Planet Of Zeus 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?

One day after the release of the album we embarked on our greek tour, playing 16 shows in all greek major cities. We got the chance to play most of the album's songs live and the immediate feedback we received really helped us realize that we are on the right track. We also had the honor of playing at 4 european festivals. Heavy by the Sea in Athens, Glockenschlag Festival in Hamburg, Exit in Novisad and Rock im Ring in Bolzano.

2.Recently you have released a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

All these years of playing together made us stronger as a musical team and gave us the confidence to record the album live in the studio. That was a big change for us. We established a more raw and groovy sound, that resembled the energy between us in our live shows. We didn't want to make the album vintage sounding, although our most beloved recordings come from the past. We had the songs ready and really believed in them, because we thought that we were getting closer and closer to establishing our own sound. A seamless blend between blues,hard rock and metal, genres which share some common values.Sincerity, groove and riffs.

3.The band has been around since 2000 but waited 8 years to release the first album and since then it has been 3 years in between releases can you tell us a little bit more about the gaps?

We could label the first 8 years, as our formation period. In 2000 we were 16 years old and played our first gigs, but as you know the distance from conceiving the idea of a band to actually having one , that has something to offer, is quite long. After the release of our first album, "Eleven the hard way", we started touring around Greece, with one purpose. To become a great live band, that makes people dance and have a good time. Just like the bands we admired. We rehearsed in a daily basis, trying to improve both our songwriting and playing skills as a team and not as individuals and slowly gathered the experiences, that would later become songs and make some people actually relate to them. When "Macho Libre" was released we had just become quite a big name in Greece and this fact led to our first European tour, which was a life-changing moment for us. It made us realize, that we're actually far more united and determined as a team outside of our comfort zone. We slowly started playing some European festivals, like Stoned from the Underground and Exit, shared the stage with many of our musical heroes, from Ozzy to Clutch and all this things led to booking our third and most lengthy European tour ever, which starts on the 28th of August and consists of 36 shows in 42 days.

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

"Vigilante" is probably our lyrically most diverse album. It starts with "The great Dandolos", which is a song about a famous Greek gambler, "Nick the Greek", who was said to have gone from rags to riches about 73 times. He had no respect for money, donated enormous sums in charity and his life was all about the game. There are songs like "Second Coming", "Tornado", "Vigliante", " Disappointment Blues" and "The Beast Within", which address sociopolitical matters in a quite aggressive manner. There are plain feel-good songs like "Burn this city down" and "Sky High Heels". And last but not least, there is one love song called "No tomorrow".

5.I know that the band name is related to Greek Mythology, what was the decision behind using it as a band name?

The name was actually conceived in a period, when we were listening to Jimi Hendrix's Experience and several other stoner-psychedelic bands. So, when we heard of Planet of Zeus(Jupiter) in our of astronomy classes, we immediately felt we had gotten ourselves a name.

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?

One of our most memorable shows was our first sold-out gig in Athens, at the historic "Aν club", a show that made us feel obliged to all these people who believed in us and gave us a mission of "keepin' it real" for them. One year later, in Athens again, at "Gagarin205" 1200 people attended our show and made us feel like local heroes. And last but not least all the shows we played around Europe, sharing the stage with bands that we love and admire, like Clutch, Hermano, Brant Bjork, Monster Magnet, Ozzy, Machinehead etc.

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

answered in question 3.

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

Ihaveadrum records is an independent record label we founded in April 2014 after not getting the offers we wanted from several record labels. Ihaveadrum records from now on, will be a sanctuary for bands, that we love and have problems finding a record label.

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

Since we've tested our new album both on the road and through the stereo , we feel really blessed , that the people who listen to it, dig the direction we are taking and understand the reasons we felt the urge to do it. Nowadays, our audience has shifted more to rockers and metallers than stoner fans, because we also have moved to more straight-forward song structures and don't have enough nice psychedelic jams for them.

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

I can't specifically say, but I think we are getting closer to writing our best songs. We want to incorporate all the things, that made the songs we love from the past special. Freedom, ignorance of danger, not giving a fuck...But not in a vintage sounding way.

