 Costa Rica has in recent years picked up the pace on the international metal stage, with bands like Sight Of Emptiness having played the UK's Bloodstock, Pneuma making waves and now it's Corpse Garden's turn. The five-piece Death Metal horde are set on releasing their third album 'IAO 269' (via Godz ov War Productions) and with it aim to present themselves further afield on planet metal. GMA spoke to the guitarist Esteban Sancho about the new album, the Costa Rican Metal scene, performing at Wacken and 2018 plans.  "The world is a very big place, a band can either whine about its local scene, or just move on and tour other places" Hi guys, for those who have not heard of Corpse Garden can you give us a brief history of the band? "Corpse Garden has been around since 2008. The band initially started with a direction more towards grind / gore but it eventually evolved into Death Metal, throughout the years, the band has suffered several changes up until 2013. Since 2013 we have had a constant, and hard-working line-up, which eventually led to a different sound, which is the one you can experience now through our new album." What can you tell us about the Costa Rican metal scene? Any challenges? Opposition? "The metal scene in Costa Rica only exists on a relevant level for international bands. Locally, it’s very poor and sometimes frustrating. There are almost no good quality promoters, and most people don’t really attend local shows (considering the amount of people you see in international concerts). We are an underground band, we play extreme, intolerable music, we don’t really aim for a huge audience, so we don’t really expect every show to be sold out, however, when you see what’s going on in other countries, it’s frustrating to see how much this country has to learn (I speak mostly for the extreme scene, other bands from other sub-genres, might tell you something different). I have to say though, that we don’t really care, if it’s difficult here, we just look for different places to do our thing. The world is a very big place, a band can either whine about its local scene, or just move on and tour other places." You're set to release your 3rd album 'IAO 269' in November, will there be a Central American tour or an overseas tour? "We are going to be playing a small tour including Costa Rica and Panama (Istmo Metal Fest and other dates), Nicaragua is in the talks to be included in that. We do plan to do more touring in America, nothing we can make public yet. And plans for overseas tour are always in our minds, getting to make it happen is a whole different story, however, I can say that we do want to do it and we are starting to have conversations about it, just nothing confirmed yet."  The Costa Rican metal scene in recent years has seemed to establish a name for itself, what would you put down to it's success? "Different places hold different energies from which an artist can find inspiration from, however, in the end music and all the art surrounding it is what matters. I personally don’t think the country has its own name out there yet, the country might be getting to it, but Costa Rica needs more bands to have international and relevant exposition to be able to say that. Now, if we look at what has happened, you can see that more bands are now being able to get labels to print and distribute their material, that is a good step for the “country”, but nothing big compared to the situations of other bands in other places. The bands that have had the chance to get themselves known internationally is due to the hard and professional work everyone has to do to get things done properly. We all still have a long way to go." How important is it to expose unknown metal scenes to the world? What does the Costa Rican government think of metal music? "There’s always going to be something you have not explored music wise, it gives more variety to the actual international scene. The Government doesn’t really like metal, but we don’t care, metal has always been about giving a big f*ck off to the establishment, metal is not looking to be included or taken into consideration, we exist because we want to, because we find ourselves identified with the aggressiveness and relentless energies metal deals with, we don’t need no one to help us. For those who really want to keep this alive will always find ways to do it." What was it like performing at Wacken Open Air? Mingling with metalheads from all corners of the globe must have been awesome? "I did not play at Wacken Open Air. I was there, but not in the band yet. I’m sure it was a very good experience and the first sight the band had to an international scene, however, it was a very different line up, only 2 members remain from back then. We are 5 years past that already, and it is time we move on." What plans have you got leading into 2018 and are there any greetings you wish to send out? "First of all, thank you for taking the time for the interview. We have big plans for touring, stay tuned for more updates about this. As well, 'IAO 269' will be released in Vinyl, stay tuned as well with Godz Ov War for more info about it. To the ones who support us, a true thank you, for we are not just about music, we represent chaotic energies from within and without, we represent a way of living and getting to know yourself, your support is like gasoline to the fire we carry under the name of Corpse Garden." https://www.facebook.com/corpsegardencr/
