Djuret interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
1.It all started a couple of years ago. The bands main goal is not to make great music but to collect souls, so we can put an end to this society and save it from itself. 

2.So far you have released a single and have an ep coming out in 2018, how would you describe the musical sound of the material that has been recorded so far?
2. Black punk

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
3.All the lyrics are in Swedish so I think it’s a bit difficult to explain what the lyrics are about. Mostly it’s a lesson for the listener to think for themselves and make up there on mind in how they will interpret the lyric. The lyrics on “Sök Din Sekt” have a religious vibe, but it’s also about the choices we make in life and death, the past and the present. 

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Djuret'?
4. Djuret is a Swedish word for an organism that's is quite equal to humans but with a smaller amout of rules, regrets and restrictions.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
5. On stage we try to be beautiful. Like offsprings from a wolk and a statue. we had a great performance in Stockholm where we were able to find two or three good persons, whom I think will be very useful to us in the future. 

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new ep is released?
6.Yes, we have five dates booked in May. Three of them are in Sweden and one on Åland. The fifth will be in Norway if everything works out.

7.The new ep is coming out on 'Crammada', how did you get in contact with this label?
7.We sent them our love and they were interested.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of punk and metal?
8.It’s been good of course. Haven’t read all of them due to my religious work but most of them are positive, especially the countries in Eastern Europe seem to like the lyrics


9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
9.We have two more EPs which hopefully will be recorded in the near future, which I think will be similar to “Sök Din Sekt”. After that I guess this world will run out of words. All the poet's will be dead. The right party will rule the land and (d)hurry will no longer be aloud to perform or dance.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
10.We all have different musical inspirations but mostly we listen to the sounds of society and the calls from beyond.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
11.Our mission is to collect people that can be useful for us in a long term. And that is what we d

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
12.Allt, precis allt är (D)jurets fel. Evinnerligen.

[b.abuse] Interview Questions

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

Amilcar: We had a couple of changes in the past years concerning guitar, vocals and drums. The last album „Devils Harvest“ was recorded in 2010 and published in 2012. Since the beginning of the band back in 1991 we still got the same members Frank (bass/vocals) and myself (guitar/vocals). The rest of the band has changed over the years. We had another guitarist who left the band in 2012 after the release of „Devils Harvest“ and since our last drummer and singer, who did some electronics too, both left us in 2017, it was very challenging for us to keep the band running. But we where lucky and found a new drummer really quick and it's not even a new person: it's our old bandmate stephan who played guitar for a while in the very early days of the band, he is a great drummer too so the problem was solved  before it even became serious. For now, we do the vocals ourselfs again, like it used to be. It's kind of weird because now after so many years this band is formed completely by former members again. We really didn´t expect that and we are very happy that the band, we have started a long time ago, now continues in this way.



2.You have a new album coming out in 2018, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Frank: Like all of our releases, this one sounds different to all the others. In this case it´s maybe due to less effects and electronics and just one guitar without additional guitar-tracks. Parts of it are more rough and edgy than the last album. But that ´s just my personal opinion. On the other hand, like almost always, we have some harder tracks and some more atmospheric tracks on the record.



3.This is your first album since 2012, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?

Amilcar: We are all in our mid-end forties now, have fulltime-jobs and some of us started families. Nevertheless, the band and making music is still an important compensation for us and our passion. We were never a band that did a lot of gigs or had a lot of touring activities going on, but we were practicing as often as possible, writing new songs and playing some gigs from time to time.



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

Frank: That´s Not easy to answer in just a few sentences... I would say it´s about dark scenarios from life, death and in between and that means what is inside is fitting pretty well to the cover artwork.



5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name '[b.abuse]'?

Frank: That ´s no big deal. In the beginnings i pretty much liked the bandname „verbal abuse“ but   there were several bands with „abuse“ in the name already, so i just put the „b“ in the beginning. that's it.



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?

Amilcar: There where many cool shows with many cool bands so i really cannot pick one best show... but on stage we like it as dark as possible with a bit of red light. Usually we don ´t move and act a lot on stage.



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

Frank: Not for the moment. Like said before we don ´t play very often. But we really enjoy to play from time to time. Maybe there will be some interesting activities going on. I hope so.







8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your recordings by fans of experimental and underground music?

Amilcar: We always had a growing number of people outside germany and europe listening to our music worldwide. We like that, that's really cool for a underground-band like us. It's not very common i think.



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

Amilcar: That´s hard to tell. We never made plans for the future regarding our sound or songwriting. That would be an impossible approach. It just happens. I could imagine that musically it stays dark and rough but maybe there will be  some more noiserock and punk-elements again like in the years before, when we had a lot of electronics involved in the music.



