PRIMORDIAL - "SPIRIT THE EARTH AFLAME"
METAL BLADE (2010)



The year is 2002! A few months after having taken the difficult decision to migrate from Greece to the UK, and having finally settled down in beautiful Glasgow, I was introduced to a small but quite noisy group of Scottish Black metallers, one of whom has since become a truly great friend. As it happens with people who share a great passion for music, Stephen and I ended up spending countless hours listening to albums together, and it was he who first introduced me to the works of the Irish Pagan worshippers Primordial. The album that he used in order to convert me to the ‘cause’ was "Spirit The Earth Aflame" - the band's third full-length release and the one that I personally feel will never been surpassed by any future recordings.

If you look at Primordial's career you will undoubtedly notice that whereas they started as a Black Metal outfit with Celtic overtones, they gradually developed in a more classic Heavy Metal direction, still retaining, however, those epic folk melodies that helped them shape the uniqueness of their character. The thing that I find absolutely fascinating about "Spirit The Earth Aflame", and the reason why it stands out for me as the band's best effort to date, is that it 'caught' them right in the middle of that very transitional phase. Why is that exciting? Well, because it means that this is the only album in the band's career that is as dark and sinister in its atmospheric outlook as it is grandiose and uplifting in the pompousness of its long and highly addictive epic arrangements. In short, what we have here is an album whose sophistication and spontaneity of spirit are in complete harmony with each other!

Any album of real epic proportions deserves an inspiring intro and none would have been more fitting than the two and a half minute "Spirit The Earth Aflame" - a tribal-sounding drum-orientated piece which is further adorned by beautifully crafted lead guitar melodies and Alan's poetic narrative-style vocals. Primordial have recorded many great songs so far in their career, but none is more deserving of being called their magnum opus than "Gods To The Godless"! What we have here is a seven minute composition based on a repetitive mid tempo riff and which also incorporates a variety of beautifully crafted bass tunes, melodic leads and, most importantly, Alan Averill's most inspiring and emotionally-charged lyrics to date. "The Soul Must Sleep" is a dark little gem, filled with narrative style vocals, rhythmical riffs and lead melodies somewhat influenced by Katatonia - all great attributes in my agenda.

Coming across as a tribute to the band's Black Metal roots, "The Burning Season" will impress with its aggression and straight-forwardness whereas "Glorious Dawn" is a much more tamed beast by direct comparison. With the help of the three minute melodic/instrumental "The Cruel Sea", you will be given a chance to experience an emotional journey through the history of the island of the bards, whereas "Children Of The Harvest" will provide those of you who suffer from a 'rusty neck' with much needed exercise material. The final instalment of the first & main disc includes a live version of the band's classic "To Enter Pagan" - a five and a half minute opus whose straight forward riffing and bombastic tempo has raised its status to that of an all time classic.

The second disc of this Metal Blade reissue consists of nine tracks, most of which will only really appeal to Primordial's die-hard fans, while some will eventually stand out as great examples of the band's early day musical capabilities and intentions. First in line is "The Darkest Flame", a slow composition based on a simple Doom riff which is quite interesting, but which is unfortunately beset by a terrible sound which does not allow all instruments their much needed breathing space. Next come live versions of "In Graciousness" and "The Black Arts" whose audio quality is such that it makes them worth more as collectible material rather than anything else. A live version of Bathory's classic "Total Destruction" that soon follows is much more enjoyable as a result of better sound quality and a similar comment can be made about the band's interpretation of the Rotting Christ classic "Inside The Eye Of Algond".

This is the point in time where the second disc stops being an interesting addition and starts becoming a necessity, as the next composition to follow is a demo version of "To Enter Pagan" - one that is graced with a clear sound and a vibe different to the 'live' version found on disc one. Also originally included in the band's "Dark Romanticism" demo, the five minute "The Calling" is a dynamic rhythmical gem whose simple riffs and clean narrative style vocals will win your hearts over in no time. The last demo composition to feature on this disc is that of the seven and a half-minute triumph "Among The Lazarae". This is by far one of the darkest and most atmospheric songs ever recorded by this band, as it features an array of simple distorted guitar tones, grim sounding vocal lines and melodies whose effect is similar to those used by the legendary Yorkshire outfit My Dying Bride. The last track is a live rendition of "Soul Must Sleep" which I find to be quite interesting due to the way Alan gets the crowd to participate and shows what a charismatic frontman he really is.

I have already mentioned the reasons why I personally feel that "Spirit The Earth Aflame" is the band's best album to date. What we need to consider is whether this 2010 reissue is one that is worth investing in and the answer to that question is a definite yes! Apart from the fact that it is graced with a beautiful digipack cover, additional archive photos and liner notes, courtesy of Mr.Averill, you will become the proud owner of an additional disc that contains a variety of material, ranging in quality from die-hard to absolutely necessary. If you don't already own this great album, this is the right time to make amends - if you already do...well, I am sure you will find many nice excuses to enable you to add this version to your CD collection, just as I did!

John Stefanis

Rating: ***** (5.0/5.0)

Last edited Mon Aug 16 23:16:04 2010

GAMA BOMB INTERVIEW

There are not many young bands that I am personally aware of, being in contract with a specialized record label such as Earache records and which have opted to having released their latest album as a free download! The band in question is the Thrash Metal quintet Gama Bomb which, on the night of the 22nd of July 2010 found themselves opening for the legendary Brazilian outfit Sepultura. Hours before that taking place, I met up with the band’s frontman Philly Byrne, and during the twenty minutes that were so graciously provided to me I managed to talk about all things relating to “Tales From The Grave In Space” and it’s unusual mode of promotion, the band’s unique approach to music and their much anticipated US tour.

By Yiannis (John) Stefanis.

• Philly, there are many reasons why I wanted to do this interview with you, as I find you to be quite an intriguing band – one that you are a group of Irish lads playing Thrash, which in itself is quite unusual, and also the fact that you are one of the few bands that I know who opted to releasing a whole album as a free download…

Philly: That’s all very true, so far… (laughs).


• …also because I grew up listening to Thrash and I see it as somewhat interesting the fact that there are much younger people than me who are really excited about a music scene that was at its height twenty five years ago. Let me start by saying how interesting I found to be your sound check; I was sitting there thinking to myself “if I had to be the one doing that on a daily basis, I would most probably ended up killing myself” (I laugh).

Philly: Yeah, yeah (laughs). We are really lucky actually because we have a really good sound man helping us, but sound checks is one of ‘those things’, you know? There are some bands that are lucky enough not to have to do them. I mean, we are currently touring with Sepultura and they have guys to do the sound check for them and that is all fine, you know? Yeah, a sound check is one of those things – part of the touring life. I think that after a while you come to enjoy things like sound check, warming up and packing stuff after the show because it really gives you something to do. Touring is an awful lot of nothing!



• And I guess that humour is the best way of fighting this off, right?

Philly: Oh yeah, we’re under the teeth with humour!


• Philly, as I mentioned earlier you decided to release your latest effort “Tales From The Grave In Space” as a free download. Now, I understand that this is quite a logical way for any band to promote its music nowadays, however, from a label’s perspective; this must be their worst nightmare!

Philly: Well, not really these days. The guys at Earache seem to understand how things work nowadays and the owner is actually quite savvy. Most people do not seem to understand how the business operates nowadays, with downloads being the predominant form of distributing music. I think that it was in Earache’s best interest as a label to have them experiment with that. I don’t know for the label’s owner perspective how successful this has been but I trust that it was positive both as a business move and an experiment. I think that from a PR point of view nothing changed, as I still have to say to people the same type of things that I did before and from a sales point of view, there were certainly some lessons learned there. We expanded in size as a band, we are thought of much better now than we did before and Earache records now know either what to do or what not to do in the future when that comes. This is the future way of things; there is no question about it – that’s just how music is going to go. Record labels are already becoming something much more versatile. This is just the way things are going to be – whether or not a label like Earache is delighted in having done it or not? Credit should be given to them for having the balls to do it when a label like Sony, which can afford to write off millions in tax losses and whose artist do not always make a penny, have the balls to do that. Out of everything they have done, apart from having signed Gama Bomb, I think that this is probably the most credible thing that Earache records has ever done – I think that it’s awesome!


• I am not sure how things work in your case, however in most other cases; the bands tend to make money while on tour by selling their merchandise and the labels make their money from album sales. So, by you asking them to have the album released as a free download, you are depriving them from their main source of income, right?

Philly: Well, not really! We are not shy about this; we have a merchandise deal with Earache and they have a stake in our publishing as well, so it’s not a 360 degree deal but they do take cuts on other things and I am sure that they are well aware, as we are and everybody else in this business is, that merchandise and licencing fees is where the actual money is to be made. Take live nation for instance, which has deals with bands like U2 and Madonna. What they do is that live nation pays towards the recording of an album in order to then sell live tickets and also in order to sell merchandise. They take cuts from everything! I am not just saying this – this is how things are going to be in the future. I don’t know what the figures are at the moment but I am sure that Earache knew that this approach will increase merchandise sales and licencing fees up, which I am sure it has. They are not only targeting CD sales and that I an approach that most possibly affected their decision. I don’t think that they…no business generally does anything out of the…out of altruistic reasons. They probably thought “look at these young guys; they want to make a name for themselves, we want to make money” and that is how the whole thing works.


• So, at the moment we do not really know whether this was going to be a one off thing, right?

Philly: Well, you know it’s hard to tell. We haven’t spoken to Earache about it nor do we have any plans now to record. It could happen next year, it could happen the year after but…we are going to make more music basically, but there are so many things that we cannot talk about now. We have a very big idea for which we have not approached Earache yet. I think that one some level we are moving towards the idea of being a gang of people who are going to be working on projects, so the next thing that we want to do is a multi-media thing, it’s not going to be only music involved. It’s such a way off and because we haven’t spoken to Earache about it yet, we don’t want to go “hey we are going to go with this thing” and then having them read it and go “what the hell – it’s our money that you’re talking about” (laughs).


• That’s fair enough! Tell me a few things about your last album “Tales From The Grave In Space”. It’s been some time since it was first released and obviously you’ve been touring for it and have had the chance to ‘live with it’ for a while. How do you like it after all this time?

Philly: I haven’t listened to it in a while. I haven’t listened to it in ages and that’s kind of how it was whenever it was being finished the first time. I was listening to it with my family, I was listening to it with my girlfriend and with everybody else, and so I got to listen to it quite a few times. I have obviously been hearing to songs from it every night and I believe that they are awesome – the best things that we’ve ever done. To me it is one of the best albums that have been recorded in the last ten years. There are many few things that I would want to change and the stuff that I want to change is stuff that I know that I want to change just because I am in the band. I know also that there are many people who are not going to listen to is thinking “what the hell is this”. The only faults in it are faults that only we can hear and the things that are right about it are things that anyone who will listen to it will appreciate equally. It’s awesome and I am really proud of how we all worked towards creating it as this was indeed a very difficult process. We were all under a lot of stress, we didn’t have a good time and still we managed to come up with songs that are really fun and quite anthemic. So yeah; I like it!


• You mentioned again the word ‘fun’ which seems to be a key word when it comes to describing Gama Bomb. That can be found both in the lyrics and the overall attitude that you have on stage. I am aware of the fact that you used to wear various costumes when going on stage in the past, right?

Philly: Oh yeah, that was before I got to have long hair and look serious (laughs).




• Gama Bomb is quite an upbeat band and we know that Thrash is a genre that can express itself in many different ways, so how come you guys are always happy and with so much energy?

Philly: Well, you know; so much of Heavy Metal and so much of popular music is focused on negative emotion, on being angry, on being sad, on being depressed! The thing about them is that those are very huge and broad emotions that everybody gets all the time” Everybody will be depressed at some point, everybody has been angry and has had to deal with a difficulty in life. Such issues are so easy to nail in a song. If you go about saying “I am going to write a song that will make people feel sad”, all you have to do it to come up with a couple of minor chords and write the appropriate lyrics – that is so easy! Everybody does it all the time; ninety per cent of Heavy Metal bands do that every day. Either they think about it and they do it cynically or it will come out naturally. It’s much harder to write music and lyrics that capture a high energy, and it’s not like our songs have an intrinsically positive outlook, but the sound is exciting and engaging and that is why it’s harder to do. You need a lot more thought being put into them, a lot more lyrical and a lot more compositional skills. I mean we could be a depressive drone band and play four chords for half an hour, you know? I am sure that there’s a lot of people who are great for fu*king doing that, but to us that’s just a waste. If we can’t play at the maximum of our abilities both in terms of skill and physical performance, then there is no point doing this. It just so happens that whenever you do that, it’s very hard to play at 160 bpm and write depressing music! Two hundred and twenty beats per minute have an essentially up lifting feel to them and you cannot sing a Sisters Of Mercy tune on top of that! So yes, we have a positive feeling as a band but at the same time we take ourselves seriously, you know? When I was a teenager, I used to dress up as a chef on stage and that was all part of a laugh but we take our band very seriously and we take our song writing very seriously. Whenever you listen to our riff you will not get any comedy. We take our music very seriously but we don’t take ourselves very seriously. Metal is full of people that take themselves way too seriously.


• What about your fans the? Is it a prerequisite for a Gama Bomb fan to have a good sense of humour?

Philly: Well, I guess it one of those things like ‘you don’t have to be crazy to work here but it helps’ if you know what I mean. I don’t put any pre-conditions to people when it comes to our music – just that they like what we play. A lot of people who are not Heavy Metal fans like our music, people who are into Punk and Alternative music. It would be very hard to approach the songs that we write with a very serious attitude. The thing is that if you changed our lyrics the songs could be about, don’t know, suicide or other negative stuff. So yeah, a good sense of humour helps I think. I think that there are some people who when we meet up after shows are like “oh you guys are Thrashing it out and that is great you Irish Fu*kers” and these people are just as welcome as everybody else. Then you meet the other people who really get it – you talk to them and they get the jokes, they find them funny and that is just extra, because we don’t actually write funny lyrics or essentially music for anybody else – we do that only for ourselves. This is why we have been going on for eight years and when we got as record deal three years ago; this was not something that was our goal. This just happened and it is still going on. We are writing music for ourselves and if other people get it than that is great – good for them (laughs).


