Child Bite Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
SK: I live in a trailer, usually parked at a Walmart. Sometimes it's a Cracker Barrel, just depends. Sean is installing tv screens at McDonalds and just got asked to jam with Limp Bizkit side project. Jeff has a new girlfriend and is probably painting some big blobs and stuff, not sure. Oh and Brandon is delivering pizza with a bunch of STD collectors.

2.You have a new album coming out in April, 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?
SK: The longer the band goes on, the more all of this rock and roll lifestyle starts to go to our head. We are having trouble keeping things straight in life and are all kind of losing it a bit. The music is a reflection of that. We are disturbed. Not like the band but like the medical condition. I feel like my brain is in a blender.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
SK: Oh there are lots of topics! Let's see... There's one about killing yourself before you lose your mind. But in second thought dementia might be fun to experience, so we might have to change the lyrics for the 2nd pressing. There's also a song about how much it would suck to be born a hog so we called it "Born A Hog." If you have any ideas just lemme know and I'll use them for the next album.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Child Bite'?
SK: I used to have a bad habit of biting my classmates when I was a little kid. It went on for years, I had to switch schools a couple times, go to therapy, the whole nine yards. Nothing worked and my parents got so fed up that they started biting me to, I guess to show me that it hurt and how it sucked to be on the receiving end of a bite. If I started acting up, they would say "Get ready for the child bite!" and I knew it was coming. Eventually I just grew out of it, but that phrase always stuck in my head so I figured it could be a cool band name.

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?
SK: I don't even remember any of the shows, but I know we've got more coming up so I'll do my best at those! Maybe those will be the best?

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
SK: Yeah our booking agent told us that she needed money so we agreed to go on tour again. You can probably just go to our website page or on a facebook for all of them. But I do know that we are going all over the country and even to a couple bordering countries, Mexico and Canada. We will probably have to start doing drugs soon though cause we are getting tired. We want to put on a top notch performance but our bodies are giving out. Again, if you have any suggestions just let me know; we are new to drug culture.

7.The new album was produced by Phil Anselmo, what was it like working with this legendary musician?
SK: He was pretty intimidating at first and made us squeeze his muscles. He has such a deep voice and was smoking super-joints most of the time. Any time Brandon messed up too many times in a row, Mr. Anselmo would take his guitar and play it for him. That was pretty cool. I don't even know if Brandon ended up on any of the songs cause he was just so freaked out. Mr. Anselmo also helped out with lots of ideas cause to be honest our songs were kind of a messed and we needed a helping hand. We also have a pig snort part that turned out good.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your recordings by fans of underground music?
SK: Most people like it! I actually wish there was more feedback on the album. That's my favorite part of EyeHateGod records. Those shrieky squealy sounds let you know if wasn't made by some robot midi band but real living flesh with unique personalities and the ability to go wild. CHUDs have always been supportive of our hard rock music and I hope they never stop it.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
SK: Well we can either go more heavy metal or more punk rock-n-roll style or maybe even more alternative. We will have a meeting soon and we can vote on our favorite direction and see where the riffs are at. I don't really care as long as it can be referred to as "spine-chilling, hair-raising, crotch-bulging intensity!"

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?
SK: We don't listen to a lot of music so we can keep it pure. It's called the vacuum-bubble approach. But if I have to I'll listen to different kinds of stuff like Tron soundtrack or other kinds with keyboards. I like it as fake as possible for fantasy. If I wanted real life then I would open my eyes when I go outside to the mall or the McDonalds. Listen to lots of plastic sounds and then when you get ready to play your show it will fuel you to be a barbaric feral-man in reaction. It's just to be true.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
SK: I like all of the usuals, like cheese, chocolate, beer and wine, deli sandwiches, other snacks. In addition to those I'll play the PlayStation 4 sometimes or movies.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
SK: If you want to come to the concert, it's cool cause like I said our booking agent needs the money. But if you can't make it no big deal cause she gets a guarantee either way.

Black Magic Fools/Soul Collector/2016 Full length Review

  Black  Magic  Fools  are  a  band  from  Sweden that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  medieval  form  of  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their self  released  2016  album  "Soul  Collector".

  Tribal  beats  along  with  some  bagpipes  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  they  start  mixing  melodic  metal  and  folk  music  together  as  well  as  adding  in  vocals  that  are  mostly  spoken  and  angry  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  more  of  an  old  school  meta l style. 

  After  awhile  jewharp's,  flutes,  fiddles  and  violins  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  medieval  feeling  while  the  metal  elements  make  the  music  sound  more  modern  and  clean  playing  can  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  while  the  vocals  after  awhile get  more  melodic  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction.

  Black  Magic  Fools  plays  a  musical  style  that takes  a  very  melodic  yet  extreme  style  of  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  medieval  folk  music  to  create  a  musical  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  a  musician  who  gets  his  instrument  destroyed by  priests  and  he  makes  an  allegiance  with t he  devil  to  get  his  instrument  back  as  well  as  collecting  souls  and  spreading  misery  across  the  world. 