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

Frank: No special bands that i can name but i like neo classic.

Stephan: I listen to bands like Karate , Texas is The Reason, Samiam, Converge, From Ashes Rise, Jakob, Russian Circles, Botch,Hot Water Music,Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, Cult of Luna and a lot more.....there is no special Genre that i am listening to.

Amilcar: no special bands. I am very very open minded and like a lot of different styles but ... i dont listen much to metal and classic. But from soul, 60s/Garage/R´n´R, Punk, Noiserock, Electronic musik to Blues, Funk, Postrock, Indierock, Rock.... there is so much good music out there that i enjoy....





11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Amilcar: Mountainbking & sometimes Roadcycling. ….and i am kind of a series junkie. I like series more than movies.

Frank: Running in the Woods!

Stephan: My hobbies are : my kids and my family.....photography, and art.....listen to good music and good food.





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

Amilcar: Not really but maybe this is a good opportunity to thank the people who supported us over the years – without them, it would not have been easy to keep things running. In the past and today.

Snowchild Interview

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

1. We are a rocknroll band from Wichita Kansas, which probably seems like a strange place to be from, and you would be correct. But it's not like we're completely alone out here on the prairie, for example, Wichita is also the home of heavy metal legends Manilla Road & has a music scene we've all been involved in for years. Last year we made a record that people on the internet seem to like & it's been picked up by Kozmik Artifactz leaving us just as confused as you.

2.So far you have released one album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
2. Years ago I had a friend describe what I was doing at the time as "retro-futuristic", I loved the term & if anything it's become a very loose road map for whatever it is we do. We knew going into the project that it would feel like a lived in classic rock record that didn't know that it wasn't, even if we did, which is easier said than done. I think in a lot of ways "Age of Change" is just a love letter to the classic, proggy, proto-metal of our youth, but I'd also like to think that it takes some unexpected turns & blatantly subverts it's obvious influences by bending R&B into sludge, warping prog rock into exploitation soundtracks & forcing kraut rock to reconcile arena rock while everybody calls it Doom Metal, cause sacred cows make the best burgers.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
3.It splits about half & half between topical political & allegorical fantasy. It's been a weird couple of years for everybody everywhere & generally speaking, I hope it's a good reflection of the anxiety & frustration about the modern life that's forced on us. On one hand I'm glad people are curious, but I've stayed purposefully ambiguous about a lot of it so people will take away what they want regardless of what I think of what I meant, cause I know me, & I wouldn't be surprised if I was wrong. 

4.What s the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Snowchild'?
4.  The name was one of Dustin's contributions & it's a reference to an old European folk story, & when I googled the name I saw there was a more recent children's book with the same name, which is where the Tyler Durden in my head said, "what a perfect way to expose children to the inevitable collapse of civilization, the corruption of the government & stories about genocide", and to parents everywhere, you're welcome.


5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
5.  Live shows are always a work in progress, sometimes we streamline what we do for expedience if were only given a short set & just leave the Minimoog at home, but if we know we have the time to stretch out we'll plan for a more dynamic set that can ebb & flow a little bit more & get into longer songs or include intros we would otherwise abridge, fire up the synth & set the controls for the heart of the sun. When it comes to best shows I'm probably gonna have a different perspective than Dustin or Chad, cause I get double or tipple the amount of shows in some years than they do when you factor in my other projects & it's easy to get a little burned out. So there's this local dive bar called Kirby's Beer Store, which is about as big as your living room, as long as you live in a small house. Now don't get me wrong, I've really enjoyed playing some bigger shows that we've been invited to lately, I seriously appreciate the people that have booked us & I do take them seriously, but it's always great to be completely at ease in a dingy shithole among old friends, in an environment that's pretty much just like every basement rehearsal room I've ever practiced in, but with packed house of thirty to fifty very close friends who are all drunk, so if you want the most "real" version of Snowchild, it's either Kirby's or in Dustin's basement. Of course it's also nice to be at a place where you can take side streets home in case the night gets um... weird. 

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
6.  There's always a couple of shows on the horizon & we do what we can, but as far a touring, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that's for young people that aren't married, have demanding jobs, or have kids and the harsh realities of life hanging over them. I did that when I was younger & even though I don't regret those days one bit it would take a lot to get me to do it again. I'm just happy to open the show for bands that are touring when they cross the mid west, & continue to make the best records I can. I wouldn't rule out a festival appearance if it comes up though.

