Savage Master 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 just got back from a short U.S. Tour to promote our debut album, “Mask of the Devil.” We had a blast doing it. Now we are back to working on new material and planning for the next tour. In both we will go to new places. We are very excited for what the future holds.



2.In October you had released a full length, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?



This album hearkens back to a raw, old-school occult heavy metal sound. We wanted to make music that clearly stands for itself, music that is fun to listen to and memorable, stuff that champions the strengths of the old days into new days.



3.On the fb page you had labelled your music as NWOTHM, can tou tell us a little bit more about the tag?



We carry the heavy metal traditions of the 80's into the 21st century for fans who have always loved the old stuff and to hopefully spark some newer fans to look back and dig music with passion rather than just taking what is handed to them.



4.Your lyrics cover some satanic and occult topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these subjects?



Ever since I was a child everything I loved was said to be of Satan, so that means I need to be grateful to him. We enjoy what is beneath the surface, what few people understand. If you love satan and you don't care, we are here. If you are offended, then we are giving you exactly what you are looking for as well.



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



 Adam and I wracked our brains trying to think of a good name. We were listening to music and heard the words in a song and it seemed like the perfect name for us. We thought of a few others and it remained the strongest and we could not find another band of the name so it was ours.



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



 From my standpoint the most important thing in a show is the connection with the audience. When they bang their heads along, when they recognize the cover we play, when I can point the mic to them and they know what to do, these are the times that I can feel their enthusiasm for heavy metal and that takes the show to a magical place. Chicago has been a stand-out place for us in terms of how well the two shows we have played there went. Well we hope our stage performance is captivating and fun but that's for the audience to interpret and decide.

7.I know the band has recently done a tour but are there any plans for a more bigger tour in the future?



We do plan on doing a bigger U.S. tour next year and hopefully do some international touring as well. We have heard from fans from many countries asking us to come closer and play and we feel this desire mutually. We hope to get the chance to meet our fans from every part of the world if at all possible.



8.The new album was released on Skol Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?



Skol Records was founded in 2009, by Bart Gabriel. They release official reissues of classic, rare and forgotten albums. Beginning with Savage Master, they have started releasing the material of new bands as well with focus on the new wave of traditional heavy metal. Their goals are aligned with ours in terms of spreading and keeping traditional heavy metal alive and thriving for metal fans to enjoy.



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



 The feedback I have seen and heard has been mostly positive in the online metal community, more positive than we expected. There are times when there are criticisms mingled within a mostly positive review and that is a very good thing that we appreciate. It is good to hear, whether we agree or will be affected by it or not. We are not delicate flowers. No one is perfect and everyone has different tastes. Gotta take the bad with the good.



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



 I see our songs becoming even stronger, more anthemic at times, exploring more territories. I think things will be more solid. The best is ahead of us, definitely. No drum machines, ever.



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?



 Nowadays I am listening to Uriah Heep, Black Oak Arkansas, Amulet, Slasher Dave, Manowar, Orion's Sword,  Lana Del Rey, Loretta Lynn, I like listening to these 60s garage band compilations; Back from the Grave and Nuggets and more. I'm a bit all over the place in my listening habits as you can see.



12.What are some of your non musical interests?



  I am interested in a lot of things, mostly in learning about things that I feel I do not know enough about. I am interested in culture particularly from the 60's- 80's. Movies - horror films, exploitation films, documentaries, musicals, art-films, --anything that can scare, shock, offend me or make me think, feel or laugh. I am interested in art -paintings, architecture, photography. I am interested in life forms- deep sea creatures and all plants, animals and fungi. I often ponder life’s toughest questions. I find resolution in the fact that there is not always resolution. I like to read mostly non-fiction. I like to learn about topics such as the occult, history, the decomposition of human bodies, how to do things and all kinds of other stuff.



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



Thank you ExtemeUndergroundMusicZine for the interview! Thank you to all of our fans worldwide!!!

