Van Canto Interview

Extreme Underground Music Zine
Anwers by Stefan, February 27th, 2014

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?

Yes of course. We started our Tour in Russia and had two fabulous shows in Moskau and St. Petersburg. And we already kicked of the first leg of our European Tour in France, Belgium and Germany. Next gigs will be Italy and Czech Republic. The tour is well visited, some locations are sold out, it’s great.

2.Recently you have released a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction do the new recording and also how does it differ from your past releases?

This time we had the time to work out everything quite detailed because we haven’t been on tour while writing the songs. It’s our most compact album and we have the feeling there are no weak songs on it.

3.The band does not use traditional instruments, do you feel this adds to the originality of the music?

Yes of course. It definitely helps to have a unique sound, and we are proud of having created something really special.

4.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your newer music?

Van Canto is a band to encourage people. We want our listeners to feel like a hero. So our songs deal with topics like inner strength, belief in yourself and in what you do. It’s hero metal a cappella!

5.On the new album you had some cover tunes, what was the decision behind doing your own version of these songs?

Covers have always been a part of Van Canto and we always try to make the covers our own songs. We have to like what we are covering and the originals have to offer some great melodies and harmonies so the songs can be translated into a cappella arrangements.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Van Canto'?

Canto is latin for “I sing” and the Van just makes the bandname look better, haha.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We have a very powerful stage performance and many people are surprised of how metal the show is. We had hundreds of shows so it’s hard to pick one, but Wacken 2011 surely was special. We put this show on the bonus DVD of our Dawn of the Brave album

8.What are the touring or show plans for the new release?

As I said, we are just about to tour Europe. After that we will play some selected festivals and then see what happens.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of metal and rock?
Great, and it get’s better all the time, especially with this release. We get a lot of response from all over the world, sell more albums and get in contact with more people. It’s great.

10.What musical direction do you see the band heading into during the future?

We don’t know. Currently we are in the “on the road”-mode. So after we played the tour and the festivals we’ll sit together and create some ideas what will be next.

11.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Every bandmember would name different bands, so I can only give a personal answer. My faves are the bands we have been covering, as easy as it is, haha.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Again, a personal answer. I am interested in soccer and biking and of course in my family.

13.Before we wrap up this interview do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thanks for your interest in Van Canto. It’s always amazing that there are people around I never met but that want to know about our band. Great!

The Cloudycators/Land Of the Cloudycators/Secret Entertainment/2014 CD Review

 
  The  Cloudycators  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  metal,  rock  and  thrash  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Land  Of  the  Cloudycators"  which  was  released  by  Secret  Entertainment.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  very  hard  sound  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to t hem which  also  leads  up  to  melodic  yet  aggressive  vocals  as  well  as  a  mixture  of  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  after  awhile  solos  make  their  way  into  the  music  along  with  traces  of  progressive  music.

  As  the album  continues  the  band  starts  going  for  a  more  mainstream  rock  orientated  sound  while  also  being  influenced  by  heavy  metal  and  thrash  and  as  the  album  progresses  you  can  hear  traces  of  groove  and  alternative  metal  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  on  one  of  the  tracks  they  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars.

  The  Cloudycators  stick  to  a  more  modern  mainstream  rock  sound  while  also  having  thrash  and  heavy  metal  elements  and  the  music  on  hear  would  hit  in  fine  on  a  radio  rock  station  while  having  a  little  bit  of  heaviness  to  it.

  Song  lyrics  cover  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  The  Cloudycators  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  modern  hard  rock  and  heavy  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Animal"  "Cuntkicker"  "Pennywise"  adn  "When  Rain  Comes  Down".  7/5  out  of  10.

Trigant Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

Currently the band is writing new material and planning on shows for this year as well as organizing their own festival which takes place two or three times a year.

2. A couple of months ago you put out a new EP, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from the one you released in 2011?

It differs a lot from the material released in 2011. We put much more groove in it and added more complexity to our song structure. Also the guitar work came to a totally new level with our latest EP which cannot only be recognized   in the technique but also the melodic parts became more and more important to our music than ever before. We also have learned a lot since the last release when it comes to recording songs. Because of the fact that it is a self recorded and released EP we needed to learn a lot about how to use the equipment we have at the moment to make the EP sound like it does now.

3. Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

The lyrical topics are about many things. It's about inner feelings someone can have about the people’s behavior against each other and the reflection of it. About being hurt several times but still standing strong; sometimes even about destroying yourself for some reasons. Everything a human being can explore in his live.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Trigant'?

“Trigant“is a demons name. He is described with a screaming voice that enrages people against each other and once he has settled down in your house you can’t get rid of him anymore. In some way this describes music in our days. People always discuss about bands or artists which one is better who they like but if you have found a band for yourself you won't leave it aside for a long time.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years?How would you describe your stage performance?

The Band always has a powerful performance no matter how many people show up or how big the venue is. We simply have a lot of fun playing live and this can also be noticed in the audience. A little joke at the right time let everyone leave with a smile on their face. And what better reason can there be to go to a concert then having fun? We get a lot of positive response from the crowd wherever we have played. The young generation that likes our power and the older ones that like our heavy metal influences. The greatest show we have played were
“Smash Fest“and always our “Metal im Markt“ where it doesn't matter when we hit the stage: first or last it's always a big blast for everyone.

6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

As mentioned before we are planning shows at the moment and are still searching for more. On our Facebook page we already have released one date in September where we will play at the “Charity meets Metal” festival in Belgium.