  In  my  opinion  Black  Magic  Fools  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic,  medieval  folk  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Grave  Dancer" "Black  Jig"  "Soul  Collector"  and  "Not  My  Truth".  8  out  of  10. 

Universal Theory/The Most Attractive Force/Metal Hell Records/2015 CD Review

  Universal  Theory  are  a  band  from  Spain  that plays  an  atmospheric  form  of  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "The  Most  Attractive  Force"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Hell  Records.

  A  very  heavy and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  goth  male  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  the  solos  and  leads  also use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  there  are  also  some  electronic  music  elements  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs.  

  Female  vocals  are  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  they  also  add  in  more  of  a  goth  metal  sound  and  some  of  the  slower  riffing  mixes  in  a  more  depressive  style  of  doom  metal  while  some  songs  also  mix  in  symphonic  elements  and  there  are  also  a  couple  of  power  ballad  tracks  and  clean  playing  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  violins  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of t he  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction.

  Universal  Theory  plays  a  musical  style t hat  is  in t he  more  depressive  style  of  goth  metal  while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  doom  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  romantic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Universal  Theory  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  gothic  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Before  Sunrise"  "The  Most  Attractive  Force"  and  "The  Wall  Of  Darkness".  8  out  of  10. 

   

Volker/Self titled/Kaotoxin Records/2016 EP Review

  Volker  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  goth  rock  and  cold  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2016  ep  which  was  released  by  Kaotoxin  Records.

  Black  and  white  movie  soundtrack  music  samples  start  off  the  ep  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavier  yet  melodic  musical  direction  along  with  soem  female  vocals  that  are  mostly  in  the  goth  rock/metal  direction  while  also  getting  very  aggressive  at  times  and  the  music  mixes  in  a  lot  of e arly  90's  gothic  metal  elements.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  more  of  a  melodic  musical  direction  and  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  doom  metal  elements  in  the  slower  riffing.

  Volker  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  goth  rock  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  metal  side  of  the  genre  along  with a  touch  of  doom  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Volker  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  goth  rock  and  cold  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bitch"  and "Zombie  Heart".  8  out  of  10.

  

Merlin/Electric Children/4ONE8 Records/PRC Music/2016 CD Review

  Merlin  are  a  band  from  Kansas  that  plays  a mixture  of  psychedelic  rock  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Electric  Children"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  4ONE8  Records  and  PRC  Music.

 Psychedelic  sounds  and  acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  darker  and  heavier direction  and  also  adding  melodic  vocals  onto  the  recording  and  the  music  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  heavy  and  psychedelic  parts  mix  together.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  distorted  yet  melodic  sounding  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  70's  rock  and  proto  metal  elements  ad  they  also  mix  in  the wah  wah  pedal's  of  that  era  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  synths  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  tracks and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  vocals  also  use  more  aggression  on  one  of  the  songs  and  the  whole  album  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  the  last  track  is  over  20 minutes in  length  and  also  introduces  flutes  onto  the  rcording.   

  Merlin  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  70's  styles  of  doom  metal,  psychedelia  and  occult  rock  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  very  heavy  and  diverse  retro  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Darkness  and  Drug  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Merlin  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  doom  metal  and  psychedelic  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Electric  Children"  "Night  Creep"  and  "Tales  Of  The  Wasteland".  8  out  of  10.   

Saturna/Self Titled/4ONE8 Records/PRC Music/2016 CD Review

  Saturna  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a mixture  of  70's  influenced  doom  metal  and  blues  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released 2016  album  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort by  4ONE8  Records  and  PRC  Music.

  Drums  beats  and  melodic  70's  style  metal/rock  solos  and  leads  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  lot  of  early  doom  and  proto  metal  elements  into  their  musical  style  and  all  of the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  A  lot  of  the  music  sounds  like  it  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  in  the  90's  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  blues  rock  influences  throughout  the  recording  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  slide  guitars  on  some  of  the  tracks  while  some  songs  also  mix  in  a  few  seconds  of  spoken  word  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  and  clean  playing  along  with  whispers  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction.  and  there  is  also  a  track  which  brings  in  psychedelic  sounding  organs.

  Saturna  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  70's  doom  metal  and  blues/hard  rock styles  ans  mixes  them  together  to  create  an  album  that  is  very  retro,  heavy  and  dark,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my opinion  Saturna  are  very  great  sounding  retro  mixture  of  70's  doom  metal  and  blues  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tired  to  Fight"  "Five  Fools"  "Unsolved"  and  "A  Place  For  the  Soul".  8  out  of  10.   

   

Senescence Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Since the band has been officially reformed by Holger and me in 2014 we continuously worked on
new material. We have written a lot of material until then which we finalize step by step and re-
lease it when we think the time has come. We found a good way of working together despite a our
hometown`s distance.