Kouzin Bedlam/Longing For The Incomplete/Inverse Records/2014 CD Review

  Kouzin  Bedlam  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  heavy,  progressive  and  pop  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Longing  For  The  Incomplete"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Inverse  Records.

  Sounds  of  war  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  word  samples  that  are  also  used  on  later  songs  which  leads  up  to  a  very  heavy  guitar  sound  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  melodic  and  symphonic  metal  sound  which  also  brings  in  a  huge  amount  of  80's  influences  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  that  are  very  close  to  hair  metal  while  the  music  is  slightly  heavier  than  that  genre.

  You can  hear  some  heavy  and  power  metal  elements  being  mixed  in  with  an  80's  style  AOR  hard  rock  sound  at  times  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  true  metal  edge  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there  are  also  a  few  power  ballads  being  added onto  the recording  as  the  album  progresses.  

  At  times acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  band  also  mixes  in  modern  symphonic  and  prog  metal  element s into  an  80's  style  of  hard  rock  and  metal  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  elements  of  90's  alternative  metal  into  the  albums  musical  style  while  some  of  the  other  ones  seem  to  be  influenced  by  thrash  and  speed metal.

  Kouzin  Bedlam  combines  a  variety  of  many  different  metal  and  rock  style  together  and  brings  out  a  sound  that  is  progressive,  retro  yet  modern  all  at  the  same  time,  the production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  mythology,  spirituality,  psychological  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Kouzin  Bedlam  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  heavy,  progressive  and  pop  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Accusation  Of  Job"  "Shadows In  The  Dark"  "Return  To  The  Caves"  and  "Longing  For  The  Incomplete".  8  out  of  10.

        

Desert Near The End/Hunt For The Sun/Metal Scrap Records/2014 CD Review

  Desert  Near  The  End  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  an  epic  mixture  of  heavy  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Hunt  For  the  Sun"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  then  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  fast  thrash  metal  direction  along  with  some  aggressive  vocals  and  blast  beats  and  after  awhile  melody  is  added  into  both  the  riffs  and  vocals  and  also  mixes  power  and  thrash  metal  together.  

  When  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  bring  in  a  very  melodic  80's  style  power/speed  metal  sound  to  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  songs  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  epic  structures  into  a  very  heavy  and  aggressive  power/thrash  metal  sound  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  shows  clean  playing  making  a  comeback  for  a  few  seconds.

  Desert  Near  The  End  plays  a  style  of  power/thrash  metal  that  is  very  aggressive  and  heavy  while  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  epic  structures  as  well  as  having  a  slight  early  90's  sound  at  times  that  is  very  close  to  the  earlier  Iced  Earth  albums,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark themes.

  In  my  opinion  Desert  Near  The  End  are  a  very  great  sounding  epic  heavy/thrash  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Across  The  River"  "Angel  Of  The  Deep"  and  "A  Distant  Sun".  8  out  of  10.      

  

fubear 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 ep?
1. Hey  Currently we are playing gigs in support of the new EP. We've also been practising like hell and are working on new songs too.

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 your previous recording?
2. This time the overall sound is a little gloomier and perhaps slightly heavier compared to our earlier release "First Time You're Alive". Someone could also state that it's a bit more stonery. Perhaps the most important thing is that the new EP, Hopeless, sounds more like we actually sound live. Hell, the hidden track is a live recording!

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
3. fubear. lyrics in general are about feelings, ideas and views of the world. Perhaps in the new release, Hopeless, the mood of the lyrics is a bit darker than before. Santeri, who writes the lyrics, chooses not to reveal too much about the lyrics of the songs, as he feels that lyrics should be open to interpretation.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'fubear'?
4. Long story short: before we had a drummer, Martti (guitar) and Santeri (vocals, bass) watched this Canadian movie called Fubar. It's about two headbangers who drink beer and break stuff. Later on, Santeri said that if Martti was an animal, he would be a fubear. So there you have it! It doesn't mean anything and it's a reference to a movie about beer drinking, so there couldn't possibly be a better name for the band. We actually watched the movie with Vellu (drums) just a few weeks ago. He liked it!