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?

Jimi Hendrix Experience and the Band of Gypsys, Allman Brothers band, Muddy Waters,Wishbone Ash, AC/DC, Rage against the machine, Mastodon, Metallica, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Clutch. We enjoy listening an array of musical styles. From the history of Blues, to afrobeat, to Dj Premier's whole discography, to Jaga Jazzist.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

We are creatures of the night and so we enjoy everything that involves a bar playing nice tunes, beer and nice company. As we 're growing older we are getting fonder and fonder of tasting delicious food. We also watch tons of documentaries.

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

In a period of time, when  90% of mainstream music produced, seems to be aimed at children under 12, support the bands you love and treat you with respect.See you on the road...

Wild Witch Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Felipe – We are Wild Witch. Traditional Heavy Metal band formed in Curitiba, state of Paraná, south of Brazil. The band was formed in 2011 and by Felipe “Rippervert” on the bass guitar, Flav Scheidt on lead vocals, Mariano Burich on guitars and Weiberlan Garcia on the drums.


2.How would you describe your musical sound?
Felipe – We are very influenced, specially, by early 80’s Heavy Metal and 70’s Hard Rock. Bands that used to play pure Heavy Metal with classic Rock n’ Roll elements. Naturally we have our influences but we ever try to make our music with our own identity. Many bands try to play “oldschool” metal only using direct elements of some bands. We prefer to bring, each member, their own references and work hard over this to do something that sounds only like ourselves.


3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Felipe – We are always searching to be not stagnant with our lyrical themes, we like to be free to write our music. However, of course, we have our favorite themes. These are history, mythology, heavy metal and Fantasy, but nothing prevents us to do lyrics about movies, sci fi or love.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Wild Witch?
Felipe – It was a Flav idea. We thought many options like Lamia and Sandman. So Flav suggested Witchripper (after it would be a song title) but we found an Australian band with this name (it was the old Sithlord, a great Black/Thrash band that changed their name to this). So, from Witchripper, she had an “in sigh” about Wild Witch. It sounds like a typical 80’s/70’s Rock n Roll/Heavy Metal band name and we liked how it sounds to us.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Felipe – The band started to do concerts in the middle of 2013, after the release of “Burning Chains”. We don’t have many concerts of traditional Heavy Metal in Curitiba. It’s really hard to happen here. The best concert that we made was a gig with the Canadian band Cauldron.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Felipe – Yes, we have a gig with Leather Leone in August and a concert in São Paulo to the second semester. Nothing else has been arranged yet. Now we are focused in studio and we are pretending to organize more gigs after to this.

7.Recently Inferno Records re-issued your 2013 demo on cassette, what are your thoughts on the final product?

Felipe – It was a pleasure to us. Unfortunately we did not see the cassettes yet. We still waiting for this in Brazil, but we hope that it was very well done. We are anxious to see this.

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

Felipe – It was good. The feedback out of Brazil was too good as the feedback that we got here. People in Greece, France, Germany and Japan liked too much of our job and we sold many copies of the independent version of Burning Chains for these countries and some other more.
The cassette version has gotten a good selling.

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

Felipe – We are currently recording our first full length. The drum and rhythm guitar sessions were finished at the last week and now we are working on the bass guitar. We are very committed to this work and we hope that we will finish it as fast as possible.

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/
Felipe - We have many influences. As I said earlier, Heavy Metal of the first half of the 80’s of bands like Saxon, Priest, Tank, Iron Maiden, Accept and 70’s Rock bands like Thin Lizzy or KISS. We try to compose the songs only with our own reference, not thinking if our song will sounds like another song of some band that we like. Currently I’m listening many Heavy Metal bands of that new crop like Fire Strike, Rampart, Lady Beast, Iron Curtain, Witchfyre and many others.

11.How would you describe your views on Occultism?

