12. Obscura - Diluvium

16. Sevendust - All I See Is War

11. Vein - Errorzone

15. Dark Sarah - The Golden Moth

10. Butcher Babies - Lilith

14. Avatar - Avatar Country

9. Eminem - Kamikaze

13. Red Dragon Cartel - Patina

8. Cane Hill - Too Far Gone

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7. Rivals - Damned Soul

2. Dimmu Borgir - Eonian

6. Battlegrave - Relics Of A Dead Earth

1. Manimal - Purgatorio

5. Saxon - Thunderbolt

4. Kissin’ Dynamite - Ecstasy

3. Hyro The Hero - Flagged Channel

We have a tie for 2nd place! 2. Mile - The World In Focus 62

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Personal favorites from a few of our team members: Diane Webb: Avatar - Avatar Country Battlegrave - Relics Of A Dead Earth Cane Hill - Too Far Gone Dark Sarah - The Golden Moth Dimmu Borgir - Eonian Dynazty - Firesign Hyro The Hero - Flagged Channel Kissin’ Dynamite - Ecstasy Manimal - Purgatorio Mile - The World In Focus Messer - Messer Red Dragon Cartel - Patina Rivals - Damned Soul Saxon - Thunderbolt Veonity - Legend of the Starborn Patrick Burt: Vein - Errorzone Terror - Total Retaliation Anaal Nathrakh - A New Kind Of Horror Jesus Piece - Only Self Pig Destroyer - Head Cage Obscura - Diluvium Eminem - Kamikaze Pound - Pound Behemoth - Messe Noire (live album) Orator - Kalipolis Ruben Mosqueda: Little Caesar - Eight Night Flight Orchestra - Sometimes The World Isn’t Enough Red Dragon Cartel - Patina Ted Nugent - The Music Made Me Do It Fifth Angel - The Third Secret Judas Priest - Firepower Metal Church - Damned If You Do Alice In Chains - Rainier Fog Sevendust - All I See Is War Dead Daisies - Burn It Down

What about the albums coming up in 2019? We think there are a few you need to know are coming so you do not miss them! These are confirmed album releases. As we hear of more confirmed new releases we will let you know. This should get you started for 2019. January 2019: Corroded - Bitter Evergrey - The Atlantic Cane Hill - Kill The Sun Soilwork - Verkligheten Jinjer - Micro Legion of the Damned - Slaves of the Shadow Realm Flotsam And Jetsam - The End of Chaos King 810 - Suicide King Puppy - The Goat Secret Rule - The 7 Endless Wake The Nations - Heartrock Come Taste The Band - Reignition Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Call - Morbid Black Trinity (EP) Offended By Everything - Evergreen Rifftera - Across The Acheron Wolfhorde - Hounds of Perdition Incite - Built To Destroy

February 2019: Set It Off - Midnight Deever - You Need This Kaamos Warriors - Ikuisen Talven Sarastus Avantasia - Moonglow Pretty Maids - 12CD Box Set Overkill - The Wings Of War Aenimus - Dreamcatcher Candlemass - Psalms For The Dead March 2019: Children of Bodom - Hexed In Flames - I, The Mask Queensryche - The Verdict Date To Be Announced: Cyhra - TBA Lucidity - Oceanum Fear Factory - TBA Deftones - TBA

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Album Reviews Bonfire, Legends (AFM Records) Bonfire has recorded a 2 CD release of classic covers. At first glance, I was dreading having to review this release. I typically dislike when bands do covers of songs that have already been successfully recorded by another artist. Having that in mind, I popped the first CD and hit play to the opening track.... “Africa”... for God’s sake another band covering Toto’s classic??? Well I am happy to say that Bonfire actually did Toto’s hit justice! With that one going down easy I listened to the remaining tracks and was thrilled with the cover of Queensryche’s “Silent Lucidity” as well. This is a solid release of covers. I normally give a thumbs down, but in this case I say yes, go buy this one and enjoy! Evergrey - The Atlantic (AFM Records) To be honest, if Evergrey had decided to release ‘The Atlantic’ this year, it would be in our Top 25 Albums of 2018, but they held off to release it in January 2019 and to that, I say thank you because I know this album will be in our 2019 Top Albums list. What’s not to love on this album? It’s an absolute masterpiece. From the beginning to the end, it’s an epic musical journey. Even after all these years, Evergrey never fails to amaze me with each new release. This is an album that fans need to hear. I am really excited that 2019 gets kicked off with this one as an early release. Fans are going to love this one.