• Ok, explain me this one to me; I am southern European so this whole “happy and sunny mode” is kind of programmed on my DNA. You, one the other hand, come from a country when it rains half the year if not more…

Philly:…and people blow each other up (laughs).


• That’s a whole different kind of question that I believe we should not get into now (I laugh). So, how does a fine Irish lad like yourself come up with an attitude which is so uncharacteristic of your country of origin?

Philly: Well, an Irishman, when it comes to music, has two modes; one mode is the funerary type, which is accompanied by a glass of whiskey on a funeral where the music is sad and moody and the other is quite up-beat high-tempo music. So, I think that just like everywhere else Irish people have it in them to be ‘get up and go’ kind of – a bit of a gang of characters. I think that just as people…as people, al, the guys in this bad have strong senses of humour and we are very strong personalities and that is not always a good thing in other people’s views. We meet a lot of bands that do not get along with us because we are fun.


• Are you serious?

Philly: I am! We like to have what Irish call ‘the crack’ with people and most people just don’t get it! If we are on the dressing room of another band, we will be there looking on their drawers or throwing things at each other – just being stupid and singing naff things. That is definitely a very Irish part of our character and that ‘crack’ as we call it comes through in our songs, because you have to have fun when you are in a band otherwise there is no point!




• Thrash Metal has been enjoying a resurgence these last few years, labels are supporting it and that is always important, however we all know that music works in cycles and that labels are always in search of money – it’s not about having a belief in any specific style of music. Currently many young bands are being advertised and promoted, but the time will come when labels will decide to move onto the next ‘new thing’. What do you reckon you guys are going to do when that happens?

Philly: What are we going to do? That is a great question! I always love this question because to me it’s like “what were we doing before”? We recorded and released our album before there was ever a talk about resurgence in Thrash Metal and then a time came when we were playing in the UK that somebody told me that we were on the NME magazine. I went and got it and we were indeed mentioned in it, something I never expected would ever happen. We have been going on for years before this ever happened and we’re going to be around after it’s gone, as long as we are having fun because that is all that matters. Musical tastes with regards to the media do change all the time and that’s fine, but that’s no barrier for people enjoying music. Hopefully with bands like us it doesn’t go anywhere as long as the band exists and enjoys playing this kind of music. We’ve been really unpopular. Before this, we used to go to gigs and there would be no people listening to Thrash Metal there. We would play gigs in Belfast with Hardcore bands, Crossover bands, Indie bands, Hip Hop bands and even Pop groups as here were no other Thrash bands around. I don’t want that to happen again in the future but that doesn’t really matter because as I said we’re only in it to entertain ourselves and people who get what it is that we’re trying to do. Thrash being back was nice and when it goes back in the end this will be fine too – it will probably give us more room to fu*k about actually (laughs).


• Ok, point taken, however, I was wondering where you see yourself being in the future. You are a young man currently playing the music that you love and having fun; that is all nice and good. What’s going to happen in ten, fifteen years’ time? Do you see yourself getting involved in the music business in any shape or form?

Philly: Absolutely. Outside my work with the band I am a music journalist. I obviously have an interest in the music business as I am in a band and all that stuff. In twenty years’ time? I don’t know; if it’s still fun to be in a band, if the same people are in the band and if it doesn’t fu*k up your life the there’s no reason not to do it. We meet a lot of people who are victims of being in bands – guys who act the way they act, who look the way they look out of necessity. Then you meet people like the Sepultura guys who are rounded people. They have their band, their lives and real priorities – full people with a mature attitude towards life. They prove that both things are possible and as long as I can do that I will, and the moment that I catch myself turning into this fu*king sleazy, sex-driven fifty year old I will tell myself “ok, it’s time to go home”. But you know; we’re going to do this for as long as we are having fun. I can see this band not existing equally as much as I can see it existing. I would prefer of course to be around and having fan with my band in twenty years’ time. Take any other person and tell them “you can hang around with four of your best friends, go crazy places, do stupid stuff, act like you’re sixteen years old, play music, have people telling you that you’re great, have fun, sell t-shirts and take pictures with lots of people” – everybody would do that! If somebody says “do you still want to do this in twenty years”? Yes, of course I do! It might not be the only thing that I will be doing with my life, you know? I want to do other stuff too; I want to write and stuff. It’s a pretty good option; it’s like asking somebody “do you want to be a Rock Star or an author”? I want to be both! I think that everybody else has the same attitude. We all love the band and we love what we do – we just balance it out with what’s going on in our lives. We don’t have any intention on throwing our lives out of the window, especially knowing how the music industry operates. We are also not going to get rid of the ‘one in our life’ chance to be the best Thrash band in the world (laughs).


• There is a great tour coming up later this year in the States, one that will find you opening for bands like Forbidden and Overkill. Now that must feel quite amazing, right?

Philly: Definitely! We’ve toured with Overkill before when we toured Europe last year and they are indeed awesome! Going to America is going to be a really big thing for us; two months will be the most concentrated tour that we’ve ever done! We’ve done five weeks before, but two months is a different thing altogether. I’ve only been in a few places there such as in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, so it’s going to be pretty intense to go and see other places. It’s going to be a life-changing opportunity. It’s also quite daunting because physically it takes quite a heavy toll on you; two months in the winter could be very difficult. I am already starting to get fit for it and stuff, taking care of what I eat and stuff, as by the time we get there we will be doing something like sixty gigs in a row! Then we will come home for Christmas and see what it happens after. We are going to be such a pack of assh*les when we come back, saying things like “Oh yeah Arizona – I’ve been there” (laughs).


• Philly, it has been a pleasure talking to you mate – good luck with everything!

Philly: Thank you very much – great interview by the way!

HELSTAR – “RISING FROM THE GRAVE”
METAL BLADE (2010)



Ah, those wonderful 80s; a decade marked by short fringed perms, tight black jeans, white basketball trainers and good quality Metal music. Even though now, at the age of thirty five, I am in such an economic condition that I can afford to buy as many music albums as I like, I remember with much nostalgia the time that I had to save money from my school allowance for a whole month in order to enable myself to get my hands on one piece of vinyl! One of the few downturns, of course, was that each month you were asked to make an impossible decision between numerous bands battling it out for your attention, and that id the only reason I can think of as to why a band as impressive as Helstar managed to fall under my radar for more than twenty six years – a band whose melodic and technical Speed Metal is pretty much typical of my genre of choice when it comes to Metal music.

There are two proverbs that are quite fitting in the case of the soon to be released three disc collection “Rising From The Grave”; either the “good things happen to those who wait” or the “better late than ever”, and whichever it is that you go for, the effect to me will be the same, as I was quite impressed by its amazing content. What we have here is the band’s second and third full length albums, namely “A Distant Thunder” and “Nosferatu”, which were originally released by Metal Blade back in 1988 and 1989 respectively, as well as the addition of an official bootleg DVD release that comes under the title “Twas The Night Of A Helish Xmas” – a good quality bootleg recording from the band’s 1989 US tour in promotion of the “Nosferatu” album. Both albums portray Helstar as a band which ‘operates’ in the vast grave area between classic Heavy Metal and US Thrash, a genre that contemporary journalists named as Speed Metal, but also prove that the year between 1988 and 1989 saw the band maturing and progressing both in terms of skill and musical orientation.

The first disc of this set consists of the nine track 1988 release “A Distant Thunder” – an album that heavily invests on straight forward guitar riffs and galloping rhythmical themes that are equally influenced by classic Heavy Metal outfits such as Iron Maiden as well as of more ‘modern’ representatives of the music such as Overkill. All the fine qualities of such collaboration can be found in the four minute opus “The King Is Dead”, which is by far one of the highlights of the album – it’s simple but catchy refrain still resonating into my ears as I compose this very phrase. More commanding riffs and galloping tunes can be found in both the straight forward “Bitter End” as well as the slightly more technical but still Iron Maiden sounding “Abandon Ship”. “Tyrannicide” is a pretty enjoyable tune that paves the way for the quite epic-sounding “Scorcher”, whose amazing acoustic guitar intro together with James Rivera’s magnificent vocal performances brings shivers onto my body each time I choose to invest in it. “Genius Of Insanity” is the only Helstar track that I came in contact in this release that I found to be both confusing and out of place, but the same cannot be said about either the technically sound instrumental “(The) Whore Of Babylon”, the melodic opus “Winds Of War” or the faithful-to-the-original cover of Scorpions’ “He’s A Woman, She’s A Man” which provides an ending to this good quality album.

The second disc on offer contains the eleven compositions that put together the band’s fourth full length release “Nosferatu” – an album that I found to be slightly more to my liking, as it is more Thrash orientated than its predecessor and portrays Helstar as an outfit that can invest as much on simple and melodic riffs as it can on technically demanding and skilful arrangements. Following an epic-sounding acoustic intro by the name “Rhapsody In Black”, the listener will become exposed to a rhythmical mid tempo dynamite that listens to the name “Baptized In Blood”. The sound is quite powerful, especially in comparison with that of the previous release, the compositions are more mature and confident and the riffs on offer are guaranteed to give your precious neck some really hard time when trying to head bang on their tempo. A song that really impressed me was the four and a half minute “To Sleep, Per Chance To Scream”, as it is indeed the one composition which combines melody and aggression in equal terms. Spoken samples from the music “Nosferatu” have been used throughout this album, adding certain character to compositions such as “Harker’s Tale (Mass Of Death)”, the instrumental “Perseverence And Desperation” as well as the five minute epic composition “The Curse Has Passed Away” which is one of my personal favourites. Talking about favourites; do not forget to invest in the impressive riffage of “Benediction”, one of the best albums ever composed by this band and enable all remaining compositions of the album to provide a fitting ending to this musical feast.

When I first heard that this release would feature a bootleg concert as a bonus DVD, what I expected to come across was a badly filmed gig through a hand held camera of the time and with an atrocious sound, something that tends to be the case in most such releases. Well, that is certainly not the case with “Twas The Night Of A Helish Xmas”, as, though indeed recorded by a hand held camera of the time, the final result, both with regards its audio and video quality are quite rewarding. Helstar era 1989 are one of the most animated and energised bands that I have ever seen on film, as none of the members of the band, with the exception of course of drummer Frank Ferreira, are staying in one place for more than five seconds throughout the show – even when highly technical riffs or flamboyant guitar solos are being performed. James Rivera’s high pitch vocals have acquired a legendary status throughout the years and this film is a testimony of why that is the case and the band comes across as a well-oiled Metal machine, something that the Texan crown that attended their show on the 25th of December 1989 seems to have both appreciated and recognised through it quite positive reaction. There are some killer renditions of tracks such as “The King Is Dead”, “Scorcher”, “Baptized In Blood” and “Angel Of Death” that those of you who will spend your hard earned money on this release will almost certainly enjoy and these would be enough to justify the inclusion of the bonus disc in this release.


Most of the time, I find myself using my reviews in order to promote music that I literally grew up listening to, to our younger readers, so it is somewhat paradoxical that I find myself discovering a classic act such as Helstar in anno 2010! Does that really matter? Certainly not, especially as I intend on investing on three discs quite a lot in the future as well as ensuring that I get my hands on all remaining Helstar albums that are currently ‘evading capture’! I cannot blame any one of you who might think “is a band whose music was released twenty five years ago any relevant to me” and the answer to that question is dependent on each person’s individual musical preferences. If classic Heavy or Thrash Metal are not your genres of choice, then you will most likely not like this release. If, on the other hand, you are a stern supporter of these two genres, then Helstar is indeed the right band for you and that automatically translates to “Rising From The Grave” becoming a release that you simply cannot afford to miss out on! Great stuff!

John Stefanis

Rating: ****1/2 (4.0/5.0)

DANZIG - "DETH RED SABAOTH"
EVILIVE/THE END RECORDS (2010)



Twenty five years is a long time to be involved in the music business and surely you don't get to be part of this quite demanding and pretty 'dangerous' industry if you are an average artist. Yes, I can think of many adjectives capable of describing the New Jersey born and bread frontman that listens to the name Glenn Danzig but 'average' is certainly not one of them. Having gained a lot through the experience of participating in two of the most legendary Punk/Heavy Metal bands of all times, namely The Misfits and Samhain, 1987 saw Glenn creating a Heavy Blues outfit by the name of Danzig. The story from then onwards is pretty much known to everyone; various good quality releases and constant experimentation with different sounds while retaining the core elements of his style introduced Glenn's music to a wider audience, gaining him quite a few distinctions along the way. Even to this day, however, the period that is cherished the most amongst his loyal fans is that between 1987-1994, when albums of a rather 'stripped-down' nature such as "Danzig" and "4" were released - a style to which Glenn is gloriously returning towards through the release of his ninth full length album "Death Red Sabaoth".

I have never been a massive Danzig fan in the past; not for any specific reason, but simply because I was mainly into Thrash and Death Metal at the time when Glenn achieved the height of his popularity. Having said that, I often found myself enjoying listening to the odd song when exposed to it in the various Rock Clubs I was attending at the time. One thing I realised when starting listening to "Deth Red Sabaoth" is that it managed to bring back into my head the classic 'picture' I had of Glenn when performing top charting compositions such as "Twist Of Cain" and "Mother", and the reason for that is because the album operates in a similar manner to those which include these all time classics. Proudly recorded in analogue sound, "Deth Red Sabaoth" may take a few spins before things are staring to make sense, but once this hurdle is being overcome, you lucky people will get exposed to eleven compositions of pure Heavy Blues magic! Actually, if the levels of your addiction will turn out to be anywhere similar to mine, you will find it very difficult to choose another album to listen to in your MP3 player.