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 Whitechapel. To some it's the area of East London famed for Jack The Ripper, but in metal context it's an American Deathcore band with a splattering of various influences pocketed here and there from Black Metal to Groove Metal. However this quintet (drummer Ben Harclerode left this year) are more than your generic breakdown-laden, riff chugging clone that seems to dominate the ever-exasperated Deathcore genre. They are the leviathan of the genre, avoiding the cliches and common aesthetics found entrenched in most Deathcore bands and thus pose themselves as truly unique. They were welcomed back to Bloodstock this year with open arms and certainly gave the punters their monies worth. GMA took time out to talk to Gabe Crisp, the Whitechapel bassist about the band's history,  "I'd love Whitechapel to be part of a video game, that would be cool. I'd be down for something action-packed for sure." Whitechapel has been going for 11 years now, what has been the most challenging part of the band's career so far? Did the band name originate from the East London area? "The fact that you're constantly leaving home and things like that, we're all home buddies... things like driving 5 minutes to work is a lot easier than flying across the world you know? But nah we love it, it comes as part of the territory. Our band name came from the Whitechapel area in London, I was proposed to be the man to go on to call our band name and Phil said 'Whitechapel', I was like 'what the f*ck?' Why would you call it Whitechapel?' It's weird because that's where Jack The Ripper killed a bunch of sluts back in the day. I was like 'oh shit that's pretty hard, that's metal as f*ck' and so here we are. I mean another thing, I'll give you this one, Whitechapel is kind of like in a similar way; not saying we're in any way like the band, but the name Black Sabbath... I thought about this a couple of years ago, Whitechapel, see it's like black and white, Sabbath and chapel and it's like it works, I think Whitechapel works, I don't hate our band name. Some bands they're like 10 years in and man I f*cking hate our name, it sucks." Whitechapel is often regarded as a Deathcore band, but on 'Mark Of The Blade' you leaned more towards Groove Metal right? "Yeaahh so, I mean we've been a band for 11 years so we try not to write the same record twice, we don't want to do that, we never have, what we were into and writing you know ten years ago... I don't know it's kinda hard for us to not evolve, that's pretty much what it all is - growing up and changing, we just want to be a metal band and not really sub-genre it and all that sh*t, keep it fun for us and try to play shit that people had gotten in to. Whatever you refer to us I don't care, to me that term [Deathcore] reflects our early years kind of vibe. It's just 10 years ago for us, we already done that kind of sound you know what I mean? Not that there's anything wrong with it, but we just can't write the same record over and over like we're going to be on our 7th record. If you're talking 10 songs a-record, that's 70 songs sounding exactly the same and if you're putting yourself into that genre, defining yourself as such - there's sh*t all you can do there right?" Aside from metal music, do you have any influences from outside of metal? What does your family think of your music? "Yeah I was telling a guy earlier about this stuff, when I was 14 I started playing bass guitar and that lead me to become a part of this band. The first band I fell in love, went to see and why I got into guitars was Green Day actually and not a metal band. I was a big fan of Green Day back in the day, just thought that the bass, being loud and proud in that band was super sick, it was cool man. My parents are awesome, they know I do big sh*t, they're stoked. It's not the greatest job in the world I guess for some people, but it is to me and that's how it works. My family usually come to the out-of-town shows once every a couple of years or so they'll come to a show, my dad loves to have a few beers and watch me play and my mum has no idea what's going on - she has a good time." Would it be fair to say that Phil Bozeman is one