Steelheart, Rock’n Milan (Frontiers Music srl) What can I say about this one? It’s killer! For a live CD, Steelheart slayed this one! Everything about this album is perfection. Having heard them live at Sweden Rock Festival this past summer I can honestly say that this live CD is how they really sound live. Not a many bands sound this great live, but Steelheart does. This is an album you will want to just kick back and enjoy no matter where you are. It’s got that summer vibe feel to it that will make you long for summer and outdoor live music. And I have to agree with vocalist, Miljenko Matijevic... “Mike Humbert is the fucking greatest drummer alive!” Not many frontmen signal out their drummers so boldly! Go buy this CD and enjoy it!! Currents, I Let The Devil In (SharpTone Records) Currents are back with one hell of a new release. It’s angry, raging and intense. This ten track release starts out with a mellow intro then goes into manic blast beats and growling vocals. There’s a great push and pull feel throughout the album where growls drop down into a momentary clean vocal, then straight back into growls. The music has an enigmatic feel throughout. I was really pleased to hear what the band came up with following their 2017 release ‘The Place I Feel Safest’. While it holds a familiar feel to the last album, there’s progression in the new music that feels the band is growing in their style in this, their 4th album (not counting the all intrumental release of ‘The Place I Feel Safest’). Venom, Storm The Gates (Spinefarm Records) Storm The Gates is a classic Venom album through and through. No pretense, just great metal music. If there’s something Venom does, that’s provide fans with something great to sink their teeth into. There’s not a ton of difference to the sound compared to previous releases and that’s ok. This is just a great album to enjoy. Something the fans won’t be shocked by.

Find more bands we are listening by checking out our Spotify channel: https://open.spotify.com/user/yesterdazenews?si=A4ZQ8tDzQh27XbhtDyfxKQ

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Guest REview FIFTH ANGEL - The Third Secret Nuclear Blast Records 2018

HEIR APPARENT - The View From Below No Remorse Records 2018

Two Seattle Progressive/Power Metal bands of the `80s just dropped their long-awaited third albums this fall. Both groups have long been more popular overseas, and still have large followings over there, so no surprise both landed on European labels. Fifth Angel was originally formed in late 1983, evolving out of the popular 1979 Lake Hills Battle Of The Bands champion, Ridge. Guitar virtuoso James Byrd joined with Ridge members Ted Pilot, Ed Archer and Ken Mary and they began working on writing original material with an eye towards the success Queensryche had the previous year landing a major label. Recording at Steve Lawson Studios, with Terry Date at the helm, the demos resulted in landing a deal with indie label Shrapnel in 1986, and eventually one with Epic Records (after the indie release did very well). Byrd left in 1988, and was replaced by Kendall Bechtel on guitar. John Macko also joined on bass and the lineup for the second album, Time Will Tell, was set. They had their sights on a big tour opening for Ozzy Osbourne, but it fell through and the band ended up breaking up in early 1990, after Archer left the band.

1986. They toured overseas with Savage Grace that year in support and returned to start work on a follow up. A keyboardist, Michael Jackson, was added to round out the band’s sound and further pursue the progressive direction. Davidson stepped down due to vocal problems in 1987 and was replaced by Portland singer Steve Benito (French Kiss). Their next demos (also recorded at Triad) landed them a deal with Metal Blade and Capitol Records. Due to a falling out, Gorle was fired from the band and they attempted to replace him on guitar. It didn’t work and eventually the band split up also in 1990. In 2000, Gorle, Peace and Schwartz reunited, along with Mike Flatters (Harder! Faster!) on vocals, to play the Wacken Open Air Festival in support of Graceful Inheritance being reissued on CD. Heir Apparent continued to play festivals over the years following that initial reunion with various lineups. Eventually, Peace and Schwartz rejoined Gorle in 2012 (along with Keyboardist Op Saykia who joined the band in 2003). New vocalist Will Shaw joined in 2015 and the following year a new indie label, NW Metalworx Music, reissued Graceful Inheritance on vinyl/LP to honor the 30th Anniversary (complete with the originally intended painting/artwork by Queensryche artist Matt Bazemore). They continued to play shows the next couple of years and eventually announced a record deal with No Remorse for a brand new album. Fifth Angel reformed in 2010, performing their first true live show at the Keep It True Festival in Germany (they had only performed a showcase for record labels back in the 1980s - according to former singer Ted Pilot). Bechtel, Archer and Macko were joined by drummer Jeffrey McCormack (Q5) and vocalist Peter Orullian. Plans were set to record a new album, and some songs were written, but it ended up falling through. Fast forward to 2017 and Fifth Angel reunited once again to perform shows in Seattle and again played Keep It True. The same lineup was featured in those shows and the band received a very positive response. Plans for a new album were again set and the band landed a deal with Nuclear Blast. So there you have a bit of the history of both bands! On to the music and the question of is it good?