2.In 2015 you had released 2 ep‘s, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of
the recordings and also how do they differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
When we rehearsed again for the first time since the split up the old feeling of darkness was instantly back. So we took what we did in our early days and added our new influences to make
some dark music again. The two EP`s are wormholes connecting our past to the future. Our old In-
fluences are still present but the horizon behind them has widened. We are travelers bringing bits
and pieces together from the journeys we undertook. But we are more focused today and better
musicians. It is easier to decide what is Senescence, what can be Senescence and what is simply
not. Now the quality of the music, the sound, the atmosphere and the performance are equally as
important as the written music itself. The first EP „In Doom There Is No Law“ was taking-up-the-
old-threads, the new EP „Endoomed“ is taking-what-has-been-established into new realms.

3.From 2002 to 2015 there was no music being released, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time frame?
We found a way of living in this society, which we are both comfortable with and which stands true
to our nature. Music wise we individually searched for new topics, new sounds to explore and to in-
spire us. Music is universal, you can find truth and darkness in a lot of sonic places. We went from
projects exploring Jazz, Blues, insane Deathgrind, Blackmetal mixed with 1920`s cabaret to Barok
guitars, Gothic Country, Electro, Ambientdrone and who knows what. All except Reggae of course.
Ah wait, Holger did Reggae. I wonder what darkness he found there... Senescence reappeared as
a home where we came back to without forgetting what we picked up in between, just to make the
original idea more solid and diverse.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
I wrote dark stories about true life events that crossed my path and haunted my soul since then.
Themes you might even have heard of. True death, true tragedy. I wanted to write it down, be the-
re as close as I could take it (and stand it) and then let it go. Dark things easily occupy my mind.
Senescence is both: therapy and redemption. And the message has always been the same: despite all darkness and despair always choose life! And don`t forget to laugh once in a while.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name ‚Senescene‘?
Senescence means „the process of becoming old“. We liked the idea of something getting older
and through that wiser and more complete. There are rumors that we just opened a dictionary and
said „stop“ – and there it was. But who would believe such nonsense.

6.Has the band done any live shows or this strictly a studio project?
We did some gigs back then when we were a four
piece. But with just two members left we never
even thought about that. So far playing live was more a thing you-have-to-do but not a thing our
souls or the music need to evolve.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
We have always been very close to the DIY concept: writing, recording, mixing, designing – everything done by ourselves to keep control over everything. Control is very important. BUT spreading the music, making it available and promoting it is nothing we have a good hand for. So in that case: if someone is convinced by our sound it would be a pleasure to give over a final product and let a company work with it.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of doom metal?
So far the reaction has been quiet positive. We are not doing it for everyone else than ourselves
but if people like it we are glad to share our music, take them on the boat under the flag of doom.
Be it metal or else: doom for us is not restricted to genres but a state of mind and art.

9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the bad heading into musically during
the future?
We have more than enough tracks to release a full length right now. But it feels more natural to
release three songs combined on one release and just focus on them. The Demo concept from
back in the early nineties still appeals to us. We are old farts.
Concerning the music: there are many shades of darkness and of doom. Our sound will evolve,
the limits are getting smaller and smaller. New Orleans Voodoo, dark Country, minimal Jazz,
Soundtracks like Dead Man, Drone, Ambient. So many influences will find their way. We need to
expand, it is within us. But we also know for an open mind it will be easy to follow us further down
the spiral.

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 always took small pieces from bands that inspired us and incorporated them into our own
music.The sheer power of Anathema`s „Pentecost III, the tragedy of My Dying Brides „The Angel
And The Dark River“ the haunting atmosphere of Paradise Losts „Gothic“ are quiet obvious. Back
then Neurosis „Through Silver In Blood“ influenced our song length and the madness you need
to create dark music. Laibach was a big influence using drum machines and synthezizers not just
to add layers but to incorporate them as songwriting options. Old Colosseum, old Genesis, Pink
Floyd... and Entombed of course! That sound still lives in us. 1000 kHz!! Bolt Thrower, Autopsy,
Chris Isaack... the list is endless and diverse.
Today it has not changed but evolved, just listen to Anna Calvis playing guitar, Morricone`s,  Arvo
Pärt`s and Henryk M.Gòrecki`s gripping compositions, the layers and textures of Sigur Ros and
Monumentums „In Absentia Christi“, the coldness of Darkthrone, the epic winds of Emperor or the
gripping storytelling talent of Johnny Cash and Nick Cave. So many things to find and explore.
Did you know that even the Benny Hill and the Muppet Show Theme can be played in a dark
fashion?

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Everything that brings us closer to our true self. Be it a book or film, good food, time with our
children, friends and beloved ones. Every minute can be nourishing. Or boring, haha.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for your interest in us, dude, and your enthusiasm being active in this truly dedicated underground!