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. Opening for Red Fang in our hometown was just amazing. It was our fourth gig, so that was pretty big at least for us! The gig was good and Red Fang were really nice, so we have warm memories about that. More recently we played in our Hopeless EP record release show, and we had a fucking blast! Overall, we try to be as tight as possible live. fubear live shows are energetic and a bit tongue-in-cheek. We really enjoy being on stage and we hope that it shows! The feedback from our fans has been very positive about our live shows.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
6. Well, of course, we would like to play live as much as we can. We have some shows coming up in Finland next year, and we have also talked about getting our funky asses to tour somewhere in Europe, perhaps Germany or something. But since we don't have a label or anything, it would be a DIY-kinda tour and needs a lot of work to book the gigs etc. Of course if we get discovered by a label it's gonna be a totally different ball game. So we'll see what happens.

7.Inverse Records released your ep on digitla format, are there any plans in the future to release your music on either vinyl or compact disc format?
7. Both EPs have been pressed on CD, however we're talking about small pressings for promotional purposes mostly. There's still a limited edition CDs left, which you can order from Record Shop X. They ship worldwide! Vinyl would be very cool and it would really showcase the awesome artwork Sirpa Varis has done to all our releases. We have to look into that..

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of grunge and stoner rock?
8. The new EP hasn't been out even for a week now, so it's pretty hard to say. It's our first proper release with Inverse so it's the first one to get reviews outside of Finland. We've only had a few reviews so far, but mostly they have been pretty good.

9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
9. We have started writing our debut album, but we still have a shitload of work to do before we could even talk about heading back to studio. First lets see what happens with the release of Hopeless. We haven't talked about where we're heading musically, but most likely the new stuff is also going to be fuzzy, raw, full-on rock n' roll, cos' that's what we do. Of course, we are constantly improving as musicians and as a band so there is definitely some awesome shit coming your way.. Beware of the bear..

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. When Martti and Santeri started the band, they talked about playing some sort of grunge, influenced by Soundgarden and Alice in Chains and stuff like that. When they got Vellu to join the band, there was already talk about having some Kyuss influeces etc. But since we really started to play and make our own songs, we kinda quit comparing our stuff to any other. Sure, there are influences here and there, but now we just like to do our own thing. We got a nice connection with each other, so it's easy just to jam and play something that we all find cool. We all listen to all kinds of music. Lately, Martti has been into doom, "retro rock" and some a little more occult stuff, like Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, Mount Salem, Electric Wizard, Conan, Graveyard, Seremonia, Witchcraft, Horisont etc. Santeri used to listen to a lot of metal some years ago, but nowadays prefers softer rock bands. Some of his favorites include Soundgarden, Beck, Father John Misty, Bruce Dickinson, Audioslave, Pink Floyd and Queens of The Stone Age + many others. Drummer Vellu listens a lot of music from different genres, from stoner rock to funk, especially likes psychedelic and groovy stuff. Lately Vellu has been listening to the new Monster Magnet records (Last Patrol & Milking the Stars), new power trio KXM, new & old Funkadelic, a lot of Clutch, and to mention some other big ones for Vellu: Nine Inch Nails, Suicidal Tendencies, Public Enemy, James Brown...

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
11. Beer & kebab.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
12. May the bear be with you! Hopefully we can play our music live to people all over the world. Meanwhile, listen to us in Spotify (you can find our earlier release there too!) or buy our EP from a digital store and give us your support, if you can! Thanks for the interview, John, we appreciate it!

Superflesh Interview

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

Superflesh is a hard rocking motherfucking ensemble of lighthearted music lovers. We’ve all done a good career in music with a bunch of other bands and Superflesh is our idea of having fun and letting the creative juices flow free.

2.Recently you have released and 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?

Our last EP Fleshbox (2012) and the new EP LOVE (2014) are a good match musically. Our history is rather long, starting all the way back in 2001. The musical idea has always been to walk the line of metal, hard rock, punk and a pinch of glam and sleaze. In our current installation this has crystallized as retro-influenced rocking metal. We're oozing 80's from our pores and the smell of David Hasselhoff is quite strong around us. Still, we refuse to fit any molds. We infuse a lot of different flavors in our stew and that comes out like the craziness in 'Rock Out With Your Cock Out' and 'We're Gonna Superflesh All Over You'.

