Twingiant Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new ep?
Well, it's actually an LP and since we finished wrapping up all the recording we have been focusing on doing a show with Midnight Ghost Train in Tempe, then trekking up to Flagstaff to rock out with Black Witch Pudding, and last but not least planning our release show in February when the vinyl for Devil Down is in our hands.

 2.You have a new ep 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 stuff you have released in the past?
In a nut shell, I would say that what you hear on Devil Down is pretty much our sound that we've slowly been developing.  We don't sit down and try and go for a certain sound.  It just came out to be a heavy and loud 70's influenced sound with a twist of metal.  As for as Devil Down being different than our other stuff, all I can really say is it's just us maturing and this is who we are now.

 3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
Jarrod (vocals/bass) does all the vocal writing. What he writes about are things personal to him.  We don't ask him to sing about anything in particular.  Aside from Mass Driver (first LP),  we've never really had a theme to our songs. We get together to write and if we like it and it makes us happy, that's our next song.

 4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the new 'Twingiant'?
The "new" Twingiant is just us doing what we do.  If it sounds loud, heavy and good…that's us.  I'd say our inspiration comes from our musical influences, anything from classical music to punk rock.  We've never been a band to put our heads together and want a particular meaning.

 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?
I'd say some of the best shows we've played were the ones out of state.  There is just something that is inspiring and awesome about playing in front of people that have never heard us.  Cities like Los Angeles, Denver and Las Vegas are great places to play.  Performance wise, it all depends on the vibe of those at the shows.   If they seem really into us, then we're ready to put on a damn loud show and in turn, leaving a few people hard of hearing on the drive home.

 6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new ep is released?
Yes, we sure do.  We’re going to get busy with that once the LP is released.  We'll start booking shows for the northwest (Seattle, Portland and San Francisco) and hopefully be out that way in late spring.

 7.You have a split in the works for 2015; can you tell us a little bit more about it?
Well, it’s on our list of “things to do” for 2015.  We have the basic blueprint, but nothing has started with it yet.

 8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Yes, we are shopping Devil Down to labels in order to have it printed on cd.  A small label from Canada has agreed to put Devil Down out on cassette.   The details of that are still being worked out, but we’ll be announcing that deal soon.

> 9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of heavy music?
On a worldwide level I'd say that the overall feedback of the music we do has been pretty positive. You'd be surprised what parts of the world gets into heavy rock. Never overlook any countries on this planet.

> 10.Are there any plans for a full length in the future?
Yes this is our latest LP.  The running time may only be 32 minutes, but remember, Slayer’s Reign in Blood was less than that.

> 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?
It's hard to really pinpoint a style or certain influences for all of us in the band. But, I'd say bands like Electric Wizard, Floor, Black Sabbath, Van Halen and Thin Lizzy are bands that have influenced us heavily on the new LP.

> 12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Bike riding, motorcycles, the shooting range and whiskey.

> 13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts
We'd like to just say thank you very much for your time and interest in Twingiant.  I hope you all like Devil Down and hopefully we will see some of you on the road.  Check out our website at twingiant.com for updates and merch.

Pord Interview

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

We recorded "WILD" in March 2014. Then we played some shows during the spring in particular some rock noise festivals in France like Rejufest in Paris, ATRDR fest in Pau, Avatarium fest in St-Etienne, Striedent fest in Marseille,... All these gigs gave us the opportunity to promote our previous EP "It's always sunny here". Then we met our new label Solar Flare Records and we started the promo of the new album.

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

The new album was produced in Geneva/Switzerland at REC Studio by Serge Morattel (Knut, Ventura,Tantrum,...). We didn't know him before this recording. So we talked about sound with him for a long time, we gave him a few directions about the "color" of the sound we were expecting...and the final result was better than expected! Really wild, large and dense! This guy is incredibly competent, always tuned in. We learned a lot of things working with him.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer album and also how would you describe your progress as song witers over the years?

The recurrent topics in Pord's lyrics are sex, alcoholic deliriums, debauchery, sex, frustrastion, boredom, sex, contempt and other festivities... In this new album, I also included some movie references.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Pord'?

