Interview – Page 17 – Wonderbox Metal

Interview with Oranssi Pazuzu

Having just released their latest dark creation Värähtelijä, enigmatic Progressive/Post-Black Metal band Oranssi Pazuzu’s bassist Ontto takes the time out from exploring the underworld to answer a few queries about this textured and atmospheric mysterious entity…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

We are Oranssi Pazuzu from Finland. Five guys who have been exploring the outer regions of mind’s cosmos since 2007.

Give us a bit of background to Oranssi Pazuzu

We dive into unknown sonic landscapes. Our method for this is collective improvisation and fusion of different musical elements from psychedelic rock to second wave black metal. Our songs are noisy and sung in Finnish. We’ve recorded four albums, of which the newest, ‘Värähtelijä’, just came out.

What are your influences?

Circle, Darkthrone, Swans, Can, Scott Walker, Sleep, to name a few current favourites. We are into many different kinds of music.

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

Right now I get the biggest kicks out of Fleetwood Mac’s mid-seventies soft rock era. Currently my favourite FM albums are the ‘75 Fleetwood Mac and Future Games. Great songs and that rhythm section is just incredibly groovy!

How do you feel that you fir into the wider Metal scene?

Sometimes it feels a bit restricting to define ourselves as a metal band. I think we fit in any place where people respect our musical ideas and get strong feelings out of it, regardless of what colour t-shirts they are wearing. Having said that, we’ve also had great time playing at some amazing metal festivals, like Heavy Days Doomtown or Roadburn Festival, so I wouldn’t say we are outside the scene either.

Give us a bit of background to Värähtelijä – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?

Värähtelijä is like a long trip that flips your mind inside out. Each song is like a vision on that trip, and together they form a unified experience that is greater than it’s individual fragments. There are concepts like sacrificing the ego, power of the society, and finally the extinction of the mind.

Tell us about the album artwork

On the front cover there is a photo by Andrea Petrovicova. It is an ominous dark tunnel, that has organic growth inside it. The tunnel leads to catharsis. When you open the vinyl gatefold, you will discover what’s at the other end of the tunnel, and inside you.

How do you go about writing your songs?

We get together and start jamming and playing with different ideas. We go for a strong atmosphere, not technical precision. We recorded many ideas while making this album, and many of those slowly evolved into songs as we played with them. Some songs were written more traditionally as riffs, but they too had a lot of collective band input in the end.

How did the recording process go?

It was exhausting and fun two weeks. We started with Julius Mauranen with the live takes and then added more instrumental parts and vocals with Tom Brooke. After that we recorded some additional guests by ourselves and the stuff was ready for mixing.

What’s your favourite song on the album and why?

I think the album is stronger than individual songs. But if I have to choose one, I’ll go for Vasemman käden hierarkia. It’s got the most ambitious arc we’ve done and many different levels to it, and I think it holds together nicely the whole 17 minutes.

What does the future hold for Oranssi Pazuzu?

We’re touring Europe this month and then we’re going to do some festivals, like Desert Fest in London and Roadburn in Tilburg. After those the future is unclear.

Interview with Abyssus

Abyssus have been taking the underground old-school Death Metal scene by storm in recent years, culminating in their début album Into the Abyss and their recent compilation Once Entombed…. Fast becoming one of my favourite old-school Death Metal bands, I wanted to know more about these Greek death-dealers…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

Greetings!! I am Panos Gkourmpaliotis, the guitarist of Abyssus, an old school death metal band from Greece. Abyssus formed in 2011 by the vocalist Kostas Analytis, just to glorify the Metal of Death!!! I entered the band in 2012 and Kostas Ragiadakos (bass) joined us in 2015. Abyssus is just our passion for 80s and 90s Death/Thrash Metal.

Give us a bit of background to Abyssus

After the release of our first EP “Monarch to the Kingdom of the Dead” (2011) it was about time for the band to have a solid line up. We played some live shows and we recorded a few split releases (No Life in the Coffin with legendary Nocturnal Vomit in 2013 , “From the Abyss Raised the Morbid” with mighty Morbider in 2014 and “Obscure” with Slaktgrav in 2014). The songs included in the split with Morbider were remixed and remastered because we were completely disappointed with the sound of that release. The result was “Summon the Dead” in 2014 , an EP released only on tape. For many years we were giving final form to our style. In 2015 we entered Unreal Studios, one of the best studios in Athens and we recorded our début album entitled “Into the Abyss” (released in 2015 via Memento Mori) and some split releases that already came in 2016 and some others that will follow soon.

What are your influences?

Our influences are all those epic bands from 80s and 90s that served old school Metal with respect and passion. Bands like Bolt Thrower, Death, Asphyx, Autopsy, Obituary, Possessed, Massacre, Benediction, Death Strike, Cancer, Slayer, Sodom, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Venom, Bathory.