Felipe – We like to read much about that. Some members of Flav’s family had some experiences with African religion and evocation of spirits. It’s really usual in Brazil. I’m curious about those and other ‘real’ (or not) experiences and sometimes I like to read about it but I prefer search occultism as an artistic expression. I like movies, literature, comics and music about this theme. I hope that thought of Mariano and Flav are similar to mine. Weiberlan is even more skeptical I guess.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Felipe – I’m graduated as Design bachelor and now I’m doing my second college in Software Analysis and Development. From September until May I’ll be in Dublin studding and the band gonna do some concerts with another temporary bassist. I work in a bank as enterprise architect and I’m a maniac for arts in general. Flav currently is studding Computing Science and working on a bank also. Mariano is electronic engineering student and Weiberlan is programmer.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Felipe – Yes! I’m really grateful about all the support that we have received and I really liked to answer to this! I would like to thank Underground Extreme Music cast for the opportunity, Fabien of Infernö Records and all the bands that made part of the label. Thank you all!

The Cutthroats 9 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?

We went on a short West Coast tour with Black Cobra and are looking at doing a full U.S. tour with Whores. We're also looking forward to a European tour in the near future. We've also been working on some new stuff to come out in the Winter.

2.Recently you have released a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Personally, I wanted to work more with slide guitar. I think we'll be exploring that more in the near future.

3.The band was broken up for a long time, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to the reform?

I wouldn't actually say that we were broken up. I was working with my other band Unsane and our drummer Will Carroll was working with DeathAngel, both of which kept us very busy. We both wanted to keep doing stuff with The Cutthroats 9, but simply didn't have the time.

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

We generally write about things that we know. How fucked up people are, How society and technology are homogenizing the human spirit or how humanity is eating the planet alive. Light subject matter...

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name "The Cutthroats 9'?

It's taken from an old 70's gore western called Cut-Throats Nine.

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?

SXSW I think in 2001. We smashed everything at the end of our set and the singer from the next band stood next to me looking at the mess and said "What are we supposed to do after THAT?" We generally smash as much equipment as possible. I really like fixing things.

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

Yes. A U.S. tour in the Fall followed by a European tour in the Winter. Also, hopefully a new record this Winter.

8.The new album was released as a joint effort between Lamb Unlimited and Reptilian, can you tell us a little bit more about those labels?

Lamb Unlimited is a new noise label that''s vinyl and downloads only. It's run by me and a friend. We licensed the cd rights to our friend Chris X at Reptilian mainly because he has the previous Cutthroats 9 releases.

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

Amazing! It's really surprising that there has been such a good response.

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

I'm not sure which musical direction we'll want to take. We really enjoy what we're doing now, so I think we'll just try to improve on what we love to do.

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

That's a very long list. Anything from Flipper to Hank Williams Sr. to The Birthday party to Robert Johnson to the Stooges to the Velvet Underground. The list could go on for quite a while. Lately I've been listening to a lot of Jimi Hendrix and The Fall.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Shooting guns, Riding motorcycles...

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

Support yr local noise scene!

Guilty As Charged Interview

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

Guilty As Charged is a Thrash/Heavy Metalband from Bruges, Belgium. Our current lineup was formed in 2008. One year later we recorded our first demo CD. With good results, we played a lot of cool shows over the years! We played Alcatraz Metal Festival 2011 and Masters @ Rock 2012 and played with bands such as Soulfly, Helloween, Death Angel,... Now we’ve released our first album: Leap Of Faith, and we ourselves are ready to take a new leap to bigger stages!

2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound of the newer material and also how does it differ from the album you have released 5 years ago?

We obviously still play thrash/heavy metal, the genre hasn’t changed. I think we’ve matured more in sound and structure the songs. We’ve put in a lot more effort in this album than the previous one and I hope it shows! This album was mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö and we’re very happy with the sound we got!

                                                                                                         

3.This is the first recording that has been released since 2009, can you tell us a little bit more about the 5 year gap between releases?

We admit we took some time before this album came out. We’ve been playing shows and finally gathered enough money to pay for the recordings, mixing & mastering.  Also we wrote more music than we put on the album. Songwriting isn’t something that should be done too fast, it should be done right.

