Alexanred Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with this musical project these days?

Greetings. Right now I am composing the debut album. After the releasing I will gather the live crew and concentrate on stage performances and making new music videos. That is the plan.

2.You have a new album coming out later this year, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the newer material and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

The album will be coming out next year. I am in the middle of the composing process now. If you have heard the singles "Non-Stop Non-Stop" and "Rest After Result" (the latter contains two songs), they are pretty close to the industrial/metal material there will be on the upcoming debut album. And I want to surprise the listeners, of course. However, I can reveal the fact that the plan is to make relatively rough debut album. Not too much soft songs for now. I´ll save them for the future.

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

So far I have explored the effectiveness of human. The projects and the deadlines, the pressure and the feeling when you manage to complete your work. Also the ability to go on and leave behind the things that disturb the life. The subjects of the upcoming material will be, among other things, influenced by travelling.

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

One of my middle names is Aleksander. When I was thinking about the bands name I wanted to make it personal. That´s how I came up with Alexanred. Of course I must admit that I also was inspired by the fact that it is the name of the great conqueror, Alexander the Great. It also means "defender" or "protector".

5.With this project you work all solo, how would you compare it to working with a full band?

This is the optimal state for me. I am the most satisfied when I create all the music by myself. Alexanred is something that I can not live without. Ultimately, I´m an incurable autocrat. In a full band it is different now - everyone makes own musical parts and we combine them then.  

6.How does your solo project differ from your full time band?

It takes more of my time than 2 Wolves. Alexanred´s music is mixture of industrial, metal and in places even rock. The music of 2 Wolves is going vice versa into more heavier direction and there is much more democracy in the band now.

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

Alexanred is quite new band and it surprised me how good the feedback has already been so far. I expected much, much worse.  

8.What is going on with your other band these days?

The material for the third full lenght of 2 Wolves is almost ready. We will record the album in August and release it later this year. We had changes in line-up and have no front man right now, so it is most probable that there will be no live shows this year.

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

The style will remain more or less the same. In the future of this band there will be softer songs, heavier songs, retro influenced songs, more updated songs, but the original idea will remain the same. There is endless space inside this pretty strict idea.

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

I am extremely influenced by Rammstein, Lacuna Coil, Delain, Type O Negative, Cradle of Filth, Paradise Lost, Septic Flesh, Within Temptation, Rob Zombie, Prodigy, Scooter, Laibach, ...And Oceans (Cypher-album), Fear Factory, Jenni Vartiainen, Ill Niño, Sepultura. The list goes on...

I´ve been listening to Delain´s new song Stardust few days. It´s amazing song. I loved the previous album We Are The Others and definitely going to buy the new one also.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?  

Movies, video games, reading, nature, gym, rowing when it´s summer, travelling...  

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

Rest after result. Don´t wait for tomorrow. If you want to do it, don´t hesitate, just do it. Make the plans come true. Don´t give up.

Best Regards,
Aleksi Susi
 

Oestre interview

INTERVIEW OESTRE

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?
Well, we actually spend our entire time (aside of recording) to live shows and the promotion of “La Dernière Renaissance” since it was released. In fact, we were already playing the album in its entirety by touring in France before entering the studio.

 2.You had a new album come out in January, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you had released in the past?
First, it’s important to say that almost all the line-up changed about 3 years ago. Matthieu (guitar/samples) is the only former member who is still in Oestre since the beginning in 2003. The other guys (Maxîme, Romain, Mickaël and now Nathalie) just arrived with their own musical influences. So, we think the basic idea behind Oestre musical direction is the same as in the beginning but the new line-up came out with its own interpretation of this Mathcore/Electro kind of music.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release?
Lyrics are mostly about the society we live in, introspection and self-construction. Mickaël always tries to go into a metaphorical way to see and expose things… And as we are not English, we could lose too much of the meaning and nuances we want to give. That’s the main reason why we kept French to write the lyrics

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Oestre'?
Ok… I had to get prepared for this one but it’s going to be epic trying to explain that in English.
Well, an oestre (horse botfly in English) is a kind of fly that lays larvas (often in animals’ nostrils). These larvas are parasites that make these animals become crazy. We found Oestre’s music is so dense and rhythmically complicated (the mathcore aspect…) that it kind of drives you crazy like an oestre could.
Hmmm… The older line-up had some great shows with Textures in the past (and many others like Gojira, ETHS,Hacride etc.).

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?

Now, for the new line-up, we would say one of the shows with The Algorithm, especially the one at Le Saint des Seins in TOULOUSE (FR). The bar was packed up with people and the show was so great. This guy is such a great musician… Go and see him play live! We also played in Saint Nazaire (FR) in a great festival with some other French bands like Karma Zero and Supuration. This show has been a kind of revelation for the future shows and how to feel on bigger stages.

Finally, to describe our stage performance with one word, we would definitely say “energetic”! Yes, it seems to be the appropriate one.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new release?
The next show is the 8th of May with Checkmate (from Paris) for the Wormstock Festival 2.0 in Nantes (FR). For upcoming shows and freshest news, you can follow us on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/oestrefr .