7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

At the moment we haven’t received precise interest for signing us and it hasn’t been a main part of our planning for the moment. We are pretty much open minded when it comes to this part of business.


8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of thrash metal?

At the moment we didn't receive so much feedback from around the world. For that reason we are working together with Markus Eck from Metalmessage to get the people known to our music. But what we've heard has always been positive since now.

9. What musical direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

That’s a good question. We don't plan our music. We are writing it as we are going along. That is the reason that sometimes our rehearsals are more like jam sessions. This is how we create our sound. Four individuals taking their ideas together and making it sound what they believe is the right way to get it done. At the moment we think about a full length album for our next release and for the first time doing it in a studio. Those are the plans so far.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

You can name a lot of bands here for example Machine Head, Slayer, Metallica, Testament, Pantera, Crowbar or Black Label Society when it is just the metal sector but this is just a tiny bit of that what the band members are listening to. We all come from different directions of rock and metal music and also other genres so you can't say precisely it's just this and that.

11. Do you have any non-musical interests?

I think we are just pretty boring full time musicians. We all have jobs and girlfriends (even the drummer :D) so there isn't much time and money left for other things. Justjoking. It’s more like doing typical things like hanging out with friends going out partying and stuff like that.


12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
The only thing we have to say is: “get your ass up and do it!” and we hope to see you on the road!

Jizzy Pearl's Love/Hate/Crucified/2013 EP Review

  Love/Hate  are  a  band  from  California  that  had  some  success  in  the  early  90's  with  a  very  mainstream  orientated  form  of  hard  rock/metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "Crucified".

  The  ep  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy  hard  rock  sound  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  and  th e music  has  a  mid  70'  feeling  to  it  along  with  some  solos  and  leads  before adding  in  more  classic  rock  elements.

  On  the  following  track  acoustic  guitars  are  brought  into  the  recording  with  a  power  ballad  that  also  has  70's  style  keyboards  and  they  still  use  acoustic  guitars  on  the  following  song  while  also  returning  to  a  more  harder  direction  and  after  awhile  they  return  to  their  more  hard  rock  direction  while  also  having  a  good  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  a  blues  feeling  and  there  are  alos  more  power  ballads  added  to  the  recording.

  With  this  ep  Love/Hate  have  a  little  bit  more  different  sound  than  from  what  I  remember  with  the  music  being  a  bit  more  closer  to  classic  rock  than  the  more  mainstream  hard  rock/metal  sound  of  their  earlier  material.

  Song  lyrics  cover  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  ep.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  decent  sounding  recording  from  Love/Hate  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  classic  rock/metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hanging  You  Out"  and  "Your  Making  Me  Nervous".  7/8  out  of  10. 

Dark Country Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

We are a five piece rock n roll band from Portland Oregon. We Formed in 2009. We like whiskey wrestling and drive-by compliments.

2.A year back you released your first album, can you tell us a little bit more about your musical sound?

We are tone dorks.  The record is loud and melodic. As a band, we are constantly evolving. 

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

The human race as a whole. The good and bad qualities of human nature. Also, some magical and end of the world stuff. 

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Dark Country'?

It was a bad translation from the movie "The Seventh Seal", by Ingmar Bergman. Toward the end, one of the characters witnesses Death leading a group of people off to the "Dark Country". Unfortunately, some people seem to think, when they hear our name, that we are going to be a country band. Bummer for them.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Our live show is typically chaotic, confusing, and energetic. Sweat happens and beer spills. The best shows we've played typically involve those things happening in no particular order.

 

6.Do you have any shows or tours scheduled in the next few months?

We will be touring Europe in May. 

8 countries in one month. 

7.Currently you are signed to Gunner Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this record label?

Gunner Records is based out of Germany. They have been extremely helpful with helping us book our tour. We are fortunate to have their support and to be apart of the same family as Gaslight Anthem, Red City Radio, Frank Turner and Cobra Skulls. 

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of metal, punk and rock?

It's been an unexpected surprise to realize that people are listening to us world wide. We don't even really know how it happened. We have had support from all walks of life. Punk bands, metal bands, rock n roll bands. It's been fantastic!

9.When can we expect new material and where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

As we said earlier, we are constantly evolving. We don't exactly know (stylistically) where we are heading, but we do intend to get back into the studio in the coming year. 

10.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Sabbath, The Sword, Iron Maiden, Graveyard, Thin Lizzy, Led Zepplin, Motorhead, Deep Purple, Doomriders etc

11.What are some of your interests outside of music?

Hobo-makeovers, sandwiches, scrap-booking, cuddling, knitting.

Also, we like beer. 

12.Before we wrap up this interview do you have any final words or thoughts? 

We're pregnant, there is a good chance it's yours. 

Discipline X Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a  
little bit about the band?

We are crossover thrash band from Finland and we have been together  
since 2007. There are four members in the band and we create our music 
and lyrics together.

2.How would you describe your musical style for those that have yet to 
hear the music?

Our music is a combination of old school thrash metal and punk rock.

3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and  
subjects the band explores with the music?

The lyrics deals with real life themes like drinking, relationships,  
lost love and sloppy women. We hate themes about dragons, swordsmen,  
capricorns and kind of fairytale stuff.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Discipline x'?