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

This period am listening to Rapture’s début album called “Crimes Against Humanity” and “Ways of Enclosure” by Dementia 13. Both are great albums! Don’t forget to bang your heads with “Exterminate!! Annihilate! Destroy! by Down Among The Dead Men. Hail to Dave Ingram , one of the best Death Metal vocalists ever!!!! Bow to none!!!!

Give us a bit of background to Once Entombed… – as a collection of your older work, how did this release come about?

Memento Mori and Κunal of Transcending Obscurity cooperate on album promotions. So we met him! Transcending Obscurity celebrates with us and honours our first days with “Once Entombed…”, a compilation that shows the evolution of the band through the years. Most of our early releases are difficult to find, so it is a good opportunity for someone who wants to get in touch with that stuff. So far our collaboration with Transcending Obscurity has been more than excellent. Kunal is a metal maniac and we couldn’t be more satisfied with the result !!!

How do you go about writing your songs – has this changed over time?

Me and Kostas Analytis write our own stuff and then we shall get in touch to play to each other the new ideas.. We are partners in crime!! Until “Summon the dead” Kostas Analytis was the main composer of the band and I had less responsibility on that material. That was something that changed after “Summon the Dead” so to speak , as and I am responsible for the biggest part of “Into the Abyss”.

To me, your EP Monarch to the Kingdom of the Dead is stylistically and sonically different to what came after – what prompted this?

Our first EP “Monarch to the Kingdom of the Dead” released in 2011 and as I talked, when Abyssus began to act was just an one man band. As it is logical Kostas Analytis had a different view from me. But we found a common path somewhere in the middle and this is the so called evolution of Abyssus from “No Life in the Coffin” till now.

What’s your favourite song on your début album and why?

My favorite song off “Into the Abyss” is “Echoes of Desolation”. It’s probably the most “epic” song on the album , so to speak! The one that evokes more emotions and makes you get into a different kind of dimension.

What does the future hold for Abyssus?

Right now we are working on new material! Very soon our début album “Into the Abyss will be released on vinyl format via Floga Records and a 4-way split on 7” vinyl, with Death Courier / Slaughtered Priest / DreamLongDead. Also we’d like to play live our music in the near future , as two years have gone since our last live performance!

And finally – how ace is Death Metal?

After a long time that passed from the glorious 90s, prevailed mediocrity in all genres of metal music!!! As Asphyx said on “Deathhammer”, pollution begins!!!! Decades after, we see the streams of great releases coming out one after another and we are really excited about that. We believe that Death Metal must remain pure and old school as it had begun!! We respect and we admire so many legendary bands that kill again and of course new bands that defend the old sound with passion and true inspiration! Hail true Death Metal.

Interview with Communal Grave

Communal Grave’s recently released début album Solace in Violencia is chock full of melodic Death Metal with absolutely bowel-loosening vocals and a decent Thrash influence. I caught up with frontman Jamail to dig a bit deeper into the history of the band…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

Hello Nigel I hope you are well, I’m Jamail Rafi the main man of Communal Grave. I do vocals, bass, lyrics and songwriting for the band.

Give us a bit of background to Communal Grave

We started back in 2006 in Karachi, Pakistan. It started with 5 guys but now only I, Nabeel (Guitars) and Asas (Drums) are the one carrying the metal movement forward. In the start we had no idea what to sound like; we just wanted to play metal. I remember our main influence was Pantera. We tried so hard to sound like Pantera in the beginning but fell on our collective asses (Haha). So naturally we gravitated towards a sound which combined Death Metal and Thrash Metal which came naturally to us. We made a song called “Anomaly” which became sort of like the anthem of the Karachi Underground. I remember everyone used to sing the song along with us and it was a time where bands didn’t do originals here. We played in the Karachi underground scene from 2006-2009 but after a while the gigs became scarce and the whole scene became a joke. We took a really long break after that and now are back to unleash our fury hehe.

What are your influences?

My influences are mainly 80s US/ German Thrash and a lot of Old School Swedish Death Metal, Swedish Thrash and the Gothenberg scene bands. Bolt Thrower, Hail of Bullets, Testament, Megadeth, Slayer, Kreator, Entombed, Dismember, Grave, Bloodbath, Unleashed, At the Gates, Arch Enemy (stigmata and burning bridges still kicks ass to this day!), Darkane, The Haunted, Carnal Forge etc. The list is really long but I have a deep affection for the nation of Sweden when it comes to metal.

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

Well last night I was streaming Brujeria live at hellfest 2012, it kicked mighty ass! Currently listening to Bloodbath – Grand Morbid Funeral, Firespawn – Shadow Realms, Insision – Terminal Reckoning, Bold Thrower – Those Once Loyal (a fucking classic).

How do you feel that you fit into the wider Metal scene?

As far as the whole metal scene is concerned, there are so many bands now that it’s easy to get lost in the abyss. But I would like to keep the focus on changing the Metal landscape of my own country and be a strong inspiration for the non-existent metal community here. I want Communal Grave to be a strong metal band to represent Pakistan.