of the fastest Death Metal-style vocalists out there? "I hope so, sure why not? I think he's the best for sure, I don't know that's just me. I think he's the best for sure. I like watching some frontmen from other bands, but as far as vocals go yeah he's a bad ass - he's very good at what he does. I think he can stand beside anybody in anyway." Regarding your song 'The Saw Is The Law', what does the song title actually mean? "I have no idea man, honestly all it is we use that song live as like our logo, those two words rhyme and makes sense I guess? I don't write the lyrics but I think it was just a kind of play on words that kind of rhyme and everybody seems to like it so it works out. There's a lot of saws, we have a lot of saws in our designs, in our album artworks, something like that." Are there any major festivals in Knoxville? "No we don't really have anything like that, we play our home town once a year usually, and it's not really a metal town by any means. We're a local band that travels a lot, we have our fans but as far as metal music goes in general, there's not much going on. If there was a festival it would not be metal, how about that? Yeah we'd play a non-metal festival without a doubt, I mean we played Warped Tour which is considered non-metal, it's more metal than it used to be for sure. But yeah we'd play anything, we like good music but it has to be metal for sure; if they want to listen to us then we wouldn't want to play in front of people who wouldn't want to hear us but at the same time we'd love to play anything." Credit goes to the Bloodstock Open Air Festival Team You've just finished your set, how was it? "It was a great time, it was early but at lot earlier than we're used to but everything went well, because we were having a good time. It was easy, played all the songs well so can't really complain. It would have been cool if it was a little sunnier out but I'll be honest, it's not hot right? It's not raining so I'm not going to complain." For the New Blood Stage bands, some have only just started out, some have never played a major festival before, what advice could you give them (and future unsigned bands at Bloodstock)? "I'm assuming that the shows are going to be bigger than they're used to or something like that, for me I never had a problem with the size of the crowd. Don't even worry about the crowd, it's easy just play your show on stage and whatever is happening down front don't even worry about it. Just play your show on stage, that's what I'd say." Is it relatively hard for American bands to go on tours across the States? "Nah nah, I mean for us we've always been lucky I guess but at the same time it's fairly easy as long as you have a somewhat of a following and, maybe starting up is kind of hard - I think that would be for anybody, shows in America go well." When Whitechapel is on tour, what do you guys get up to to occupy yourself whilst travelling? "PlayStation 4, some of us try to go to the gym every now and then if there's a way to get out and get the pump on, get a shower you know? Let's see, yeah usually just PlayStation, we play a lot of PlayStation. We've been playing a lot of NHL 17, Uncharted 4, but I'm usually watching Zach (Householder) whilst drinking beers - it sounds boring right? But it's what we do." Speaking of PS4, if a game developer was to ask Whitechapel to provide a song for a new PS4 or Xbox game would you do it? "As many as would, forever, why not yeah. I used to learn about bands who liked Tony Hawk back in the day, that had awesome soundtracks. I'd love Whitechapel to be part of a video game, that would be cool. I'd be down for something action-packed for sure." Does Whitechapel have any plans confirmed for 2018 so far? "So far I don't know if I'm supposed to talk about it, I talked about it earlier though in some form of it, but we're going to be back early Spring of next year and I don't want to say who we're coming back with, but yeah we'll be back early next year. I think it's mainly Europe stuff, maybe some UK stuff but it's very early stages but it looks like we're going to be over here next year, early next year." Gabe, have you got any hello's, greetings, etc you wish to send out to fans, family, etc.? "Well yeah I just got married, so I'll say hello Corinna, what's up girl? I'll figure out that she manages to read / listen to this, it's awesome. Anybody that listens to Whitechapel, that would be cool I feel like I'm a pretty lucky person in talking to you guys so, I just want to say thanks to anybody who has checked us out, liked us or not, who cares, I appreciate it - thanks to the bands." http://www.whitechapelband.com/ www.facebook.com/whitechapelmetal  It's always nice to see individuals or groups giving the their input towards a relief effort and Omotai are no exception. Having provided a track for the Hurricane Harvey Benefit Compilation, this Texas unit are committed to bringing charity to those affected by the hurricane in late August / early September. GMA had to catch up with the guys to talk about this sensational venture, their origins and the extreme weather Texas has to deal with, that being tornadoes as well as hurricanes. Vocalist / Guitarist Jamie Ross gave the honours.  "Just the sheer number of people that lost everything is hard to wrap one's head around [from Hurricane Harvey]" Hi guys, firstly could you give us a brief history of how Omotai came about as a band? What does the name mean? "It all started back in 2010, when Sam Waters (vocals / guitars) enlisted the help of Melissa Lonchambon Ryan (vocals / bassist) and then-drummer Anthony Vallejo to record the debut EP, Peace Through Fear. That line-up remained unchanged through the next two releases, 2012's Terrestrial Grief (the debut full-length) and 2014's Fresh Hell--both released on local label The Treaty Oak Collective. I joined the line-up as a second guitarist in 2013, pretty soon following the recording of Fresh Hell, but prior to its release. Anthony left soon after, his final show being at a 2014 SXSW appearance. Danny Mee took over drumming duties in time to complete some touring in support of Fresh Hell in 2014 and 2015. We've been hard at work ever since, writing and recording our latest double LP, A Ruined Oak, which is set to debut on October 6th on Tofu Carnage Records. A West Coast excursion is planned to promote the record. The name Omotai is the Japanese word for "heavy," which Sam felt was an apt designation given the artistic direction of the band. Credit for the idea goes to our friend Evan Jones, who taught English in Japan for a spell." Would you say that the 2017 hurricane season has been one of the worst in recent years? "Most definitely. Sam's family tragically lost their home in the Bellaire section of Houston, which was hit especially hard. The season would have been horrific enough if Harvey and its aftermath were the extent of it. But Irma came along and devastated much of the Eastern Caribbean and Florida, then Maria recently ravaged Puerto Rico (which is in the midst of a humanitarian crisis). Houston's had its share of weather-related disasters--especially in the last few years. But here we are a month out from the date that Harvey made landfall, and many areas are still impassable. Also, the waste from homes being gutted has built up into a logistical nightmare for removal companies that are still struggling to make inroads." As you're from Texas, a state within tornado alley, have you ever seen a tornado? Has there been any notable ones hit Texas? "We're a bit close to the Gulf of Mexico to be in the heart of tornado alley, but there were several in the area while Harvey was stalled over Houston. One hit the neighbourhood next to mine on that first Friday night--I could hear, but not see it. North Texas is the unlucky recipient of most of Texas' tornadoes." Tell us about you getting involved in the Hurricane Harvey benefit compilation, where are the participating bands located? How can people donate? "We were approached by Miss Champagne Records about contributing a track to the benefit record, Making Waves, the week following the Harvey disaster. It was the brainchild of the MCR staff and Mercy Harper from Football, etc. All of the bands are local to Houston, so the cause is obviously very meaningful to us all. We think it turned out wonderfully and we're honoured to be in the company of so many stellar Houston bands included on the compilation. All proceeds from the benefit comp go straight to Harvey relief, so it's a perfect way to donate AND listen to some rad music."  Did you sit out the hurricane or did you evacuate further inland? What were your thoughts at the time of Harvey's landfall? "Danny was safely in Austin for the storm, but everyone else toughed it out here. When the storm finally hit, we knew that we were going to be in for an extended confinement at our homes (fully anticipated by the Houston masses, as evidenced by the the local grocery and liquor stores being completely fleeced), but no one anticipated how crippled the city would become. Just the sheer number of people that lost everything is hard to wrap one's head around. " Would you agree that extreme weather events such as hurricanes and tornadoes are a staple part of Mid-West and Southern American life? "For sure. And, to make matters worse, the events are becoming more frequent and increasingly destructive." Given the damage caused by Harvey, I can't imagine there being much band activity this year - please correct me if I'm assuming wrong and inform what you will be getting up to? "There are several benefit shows sprouting up in the area, so the music community has been