Discipline describes our musical attitude. We had to add this X  
because we found out there is already the punk rock band called  
Discipline in Holland.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the  
years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We play with hard attitude, we do not show mercy for ourselves, for  
our instruments or neither for the audience. The best show has been  
probably in Seinäjoki, there were plenty of crowd, it was our first  
performance in this pretty distant city. And we love to be on stage,  
that 30 ? 45 min on stage is worth of all these numerous hours we have 
worked for our band in every week.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

Yes, some gigs have booked already but we wish we could get some more.

7.The band is signed to inverse Records, are you happy with the  
support they haven given you so far?

Yes, they can give us much wider worldwide promotion and distribution  
than we could do by ourselves. They also give us fast replies and good 
advises if we have something to ask.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans 
of punk and thrash metal?

The feedback has been very positive by this far. Sometimes we feel  
that US and South American people respect us much more than the  
Finnish people.

9.Where do you you see the band heading into musically during the future?

This new debut album is the first one where we used two guitars so  
maybe we will develop this twin guitar sound in the future. And of  
course we will try to learn to write better and catchier songs all the 
time.

10.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on 
your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

We love bands like Misfits, Slayer, Anthrax, Metallica, The Exploited, 
D.R.I, Suicidal Tendencies and so on. But we does not sound exactly  
like these bands, our mix is very unique.

11.What are some of your interests outside of music?

We have to take care about our work and studying, spend time with  
families and have some good time with our friends.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

We want to say BIG thank you to all US supporters who has believed in  
us over all these years!

The Cult/Sonic Temple/Sire Records/1989 Full Length Review

  The  Cult  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  more  hard  rock  orientated  form  of  metal  with  elements  of  gothic  and  post  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  classic  1989  album  "Sonic  Temple"  which  was  released  by  Sire  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  dark  and  retro  sound  along  with  guitar  leads  before  going  into  a  more  harder  direction  along  with  vocals  and  the  music  is  in  the  80's  hard  rock  direction  along  with  alternative  and  gothic elements  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  As  the  album  continues  the  music  sticks  to  a  more  mainstream  hard  rock  direction  while  also  being  a  bit  different  than  what  was  being  played  on  the  radio  at  the  time  and  on  a  couple  of  the  tracks  they  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  synths  and  as  time  goes  on  by  acoustic  guitars  are  brought  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  a  power  ballad  before  returning  to  a  harder  direction  and  at  times  you  can  hear  traces  of  psychedelic  and  blues  music  on  this  recording.

  With  this  album  The  Cult  moved  away  from  their  earlier  gothic/post  punk  sound  to  go  into  a  more  mainstream  hard  rock/metal  direction  while  also  mixing  in  their  early  elements  and  this  was  their  bestselling  album  to  date.  

  Song  lyrics  cover  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  a  very  great  sounding  album  from  The  Cult  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  probably  already  own  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sun  King"  "Sweet  Soul  Sister"  Eddie  (Ciao Baby)"  and  "Medicine  Train".  8  out  of  10.     

Steve Vai/Passion And Warfare/Relativity Records/1990 Full Length Review

  Steve  Vai  is  a  solo  artist  from  New  York  that  is  very  famous  in  both  the  metal  and  rock  genres  for  all  of  the  bands  he has  worked  with  and  with  his  solos  stuff  he  plays  a  mixture  of  instrumental  rock  and  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  classic  1990  album  "Passion  And  Warfare"  which  was  released  by  Relativity  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  very  melodic  guitar  lead  along  with  some a  mixture  of  clean  and  electric  parts  and  on  the  following  track  the  rhythm  guitars  bring  in  more  metal  and  hard  rock  elements  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  As  the  album  progresses  more  spoken  word  parts  are  brought  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  more  traces  of  blues,  funk  and  progressive  rock  as  well  as  a  mixture  of  clean  and  hard  parts  and  there  is  a  great  amount  of  diversity  presented  on  this  recording  as  well  as  bringing  in  synths  and  symphonic  elements  in  certain  parts  of  the  music  and  you  can  also  hear  avant  garde  and  experimental  elements  on  the  last  track.

  With  this  album  Steve  Vai  showed  why  he  was  considered  on e of  the  best  guitarists  back  in  the day  and  he  brought  in  a  great  amount  of  diversity  with  this  recording  with  the  way  he  mixed  metal  and  instrumental  rock  together.

  Song  lyrics  are  mostly  absent  from  this  album  with  most  of  the  music  being  all  instrumental,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  a  very  great  sounding  recording  from  Steve  Vai  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  artist,  you  probably  already  own  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Erotic  Nightmares"  "The  Audience  Is  Listening"  "Blue  Powder"  and  "Alien  Love  Kiss".  8  out  of  10.    

Raftree/What I Say/12-23 Records/2013 Single Review

  Raftree  are  a  band  from  New  Jersey  that  plays  a  mixture  of  metal,  alternative  and  indie  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  single  "What  I  Say"  which  was  released  by  12-23  Records..

  The  single  starts  out  with  a  very  dark  and  heavy  rock  sound  and  a  few  seconds  later  melodic  vocals  start  to  kick  in  and  at  time s they  get  aggressive  in  certain  sections  and  you  can  also  hear  a  good  amount  of  groove  in  the  music  which  also  leads  up  to  classic  rock  style  solos  and  leads.

  On  the  following  tracks  the  band  starts  mixing  in  metal  with  more  alternative  and  progressive  sounds  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  on  the  last  track  the  music  starts  sounding  a  bit  more  darker.

  With  this  single  Raftree  bring  in  a  very  mainstream  sound  that  is  influenced  by  metal,  alternative  and  hard  rock  an d they  also  have  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  their  music  and  I  would  not  be  surprised  if  a  major  label  finds  this  band.