PORD means Punkoid Orchestra and Raymonde in the Dark.

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?

I suppose our shows are rather furious and intense. At least I hope so. That's what our fans usually say... It's impossible to chose only one show we played over the years as the best one. I think the best shows are upcoming. Don't miss them!

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

The album will be released on September 8th, and we start a european tour the week after. We start this tour in Montpellier on Sept 12th. We leave for 4 weeks, mainly in France and also some gigs across Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium. We share the first week with our italian friends from Lucertulas, and we'll cross a lot of great bands during this trip. In particular Hammerhead on a few dates!! Exciting, isn't it?

7.The new album will be coming out on Solar Flare Records, do you feel this label has been very helpful when it comes to getting your music out there heard?

The boss of Solar Flare, Manak, was a good friend of ours before we worked together for "Wild". He plays in an amazing french band called Sofy Major. We tour together last year and we became close friends. So it seemed obvious to work together for our new record. He's really helpful to broadcast and promote our music. This guy has a great network of contacts although he's a fucking jerk! I can't explain it!

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

I will answer this question when the new album is released. We get many good feedbacks when we are on tour, just after our concerts. Only in Europe consequently. But we expect to play gigs everywhere it 'll be possible, all around the world and hear all of the feedback people will give us.

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

I really don't know.

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 all listen to rock n' roll music of course. But not only. Seb(drums) and Max(bass) listen to some jazz stuff or metal bands sometimes. I'm a big fan of 80's post punk and new wave bands. But what we prefer is listening to old variety singers.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Reading books, watching movies, eating and drinking french specialities(or not) with friends (or not), playing golf, running, making love, answering interviews,...

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

Yes I have.

(Michael, the guitar player, answered the questions)

Christmas Carnage/Indie Recordings/2014 Compilation Album Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  compilation  from  Indie  Recordings  called  "Christmas  Carnage"  which  is  being  released  for  the  holiday  season  and  consists  of  most  of  the  bands  on  their  label  and  we  will  review  the  songs  one  by  one.

  1.Einherjer  brings  us  "Nidstong"  a  song  of  their  new  album  which  is  more  in  the  pagan/viking  metal  direction  while  also  having  a  Norwegian  black  metal  feeling  in  both  the  riffing  and  vocals.

 2.1349  brings  us  "Slaves"  another  fast  and  aggressive  Norwegian  black  metal  song  from  the  band  that  also  brings  in  a  good  amount  of  melody  and  thrash  influences.

 3.Kampfar  brings  us  "Loynonsriss"  a  very  raw  sounding  pagan/black  metal  song  from  this  legendary  band  which  also  bring s in  a  a  good  amount  of  atmosphere  and  blast  beats.

4.Wardrunna  brings  us  "Loyndomsriss"  a  very  dark  and  ritualistic  sounding  ambient  song  that  conjures  up  the  Norse  Gods.

5.TNT  brings  us  "10.000  Lovers  (In  One)"  a  live  track  that  brings  in  a  symphony  and  an  80's  style  pop  metal  power  ballad  sound.

6.Oslo  Eyes  brings  us  "Midnatt"  a  song  that  is  more  of  a  pop  punk  direction  along  with  a  touch  of  hardcore  and  emo.

7.Vredehammer"  brings  us  "Cthulu"  a  very  heavy,  fast  and  aggressive  black  metal  track  that  also  displays  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  on  the  musical  instruments.

8.Solefald  brings  us  "Songen:  Vargen"  a  song  that  is  built  upon  avant  garde  black  metal  but  bring s in  influences  from  other  musical  genres.

9.Iskald  brings  us  "A  Fading  Horizon"  another  raw  and  melodic  Norwegian  black  metal  track.

10.Patria  brings  us  "Blood"  a  very  fast,  heavy  raw  and  angry  sounding  old  school  black  metal  track  that  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

11.Blodhemn  brings  us  "Evig  heder"  a  song  that  goes  back  to  the  early  90's style  of  Norewegain  black  metal  which  they  also  mix  in  with  the  energy  of  punk.

