 With a population that rivals the entire population of the British cities of Liverpool and Sheffield, you couldn't fault Suriname for having a close-knit metal scene. Despite it's size it has a strong and ever-growing scene. Flying the flag for the Surinamese Metal scene is Groove Metal / Metalcore outfit Asylum, who this year won the Wacken Metal Battle Caribbean (previously won by Trinidad & Tobago's Lynchpin; first edition winners) and ultimately went to Wacken Festival in Germany where they placed 9th internationally at the Wacken Metal Battle, not too shabby for a band who only formed six years ago and released their debut EP 'Domination' this year. GMA spoke to the band's vocalist Romeo about their scene, the band's history and their experience at being at Wacken Open Air.  "It (winning WMBC) put things into perspective... we were going to be ambassadors for the entire Caribbean region in Europe." For those who have not heard of Asylum, could you give us a brief history of the band? Were you in previous bands? "Asylum is a metal band from Suriname, South America, that formed in 2012. The name refers to the band being a safe haven for metalheads in a country where metal is severely frowned upon. Asylum incorporates traditional Death and Thrash Metal with their own South American style they dub “Srananmetal”. Asylum first had a long standing underground scene before they broke out and gained notoriety in the Caribbean metal scene. In 2018 Asylum headlined local festivals and won the Wacken Metal Battle Caribbean 2018 in Trinidad and finished 9th place internationally at the Wacken Metal Battle in Germany. 3 of the 4 members have been in previous bands and various projects." What is the Surinamese Metal scene like? How long has it been going? Is it big? "While metal dates back to the 1970’s, metalheads today are even more passionate about the music. Being a small country the scene is relatively small but it is healthy and growing." What challenges as a metal band from Suriname do you face? "First and foremost, the financial aspect. Since the scene is small, you have to do a lot of self-investment and organizing for shows and travels. Everything is paid out of pocket." How did it feel to win the Wacken Metal Caribbean Battle this year? What was your Wacken experience like? "In Trinidad it was our first time playing outside of the country. We did not expect to be so well received by the Trinidadian fans and the whole experience blew our minds. It put things into perspective as we realized we were going to be ambassadors for the entire Caribbean region in Europe. We not only wanted to make our country proud but every metalhead across the Caribbean. Coming from a small country, none of us really get to see the metal greats perform. We rarely get to see any big shows or much less perform at one. Suddenly we shared the same stage as our South American heroes, Sepultura, and performed in from of thousands of cheering metalheads. It electrified us to our cores and this experience has given us the necessary tools and ambition to continue on this journey of metal domination. Big plans for 2019."  Presidential Palace, Paramaribo / Source: Britannica Kids What nationalities for the battle were there? Is the wider Caribbean scene big? "There were 30 countries and or regions represented. The wider Caribbean scene isn’t as big as the rest of the world. But the isolation has led to a lot of unique creativity from the bands and the scene is very lively and unlike anything you may see abroad." For metalheads visiting Paramaribo, what sights / attractions could you recommend? "We recommend you head on over to Unker Bunker Terras and get information on local shows and events. They are sporadic, but when they happen it’s a lot of fun and there everyone is welcome." In general, how has 2018 been for the band? How will you sign off the year and enter 2019? "2018 has been the most successful and fulling year for the band so far. It has left us motivated and we are pursuing new horizons in 2019. Our dicks are hard." Are there any greetings, thank you’s, etc., that you wish to send out? "We’d like to say hello to everyone who hasn’t heard about us and invite them to check us out and be part of the Asylum. We’d like to thank all our fans who made 2018 so memorable. We do this for the love of Metal, thanks GMA for this interview. Stay metal." https://www.facebook.com/asylum.su/