Give us a bit of background to Solace in Violencia – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?

We started working on the album back in 2008 or 09 but went on a hiatus. The album has a loose concept to it but it does not extend to the whole of the album. “The Killing of the Kings/ all of Monarchy” is the concept that I incorporated into the album. The Last Gasp of the Beardsman is about Saddam Hussein. Tormentor of Agonopolis is about Idid Amin Dada. Heavy Lies the Crown is about Bahadur Shah Zafar (Mughal Empire). The Protruding Tomb is about Peter Ludwig von der Pahlen and the assassination of Paul I of Russia.

Tell us about the album artwork

The artwork was done by me. It shows an amputated corpse suspended in mid-air in a black hole with the black hole/emptiness still eating and feeding off of him.

How do you go about writing your songs?

Well I write constantly. Sometimes an interesting riff comes to me then I start writing the progression of that riff and take the whole writing from there. Once the song is musically created I attach an idea behind it and write the lyrics. I ponder a lot on musical arrangements and the arrangement of different parts in the song. Being a sole songwriter on the band, it definitely has a draining effect on you but nonetheless a very satisfying experience too.

How did the recording process go?

It did not go very smoothly. I experimented a lot with different mics, different distortions, bass amplifiers to find the right sound. As I am the producer on the record I had to make sure that the sound is not comprised in any way. It took me 2-3 months just to find the right sound for this particular record. Juggling a day job and then recording on my free time.

What’s your favourite song on the album and why?

Heavy Lies the Crown because whenever we have played it live the crowd goes fucking nuts. It always becomes a pit of moshing chaos. The energy it channels the audience is just amazing.

What does the future hold for Communal Grave?

As for me I’m already working with my homie Nabeel’s band called Cardinal Sin which is a sister band of ours so be sure to check out Cardinal Sin’s début this year! And already working on Communal Grave’s follow-up full-length called “Preacher of Darkness” due to be out in 2017. So stay tuned and thanks for this wonderful interview Nigel.

Interview with Beehoover

The latest Beehoover album Primitive Powers is a highly enjoyable listening experience from this uncommon band. Combining quirky and characterful Stoner/Doom/Sludge influences into their personable music, I had to ask their drummer Claus a bit more about what they’re made of…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

It’s Ingmar on bass and vocals and me, Claus, on drums. We play loud rock music beyond typical standards. We don’t care about common structures, song lengths or whatever. We don’t have a specific political, social or visual outfit. However, we do care about our music a lot!

Give us a bit of background to Beehoover

Ingmar and I met around 2002 and we realized at once we share the same ideas about music. We tried to put together a proper rock band with a guitar player and a singer that didn’t work out so we had to carry on as a duo, which has worked out well ever since. “Primitive Powers” is our fifth album, other than that we have released four albums on Exile on Mainstream Records, an EP and a demo.

What are your influences?

We both have listened to bands like Primus, No Means No, Tool, Ninewood or Isis. Lyric-wise there are influences to be found in our everyday life or historical facts.

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

I listen to some older stuff or BBC6 radio. We both don’t really listen to any specific new bands.

How do you feel that you fit into the wider musical scene?

We ourselves think we do. There are people with different musical backgrounds at our concerts, all together dancing and banging their heads, which may mean we’re right. However, some promoters, labels, bookers or magazines seem to see us in a freakier corner and not appealing to a larger audience.

Give us a bit of background to Primitive Powers – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?

This album covers topics like domination, aggression and suppression on one and those like hope, despair and disappointment on the other side.

“Primitive powers” is a line of the song “Tickling the Dragon’s Tail”, which is the name of an experiment carried out by nuclear scientists in the 1940s. It was a very dangerous experiment, however safety precautions were neglected and in the end something went wrong and some scientists died from radiation. We think this shows how arrogant human beings can be.

The cover artwork may give some space for interpretation as well.

Tell us about the album artwork

They are handmade collages and a collaboration between an Dutch and American artist. The cover is a symbol of human arrogance.

How do you think this is different to or has progressed from The Devil and His Footmen?

Always difficult to tell because you don’t do anything on purpose, it comes out a certain way and that’s it. We’ve already gotten some very nice critiques about the album being the most elaborated Beehoover work so far.

Also, it’s the first album we didn’t record and mix ourselves, which made things a lot easier. It’s also the first for our new label Unundeux.

How do you go about writing your songs?

Normally Ingmar comes up with riffs. We work on them, record them, share them online, listen to them again and again, combine them with other parts, rewrite them, throw them away and so on. So our songs grow step by step and we always work on several songs at the same time.

We live several hundreds of kilometres apart. So we met every other weekend over a couple of months for rehearsing sessions until the songs were done.

How did the recording process go?