12.Extol  brings  us  "Sting  Of  Death"  a  very  technical  and  melodic  sounding  death  metal  track  that  has  a  very  crappy  message  to  it.

13.Oslo  Faenskap  with  "No  Skin,  Nor  Armor"  a  very  aggressive  hardcore  song  that  uses  a  good  amount  of  melody  while  also  having  a  heaviness  that  is  close  to  death  metal.

14.Woland  brings  us  "Conquer  All"  a  song  that  bring s in  more  of  a  modern  day  blackened  death  metal  sound  while  also  bringing  in  a  good  amount  of  atmosphere

15.Jack  Dalton  brings  us  "8  Times  X  Equals  This"  a  song  that  is  in  more  of  a  melodic  post  metal/hardcore  direction.

16.Riwen  brings  us  "Karlsgrundet"  a  very  dark  sounding  hardcore  track  that  also  bring s in  the  heaviness  of  metal..

17.Posthum  brings  us  "The  Black  Northern  Ritual"  a  very  raw  and  heavy  black  metal  sound  that  brings  in  the  90's  grimness.

18.The  Osiris  Club  brings  us  "Mystery  Sells"  a  song  that combines  gothic  rock  with  70's  occult  rock.

19.Deathbed  Reunion  brings  us  "Bad  phase"  a  very  melodic  sounding  punk  rock  track  that  has  a  post  hardcore  feeling.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  compilation  and  metal  and  punk  fans  can  at  least  find  a  couple  of tracks  they  would  enjoy.  8  out  of  10.






  

fubear/Hopeless/Inverse Records/2014 EP Review

  fubear  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  grunge  and  stoner  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "Hopeless"  which  will  be  released  on  November  21st  by  Inverse  Records.

  A  very  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  when  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  all  clean  singing  and  also  have  a  70's  proto  metal  feeling  to  them  and  you  can  hear  the  heavier  side  of  90's  style  grunge  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  enhance  the  stoner  rock  sound  of  the  recording  and  at  times  the  band  also  brings  in  the  energy  of  punk  rock  and  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  acoustic  guitars  and  clean  playing  are  utilized  at  times  and  they  add  in  more  of  an  alternative  feeling  to  the  songs  they  are  used  on  while  they  still  mainly  focus on  a  heavier  sound.

  fubear  plays  a  style  that  is  very  retro  taking  the  heavy  side  of  stoner  rock  and  mixing  it  with  90's  grunge  and  alternative  as  well  as  mixing  in  some  70's  rock  and  proto  metal  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  fubear  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  grunge  and  stoner  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Children  Of  the  Wasteland"  and  "Oceans".  8  out  of  10.     

Zero Down/No Limit To The Evil/Minotauro Records/2014 CD Review

  Zero  Down  are  a  band  from  Seattle,  Washington  that  plays  heavy  metal  with  some  punk  influences  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "No  Limit  To  The  Evil"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Minotauro  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  80's  style  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  a  few  seconds  later  power  metal  style  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  which  also  have  an  aggressive  edge  to  them  at  times  and  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  a  NWOBHM  feeling  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  At  times  you  can  hear  a  more  hard  rock  style  of  metal  in  the  bands  musical  sound  along  with  some  of  the  heavier  parts  bringing  in  some  of  the  thrash  elements  of  the  band  members  previous  groups  and  they  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of   early  80's  style  hardcore  punk  energy  and  mixes  it  in  with  their  traditional  approach  to  heavy  metal  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Zero  Down  plays a  very  vintage  style  of  80's  metal  that  also  brings  in  elements  of  punk  rock  and  a  slight  thrash  influence  and  they  play  the  style  well  enough  that  you  could  probably  get  away  with  telling  people  that  this  was  a  forgotten  album  from  that  era,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  mythology  and  drinking  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Zero  Dawn  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy  metal  band  with  punk  influences  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Return  Of  the  Godz"  "Devils  Thorn"  "Suicide  Girl"  and  "Black  Rhino".  8  out  of  10.      

Skullwinx/The Missions Of Heracles/2014 CD Review

  Skullwinx  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  an  epic  mixture  of  heavy  and power  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self released  2014  album  "The Missions Of Heracles".

  Spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  which slowly leads  up  to  a  heavier  direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  has  an  early  80's  metal  sound  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  and  all  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  30  years  ago.

  You  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  bring  mixed  in  with  the  heavy  riffs  and  the  solos  and  leads  remain  true  to  a  traditional  style  of  metal  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  which  also  shows  the  band  bringing  in  more  elements  of  speed  metal  and  aggressive  drumming  and  they  also  keep  every  song  in  a  heavy  direction  while  one  of  their  tracks  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.    

  Skullwinx  plays  a  style  of  heavy/power  metal  that  goes  back  to  the  more  raw  and  80's  style  of  this  genre  and  they  add  in  a  lot  of  epic  structures  into  their  old  school  style,  the  production  sounds  very  retro  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  for being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  heroes,  tales  and  legends.

  In  my  opinion  Skullwinx  are  a  very  great  sounding  epic  power/heavy  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Enemy  Hera"  "Erymanthian  Boar"  and  "Horses  Of  Diomedes".  8  out  of  10.

  

Dissorted interview

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

We're from Munich, Germany and we play a melodic kind of thrash metal, focusing our own identity.


2.Recently you have released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on on the recording?

We want to sound unique and authentic. Over the years we developed our own style by combining bay area thrash metal like Testament, old Metallica, Exodus with some good old heavy metal like Iced Earth. This and a mix of the personal influences of the band members is what our sound could be described.


3.The band has been around since 2004 but so far this is the only release that has came out, can you tell us a little bit more about the 10 year wait?

The band was founded 2004. It was a completely different kind of music and band back then. We started playing this kind of music about 5 years ago, back in 2009. Unfortunately we had a lot of line up changes until 2013. After a few gigs and thoughts, we agreed that it was finally time to get a CD released, to show the people: Hey we're alive and check out Dissorted!


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

We don't really have a scheme. Most of our songs are about things that happen through the world. Things that we think should be dealt with, other songs about fictive things like zombies or stories.


5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Dissorted'?

Back to the founding days the first drummer of Dissorted came up with “Dissorted”. Since this is not a regular word, we were asking him, what it means. He said, he had been sitting in front of a guitar amplifier and looking at the distortion knob. And as he was thinking about the word “distortion”, the name “Dissorted” came to his mind. We thought, that the name sounded good and we kept it.
This is what happens, if you confront drummers with guitar amplifiers…


6.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 we perform very active. By that I mean that we go full power and party as hard as we can on stage, because we have so much fun playing our music! And we really want to give that feeling to the crowd that they can freak out like us!
In my opinion the best show we played was in Westerstede near Oldenburg in northern Germany. We had so much fun, the crowd was just awesome. Nobody knew Dissorted until we played, but they liked it a lot and partied with us! Was totally worth it to drive 11 hours just to play about an hour!


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

We're planning the shows for next year. The next shows that are set are in the southern Bavarian region, but we're also planning on shows in France, Italy and Austria next year.

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

We haven't received any interest by any label. We're not really looking excessively for one either. If there's any interest in signing us we would talk about it but there's no need to hurry, since we just released our first record.


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

Very positive actually. Especially from the U.S.. The Metal-heads over there obviously love this kind of music. Many people here in Germany, even those who aren't really into Metal like and buy our CD. Some radio stations in the U.S. and in Germany played some songs of us and interviewed us on the radio. It's just amazing and we're very happy that we get such a good feedback. That shows that all our lifeblood we put into the music is worth everything!


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

We don't have any plans for an album yet, but we're aiming at 2016. Currently we're writing a couple of new songs and it seems that the music is getting a little bit “thrashier”.


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?

Our influences are Megadeth, Iced Earth, Testament and Exodus but we all have also different favorites which makes our music pretty multifarious


12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Some of us are very into football/soccer and follow especially the Bundesliga. Some of us love motorbiking. But most interests are all about the music.


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

The coolest thing for us, is to get in touch with the people at our concerts. So if you like our music, just come by and have a beer with us.
If you have already heard our record, feel free to give us some feedback – we are always open for that. And of course be aware of future actions of our band.