3.The band has been around since 2001 but so far have only released 3 recordings, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap between releases?

In 2001 this band started as a therapy group for Tyrannosaurus Sex and Jonas, who was the drummer in the early days. After bouncing around the walls for the following five years eventually an EP called 'Too Stoopid to Live, Too Dumb to Die' saw light of day in 2006 with X-0 Wylde on guitars and Mike Vodka on vocals. Then life happened and musical interests were promoted with other bands. TS and X-0 made Flesh-music through the years though and after many twists and turns 'Fleshbox' started happening. At this point the name of the band changed to 'Superflesh' and along for the ride were Gulliver 5000 on drums and Penos Emporio on vocals. After the release of 'Fleshbox', X-0 moved to Dubai to play and coach hockey (true story). Turbo-Ragnar took up the duties on rhythm guitar and Nick the Dick was instated as the band's stuntman. Fleshbox was released in 2012 and LOVE in 2014. New material is in the making, so one could state that the band has found its true form in the last three years and is really picking up the pace.

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

Our hyper-masculine approach on everything we do takes up a sweaty, hairy and ballsy form. Whatever we sing about is so butch even Tom of Finland would be ashamed. With titles like 'Rock Out With Your Cock Out', 'We're Gonna Superflesh All Over You', 'Kings of the Street', 'Get Ready (to Fuck) and 'Mustachio' you don't have to ask what we're on about, but with other tracks we like to explore different angles of pop culture. 'Godzilla Jesus' and one of our older tracks 'Knight of the Night' are takes on known fictional figures and this is something we'll continue to do until the grave.

5. The band was originally known as 'Flesh', what was the decision behind the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Superflesh'?

Times are a-changing and so are the men. After many line-up changes and even philosophich changes we wanted to cement the new beginning with a name change. We didn’t want to jump too far from our roots though, so we ended up keeping the original name in the new name as well.  Very convenient.


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

Touring is a bit of a pickle for us currently, as Turbo-Ragnar lives in Berlin and the rest of us in the Helsinki region in Finland. There are plans of course, but we'll have to see when we start realizing them. It might be first after the next EP that we'll run amok across Europe. We’ll see. When we hit the stages, we want to do it properly.


8.The ep was released on Elitbolaget, how did you get in contact with this label and also how would you describe the support they have given you so far?

Elitbolaget is a group of musicians interested in promoting good music in releases and shows. Some of the the Superflesh guys are a part of the group, so it was a natural move to release the new EP through Elitbolaget.


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

The interest is constantly growing and hardcore fans are popping up here and there. A Berlin-based musician decided to do a modern metal cover of our heavily 80's influenced song 'Get Ready (to Fuck)', which in itself already was a tribute/cover of oldschool tracker legend Lasse Öörni's tracker-tune. The reviews for LOVE have been mostly positive as well, so we look at the future with bright eyes.


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

A full-length album is in our thoughts. We already have the drums recorded for the next EP, scheduled for release in 2015, so perhaps after that? Musically it's going to be a nice mixture of 80's cliché rock and metal, 70's influences (especially on the guitars) and a wide variety of crazy; including blatant Turbonegro and Electric Six rip-offs and Mike Patton on mescaline kind of grooves. So basically you throw in these and a good dose of Judas Priest and there you have it.


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?

If you'd look at our record shelves you'd find us quite schizophrenic (which to be honest I think most of us are); there's metal, jazz, blues, rock, punk, ambient, disco, etc. Furthermore all of us have quite different tastes in the direction of rock and metal. However it boils down to the common denominators of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, Roky Erickson, Turbonegro, Electric Six, The Skreppers, etc. These are our building blocks. If it sounds good and feels crazy, it’s an influence for us.


12.What are some of your non musical interests?