surprisingly resilient. As for Omotai, we've been concentrating on getting A Ruined Oak released, and we'll be embarking on a Western U.S. tour starting this Friday, September 29th. All of the dates are posted to our social media for those that would like to come out and hang." Finally are there any hellos, thank you's you wish to send out? "Firstly, our thoughts are with the Waters clan and all of our other Houston friends and family that are dealing with the loss of so much property, and coping with the resulting emotional challenges. Special thanks to Sean Mehl and Tofu Carnage Records for helping us put out the LP. And, finally, thanks to all who have supported us over the years--it truly means a lot." https://www.facebook.com/omotai  Essex is known for many things, some of them and some bad. It's metal scene is one of the good things and then there's TOWIE (The Only Way Is Essex) which is the worst thing to happen since My Chemical Romance being classed as a metal band. But focusing on the metal scene, it's had the likes of Tides of Virtue, Forged In Black, Sanctorum, Dismanibus, etc grace the fertile soil from Southend and Colchester respectively. However when one speaks of Basildon, one thinks of Depeche Mode, chavs, Basildon Bond paper, Denise Van Outen., etc, and now there is Raze The Void. GMA caught up with the Essex mob to find out how they fared with Bloodstock, the Essex Metal scene, debut EP and plans ahead.  Credits to Down The Barrel. "the title itself 'Obsolescence' covers what the current state of the world really is; the system is obsolete" Raze The Void has only been going a year, were you all in previous bands prior? How did Raze The Void come to be? "We have all been playing together for around with each other for 15 years nearly and just managed to get together and start a band from that after realising we all wanted to start playing and touring and seeing the world. RTV literally came from out of a dustbin a few years before we started playing the scene." The Essex Metal scene seems to be a little quiet at the moment, could you tell us the current state of the scene? "From Essex, apart from it being quiet, to really. There are some amazing acts in and around Essex, but you just have to sift through the venues and have a look out there and see for yourself." Having played Bloodstock, what was your experience like? How did you end up winning a slot? What advice could you give Metal 2 The Masses bands next year who are vying for a slot? "Bloodstock and everyone who we met from it and regarding it were amazing, very supportive and the feedback from everyone and all the reviews have been awesome and extremely positive. For anyone out there who is going to go into it; be serious but have fun. If you believe what you do it the best thing you do, you have fun doing it and you all have fun playing with each then do it, go for it, be the best band you can band! If you doubt anything you say or do or if you're not professional enough or not having enough fun, the crowd will sniff you and not like what they are smelling. They are as much a part of you as you are of them, so be there with them, get them involved. That okay?" As a band are you worried at the lack of local venues with only Chelmsford's The Asylum, Southend's Chinnerys, Harlow's The Square and the Colchester Arts Centre being the sole main ones? "It's not a worry when you can book outside of Essex and in fact, to just book in Essex, from experience, people then just seem to feel like that they will miss that one and go to another one as it's only up the road or whatever. Bra chin out into other places and leaving home has not only proved well for us, but is something that everyone should do and we in fact recommend. The live music scene is dieting but it's not dead."  Outside of music, what other hobbies or interests do you have? "We all work full time and between that and the band; writing, playing, re-writing and down time there isn't a lot between, but some of use do things like cycling, rock climbing, wind surfing, extreme ironing; mainly physical activities. We are all very involved in quizzes and chess and some of us have other music projects going. We are generally very busy." Tell us more about your debut EP, where was it recorded? What does the title mean? "We recorded the EP with one of the most talented and hard working men we have ever worked with who we honestly consider family now, a man named Dan Kerr or Avenue studios; absolute genius! The EP and from that flowing into the upcoming album is all conceptional, revolving around human error, greed, the rising of the underground movement, corruption and the title itself 'Obsolescence' covers what the current state of the world really is; the system is obsolete." What plans do you have for the year ahead? Are there any greetings you wish