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

Preach to the masses for example, is a song that delates war. I’ll Never… is about a child being mistreated by his father, the kid rebels and swears to never be like his father. Leap Of Faith is, to no one’s surprise, about taking a leap of faith, Making a change in life. Jan (vocals, guitars) is taking the writing of lyrics for his account, he usually writes about things he encounters in life.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Guilty As Charged'?

The name came up when the first songs were written.. the titletrack of our demo was about someone rotting away in his cell, therefore you must be guilty of something. We are guilty of playing heavy music and we thought it was a good name for a metal band.

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

The finest shows were definitely the couple of festivals that we played: Alcatraz Metal Festival and Masters @ Rock. On and offstage, everything is organized on a professional level. It’s a delight for musicians to play and also good for promotional purposes. We could reach a lot of people this way.

On stage I’d describe our performance as energetic, active, asskicking, humoristic and tight sounding! We plainly have a lot of fun on stage!

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

There aren’t any specific plans yet, but yes, we would like to tour in countries other than Belgium and in general play all the shows we can to promote the new album! Therefore we are also searching for a management solution, it’s impossible for us to keep doing everything by ourselves.

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

We’re unsigned and independent, but a label is very helpful. A professional organization has contacts that we just don’t have.

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

I was stunned to get reactions from Europe and America through youtube, facebook,… All feedback we got are positive, so we’re happy with that and eager to reach a whole lot more people!

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

Musically we’re happy with what we’re doing right now. Thrash and Heavy metal is a genre all four of us can relate to very well. We will make sure there’s always some catchiness and melody in our music besides the heavy stuff… and of course we hope to grow bigger and get better.

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?

The four of us all listen to different genres of metal but the big four all influenced us greatly. We’re still listening to that good old thrash, it doesn’t seem to ever lose power. But as I said: we all listen to different genres. Dempsey and Heinz listen to death core and death metal, the drummer Matthew loves glam metal and Jan has always been loyal to thrash and rock ‘n roll.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

The usual stuff I guess: go out, party, drink, have a good time with friends,…

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

We’d like to thank you for this interview. Hopefully it convinces people to check out our music, and that’s our main goal: have people listen to and appre

Brimstone Coven/Self Titled/Metal Blade Records/2014 CD Review

    Brimstone  Coven  are  a  band  from  West  Virginia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  retro  rock,  psychedelic  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2014  album  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Metal  Blade  Records.

  Drum  beats  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  70's  rock  metal  direction  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  and  after  awhile  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  and  melodies  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  classic  rock  style  guitar  solos  and  leads  and  on  the  second  song  clean  playing  becomes  a  part  of  the  bands  musical  sound  while  the  music  remains  mostly  in  a  heavier  direction.

  After  awhile  you  can  really  hear  the  70's  doom  metal  in  the  bands  musical  sound  and  the  band  also  starts  adding  in  more  psychedelic  elements  as  the  album  progresses  and  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  occult  rock  and  proto  metal  and  they  also  bring  in  a  few  long  and  epic  tracks  as  well  as  speeding  up  a  bit  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  which  makes  the  darker  side  of  their  music  have  a  more  ritualistic  feeling.

  When  the  album  goes  into  the  9th  track  they  add  in  synths  along  with  a  brief  instrumental  that  also  utilizes  the  sounds  of  thunder  before  making  a  return  back  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  and  the  bonus  tracks  are  another  ep  that  the band  has  recorded  and  they  are  in  a  more   raw  and  retro  doom  metal  direction.

  Brimstone  Coven  goes  back  to  the  origins  of  heavy  and  doom  metal  with  their  musical  sound  with  every  song  sounding  like  it  could  of  been  recorded  in  the  70's  and  you  can  also  hear  a  good  amount  of  psychedelic  and  occult  rock  in  their  musical  style,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  all  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  Anunnaki,  Faustian,  Satanism  and  Occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Brimstone  Coven  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  retro  doom  metal  and  occult  rock  and  if  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Behold  The  Anunnaki"  "Lord  &  Master"  "The  Seance"  and  "The  Ancients".  8/5 out  of  10.            

Rabbits/Untoward/Lamb Unlimited/2014 CD Review

 Portland  Oregon's  Rabbits  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  that  continues  their  mixture  of  sludge  metal  and  noise  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Untoward"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Lamb  Unlimited.