It'd be fun to say something incredibly deep, profound and cultural, but I think it all boils down to sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. Well, those are the interests, but mostly I think we spend our times whacking off in the candlelight, sobbing and drinking our arses off. If it’s not whacking off, then it’s probably watching movies and drinking, or going for a good ole drink at the local pub. I’d say we drink a lot.


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

Even though we are ridiculous, don’t take us for a silly ploy. We always incorporate a deeper message in the things we do and it is up to you as a listener to decipher what we really are about.

Avenger 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?

Ian:
Hi , yeah we have been busy gigging also planning our own promo campaign for the albums release. A few weeks ago we just finished recording a promo video for the album , its for the song Killers the only cover on the album. Its a real eye opener we think and we are looking forward to every ones opinion when it goes out on 18/11/14




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


Gary:
I would identify the sound and style as very typically English and traditional ...The songs we picked were
 specifically because we believed them to have a very English feel with maybe a hint of thrash in places , we were also very conscious of an obvious continuation from our last studio album too even to the extent we would play songs from the past back to back with new songs just to see how comfortable they felt ...I have to say the fit was obvious to anyone who heard the songs presented this way. The material differs because we are now a five piece and have two guitars , back in our early incarnation we were a four piece ,who curiously always wanted to be a two guitar band , like Maiden , Judas Priest , Accept ect we just couldn't find the right guy at the time back then


3.The band was broken up for 20 years, what are your thoughts on the way metal evolved during that time and also where do you feel you stand in today's metal scene?

Ian:

Metal has evolved and branched out into fragmentary genres , its something we never imagined happening back n 83!!! but that's how it is I think we would prefer everything to be under the description of Metal than a thousand sub genres but we are where we are , due to this I think we stand solid within the "genre" of underground UK NWOBHM .
(unlike Maiden and Def Leppard  who are very big but of the NWOBHM)




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

Gary:
This album covers a lot of ground lyrically.  . from doubting the word of organized religion on one song , to deep space exploration , seeking intelligent life and the answer to or own origins on another!!!!   Its complex and a product of storing ideas that would be good for song ideas for a few years prior to writing this album LOL I think we have read a few more books since we were young songwriters!!



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

Gary:
Back in he early days , Brian Ross , Mick Moore and I had played together in another band that didn't work out and we decided to form our own band which became Avenger and maybe Avenger was us deciding we would avenge a situation we were unhappy with as we were frustrated with the earlier band....It felt that way at the time!!



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?

Ian:
Ah its difficult , there's been loads of great shows ,  however I will name three of my personal favorites
Supporting Y&T in 2005 at he old London Astoria before it was demolished , it was a sold out show and we had not long re-formed , we got an awesome reaction and I then knew 100% it was worthwhile getting back together.

 Playing at HOA Germany 2007 which was the first time we played any real amount of new material . Gary and I were very worried  how the songs would be accepted but the crowd loved them and It was a very big deal to us all , that we could write convincing new material that the fans of the band could still identify with.

I would like to add our last festival as my third choice which was the "Rock you to Hell festival in Athens Greece.... great people , great line up and organization and for a city we had never played in before a killer reaction from the Hellenic metal fans for Avenger.

Our stage performance....that's easy...no bullshit down to it.....in the style of our hero's  Riot , The Rods , Raven ect...no tinsel no gimmicks.

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

Gary:
Yes we will be out on tour in Europe in March and October 2015 with summer festivals in between , we are currently working on returning to both South and North America too.



8.On the new album you did a cover of Iron Maiden's "Killers", what was the decision behind doing your own version of this song?

Ian :
No deliberate decision to do it , we had covered it live for years and knew we done a good version of it. We recorded it and because the recording come out well we used it thats all.



9.The new album was released on Rocksector Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Ian:

They are a family run label from Manchester UK who supports old school UK metal , amongst their current artists are Avenger (of course) Tygers of Pan Tang , Tysondog , Absolva and a good 12 more , It looks like they are expanding into even more acts for 2015.