to send out? "The album is being written literally as this being typed out to you....now. We will continue gigging and getting the RTV name out there to people and then launching the new album along with more media stuff and hopefully some new merch. It's all going UP! Shout out to Quimby, everyone who has helped us get this far, turned up and sung along with us, Nick Plews, Bob from Club 85, Ross, Phil and the boys for all their support and love and physical moves and to Neil- we hope you recover soon. " https://www.facebook.com/RazeTheVoid/  Kobra & The Lotus are arguably making waves across the world with their scintillating brand of Heavy Metal. Much like Australia, Canada is relatively isolated when it comes to having metal bands play outside of their own continent. However with the likes of Kittie, Strapping Young Lad, Voivod, Kataklysm and Cryptopsy all having success worldwide, it's Kobra & The Lotus' turn to stake a claim on planet metal. GMA sat down with Kobra & The Lotus and probed them about 'Prevail II', how Kobra Paige became involved in music and the stigma surrounding female metal musicians.  "A person never stops loving the metal they fall in love with. It’s one of those loyal genres where once you’re hooked, you’re a fan for life" First of all, thank you very much for your patience and support. Once we began touring, I fell very far behind but nevertheless am grateful for your time! 'Prevail I' is your fourth album and so what can you tell us about it? What lyric topics did you choose? Any favourite tracks? "‘Prevail’ is without a doubt the most intensively thought out album. The lyrics and music are more thoughtful within the content, details, and structure. This album is supposed to encourage ambition, strength, and hope within people. I couldn’t pick a favourite but I really really love playing ‘TriggerPulse’ live with the guys! The energy changes on stage and we can really lock in with all of the musical supporters who come to rock out. ‘Prevail’ is also the first metal and hard rock hybrid of it’s kind for us. I believe it shows off the virtuosity of the band." Presumably there will be a Europe / UK tour to support the album? Are you as a band worried about Brexit? "Absolutely! We will be coming through Europe and The UK this fall!! Please check www.kobraandthelotus.com for dates, we are very excited!! No, we are not concerned with Brexit, only for the citizens personally doing alright with the economical shift." Assuming after 'Prevail I' there will be a 'Prevail II'? How does 'Prevail I' differ from previous releases? "You got it. ‘Prevail I’ and ‘Prevail II’ are some of our strongest and most vulnerable works yet. I believe it shows a musical maturity forming within the band as well as finally an authentic freshness to the sound that we have been searching for. It’s a highly creatively collaborative project and meddles between metal and hard rock." As a vocalist how did you get into metal music? How did you begin your singing career? "My father took me to see a Judas Priest concert when I was 15 and it all started from there. I formed a band when I was 17 and first going to University. It started to gain some momentum as we played little underground shows and put out an independent album. My parents told me to go for it while I was young otherwise I would regret it and now here I am nine years into it already!!"  As a female do you receive any stigma towards being a metal musician? What are your thoughts on the term 'female-fronted'? "Unfortunately, yes but I can very happily say it is becoming a very small minority of people who have those ignorant beliefs. Just take a look at the comment section under our newest video for “You Don’t Know” and you can see the odd “this is stupid, women don’t belong in metal and blah” ha-ha. Regarding the term ‘female-fronted’, I find that for the most part the people that actually use that label mean it in a very respectful way. They truly just plain and simply love metal that is fronted by females!! I have no qualms for the term if that’s what they choose! " Outside of music, do you have any pastimes or hobbies you enjoy? "I love the outdoors and I love being active. I enjoy bike riding, hiking, CrossFit, running, kayaking, and travelling to new countries. I also really love spending time with my family and loved ones. Among that is spending time in the Rocky Mountains where I live." What is the Canadian Metal scene like at the moment? Do you keep in touch with the Calgary scene? Are you surprised by metal's global spread? "I’m incredibly impressed and proud of Canada’s metal scene and more so it’s music scene in general. There are so many great and creative artists. I’m not surprised by metal’s global spread because it is a completely beautifully infectious genre. A person never stops loving the metal they