White Light Cemetery 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 album?

Playing shows and promoting the new album. That's pretty much our main focus right now and probably will be for the rest of this year.

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?

I think it's a pretty diverse album. There's a little bit of everything in there. A couple mid tempo tunes, a couple heavier ones, some bluesier stuff. I think this album is fairly similar to our last one actually. Maybe just a bit more variety on this one.

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

Some of the lyrics are about typical things that a lot of artists write about, dealing with the opposite sex and such. But a lot of the lyrics on this album were kind of left intentionally vague, not really pointing in one direction or the other. That way the listener can maybe interpret them for themselves in a way that they can really connect with.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'White Light Cemetery'?

It's a lyric from the Machine Head song "Now I Lay Thee Down".

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 think our best show definitely was opening for Crowbar at Tipitina's in New Orleans. They hadn't had a hometown show in a while and the place was packed. It was pretty amazing. As far as our stage performance, that's something that we really try hard at doing 110% at all times. We're pretty high energy when we're up there and we try to connect with the audience as best we can. We want them to have as much fun as we're having.

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

Absolutely. We've got a short tour of the southwest US coming up in March, then a few scattered shows in April and May, and hopefully a more extensive tour over the summer.

7. Can you tell us a little bit more about the art work on the album cover?

It cover art was done by Matt Wilkins. We wanted a retro 70's feel and I think he nailed it. The album cover goes right along with the title of the album. "Careful What You Wish For", a fortune teller, the crystal ball.

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

So far, so good. Kind of overwhelming actually. I'm really glad that people dig what we do.

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

Hopefully the same as we're doing now, only on a bigger scale. Still making music, still playing shows. As far as the music itself is concerned, it's really hard to say. Kind of depends on where we are in life at the time. Regardless of that, it'll always be WLC and it'll always sound like WLC.

10. 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?

Mostly classic rock. Especially Zeppelin, Sabbath, Deep Purple, Free, Mountain. But also newer stuff too. Crowbar, COC. As far as what I'm listening too, pretty much the same thing. Lately I've been rotating between Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti, ZZ Top - Tres Hombres, Free - Highway, and also I've been digging Ghost's newest album.

11. What are some of your non musical interests?

Hot rods and drag racing. As fast and loud as possible.

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

I'd like to say thanks to you for having us and for everyone keep in touch with us on social media and to try and come check out one of our live shows if you have the chance.

Sail Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Hi, we are Sail. We are a four piece progressive sludge metal band from the southwest made up of Charlie Dowzell, Kynan Scott, Tom Coles and Tim Kazer. If you like your guitars heavy and your bridges spacey then there's a good chance you'll enjoy our music.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?
Honestly one of the things we really struggle with is describing our musical sound. I think the term we've settled on is pop-sludge, it's sludgy but we feel that there's some real bangers on the album. Really heavy Thin Lizzy is what I normally go for. It's rich, it's heavy and it's weird and that's the way we like it.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
For a group of fairly cheerful individuals it has to be said that the album contains a lot of topics like loss and sadness and killer whale murders. I guess really we focus on emotions, lyrics for me (Tim) stem from the feel the music gives us or at least that's what it is for me personally, Charlie and Tom may have entirely different ways of going about it.

4.Originally the band was known as 'Husk' what was the decision behind the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Sail'?
I think each of us in our own way had begun to consider the change. Husk evoked a style of music which was no longer us. So we did what any band would do and spent months discussing a new name. Out of the many many names suggested Sail stuck, it felt right for where we are at and where we want to go. That sort of sense of adventure and vastness that the idea of sailing the oceans has - I think it was definitely the right decision.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
One of our definite highlights was probably Kynan's first gig with us. It was in a brewery and we played so loud that the bottles lining the walls were in real peril and I think some were lost. Tom swears to this day we even had a crowd surfer although no one else saw it. Other highlights would have to be playing Frankfest (a festival our friend Frank Dennis puts on in Tiverton) and our music video shoot gig. Our stage performance probably walks that fine line between cool band and a bunch of dorks. And I'm okay with that ;P

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
We do! Well we're currently trying to look at putting things in place for something. A bunch of local weekend dates with some good friends like Cybernetic Witchcult, Eleventh Degree and Napier. Then a more country wide tour later on in the year.