We locked ourselves in at Tonmeisterei Oldenburg for six days. It’s good to be caught in that microcosm and be able to concentrate on nothing but the music. When recording we don’t experiment a lot and try to be prepared as well as possible.

What’s your favourite song on the album and why?

That’s difficult because they’re all our babies and we don’t play something if one of us doesn’t like it. Of the new songs I really enjoy listening to Embers and Bombs & Bagpipes. Those songs have lots of dynamics and unusual structures, which I like.

What does the future hold for Beehoover?

We have some touring plans for later this year and hopefully we’ll get the chance to play more gigs and a greater recognition.

Interview with Zlang Zlut

Zlang Zlut are an interesting proposition, as they are concurrently a traditional Hard Rock band and also quite unusual due to their use of cello. Either way, Crossbow Kicks is a riotous collection of instantly-likeable Rock tunes that get you moving whether you want to or not. I decided I needed to know more about this intriguing band…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

We are Zlang Zlut, a two-piece rock band with a cello/bass pedal player and a drummer/singer from Basel/Switzerland, we play rock’n’roll. Bite this bullet!!

Give us a bit of background to Zlang Zlut

The cello player (Beat) is in his late fifties, me (Fran), the drummer/singer, I’m in my late forties. We’re both classically trained professional musicians, loving rock’n’roll. We’ve known each other from jobs in classical music and teach at the same music school. We’ve jammed and gigged in other formations before, but this duo has been the most rocking version of our common efforts.

What are your influences?

I’d say it’s a wide range beginning from classical music to jazz and blues to pop, rock, hard rock and heavy metal. We’re really open, but of course the most direct influences are stemming from the great 70’s hard rock bands like Purple, Sabbath and Zeppelin, AC/DC or Judas Priest, to name but a very few. Me personally I’m into loads of ’90s bands too like Helmet or The Melvins, but the list is really endless.

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

I really love the first Wolfmother album and Andrew Stockdale’s solo album, the first two Black Country Communion Albums, Billy Gibbons’ new solo album, all of Mark Lanegan’s albums, and a great duo from Nashville, The Black Diamond Heavies. And, oh yeah, Karma To Burn are phantastic, too.

Your use of cello in a Rock context is definitely outside of the norm. How did this come about?

It’s really not something we planned with any sophistication, it really just happened naturally. Beat truly HATED all existing attempts of using cello in rock music to date, so I guess when he plugged his cello through a distortion pedal into his bass amp, he was ready to make a different statement, or maybe less different, but purer, depending on the angle from which you look at it. We don’t think too much anyway, we just play, and we play what we love to hear.

Give us a bit of background to Crossbow Kicks – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?

Most of the songs ending up on the album had been tested live in concert before, so the songwriting was a natural process of composing and performing. Because of the fact that our experience as a two-piece is growing, we get more security in what we do and what we can do. Still we’re trying to keep challenging us. I think we found a healthy mixture of adventurous and fun songs. I also like the fact that our music gets harder and more intense, but still keeps breathing. We’re pretty proud of this record.

How do you go about writing your songs?

It’s either Beat who comes up with a riff or two, we jam, record, I’m trying to find lyrics to the vocal lines in my head, we arrange, play, arrange, play, and at some point we try to have a version that we start playing live. There and later in the studio we might keep changing the arrangement, but even after recording it it’s not carved in stone and we’ll change it if we feel it ought to be. Beat’s songs are always fun to play. Whereas when I come up with a song I mostly come up with the finished song worked out on my computer, so then starts the whole process of trying to talk Beat into playing what I’d like him to play, which means tough night-long negotiations, haha. After several months of fighting tooth and nail, the song is there and slowly gets welcomed into the repertoire.

How did the recording process go?

We went into pre-production last may, recorded all the basics of the songs in one day, then I recorded all the vocals at home. Then we gave the files to Fredy, our label-boss. He gave us a severe and honest feedback, so then during the summer, we kept re-arranging the songs and I re-wrote half of the lyrics. A week before the studio we rehearsed day and night to get used to the changements and in shape and ready for the recording. The basics were done in three days, the lead vocals in two days, I did the all backings at home over two more weeks, then VO Pulver mixed the whole thing and we had two or three more sessions with him for adjustments.

What’s your favourite song on the album and why?

My personal favourite is “Now”, because it has everything I feel a Zlang Zlut song should have, a cool riff, a dramatic chorus, dynamics, space to improvise, a challenging arrangement and a great cello solo. No wonder it’s 8 minutes long! 😉

What does the future hold for Zlang Zlut?

Who knows? I mean, let’s face it, times are tough for this kind of music, and it’s a daily struggle to get heard in the global cacophony, but as long as we keep growing and loving what we do, there are plenty of rewards on the way.

Interview with Frozen Ocean

Frozen Ocean’s latest release The Prowess of Dormition is 25 minutes of quality atmospheric Black Metal. Wonderbox Metal caught up with the brains behind the project once more to find out a bit more information…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

Hello. I am Vaarwel, the only person behind this project.

