Amken/Adrenaline Shots/2014 EP Review

  Amken  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "Adrenaline  Shots".

  A  very  heavy  old  school  thrash  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  aggressive  vocals  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  solos  and  leads  start  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  tracks  along  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times  and  the  band  also  brings  in  back  up  gang  shouts  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  As  the  ep  progresses  a  small  amount  of  growls  are  used  briefly  and  they  bring  in  a  death  metal  influence  to  the  bands  musical  sound  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  melody  being  utilized  in  the  tracks  and  you  can  hear  them  in  both  the  riffs  and  solos  and  on  the  3rd  track  a  brief  use  of  samples  are  clean  playing  are  added  into  the  track  while  the  last  song  sees  the  music  getting  more  aggressive  again.

  Amken  plays  a  very  aggressive  style  of  thrash  that  goes  back  to  the  mid  80's  style  and  they  bring  a  lot  of  heaviness  back  to  the  genre  that  is  rarely  heard  these  days,  the  production  sound s very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  some  dark  topics.

  In  my  opinion  Amken  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  thrash  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "God's  Asleep"  and  "Zombie  Pets".  8  out  of  10.

     

Pyres Interview

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

We're a four piece sludge/metal band from Toronto, formed officially sometime around 2010.  We started as a three piece having never jammed together, mutual friends with a desire for heavy riffs.  Basically rented a rehearsal space together before even writing a tune with the conceit that our chemistry would reveal some cool results.  Devin (bass) and I had a long history of playing punk music together.

2.So far you have released one full length album and an ep. how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both recordings and also how do they differ from each other?

Well, the important thing to recognize is that the first four songs that eventually became that first "EP" were essentially beta versions of some of the tunes that made it onto the record.  It was a live jam space demo very early on in our inception, with some home recorded overdubs and vocals.  Our current guitarist, Marc, was at the helm of mixing this demo when we all lived together in Kensington Market.  For the first year of the band, we had taken on a second guitar player who now has a rad doom project of his own.   That sort of informed the super raw, more doom-laden beta phase of the band.  I wouldn't consider this recording part of any perceived discography thus far.  We just felt the need to put something on the internet to see how it would be received.  We hadn't hit our stride at that point.

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

Coming from a very topical and direct punk background, I wanted to let go and try my hand at a more pictorial approach to conveying my feelings towards things, rather than the more immediately interpreted hc/punk thing.  Though, you can take the boy out of….; Each song on Year Of Sleep has a fairly specific theme.  'Proximity Anxiety" is a dressed up summary of the way I feel on a crowded bus, essentially.  The frustration of an introvert observing the cruelty and indifference we perpetuate amongst ourselves.  "The Anchorite" was inspired by reading historic accounts of these nuns and prophets who would barricade themselves in almost total concrete isolation.  The allegory therein being, these people had feverish delusions as a result of sensory depravation, and their ultimate word was taken as gospel as they were viewed as having communicated with god.  Basically religion as insanity.  "Year Of Sleep" is the only real deeply personal song on the album; it's basically a purging for me of a particularly shit patch of time where I was just working, drinking, and sleeping all day, not really seeing a future beyond my own little cave.

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

We had a bunch of amazing mind blowing names that other bands already knew were amazing mind blowing names, and Pyres wasn't taken!.  The idea of a Viking leader's corpse tied to the masthead of his beloved warship, set ablaze and sent to sea was pretty enticing to pounce on.  Also maybe some themes of purging and rebirth.  Mostly a simple, vaguely metal name we were evidently free to affix our own sound to.

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

We play pretty often locally here in Toronto and haven't yet had the freedom to tour much.  I guess the best shows we've played have been the really raw and DIY gigs where the local energy is high and the vibe is intimate and loose.  Lately we've been on a lot more support gigs for bigger bands.  There's definitely a feeling of nervous, almost "professional" sort of "go big or go home" kinda vibe when we're on these bills.  It might be the ol' college try, like, "we got this!".  We often perform tighter at these gigs like everyone is trying really hard not to fuck it up, haha.  As far as our stage performance, we thrash harder the harder the crowd does.  It's an ego thing, and any band that proclaims they don't feed off that enthusiasm is fuckin lying.