7.Currently the band is signed to 'Hibernacula Records', are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?
Incredibly so! Danny and the guys have been invaluable. We wanted to do this professionally and it has been amazing to have that support behind us, Curtis our pr guy has just been the best, getting our music video out there and getting us badass interviews like these. I really can't endorse them enough.

8.On a worldwide level how has to the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme or melodic metal?
Surprisingly well, I think it sometimes can be the case that metal is very sequestered into genres and their fans. However we have had really good feedback from people. We had a lovely review from a Spanish magazine, we are the first to admit our music is weird and not necessarily for everyone but we've all been blown away by the response from people!

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
More weird, more riffs, more synth. I think we've really hit our stride in terms of feel and sound so now it's a case of getting out there, writing more and enjoying the whole experience of 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?
The two big ones are Mastodon and Baroness. I think that's plain to see in our music (though I hope not too much), but saying that we have a really wide taste in music. Tom implores people to listen to Björk on a daily basis. Tim has a love for the 1975 that keeps on growing. Kynan has gotten really into synthwave and Charlie is going through a real swamp, Deep South blues phase.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
The obvious one I guess because he's so damn good at it is Charlie's love of lego, seriously you should see the stuff he makes. He's a wizard. Kynan is looking keenly into pedal building and has more dad jokes than I think there are dads. Tom is currently doing a masters and is an incredible writer. Tim's interests are mostly walks and more recently snakes.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Firstly and most importantly, thank you for your time and for giving us this interview. It's rare we get to actually discuss the things which make us excited about being a band and it's really cool when we do. We are so proud of this album and we really hope people enjoy it as much as us. Thanks to anyone who has seen us, watched our video or is planning on listening to us. You're all the best and we love you.

Escape Is Not Freedom Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Since we finished the record, we've been busy setting up shows for the spring and summer. Starting at the end of March, we'll be hitting the road.

2.You have a new album coming out in February, 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?
Well, our goal is to be as "heavy" as possible while still maintaining a sense of melody.  We brought in a good friend of ours, Emily Jancetic, to do some vocals on a few of the songs and that emphasized our ideology in that regard.  The contrast of huge amps and her delicate, angelic voice really gives the songs a life of its' own.  Our older stuff was pretty much a collage of atonal angst.  Not that it isn't now, I just think there is a bit more focus now.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
For me, the lyrics touch on addiction, the loss of my best friend a while back (my beagle named Reggie) and a few tumultuous relationships.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Escape Is Not Freedom'?
I think at some point for everyone, escaping a certain circumstance feels good at the moment but we quickly realize that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.  Hence, Escape Is Not Freedom.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
This band is pretty new so we haven't had a bunch of shows under a belt yet, although that will change in the near future.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
Yes, we will playing a bunch around the Midwest this spring/summer.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
We would love to be on a label and seeing this is our first LP, we haven't had any interest yet.  Hopefully, that will change.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of sludge and noise?
So far so good!

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Our goal is to get better and better with each release, so I think there may be a bit more technicality involved and hopefully we can have Emily on board for a few more songs.

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?
Nirvana, HUM, Rabies Caste and early Soundgarden are the biggest influences on my writing but our influences are all over the place.  Lately, I've been listening to a lot of Bovine and Primitive Man.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Food and getting old.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you so much for taking the time to interview us and check us out on bandcamp where the pre-order for "Goldsmith" is up and on Facebook.  Thanks again!

Battalions Interview

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

    Formed in 2010 in the city of Kingston upon Hull, UK. A bunch of friends wanting to make heavy, riff infused metal. A few lineup changes down the line and Battalions are stronger than ever, currently finishing up writing for our 2nd album due for release with Black Bow Records later in 2017.


2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

    Heavy sludge, with a nod towards blues, stoner & classic rock.


3.This is the first release since 2012, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?