Give us a bit of background to Frozen Ocean

Frozen Ocean was founded in 2005 and had 10th anniversary last year. I always be the only member of this project, and will be. “The Prowess Of Dormition” is nineteenth official release.

What are your influences?

I usually try to avoid influences to create something original, but for “The Prowess Of Dormition” I can mention Vinterland, Thy Catafalque and obscure Russian band Valhalla as entities that inspired me somehow.

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

I generally listen to brutal and technical death metal, so I’d like to recommend to check upcoming Wormed album named “Krighsu”.

Give us a bit of background to The Prowess of Dormition – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?

“The Prowess Of Dormition” has no particular concept or plot, but all the songs are about struggle in philosophical sense, as entity overcoming the hindrances. Struggle is the only thing that can make us better than we are and pushes the evolution forward.

How do you go about writing your songs?

I write the music first, keeping in mind the title and concept, and only then write the lyrics. I record all instruments and vocals by myself, and do all the sound work as well.

How did the recording process go?

Relatively fast.

What’s your favourite song on the album and why?

Title track, I guess, because it is the quintessence of whole EP both in music and in lyrics.

What does the future hold for Frozen Ocean?

Something new and unexpected, as usual.

Interview with Casket Robbery

Casket Robbery’s début album Evolution of Evil is full of catchy songwriting and memorable brutality. Featuring bucketloads of groove and rhythm, this is Death Metal to get moving to. With this in mind, let’s find out a bit more…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

Cory: We are Casket Robbery. Death, groove metal.

Patrick: WE’RE CASKET ROBBERY AND WE’RE FROM MADISON, WISCONSIN!

Give us a bit of background to Casket Robbery

Cory: Dustin and I started this band a few years back as a recording project. We were really just trying to make something super heavy and fun/catchy but didn’t think much of it while we were tracking the first few songs. We were just drinking beer and having a blast in the studio doing the songs. I felt like a lot of death metal bands lack the catchy part and thought it would be cool to see if we could add that element to this. We shared the recordings with people and we started getting a lot of show offers right off the bat. So, we decided to call some friends up to create a live band and we just went for it full force. We saw the potential in the music and it grew from there.

Patrick: I only joined the band last June but I have been friends with Cory for years and followed the band from its inception. They really brought something different to death metal, and I hope to contribute in my own way to that unique twist on brutal metal music that Casket Robbery delivers.

What are your influences?

Cory: When I write for Casket I try to write visually. So really, my influences are horror movies. If you take a look into the lyrics and songs on the album you should be able to paint a picture or sort of visualize the song moods. When I am writing songs I keep a story/concept in my head. Like, what would be the death metal sound track that a serial killer would hear in his head while hacking up victims? That’s my influence the best I can explain. Musically, I am eclectic and listen to anything from death metal to pop music. I draw music inspiration from everything and can’t really pinpoint a band that I draw from.

Patrick: As far as what I do on bass for Casket Robbery goes, I really look to dudes like Alex Webster and Nick Schendzeilos. They’re definitely two apex death metal bass players and really give me a direction for honing my technique since guitar is my primary instrument and I’ve only recently picked up bass as something to take seriously.

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

Cory: I have been listening to Children of Bodom’s “Halo of Blood” a lot. I am really loving it. Also, check out Graveworm’s latest!

Patrick: As I type this, I have had Keith Merrow’s album “Awaken the Stone King” playing on repeat for the past two or three hours. I can highly recommend any of his solo albums (it’s all brutal, technical instrumental prog metal with a ton of old school death metal influence) as well as his Conquering Dystopia project with Jeff Loomis, Alex Rüdinger, and Alex Webster. He’s supposed to have something he did with Wes Hauch (ex-The Faceless) on the way soon that I’m beyond stoked to hear.

How do you feel about the Death Metal scene in 2016?

Cory: I have been hearing a lot of cool things. There are some great bands out there. Even in the midwest (Wisconsin specifically) there are a lot of bands coming out of our area that are really doing well and putting out great albums.

Patrick: Lot of great stuff to look forward to! The past two or three years have been huge for death metal, and a lot of cool albums are coming out in this year. Definitely looking forward to hearing some new Fallujah and Revocation!

Give us a bit of background to Evolution of Evil – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?

Cory: We stepped up our game musically and conceptually on this album. We started to get labelled as a band that writes serial killer songs but there is a lot more to offer on this album. Dustin has these great concepts and horror stories that he has been writing lyrics about. This album is all about the evils of the world. Every one of us is evil and has the capability of pursuing evil thoughts. This album is a fun roller coaster ride.

How do you go about writing your songs?