7.The album was released on cassette by Medusa's Crush, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Matt, or Ruby Red River, the dude behind the Medusa Crush Label, is super straight up O.G Canadian music guy and we just struck up a real rapport the last year.  Much like with our amazing friend John, who runs Granite House LPs, and who released the killer vinyl of our record (and is responsible for all the exposure and acclaim the record got in the U.S and Europe), Matt is an original hardworking music fan with heart and soul.  The cassette thing was discussed over many pints and next thing we know he shows up to a gig we played with Ancients, and there they are.  It looks like Medusa Crush has been really busy since then with the Zex release among others.

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

Amazing.  When all we had out there was that really wonky demo, Granite House got in touch about maybe doing an EP or remaster of the demo.  We couldn't pass up the chance so we went hard into finishing enough music for an LP.  Fast forward almost a year and we had recorded with Greg Dawson, who's a legend in Ontario metal and hardcore, and released this Year of Sleep record with Granite House.  Ten, fifteen years ago when there was no social media outlets flogging every new band that had something recorded, we could have flown completely under the radar.  A lot of really great blogs and magazines picked up on the record in summer 2013, and we were just fucking blown away with the response it got.  We landed a bunch of top ten, even top five "Canadian Metal of the year" lists, NPR, got some sweet reviews in Rockarolla and Terrorizer, and, (though not in print!), a spot with Decibel.   All thanks to dudes like John GHR and Matt MCR.  Fan support has been great, the record is getting out there to people all over Europe and USA.

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

Definitely trying to reign in and harness some of the disparate moments on the first record.  Trying to expand those little moments and create bigger song ideas from there.  Messing with dynamics and different tones.  I'm a little more confident with the vocals now so I'll be giving it a bit more flavour and some melody here and there.  We're just piling on the riffs right now, a lot more interplay between the two guitars and movements.  A lot more for the rhythm section to chew on, and we're trying to make some less obvious narrative choices for the kind of sub genre we're in.  I lost a lot of family the last two years and don't feel the need to revisit apocalyptic themes and am trying to inject our kind of sludge metal with some subtler subcontext, from real places of pain.  

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?

We're all up on our Mastodon, High on Fire, that sort of thing for sure, but  the sound is just a simple mashup of the shit we like.  Mix some Eyehategod riffing with some more epic metal melody, throw in some octave pedal, pull it back with a prettier delay-laden passage, a little hardcore flavour from the vocals….   Some of us digest more black metal and raw punk, some more indie/post rock, and some of us actually have much different projects on the go entirely outside of the metal locus. We all dig our classic rock etc.  Currently it's really just "Pyres" that's informing my song ideas and the way we as band play together in the rehearsal space.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?

We all have pretty demanding jobs and personal lives that keep us pretty busy.  Some of us do a lot of home recording and writing.  Craft beer.  We're all pretty avid cooks.

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

Thanks for the time!  

Thy Fallen Kingdom Interview

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

- We are a thrash band from Singapore comprising of members of varying ages but have the same goal of keeping old school thrash alive.


2.You have your first full length coming out in December, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the demo's and ep's, you have released in the past?

- There is a big contrast between our debut album and our first two EPs. We had a European vocalist before and back then we were more of a mix between progressive and thrash. Now, we are definitely more straightforward and hard-hitting.
 

3.The band has been around since 2005 but waited until 4 years later to release any music and after 2010 you waited another few years to release more music, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap between releases?

- In 2005, we were doing more cover songs than originals, like most bands when they start out. Slowly, we progressed with influences from international bands such as Exodus, Testament, Megadeth and so on. So in 2009, we had met Dave and we went on to record the first EP, “All That is Left”.