    Since 2012's 'Warnings Have Being Issued', Battalions went through various lineup changes, finally settling on the solid 5 piece we have now. In this time, we wrote a brand new set and got used to playing and performing together. In 2015, we finally had a set of songs we wanted to take the band forward, and booked in with Skyhammer Studios in Cheshire to record the debut album 'Nothing to Lose'. Since self-releasing this in January 2016, Battalions have worked with renewed vigour to write a new album and are heading to Skyhammer Studios once more, to record the follow up slated for release through Black Bow Records later in 2017.


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

    Phil's lyrics deal with many different themes, including the state of modern politics, despair at the human condition. Not everything is doom and gloom though, with more than a few songs portraying the tongue in cheek side of the band, showcasing how we still know how to have fun within a heavy band. Notably, songs about Warhammer 40k, drinking and having a good time.


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

    When we started the band, we wanted something conveying the big, heavy sound we were going for and someone came up with the thought 'what would a battalion of men marching towards you sound like?'. From there, the name stuck and we've used it ever since.


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?

    Over the 7 years of being a band, we have had the honour of playing with some great bands from all over the world. Ones that stand out for us are supporting the likes of The Ocean, Sworn Enemy, Conan, Church of Misery. As well as playing a local festival to us every year since it's inception in Humber Street Sesh, which has consistently been one of the best gigs of the year for us every time we have been lucky enough to be asked back to play. As for stage performance, we just have fun doing what we do, usually big smiles to accompany the big riffs!


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

    We have just confirmed two tours for the coming months, along with recording the follow up to 'Nothing to Lose', we will be having a very busy year indeed.


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

    The feedback we have received has been extremely positive, we've not had a bad review yet! Overall we have made new fans the world over when we first released 'Nothing to Lose' last year, with even Mr Blasko (Cryptic Slaughter, Ozzy Osbourne,Rob Zombie, Zakk Sabbath) finding out about the album and giving us a mention when he featured on Jamie Jasta's (Hatebreed) podcast.


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

    Current other projects we're involved in are:

    Pete - Face Towards Enemy https://facetowardsenemy .bandcamp.com/

    Mark - Mavet https://mavet.bandcamp.com/

    Dennett - Mastiff https://mastiffhchc.ba ndcamp.com/

    Phil - Sex Injuries https://soundcloud.co m/sex-injuries


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

    Pushing ourselves to create better songs whilst still keeping the ethos of the band in tact. There are more than a few surprises in the songs on the new album, which without giving too much away, show a desire to expand the influence of styles within the band.


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?

    Originally, the big influences were Iron Monkey, St Vitus, Church of Misery, Clutch, Scissorfight, Black Sabbath. Over the years more influences have crept in, with nods to Red Fang, Thin Lizzy, Eyehategod. Outside of this, we all have varied musical tastes, with genres from classic rock, EDM, hip-hop, black metal, thrash metal, punk, hardcore, jazz and blues all in our respective playlists.


12.What are some of your non musical interests?

    We're all very involved in music, so outside of that, it's the usual interests in movies, reading, hitting the gym etc. As a band, our favourite movie is the New Zealand comedy 'What We do in the Shadows', which we watched during the recording of the last album and still quote heavily to each other even now. This, along with quoting 'Carry On' movies is a staple in the Battalions camp!


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

    Thanks for getting in touch and asking us these questions, many thanks to all our fans and to anyone who has ever said a kind word about Battalions, we love you all!


Thanks
Phil
Battalions

http://www.facebook.com/Battal ionsSludge
http://battalionsdirt.bandcamp .com
http://twitter.com/battalionsd irt
Instagram: battalions

Desert Kingdom Interview

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

Well it all formed out of a shitty previous band , Brett and I had been jamming for a bit with a drummer mate of mine. Rich, he was floating around doing nothing so we grabbed him on board. Him and I had played in a death metal band years ago. Old mate drummer didn't work out, Brett and Paul have known each other for a long time. So we got together, wrote some tracks and got on with it. We all dig a similar style of music and each of us know what we want within the band and it all just falls on the page so to speak.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?
A rude obnoxious loud rocking energy that could cure any hangover.