7.The new album was released on 'Kozmik Artifactz', are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?
  I haven't really had too much contact with them, but they seem like they must be a great group of people. I was really worried early on cause we had to delay our release over a bad test press & I've got to give it to them, they stood behind our want to make the record the best it could be, and that really tells you everything you need to know, cause there's no shortage of bad actors in this industry & the reality of what they do, at least from my perspective, is document great art that would otherwise slip through the cracks. I know we're far from the only band on their roster that has very little interest from their home country & no real ability to connect with the greater world, so I'm truly appreciative for what they've done, cause if you can't tell by this point in the interview, on paper we are a terrible investment being as we're not young, geographically isolated, pretty tied down & not really focused on entertaining anyone beyond ourselves. I am completely aware that should be a recipe for disaster, but it is the formula that bore this record & they seem to believe it has some merit, & I hope we prove them right. 

I was really debating how honest I should be about any of this before I started writing this interview because it's probably the first chance Kozmik or The Company, which is our American label has ever really heard anything from my mouth, or fingers as it may be & I really don't wanna scare either of them off, but the honest answers are gonna be a lot more interesting to your audience even if they are little bit fatalistic & problematic to a record company that wants to be in business with you. I'm just not gonna pretend we're this big bad band that's gonna take the world by storm, I'm more focused on going to work tomorrow just to keep the train on the tracks, but that doesn't mean we are anywhere near the end, if anything the dichotomy of having to live in two worlds just makes me more compulsive about taking artistic escapes. I hope both labels know what they are doing is in all actuality heavy metal wildlife preservation, & I feel like I've been tagged and released to go make another record. 

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of stoner and doom metal?
8.  Everything I've seen has been great, but I try not to get too caught up into what people think about what we do, though I'm glad there's interest in it. I am actually way more entertained by the bad reviews though, I'm just seriously honored that I made something worth wasting the time to express frustration about, so I guess I must be doing something right. 


9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
9.  Yogi Berra said it best, "It's hard to make predictions, especially about the future". We've been writing & I think we'll probably start building up the framework of a new record later this year. I'd kinda like the next one to be a little bit more reductionist & focused on the songs & the core of the band, which would either make it a lot more immediately engaging, or it could just be the perfect launchpad to go back to the proggy marshlands of the inner mind. The studio is it's own powerful instrument that I love getting lost in, especially with Glenn and Paul who round out the production team. Besides we've gone through some major studio upgrades since the last record so the future is up for grabs. I know it's a terrible answer, but it could either lean toward our Exile on Main Street or our Sgt Pepper, but not really sound any thing like either of them. I just wanna avoid making the same record again. 
 

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
10.  Everything. That's such an open ended question it's hard to answer. Now I know this is a stoner/doom blog, but I think fans of this kind of music are usually just fanatical music fans, so forgive me for being honest again & not mentioning anything even remotely related to the genre, & completely give in to the nerdy fanaticism of just being in love with music so I'll just throw these completely objective opinions that you would expect from a music nerd. Big Star was in my mind, the greatest band of all time, and a perfect example of what not to do with your life, but it is the dominant melodic influence of everything I've ever done regardless of genre. Neil Young has been such a sonic luminary for me that sometimes I really regret we didn't make our first record more like a Crazy Horse album & just wallow in feedback & harmonies cause it's gonna be an abrupt gear shift for people when we do, cause it's probably inevitable. The Betty Davis reissues that came out a couple of years ago blew my fucking mind so much I'm still preaching her gospel & it's the perfect example that as long as you give everything to the one of the measure, it will sound heavvvvvy even if it's funk, or especially heavy, as the case may be with her. In a just and fair world John Carpenter will be remembered as a musical fucking genius who made some decent movies too. Depending on the time of day, your opinion on which one of the Stooges records is the greatest record ever recorded may change, but you would still be correct. Lastly "Born Under a Bad Sign" by Cream was the first song I learned when I was 12 & started taking bass lessons. I remember thinking it just wasn't really that hard, but I didn't realize I'd still be hearing new things in that simple riff 30 years later & constantly realizing I never really knew that song at all, and that to me is the difference between good and great. 
 
As far as what we've been listening to, all of us are all over the map. There's a few modern jams like Kadavar, Greenleaf or Dead Meadow, but the lions share is probably old stuff like Budgie, Funkadelic or King Crimson, but all of us could go on about records and bands we love for days. 