fall in love with. It’s one of those loyal genres where once you’re hooked, you’re a fan for life. Those feelings never stop as soon as you hear the music again." What plans does Kobra & The Lotus have for the year ahead? Will there be an album launch party? "Tons of touring!! It’s time to work our little butts off at getting the new tunes out there! We also have been filming the music videos for ‘Prevail II’ so that when it’s time to release, everything is good to go. Currently we are in Serbia wrapping up the 3rd video for that album. There will be no album launch. We have never officially ever had one. Perhaps for ‘Prevail II’ but for now we are just too small of a band to do that still….. small but mighty though!!" www.kobraandthelotus.com  Australia. The very mention of the country's name sparks off the thoughts of sandy beaches, BBQ's, stray kangeroo's and the Sydney Opera House. Underneath all the glitz and glamour of this glorious nation known colloquially as 'down under', Australia has a savage metal scene that has seen the likes of Ne Oblivicaris, The Berzerker, Buried In Verona, Thy Art Is Murder and Destroyer 666 among others break out into the wider international metal community over the last 2 decades. But despite the success of the bands above, the scene as a whole seems rather isolated when it comes to touring. It's down to bands like Aetherial who look at the challenges ahead, take them head on and forge their own path to progress forward. For Aetherial this is through the concrete metropolis of Melbourne, famed for it's Grand Prix circuit. GMA spoke to Cassandra, the band's bassist to unearth what the band is all about, what the scenes down under are like, their new single, visiting local attractions and 2018 plans. As Fosters put it. Good Call.  "I don't see why metal [bands] can’t emerge from smaller nations like Fiji or the Solomon Islands - they would have to be creative [with music exposure]. If bands can emerge out of countries like Saudi Arabia where it is illegal to play metal, I'm sure we will see some coming out of places like Fiji - metal doesn't have boundaries!" Hi guys, for those unfamiliar with Aetherial could you give us a brief history of the band? Were you / are you in previous / current bands? "Hey, thanks for having us Global Metal Apocalypse! I’m Cassandra, bassist in Aetherial. Currently, we are based in Melbourne, Australia. Aetherial was formed by Shep and myself in 2013. Previously, we both played in a stoner / metal / grunge band called Cave Of The Swallows which also featured our friend and original Aetherial drummer Mr Paul Gatt. Shep was also the former vocalist in the South Australian-based Stoner / Southern Rock band Mammoth, with ex-Suffocation / Autopsy member Josh Barohn. We recorded our album, 'The Still Waters of Oblivion' over a two year period at Everland Productions. In 2016 we signed with New York-based management company Extreme Management Group and most recently this year to Imminence Records in the US and Truth Inc Records over here in Australia, who will be jointly releasing the album worldwide November 10th." What is the Melbourne and wider Australian Metal scene like? Do most bands do a tour of Australia and New Zealand than SE Asia? "From a Melbourne perspective, the scene is pretty small, there are a handful of good venues to play at in the city and some good regional venues that work hard to keep live music going outside of the city. Unfortunately over the past 5-10 years quite a few great live music venues have closed down in Melbourne due to residential developments and noise restrictions, which has made it difficult for smaller bands to get a gig. A smaller population in general will always impact audience size and peoples interest and engagement in metal, particularly as its not common in mainstream culture here. It is common for bands over here to tour the East Coast in the main cities, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane with a few stops in-between. But the sheer distance in-between and cost that is involved with getting to these places often prevents many bands embarking on a full national tour. You see a few bands heading over to New Zealand and Asia, generally larger more established bands though." What are the challenges of being an Australian Metal band? "Getting your music seen and heard!! There is a lot of really good music over here, if people would take the time to listen to it! Getting people to shows is another massive hurdle over here. People will have no hesitation paying $150+ to see established bands, but will not pay $10 to see 4 local acts? Breaking through to reach people outside of the country, even reaching new fans interstate is also very challenging. It is important to utilise social media to try and get out there and engage people, it is a continual and ongoing