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

There just some fictional fun, with a bit of loosely personal aspects thrown in for good humour and measure. Tracks like Whisky, Abstainer and Doghouse blues are about the rise and fall of alcohol abuse that the four of us in the band and probably a lot of other people can relate too. Not that we condone the irresponsible consumption of alcohol much.


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

The name is derived from our big bad home land. Our good old Desert Kingdom.

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

The best gigs, they've all been really good thus far and for us personally keep getting better, so can't really narrow it down to a single one. Our stage performance could be described as loud, rude and an insult to professionalism hahaha. But mostly loud and fun.

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

We never really had any "plans" to begin with other than to record what we had, everything else has kind of caught us by surprise, what with people actually digging our shit, it's really fuckn cool. So I guess all we really want to do now is, just play it loud and hard as often as we can.


7.Currently the band is signed to 'Black Bow Records', are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?

Fuck yeah!! Jon has been great and we are stoked to be part of the Black Bow Records family.

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

Surprising!!! Hahahaha. That's the bit that's caught us off guard a bit it's really fuck'n cool that people on the other side of the pond are really starting to dig our music, it's fuck'n great.

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

Well were just gonna keep rock'n and writing new stuff, tunes that keep us on our toes, if don't excite us it's out the door. Try heaps of different stuff instead of the old run of mill you 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?

Fucking heaps we've got a diverse range, we get into a lot of stoner like High on Fire , Orange Goblin, the mighty Black Sabbath , a lot of metal too, like Pantera, Entombed , Mastodon but as we said there is usually headphones on trying to find something new and cool.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Well we all have a few things , I beach it snorkelling and stuff in summer , Paul's into Hemi cars , Ritch does rock climbing and Brett well he just drinks VB. But we all love just having a few beers and playing music and few more beers after that too.


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

Yeah I'd just like to say thanks to the people that like our music enough to sign it , buy it , listen to it and just show a general interest in what we are doing it's fucking sweet and ya better get ready cause there's more where that came from !

Vermillion Whiskey Interview

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

VW is based out of Lafayette, Louisiana and we suffered a ‘100yr’ flood in August of 2016. That really pulled the plug on a lot of stuff. VW is back and gearing up for the SPIRIT OF TRADITION tour in 2017. Aside from that we are demoing a new kickass record and enjoying writing some new tunes.



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

SPIRIT OF TRADITION’s sound is based on capturing what we do live. SPIRIT OF TRADITION boils down to Tradition=The Riff. VW isn’t reinventing the rock genre. We take pride in writing songs that groove, writing guitar solos, and push ourselves to be the best we can be at songwriting collectively. Overall the sound of the new record is about energy and groove. That is why we enlisted the help of technicians Kent Stump (WoFat) and Tony Reed (MosGenerator) on the production. We are beyond stoked with the music and artwork done by Mike Calhoun of Sketchy Intuitions (DFW TX)



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

Vocally we always insert real life experiences and try to tell stories in our lyrics. Our main goal is to get the crowd to feel the tone or mood set in a particular song.



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

Whiskey is the easy part to describe. We all like to get twisted on some American bourbon and the clubs we play normally sell a lot of whiskey when we play. It is always a party at shows and most of our fan base drinks. Vermilion is a common word in South Louisiana and there is a river ‘bayou’ that runs straight through our home town of Lafayette, LA. The ‘Bayou Vermilion’ is dark and gritty as is most of our music. 



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?

Our stage performance is pretty bare bones when it comes to gimmicks. We put as much energy as we can and have got some great responses from our live shows. We pride ourselves on our collective sound as a band and put a lot of effort into tweaking our amps to get the best live sound we can. We have been lucky enough to play with New Orleans legends Exorder and also opened a show for Kill Devil Hill which was killer to meet Rex Brown (Pantera) and Vinnie Appice (Dio). We live for the stage and is the true reward for the work we put into the band.



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

We are booking our calendar up with as many shows as we can. We mainly play the US Gulf Coast with plans to break into a few other markets that have some really good scenes right now. We love meeting people that share the same passion that we have for live music.