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
11. Dustin's been collecting & restoring pinball machines, Chad's been dabbling with photography, but I'm gonna throw record collecting out there & I know what you're thinking, you said "non musical", but I don't think the need to own a vinyl copy of Dada by Alice Cooper really comes from a musical place as much as it does an OCD place. I just realized I'm gonna get so much shit from the 5 weirdo's who are completely fanatical about that record, but to be honest aside from playing video games, being a news junkie and being obsessed with my pets, which is all pretty fucking lame to proclaim in an interview by any account, most of my interests are music related weather it's collecting instruments or records. 

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
12. Well, that was probably a lot more than you wanted to know about us, but hopefully you can take something useful away from this even though we may or may not know what our own songs are about, probably aren't gonna come to your home town, willingly admit we're a bad investment, don't really care what anyone thinks either way, and probably aren't even very influenced by stoner and or doom metal. But I do look like some kind of gnarly old wizard so at least I've got that going for me. 
 
P.S. I went back & listened to Dada by Alice Cooper & those 5 weirdos were right.

Massgrav Interview

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?

Johan: We’ve kept ourselves busy writing a bunch of new songs for an upcoming split-7” with the swedish band Proteststorm. We’re gonna hit Studio Wolfden again in Januari 2018 and then we
cross our fingers for an early spring release of that little nugget.

Also we’ve booked a few gigs for 2018.‘



2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the
past?

Johan: Yeah, “Stockholm Rockers”. It sounds just the way we wanted it to sound. Fast hardcore/ thrashcore with some grinding parts and a massive dose of rock’n’roll.

It’s pretty hard for me to say if the new stuff differs from our old releases. We constantly write new songs and any kind of progression or development is just a natural step for us. You know, we
have our formula and if a song or an album goes in a specific direction its more of a “clue” or “key” to what music we recently listened to or got inspired by.

We’ve never”decided” or chosen that a new album or recording should sound in a certain way or have songs that are in this or that  style. Both me and Ola, who writes all the songs, knows the
“Massgrav formula” for a song and we pretty much bring everything we write to the rehearsal. If the song differs too much from how a Massgrav songs “should sound” then we throw it away.

On “Stockholm Rockers” I think there are a few slower, longer songs, and that might be a little unusual for us. But on the other hand we have a lot of total ragers as well to compensate.



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


Ola: Well, old fans probably won’t notice a huge change - we’re still writing songs about politics, bosses, religion and idiots (and the frequent times when those things overlap). I would say we’ve gotten a tiny bit more political and maybe a little bit more personal too but in the end, it’s still us taking out our aggression's on our listeners.

Johan: All the things that we hate - like our jobs and the state.


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


Ola: When we started out, we had a really crappy name in mind and we quickly realized we needed to change. Me and Norse made a list each with names we thought would be better, “Massgrav” was on both on them so we figured that was it. This was when Internet was just gray background and blue links so we had no idea there had already been a Massgrav in Sweden, 15 years earlier (not exactly the most famous band of that era, they released one song on a comp tape). Now, the two bands that ALSO choose to name their bands Massgrav after
us, really can’t make the same defence for themselves - either they were too dumb to do a web search or too cool to care. The same thing goes for the canadians in Massgrave.


5.The band has been around for more than 20 years, what is it that motivates you to keep going after 2 decades?

Johan: The lack of any other good, fast  bands. Someone’s gotta give the masses bread and circuses.



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?


Ola: Our performance? We just get up there and play as fast as we can and yell really loud. Since there are so few long parts without vocals, we’re pretty much stuck by the mike stands, so there’s not much of a performance, but we do our best to make it as intense as possible.


Johan: Since we’re a trio I always think we perform better on the smaller stages. When you get up on those gigantic festival stages its kinda hard to fill em up with only three people, one stuck behind his drums and the other two stuck by the mikes. So I’d say you should catch Massgrav at a small club or venue with 100-300 people. At those places you can really work up a spark or a tension between us and the crowd. Our stage banter always gets better when we are in close contact with the audience.

Man, we’ve done quite a few shows during the years but a few that stands out to me is when we played NYC at Saint Vitus in Brooklyn. When we opened for Nasum at their last show ever in
Stockholm. Playing in Russia was fun as hell and insane since the crowd was totally crazy and in to us. I also remember a great gig we did in Hamburg at the Dräschtfest - that was 15 minutes of total mayhem.


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


Ola: We don’t really tour as such. We’ve talked about it, that maybe it would be fun to do like a week in central Europe but so far, 4 days in a row is our maximum and normally we just do one or two shows at the time. But yeah, like I said, our goal is to do maybe a little more gigging than what we usually do and try to do some stuff we’ve been too lazy to do in the last few years (like playing more shows in Sweden (outside Stockholm, that is).



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


Ola: Who cares about fans of metal?