  Song  lyrics  cover  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Raftree  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  metal,  indie  rock  and  alternative  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "WHat  I  Say".  8  out  of  10.
      

Forgotten Gods/Fall Of the Dagger/2013 CD Review

  Forgotten  Gods  are  a  band  from  San  Jose,  California  that  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner,  doom  metal  and  progressive  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  album  "Fall  Of  The  Dagger".

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  bass  lead  before  going  into  a  more  heavier  direction  before  adding  in  clean  singing  melodic  vocals  as  well  as  the  guitars  adding  in  70's  style  melodies  and  leads  and  after  awhile  the  band  brings  in  a  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  in  their  music.

  As  the  album  progresses  psychedelic  sounds  and  progressive  elements  start  to  mix  in  with  the  heavy  stoner/doom  metal  parts  and  you  can  hear  both  modern  and  classic  progressive  rock  elements  throughout  the  recording  as  well  as  each  song  having  a  very  different  sound  to  it.

  With  this  recording  Forgotten  Gods  take  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal,  the  melody  of  stoner  rock  and  the  progressive  side  of  classic  rock  to  create  their  own  sound  and  they  have  a  good  amount  of  diversity  with  all  of  the  songs  on  this  recording  while  also  having  a  retro  feeling.

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark, metaphysical  and  drinking  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  album  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Forgotten  Gods  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  stoner,  doom  metal  and  progressive  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fall  Of  the  Dagger"  and  "Ghosts  &  Fire".  8  out  of  10.

Hawkwind/Space Hawks/Four Worlds Media/2014 CD Review

  Hawkwind  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  has  been  around  for  almost  50  years  that  plays  psychedelic  space  rock  and  are  one  of  the  originators  of  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Space  Hawks"  which  was  released  by  Four  Worlds  media.

  The  album  starts out  with  psychedelic  and  ambient  sounds  before  going  into  a  more  progressive  rock  direction  along  with  solos  and  vocals  and  after  awhile  the  music  bring s in  a  mixture  of  clean  and  hard  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  synths  start  having  a  more  powerful  sound  to  them  and  yo  can  tell  the  band  has  influences  that  go  past  the  60's  and  the  music  gets  more  experimental  and  progressive  with  each  song  and   you  can  also  hear  more  traces  of  heavy  metal  in  some  of  the  tracks  as  well  as  spoken  word  parts  in  certain  sections  in  the  music  which  also  bring  in  an  early  industrial  feeling.

  When  the  album  goes  into the  6th  song  acoustic  guitars  are  added  into  the  music  before  returning  to  a  harder  direction  on  the  following  track  while  the  acoustics  return  later  and  you  can  also  hear  the  roots  of  experimental  rock  while  also  bringing  in  a  proto  punk  feeling  at  times.

  With  this  recording  Hawkwind  show  a  great  amount  of  diversity  and  the  music  is  very  experimental,  progressive  and  psychedelic  sounding  while  also  having  its  hard  rock  and  metal  moments  and  you  tell  that  they  updated  their sound  over  the  years.  

  Song  lyrics  cover  Science  Fiction,  Metaphysical  and  philosophical  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  as  well  as  some  fo  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  album  from  Hawkwind  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Seasons"  "Where  Are  They  Know"  "Masters  of  the  Universe"  and  "It's  All  Lies".  8  out  of  10.

 
    

Blue Cheer/Vincebus Eruptum/Polydor Records/1993 CD Re-Issue

  Blue  Cheer  are  a  band  from  San  Francisco,  California  that  plays a  form  of  hard  rock  and  have  been  considered  the  creators  of  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1968  album  "Vincebus  Eruptum"  which  was  re-issued  on  cd  in  1993.

  The  album  starts  out  with  their  cover  of  "Summertime  Blues"  with  a  hard  rock  sound  and  melodic  vocals  and  you  can  hear  what  would  eventually  evolve  into  metal  with  this  song  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  gutiar solos  become  a  part  of  the  music.

  On  the  following  track  they  start  playing  songs  they  wrote  and  the  music  starts  out  with  some  slow  blues  rock  and  on  the  following  track  they  go  into  a  more  heavy  psychedelic  and  proto  metal  sound  and  after  awhile  they  start  mixing  their  more  blues  orientated  material  with  early  metal  and  on  the  last  track  they  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  drum  solos.

  With  this  album  Blue  Cheer  set  out  to  play  the  heaviest  rock  of  their  time  and  a  lot  of  people call  this  the  first  metal  record  while  the  band  themselves   probably  did  not  set  out  to  create  the  genre,  they  brought  in  a  lot  of  heaviness  and  their  music  was  not  only  the  start  of  metal,  punk,  grunge  and  stoner  rock  bands  as  well  have  called  this  band  an  influence.

  Song  lyrics  cover  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  for  the  time  it  was  released  and  you  can  all  of  the musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  tracks  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  a  very  great  sounding  recording  from  Blue  Cheer  and  if  you  want  to  learn  about  the  roots  of  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.   RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Parchment  Farm"  and  "Second  Time  Around".  8  out  of  10.      