The opening composition of the album, namely "Hammer Of The Gods", is representative of the 'back to the classics' approach followed by Glenn in this album. A slow groovy riff dominates and is being supported by a basic drum theme, leaving enough space for Glenn to provide his trademark vocal performances. Having really enjoyed this dark-theme, classic-sounding opus I was introduced to the catchy groovy tunes of "The Revengeful" - a four minute composition that features a truly catchy refrain and an array of flamboyant melodic guitar solos. In "Rebel Spirits", the tempo falls dramatically, thus bringing out the heaviest and darkest aspects of Glenn's character, whose contribution is quite commanding and almost narrative style. If "Rebel Spirits" is considered to be a dark composition, then "Black Candy" is ten times that, being mainly focused on Glenn's highly emotive and dramatic-sounding vocal lines and 'adorning' them with an array of basic heavy riffs and guitar leads - a composition that applies a mesmerising effect to the listener. One of the absolute highlights of the album is the four minute opus "On A Wicked Night" - a composition which initially relies on a southern bluesy acoustic guitar chord for creating an impression and which then moves onto heavier forms, displaying some truly amazing guitar solos along the way.

The good thing about this album is full of classic sounding compositions that are simple in their structure but which will impress you with their power and sincerity. One such composition is "Deth Red Moon" - a song whose melodic refrain and guitar solos are guaranteed to stick to your memory for a long time after first being exposed to them. "Ju Ju Bone" is one of my absolute favourites of this album; a simply structured heavy Blues song which won me over straight away through its simply-crafted riffs and impressive/flamboyant lead guitar solos - an absolute highlight! If you believe that variety is not something that can be found in a Danzig album, you better think again! It is not every day that you come in contact with a composition as slow and heavy as the Doom-laden "Night Star Hel" - a song that many Doom orientated bands would love to be able to present as their own. The last part of the album is more atmospheric in nature, starting with the guitar/piano based "Pyre Of Souls Pt.I: Incanticle" and moving towards the slow and rhythmical seven-minute opus "Pyre Of Souls Pt.II: Seasons Of Pain", leaving the task for providing an ending to this impressive album in the 'shoulders' of "Left Hand Rise Above" - a song which provides us with the last high octane vocal performance, courtesy of the band's charismatic frontman.

I approached "Death Red Sabaoth" with caution but also great anticipation; 'caution' because I was far from being blown away by what its predecessor "Circle Of Snakes" (2004) had to offer, and 'anticipation' because I was hoping that Glenn will somehow managed to find enough inspiration to come up with another classic. Well, to my great satisfaction, Glenn seems to have opted for the latter, creating what I consider to be one of the best albums that he has released in the last fifteen years. If you are one of these people who get massive emotional satisfaction when listening to the first four albums, then "Death Red Sabaoth" will undoubtedly be added into your list of classics, as it has been created with that very same musical approach in mind! It took Glenn six whole years to come up with another studio album, but I am sure that many of you will agree that it has certainly worth the wait! What a great comeback!

John Stefanis

Rating: ****1/2 (4.5/5.0)

SOILWORK – “THE PANIC BROADCAST”
NUCLEAR BLAST (2010)



Ask any fan of the Melodic Death Metal sextet Soilwork, that happens to be more than thirty years old, to name the best album that this band has released thus far in its sixteen year old career and chances are that these people will either opt for the band’s debut “Steelbath Suicide” (1998) or the follow up concept release “The Chainheart Machine” (2000). Why is that the case? Well, any album that was released between that time and this year’s “The Panic Broadcast” has seen the band following a more melodic and commercial-orientated approach bringing new and much younger fans into the fold while alienating the more ‘traditional-minded’ people such as myself. I am still not quite sure what made me decide to take up the task of preparing this review, however I soon found myself experiencing something that I never thought I would ever before; that is being totally mesmerised by a new Soilwork album.

So which are those exact attributes that “The Panic Broadcast” possesses which none of its most recent predecessors such as “Stabbing The Drama” (2005) was in position to convey? Well, first of all, what we witness here is a return to heavier forms, and that is mainly as a result of total change that occurred in the guitar ‘section’ of the band’s line up back in 2008 – a change that saw the return of founding member and now well-known producer Peter Wichers. Not only did Peter handle recording duties for this album, providing these ten compositions with a powerful and crushing sound, but also brought with him the experience of working with band’s such as Nevermore – influences of which are audible throughout this album. The result? This release is filled with massive groovy/down-tuned riffs, flamboyant leads/solos and allows enough space for Bjorn “Speed” Strid to invest both in powerful guttural Death Metal screams as well as catchy melodic choruses/refrains.

It is very clear to me that assigning the role of the opening track of the album to the four minute “Late For The Kill, Early For The Slaughter” was a well-calculated decision – a statement of intent, if you may. Filled with fast paced Thrash riffs of Annihilator-orientation and presenting some of the most brutal drumming recorded in recent times, this belter immediately brought tears of happiness into my eyes. The successful combination of heavy riffs and melodic vocal parts are first presented in “Two Lives Worth Reckoning” – the main body of which could have easily belonged to a Pantera track while its refrain bares Strid’s signature clean vocals and is adorned by some cleverly-crafted supporting keys in the background. More ‘in-your-face’ groovy guitar riffs and melodic/flamboyant guitar solos can be found in “the Thrill”, whereas the up-tempo tunes and catchy refrain of the three and a half minute “Deliverance Is Mine” deem it as one of the highlights of the album. Do you like heavy rhythmical riffing, combining with a variety of brutal and melodic vocals? If the answer to that question is ‘yes’ you may want to check out “Night Comes Clean” – a five minute opus which signals the end of the first part of the album.

I began listening to the second part of the album with much confidence, and my ‘faith’ was soon ‘rewarded’ by another five minute Thrash belter entitled “King Of The Threshold” – another intelligent composition adheres to the band’s ‘heaviness meets melody’ approach to music. If I were to name what I consider to be the best composition of the album, my vote would go without any hesitation whatsoever to “Let This River Flow”! Following a beautifully crafted acoustic guitar theme, I was introduced to one of the slowest but also heaviest riffs of the album – one that was soon adorned by an amazing chorus/refrain that is based on clear melodic vocals and ‘discrete’ supporting keyboard tunes! To put it in plain words; this is one of the best songs ever recorded by Soilwork – period! Following the slow and Alice In Chains sounding riffs of “Epitome”, I was totally taken aback by the melodic tunes of “The Akuma Afterglow” – a four and a half minute opus which indeed deserves to be consider as one of this album’s absolute highlights. For the very end, the Helsinborg-based noisemakers decided to grace us with one of the most varied composition entitled “Enter Dog Of Pavlov”. Kicking off with a slow paced harmonic guitar theme, the speed levels are soon turned to dangerous heights, providing a guitar/vocal theme that can only be compared to those of modern day Testament – a truly fitting ending to this truly impressive album.

You know what; even as I write these very words, I still cannot believe that the album for which I have been raving about in the above lines has indeed been recorded by Soilwork! It feels like hooking up with a dear friend that, for reasons beyond comprehension, you have lost touch for many years and with whom you know that you will been given again the opportunity to spend many hours of quality time in his presence. I am not quite sure what the band’s younger fans will make of “The Panic Broadcast”, however, I want to believe that they will embrace it as much as the older fans, as it is the only Soilwork album that I can think of which can so successfully bring these two worlds closer together! Ladies and gentlemen; Soilwork are back with a vengeance, having recorded one of the best albums of their career, so please give them your attention and outmost support – these ten compositions thoroughly deserve them!

John Stefanis

Rating: ****1/2 (4.5/5.0)

MEKONG DELTA INTERVIEW
There are only a handful of bands to which I have been totally committed to since I was a young boy, one of them being the Velbert-based quintet Mekong Delta. The moment I heard that their latest opus “Wanderer On The Edge Of Time” was about to be released, I contacted founding member and bassist extraordinaire Ralph Hubert in order to arrange an interview with him. On a warm summer afternoon, I managed to steal half an hour of his time during which we talked about his new concept album and the upcoming video for “King With Broken Crown”, illegal downloading of music, the band’s touring plans and his choice of the one track capable of luring people into classical music. Enjoy!

By Yiannis (John) Stefanis.


• Hi there Ralph! Shall we start this interview?
Ralph: Of course!

• Ralph, the more I listen to “Wanderer On The Edge Of Time”, the more I feel that it is most probably going to get my vote for the title of ‘album of the year’. I am truly impressed by what’s on offer, to the point that I don’t know what else to say than simply well done!
Ralph: It’s really good that you like the album – I like it also (laughs).

• Well, I am glad to hear that (I laugh). It is very clear to me that a lot of hard work has been made in order for this album to come to life, and that is really an understatement when we are talking about a band like Mekong Delta. I have been listening to your new album for three weeks nonstop and I can safely say that every single note on offer definitely deserves it place – nothing is extra and nothing is missing from it, if you know what I mean.
Ralph: It seems to be common practice as a lot of fans have send me e-mails saying how our new album has been dominating the space of their CD player.

• Let’s say that if I continue listening to “Wanderer On The Edge Of Time” with the same devotion I give it now, I will soon be out of work! There are so many new albums to listen to and prepare reviews for!
Ralph: (Laughs).

• Ralph, as the main composer in the band, you are the right person to ask with regards the main idea behind the creation of “Wanderer On The Edge Of Time”. How did this whole project started to come about?
Ralph: When I did “Lurking Fear” I came up with a lot of ideas that could not be used for that album, so I left them aside – stored them on my computer for later use. At some point I decided to continue a story that begun many years ago; the story of the violinist, as it was never properly finished in “Dances Of Death (And Other Walking Shadows)” (1990). He just jumped to the gates, beyond the gates and no one knew what happened next. So somebody told me “hey, why don’t you use the extra material that you have and continue the story”? I felt that it was indeed a great idea, so I started working on that and while working on that I noticed that this could be an interesting time to also work on other things. By this stage, I already knew Martin (note: Lemar; new vocalist) and by that stage it was clear to me that the previous line up was not in position to play live.




• Can I interrupt you here and say that, as far as I am personally concerned, Martin is one of the best ‘finds’! I seriously believe that you could not have made a better choice, as no other singer that I know could have given the same kind of performance that makes “Wanderer On The Edge Of Time” such a special album!
Ralph: I agree totally with you. All the previous singers that we had, starting with Wolfgand Borgmann, were falsetto singers, if you know what I mean – their vocals being very high pitch. Martin is a tenor, so he works mostly in the mid pitch. Most important, however, is the fact that he’s got proper education as all members of his family are singers – operatic singers, o he grew up in such an environment! For him, it was quite easy (laughs)…quite OK and not too complicated to understand the harmonies I wanted for his to incorporate. As I already knew Martin at the time I started working on the album I thought to myself “why not try something new”. It seemed to me that after eight records, the old approach had come to an end, as the risk to repeat one’s self becomes really high. So I said to myself “hey, we’ve got a new singer that is able to do things that all the previous singers could not, so why not try to get him to work on different kind of harmonies – get us to work in a totally different way”. After this decision was made by me, the next step was to go with this singer towards a totally different musical direction. We will make the singing parts a little bit different from the instrumental parts; we will make the instrumental parts to be most complicated, most heavy and most brutal as we do not have to worry about making them compatible to anyone’s singing abilities. In these compositions, we simply focused on our instruments. As soon as we decided which songs will feature a contribution of our singer, we decided to keep them structurally complicated but somehow make them easy for people to understand.

• You know what; this is what I consider to be the album’s strongest attribute! “Wanderer On The Edge Of Time” comes across as being one big musical piece, which was pretty much the case with its predecessor “Lurking Fear”, however this time you have achieved a level of harmony that’s difficult for most bands to reach. As a fan of progressive music, I like to listen to complicated stuff, however, when listening to the fifteen composition on offer I realised that these could be understood and appreciated by people with a more straight-forward approach and understanding of music.
Ralph: I tried that approach many times over the years, and the first time I achieved something similar was in the album “Kaleidoscope” (1992). I tried to make that album easy for people to listen to who are not used to complicated music. “Kaleidoscope” is too damn complicated, but not obviously complicated, if you know what I mean. The same applies to the new album. Some people told me “hey, this is easy listening stuff”, that is a real compliment to me because, in reality, these songs are much more complicated to perform than these people think (laughs). If you take for example the song “King With Broken Crown”, the vocal parts are so easy to listen to but its bass tune is so fu*king complicated and that is something that nobody will notice! The guitar also performs a very complicated riff but it doesn’t sound like that at all!

• You know what, the more I hear you analyse the process of creating this album, the more exciting the whole thing becomes. It is also quite interesting, knowing that there is a certain age gap between yourself and the rest of the members of the current line-up, to see that you guys worked as a solid unit. I mean, every single performance in this album is of the highest quality and to the point, something that is both quite rare and special!
Ralph: The important thing about these guys is that they are young and really hungry to play music! The best description for the band actually came from Martin. He said that I am responsible for making the ‘skeleton’ of each song, which I then send in the form of files to everyone involved, and then I allow everyone to come up with their own interpretation of what is needed. Ok, I will at some point ask for a few specific things like ‘please add this thing here, or than thing there’, but I allow everyone with a lot of ‘room’ for personal interpretation. You have probably noticed that we have two different guitar players and they both sound quite different, from an interpretation point of view. They also both have a different way of performing solos. Martin also said something else that’s quite interesting. He said “I think that we just…how do I say that in English…operate like an orchestra; Ralph is the composer whose compositions sound different each time they are performed by a different orchestra”. “We are an orchestra that performs these songs in a very specific way, as that is indicated by Ralph who is the main conductor”. He used much better words than the ones I just did, but I hope that you know what I mean.

• I understand exactly what it is that you are talking about! The core and soul of each song bares our personal signature; the rest is up for them to shape.
Ralph: You know what; I believe that every single one of the albums we have recorded as a band was recorded by the exact group of musicians needed in order to bring it to life! Maybe that’s a good explanation as to why we change line ups so very often! His change has been the driving force of Mekong Delta and our music!

• You know what; it probably really is! There are band that never change their line up to the point that you think that “if that guitar player leaves, then the band will be over” – band of a classic and more straight-forward approach to Metal like Iron Maiden. Then again, you have bands like Mekong Delta and Therion who are in need for such change in order to stay vital and creative. It is also quite noticeable how such bands always have one core member who calls all the shots, you of course in this specific case.
Ralph: I agree totally.