7.The new album came out on Manitou Music, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
To say the truth, Manitou Music does not exist anymore and we are currently working with Black Wave Promotion who is making an amazing work with our album.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of extreme metal?
Honestly we were (and are) really surprised and happy about the general feedback.
When releasing a record you have been working on for months, you cannot be objective about your music. Critics and Ratings are really encouraging at the moment so we will keep going with our intentions and take all of these feedbacks to go further and further in Oestre’s music.

9.Are any of the band members involved with any other musical projects these days?
Yes. Maxîme LATHIERE (Drums/Electro parts Programming) is the man behind CARTOON THEORY (Electro/Ambidjent project). Go and have a listen to CARTOON THEORY if you haven’t yet. Some of our electronic music stuff in Oestre has these colors.
Romain DELETTRE (Guitar/Electro parts Programming) is on the drums with a French Trip-Hop band : HILL TREASON.
N.B. : the female singer you can hear in our song Palbe is Hill Treason’s singer. Now you know it all.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We do not really decide it. We always try new stuff as we learn new skills for electro parts programming and work on our instruments. The basic idea is always the same : try to innovate when matching electronic music and mathcore.  Fusion (of styles) is the keyword as we always try new components coming from all genres of music !


11.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?
Ok, if I was to be exhaustive about all the styles of music and bands we listen to… it would be endless for your readers. To make it short, we listen to all styles of music except current French pop music… and each one of us has always some Meshuggah or Textures running at home or in his car ! ha-ha.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Hmmm… Movies, Books and to be honest we are addicted to The Walking Dead… But who is not ?

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

Well, thank you for your support and the interview. Keep following on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/oestrefr. You can go and get our album (which also is in full-length streaming) on our Bandcamp : http://oestre.bandcamp.com. Goodbye and Stay tuned !

Bulbul/Hirn Fein Hacken/Exile On Mainstream/2014 CD Review

  Bulbul  are  a  band  from  Austria  that  plays  a  very  hard  to  categorize  form  of  experimental  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Hirn  Fein  Hacken"  which  will  be  released  by  Exile  On  Mainstream.

  Avant  garde  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  bringing  in  drum  programming  which  gives  the  music  a  more  up  beat  edge  along  with  some  bass  guitars  and  melodic  post  punk  style  vocals  which  also  leads  up  to  guitar  solos  becoming  a  part  of  the  music  and  the  music  starts  evoking  a  more  experimental  rock  music  atmosphere.

  As  the  album  progresses  more  electronic  music  elements  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  a  mixture  of  both  clean  and  hard  parts  and  they  also  bring  in  a  mixture  of  both  classic  and  modern  rock  influences  into  their  musical  sound  and  as  time  goes  on  by  the  songs  get  more  diverse  and  they  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  heavier  parts.

  A  few  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  showing  how  talented  these  musicians  can  be  at  times  and  the  also  bring  in  some  post  metal  elements  in  the  heavier  sections  of  their  music  and  they  also  bring  in  a  steel  guitar  on  one  of  their  tracks  as  well  as  adding  in  more  elements  of  punk,  noise  and  blues  rock  into t heir  sound.

  Bulbul  show  a  great  amount  of  diversity  with  their  music  and  cannot  fit  in  a  category  while  you  can  hear  punk,  metal,  experimental,  alternative,  psychedelic,  classic  and  blues  rock  all  in  their  sound,  the  production  is  very  professional  sounding  and  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  German  and  English  and  cover  everyday  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Bulbul  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  rock  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fire"  Fisole"  "Genderman  Can"  and  "A to  Beans".  8  out  of  10.

  

The Rough Boys/Blood, Booze And Gazoline/2014 EP Review

  The  Rough  Boys  are  a  band  from  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  thrash  and  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their self  released  2014  ep  "Blood,  Booze  And Gazoline"  which will  be  released  in  2014.

  A  very  old  school  punk  rock  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  aggressive  yet  melodic vocals  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  also  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  thrash  metal  and  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  go  back  to  the  early  80's  days  of  metal  and  punk.

  The  band  sticks  to  a  more  raw  and  old  school  thrash  punk  sound  on  the  other  tracks  as  well  as  well  as  utilizing  a  great  amount  of  raw  energy  and  there  are  no  modern  sounds  being  utilized  anywhere  on  the  recording  and  they  also  uses  a  small  amount  of  back  up  vocals  at  times  and  on  one  of  the  tracks  they  bring  in  elements  of  blues  rock.

  On   these  4  tracks  The  Rough  Boys  have  a  very  old  school  sound  that  takes  the  heaviness  of  thrash  and  mixes  it  in  with  punk  which  is  also the  dominant  part  of  their  sound,  the  production  is  very  old  school  yet  still  very  professional  sounding  and  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  everyday  and  drinking  themes.

  In  my  opinion  the  Rough  Boys  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  thrash  and  punk  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Before  The  Devil  Knows  I'm  Dead"  and  "Hogtown".  8  out  of  10.    