Magna Vice Interview

Answers by Esa Karppinen
For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

Magna Vice is a five man heavy/prog group gaining from Turku, Finland. We started back in 2010 first as a trio (Robin Jansson-Jonne Orrensalo-Esa Karppinen) and began to write the music. Those songs were pretty much the foundation for our “Serpent of wisdom” album. During the first demo-sessions in 2011 we recorded about 2 hours of music and some of that has still remained quite a lot the same. From those sessions we came out also with this one 30 min piece, which we’re really working on at the moment. Maybe it’ll be released later…  Wellari Heino joined the band after those sessions and Petri Oksanen a half year later.
We released our first single “Hope you find your way out” back in April 2012 on the bands very first gig and we’ve been playing live since then. And in August 2012 we started to record our album which took about a year to complete. But it was worth it! The album was released by Inverse Records in Finland on 30.8.2013 and worldwide on 20.9.2013.
In the end of year 2013 a minor change was done in the lineup when MV: s former drummer J. Orrensalo stepped aside and Eepi Karppinen climbed in to bang the skins. His first gig was on 2.2.14 and it really worked out fine. He’s brought some new dimensions to our new music under progression with his modern but hats off to old school drumming style and he also updated a little bit the older songs as well.

Recently you have released an album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction the new release has taken?

Musically we come from the old school heavy and hard rock. Our heroes are mostly from the 70’s. Bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Mahogany Rush and Pink Floyd are a strong influence to our music. But when writing music, we don’t try to copy or redo any of the influences. It’s more like, what you’ve heard and what you dig is what comes through your fingers. That’s the way I take it. As usual, some people always amuses themselves finding out what this and that sounds like, but for me it’s really not a big deal. One of the most important things in our music is the feeling when we compose and write music. We try to be honest to ourselves. As you might know, we aren’t newbies in the making of music; almost all of us have started back in the 80’s in different kinds of bands. We’re trying to mix different styles of rock music and I think we’re pretty much on a right path doing that. Of course we’re pushing us as a band to make things better and better.
“Serpent of wisdom” was a good way to start our musical message and trip, now the old stuff from the closet has been done and we can concentrate on the new music that we’re working on. The feedback that we’ve been receiving about this album is quite interesting. The people who really like this kind of stuff are very impressed by the changing moods on the record and that was exactly the thing we were looking for when recording the album. All the pieces between the actual songs were all done by us. I made a script of all the voices and sequences and described them to Petri Oksanen, who also recorded and mixed the whole album, and then together we started building the atmospheres. And if you close your eyes and let your mind flow into those moods, you might find all kinds of interesting things…


Your musical style is more rooted in the progressive rock/metal sounds, do you feel this style of music has been making a comeback over the years?

For me the progressive genre has been around since I as a kid first found bands like Pink Floyd, Uriah Heep, King Crimson, Moody Blues etc. Later I found out that heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath were quite proggy too, so it’s never really been away from me. I got my first Black Sabbath album at the age of 9, so I think I’ve been into progressive music for more than 30 years…
But in a bigger picture you can say that progressive music has really come back. I think the problem of hearing good progressive music depends on radio stations and television nowadays. Everything has to be in 3 minute simple sing-along bullshit form and a major part of kids really think that’s cool. And their parents too… But there’s always been a very active scene in progmusic, people who really loves the genre. There are many independent record labels and internet radios that keep on spreading the good music. We have got good airplay for example in “The Dutch Treat” on Jawdy’s Basement which is a New Jersey based internet radio. I think progressive music has its own fanbase all around the world and it seems to be alive and well! And when bands like Dream Theater, Rush and Steven Wilson/ Porcupine Tree achieves nominations in annual competitions, it all falls down to progressive music’s bucket. So, the answer is yes and no.


The new recording is a concept album, can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrics you have wrote for this album?

There are seven different stories of things that surrounds us which all come together. The considering of war, religions and home are the main themes on this album. I’m trying to put my life on the line when I’m looking for an inspiration. I’m not saying that I write from my own life or my family, but I’m trying to reflect on things that way. Things that I see on TV or in newspapers really piss me off sometimes and on a good day I can just sit down and tell a story. I do write most of the lyrics but Wellari Heino also takes a good part of it as lead singer. Our ways of writing lyrics seems to get together quite easily. On this album the stories seemed to fit together fine, that’s why it ended to be a concept album. I put this character “Ed Diamond” into the story to make it more familiar to anyone who has been fighting with inner demons. I suppose everybody sometimes has to go through hard times and this is one way to express it. If you stick to the context but change the subjects, anybody can identify to this story. And if you ask about the character’s name, I give you just one hint: chess…  

What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Magna Vice'?

Maybe we should keep this as a secret. But if you think of the words “Magna Vice” and use your imagination, you might come to a conclusion that satisfies you. Just don’t forget to read between the lines.




What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We’ve been playing in all kinds of rock clubs and outdoor festivals, but the most memorable gig so far must be the album release gig at Klubi, a major rock club in Turku. The house was packed with good people including families and friends and we introduced our new live show with audiovisual content on video screen. We also had a great lightshow by Otto Tyyskä, who is probably one of the best light engineers ever. It sure was a night to remember!
We’ve been playing live the whole album with all the ambient sounds and that stuff. Petri has done a great job bringing them on stage. Sometimes we perform the whole album in the order as it is on record, sometimes don’t. As bonus tracks we’ve played for example covers of songs by Led Zeppelin, Frank Marino and Queensryche. And who knows what will be next.


Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

At the moment we are going through discussions with our new managing promoter and our cooperation will be published soon. The next leg of “Serpentour of wisdom” will be announced in the near future. The show will contain the full album and then some covers.

On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of metal and progressive rock?