• Well, as I said before, everything seems to be working perfectly here. I can hardly think of another album, with the exception perhaps of the new Pain Of Salvation record, that is capable of posing a real ‘threat’ top you guys this year.
Ralph: Is the new Pain Of Salvation album already out?

• The first part “Road Salt One” is indeed! It has been out since May.
Ralph: I was most probably misinformed, because I thought I read an interview somewhere where it was mentioned that the new album was to come out in a few months.

• I believe that you are referring to “Road Salt Two” which is scheduled to be released in October this year.
Ralph: I see. We met with the Pain of Salvation guys in Denmark during the Progpower Scandinavia. I believe that I talked to their bass player at the time. I didn’t know who he was, but I think that it was him.

• Ok, time for an important question; when you met these guys, did you introduce yourself as Ralph Hubert or Bjorn Eklund? (note: Bjorn Eklund was the name that Ralph was using at the early stages of the band’s career as an attempt to conceal his real identity – a practice followed by the rest of the members of the band)
Ralph: (laughs) You know what; the funny bit was that I did not really have to introduce myself to them, as a lot of people tend to know who I am. During that time, I actually met up with Buddy Lackey again, who nowadays calls himself Devon Graves (see Deadsoul Tribe). We both know each other really well and it is funny that we also share that same name experience. I didn’t know the Pain Of Salvation guys, so somebody first introduced them to me there. I had also never been to Denmark before, so I enjoyed the whole experience. It was cool to talk with fellow musicians about all that stuff, not all of which being music related.

• I was going to save that for later, but now that you mentioned the Progpower Scandinavia concert, I feel the need to tell you off a bit! I know that coming to the UK for a show is not that easily achievable, and that meant that I had to travel all the way to Denmark to see you guys.
Ralph: We would love to play in the UK but the problem is that at the moment nobody is managing us. Money is so necessary in order to do things like that but at the moment are not there (laughs).

• Well, I should not really be telling you off here as the 1st of November 2008 is one of these days that, in musical terms, I will never forget! It was such a great bill and overall experience!
Ralph: That is the problem nowadays with such tours; you’ve got all those groups that are quite high in terms of sales and others like us that are not all that popular. So, if you are keen on making your show look a little bit better than the normal ones you get to see, you are in trouble. Most of the bands tend to simply go on stage and play and that is Ok, however, I want to present people with a show and by show I mean things like what bands like Yes did in the past.

• Now, this is what I call ‘aiming high’ my friend.
Ralph: This has been an idea that I’ve had all along with regards Mekong Delta. The shows we made with the new line up simple served the purpose of us playing as a band and see whether we can communicate in a live environment. The end result as quite promising as everything worked really well. That was the real reason behind the decision to do all these shows.

• A hypothetical question for you then. Knowing that “Wanderer On The Edge Of Time” is a concept album, if you were given the opportunity of presenting the material on offer live in your environment of choice, what would that environment be?
Ralph: Oh, I have so many ideas for this, most of which would involve computer programming. I have actually programmed the figure of the violinist as it was featured in “Lurking Fear” in a 3D model! He can play his instrument, he can move, he looks real (laughs). We actually just finished making a video in which we tried to make him look like playing in the same space with us. We put this footage away, however, as it was not as perfect as I hoped and if I was to do something like that, it would have to be perfect. There was a problem with the programming so we asked some professionals to come and help and they showed up with equipment worth pretty much 10,000 Euro and they also brought some special effects guy and things like that. The video will be great to watch and we will have it released in the next three or four weeks.

• Ok, what we are talking now about is the video for “King With Broken Crown”, right?
Ralph: I can send you a link of this video. This is a version which is on low resolution, as the real one is 16 GB. We created this lower version so the members of the band can access it. This looks alright, but you need to imagine what the end result will be as the resolution will be even higher. This video will be of a quality similar to that of the movie “Avatar”, you understand what I mean?




• Ralph, you have to send me the link ASAP – I am dying to watch it!
Ralph: Ok, will do.

• Ralph, you are well known as being the typical perfectionist. Every musician that’s played with you in the past describes you in such terms, so it has to be true. Now, based on that fact, how did you manage to convince yourself at some point that you should stop trying to improve “Wanderer On The Edge Of Time”, and thus put only a few finishing touches before releasing it to the public? How did you know when it was the right time to do so?
Ralph: (laughs) I would have never stopped but it was the rest of the members of the band that told me to at some point. I often found myself saying “oh, maybe we should…” and they would be like “no, that is good – calm down” (laughs). It was indeed like that, but this was the first time that I managed to achieve 98% of what I was set out to achieve. There was a lot of work involved and it took some time for the album to be completed as it took two and a half years from starting the first composition to completing the task!

• Good God! I didn’t even realise that “Lurking Fear” has been out for so long! Time flies when you are getting older (I laugh).
Ralph: Yes, I know this thing really well (laughs).

• “Lurking Fear” was released by AFM records, which I found to be really stranger at the time, especially knowing how you always like to do things your own way and stuff…
Ralph: OK, I know where it is that you are getting with this. I will give you the ‘official’ version; which is that I had a contract only for one album. The ‘unofficial’ version is that I was not at all satisfied with them. The only department that worked really well was the distribution, and the rest…they had it really easy with me. They were in the position that they did not have to chase people around for interviews, as they had seventy requests directly by journalists in the first two days of the album’s release! I believe that if you have such a case, you should work with it!

• In such a case, it would be a crime if you don’t!
Ralph: Well, they didn’t!

• So, that is why you decided to take things in your own hands once again, right?
Ralph: Yes, of course! I did have several offers but I wanted to be realistic. If you are realistic nowadays, you should expect to get a twenty or thirty thousand Euro deal from a label in front. What is this to you, if you have worked two and a half years?

• I see what you mean. However, when I first heard that a new Mekong Delta was to come out, I looked on the Internet to pre-book a copy and, even though I looked on all major online stores here in the UK such as HMV, I could not find it to be available. I also don’t remember how I decided to check the website for it, thus realising that I can order it directly from you. I don’t mind looking for it, as I am a committed Mekong Delta fan – I am thinking more about all these young guys who will give up straight away if that information is not readily available to them.
Ralph: The problem is that the decision that I made to promote the album in this way that taken really late. The decision was made two weeks prior to the official release date of the album. I got many offers but I decided to work again with Aaarrg records as I know that they are paying (laughs). This is one of the most important things for me. Some major labels were telling me that I was going to get money in my hands four or six months after the release of the album and I was like “hey, I have not been paid for two years now and I need to put something in my fridge”! I have been long enough in the music business to be able to collect information about all the other companies which were handing us their offers and what I heard was not too good!




• Does that mean that you have now better control on how and where the album is being distributed and with regards its sales figures? What is the feedback that you’ve been having so far?
Ralph: Of course. The feedback has been really good. We sold three thousand copies in the first three weeks since the album was released. That is very nice, Both Martin and I are programmers so we have created a program that follows links and we found out that two hours after the album was officially released it was leaked on the Internet as an illegal download!

• That must have been really annoying, right?
Ralph: Yes, but what can I say? The most important thing is that this file showed 149,000 illegal downloads taking place that very same evening!

• Maybe it is that I am too old fashioned to understand this type of thing, but can’t people realise that they are killing music by doing this?
Ralph: Of course it is! What I have noticed is that “Lurking Fear” and all the other albums we have are still selling copies. I had a long discussion with Martin regarding this and we can to the conclusion that fifty per cent of the people who downloaded the album illegally are doing it simple to collect music – collecting music without even listening to it. Another twenty per cent are people who will not buy the album anyway and form the remaining thirty per cent, ten are people who like the music but they don’t want to pay for it and the remaining twenty per cent are people who will buy it at some point in the future.

• Well, if that is indeed an accurate way to evaluating the situation, then you have not lost all that much by this.
Ralph: That is what I also think. Nowadays you have to promote your music in different ways than at time s when you or I started listening to music. In the old days you had the TV, the Radio and the stereo as means of promotion. Today you have the PlayStation, the IPhone and your computer (laughs). It is difficult to get people’s free time. A lot of them do not like the idea of sitting down and listening to music!

• I am not starting such conversation with you because we will end up taking for hours. Listening to music for me is the equivalent to the tea ceremony in Japan! You relax, remove the dust from the record and enjoy the experience of the needle touching the vinyl. Having said that, I understand what you are trying to say.
Ralph: As a musician you have two have two options; either you decide to call it a day or you continue as long as you have the money to pay for the production and the distribution of the end product. I never understood why anybody would download and mpeg file with distorted guitar! I have my own studio and I am working on music long enough to know that these files sound like sh*t!

• It speaks volumes about people and understanding of the concept of quality, doesn’t it?
Ralph: Yes!

• What are your touring plans for “Wanderer On The Edge Of Time”? Your past touring schedules have not been that impressive, as not many things happened with the exception of 2008.
Ralph: We hope that we will do things better this time round because we have much free time to do things, with the exception of our drummer Alex (note: Landenburg) who is known world-wide. He has two special deals from two drum companies as he gets to check, evaluate and choose the drums for them. He demonstrated to them playing in both electronic and a natural drum kits and as a result of his success he’s always on the run, traveling to places like Hong Kong and Japan. He often says things like “oh we need to do some rehearing? Let me check my diary…” (laughs). We are normally like “Ok Alex, that’s fine – we can rehearse in a few weeks’ time” (laughs).

• That to me indicates that you will then focus mainly on the big festivals, right?
Ralph: Yes, we will indeed try!

• The problem is that none of them are taking place here in the UK. Do I need to get my cupboard out of my drawer?
Ralph: Who knows? There are a lot of tour managers who are working towards putting out a small tour for us…we will see. Everything is flowing at the moment, you know?

• You know what; you do what you have to do for the good of the band, put the dates on the site and I will find my way in one of the band’s shows. If anything, I am quite intrigued to see how the new material will sound in a live environment.
Ralph: If we end up doing a real tour, we will play the whole album I think. If we only do festivals, we will end up playing four or five songs and fill the rest with old classic compositions. There are people who come to our shows and demand to listen to our old stuff which is nice.

• Ralph, if you were to look back at our career, all these beautiful albums that you have recorded with Mekong Delta, which would you say are the highlights thus far?
Ralph: Strangely enough, one of the highlights was the album “Dances Of Death (And Other Walking Shadows)” (laughs). This album scored quite high at the charts, something that I still do not understand how it happened. I think it reached number forty nine (laughs).

• Seriously? I didn’t know that and it is indeed one of my favourite Mekong Delta albums!
Ralph: There are also a few small highlights. For example, my music is being taught in school! The arrangement I made for the song “Night On A Bare Mountain” is being taught in schools nowadays! A few people have asked me to write music or borrow parts of my music for films.

• Things like that must make you feel really proud!
Ralph: Yes, it’s nice. It’s not like you make money out of it, but it’s OK – it’s cool!

• Ralph, now onto my last question! If somebody was to come to you and say “Ralph, I want you to suggest a piece of music that will introduce me to classical music”, which one would that be?
Ralph: Oh God, there is one fantastic piece of music that I have in mind, but cannot remember the name. I will e-mail this one to you later on if that’s OK (note: the piece that Ralph was referring to was Albinoni’s “Adagio g – minor”).


• Ralph, it’s been a pleasure and a privilege talking to you!

Ralph: Thank you very much.


Last edited Wed Aug 11 21:24:37 2010

INDICA - "A WAY AWAY"
NUCLEAR BLAST (2010)


Indica is a band that many of you might not have heard before, and rightfully so, as their previous four studio albums were mainly focused on the native Finnish market and the lyrics are also written and performed in that very language. The big break was achieved for this female Pop Rock quintet back in 2007 when the band found itself opening for the mighty Nightwish during the second leg of their "Dark Passion Play" tour. This position was as much a result that Tuomas Holopainen (Nightwish; keyboards) handled the production of their 2008 release "Valoissa" as of the fact that the sales that these girls have achieved throughout the years have been pretty damn impressive. This success led Nuclear Blast records offering the band a chance to re-record some of their classic tunes, adorn them with English lyrics and present them under the title "A Way Away".

I know what most of you are thinking right now! It's either 'why the hell would I ever be interested in a Pop Rock band", or "what made a renowned Metal label such as Nuclear Blast to offer them a contract in the firs place", right? Well, the answer is quite simple really. Not only do these five girls know how to write catchy tunes, but they do it in style! In addition to that, the group is quite confident and happy investing in different styles and genres, bringing various influences into the fold. So, the person that will choose to invest in the ten compositions that put together "A Way Away" (more if you opt for the limited edition) will enjoy a mixture of catchy Pop Rock anthems, Nightwish influenced symphonic tunes and also a couple of compositions where medieval/folk sounding melodies have added much character to this very daring musical puzzle!

I could not believe while listening to the opening composition of the album, namely "Islands Of Light", that this three minute gem was originally intended to have Finnish lyrics, as Johanna Salomaa's unusual vocals seem to be perfectly adaptable to its English lyrical theme. The melodies on offer, especially those featured in it chorus/refrain, are truly catchy and accompanied by simple but intelligently crafted orchestral arrangements to which keyboards play a pivotal role. "Precious Dark" is another melody-orientated track, which comes across as more straightforward in comparison with its predecessor as a result of guitars being more prominent. "Children Of The Frost" adds an interesting dimension to the album by interestingly combining dreamy keyboard melodies with child choral arrangements. The first real highlight of the album is "Lilja's Lament", a six minute fairytale-like composition which features some truly magnificent medieval-sounding instrumental arrangements which accompany Johanna's narrative-style vocals. The first part of the album ends with the three and a half minute Pop tune "In Passing" - an interesting but fairly straight forward composition.

A Pop Rock composition is not a bad option when the melodies on offer are as impressive as those featured in "Scissor Paper Rock". The rhythm is simple and uplifting, the guitars are fresh and exciting and this is enough to make me feel that this is indeed one of the best tracks on offer here. It took a while for me to move into the next track, but the end result was quite rewarding as "A Way Away" is a beautiful composition based on an atmospheric/emotional piano and vocal performance, one capable of bringing shivers to your body. The follow up "Straight And Arrow" is one of these simply crafted compositions with enough drive end energy to light up a small city for a whole week, making it follow up "As If" to come across as quite tamed and 'toothless' in comparison. The last composition of the album "Eerie Eden" is another emotionally draining piece which further indulges in the by now well established 'piano meets vocals' arrangement. Based on simple melodies and adorned by intelligent orchestral arrangements, this eight-minute piece of music provides a much fitting ending to this cleverly crafted album - an album that I had so much fun listening to these last few days.