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 Deathcore, the very word and music genre causes seismic splits that are wider than the Grand Canyon, yet miraculously it still resides within the realms of the metal world to the dismay of the elitists. Whether you loathe or love the genre, it's one that has spawned off a endless stream of bands who've achieved great heights; yet some are so generic in their style it makes you cry. One band who aims to defy the generic formula of chugging, breakdowns and basically being musically boring, is Oceans Over Earth. Vocalist Andrew Lidgard spoke to GMA about the band's history, their direction and the whole debate surrounding Deathcore's legitimacy as a metal genre.  "I think the reason why it (Deathcore) gets such a bad reputation is because most of the bands don't have any sustenance... chug and chew on the microphone and claim its skilled work; (they) have a copy and paste formula for their writing."For those who have not heard of Oceans Over Earth could you give us a brief history of the band? "Oceans Over Earth (OOE) formed back in December 2010 in Grand Rapids, MI. It was just myself (Andrew Lidgard) and our old vocalist (Jordan Lawrence). Later we recruited a second guitarist Mike Bergsma who is still in the band to this day (now playing bass). Mike has been a friend of mine since childhood. We then found our drummer Corey Crawford through Craigslist believe it or not! We started playing shows heavily for a couple of years and released our first single in June 2011. To keep it short, we hit major rough patches with our old vocalist due to drugs and that made us lose any momentum we had for almost 2 years. After finding a replacement vocalist we recorded our first EP 'Transgressions' in December 2014. In March 2015 we released 'Seer' to ramp up a new EP we were going to record with Joshua Wickman of Dreadcore Productions. Our newest vocalist at the time, David, decided to jump ship the week before recording the bands second EP. This halted all momentum once again for another 2 years whilst we searched for a vocalist. So, in those two years I put down my guitar and started heavily practising vocals. The practice paid off and now I am the current vocalist of the band and no longer the guitarist! Jordan French is now our main guitarist, Mike Bergsma is our bassist and Corey Crawford is our drummer! This line-up seems to be what we have needed all along! We released an EP 'Absolute Zero' in April 2018, a new single 'Worthless Existence' in September and a brand new single 'Crimson Era' a few days ago! Our goal is to release new music every 2-3 months to keep things fresh for our fans!!" How did you yourselves get into playing music and what do your families think of your music? "I was drawn to the guitar when I was about 14 or so and my friend Paulie taught me how to play 'Welcome Home' by Coheed and Cambria and it was from then on that I started learning as much as I could from other bands. It branched mainly in metal music from August Burns Red to Slipknot, All That Remains, Parkway Drive etc. My Dad was always for it! He was in a band himself when he was younger and I credit most of my starting passion to him. As far as metal goes, my Dad never understood why all the screaming and not singing, but after all this time I think its grown on him haha. Corey (drums) was a musician for years before I met him. He was a drummer in his high-school band and has always been proficient at drumming. Corey took major influence from Joey Jordison and Matt Greiner, two amazing drummers. Practices are held at Corey's mothers house, so as you can imagine she obviously supports his musical endeavours or she wouldn't let us do that or attend shows!! Mike (bass) and I would jam to our favourite bands music for hours together. We could play Killswitch Engage albums front to back and just have a blast the whole time. If I remember correctly, I taught Mike how to play guitar and then in his spare time he pushed himself to get better and better. Mike ended up dropping down to bass when we picked up Jordan for our main guitar spot. Mike's parents are very supportive as well. Jordan (guitar) was in a band with Corey, our drummer, back before OOE formed. I don't personally know how Jordan started playing, all I know is he is damn good. He is much better than myself, that's for sure. As far as I know his parents enjoy and support him as much as they can." Deathcore is a overly-saturated genre, how do you distance yourself from the cliche riff and breakdown overload some bands do? "I'm sure my response is as cliche as the genre can be sometimes, but we aren't trying to fit any mould, we never have. We try to push ourselves personally and are trying to make music that simply we enjoy as individuals. Our goal isn't to make the most brutal music or catchy music. Our goal is to just write music that we like! If other people like it and call themselves fans of our work, that just makes us happy and pushes us to keep going! With releasing new singles every 2-3 months it allows us to do absolutely anything that we want with each release and not have to worry about having our music fit any concepts or tones/attitudes. We can just write whatever we are feeling that month and its definitely a freeing experience so far." Would you argue for against that Deathcore is a metal genre? Why do you think it at times takes some