The feedback has been mostly amazing! Sometimes you can tell by the written text that there’s been a totally wrong person listening to our record, but it’s always about opinions.
We have got great reviews from all around the world and that is just unbelievable! We get sometimes email from magazines, webzines and radio stations that really dig our music, sometimes private persons. Fans and listeners are very inspiring and they give us a good kick ahead.    

Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

I think we’re on a phase where we start to do things that are more what we really want to do. The new music is getting a bit heavier but with good melodies and tricky instrumental parts. However we are still keeping it very much progressive.  The new drummer gives us a lot more choices to play around with the changes of rhythms and he also brings in the double bass drums which we didn’t have before. I’m looking forward that it’s going to lift us to a new level musically. We’ve also put a lot of effort on the keyboards and effects, background vocals will also still be in a major part of Magna Vice’s music. I’d say that we’re getting even more proggy in the future than on “Serpent of wisdom”.  
And of course we will continue working with cover art as well. On “Serpent of wisdom” all the designing and creating the cover art was a part of the progress and it really is for us one major thing to keep under control. And when you have the skills inside the band, then why use any outer help.

What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

As mentioned before those 70’s and 80’s progressive heavy and hard rock bands are a huge influence. But we also try to keep our music freshened with cool new synth sounds. There’ll always be Hammond in our music but Petri Oksanen is nicely filling some amazing sounds and other stuff to our compositions. Robin Jansson seems to have an Opethian phase of creating riffs and I just stop every once in a while asking him to do that again. So, we’re going through some interesting moments.
At the moment personally I’m totally gone with Transatlantic, especially their majestic “Whirlwind” album. My car has been filled with Dream Theater for a few last years but nowadays there’s room also for Steven Wilson’s “Raven that refused to sing”, Pain of Salvation and Between the buried and me. The new drummer Eepi Karppinen is so far beyond us all when it comes to listening to music and being inspired and you could just name any band in the world, but here’s one: Ghost.

What are some of your nonmusical interests?

Petri Oksanen is a midi- freak, Wellari Heino likes to go to Vice City when he’s not working on his computers and gizmos, Robin Jansson is a total mystery, Eepi Karppinen is the pretty young boy of the band and you can guess the rest. I like fishing, a lot.

Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Peace and love to everyone.

Amok Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

Stephen - Its all about playing live as much as possible to air and promote our latest album 'Somewhere in the West'. After our time away, we had all been itching to get back on stage to remind everyone what Amok are all about; producing premium grade thrash. We've just finished playing our first two return shows and the reaction from the crowds was immense. Everyone seems to be feeling the new material!


2.Recently you have released a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction it has taken and also how does it differ from your past recordings?

Stephen - The main shift from previous material is a step up in the technicality musically and a healthy injection of aggression to both the riffs and vocals. We've always tried to find our own style and avoid the generic thrash sound. One listen through of 'Somewhere in the West' will confirm to anyone that we are indeed the real deal.

Greg - There's a more organic sound to this album. We really are a band that functions best when we're jamming - our riffs come alive by playing in the room together and these songs reflect more what we create in the studio. There was a much more 'homemade' approach to this album that I think has worked to our favour in that we had complete control over the sound.

Matt - This is my first recording with Amok, but I think it sounds a little more 'focused' than their last CD. We also took our time on this one, probably more so than in the past. I think it sounds far better executed, and a little more 'matured' (like a good whisky!)


3.This is your first album in 6 years, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap and what has been going on during those years?


Stephen - After 'Downhill Without Brakes' things slowed down and that was our own doing. The album was so well received worldwide with positive reviews all round. ‘Thrash Island’ from that release seemed to grow arms and legs, turning into something of a cult anthem among thrashers. That enhanced our profile, but we foolishly failed to act on it.

Keith - Aye, if I have one regret, it is that we did not push on from the success of 'Downhill Without Brakes'. Having said that, we realise now it was a period when a lot of things changed in all of our personal lives, and that’s life, it gets in the way sometimes. We still remained great friends and all the songs for the new album were written during this time so in a way a lot of good came out of it!  The best thing to come out of the gap was getting Matt Storry in the band! His playing on the album is incredible and has definitely given our sound a kick up the arse! I just wish we had him in the band years ago! Maybe that is another regret haha!


4.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release?

Stephen - Lyrical content is an area in which we have always tried to set ourselves apart from the crowd. Metal, especially thrash, is often so predictable. Personally, I think it is easy and boring to write songs about Zombies, drinking your brains out, or mindless violence. It takes skill and real imagination to write something which really speaks to and draws in the listener. We always try to give our songs a proper narrative and write about actual feelings, situations or topics people know of or can relate to. Topics in the new album range from poverty, corruption and addiction, to lawlessness and the general deterioration of the human race. The album closes on a poem too which is quite cool.

Greg - A lot of the lyrics are inspired by home as well. We write about things connected to our life in Glasgow - people that we know and things we've seen. Glasgow's a big influence in everything that Amok does.


5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Amok' and also are you do you know about the other bands that have also used it as their band name?

Stephen - The name came from back when Calum was a young drummer. For some reason or another he scrawled the word 'Amok' on one of his drum sticks and from then on always thought he should use it as a band name.

Calum - I still have that stick! Actually still use it, I should probably buy some new ones!

Stephen - The dictionary commonly defines Amok as 'to behave uncontrollably and disruptively' or 'a murderous rampage', which is actually fitting as when we formed our aim was to shake up the then metal scene within our native Glasgow. Back then it was loaded with mediocre 'nu' metal bands and whatnot, much to our anger and disgust. We wanted to gatecrash the scene, cause maximum disruption to it, and kill off the norm.