Johan:Its has actually always been pretty good. Sometimes though,  we kinda  get stuck in the middle as to speak. We seem to be too much punk for the metal crowd and to much metal for the punks.


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


Ola: Good question. I think we’ll continue making detours into slower parts/songs but knowing us, we’ll probably write a lot of super short and fast songs too just to make up for that.
Personally, I always think we should probably write more songs people are able to sing along to, but then when it comes down to it, I just love being an asshole when crafting songs. “This part is great - let’s not repeat it, it’ll only occur once in the song” or “let’s play the riff seven times just to piss
people off”, things like that. I don’t foresee any major shifts, apart from an increased focus on guitar solos.


Johan: Absolutely nowhere! I want us to stay exactly the same.


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


Ola: Bäddat för trubbel, Fredag den 13e, Limp Wrist, Atari Teenage Riot, Sleaford Mods, Dick Curless, Cacka Israelsson, The Dahmers and Eddie Meduza answers both questions I think (except
maybe Curless and Israelsson haven’t had a major impact on our music that I’m aware of).



11.What are some of your non musical interests?


Ola: Well, Fenok plays a lot of pinball. Like, on a competitive level. We’ve thought about sponsoring him, but he needs to do a little better first. We’ll see how he does at Pinburgh this year. Me, I like tinkering with stuff in my garage (some results can be found at soundcarries.wordpress.com) and drinking beer.

Johan: I like to ride my bike, play golf, eat good food, cook  and watch the NFL.


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


Johan: Fuck d-beat, play fast!

Smooth Sailing Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Well, waiting mostly... we’ve been working on polishing some songs for our next EP, which are ready to record after a small tour to promote the split. Rinse and repeat... Our next year and a half is roughly planned out.

2.How would you describe the musical sound of the newer material?

WeedleeWeedlee juntjunt weedlee (spits beer in face, jump kick).   I guess kinda like that.

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

I think it’s mostly “we didn’t start the fire,” but played in reverse.

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

Oh, you mean “Smooth Sailing Presents Rainbow Party Party Boy, and the Fabulous Prizes.”  It means “Fuck you and your pretentious ‘my band is harder than yours’ bullshit!” We dig music, and write it for us, not you. This is fun for us, so if you like it, that’s an awesome byproduct. Like life, don’t take it too seriously, because if you can’t enjoy yourself along the journey, you die a bitter old soul who missed the point.

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?
Some might expect me to say playing Plan B in Portland with Red Fang, or closing the night at Reverbfest in Ballard our freshman year, but for me, it’s not what you would think.
Prunedale... this place sucked.  Like really.  At the gas station, the girl at the counter asked what we were doing in town, then grabbed Jake’s arm and pulled him close...
“Get out as fast as you can,” she whispered.
It was a house show, in a barn/garage/kegger.  What looked like 250 kids soon evaporated to 30 of the most fucked up wasted kids you’ve ever ran into in a dark barn in the middle of nowhere. I mean beer boxes as masks, “your faces look like skulls!!!” kind of wasted.  Bands wanted to change the order around for normal band reasons, some of us were pissed, some of us scared, and we huddled up before we played. “Fuck-it! Let’s try to literally level this place. Play like it’s your last show you’ll ever play!”  And we did. Into The Storm got it on film, and it’s the best, most pure rock and roll you could ever hope for. No one fucked up, everyone was on point. Sweat, anger, fear, passion all very well documented. Looked like a god damned music video.  Later that night, well maybe 4am, I was awoken on the freeway by a car doing a barrel roll past us in the air because some drunk asshole hit the wheel of our trailer. I assume if we didn’t pull his blood gargling body out of the lane, he would have died.

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

No dates set, but we’re expecting something in Spring as well as possibly the fall.

7.In 2018 you have a split coming out with 'Into The Storm'. what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the recording?
We’ve known these guys for about 15 years now. We’ve toured and played together. Maybe done mushrooms in the redwoods together. Normal stuff. Watching them grow as musicians, honing their skills all along the way has been fun. I like the direction they’ve taken. I’d say, most accurately, they are like brothers. Love to see them, and play together, but don’t feel the need to be the same as them, and don’t want to play together all of the time, or follow each other around. It’s more special and meaningful when it’s something like this split. Different sounds, but still buds doing what we love to do.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of metal and punk?
People are too friendly, and only comment when they are into it. And it seems like they are into it! But I wouldn’t mind some haters. We could use more fuel for new material, so feedback from close minded assholes who our only common language is music would be cool.