Guerra de Cerdos/Y Te Sacaran los Ojos/2014 Full Length Review

  Guerra  de  Cerdos  are  a  band  from  Argentina  that  plays  a  mixture  of  hardcore  punk  and  thrash  metal  with  elements  of  melodic  post  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Y  Te  Sacaran  los  ojos".

  An  old  school  and  melodic  thrash/punk  metal  direction  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  thrash  style  vocals  and  they  also  uses  guitar  leads  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  band  brings  in  more  clean  sections  that  are  close  to  gothic  rock  and  post  punk  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  as  well  as  adding  in  more  electric  acoustic  style  guitar  solos  and  they  also  add  a  harder  direction  to  their  gothic  punk  sound  after  awhile  to  make  the  album  sound  more  diverse.

  Halfway  through  the  album  the  band  return  to  a  heavier  direction  which  is  also  closer  to  straight  forward  hardcore  which  then  leads  more  to  a  thrash  metal  sound  as  well  as  the  vocals  combing  thrash  and  power  metal  together  and  they  also  start  mixing  their  heavier  material  in  with  a  more  gothic/melodic  punk  sound.

  Guerra  d  Cerdos  have  a  sound  that  is  very  old  school  yet  original  with  the  main  fucus  beign  on  post  punk  with  the  melody  of  gothic  pop  and  they  also  mix  in  the  speed  of  hardcore  punk  and  the  heaviness  of  thrash  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sound s very  powerful  and  the lyrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  history,  existialism,  and  philosophy.

  In  my  opinion  Guerra de Cerdos  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  thrash,  hardcore,  goth  and  melodic  post/punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tucaman"  "Angeles  Rawson"  and  "Campo  de  Mayo".  8  out  of  10.        

Eyehategod/Self Titled/Housecore/2014 CD Review

  Eyehategod  are  a  band  from  New  Orleans,  Louisiana  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  are  one  of  the  originators  of  southern  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2014  album which  will  be  released  by  Housecore.

  A  very  heavy  and  distorted  hardcore punk  sound  along  with  aggressive  vocals  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodies  and  after  a  few  minutes  the  band  slows  down  and  adds  in  more  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  the  vocals  also  start  to  use  of  mixture  of  screams  and  shouts.

  All  of  the musical  instruments  bring a  very  powerful  sound  to  the  album  and  the  band  also  uses  a  lot  of  reverb  style  distortion  as  well  as  mixing  in  some  southern  rock  elements  into  their  slow,  heavy  and  doom  material  and  at  time s they  music  has  a  70's  metal/hard  rock  feeling  to  it  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  When  guitar  leads  are  added  into  the  album  they  enhance  the  70's  rock  elements  of  the  recording  and  the  band  at  times  also  have  a  stoner  rock  feeling  to  them  while  being  before  that  current  style  as  well  as  having  a  lot  more  darkness  and  aggression  to  them  and  they  also  bring  back  the  more  fast  hardcore  punk  sounds  at  times  as  well  as  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  d  beats  while  the  main  focus  remains  on  the  slower  material  and  one  of  the  later  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length   along  wit  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  samples.

  Eyehategod  remain  true  to t heir  southern  sludge  metal style  while  also  having  more  crust  and  hardcore  punk  elements  this  time  around,  the  production  is  very  professional  sounding  and  the  lyrics  cover  violent,  hateful  and  everyday  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Eyehategod  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Trying  To  Crack  The  Hard  Dollar"  "Nobody  Told  Me"  "Flags  And  Cities  Bound"  and  "The  Age  Of  Bootcamp".  8  out  of  10.

    

Greenleaf/Trails And Passes/Small Stone Recordings/2014 CD Review

  Greenleaf  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner  and  alternative  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Trails  And  Passes"  which  will  be  released  by  Small  Stone  Recordings.

  A  very  melodic  and  retro  style  hard  rock  style  sound  starts off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  singing  stoner  rock  vocals  as  well  as  some  70's  style  guitar  leads  and  they  also  bring  in  elements  of  90's alternative  rock  on  the  other  tracks  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  some  traces  of  metal  in  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music

  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  gets  more  psychedelic  sounding  in  certain  parts  of  the  recording  as  well a s  bringing  in  the  slowness  and  heaviness  of  doom  metal at  times  and  the  guitar  leads  also  start  using  more  distorted  effects  to  enhance  the  70's  rock  sounds  of  the  recording  and one  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  The  band  sticks  to  a  retro  70's  sound  from  beginning  to  end  of  the  recording  while  the  alternative,  metal  and  stoner  rock  elements  update  the  music  for  the  modern  day  as  well  as  giving  the  music  a  more  heavier  edge  than  classic  rock.

  Greenleaf   show  their  love  for  70's  music  with  this  album  bringing  back  the  trippy  elements  in  the  guitar  leads  and  also  adding  in  a  dose  of  90's  alternative  and  modern  stone r rock  to  give  the  recording  a   more  updated  sound,  the  production  is  very  professional  sounding  and  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  metaphysical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Greenleaf  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  stoner  and  alternative  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Our  Mother"  "Depth  Of  The  Sun"  "The  Drum"  and  "Trails  &  passes".  7/8  out  of  10.