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

Gary:
Feedbacks been 100% positive and what's more positive is more and more young people discovering our music , its is no longer a nostalgia situation. It has a future and continuity.


11.What is going on with some of the other musical projects or bands these days that some of the band members are a part of?

Ian:
Here we go . I do not have any side musical projects , Sean and Liam our guitarist's have recently joined UK Maiden tribute band Maiden England , Gary plays in an Old School style Death Metal band called Repulsive Vision a bit like Atheist or Exhumed to listen too  , Ian "FUZZ Fulton our bass plays plays in classic rock covers band called Sweet Sympathy.


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

Gary:
We intend to remain loyal to our NWOBHM roots... and anyone who likes albums such as Iron Maiden 1 , Saxon Wheels of steel mixed with a hint of thrash will need to check out our future releases because that's how we will be thinking when we write.


13.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?

Ian:
I Think we have tried not to be influenced too much on what we have done recently and concentrated on ourselves , how we sounded back then , how we may have sounded if we hadn't split up in 86 and how we dont want to sound!! and what to avoid.
I think these days we listen to all kinds of stuff...literally from 70's classic rock to more modern bands. None of us are really in love with the very modern metal scene though....Black Veil Brides...fucking Baby Metal ect...what the fucks that about!!


14.What are some of your non musical interests?
Avenger:
               Liam:
               Body building , martial arts , chilling with my girlfriend and computer gaming

               Ian:
               Restoring classic English motorcycles

               Sean:
               Reading especially anything conspiracy related , and boxing
 
               Gary:
               Collecting militaria from both world wars , Sea Anglng , Field Sports , Archery and reading.

               Fuzz::
performing stunts (see me on youtube) fire breathing and even though this is supposed to be a non musical answer , collecting guitars.

 

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

              Gary:
                Thanks everyone for the continuing support!!! The new Avenger album "The Slaughter Never      Stops" is released December 1st , check it out and see you in 2015

All Seeing Eyes Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Ben- Basically ASE is a project put together by myself and 2 old friends. Kenny, James and i were in the power metal band Sentinel about 8 years ago and James was also an original member of my main band Neverworld when we first started. He actually co wrote a few of the songs on that album too. The idea with ASE is to make music with no limitations or boundaries. We like to blend styles and mix stuff up. Something i don't think has been done too much before

2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Ben- To me it's very much a mixture of progressive, power and traditional metal but merged with hard rock. The things that are very important to us are melody and emotion. Music is about telling stories and capturing the feel of what you are trying to say. All the songs on this album are different. I think we have our own sound but we try very hard not to repeat ourselves

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Ben- The song topics vary quite a bit. I tend to write about stuff that's happened to me or stuff that is happening in the world. There's a few songs on the album about the power of love and what it can do to you. They were written about one person and are really very personal. The other tracks cover numerous elements of government manipulation. The message is quite clear within these songs to wake up to what's around you and what really is. Don't be a sheep! Don't believe half of what they tell you!

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'All Seeing Eyes' and is this name connected to any occult, conspiracy theory or Illuminati themes?
Ben- Yeah pretty much. We are all quite big on what's really happening in the world and the name really fitted well with our message. Open your mind, use your eyes and you'll see!

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Ben- Right now we are not a live band unfortunately. My main band is Neverworld and we are very active but ASE was initially set up as a recording project. It all came about because Neverworld was busy playing shows all the time and the little spare time we had was being spent recording the album that was already written. I had this real creative surge but couldn't use it on Neverworld so i hooked up with James and Kenny again to write something completely different. It was a lot of fun doing this album because they are both 2 of my oldest friends now and musically we know each other inside out

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Ben- What it really comes down to now is timing and how well the album does. I'm currently back in the studio writing and recording the new Neverworld album so that will take up a lot of my time in the near future. But if there is a demand for ASE to get out there and play i guess we will have no choice but to do just that! However that would mean finding 2-3 new members. I know a lot of people within the industry and it could be done, just not over night. It would take a lot of planning