9.When can we expect another full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
The next 18 months will be smaller releases, just because that’s how it worked out. When we recorded the split, we were already close to having the second EP ready to roll. So we’ll play them on the road and roll straight to the studio after, that way they are as tight as they can be. Musical direction... Meh, I could lie and say we have it all planned out, but we like to take a more organic approach. We will keep painting pretty pictures with our wall of sound.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
I can’t speak for the whole band, but as the drummer, my band influences my playing. Otherwise I listen to things like First Aid Kit, random classic country, anything played on listener powered radio like KEXP.

Hawkmoth Interview

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?
We’ve been working hard at rehearsing the new material in preparation for a run of shows starting this week. This new material demands a lot more attention to adequately recreate the multi layered sounds and tones live. We’ve also had a bit of time to appreciate the positive response to the release in the last few weeks.


2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
This album is part 1 of a double album series. Overall i think it sounds very dramatic and ominous where that feel carries over all songs and their parts whether it’s heavy and dense or quiet and spacious. The goal when creating these songs was to have a greater range of extremes and cinematic feel, so I think some of our stoner sounding tendencies of our previous release wasn’t prioritized. It’s pushing more into the realms of doom, drone and post metal.

3.So far most of the music has been instrumental, are you open to using any vocals in the future?
For now we prefer writing music specifically as instrumental music, but we’ll never say never - we’ll always be looking for something new with every future release.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Hawkmoth'?
A Hawkmoth is a living species of moth. A huge one with a mysterious life cycle. We’d like to think the Hawkmoth imagery suits the music.

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?
Supporting Boris was a major gig highlight. They are a big influence. They create a unique atmosphere with their live shows which is definitely something we aim for with our live shows. We’d like our stage performance to overwhelm and not just entertain the audience. We’re not the kind of band that interacts and talks to the audience between songs. We keep our set as a flowing continuous piece where we want  primal emotive reactions from both us and the audience through our music.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
We’re from Sydney so first up is our album launch Sydney show followed by a run of shows in our state. We’re in the process now of booking interstate shows to follow. Then in about 6 months we’ll be releasing part 2 of this double album series.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of sludge and post metal?

It’s been great!  The majority of really positive album reviews, media features  and album purchases have been from overseas and not from Australia. Glad to be a part of the digital age for this benefit.

8.The new album was released on 'Black Bow Records', are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?
We’re very happy to be on Black Bows roster amongst some great bands. Jon who runs black bow plays in Conan who are awesome, so that has instant appeal. Black Bow helps a lot with streamlining the release by taking care of making the album available on all digital platforms and stuff like that. Also, I think a lot of potential buyers go to Black Bows site trusting in Jon’s artistic taste in bands which opens new potential fans for Hawkmoth.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We’re already planning the type and style of music to write next. We want to change and evolve. Musically, we next want to explore songs that are much more direct and condensed. We’re thinking an EP of our most brutally heavy offering from start to finish with no time to breath in between.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Neurosis, Swans, Boris and Melvins are 4 bands that have continually influenced us collectively. I think film scores such as sci fi movie soundtracks and Ennio Morricone western sound tracks have also influenced our  newer music. Gustavo Santaolalla is another incredible movie scorer.
Some bands we’re currently listening to are Squalus, Kowloon Walled city, Dead Cross, Mono, Yanomamo, Sumac and True Widow.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
We’re all into our thirties now so our interests have transitioned to ones that I think wouldn’t give us much cool cred to readers if mentioned.



12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you to all that have taken an interest in what we do. Keep supporting local live music. Keep in touch with us on our social media pages for gigs and upcoming releases. And thanks for the interview!

Centuries Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
A: We're a four piece hardcore/metal/punk/whatever band from all over the place.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?

A:Usually we're described as a hardcore or crust band but I'd say that this new record has a lot more  progressive metal influence.

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

A: We usually stick to more personal topics with our lyrics. And the music is written to match the over all feeling of the songs.

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

A: I wish there was a cool meaning or story. It's just a name. But thanks to fall out boy we sometimes get messages on facebook from parents asking if we’ll play the song at a birthday party or something.

5.The band members live in different parts of America and the United Kingdom, how does this work out in the recording process?

A:  It's a pain in the ass. But basically we just all kind of learn the songs through videos and tabs then meet up at the studio!

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

A: I think fluff fest was our favorite for sure. And as far as our performance goes I'd have to say we're focused I guess?

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

A: We’re gonna be back on Europe to support the record in april 2018!

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

A: Pretty great! I don't hear too many negative things so that's good.

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

A: Probably just shaping our sound in a more mature way. I definitely see us experimenting more and challenging ourselves.