Cory: On this album I did a majority of the writing. Sometimes it will start with a concept that Dustin has and I will write a whole song with that in mind. Or, I will have a concept in mind and start writing. This album, we both just fed off of the Evolution of Evil idea. It came naturally. I start with the framework of riffs and structures and then hand them off to Dustin to add lyrics and Greg and Patrick add their own input to make the songs come to life. Everyone has input after the initial song writing. If something isn’t working or sucks we change it. Dustin and I are super collaborative in the early stages and will go back and forth on lyrics and riffs until we feel it’s perfect. And then it only gets better when everyone else adds their touch.

How did the recording process go?

Cory: It was a very long process. We didn’t have a full band when we started recording and writing this album. And it was all self funded. I produced and handled most of the efforts of this so I just chipped away at it a little at a time. I knew we needed to step up the production of the album. I recorded the guitars with Cody Ratley, and drums were done by Greg in his studio. Then we brought it back to my studio and I tracked everything else. We took a lot of time on vocals and layering. Basically, every piece was thought out and done the way it needed to be done. It was all natural and organic feeling. We knew it was our début album so we took our time on it. When the recording was done we took it to Chris Wisco at Belle City sound for mixing. He had done the last few Jungle Rot albums that we all loved the sound of and we knew he would deliver that huge and heavy sound we needed for this. Cody Ratley mastered it and really added the perfect final touch to it!

What’s your favourite song on the album and why?

Cory: I am really digging Pray for Death. John Laux did a guest solo on it and it really rips. I can’t thank him enough for adding it!

Patrick: It’s a tie between Pray for Death and The Final Chapter. They’re just my favorite songs to play live because they’re a bit more on the technical side for me as the bass player. Annibelle is right up there as well.

What are your live shows like?

Cory: Tons of energy! And always heavy. You will have fun, come check it out. We will be hitting the east coast soon!

Patrick: Fun, energetic, and heavy. We always want everyone who comes to see Casket Robbery play to have a good time, and the best way to do that is for us to have a good time ourselves!

What does the future hold for Casket Robbery?

Cory: We are going to keep the Casket train rolling. More shows and tours after this album and then we will start writing!

Patrick: More releases. More shows. Tours. We’re gonna push this as hard as we can, as far as it will go.

https://casketrobbery.bandcamp.com/merch

http://casketrobbery.bigcartel.com/

http://www.facebook.com/casketrobbery

Interview with Spinebreaker

Spinebreaker’s début album Ice Grave is a muscular, thrilling ride through Hardcore-infused Death Metal that’s a vibrant and energetic take on the sub-genre. Make sure you’re wearing appropriate spinal protection and let’s dive in to the world of the breaker of spines…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

Elliot: I’m Elliot and I riff and I sleep with an HM-2 under my pillow

Alex: I’m Alex and I do vocals and call people cowards in Spinebreaker

Give us a bit of background to Spinebreaker

Elliot: Alex and I wanted to start a death metal band so we did. Put out a tape and grabbed our friends to play with us. That’s pretty much it. All of us come from punk and hardcore so starting another band was just something we all wanted to do.

Alex: We are 5 hardcore dudes playing death metal with as loud and fucked up of a sound as possible.

How did you decide on the band name?

Elliot: We wanted to be so heavy that you wouldn’t just bang your head, you would bang your whole spine. Spinebreaker. Perfect.

Alex: It took us a long time to come up with one, so one day me and Elliot were hanging out and imagined what one of our friends looked like when he would head bang and get into a band that he likes, and came up with the name Spinebreaker.

What are your influences?

Elliot: Pentagram, Sleep, Saint Vitus, Discharge, Black Sabbath, Repulsion, Unleashed, Grave, Oi and punk music, and the mighty HM-2 of course.

Alex: My influences consist of mostly Scandinavian death metal bands like the obvious Entombed, Dismember, Unleashed, Grave, etc.
And then bands that don’t really show up in our music like my Slayer, Morbid Angel, Merauder, Hatebreed, Disembodied, etc.

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

Elliot: Gatecreeper, Outer Heaven, Vorum, Rixe, Crown Court, Vamachara, Bad Times Crew, Scalped, Funerals, Violent Reaction, The Flex, Lower Your Head, Midnight

Alex: The new Cruciamentum album from this last year was incredible, I can’t stop talking about it. Gatecreeper also rules, they’ve got a split with Homewrecker, Scorched, and Outer Heaven (which I recommend you all check out) coming out soon. And I’m always listening the my friends’ badass bands, Bad Times Crew, Vamachara, Funerals, Runamuk, Subtle Violence, and Scalped.

How do you feel you fit into the Extreme Metal scene in 2016?

Elliot: Sonically we fit but we’re all a bunch of hardcore and punk dudes so we stand out a bit. We all heavily support extreme music, we just have our roots in punk and hardcore.

Alex: I think we fit, just in our own way. We’re all hardcore dudes and act like hardcore dudes, running around and jumping on stage unlike most metal bands. But you know I think people can get used to that because that the way the music makes us feel. It doesn’t make me wanna stand there with my arms crossed when I like a band.