7.The new album is coming out on '10 South Productions', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

10 South Productions is our own independent label. We recorded and produced both of our records ourselves. We are interested in finding the right label to pick us up to get our music out there.



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

Worldwide our music has been received very well. Europe has been very good to us on the first record and can’t wait to release Spirit of Tradition and get some feedback. We have fans all over the world and is always great to get a message from a new fan. That is what is so cool with digital music these days. There aren’t any borders to who can get a taste of Vermilion Whiskey with the internet.



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

Musically we are growing as a band and have a good grasp of what we want to do with the next record. We are pretty deep in writing right now and have a great start for another album. We are pushing ourselves as songwriters and artists on all the new material. At the end of the day all we want is for our music to groove and make you bob your head.



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?

There are so many bands that influence our music. Some stuff that we grew up on, like Sabbath, Metallica, AC/DC, Down, Pantera, etc…Then there is stuff that is influencing us now, some new and some older stuff that we’re just finding. Thin Lizzy, The Sword, Uriah Heep, WoFat, Mos Generator, Mothership, and many more. We are always discovering bands that keep us inspired to write new music.



11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Whiskey, Beer. Food, Fishing, Motorcycles, and kids nowadays. We all have kids so we spend a lot of time with our families when we aren’t playing dad metal. LOL



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

It is always fun doing interviews. We are super excited to get Spirit of Tradition released and get it out to as many people as we can. We are easy to find online so hit us up and say hello. Long Live the Riff

Carne Interview

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

Since the recording session in June 2016 with Amaury Sauvé, we worked hard to gather people to work with for the vinyl and cd release. We are finally going to release the vinyl version with Shove Records (IT), Poutrage Records (FR), Vox Project (FR), Dingleberry Records (DE), No Way Asso (FR), Ker Mess Noar (FR) and the CD version with Drown Within Records (IT).
Thibo, the drummer, is in charge of every artwork for the band so we worked together to finalize the design for the album too. We also drank a lot of beer and played music sometimes.

2.You have a new album coming out in February, 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?
We usually say we play a kind of sludge / noise music.
Our new album is in the continuity of this approach but we feel we get closer to what we want to express with every new record.

3.This is your first album since 2013, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?

Even if we are always composing new music, we release only the stuff we really like and deserves to be recorded.
Since 2013, we toured in some european countries and took the time to share what we wanted to share with “Ville Morgue” our previous album.

We also prepared and played some shows as a backing band for Marion Leclercq’s solo project, Mütterlein.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
This new record expresses all our skepticism and unease towards a society where sarcasm and mediocrity became criterias of appreciation if not values to be defended at all cost.

A society that constantly and repeatedly broadcasts its own decay, drowning masses in a sea of ignorance and ready-made reflections.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Carne'?
Carne is a french word, pronounced “karn”, which means bad meat. It can be used to described somebody or a living animal too.
It’s also the name of a short film from Gaspar Noé.

6.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?
Both “Ville Morgue” and “Modern Rituals” feature Marion Leclercq as a third member but Carne is and will remain a duo.

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?

Our best show might be the one we’ll play tomorrow because it seems people understand what we want to express a little bit more every time. We recently had very good fun playing for an Halloween party with all the audience dressed up. More generally, the more the audience gets wild, the better we play!

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

We actually planned some shows in France and Italy in February and March for the release.
More will come later in the year.

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

Not sure if all the people who like sludge or noise understand our music because it’s not really based on the standards of the genres. Style labels are just here to help people find new stuff they like according to their tastes but we prefer trying to develop something more personal than celebrating our idols.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We really never planned our music. It’s impossible to say.

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

Playing for Marion’s solo project, Mütterlein, maybe helped us to consider adding more silence and space in our music with Carne. Otherwise we listen to a lot of different music and we do not share exactly the same tastes which gives different lectures and influences to our music.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

There are many things we like doing, and that makes for a large part of the inspiration we use in Carne. We are also a lot into DIY, not only as a music scene but more generally we like doing things ourselves!

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

Thank you, and very glad to read you enjoyed our record!!