It is very easy for anyone to judge Indica and "A Way Away" based on how 'Metal' is and whether is deserves a place in any magazine/Internet site of similar musical affiliations, but that is not the point! These five girls may not indulge in heavy riffs, but I can personally name quite a few popular 'Metal' bands whose melodies are similar if not softer in nature! Ladies and gentlemen, there are two kinds of music in this world; good music and bad music. Indica is one of these bands who, on the strength of this album alone, can claim to belong in the former category - a conclusion that anyone with a good understanding of music will eventually reach. I had way too much fan listening to this album while preparing this review, an experience that I am prepared to repeat in the months/years to come. Does that make me less 'Metal'? You know what; I really don't care!

John Stefanis

Rating: **** (4.0/5.0)

BONDED BY BLOOD INTERVIEW

If you love Metal and you often rely on the Internet to provide you for the latest news and gossip relating to our beloved music than you have almost certainly heard of a Thrash Metal quintet that hails from Pomona/California and which listens to the name Bonded By Blood. Well, as these young chaps are about to release their second full length album that’s entitled “Exiled To Earth”, I arranged to do an interview with the band’s vocalist Jose Barrales. In the twenty three minutes that were allocated for o0ur conversation we talked about all things relating to the release of the new album, the bands quite demanding touring schedule, his plans for the future and we also shared our mutual admiration for legends of the scene such as Forbidden and D.R.I.

By Yiannis (John) Stefanis.

• Hi Jose! How are you doing?
Jose: Great! Let’s do this interview.

• Good stuff. Jose, I have been listening to “Exiled To Earth” for a few days now and I have to say that it’s quite an enjoyable album indeed. I believe that you did a good job with it – well done.
Jose: Oh, thanks a lot.

• My first question is quite typical I guess, but what has been the reaction you’ve had so far? What do my fellow colleagues think of your second full length release? Are they equally positive? Do they compare it in any way with your debut “Feed The Beast”?
Jose: I believe that most of them are really happy with what we’ve done and they describe it as a first up from our last album, which is something we agree with both musically and lyrically speaking. This album is a little bit more mature and we are getting some good feedback so far.

• Your band has been classified as a New Wave of Thrash Metal outfit, whatever that is supposed to mean. Do you find this description to be an accurate one? Do you agree or believe in bands such as Bonded By Blood being labelled in such a way?
Jose: Honestly, they can call us whatever they want! Music wise, we like to play and experiment with many things. Thrash is one of our main ‘loves’ in music, but we also like many other styles and we use such influences into our music. If people like to call us a New Wave of Thrash, that’s fine with us – if they simply want to call us a Metal band, then that is also fine with us. We just play music because we love it and not because we want to label ourselves in a certain way.

• That is a solid statement indeed. In terms of targeting audience, however, it is predominantly Thrashers that will find your music to be appealing, right? And if we were to be honest here, the way your composition are structured and presented are from a very specific musical perspective, right?
Jose: Yes, of course! Like I said, Thrash is one of our main influences and you could say that we mainly play Thrash Metal, but what makes us stand apart is our desire to try and fuse different influences in our songs. Yes, we do play Thrash. We don’t set out by saying “ok, let’s do some Thrash”, but we just start playing our music, which then turns out to sound Thrash, if you know what I mean (laughs).



• I am not quite sure how old you guys are, and I hope that it does not come across as being patronising or anything, but I was a young man back in the late 80s and I remember really well how people loved to label things, separate each genre with strict ‘boundaries’ and then choose one of them to support with all their passion and might. Musical open mindedness was never part of the curriculum back in the day, so I guess that you are quite lucky to play this kind of music at more modern and advances times.
Jose: I agree! I get what you’re saying and I see that around a lot today actually! There are people that come to me and say ‘we like Thrash and we support this genre only’, however, I am also happy to know that there is more open mindedness in most people now that it was thirty years ago. We are a band that is influenced by many different things. We love Thrash but we also love to wear our Punk, Progressive or even regular Heavy Metal t-shirts on stage. We are quite privileged to be living at a time when people are musically more open minded.

• Ok, let’s focus a little bit on “Exiled To Earth” now. It was not at all surprising to find many Exodus influences in the eleven compositions on offer – especially in the way that the lead guitars and the vocals have chosen to operate. Apart from these obvious ones, which other would you say were the influences that helped you bring this album to life?
Jose: I really cannot say…we like to mix a lot of things into our music. I, for instance, am a big Hardcore/Punk fan so I guess that I try to bring this attitude and approach into my vocals both when in the studio and during our live shows. One of my biggest idols is Henry Rollins from the Black Flag. Live he was absolutely amazing, so I try to learn from him and do something similar when we’re on stage. I know that the guys (note: Alex Lee & Juan Juarez ) in the way that they do their solos are influenced by bands like Dream Theater and Nevermore and they try to reach similar results by trying to have things being a little bit more technical and well-structured. Drumming wise we are manly working with Thrash forms but he (note: Carlos Regalado) is also into classic Rock. Our bassist (note: Jerry Garcia) is really into technical Death Metal…in principal we are open to everything but I can also see where you’re coming from as what we do is Thrash, sounds like Thrash…there are many ‘outside’ influences in our songs but you need to look hard in order to find them.

• One of the first things I noticed about your new album is its pristine production! You have managed to come up with such a powerful and ‘clean’ sound and I am sure that there are many bands back in the day that would have done anything in their power in order to come up with something that could even approach your results! Tell us a few things with regards the whole recording process.
Jose: Well, we learned from our mistakes from the last album…actually no – I would not call them mistakes! It was time that we didn’t have in order to work on the sound of “Feed The Beast” and make it sound as we wanted. This time, however, we went in well prepared! This was to be our second album and we felt the need to step things up a little bit more. Juan and Alex were really specific about what kind of sound they wanted to achieve for their guitars and the same applied with Carlos and his drums. In general we wanted our sound to be really powerful and naturally produced, like the product of a real band. That’s what we wanted and I believe that Ralph Patlan who produced it knew exactly what we wanted to achieve. He made us feel very comfortable and got out the best out of us, suggesting a few things along the way. There were things that we did not figure out until he suggested them to us. He helped us experiment a little bit more with our sound and as a result we ended up having “Exiled To Earth” sounding the way that is does which I think is amazing!

• Did you guys become directly involved at any time during the process, other than performing your instruments that is? Do you have any recording knowledge at all?
Jose: Well actually, there is some such knowledge in the band. In our previous album we had the mentality ‘let’s leave everything to our producer’, but this time round we became more directly involved, not so much with regards using the console, as to asking for specific things from the guy in charge. He let us experiment with some stuff and we did get involved a little bit more. I am actually glad that we did as everybody came out from the studio really happy in the end.


• There are eleven really interesting songs in “Exiled To Earth”, some of which I assume will be more difficult to perform than others. While in the studio, which ones of those little ‘babies’ did you find to me most misbehaving?
Jose: You know what; some of the songs that we first recorded in our garage sounded a lot different there than in the studio. Some songs are indeed really hard to play guitar wise and fore some I had a difficulty coming up with the right vocals, but that is always part of the whole recording experience. In terms of live performances, we practice very hard in order to make our interpretations sound as close to the originals as possible. Having said that, though, we always end up playing our songs a little bit faster live and that makes things even harder for us. One of the hardest songs would have to be “Prison Planet” and “Prototype: Death Machine” was one of those songs that gave us some really hard time to record. It took some time to come up with the right solos for it as it is a long song, but in the end everything paid off.

• I guess that, when working in a specific song, you can change and update things forever, right?
Jose: One of the hardest decisions to make is to convince yourself that you must stop working on a song! You always strive to ensure that everything you record comes out as perfect as it possibly can. As a band we are real perfectionist. We need to have things done exactly as we want them, but once everybody around you says “ok you know what – that’s it” you have to stop there! I mean, you’re only human at the end of the day, right? Being a musician means that you always want to become better in what you do, however the time comes when you have to settle with what you have! We are our own worst critics! We try to come up with the perfect album, the perfect riff, the perfect melody but even if it is good to other people’s ears, to us it’s normally not! We have to settle for the best take possible and call it a day most of the times, something that is really hard but necessary.

• There are two songs that really stand out in my opinion, those being “Prototype: Death Machine” and “Desolate Future”. Can you tell us a few things about them – how these songs ended up sounding the way they do?
Jose: I will start with “Prototype: Death Machine”. This is one of the slowest songs that we have, even though it sounds quite fast in comparison to those of other similarly-minded bands. The idea was to create a long epic sounding song – in a way similar to those that Death did in the early 90s which were brutal and technical at the same time. The main idea came up with Juan and Alex, our guitarists. They really wanted to make this a head banging song and I think they did really well as it is one of my favourite songs of the album. “Desolate Future” was all Alex! He came one day saying “dudes check out this riff that I have”. We listened to his ideas and we were instantly like “wow, this is really cool”. At first, most of us didn’t agree with him to the point that we didn’t want it to come out on the album, but once we recorded it and we heard it I said “wow, this definitely needs to come out on the album” (laughs).

• You’ve got me worried there for a second, you know!
Jose: Sorry man (laughs).

• Jose, nowadays the Metal scene is far more ‘populated’ than it was back in the 80s and access to new music is both faster and easier. That must be unfair for a young band such as Bonded By Blood as the competition you have to face now is different than the ones that bands like Testament and Forbidden had back in the 80s. In that respect, good advertising is a necessity and I guess that you must be pretty happy with Earache’s contribution to the ‘cause’, right? I don’t know many bands promoting their new release through comic books!
Jose: I am actually really happy with the way Earache has been backing us up. They have been doing a really good job. Everything we gave them as an idea to try to promote the album they have been OK with. I see ads for “Exiled To Erath” everywhere I look and I am really happy about that!


• Based on the information I retrieved from your MySpace page, there are a lot of live shows coming up. I can see a couple of UK dates there but the venues are nowhere near London, which is a shame! You are going to be performing at Bloodstock Open Air, which is a well-known festival here in the UK, and then you only have two other slots – one in Leeds and one in Edinburgh! Why such a limited amount of shows here in the UK? Explain yourself please!
Jose: We were offered to play London, but once the Edinburgh and Leeds shows got scheduled we had to come back home to do the Exodus tour in August – shame as we really love being and playing in London! Right after we do the Bloodstock show, we fly back to Portland/Oregon in order to be part of the Exodus/Malevolent Creation tour. It is a tight schedule that we have to fill in. We had the Exodus tour in the back of our minds long before the Bloodstock gig was booked, so when Exodus asked for us to be part of the bill, we had no free space for other UK dates. This kind of sucks, but we should be back in 2011.

• That is something that I am sure your fans here will be most happy to hear!
Jose: (laughs) We are practically booked from August till December this year here in the States. We are going to try to so some stuff in Europe and the UK in 2011 and it should be fun because we love coming back to the UK! People there treat us really well, so it should be fun!

• You know what; much as I love and I respect Exodus, I am more excited of the fact that you will be sharing the same stage with D.R.I in three different occasions! I am a massive fan of this fan! And to add insult to injury, you will get to open for Forbidden and Overkill in November – how cool is that?
Jose: It is indeed amazing stuff and we are all really excited! I like all these bands, but I am especially a big D.R.I fan. If it wasn’t for them, I would not have been into Thrash Metal! We played Houston before and San Antonio/Texas back in 2007 – a tour that also featured Merciless Death. I remember that we did a show in Billy Milano’s (S.O.D) club in Texas. He was there and he did our sound and the guys from D.R.I actually came out to see us and I was “wow, are you serious”? I never thought that something like this would ever happen, so now playing shows with them is going to be an even greater experience, you know?

• So even though you are becoming fairly recognised as a band and you get to tour with all these legends of the scene, you still feel that awe when you are at their presence?
Jose: Oh, of course! We grew up listening to these bands so if you were to tell me years back that one day I would get to share the same stage with them sometime in the future I would say that you were a liar! This is unbelievable! I still have that fan boy attitude, that “oh my God” thing.

• It never goes away – trust me on that one! Most of the bands that I talk to from the States tend to mention that the local market is not so friendly towards Metal bands and that Europe is far friendlier in comparison. Judging on the long touring schedule you have there for 2010, am I to assume that things are starting to turn around?
Jose: I believe that things are changing a bit. When we first started touring the US it was, I wouldn’t say horrible, but close to being horrible. If you hit the middle of the US and cities or states that weren’t big it was awful as sometimes people would not show up or the people that were there would not be there in order to see the band! We would play bars where people would be there to drink and not to see the band playing. Now when we play we get to see more and more young kids and I believe that this has a lot to do with the Internet. People now are happy to see us play in their cities as they would, in some cases, very rarely see any Metal bands there. I remember playing shows before to states where you would think that there would be no Metal scene and when you get there you find that there are a lot of kids now. We played Montana maybe three or four times and every time we play…when we first played there it was something like twenty kids and now it’s like seven or eight hundred kids, and it’s Montana – that place is not known for Metal at all! They are hungry as they do not see many Metal bands playing there so they are happy to see us touring. And of course, Europe is amazing! It is a whole different feeling out there, as you always play to little clubs that are most of the times full of people. I thing that USA is picking up on that one. I think that kids are starting to love Metal all over again, having more chances to go out and see bands, so that’s really cool!