6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Keith - We are fortunate to have played a lot of amazing gigs and supported some great bands. However our most recent gigs that we played in support of the new album will go down as my favourites! Amok has been going for 10 years now and it was such an amazing feeling to still be out there playing these killer new songs with the lads! As I said before there is such a good vibe in the band at the moment and I felt really proud to be out there playing them live after a year of hard recording! It feels like the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the band. Thankfully people seemed to like the new songs haha!

Stephen - If I was to describe our stage performance in one word it would be intense. From day one, we've always came out all guns blazing. We give every ounce of energy in our bodies to the crowd every single time and try to get crowd interaction to the maximum. Over the years there's been blood shed, bones broken, vomit educed and equipment trashed...all in the name of thrash.


7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

Stephen -  We've played two shows recently upon our return and have several additional dates already booked including a support slot for UK Thrashers Savage Messiah. At the moment we're taking things as they come and maintaining focus on promoting ourselves and the new album. Sadly, Matt is working in Japan at present but we are playing with a session drummer who is doing a fine job. Hooking back up with Matt behind the kit live is our primary future plan.

Greg - We're hoping to tour properly towards the end of the year. There's a good chance we'll be touring across the UK and possibly some European dates as well.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of thrash metal?


Stephen - Fantastic, we're really pleased with the reaction to the album. It was a slow burner at first, but that is to be expected after such a long time between albums. Clever distribution and promotion has helped with a steady stream of very positive reviews coming through. The new material is an evolution of our trademark heavy, yet very accessible sound we've honed over the past 9 years. The new album is one big melting pot that fuses together technicality, speed, aggression, power and melody to produce what we see as a fresh outlook on modern thrash metal, and from the reviews it would seem the vast majority agree with us.

Greg - It's been brilliant, we're all really chuffed!  New fans seem to be popping up everywhere! We've had some contingents growing in places like Mexico and Colombia where they seem to really be enjoying our sound! Hopefully, as the album continues to get out there, we'll see more disciples join the clan!


9.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

Calum - I think the long arrangements as seen on SITW are out my system for now, I want to focus on getting new songs condensed down and really focus hard on becoming a better song writer. I don't ever want us to release two albums the same. Having Matt on board will also alter how I write because having such a talented drummer opens up a whole new realm of possibilities! However in truth, what we write has never been forced, I always start with a plan but in the end I chase a good riff, bounce it off the guys and the end result is Amok. We work really hard on our arrangements and spend months getting there. I'm really proud of this, and I'm really excited about the future as I feel we are getting better at it.

Greg - We're already thinking about the next album and myself and Calum really want to keep it as heavy as possible. I think there will be more experimenting though. We've always been proud to play thrash but we always want to try something new and add to it. We are Amok though so it's bound to be fast!


10.What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Calum - Out of all the guys with the exception of Matt, I'm the biggest fan of thrash in all its forms, and I know my stuff, but I do like to look beyond thrash for ideas. The Sixty Eight riff on our new album was a riff I stumbled upon while learning a Skynyrd riff, and chord progressions can come from anywhere, I'm way more open minded these days and generally respond to good songwriting no matter what genre.

Keith - The cool thing about this band is that we are not all 24/7 thrashers! Each member listens to a diverse range of music and I think this really helps to create our sound. On a personal level I love my metal but you are most likely going to find me listening to Van Halen or Skid Row haha! I would name some other bands but I don’t want to get kicked out the band!

Matt - Gene Hoglan's drumming with Death is one of my biggest influences. In truth though I've not been listening to a lot of metal recently, just Toto and Paul Simon haha! I'm turning into my dad!


11.Do you have any non musical interests?

Stephen - Everyone within the band has their own non-musical interests to keep them busy. Many of them aren’t what you would call very 'rock and roll' though! Some shared interests between a few of us are sports, such as golf and football. Drinking lagers of the world is probably the biggest shared interest of them all! Matt loves travelling and snowboarding, Greg enjoys video games and movies, Calum reads a lot, and travels about Scotland but mainly just plays guitar, Keith loves his sport, and I enjoy weightlifting & bodybuilding, cookery and art - namely painting and printmaking.


12.Before we wrap up this interview do you have any final words or thoughts?

Stephen - We'd just like to take the opportunity to thank first and foremost Cheryl of Witches Brew for all her support and belief in our music. If she hadn't shown the faith in us that she has, then who knows where we would have been! A big thank you also goes out to the thrash fans out there who follow, promote us and buy our music - your continued support is appreciated more than you may think!
Finally, we can safely say that this new album is only the beginning of a new, more driven Amok. We've already started work on new material and intend to release some tracks over the coming year. For further info, the best way to stay up to date is to connect with us at www.facebook.com/amokscotland.

Whores/Rabbits/Eolian Empire/Brutal Panda/2014 Split 7 Inch Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  7  inch  between  Georgia's  Whores  and  Oregon's  Rabbits  who  has  also  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  which  was  released  in  2014  as  a  joint  effort  between  Eolian  Empire  and  brutal  Panda  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Whores  a  band  that  plays  noise  rock.

  Their  side  of the  split  starts  off  with  noisy  distortion  before  going  into  a  slow,  dark  and  heavy  direction  along  with  a  doom  metal  feeling  and  a  guitar  lead  and  then  melodic  vocals  start  to  kick  in

  Song  lyrics  cover  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  their  side  of  the  split.