7.On the new album you have a good amount of quests, can you tell us a little bit more about them and their contributions to the album?
Ben- Yeah all the guests were absolutely amazing. They've all done a fantastic job and didn't ask for a penny in return. My kinda people! All 3 of us are huge Crimson Glory fans so to have Ben Jackson guest and co-write a track was a dream come true. If you'd told me 10 years ago that would happen one day i would have laughed in your face! Ben's a great guy and it's just such an honour to have him on the album. My band Neverworld toured with Wardrum last year in England and this year in Greece so that's how i know Kosta. He is quite simply one of the very best guitar players on earth and a lovely guy too. Anyone who has seen him in action will know just how amazing he is. He also plays without a pick! Personally i think he sold his soul! Danae Saree is the ex wife of Crimson Glory's Jon Drenning so there's another CG connection. I saw a video of her singing and just thought wow! She has a brilliant and unique voice and she co wrote the track too from thousands of miles away! Michalis Rinakakis i met when Neverworld played with his old band Air Raid. He's the real deal. So glad he's on this album and a track like Demons. It really suits him. I'm very friendly with another band called Neuronspoiler. They are such a good band. Great musicians. At the time we recorded 'Hunted' Dave Shirman was still in the band. David Del Cid still is. Those dudes can really shred and really went to town for us. The duet with Venetia came about because i met her in Greece. She is actually the girlfriend of Kosta Vreto. She sent me one of her bands songs and i just fell in love with her voice. She has this bluesy thing going on. Very soulful. So yeah very happy and very grateful with everyone's contribution to this album. They are the icing on the cake!

8.The new album was released on No World Order, can you tell us a little bit more about the label?
Ben- It's just a label we set up ourselves. We have our own studio and now we have our own label! Not much else to say on it at the moment as we set it up specifically for this album and any future releases

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of progressive and power metal?
Ben- So far i've been really surprised by how much people seem to like our stuff. We've been blessed with some amazing reviews the reaction from the fans has been great. Right now i couldn't have asked for more!


10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Ben- In all honesty i don't know. We have written a few more songs and we like them a lot. I'm thinking possibly a mini album out next year but only if the debut does well enough. We will have to see. Music wise we will continue trying to progress and do stuff that's a little bit different

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?
Ben- Well for myself i grew up on the old school. Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Manowar, Thin Lizzy, WASP, Helloween, Guns N Roses were pretty much the soundtrack to my youth up to the age of about 13. Then Grunge/Alternative rock happened. Alice In Chains, Candlebox, Muthas Day Out, Mother Love Bone, Soundgarden etc really had my heart when i was a young teenager. It wasn't until i was about 19/20 that my horizons started to broaden and i fell in love with lot's of stuff that had evaded me in earlier years. I became a huge Crimson Glory, Fates Warning, King Diamond and Queensryche fan. In the last 10 years i've soaked up as much good music as i can. I guess you could say at this point in my life the bands that are really doing it for me are Winger, Circus Maximus, Redemption, Hibria, Dan Reed Network, Ratt, Nelson, Mr Big etc Basically i just love great music. My CD collection is huge and all of it has influenced me in some way or another. As for Kenny he's big on the power metal stuff like Gamma Ray, Lost Horizon. Pantera also turn him on immensely! James being a keyboard player has a pretty eclectic taste in music but i know Dream Theater and Lost Horizon have certainly played their part in shaping his skills.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Ben- I'm a huge wrestling fan. I trained to be a pro wrestler when i was 19/20 and would have loved to do that too. Very hard though. I'm into good films, working out, martial arts, the paranormal, all sorts of stuff really. I love to hang out with friends and family too. They mean the world to me

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Ben- For those of you reading this who haven't heard of ASE before please get on YouTube and have a listen! For those of you who have and support us we thank you from the bottom of our metal hearts! We've literally just made an official music video that will be out about a week after the album so look out for that too! Don't forget to like our Facebook page, subscribe to our YouTube channel and tell your friends all about us! We really appreciate it. Word of mouth is king in this business! And thank you guys too for taking the time to talk to me