• Most of the Metal bands from the 80s and from your part of the woods started their career by releasing straight forward Thrash album like Death Angel’s “The Ultra-Violence” and then gradually moved towards a more technical direction. This, to me, was the trademark of the US Thrash Metal scene at the early 90s. People say that music works in circles so, with that in mind, is there a chance that something similar might happen to new generation Thrash Metal bands like Bonded By Blood in a few years’ time?
Jose: I believe that Bonded By Blood are the band that they are. I think that once we start moving towards a direction similar to late era Forbidden albums or late era Death Angel albums, which I don’t tend to be so much of a fan, that’s the day that I probably wouldn’t want to be in that band anymore! I play in this band because this is the style of music that I like to play, so I cannot see us change in a way that, let’s say, Metallica have changed over the years. If by more technical you mean Techno Thrash, I am fine with that, but if the whole things turn out into radio Rock or something, then I honestly wouldn’t want to be part of this band anymore (laughs).

• Well, if that is the case, let us both hope that things do not change towards such a direction. Jose, whatever you choose to do in the future, I hope that it brings you personal happiness. Thank you for doing this interview and good luck with regards the sales of “Exiled To Earth” and the upcoming tour.
Jose: Oh, thank you man!

EARLY GRAVES – “GONER”
IRON CLAD / METAL BLADE (2010)



The story of Early Graves in similar to that of many Thrash/Hardcore DYI bands; self-financed shows in small venues close to their hometown of San Francisco, leading to the accumulation of a small but loyal fan base but not towards a deal with any major labels. Well, that was at least their story prior to them being discovered by Iron Clad / Metal Blade and having released their debut album “We: The Guillotine” – an album that helped their name becoming further advertised in the local underground scene. Two years after that release first saw the light of day, the Californian quintet is back with ten compositions in its suitcase. So, let’s now see what it is that an album such as “Goner” has to offer.

Finding any sort of biographical information for Early Graves on the Internet can be a really tricky business, so my main source of knowledge, as this was indeed the first time that I came in contact with their music, as through the band’s MySpace page. It was quite interesting to see the band describing itself as a Thrash / Hardcore outfit, as I personally did not trace any clear influences by Slayer, Megadeth or Testament – band which are being mentioned as having been pivotal in the creation of Early Graves’ dark and heavily distorted sound. What I came across was a band that loves to invest in groovy heavily-distorted riffs but inject into them the kind of energy normally found in Punk outfits. In that respect, it is fans of Entombed and Black Flag that “Goner” is set to target and not those of you whose bedroom is being adorned by a Dave Mustaine poster!

All that, of course, is totally insignificant; what is important is the quality of the eleven compositions on offer and the overall effect that “Goner” will have on anyone who will choose to invest in it. Well, much as I like the dirtiness of the sound and the aggressive nature of the band’s music, I was not all too thrilled by the album itself. IF all the songs of the album were as direct and normally structures as the opening “Goner”, then we would be talking about a real gem here. Unfortunately though, the majority of the compositions on offer, songs such as “Faith Is Sh*t” and “Rot” are short and quite disjointed composition with no real sense of purpose, giving more emphasis in creating aggressive rather than memorable riffs.

The few times that the band decided to invest in proper structuring, such as in compositions like “Old Bones” and “May Day” the end result was quite enjoyable, as this combination of Entombed-sounding riffs and Motorhead-inspired melodies seldom goes wrong. One word that definitely describes the nature of this album is ‘exaggeration’, as it is the only word that explains how a composition as inspiring and well-structured as “Wraiths” can operate in the same environment as “Trauma” – a two and a half minute Punk infused song that comes across as less coherent and focus when in direct comparison. More to the point, I cannot see how the groovy ‘monster’ “Give Up”, which is by far the best track of the album, can be the product of the same product that brought to life “Bastard Tears” – one of the shortest and most boring songs that I’ve heard in ages and which made the otherwise average closing composition “Harm” to come across as really impressive in comparison.

Early Graves are one of these bands whose worst enemy is its own self! When focused and truly inspired, they are capable of coming up with some really decent dirty little tunes – tunes that will excite all those people who like their music to be both heavy and dirty. When, on the other hand, they treat song-writing more as an exercise in speed and heaviness, the end result is both average and disheartening. Being an optimist by nature, I want to believe that “Goner” will provide many valuable lessons to Early Graves – lessons that will one day enable them to create an album far more focused and inspiring than this one. I hope that this will happen quite soon as we really need bands like them in the scene. The signs are indeed quite encouraging!

John Stefanis

Rating: *** (3.0/5.0)


Last edited Wed Aug 11 21:09:57 2010

MEKONG DELTA – “WANDERER ON THE EDGE OF TIME”
AAARRG (2010)



Twenty three years ago, the then young and quite impressionable author of this review came across, during one of his numerous visits at a well-known central Athenian record shop, a copy of a very interesting looking cover of an album entitled “The Music Of Erich Zann”. In our days, where access to music through the Internet has become the norm, buying an album on the strength of its artwork alone could only be described as criminal, however, those of you who are old enough to remember how things worked back in the 80s would both understand and justify me for both my choices and actions. Anyhow, though it was by pure chance that I was introduced to the magic world of the German Techno Thrashers Mekong Delta, my devotion to them and their music has been, ever since that, more of the result of well calculated move rather than anything else.

Having been massively impressed by their 2007 opus “Lurking Fear”, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on their latest offering entitled “Wanderer On The Edge Of Time” – anticipation which was certainly worth the wait as what I was finally exposed to is one of the best releases so far released this year! There are many things that this fifteen track album has in common with its predecessor, such as its tendency to come across more as one single piece of music rather than a collection of songs or the great quality of its sound and overall production, however there are also a few things that Ralph Hubert (bass) and Co have done slightly differently this time round. Not only is there a better balance between numerous beautifully crafted melodic pieces and moments of sheer technical ‘madness’ than ever before, but, most importantly, those long and somewhat complex to perform musical units are so cleverly arranged that will almost certainly become appealing even to those who favor a more straight-forward approach to music.

The album kicks off with a beautiful and quite emotional acoustic guitar piece entitled “Intro – Concert Guitar”; a truly melodic piece which paves the way for a three-minute technical whirlwind that listens to the name “Ouverture”. Having truly enjoyed this ‘statement of intent’ on the part of the band, I was introduced to the first highlight of the album “A Certain Fool”. I had the pleasure of enjoying Martin LeMar’s impressive voice during the band’s 2008 slot at Progpower Scandinavia, however this is the first time that I got to see how his vocals behave ‘on tape’ and the result is simply mind blowing! Following an approach to singing that is similar to that of Daniel Gildenlow’s (Pain Of Salvation), Martin’s contribution not only in this composition but in every single one that he has donated his skills was detrimental in providing that extra flair needed in order to achieve the best possible results.

The album’s coherence has been achieved by strategically placing short technical ‘intervals’ in between all major compositions and it is such an interval that connects the Dream Theater (listen to the keyboard solos for further proof) sounding “The 5th Element” with the heavy riffed “The Apocalypt – World In Shards”. What we have here is another five minute opus which operates a two level approach, with Martin’s vocals working both with and, at times separately to the rest of the band. As for the result? Too amazing but also way too difficult to describe with words! There are many impressive compositions that will ‘battle it out’ in order to win your favour, however it is the directness of “King With Broken Crown” that will enable it to stand as victorious. If you are a young musician in search of inspiration, do check out the technically monstrous “Intermezzo” as it will probably make you re-evaluate your approach to performing music, but do also devote some of your precious time for the quite ballady “Affection”, as it features some phenomenal performance as far as both guitars and vocals are concerned.

When I first held my copy of “Wanderer On The Edge Of Time” in my hands, I remember thinking to myself that that I would be quite satisfied even if this album turned out to simply follow an approach similar to “Lurking Fear”. Luckily for both me and you, the Westphalian quintet aimed much, much higher than what I originally expected and their efforts were crowned with an enormopus success – something that becomes clearly audible from the very first spin you will give to this album! The quality and passion featured in the compositions on offer are second to none; that is why I gave “Wanderer On The Edge Of Time” a top rating and that is also why it will certainly hold a prominent position in my ‘albums of the year list’! Releases such as these are not only important as they give a new breath of life to our music, but also because they prove that Metal music is not only rough and heavy, but can also be intelligent and technically accomplished!

John Stefanis

Rating: ***** (5.0/5.0)

BONDED BY BLOOD – “EXILED TO EARTH”
EARACHE (2010)



Bonded By Blood is a dynamic quintet from Pomona/California that, together with label mates Evile, Municipal Waste and Gama Bomb, are hailed as the basic representatives of what is now known as the ‘Thrash Metal revival movement’. Labels such as this, of course is most journalists’ ‘bread and cheese’, as the band itself prefers to be identifies as a group of musicians that love all things Thrash, and as their name clearly indicates, are fans of all things Exodus. Even though I grew up listening to Thrash, I am quite skeptical when it comes to investing in those young groups, and it was with such strong feelings that I decided to take on the opportunity of writing a review for the band’s second full length release entitled “Exiled To Earth”. The main question in need of answering; whether the eleven compositions on offer will manage to convince me of becoming a fervent supporter of this young outfit.

The very first spin that I gave “Exiled To Earth” did not lead to any important conclusions, as I felt that I was getting exactly what I expected from this album – old school sounding, Exodus-influenced US Thrash Metal. One of the things that I did notice, however, from the very beginning was the strong and crisp production, courtesy of Mr Ralph Patlan – by far one of the strongest attributes of this album. Then slowly and gradually I started to appreciate a few other things such as Alex Lee’s impressive lead guitar solos or even the tendency that some compositions have to combine both classic and modern elements – all of which lead to me understanding the album better with every new spin. To answer the important question posed at the end of paragraph one of this review; no – I was not blown away by this album, but I certainly ended up enjoying listening to it much more than I originally expected.

The first composition of the album is the five minute “600 A.B (After The Bomb) – a song that introduces itself through a harmonic intro and then develops into a rhythmical up-tempo Thrash opus which owes a lot in terms of inspiration in the antics of the mighty Exodus, especially with regards the approach used by Jose Barrales’ vocals. The follow up “Episodes Of Aggression” is product of a similar musical approach but comes across as slightly more impressive and the same can be said about “Prototype: Death Machine” – a mid-tempo composition whose rhythmical mid-tempo guitars bare the ‘signature of Alex Skolnick of Testament fame. “Prison Planet” is the first composition in my humble opinion that really stands out, as apart from some really fast shredding riffs, it features a later day Destruction-sounding and truly catchy refrain that most fans of the genre will immediately relate to. Sadly, the following two compositions, namely “Generic Encryption” and “Blood Spilled Offerings” are pretty straight forward, average sounding Thrash songs with nothing that will help them to compete with the previously mentioned opus.

The second part of the album kicks off with the quite promising same-titled composition “Exiled To Earth” – a three minute track which comes across as a slightly more technical piece while still investing in all those Exodus-influenced ideas that can be clearly detected throughout the album. That is when the band decided to ‘grace’ us with the fifty two minute “Parasitic Future” – a ‘composition’ that lacks both structure and meaning and which only really achieves to undermine the coherence and solidarity of all the remaining compositions on offer. It was at that crucial moment that the second most impressive composition of the album, namely “Desolate Future” announced its presence and salvaged the whole project. In the four and a half minutes of its overall duration, the band managed to prove to me that they are capable of achieving many impressive things when truly inspired – just check out the refrain and main guitar solo on offer and you will know what I am talking about. The last two compositions of the album “Sector 87” and “Cross-Insemination” will not bring anything really new into the picture, but will further promote the band’s vision of serving a style and sound that was first established back in 1985 through the antics of Gary Holts’ legendary outfit (Exodus).

Ok, and now, the moment of truth! What does an old and quite spoiled Thrasher such as me think of an album such as “Exiled to Earth”? If my evaluation was to be based solely on the band’s contribution to this classic and much loved genre, the rating provided would be quite low, as there is nothing that you will hear in this eleven track album that you have never heard before. The fact remains, however, that these young lads are quite passionate and professional about what they do and both of these attributes are clearly audible in this album. In cannot deny that I quite enjoyed the last days that I spent in the company of “Exiled To Earth” and that in itself renders the decent rating that you will find at the end of this review. Now, if I managed to find so many positive things about it, imagine what an eighteen year old Thrasher will have to say about it!

John Stefanis

Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5.0)

EQUILIBRIUM - "REKREATUR"
NUCLEAR BLAST (2010)



I cannot believe how much things have changed, for the better of course, in Heavy Metal music these last twenty-five years. There was a time when crossing over different genres was completely out of the question. There was a time when writing lyrics in any language other than English being synonymous to commercial suicide. There was even a time for artists when incorporating elements of their local music and culture in their compositions to be something only really worth laughing at. Thank God that this is all over! Now we can really appreciate good music for what it is, enjoy bands whose understanding of music is diverse and colourful and support them in their quest. One bands whose character thrives upon musical diversity and variety is the Bavarian quintet Equilibrium - a band whose third full-length release entitled "Rekreatur" is coming out via Nuclear Blast records.

A quick browse through various music-related sites on the Internet will provide you with a few diverse, and somewhat conflicting, descriptions over the band's style of music. Music journalists seem to be divided into two different camps; those who describe Equilibrium as a Symphonic Black Metal band and those who treat them as an Epic Folk/Viking Metal outfit. As always, the truth is somewhere in the middle! One of the band's main attributes, which could also come across as a pretty negative thing depending on your overall understanding of all things musical, is their total dependency on keyboards in order to both create atmosphere and lead the proceedings. That is good, if you don't mind having the guitars playing a predominantly supportive role in a composition - if, however, you cannot accept such an unusual dynamic in a Metal band, then it will be difficult to appreciate what's on offer here.

From a pure technical aspect, "Rekreatur" is quite an impressive album, as it features nine compositions, which combine various different musical elements, styles and ideas - all of which are performed in a truly professional manner. As we know, though, music is not only about technicality and skill, it is mostly about emotion and in that very important aspect, Equilibrium have not scored very high in my evaluation board. When all symphonic elements are kept under control and the musical key in operation is not consistently high, the result is pleasing to the ear as is the case in the opening composition "In Heiligen Hallen" and "Verbrannte Erde" - the later also featuring the incorporation of a few folk melodies in the overall proceedings. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about composition such as "Der Ewige Sieg" and "Die Affeninsel" - both relying heavily on cheesy sing-along melodies and up-beat guitar riffs trademark of those used by most annoying Euro Power bands.