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

A: I mean we're all influenced by different things but bands like his hero is gone, Mastodon and martyrdod helped us shape our sound. The only thing we really listen to is Longmont potion castle.

11.What are some of your non musical  interests?

A: St Bernard's ( the dog), bicycles, screen printing, prank phone calls to waffle house asking for our lost son dribbler.

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

A: Listen to Ritual Mass. Wear norn shoes.  If you find dribbler please approach him slowly, you might scare him and he's got a big heart (medically).

Rabitrup Interview

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

Nothing much, just a lot of promo. Going to start booking some shows soon hopefully.

2.Recently you have released a new ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

It’s pretty similar to my last EP, kind of industrial sludge metal stuff. The main difference in this one is it has a lot of break core inspiration, so a lot more spastic and glitchy drums.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?

They’re mostly about me being tired of dealing with anxiety hah, whether wishing it would go away or reminiscing on when I was younger and didn’t have it.

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

It’s a terrible name that nobody can pronounce, but it’s supposed to be pronounced Rabbit Troop. It comes from one of my favorite shows as a teenager, Home Movies. They go to film school camp and their group name is Rabbit Troop. They’re pretty bad so all the other kids keep shouting “Rabbit Troop sucks!” at them.

5.With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to using any vocals in the future?

I’d love to and have reached out to some people, just not all that successful yet. I really want to collab with Julie Christmas on a track or EP or something.

6.What are some of the best shows that you have done so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

I’ve only done 2, but the first one was probably the best hah. My stage presence at the moment ain’t great, I just get real into it so kinda bent over screaming my heart out. Not that exciting to watch I don’t think. I’m working on it, though.

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

Not yet but trying to make it happen.

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

Not right now. I’m planning on doing a full length for my next project, will probably send that out to labels. I sent this EP to a couple, but really I’m not sure where it fits so hard to find labels to send to.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of industrial, noise and extreme metal?

I get some great feedback, it’s awesome. Granted my audience is pretty small, so who knows how liked it’d be if thousands of people listened to it hah.

10.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see yourself heading into musically during the future?

Hopefully by 2019. I’m just really impatient and have a hard time waiting to finish a full length. Once I have a few tracks done I can’t resist just putting it out as an EP. I’d like to do a full length tho, and maybe get some collabs going for it. Other vocalists and producers and stuff would be fun.

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

Growing up it was mathcore and screamo/skramz, then breakcore. Bands like Battle of Mice and Admiral Angry got me wanting to do the kind of sludgy sound tho. Nowadays I still listen to all that but also a ton of modern soundcloud rap and electronic music. Anything that gets the adrenaline goin.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Attempting to write horror, sometimes game development, being terrible at Overwatch. I on and off try animation but it is so much work and I can’t seem to stick to it long enough to get good at it.

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

EP on all major streaming platforms now so check it out. And follow me on twitter @rabitrup ‘cause I get bored and need more twitter friends.

Snowblind Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Puff puff pass and hello! We are a slow rolling but high grooving bunch of good friends from eastern Finland and we've been playing down tuned tunes from the year 2011.

2.A few months back you had released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Two words: Body load.
Starting point for the sound of this album was to create a thick, kind of oppressing feel that could be made somewhat lighter but still harrowing with Aleksis vocals.
We used an vintage Matamp GT120 accompanied with JCM800 and AC30 to get the crushing tonal varieties from the guitar channels. All coated with Orange bass sound and vintage Tama drums.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Most of the time lyrics tend to be open for the listeners imagination. We're merely just guides to get you through the album and make your own story behind it.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Deadneck'?
We decided to use the name after one our first rehearsals. Those were the first times for us to play that slow and playing that slow without serious headbanging should be considered illegal. This resulted in sore necks and therefore the name Deadneck.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
I'd say all of our shows are equally awesome. If I could add one show above all it it would be last summers Kontufolk Festival gig where we played our set in kind of folkish way. Lot's of new listeners introduced to Stoner rock & Doom!
We aim to get our groove to do the most part when in live situation. On the most energetic evenings you might even see some of our faces behind hair!

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We have! We're hopefully going to do a small southern Scandinavian tour next summer and we are also planning to get to Germany and southern Europe too!

7.The new album came out on 'Kozmik Artifactz', are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?
Kai from Kozmik Artifactz has been more than good to us! It didn't take much time and consideration to sign the deal with them.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of stoner rock and doom metal?
Considering how far we're from middle and southern Europe our latest record has had a very positive and welcoming feedback from all over Spain to Germany!
It seems like the stoner and doom genres are now at peak levels and so many good bands are popping out everywhere so it's hard to get recognized these days.