- After the “UnDemocratic Society” EP in 2010, we changed vocalist and then again in 2012 there was another line-up change. So those gaps in the timeline were spent recruiting new members, jamming and writing new songs which would go on to feature on this album.

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

- Lyrically, we cover topics related to everyday social issues – the political type of lyrics. We also have lyrics on movies and even sports.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name  'Thy  Fallen Kingdom;?

- To be very honest, there was nothing special when opting for our band name. It was that “Eureka” moment and everyone sort of agreed on 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?

- The best show so far was an event called “Saving Gaia” somewhere back in 2011. The sound overall for the event was great. Balanced throughout. The crowd was excellent. Both old and new fans gathered and had a blast throughout the entire set.

- Another great show we played was early in January this year where we supported HAVOK as an opening band. The crowd reaction was fantastic as always and that is what we always love to see.

- Regarding our stage performance, we always make sure that we play as tight as possible. That is what our local fans, followers and friends know us for and expect of us.
 
7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

- Yes we do have our first ever overseas show in Bangkok. We’re playing Bangkok Thrash on December 13th which is an annual thrash event over there. That is five days after we play with Revocation here in Singapore on our album launch day.

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

- We have sent our material to a few labels but we’re not expecting much. Every label has their own expectations and thus if the music is not on the same wavelength, then there is no basis in starting a working relationship. Being signed to a label is no doubt important because of their vast networks.
 
9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

- We cannot predict the future. So let’s see where and how far our current album, as well as future ones, can take us. Music-wise, we wouldn’t deviate from our thrash roots.

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?

- Bands that had influenced our music are primarily Exodus, Megadeth, Metallica (And Justice and earlier), Kreator, Destruction, Judas Priest, King Diamond and Mercyful Fate

- What we listen to these days is quite varied from each member of the band but we definitely don't dig the “new metal” bands because we find that their songs are just not that memorable. In fact most of them start to sound the same after awhile.

- To name a few bands that we're into are Machine Head, Death Angel, HAVOK and even Toxic Holocaust. And definitely Pantera. Never fails to pump you up.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

- Akhbar – Cartoons, animations, movies etc
- Aip – Art, like manga-sketching
- Bryan – Hitting the gym and playing poker
- Christian – Strongman/ Titan training ( a more hardcore version of “gymming”)
 

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

- To those who are skeptical about listening to a band that calls themselves "thrash", give it a shot and have a listen to our debut album “Fear The Hunter”. We guarantee in taking you back in time with ear deafening tracks from start to end.

Thanks for your time in conducting this interview.

Avenger/The Slaughter Never Stops/Rocksector Records/2014 CD Review

  Avenger  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingom  that  has  been  around  since  the  NWOBHM era  and  plays  an  early  form  of  heavy/speed  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "The  Slaughter  Never  Stops"  which  was  released  by  Rocksector  Records.

  Epic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes into  a  very  old  school  and  melodic  power/speed  metal  direction  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  and  after  awhile  solos  and  leads  become  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  more  of  the  classic  NWOBHM  sound  to t he  bands  musical  style.

  You  can  hear  more  of  a  traditional  80's  approach  to  heavy  metal  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  they  avoid  any  modern  sound s except  for  the  production  and  at  times  back  up  shouts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of the  heavier  riff s have  an  early  80's  thrash  feeling  to  them  at  times  an d most  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  hard  and  heavy  musical  direction  and  as  the  album  progresses  high  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  in  certain sections  of  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  even  more  power  metal  elements  when  they  are  utilized  and  they  also  bring  in  a  cover  of  Iron  Maiden's  "Killers"  before  returning  back  to  their  original  songs  and  on  the  last  track  there  is  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  being  utilized.  

 Avenger  plays  a  style  of  heavy/speed  metal  that  is  very  old  school  sounding  while  still  having  a  very  aggressive  edge  and  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  heaviness  as  well  as  being  more  heavier  than  most  of  their  NWOBHM  counterparts,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  warfare,  life  and  fighting  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Avenger  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy/speed  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Race  Against  Time"  "Into  The  nexus"  "Killers"  and  "Midnight  Mass  Destruction".  8  out  of  10.      