  In  my  opinion  Whores  are  a  very  great  sounding noise  rock  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.

  Next  up  is  Rabbits  continuing  their  noise  rock  sound  of  previous  recordings.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  off  with  dark  sounding  guitars  and  the  music s tarts  getting  a  lot  more  heavier  after  a  few  seconds  and  on  the  second  song  you  can  hear  traces  of  doom  metal  being  added  into  their  music  along  with  some  aggressive  screams.

  Song  lyrics  cover  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful  and  heavy  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording.      

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Rabbits  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Give  Me  it".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  noise  rock.  8  out  of  10,  

Offenders/We Must Rebel/I Hate Myself/Endless Struggle/Southern Lord Records/2014 Double AlbumReview

  Offenders  where  a  band  from  Austin,  Texas  that  played  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  compilation  which  was  released  by  Southern  lord  Records  and  has  their  albums  "We  Must  Rebel"  "I  Hate  myself"  and  "Endless  Struggle"  which  where  all  originally  released  in  the  1980's.

  The  compilation  starts  out  with  a  heavy  sound  along  with  some  melody  and  leads  as  well  as  hardcore  punk  style  vocals  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  on  the  following  track  the  music  goes  into  a  faster  direction.

  When  the  album  goes into  other  songs  it  sticks  to  the  hardcore  punk  style  that  was  very  common  in  the  80's  and  has  a  sound  that  is  in  between  Minor  Threat  and  Agnostic  Front  and  at  time s the  vocals  utilize  some  melodic  singing,  as  time  goes  on  by  psychedelic  keyboards  are  added  into  the  music  briefly  before  returning  to  a  heavier  direction.

  Offenders  where  a  bit  ahead  of  their  time,  they  formed  in  1978  and  they  had  a  lot  more  heavier  and  aggressive  sound  than  most  hardcore  punk  band s of  that  area  and  you  can  also  hear  a  slight  metal  influence  in  their  music  and  this  is  some  great  underrated  material  from  the  early  80's.

  Song  lyrics  cover  violent,  hateful  and  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  fro  the  time  that  was  recorded  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  these  albums.    

  In  my  opinion  Offenders  where  a  very  great  sounding  hardcore  punk  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  compilation.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Face  Down  in  The  Dirt"  "Endless  Struggle"  "Fight  Back"  and  "I  Hate  myself".  8  out  of  10.  

Reapers Riddle/Game Over/Firestarter/2014 EP Review

  Reapers  Riddle  are  a  band  from   Australia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  metal  and  hard  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "Game  over"  which  was  released  by  Firestarter  Records.

  The  ep  starts  out  with  an  intro  which  uses  some  80's  style  synths  and  after  the  intro  acoustic  guitars  and  melodic  vocals  start  to  kick  in  before  going  into  a  more  heavy  metal  direction  along  with  some  melody  in  the  guitars  while  also  keeping  around  the  acoustics  and  after  awhile  solos  are  added  into  the  music.

  As  the  ep  continues  the  band  bring  in  a  mixture  of  clean  and  heavy  parts  along  with  some  alternative  influences  being  mixed  in  with  hard  rock  and  metal  and  while  this  has  a  mainstream  sound  you  can  still  also  hear  a  bit  of  darkness  in  their  music  and  on  a  couple  of  the songs  they  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  aggressive  vocals.

  With  this  ep  Reapers  Riddle  take  traditional  metal  and  hard  rock  and  mix  in  some  alternative  and  nu  metal  elements  to  create  a  recording  that  is  very  dark  and  heavy  while  also  being  mainstream  and  melodic  enough  to  be  played on  the  radio.

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark  and  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  along  with  the  bass  guitars  being  mixed  down  low  in  the  mix.

  In  m y opinion  Reapers  Riddle  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  metal  and  modern  day  hard rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "If  i  Died  Tomorrow"  and  "Fade  To  Grey".  8  out  of  10.

        

Sioux Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?

1.  A whole lotta rockin'. Work. Some beers. Disarray. Weed. Bourbon. Chaos. Love making. Nihilism.

2.You have a new album coming out in March, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction the band has taken with the new recording and also how does it differ from your previous release?

2. We've ventured a bit more out of the sludge at times into a more "metal" realm and there are more melodic and psychedelic moments than previously. We've taken the vocals up a level with our new member Ben, mixing in more clean singing, harmonies, and soaring screams. The new album was written more in a story form.

3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release?

3. Kittens. Puppies. Hot Pockets. Darkness. Garbage burning. Disenchanted forests. Skeletons.

4.The band is from Portland, Oregon do you have a very big following in your home state?

4. Yes

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

5. Some of the best bands we've played with are: Weedeater, ASG, Anciients, Lord Dying, Rabbits, Stoneburner, Humours, Drunk Dad, Holy Grove, etc.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new release?

6. Yes

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

7. Yes. .

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of doom metal, stoner, and sludge?

8. Pretty good, 415 Likes on facebook baby! But we're planning worldwide domination. 

9.What musical direction do you see the band heading into during the future?

9. Accelerando, decrescendo, rallentando, whatever.

10.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

10. Sludge, Doom, Metal. Yob, Melvins, Red Fang, Torche, Big Business, Soundgarden, Death Grips. Mastodon.

11.Do you have any non musical interests?

11. Hedonism, the outdoors, adrenaline, beer, weed, literature.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

12. Thanks for listening! Crush. Destroy. Repeat.