aspect of being in a band now, particularly with reach being limited on Facebook and now Instagram for bands unless you pay for it. Many Australian bands head overseas to Europe or the US, simply because they can reach more people and play more shows!" You just released your new single 'The Fallen Mark The Way' from your forthcoming album, what has reception been like? "Great thanks! We have had a lot of good feedback from our fans and made a bunch of new fans too! It’s always great to hear positive words from people who get inspired from hearing our music." Check out the lyric video for 'The Fallen Will Mark The Way' (taken from Aetherial's forthcoming debut album 'The Still Waters Of Oblivion') below. Seeing as Oceania is slightly isolated, could you see metal music ever emerging from countries like Fiji and the Solomon Islands? Is metal music in Australia widely accepted? "Yes, it is rather isolated over here! We don't get a lot of bands touring here. It is a long way to come and quite expensive to travel here. Due to our smaller population the audiences are a lot smaller compared to overseas as well. Metal music generally is not part of the everyday culture over here, like it is over in Europe. It’s accepted by those involved in the scene and other musicians, but in the general population it’s not particularly well known, well received or publicised. For example metal or even hard rock is not played on commercial radio, it’s really only played on dedicated metal or hard rock community radio shows. People over here still have a lot of preconceptions about the music, artwork and general themes of metal; most people don’t / can't understand it, they seem to find the content too confronting and don't want to be involved. Hopefully though with some amazing bands coming out of Australia now more people are becoming interested in the genre. I don't see why metal can’t emerge from smaller nations like Fiji or the Solomon Islands - There’s probably already some killer bands over there! However, I think they would have to be creative with how they get their music out there. If bands can emerge out of countries like Saudi Arabia where it is illegal to play metal, I'm sure we will see some coming out of places like Fiji - metal doesn't have boundaries!" For metalheads holidaying in Melbourne, aside from the Grand Prix, are there any attractions / sightseeing locations you would recommend? "Yes!! You could seriously spend months here and not see everything - the great thing about Melbourne is that there is always something going on and to discover! There are some amazing music stores where you can pick up some vintage and / or rare guitars / amps / pedals like Found Sound or The Swop Shop. For art lovers, there are so many tiny galleries all over the city showing local art and The National Gallery has killer diverse exhibitions from Van Gogh to Dior to Mid Century Modern Furniture. For wine lovers, you can take a day trip down the coast to the Mornington Peninsula or The Yarra Valley, for amazing wine and scenery. You can visit boutique spirit distilleries like Starward Whisky in Port Melbourne or Four Pillars Gin in the Yarra Valley - which seriously gives some of the English Gin a run for it money! Melbourne is paradise for lovers of good food and coffee!! With markets like South Melbourne and Prahran Markets and amazing restaurants on every corner. There are festivals for Beer, Cheese, Salami and now even a chicken nugget festival. The Great Ocean Road makes for a good drive- for beautiful rugged coastline, Healesville Sanctuary for meeting kangaroos, koalas and other native animals. And of course you can catch some local bands at The Brunswick Hotel, The Bendigo Hotel or Cherry Bar, folks over here are always up for a chat and a beer." With your debut album 'The Still Waters Of Oblivion' out in a week's time, will there be a tour supporting the album? "There definitely will! The Australian Tour will take place early next year with hopefully some International dates to be announced as well! But you’ll have to stay tuned to our social media pages to get the details." What plans have you got leading into 2018? Do you have any greetings you wish to send out? "Lots of touring and promoting our record! We currently have some killer merch available now at Merchnow and there’s some brutal new merch coming out soon! Shep and I have been co-hosting a heavy metal radio show once a month on Melbourne’s 3CR called The Heavy Session, so along with our friend and host Chris we have some awesome plans for the show as well. We’d love to send a massive hello, to all our friends and fans over in UK - we’re working hard to come over and play for y’all in 2018!!! Thanks very much for the support!" https://www.facebook.com/aetherialofficial |
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