All Seeing Eyes/Trinity Road/No World Order/2014 CD Review

  All  Seeing  Eyes  are  a  band  from  the  United  States  that  plays  a  progressive  mixture  of  heavy  and  power  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Trinity  Road"  which  was  released  by  No  World  Order.

   A  very  slow,  dark  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  heaviness  before  speeding  up  and  adding  in  an  80's  power/speed  metal  sound  that  uses  a  great  amount  of  clean  singing  vocals  that  go  from  mid  ranged  to  high  pitched  as  well  as  having  their  aggressive  moments  at  times  and  while  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  they  have  enough  heaviness  to  keep  up  with  the  more  modern  bands.

  The  solos  and  leads  have  a  very  melodic  classic  metal  feeling  to  them  and  the  music  also  uses  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  keyboards  that  the  band  uses  bring  in  a  progressive  rock  feeling  to  the  recording  and  the  group  also  brings  in  acoustic  guitars  and  elements  of  70's  rock  on  some  of  the  tracks  and  a  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  The  more  progressive  side  of  the  bands  musical  style  has  a  very  dominating  presence  as  the  album  progresses  and  they  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there  are  a  great  amount  of power  ballads  present  on  the  recording  and  couple  of  the  later  tracks  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals  and  halfway  through  the  recording  the  band  starts  to  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  heavy  and  progressive  tracks.

  All  Seeing  Eyes  bring s in  a  great  amount  of  diversity  with  their  music  building  upon  an  80's  power/heavy  metal  foundation  and  also  adding  in  elements  of  progressive  rock/metal  and  the  heaviness  of  modern  metal  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  few  operatic  tracks  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  All  Seeing  Eyes  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  heavy,  power  and  progressive  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Demons"  "Medicine  Man"  "Rings  Of  Kronos"  and  "War  of  The  Worlds".  8  out  of  10.  
     

V.A.R Interview

.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 have just started to promote new album, it means making some interviews (e.g. in the biggest rock radio in Czechia-Radio Beat) and realizing autumn/winter tour, releasing new merch and such standard stuffsJ



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?
Album was recorded in one of the popular metal studio in Czechia-Hacienda. Owner is one of the best rock Czech guitarist Milos Dodo Dolezal. We are recording at that studio almost all our albums since 1997. He knows us very well, knows what kind of music we are playing so that final sound was definitely up to him. We have just recorded our material and then he was thinking in which way sound will be defined. I think sound is mix between old school thrash metal 80 and new modern sound which is fit for our band.



3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
It is just about life….. feelings, experiences from the life.



4.This is the first studio album to be released in 7 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during the time frame?
Meantime we celebrated 20 years of band existing and we released live DVD to this celebration (2009 y.). Besides this we made some cover version to local bands and one song for Metal Christmas compilation. Then we re-released our best sell album “Personal Destruction” (original released in 1992, 30 thousands copies sold in Czechoslovakia at that time) with new remix and some bonuses. Well, we did not take a rest but still were making some another stuff. And prepared new songs of course.



5.The band has been around since 89, what is it that motivates you to keep the band going after 25 years?
Motivation is simple-we everybody love metal. We could not live without this about metal, to be contact with our fans. We cannot imagine life without playing gigs, writing new material….:-)



6.I know that the band name stands for Vratslavice Alcoholic Roar, would you say that the band members are heavy drinkers?
Ha ha…generally not too big drinkers but yes we like beers..and Czech beer is one of the best from all over the world. Anyway, when we started play as band, we had rehearsal place in Vratislavice (which is local part of our city where we are living and where is brewery located!).



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 played many gigs…we remembered first when we started in early 90 years. It finished socials in our country, we had freedom and fans were hungry for metal. It was time where we met 500-800 fans in our gigs!






8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album/
Yes, we are starting just from November 2015 and have plan to continue to spend  whole next year in promotion of new album.