Well, I’ll admit up front that I have long been a fan of both bands so I may be a bit biased. That said, i’m always a bit skeptical about newer albums as they often don’t hold a candle to the classic ones. Personally, I discovered both Heir Apparent follows a slightly similar story with the band bands first albums not long after they came out in late 1986/early 1987. I loved both of them and the bar was set evolving out of an earlier incarnation, called Nemesis, in very high. I still consider Fifth Angel’s self-titled debut and 1984. Ray Schwartz replaced first drummer Jim Kovach, Heir Apparent’s Graceful Inheritance to be a couple of the joining Terry Gorle, Paul Davidson and Derek Peace and best power/prog metal albums to ever come out of the NW helped solidify the group. They had initial interest from Kim and Diana Harris, Queensryche’s first managers, who (and yes I also admit I am one of NW Metalworx Music’s booked studio time at Triad. The Harris’s became too busy label owners that put my money where my mouth is and to manage the Heir Apparent guys, but the band ended up gave it a proper remastered reissue). Both band’s follow ups were slightly weaker for different reasons - the former still recording demos at the studio to shop to labels. They landed a deal with French indie Black Dragon in 1985, and band’s Time Will Tell a bit more commercial and the latter One Small Voice a bit too light on guitar and keyboard their first album, Graceful Inheritance, was released in YesterdazeNews Magazine www.yesterdazenews.com 65

heavy - but all four albums are still some of the best of their Heir Apparent recorded their new album at Terry Gorle’s home studio, Apparently Music, and Tom Hall (who worked type regardless and were quite influential on musicians on their first two albums and various demos with them at around the world. Triad Studios) co-engineered and co-produced the album with him. Gorle and Will Shaw co-wrote a good portion So do these new albums hold up to the bar set by those of the songs with Saykia and Schwartz also contributing release from the 1980’s and almost 30 years after their second albums came out? You betcha! I would venture that to the songwriting. They hit it out of the park on this one both bands have achieved that goal of creating something too! Just phenomenal. I picked up the CD at their record release party in Everett last month and I have not stopped new that lives up to the high standard they set way back listening to it since then (just received my orange vinyl then. copy in the mail now too). Heir Apparent has also succeed in including all of the elements that made them great Kendall Bechtel takes on the lead vocal chores this time on their earlier releases and modernized it. This could for the Fifth Angel guys, along with shredding on guitar well be one not only their best album, but one of the best and co-writing and/or writing every tune on the disc (he progressive metal albums ever made. I think it is that good. also dabbles a bit in keyboards to color the arrangements here and there). Ken Mary and John Macko join him in the Thematically it almost feels linked with the flow of the songs and the current themes of social and political unrest collaborative effort, also co-writing much of the material and co-engineering the record, as well as contributing their work very well within its context. The band has never been tighter and Shaw has really come into his own within the excellent playing too. Mary also produced it at his studio. band. I saw them live and already know he can sing the The sound is fantastic and this hands down is Bechtel’s songs of the previous two singers with ease, but he’s now coming out party to the world. His playing on Time Will Tell was awesome, but the guy is also an incredible singer. established he’s not just a cover artist, but one with an amazing voice and his own style. He has the aggression I’d swear he was channeling the master, Ronnie James of Dio and the range of a young Geoff Tate with his own Dio, on this one and his days in Rainbow. Blended with his guitar sound and style that stamped the second Fifth Angel unique sound. disc, and the fact he has continued to evolve and grow as a guitarist, this guy may be one of the most talented players So which is my favorite of the two releases? Can’t choose. Sorry. Both are incredible albums, both are very different in Seattle honestly. Word is there are plans for more live and both live up to the legacy of both bands. Grab a copy shows too with former guitarist Ed Archer rejoining the FA guys (he previously stepped down for personal reasons of each one and see why the Northwest has always been a hotbed of amazing talent for heavy metal. And if you after the 2017 shows and did not play on the new album). can see either or both bands live I would not hesitate. I I only recently got my orange/red splatter vinyl copy but I’ve listened to it daily since. The cover painting is amazing personally will every chance I can. In the meantime I’m and I also love they included the logo stripe around the art cranking both records again now! started with the Epic release back in the `80s. It helps the - words by James R. Beach album fit right in with its predecessors.

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DEVILFIRE Meet the British band Devilfire! Hailing from Birmingham, England, these guys are making some juicy Melodic Rock music. Their debut album, ‘Dark Manoeuvres’ was released in October 2017. The band toured with Tarja and performed at Hard Rock Hell AOR and are now set to release a new EP in April of 2019. The new EP are songs that didn’t make it onto the debut album, but were never meant to be discarded either. ‘Out of the Dark’ is a continuation of the music the band has wanted the fans to hear. You can access their new release in January, but only if you sign up for their newsletter. If you do not, you have to wait until the April full release date to grab a copy. Go to https://www.devilfire.co.uk to sign up. While you are waiting for the new EP, go check out their current release. You can find it on their website, Google Play, iTunes and Spotify today! Devilfire are: ALEX COOPER - VOCALS BAZ BLACKETT - GUITAR KIERAN TOPP - GUITAR JAMIE DOWNES - BASS GUITAR LARS WICKETT - DRUMS

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