Give us a bit of background to Ice Grave – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?

Elliot: We just really wanted something diverse. I like to throw in doom riffs every once in a while as well as some really dark and gloomy acoustic pieces to transition between songs. As far as concepts the only thing I really wanted to portray was heaviness. That’s it. Plain and simple. Filthy, loud, riff heavy death metal.

Alex: My lyrics range from death metal gory horror themes to just plain outrage about ignorance in topics about racism, sexism/feminism, homophobia, transphobia, police brutality and the black lives matter movement. Things that are out in the open to some but are still hidden in the dark to others.

How do you go about writing your songs?

Elliot: I sit in my room and crank my amp to 11 and just riff. That’s about it

Alex: Lyric-wise I think of a theme then a song name or a single line that I think can describe that theme I want to talk about but not be so obviously that the song is given away before you actual listen to it.

How did the recording process go?

Elliot: It was hectic but it always is and we expect that so working around problems isn’t an issue. We are all about being a DIY band so we record everything ourselves since our other guitar player Cole is an audio engineer. We love how all his stuff comes out so we trust him when it comes to the whole process. The only real speed bump was Alex having his awesome little girl right before we needed to record vocals but other than that it wasn’t anything more then what we are used to.

Alex: We recorded just about everything with our guitarist Cole in our other guitarist, Elliot’s living room and recorded the drums in one of our good buddies garage. Luckily Cole is an awesome audio engineer or we’d sound like garbage.

What’s your favourite song on the album and why?

Elliot: River Of Pain, Slithering Tyrant, Internal Bleeding, Withering In The Blizzard, and Fractured Existence. Why? I just like how everything fits together, just like it did in my head when I wrote the riffs.

Alex: Either River of Pain or Slithering Tyrant. Simply because those are my favourite lyrics I’ve written and they have the gnarliest fight riffs.

What does the future hold for Spinebreaker?

Elliot: No clue. Hopefully festivals and one off shows in areas we’ve never been. We all work full time and Alex has a child so big tours any more than a week isn’t really plausible.

Alex: No big tours or anything like that yet. We’ve got a fest in Van Nuys, CA. called Standing Hard Fest on January 30th. We’ll probably play some short tours of about a week at a time or less, some one off shows, and we’re always down to play fests whether it be metal, or hardcore.

Interview with Fall

Fall’s début album The Insatiable Weakness is a catchy and memorable slab of Melodic/Progressive Death Metal that sounds fresh and vibrant in its delivery. Intrigued by what I heard, it was time to dig deeper…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

My name is David Gutierrez. I play bass guitar in Fall. I’ve been playing bass guitar since I was about 13 (im 25 now) I love melodic death metal, progressive metal, classic prog, doom metal, and all the classic metal stuff.

Give us a bit of background to Fall

Fall started in 2009 as Jessie’s outlet for his musical inspirations. He recorded a solo demo that got him respect in the community locally. At that time it was just Jessie and another guitarist and drummer for live shows. I was in another band on bass when Jessie asked if I wanted to be a part of the group. From then on we’ve been close band mates and even recorded an EP with Jon Howard of Threat Signal fame as well as Bjorn Strid of Soilwork. Since then it’s been shows around the big state of Texas and also a short run through the west coast which was fun. After that and a few lineup changes it brings us to our present day where we’re on the verge of releasing this album of new and older material.

What are your influences?

As far as bass guitar. I love the work of David Ellefson of Megedeth due to his tight picking and speed. Next would be Joe Lester of Intronaut with his unique approach to fretless bass in metal. Martin Mendez of Opeth with his groovy basslines and ability to hold down solid riffs. Many others as well. I prefer a bassline that adds to the guitar and drums but also pushes what can be done

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

Currently I’m listening to the newest albums by

Intronaut – The Direction of Last Things

The Dear Hunter – Rebirth in Reprise

Soilwork – The Ride Majestic

And an older album of like to put out is Audrey Horne – No Hay Banda. Confessions and Alcohol is a solid heavy rock song. You can tell there is some metal influence in there. Another Spotify recommendation that struck me!

Give us a bit of background to The Insatiable Weakness – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?

The album is really a moving piece. A lot of darkness and bleak themes. It goes into the depths of your soul in a way and brings out those wounds.

How do you go about writing your songs?

Jessie will usually present a few ideas and riffs. From there we will arrange them accordingly and then each one of us will add in whatever pieces needed to make the song pop. We all agree on everything before we play it or record it

In my review I state that the album has “a beguiling mix of heaviness and catchiness” – was it important to get both aspects of the band’s sound equally represented?

Yes, very important. I like to think of the band that way. Pummeling riffs and fast passages, the catchiness you hear is influenced by our love of having choruses that people can chant along with live. We love the crowd interaction.

How did the recording process go?