9.The new album was released on Parat Magazine, can you tell us a little bit more about this label/
We are relatively small country (just 10 million inhabitants) and there are just 2 printed metal magazines which survive up to this time-Spark (which is about commercial metal) and Parat which is specialized in extreme underground genres of metal. It is released 6 times per year in about 2,5 thousand copies and there is enclosed CD in each magazine from some Czech metal band. It is very nice from them; they are promoting our CDs much better than if we release them by ourselves. Big respect for them!



10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of thrash metal?
We are realistic, we sing in Czech language so that our main fan base is Czechia and Slovakia.
Anyway, it is nice if we receive some nice response form such countries like is Brazil, Norway,..



11.Is there going to be more music released in the future?
Yes, we are planning to release next material much sooner than usually. Just to be healthy…we are over 50 years old…but should be live longer with drinking beers.



12.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?
Many influences and styles…We started to listen music in early 70…it means we love Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, BTO, Budgie…over 80 like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest…up to  nowadays thrash metal titans like Exodus, Slayer,…. That’s why could be heard all different styles in our music not just classic thrash…



13.What are some of your non musical interests?
I like my job, family, travelling.



14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thrash and drink till death!!!!

Astrakhan Interview

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

It has been a busy few months for us. Coming out of the summer festival season, we have been focusing heavily on writing our first full length album as well as getting our new EP “A Tapestry of Scabs and Skin” ready for release next month. We have a couple of local showcases happening in December and January and from there it’s back in to the studio and back out on the road.

2.You have a new ep coming out in December, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

This EP is an interesting one because it combines two separate recording sessions that took place over a year apart. It features a musical diversity that has grown in that time but the songs still work together. At least I feel that way. Consciously, the aim was to make some big, riffy metal songs but our influences in atmospheric post rock and 70’s prog have found their way in as well.

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

We try to create an image or situation that suits the mood of the music. Obviously with heavy music the topics tend to be about fear or frustration, loss or passion. We struggle with choices everyday and to be able to create a scenario in which the character in the story has to choose between infinite knowledge coupled with certain death or an eternal life bound by regret makes deciding whether to get skim or homo milk for your cereal seem a lot easier.

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

It sounds bad ass. Band names are hard. I like star trek.

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 have been really lucky to be able to play with some pretty incredible bands in the short time that we have been together. Some highlights for me were playing with Cynic, Helms Alee and Weedeater. As far as our performances go I find we put on the best shows when we are pissed off at each other or at something else before we play. Adam and I busted each other up pretty bad the night before we played a show and we hit the stage sporting matching black eyes. There was pure, white fire coming from both of us for those 45 minutes and everyone could feel it. That’s why we watch bands isn’t it? To feel what the musician is feeling, to understand the music on a physical level.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the ep is released?

The focus is mainly on getting the new album finished and recorded for now. We have a few shows in the works in Vancouver in the spring and then hopefully a tour later in the year.

7.The ep is coming out on War On Music, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Yea, Charley at WOM has been a gem in helping us get this thing together. He’s been a huge support for a few Vancouver bands like Bison, Anciients, and Black Wizard and we are pleased as punch to be added to the roster.

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

It’s been extremely positive. As much as we are just doing this to get the ideas out of our heads and on to tape, it’s satisfying to know that there are like-minded people all over the world that appreciate what we are doing.

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

When we started this band we decided that it was important to choose a sound and stick to it. Not to be derivative and repetitive but to dig deep in one area instead of spreading out over many. Who knows though, I found an oompah tuba record that I really liked the other day and I might feel like the next song needs a bit of that in it.

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?

Our tastes are pretty different from each other so I can really only speak for myself. I can’t stop listening to the new Pallbearer album. That and a lot of Hungarian gypsy music has been catching my attention lately.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

As part of our initiation into the Astra-cult we cast off all worldy interests and vices. There is heavy riffing and nothing more.

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

Shit, I should have used the last sentence from the question before this one. That would have been a strong closer.
www.waronmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/astrakhanofficial