  A  slow,  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  aggressive  vocals  that  have  a  melodic  tone  to  them  at  times  and  the  music  also  starts  getting  a  lot  more  heavy  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  after  awhile  noisy  yet  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music.

  There  is  a  good  mixture  of  slow  and  mid  paced  parts  throughout  the  tracks  on  the  recording  and  the  band  also  brings  the  raw  energy  of  punk  rock  into  their  music  at  times  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  shows  a  slight  death  metal  influence  in  the  vocals  and  a  lot  of  the  bands  musical  style  has  its  roots  in  mid  80's  to  early  90's  noise  rock.

  Rabbits  remains  true  to  their  mixture  of  sludge  metal  and  noise  rock  as  well  as  keeping  everything  heavy  this  time  around,  the  production  sounds  very  raw   and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  everyday  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Rabbits  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Pack  Up  Your  Shit"  and  "Like  You  A  Lot".  8  out  of  10.

     

  

Tyranny Is Tyranny Interview

 
 1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We are political band from Madison WI influenced equally by the grinding noise rock of the 90s (think Amphetamine Reptile and Touch & Go Records)and more recent post-metal (think Isis or Neurosis). We focus on dynamics,repetition, and the dismantling of capitalism.


> 2.you released an album in November, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Shades of light and dark. For every ugly and thunderous moment, there is a delicate and quiet moment. Above all there is an overwhelming sense of anger and longing.


> 3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
All the lyrics on the record were based on The Communist Manifesto:commodity fetishism, boomandbust cycles, cultural distractions, democracy,class warfare, and patriotism. The next record leans heavily on the themes presented in Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine."


> 4.I know that the band name came from the 4th chapter of Howard Zinn's "A people's history Of the United States" what was the decision behind naming
> your band after the 4th chapter of that book?
It has a nice ring to it, tautologically speaking, but the book in general
and that chapter in particular encapsulate much of what we are angry about
and fighting against.


> 5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also
> how would you describe your stage performance?
Spastic. M. Guy and Russell flail like possessed mannequins while JB appears to have eight appendages. Jason stoically looks on bemused. Any show where at least one person loses their mind is a great one, but a recent packed, sweaty show at the Mag Bar in Louisville was pretty amazing.


> 6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We tour extensively in the Midwest from our home base in Madison,primarily on weekends. When interest warrants, we'll be doing the coasts at some point.



> 7.The new album came out on Phratry Records, can you tell us a little bit
> more about this label?
Phratry means brotherhood in Greek and that perfectly sums up Jerry's approach to the label. It's a community of like minded bands, artists, and individuals who all pitch in to help each other and get the music heard.
We met Jerry touring with our old band when we played in Cincinnati and as like-minded souls, we kept in touch. He is very supportive and understands what we're trying to do.


> 8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of
> noise rock?
Great response. It's funny though because the things people hear really break down along age lines rather than geographically. Older people hear a lot of AmRep noiserock while younger listeners tend to focus on the post-rock and post-metal elements.



> 9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We're almost done writing our next record and the over arching change seems to be that the songs are getting more complex. A lot of this has to do with our new drummer JB who is a huge mathrock fan from way back. Another interesting development has been the addition of trumpet. M Guy has been pulling double duty on bass and trumpet and lending some of the longer songs a melancholic and orchestral quality. There's still plenty of noise, feedback, and screaming too.


> 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?
M. Guy and Russell have been listening to a lot of post-Black metal lately. JB listens to a lot of 90s math and indie rock while Jason listens to weirdo pop. We all listen to a lot of the bands that we've met playing shows over the last couple of years, like The Paver, Buildings, The Rutabega, and Mad Anthony...


> 11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Art, cooking, film... you know normal people stuff.

 

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

While many people dismiss our political stance as contrived or, at the very least, preaching to the converted, we're just trying to move the meter a bit on people's attitudes. At a minimum we try to make people realize that voting Democrat is not going to change a goddamn thing. The"two-party" system is a lie.