One of the bands that I grew to love over the years are AOR legends Asia but, even though I was surprised to see many influences from Geoff Downes' outfit in "Dear Wassermann", the overall feeling I got when listening to it was that of sheer disappointment. "Rekreatur" features two pretty long compositions, first being the nine and a half-minute "Aus Ferner Zeit" - a multi layered symphonic folk opus that surprises with its flexibility and variation by investing equally in folk melodies and symphonic arrangements. "Fahrtwing" is another average-sounding and predictable up-tempo composition, whereas things become better when the acoustic guitar melodies and pompous choruses of "Wenn Erdreich Bricht" fill the air. The last composition of the album is a thirteen-minute instrumental called "Kurzes Epos" - a composition that incorporates numerous different styles and sounds but one which fails to come across as a coherent and strong entity.

I am a bit baffled as what to make of Equilibrium and "Rekreatur" really! One hand, I feel inclined to acknowledge the high levels of musicianship that are needed in order to bring such a multi-layered and varied release into life. On the other hand, however, I have to once again consider the fact that the strength of music, as happens with every single form of art, lies in its ability to evoke strong feelings, something that "Rekreatur" failed to do with me. I am sure that fans of this specific style of music will find many things to like about the nine compositions on offer - as far as I'm concerned, however, it will take a pretty long time before I decided to check this album again, hence the reason why I provided a pretty average rating.

John Stefanis

Rating: *** (3.0/5.0)

WHITECHAPEL - "A NEW ERA OF CORRUPTION"
METAL BLADE (2010)



I have met many good people through my involvement in the music industry throughout the years, none better than my close friend David! David knows me well enough to expect a somewhat 'instinctive reaction' towards all things Metalcore, so the fact that he was overly keen on me investing in Whitechapel's latest full length album entitled "A New Era Of Corruption" made me feel quite suspicious! True, I had never before been in contact with the music of the Tennessee-based sextet, but what would a band that is described by its own label as a Deathcore outfit will have to offer to someone like me - something that I did not come across by any of their many like-minded label mates in the past and which failed to make any massive impression on me?

The answer to that question became obvious to me quite early on! The eleven compositions that put together "A New Era Of Corruption" are far more Death Metal than Metalcore in nature, hence the description provided by both Metal Blade and various different online music sites is, in my humble opinion, quite misleading! Yes, there are moments where the listener will be asked to 'participate' in an orgy of slow and repetitive rhythmical breaks, trademark of the Metalcore scene. Having said that, the same listener should expect to be predominantly exposed to riff-based compositions that either pledge their allegiance to heavy/down-tuned Death Metal of a certain Morbid Angel orientation or to modern sounding Thrash Metal as understood and performed by the vast majority of Scandinavian bands since the mid 90s! Does that sound interesting? You bet!

The opening composition of the album is the four minute "Devolver" - a heavy laden piece that betrays an unusual attitude in terms of structure and which shows the first signs of the band's intention not to conform to any pre-set musical formulae! A similar approach brought to life the slightly shorter "Breeding Violence", however the overall result is slightly less impressive. The first composition to really capture my attention was the three minute "The Darkest Day Of Man" - a magnificently heavy piece which works on many different tempos but which presents the listener with some really massive riffs and flamboyant lead guitar melodies. A slightly Thrashier approach can be detected in "Reprogrammed To Hate", however the ideas on offer seem to work better on an individual rather that on a collective level. "End Of Flesh" signals a return to a more straight forward approach to song-writing, whereas the three and a half minute "Unnerving" is, in my humble opinion, the highlight of the album, as it successfully combines heavy down tunes riffs and double bass drumming with various melodic/atmospheric keyboard/guitar melodies that are really hard to resist.

After this much impressive surprise, "A Future Corrupt" provided a return to Thrashier forms while incorporating a few nicely placed Metalcore elements in its break. In comparison with the previously mentioned compositions, both "Prayer Of Mockery" and "Murder Sermon" come across as quite simplistic and predictable - the former combining fast Thrash Metal riffs with deep Death Metal growling vocals, whereas the later also investing in a few melodic acoustic guitars interludes. There are not many extreme metal bands out there that manage to escape any sort of direct influence by the works of the mighty Morbid Angel and Whitechapel is certainly not one of them either! In "Necromechanical" they come across as a band massively attracted to low-corded rhythmical/repetitive riffs and of double bass rhythmical drumming - both used in a highly impressive manner. The closing composition of the album, namely "Single File To Dehumanization" is another successful attempt on the part of the band to combine heavy solid riffs with melodic lead guitars, thus providing a much fitting ending to this unpredictably impressive release!

I have to admit that never in a million years would I expect the music of a band like Whitechapel to have such a direct impact on me, but it seems like this is what's exactly happened here! Even though I was not impressed to the point of grating them a top rating, I cannot fail that acknowledge the fact that listening to the eleven composition on offer was always a pleasant experience for me - a process that was repeated many times prior to me writing this review. If a person like myself, who can hardly be described as a fan of the genre, has so many positive things to say about Whitechapel and their music, I guess that the reviews from those people who do fervently support this genre will be dithyrambic! Do check this album out guys - it is indeed quite good!

John Stefanis

Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5.0)

NECROMANDUS – “OREXIS OF DEATH & LIVE”
RISE ABOVE (2010)



Having the support of a well-established artist is something that all young bands dream of, and when that artist happens to be Mr Tony Iommi, the man that defined the sound of Heavy Metal through his work in Black Sabbath…well, that’s when you start to believe that dreams can become reality. The funny thing in the case of the Cumberland-based quartet Necromandus is that they started making their first musical steps back in the late 60s, and Tony Iommi’s involvement as a guest guitarist producer of this very album happened long before he became the famous axeman that we all know and love. So, how did we end up talking about an album that was first recorded back in 1973 thirty seven years later?

Well, that is all thanks to Rise Above’s devotion to this impressive scene and their commitment in ensuring that fans of good quality Rock music get to discover all those great releases that simply ‘got away’ due to reasons that have little, if absolutely nothing, to do with the quality of the material in question. What makes Necromandus in general, and “Orexis Of Death & Live” and album worth investing in is the pathos and quality it spews throughout its short duration. I cannot remember the last time that I enjoyed listening to a band that managed to so successfully combine the energy and dynamism of The Who with the simplicity and grooviness of Black Sabbath – a Rock band that flirted with Jazz music as convincingly as it did with classic Rock!

You understand that you are in the presence of a good solid album moments after the end of the short harmonic intro “Mogidisimo” and while being introduced to the very first rhythmical riffs of “Nightjar” – a composition whose riffs and melodies are indeed highly contagious! The more progressive/Jazzy aspects of the band’s character come out in the four and a half minute opus “A Black Solitude” – a composition that depends on a few well-placed melodic/harmonic themes in order to draw the attention of the unsuspected listener. Talking about simply-crafted and totally irresistible melodies, there are many of those present in the relatively short “Homicidal Psychopath” – melodies which stayed with me long after I first finished listening to the album. The band’s technical abilities and admiration for the music of The Who are further portrayed in “Still Born Beauty”, another simply-crafted but highly enjoyable composition.

It is strange how I become naturally drawn towards lengthy compositions when it comes to this style of music, but I believe that it has to do with the fact that they allow any band with enough space to unfold all aspects of its character. That is exactly what happened in “Gypsy Danger”, a composition that combines a beautifully-crafted trippy harmonic theme with guitar solos that have nothing to be jealous of in terms of skill and effect with those composed by Iommi himself, and that is the reason why I consider it to be the highlight of the album. The original album ends with the Hard Rock sounding same-titled composition and a short outro entitled “Mogidisimo (reprise), however, those of you who will opt or this issue will enjoy eight bonus live compositions – six of which belong to songs featured in the album and two, namely “Judy Green Rocket” and “Limpet Man” which were never before released and which are both thoroughly enjoyable!

I really have to hand it to Rise Above records, as they once again managed to dig out another unique gem for fans of good quality music to enjoy. The question that some of you may ask is “is this album attractive for everyone, or is it another release targeting a very specialist/elitist audience”? The answer to that question is not so straight forward; however being a person that supports and enjoys many different styles of music, I believe that “Orexis Of Death & Live” is capable of satisfying not only those of you (us) who believe that the words ‘progressive’ and ‘Rock’ belong in the same sentence, but also those who are constantly in the lookout for good quality music! Don’t miss on that one – you will certainly regret it!

John Stefanis

Rating: **** (1/2)

FATAL EMBRACE - "THE EMPIRES OF INHUMANITY"
METAL BLADE (2010)



Back in the mid/late 80s, the Greek Thrash Metal scene was divided in two distinctive camps: the one supporting the Bay Area scene whose sound was more skilful and technically demanding in nature and that which supported the more brutal and in your face style/sound that became the trademark of the local scene of Germany. Much as I loved them both, I have to admit that it was bands like Kreator, Sodom and Destruction that were always slightly closer to my heart - something that hasn't changed these last twenty five years. It was mainly as a result of that fact that I found myself to be quite excited with the prospect of doing a review for the fourth full-length release of the Berlin based quintet called Fatal Embrace - an album whose title is "The Empires Of Inhumanity" and which ended up holding quite a few surprises for me.

Apart from the fact that the eleven compositions on offer (twelve if you count the Iron Maiden cover "Killers" which is mentioned as being a bonus track) are far more US influenced by what one would expect from a German band (there's nothing wrong with that, by the way), the end result was pretty classy and enjoyable - something that cannot really be said for the vast majority of the young Thrash Metal bands nowadays. These five guys knew damn well that there are not many riffs that a band can come up with and base its compositions on that have not been used hundreds of times before, so what they set out to achieve was to re-use these classic ideas in such a way that would make their album enjoyable to people like myself whilst also being as least offending as possible to the bands/artists who first came up with them many, many years ago!

The album kicks off with "The Last Prayer", a one and a half minute intro which is the band's interpretation to the Lord's Prayer, and continues with "Wake The Dead" - a three and a half minute opus whose main break is reminiscent of Destruction's "Reject Emotions" whereas its shredding solos bare traces of an influence by a certain Mr. Gary Holt of Exodus fame. I am one of these people who believe that Overkill is one of the best bands of all time, so I couldn't help than fall for the melodic theme of "Nothing To Regret" - a composition that could be in many ways be described as the young and slightly more modern looking 'brother' of the all time classic "Rotten To The Core". Those of you who love Metallica will almost certainly appreciate the main riffs in "Haunting Metal", whereas a nice combination between Destruction and Overkill elements is clearly audible in "Another Rotten Life". The first part of the album ends with the same-titled "The Empires Of Inhumanity" - a five and a half-minute harmonic/atmospheric piece that provides an impressive and much needed break from all things Thrash.

I cannot think of a better way to bring the temperature back up than the four minute "In Your Face" - a composition whose title gives justice to the music, as its Overkill-influenced riffs are dead sharp and its solos both flamboyant and to the point. By far the most brutal composition of the album is "Rapture For Distater" - a three and a half minute with massive riffs that are similar to those used by the mighty Sod*m in the all time classic "Sod*my and Lust"! The remaining three compositions of the album are slightly less impressive in comparison but still have a few interesting things to offer. "The Prophecy" is a rhythmical mid-tempo piece that indulges in various Slayeric solos, "Way To Immortality" is an Exodus-influenced riff-orientated gem whereas "Ravenous" is the band's attempt to re-write Slayer's "Chemical Warfare". As far as the band's cover of Iron Maiden's "Killers" is concerned, it is quite enjoyable indeed, but not at all different from the ones that Bay Area legends Defiance did on their album "Void Terra Firma" (1990) twenty years ago.

Thrash has been my genre of choice since I first started listening to Metal back in 1986, so I am quite understandably sensitive, perhaps even outwardly sceptical, towards all young bands that are trying to recreate that glorious-sounding style of this music. The thing I like about "The Empires Of Inhumanity", apart from the fact that it brought to the surface some really nice memories while listening to it, is that it is not trying to be anything other than an enjoyable album. These twelve composition are not trying to re-define the genre - they simply try to explain to the young fans (and remind the old ones amongst us) why Thrash is treated by thousands of people around the world as an innovative, impressive and highly exciting style of music. Not the most original of releases but one definitely worth checking out!

John Stefanis

Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5.0)

REVAMP – “REVAMP”
NUCLEAR BLAST (2010)



When it comes to female fronted Metal, there are not many countries that can compete with The Netherlands both in terms of volume and quality. One of the bands that originated from the lowlands and which definitely left its mark during their fifteen year involvement was After Forever – the musically adventurous sextet which, back in February 2009, announced their decision to disband. Following the end of that musical entity, Floor Jansen, one of the best voices of the genre, decided to continue her musical ventures under a new moniker by the name Revamp – a group of musicians that feature in their line up ex-After Forever keyboard player Joost van der Broek and guitarist extraordinaire Waldemar Sorychta of Grip Inc and Voodoocult fame. The result?

Well, the band’s debut release entitled “Revamp” contains thirteen nicely crafted compositions, a small number of which are exceptional both in terms of inspiration and execution and others that cannot seem to manage to overcome the boundaries and requirements of the genre that they chose to serve. There are, however, two things about this album that enables it to score more than the average Symphonic Female fronted Metal release; a) Floor Jansen’s vocal quality, which is more varied, powerful and commanding than those of most of her fellow female singers, and b) the band’s decision to invest in both orchestral and keyboard arrangements but not to the expense of Waldemar’s powerful guitars which play a leading role in the overall proceedings.

You could say that the opening track of the album “Here’s My Hell” is representative of the whole album, as it combines all the above mentioned elements in its five minute duration. Jansen’s powerful vocals are the main focal point, as one would expect, and are often accompanied either by operating female background vocals or by Joost’s, in parts, Death Metal growls. Following that impressive composition, “Head Up High” comes across as slightly predictable, but the same definitely cannot be said about “Sweet Curse” – a four minute opus that’s based on a deeply emotional collaboration between Jansen’s ethereal vocals and van der Broek’s massive piano tunes! In “Million” Revamp proved that heaviness and melody are equally cherished by the members of the band, whereas “In Sickness Till Death Do Us Part: All Goodbyes Are Said”, “Break” and “In Sickness Till Death Do Us Part: Disdain” they somehow managed to lower their otherwise high quality standards.