9.where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
I'm sure we have the right navigation system loaded into our machine now and let's say that the future tunes have even more progressivity than on "Levitation".
We're going to have two studio sessions this year, one for a small EP and second for our next full length. Between those there's going to be a lot composing and hopefully some nice summer shows!

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Whole Deadneck thing started with Electric Wizard and Kyuss and perhaps you are able to find some similarities here and there. I'm not going to lie to you that Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd wouldn't be among the most influential bands for us.
If I'd have to mention few of newer bands I'd say that All Them Witches, Black Tundra and Monolord have been on my turntable very often.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
We really like to play video games. Alot. And Aleksi is on his way to be a master guitar luthier. We're always interested in everything creative, from cinematography to wood carving.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Let's hopefully meet in the heat of the next summer! Turn on, tune in and drop out.


Sauli answered all the question.

Centuries/The Lights Of This Earth Are Blinding/Southern Lord Recordings/2018 CD Review

  Centuries  are  a  band  with  members  from  the  United  States  and  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  crust  and  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "The  Lights  Of  This  Earth  Are  Blinding"  which  will  be  released  on  January  28th  by  Southern  Lord  Recordings.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  angry  hardcore  style  screams  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  crust  and  d  beat  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  A  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  d  beats  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  as  well  as  one  song  also  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Centuries  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  crust  punk  and  hardcore  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Centuries  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  crust  punk  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Lights  Of  This  Earth  Are  Blinding"  "Soil"  "May  Love  Be  With  You  Always"  and  "Nul  Oreitur".  8  out  of  10.

     

Rabitrup/SWVMPS/2018 EP Review

  Rabitrup  are  a  solo  project  from  Seattle, Washington  that  plays  a  mixture  of  noise,  industrial,  electronic  music  and  extreme  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2018  ep  "SWVMPS"  which  will  be  released  on  January  5th.

  Industrial  and  electronic  music  elements  start  off  the  ep  while  the  vocals  are  aggressive  screams  which  also  gives  the  songs  a  more  extreme  metal  feeling  along  with  the  drum  beats  being  mostly  programmed. 

  The  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  synths also  gives  the  songs  a  more  atmospheric  feeling  along  with  the  music  also  getting  very  experimental  at  times  as  well  as  mixing  in  elements  of  harsh  noise.

Rabitrup  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  noise,  industrial,  electronic  music  and  extreme  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own,   the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Rabitrup  is  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  noise,  industrial,  electronic  music  and  extreme  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Phantoms".  8  out  of  10.

Escape Is Not Freedom/dusk Village/2018 Split EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between  U.S.A's  Escape  Is  Not  Freedom  and  dusK  Village  which  will  be  self  released  in  February  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Escape Is  Not  Freedom  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  metal,  grunge  and  noise  rock.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy  sludge  metal  sound  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  while  the  vocals  are  semi  melodic  and  also  add  in  a  touch  of  grunge  along  with  the  riffing  also  mixing  in  elements  of  noise  rock  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  The  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  the  second  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  and  female  vocals  and  the  music  always  sticks  either  to  a slow  or mid  tempo  direction  and  when  gutiar  solos  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Escape  Is  Not  Freedom  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge  metal,  grunge  and  noise  rock,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "We're  Wrecked".

  Next  up  is  dusK  Village  a  band  that  plays a  mixture  sludge  metal  and  punk  rock.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  clean  playing  and  melodic  guitar  leads  along  with  some  angry  sludge  style  screaming  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  along  with  the  riffs  also  mixing  in  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  and  on  the  second  track  elements  of  punk  are  added  into  the  music,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  dusK  Village  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge  metal  and  punk  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "A Self  Fan".

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

Deadneck/Levitation/Kozmik Artifactz/2017 CD Review

  Deadneck  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  blues,  psychedelic,  stoner,  drone  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Levitation"  which  was  released  by  Kozmik  Artifactz.

  A  powerful  sounding  bass  guitar  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  a  few  seconds  later  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  and  when  the  music  gets  heavier  it  brings  in  elements  of  doom  metal  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  vocals  are  done  in  more  of  a  blues  rock  style  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  bringing  in  more  of  a  retro 70's  style  as  well  as  the  stoner  rock  elements  giving  the  music  a  more  modern  atmosphere  and  as  the  album  progresses  psychedelic  touches  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  direction.

  Deadneck  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  blues,  psychedelic,  drone,  stoner  and  doom  metal  and  mixers  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of   their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Deadneck  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  blues,  psychedelic,  drone,  stoner  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sleepless"  and  "Back  On  Top".  8 out  of  10.