It was a rough and arduous task for us all. Balancing work and personal lives to come in and put it all on a recording. The time we took was necessary to get the final product. I think it takes time to make something you’ll be proud of. It’s a craft that must not be rushed

How did the Soilwork connection come about?

We had previously worked with Bjorn Strid on our EP. Which led us to an online friendship with him. When we opened up for them in Corpus Christi we got to meet the whole band and hit it off. Dirk liked the music so when it came time to look for a recording drummer he was happy to oblige.

What’s your favourite song on the album and why?

Harvester. I would say I really loved everything I did on that track on bass, the little interludes and soft middle break are some of my favorite basslines I’ve written. That and being accompanied by a fellow Texas artist Jessie Frye. Her vocals soar in the track and provide a breath of fresh air in my opinion. We were happy to have her on it.

What does the future hold for Fall?

More shows, more touring, more songs, and an aggressive push towards our branching out and getting noticed.

Facebook.com/falltodust

Interview with Suppressive Fire

Suppressive Fire’s début album Bedlam ticks all of the right boxes as far as Death/Thrash Metal goes, from the riotous album cover to the gritty, catchy songs. I donned some body armour and stepped into the fray…

Give us a bit of history to Suppressive Fire

Greetings and thanks for talking with us. I’m Joseph Bursey, the guitarist in Suppressive Fire. The band begin with the simple goal of playing fast and aggressive music. I put out a classified ad and was nearly ready to give up until Brandon Smith (drummer) answered my call. We hit it off great, riffs wrote themselves and soon we found our capable bassist/vocalist Aaron Schmidt who was originally going be our second guitarist, the dude shreds, but we decided to move as a 3-piece which has been working great for us.

What are your influences?

Everything fast, dirty, and offensive. I love 70’s rock like old Scorpions, Thin Lizzy, ZZ Top, but I also love some 80’s thrash. I guess the more German thrash bands like Kreator and Sodom are pretty big influences on me. Brandon’s our resident ex-punk made death metal guru. The dude loves all that techy stuff and honestly barely listens to thrash and then we have Aaron who loves doomier stuff and bands like Sleep. We’re all over the place but we’ve come together I think with great dynamics because of it.

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

All Hell – The Red Sect! This is seriously one of the best albums to come out of North Carolina. They’re like a punky blackened thrash and they put on one hell of a live show.

Love the album cover – tell us about this

Thanks! I feel like Par Olofsson caught what we wanted very well. I wanted album art to represent not only the music that was coming, but also some of the story unfolding within. Par illustrated this in a very Mad Max meets modern dystopia type setting wonderfully.

Give us a bit of background to Bedlam – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?

Bedlam is much more than simple chaos. Nearly half of the album kind of follows a theme. Ceasefire starts with government betrayal, The Hellwraith follows our mysterious gas-masked ghoul who’s kind of controlling and steering everything into chaos, Coup d’etat is the uprising of people against the State, Crucify the Kings is the actual execution of all false leaders of our world, and we close with Bedlam, everything that’s left in absolute carnage. There’s a lot of other songs that fill in between that aren’t really tied to it, like Nazi Face Melter that’s pretty much just about Indiana Jones – Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Thy Flesh Consumed which is the demon’s perspective in the video game Doom. We’re just having a ton of fun and didn’t really aim for a concept album, it’s just that our style really came together and made one on its own.

How do you go about writing your songs?

I really just start writing riffs with no real end goal and listen back to them and classify them. Some may sound like good openers, mid-section riffs, verses, choruses, ya know, proper song writing! We come up with riffs either at practice on the fly or I’ll have a great riff come to me and have to hum it into my phone’s recorder because I’m busy driving! There’s no rules here!

How did the recording process go?

Recording went very well. Having had recorded our demo and the ‘Covered in Conflict’ split, we were pretty much ready to reload and attack a full album. Greg Klaiber did an amazing job capturing the sound we wanted. Joel Grind also did an amazing job. We played with his band Toxic Holocaust a few weeks before hand so I was very happy he had a chance to hear us live before mixing and mastering it. The best compliment we’ve gotten so far is simply that our album sounds just like us. No bullshit and straight forward speedy thrashy metal.

What’s your favourite song on the album and why?

That’s a tough one! I think I’ll have to go with the title track itself. Bedlam is a song where we threw everything we had at it. Like, 3 more songs could have been written with the riffs invested in it. The song was the most recently written song and definitely shows a lot of progress as we’ve gotten more used to writing together. It’s also really fun to play live!

What’s next for the band?

Unleashing Bedlam on the world! We’ll be hitting the road January/February. ‘Bedlam’ releases on 1/14 and we’re doing a 4-date run that weekend across North and South Carolina, then we’ll be joining Hot Graves for a 9-date tour of Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia. We’ll also be playing with Warbringer, Exmortus and our friends Gorbash in February, 2/21 at the Pour House in Raleigh. We’re returning back North this summer as well! Then I guess more writing. I already have a lot of ideas for album #2.