You could say that the song “In Sickness Till Death Do Us Part: Disgraced” is similar to the previous few songs in terms of approach and attitude, however the quality of the vocal lines and guitar/keyboard melodies involved makes it ‘stand out from the crowd’. The second composition that made a massive impression on me was the four minute “Kill Me With Silence” – a song which combines oriental sounding melodies with a massive chorus/refrain and some of the heaviest down tuned guitars that you will ever find in an album of this genre. More oriental guitar themes and catchy melodies can be found in the follow up that’s entitled “Fast Forward” whereas the band seems to be taking a step back in “The Trial Of Monsters”. Floor Jansen has a unique ability of coming across as both sweet and aggressive in a simple composition and that is clearly audible in “Under My Skin”. For the very end the band has decided to grace us with one of the best compositions of the album – the three and a half minute “I Lost Myself” whose almost mournful piano melodies combined with Jansen’s emotive voice are capable of bringing tears to one’s eyes.

I am a bit annoyed by the fact that I cannot grant this album with a really high score, but the truth is that it would not have been justifiable for me to do so simply on the strength of three amazing compositions! The members of this band are experienced enough to know what it takes in order to create killer compositions and maybe their main ‘mistake’ is that they went for quantity rather than quality. Having said that, there is not a single song on this album that can be classified as a bad, so the extent to which this album will become appealing to you is relative to each person’s personal taste. If Revamp comes up with an album that is slightly more homogenous and musically coherent than this one, I cannot see how I could deprive it of a top rating – in the meantime, however, I will totally devote myself to the three compositions that stirred me and simply enjoy the rest.

John Stefanis

Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5.0)

DEATH ANGEL INTERVIEW 2010

Nevermore is one of those bands whose career I have been following ever since the release of their first album back in 1995, however, the reason why I was truly excited about heading to 02 Islington Academy on the night of the 18th of May had, strangely enough, less to do with them being headliners and more to do with the fact that the bill also featured Bay Area legends Death Angel. Knowing very well that the Thrash quintet is in the process of recording a new album and dying to hear more about what their future plans are, I arranged an interview with the band’s guitarist Ted Aguilar. During our short but very in-depth discussion, Ted explained what we should expect from the new Death Angel album, explained the reasons for all the recent lineup changes and promised great things for the future!

By Yiannis (John) Stefanis.

• Hi there Ted! I am really happy that you could take the time to do this interview as I have been a fan of Death Angel from the very beginning and I like the fact that I am given the opportunity to help promote your music. I am well aware that you are currently working on an album that is scheduled to be released sometime in September, that according to the information I was given. Is that still the case?
Ted: Yes, that is still the case, but now the release date is going to be between late August and mid-September. It’s all done, it’s all recorded and it is currently in the process of being mixed right now. The album is being produced by Jason Suecof who has done Trivium, Devildriver, Whitechapel, August Burns Red, Chimera, so…yes, it’s due for a late-August mid-September release. As far as the album title is concerned, we are still deciding on that one (note: the title will be “Relentless Retribution”) right now.

• Why did you choose to work with a different producer this time round? Is it possible that it has to do with the fact that some people, myself included, found the sound of your previous album “Killing Season” to be less strong than we normally expect from a band like Death Angel? In addition to that, the fact that the bands you just mentioned are more modern in their approach to Metal, which is not a bad thing of course, is it going to affect the way and approach followed in your new album?
Ted: When we started writing the new record, Rob (Cavestany: guitars) started composing a lot of material and the songs that were coming about were really intense and urgent and very Metal sounding. As we were going along we were thinking ‘wow, the songs are really powerful and intense, so we should get a Metal producer’ or at least check out how this would work. I mean, we have worked with people like Max Norman who did the production on “Act III”, Brian Dobbs who did “The Art Of Dying” and Nick Raskulinecz who did “Killing Season” so this time we felt like we wanted a change. Rob was listening to a band called August Burns Red which was produced by Jason Suecof and I remember sitting in the car with Rob listening to their album and really liking the sizzling tones and the clear, in your face production that he did for them. Listening to that and the songs that we were writing at the time we felt that there was a match up, so we thought ‘let’s try this – let’s try something different for once!’ So we decided to go with Jason and the songs we did together were incredible! They do have that modern sound but they are still Death Angel; the writing, the vocals, everything is still very Death Angel – very intense. This is Death Angel turned up to ten or even eleven! That is what we wanted from Jason; a modern sound and a sling tone in order to fit with the material that we were writing. We felt that we needed that!


• And that is how you feel about the recordings before you even hear the final mix, which is always a tricky stage of the overall process.
Ted: Yes, but I mean the songs…Death Angel has always been that we write songs that are ever changing! We write and we write, we do recordings in our studio and then things change and by the time we get to the recording studio things also change a bit and by the time we get to the end product, you can still detect a few things being different. The album sounds really good. Everyone in the whole band is excited about it and happy about it as it is the most intense and fearless Death Angel album to date!

• That is always very good to hear! So how would you compare and describe the new album in relation to your previous releases? I mean, in every album that you do there is a lesson to be learned. How far have you guys evolved from the stage that the band came back to life?
Ted: How far? I don’t believe that we have strayed from our original sound. I believe that we have progressed a lot, though. What you hear is still Death Angel. We are a band that has already established itself as an act that can move towards any direction. If you listen to our early albums like “The Ultra-Violence”, “Frolic Through The Park” and “Act III”, they are all different but they are all Death Angel releases. They do all sound different, though. In “The Ultra-Violence” our sound was pure Thrash, with “Frolic Through The Park” it was more about trying new stuff like Funk melodies and odd timings and stuff. When “Act III” came out, it was like ‘wow’ – a mix of everything that the band did up to that album. But the band has really established itself to do really every style of music, so in “The Art Of Dying” it was all about the band re-establishing itself – like ‘hey, it’s been a while since we last played together’. In that album, you can hear that everybody’s excited about coming back and trying to hone in. “Killing Season” is like ‘wow, we got in there finally’. With our new album, however, we wanted to go into a different direction – we wanted to get heavier and more intense. That is what we wanted to do, but its still Death Angel!



• I remember when “Frolic Through The Park” first came out, it really took quite some time for me to get used to it! I was eighteen years old at the time – a young Thrasher that couldn’t accept anything other than the ‘norm’. I do remember that being an album that I really struggled to understand at the time. It actually took quite a few years prior to that happening, but I remember the moment that things finally clicked I became truly excited. That is what I love about this album nowadays, the fact that I still discover new things about it. Do you reckon there are many chances for people to feel exactly the same thing with your new album?
Ted: My personal opinion is that it is a pretty straight-forward album, much more so than “Frolic Through The Park” ever was. This is far more haunting, Metal and intense. I can really see where you’re coming from with regards “Frolic…” as I felt the same thing at the time, expecting the band to release another “The Ultra-Violence”. Actually there were a few years that passed prior to me growing to like that album; however, this new album is really ‘honed in’. You are going to find stuff from every single Death Angel album in it, but with more grip, feel and intensity involved!

• Line-up wise - there have been a few changes in the band lately. Every change is capable of bringing with it both good and bad things, so I guess that the question that I want to ask is whether the surge of new people was instrumental in the development of the style and sound of the new album.
Ted: Yes, I believe that this change was indeed instrumental. I mean, the time came when both Andy (Galeon; drums) and Dennis (Pepa; bass) reached a point where they ‘hit a wall’. They both have families and it’s really hard when the time comes to go on tour and you have people to take care of and mortgages/bills to pay so they felt the need to step down. With new guys coming in things are really great because they have a certain excitement and vibe that they bring into the band – an energy that was missing a bit previously. Will (Carroll) being on the drums is giving a lot of the Metal edge that we have, an edge that was missing a tad…it’s great for us, that sense of excitement that helped create our new record! Changes always suck, but me Rob and Mark (Osegueda; vocals) sat down and said ‘we’ve got to move on’. Will Caroll is a Bay Area veteran! He’s played in a lot of bands such as Vicious Rumours, Ulysses Siren and did a tour with Machine Head back in the early 90s. Damien Sissom, our new bass player is also from the Bay Area and has played with a lot of bands as well. Having them in a band brought a different vibe and also raised our levels of excitement – a vibe and excitement that really helped create this new album!

• In terms of timing, the album is not coming out in the best period of the year. What tends to happen, at least here in Europe, is that bands aim to release albums at the beginning of the year so as to have enough time to book a slot on any of the big Summer Festivals like Wacken and Bang Your Head. In this respect, does the fact that the album is scheduled for the end of the summer going to, or has already, influenced any possible participation in these festivals this year?
Ted: The reason why it’s coming out round that time is strictly due to our tight schedules. We were writing stuff pretty much all of last year, the last half of last year that is, and we started the recording session beginning of this year. Releasing a new album is all about timing basically and plus we had a US tour booked with Soilwork so there were a lot of things going on all the time. I believe that we are going to be back for the summer festival next year, though. It is good by the end of the day as it will give time for everyone to sit in with the album and listen to it properly, so by the time we come back for the festival season, everyone will be into it and know it really well. We did, however, play many of these festivals already last year, such as Graspop, so we just decided to focus on the recordings of the album this time round. I think that releasing an album in late-summer, early-autumn is good.

• Ok, so as far as your touring plans are concerned for this year, what are we to expect? Are we only looking for this tour that you have arranged as support to Nevermore or do you also have other plans?
Ted: Well, right now we will go back home after the end of this tour. We have one more show with Nevermore in Holland tomorrow, then we are going to finish with the Metalfest in Europe and we will go home for a week and a half, after which we will fly back in order to participate to the “Sweden Rock” festival. After that, we will be back home for a month and we will start a US tour with Soilwork for a couple of months. There is a tour booked for November/December for us in Europe; once that we have announced but we have also not announced, if you know what I mean (laughs). You will probably see that being advertised soon as it is a really good package tour.




• Which will be bringing you guys back to the UK I hope?
Ted: I believe so, yes! If my memory serves me right, we are coming back to the UK for that November/December tour.

• Death Angel twice in one year? I am being spoiled rotten!
Ted: Yeah. It is a really good package tour – cannot announce it yet but you will hear all about it soon!

• Ted, what has been your impression of the shows that you did in support of Nevermore? As a band, they have a very specific style and sound and they have many loyal fans that adhere to everything that they do. Do you reckon that you’ve managed to win some of those fans over with your music during these shows?
Ted: Yes, I believe that we did! Nevermore are a great band and they do have a unique style of playing and they do have a loyal crowd, something that we were aware of as we’ve known these guys for a while now. We jumped on the opportunity to come over and play with them, especially as we’ve never done any shows with them before, only common festival appearances. When we were offered to play with them we responded “hell yeah”. They are a good band, great guys and they have a different crowd. I believe that we did win over some of their fans during these shows. We played Belgium the other day with them and the show was incredible. We played good; the fans were great and Nevermore also played great, so I believe that we were a good package. I believe that it was good for both Nevermore and Death Angel fans to see us together on the same stage. I think that most tours ought to be like that as it helps the Metal community to grow even more and people to start listening to different styles of music. I believe that mixing crowds like that is great – it’s good for the fans and also good for the Metal community.

• Many people say that the biggest test for every band is performing on stage and from what I’ve seen throughout the years, Death Angel is by far one of the best live bands in Metal – whether that means playing in a small sweaty venue or a massive festival stage. As far as you guys are concerned, which is the best place to be when performing live?
Ted: First of all thank you for this great compliment. It is kind of hard to answer that question, as we love playing the big festivals but we also love playing in front of a small crowd where things are really intimate and right in your face – we love it all!
Mark: It’s like dating identical twin sisters (laughs).
Ted: It is! We like playing in front of thousands of people and we also love the intimate crowd which is right there in your face. At the end of the day, we basically love to play! At the end of the day and at the very core of it, we love to be able to play music for people – to anyone who wants to listen and who comes out to support us and our music.

• When I interviewed Mark and Rob during the time of the release of “The Art Of Dying” back in 2001, they mentioned the fact that it was a very important thing that you started this band at a very young age because now you are still in the position to be out here and record new music, whereas other bands from the same era/genre have long given up on the scene. What are the future plans for the band at this stage?
Ted: Well, our plan is to release this new record and tour relentlessly and while we’re touring we are going to keep writing new stuff. Then, as soon as we will finish touring for this record we are going to get back into the studio and record another record – that is the plan! The band is on fire right now, so we have a plan on keep releasing records and touring constantly. That is the cycle we want to follow, studio, then tour, then studio! Constantly touring, constantly releasing music.

• Well, that’s certainly good for me!
Ted: Going on tour and playing for all the people that are willing to come and see us! That is the plan for as long as we can, right, Mark?
Mark: Amen (laughs)!
Ted: The band is on for right now, so we are all excited and we are all going to go at it! No stopping!

• I am looking forward to that as I have to admit that I would really have loved it if you guys were to be the headliners tonight!
Ted: Thank you! Right now all we want to do is to participate in such tours, gain new fans and build up a reputation but when we do come back it is going to be a proper headlining tour. Every time we do a show we want to play for as much as we can, as many songs as we possibly can! We simply love playing! It’s kind of hard to have to play forty five minutes each time because we want to play longer than that, but when we do come back we’re going to do a proper headlining show!

• For the lucky fans that are going to enjoy tonight’s show, those forty five glorious minutes of music, what sort of material are you guys going to perform? Are there going to be songs from the new album?
Ted: We plan to play one new song, but we are going to touch base on every album and we are going to debut that new song tonight. We have been doing that every night on this tour and the response has been phenomenal! We’re excited to play this song – we don’t want to play a lot from the new album as it is not out yet, but we want to give you one to let you know what the album is going to sound like. Like I said, we are going to touch on every album, we will see if we touch on “Frolic…”, but at least it will be songs from every other album we have released!

• Ted, thank you for doing this interview with us, hope you enjoy tonight’s show and hope to see you again in November/December.
Ted: You will, you will!