bad rap from people? "I personally believe that anything with drums, bass, harsh vocals and electric distorted guitar is metal. Saying Deathcore isn't metal is pretty elitist. You can not like Deathcore obviously, but it is metal. I think the reason why it gets such a bad reputation is because most of the bands that fit this category don't have any sustenance to their writing. They just chug and chew on the microphone and claim its skilled work. Out of 100 bands, there are probably only 3-5 worth listening to. The other 95+ bands have a copy and paste formula for their writing. Hopefully that'll change in the future and bands will stop trying to be "Deathcore" and will just follow their own spirit and write something captivating."  Blue Bridge, Grand Rapids (MI) / Source: Hopcat For metalheads visiting Grand Rapids, what sights or attractions could you recommend? "Grand Rapids, MI as well as the whole state has some of the best venues! The Intersection is an easy pick, they have three stages! All separate from each other so there isn't any audio bleed. The main stage, The Stache and Elevation. They bring metal shows in all the time. The Pyramid Scheme is a pinball pub that also has a great stage and sound system. Some of the coolest / personal shows I've been to have been there. Recently 20 Monroe Live just opened up. I haven't been there myself, but I've heard wonderful things. There are bars everywhere in GR and they almost all have some sort of stage area for shows that typically support metal. Most shows at the bars are free." How far has your music been listened to? You released 'Absolute Zero' in April, what was the response like? "With the internet our music has been heard all over the globe! 'Absolute Zero' has had great response and great reviews by the people who have listened to it, but we have had a hard time getting the word out there that we are still together. As stated above, we hit so many rough patches and years of 'hiatus' that I think people have drifted away and its hard to bring them back. But, with the release of 'Absolute Zero' and our two newest singles 'Worthless Existence' and 'Crimson Era' people are starting to turn their heads again! 2018 has been a year of feeling like we are starting over. Its refreshing but also a little discouraging." How has 2018 treated you guys and what plans do you have for 2019? "2018 has been the best year for the band so far! Getting new fans, releasing music on Spotify and other major services has been a first for us and its awesome to watch it grow! It seems so obvious, but when people actually purchase our music it solidifies the fact that we are doing something right. People are willing to spend their hard earned money on something that four guys from MI created to help us continue and grow into something more. It makes it all worth it in the end. Hopefully in 2019 we continue to grow and start playing some shows! New music, always!" Finally do you have any hello's, thank you's, etc., that you wish to send out? "A huge thank you to Lee from Lee Albrecht Studios who is our current producer for our latest two singles! Joshua Wickman from Dreadcore Productions who produced 'Absolute Zero' with us, thank you!! These two producers have really stepped up to help us out and make our music into something amazing. They are solid people and great to work with. Both very talented producers with a passion for making the best product they can!! Thanks to our fans for purchasing / streaming / sharing our music!" https://www.facebook.com/OceansOverEarth/  When many people think of Iran, either the vast-lands of desert or the historic silk-road springs to mind. But underneath the rich history of this Islamic country is a metal scene that determines to thrive despite facing oppression from the political and religious elite, something of which metalheads despise; the act of creative art and freedom locking horns with the sharia law that prohibits non-Islamic music, so one begs the question.. what defines as Islamic music? Tarantist, a Thrash Metal band originally from Tehran, but now based in the USA, stepped up to talk to GMA about their native scene, their new single 'Ekhtelas' and the general complications they face as being Iranians.  "Back in the day if we wore band shirts, we would have been arrested and raped in the Islamic jail by some jihadists" For those who have not heard of Tarantist, could you give us a brief history of the band? "Formed in the basements of Tehran around the year 2000, bitten and toxic by the society's poison, we started to scream out loud and get our frustration heard by the world. Unhealthy situation by the occupying Government of Iran..." How did you get into playing and listening to metal music? Was it hard growing up as a metalhead in Iran? "Only through some friends or relatives who have been travelling in-and-out of the country and later on by the help of satellite TV channels, radios and then internet. It was all in the underground and secret scene and was a very dangerous situation, because mullahs have been thought by the puppeteers, to impose the society false and bullshit statements... like the music will rape their profits anally... so, music was banned, joy was banned, happiness was banned, being a human was banned, every f*****g thing was banned, because the f*****g false prophets of some f*****g bullshit lies were supposed to get mad at us and send us to hell if we did so! Sigh... " You just dropped your new single 'Ekhtelas', what has the reception of the single been like? "The chorus seems to be catchy and everyone sings and dances with it!" You moved from Iran to the USA, how easy or hard was the transition? "It was (and still is) so f*****g hard... you won't believe the amount of horse-s**t both governmental bureaucracies will put in your plate... that was insane... but TarantisT got kind of lucky (although it was not luck, it was because we f*****g rocked hard and we deserved it, then we gained it)... so, we got a huge international exposure, people from major international media were coming to Iran only to meet with TarantisT and interview us! Then the news we were getting viral on the early days of Internet and social media. Then we started to receive invitations to travel the world and perform... so we walked in to the US like rock-stars with the visa type of "Internationally Recognized Artists"! Yeah f**k yeah, young kids as internationally recognized artists... proud of our achievements..."  Tehran, Iran / Source: Business Inside Do you feel that metal music offers a way for everyone to come together regardless of political, religious, cultural and social differences? "Metal is life, metal is everything, metal is a culture... humanity comes first, before any Satan-damn thing!" What can fans expect from your forthcoming album? What is different in comparison to previous albums? "In the upcoming album, "Fucked Up Generation", words would be in Farsi once again like "Not A Crime" album (2017), but again fresh and new sounds, groovy bass lines and riffs, traditional Persian instruments, and new subjects to bite the f*****g corrupted system." For metalheads visiting Tehran, what sights or attractions should they go and see? How restricted is metal music in Iran; are metalheads allowed to wear band t-shirts in the street? "Back in the day if we wore band shirts, we would have been arrested and raped in the Islamic jail by some jihadists, who are scared of their nonsense Allah! We haven't lived there since 2007 so we don't have personal experiences, but it seems it is a little bit better these days. But you won't see any thing related to rock or metal music in public. If you lick the balls of the supreme leader, you might be able to f**k around though..." For the rest of 2018 and into 2019, what are your plans? "3 albums in 2019 ready to fire, SXSW festival 2019, new videos, some shows and gigs here and there... all news will be posted on our social media channels, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, Apple Music, etc." Do you have any greetings, thank you's, etc., that you wish to send out? "Fuck you mullahs". http://www.facebook.com/TarantisT  Whenever metal bands in the west think they have it hard, very little thought is spared for their contemporaries in the war-ravaged, poverty-ridden or geographically-isolated nations on planet earth. It's bands from these parts of the world that ultimately deserve far more attention than your next big band who sells thousands of albums a month. When your recording and playing metal music whilst bombs around you go off and your effectively playing with your life in the balance, reality kicks in and the reality is the Syrian Metal scene has far more to lose than the vast majority of westernised metalheads can ever lose. This is why Absentation relocated to Germany, here guitarist / vocalist Salah Alghalayeeni speaks to GMA about the scene back home, the challenges that came with playing metal, the forthcoming album and the fact that having no festival in the MENA region has left some scenes without a live outlet.... this is his story.  "Hopefully someday we will gather at a big metal event in Damascus Castle, that would be f***ing awesome" For those who have not heard of Absentation could you give us a brief history of the band? "First of all, greetings to you Rhys and to Global Metal Apocalypse, Absentation is the first official Death Metal band formed in 2003 in Damascus, Syria. The first album was "Death Chapter" released in 2005, then "Mental Battle Resurrection" which was released by ADP records in 2007 (we were interviewed by Terrorizer magazine and got a killer review by Noisecreep), then we were preparing to release an album entitled "Claves Inferni", we released 2 singles but couldn’t complete it for the bad situation we faced in the country. We came back with "Ascending To Desolate" released in February 2018 and are actually mixing the upcoming album "The Intellectual Darkness". It must be tough for Syrian Metalheads these days let alone bands, how do you ensure you're not caught; have you fled Syria? Any plans to evacuate? "Well now I am in Germany, but the situation for metalheads in Syria nowadays is very good compared to old days, today nobody gets caught yet still there is no support, record labels, magazines…., etc, which is hell for bands and music careers." It seems alongside Maysaloon that Absentation are flag-bearers for the Syrian Metal scene, but what about in the early days, when did the Syrian Metal scene first come around? "Well we had in the 80’s a lot of rock bands and tribute bands to Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden etc., and still we have a lot of tribute bands that are doing great. About the early days, we are proud that we were the flag bearers and are still in Death metal alongside Anarchadia (Thrash Metal), Netherion (Death Metal) NuclearDown, (Power Metal) and now Maysaloon joins the troops of flag bearers for them and for all much of success." Are you worried about touring the USA and Europe because of the politics going on? Do you feel metal music brings the world together regardless of differences? "I am not worried, because we all are brothers in metal, we all relate to this kind of music and we all trying to keep metal alive, as Chuck Schuldiner said, but of course it affects us a lot with visa granting."  Bab Sharqi, Damascus / Source: Wikipedia You're currently working on your new album "The Intellectual Darkness", how is that going? Will this be released physically? "Yes, this album I am proud of and are working hard on, the mixing of the album will be finished soon and thereafter entering the mastering process. Yes of course this will be released worldwide and we are in the negotiation process for now to pick up the best deal to get to the next level; there is a big surprise, I will leave it as a surprise until the release. The album is talking about an intellectual man, who no longer fits in this fake society; his brain is eaten by them, so he is trying to find the equation (based on strings theory) to make the universes collide so he can join a higher civilization, will he succeed? Or will he turn to a very dark entity to take revenge? We describe here all the darkness he is suffering and sees, and how society manipulated his mind and was responsible in turning an intellectual man to a very dark entity, will he survive? That is what we will see and follow with this album." For bands in the MENA region it must be hard not having any real metal festivals, so, would you hope that Desert Rock in The UAE revives? "Yes sure, I hope so, and hope we have in the future big festivals that unites all metal bands worldwide." Have you had any fans contact you outside of Syria? Any from countries you would have never imagined? "Yes sure, we have a lot of fans from Germany, Belgium, France, the United States, even in China, India, and we got massive support from Brazil, Argentina… etc., we hope someday we will be known around the globe." Obviously it's hard for metalheads to go on holiday in Syria at the moment, but, what sights or attractions in Damascus? "You have old Damascus (Babtouma, Bab Sharqi, Damascus Castle, Qasiuon mountain... etc.,) Damascus is a very pretty city and it has it's magic. Hopefully someday we will gather at a big metal event in Damascus Castle, that would be f***ing awesome." What plans do you have for 2019 and are there any greetings, thank you's, etc you wish to send out? "I am concentrating now on the upcoming album, as I am producing it, the release will be in early 2019. The plan is to do it as professionally as I can and to get the attention that in Syria we have a lot of talent that needs to be supported, and to be recognized as world class musicians. Also to continue in spreading the plague with our music. I want to thank the fans that believe in Absentation, and believe in our music . Stay tuned for "The Intellectual Darkness". I want to thank you Rhys for the support, I send hope for you and wish Global Metal Apocalypse much success." http://www.facebook.com/pages/Absentation/40938295966  Deathcore is either regarded as taboo within the world of metal music, or as a misunderstood genre baying for recognition as a valid form of metal music. Either way the fact remains it's an unrelenting force that continues to enthral and dominate in both the underground and mainstream realms of metal, from the high-fliers of Bring Me The Horizon, Thy Art Is Murder and Whitechapel to the newest practitioners of the genre; in this instance Denmark's Hanging The Nihilist. However despite the genre's viral appeal, it has on numerous occasions fell flat as becoming 'generic' through bands using the basic formula of riffs, breakdowns and nothing else. So, how does one escape that ever-growing void of unoriginality? It's simple, experiment and tinker with various sounds to create something people will dub as a 'signature tune' (think Whitechapel's frontman Phil Bozeman and his rapid-fire vocals, or BMTH's Oli Sykes's raspy screams, etc). For the Danish sextet in Hanging The Nihilist, this is exactly what they have done and are on course to bring to the fore the sound of 'Danecore'. The band agreed to embrace hygge and speak with GMA about their forthcoming EP 'The Crow', the Danish Metal scene and how they aim to avoid the clutches of 'generic Deathcore'.  "The scene is small and most of us know each other in one way or another, however, it seems to be constantly growing" For those who do not know of Hanging The Nihilist, could you give us a brief history of the band? "Jon, Berna and Emil (guitar, keys, drums) played in a band before Hanging The Nihilist (HTN) that broke up because of creative differences. They decided to not stop writing music and were joined by William (bass) in early 2016. Marc's old band had just gone on a hiatus, so he joined during the summer of 2016 after being persuaded by Jon for almost a year. We played without a second guitarist for a long time because we couldn't find the perfect fit, so we decided to write 'Crow' with just one guitarist. Right after we finished recording Crow, we found the perfect fit in Casper (guitar), who has been a a HTN member ever since." How do you distinguish yourselves from the already over-saturated genre? What makes your style of music not generic Deathcore? "We're naturally very inspired by the international Deathcore scene and the hype that's been built around it. We do try to add different elements that aren't as common, such as the piano (which is responsible for the creepy vibes), as well as the way Chris has mixed and mastered our EP which definitely makes it stand out. We're inspired by the way bands such as Lorna Shore add a horror "feel" or vibe to the music using a guitar, and we're trying to give our music a similar feel with the use of a keyboard rather." You must be stoked to be releasing your 'Crow EP' next year, will you be touring in support of it? "If the opportunity strikes. For now our focus is on making sure "Crow" will be well received, and everything past that, we'll deal with as it comes. " Could you give us a brief breakdown as to what each song title means? "Marc says:- lyrically...
 Little Mermaid, Copenhagen / Source: The Independent How strong is the Danish Metal scene lately? What is the current scene like? What challenges are there? "The scene is small and most of us know each other in one way or another, however, it seems to be constantly growing. People like Mirza (CEO of Prime Collective) does a wonderful job of furthering our scene and making sure that the Danish metal scene is taken serious internationally as well. A challenge for us, especially being a Deathcore band, is that we're one of few Deathcore bands here, which means that it's difficult to get a lot of shows going, without it being the same bands and line-ups every time. However, positively, geographically-speaking Denmark is in a great spot in-between massive metal countries such as Norway, Sweden, Finland and Germany." How did you get into playing metal music? Who did you grow up listing to?
Most of us seem to have either metalcore or heavy metal backgrounds at least. Berna, do you feel that more and more women are engaging with metal music and that it's becoming less male-dominated? "I think that it is kind of balancing out and I think that it is great. Women are being more and more accepted in the metal scene now more than ever. Since I was a kid I have always had big female idols in this scene such as the vocalists from Nightwish and Arch Enemy, and now seeing that it is becoming more accepted I also become more confident with my music and live performance and way more motivated than before." For metalheads visiting Copenhagen and Hillerød, what sights and attractions could you recommend? "All metalheads that visit Copenhagen must check out our friends in Cabal and their live-show. They're not just incredible musicians, they're incredible performers." What plans do you have for the year ahead and the rest of 2018? "For the rest of 2018, our plans are to play a show on the 14th December, as well as releasing 'Endless Crime' on the 7th December. We're working on merchandise and the release of 'Forgotten' as well as "Crow" in its entirety in 2019. We're mostly just looking forward to hearing what people think of "Crow", and we've already begun working on new material." Do you have any greetings, thank you's, etc you wish to send out? "Thanks to you guys for reaching out, thanks to Prime and Chris Kreutzfeldt for the work on Crow, last but not least, thanks to everybody who checks out Hanging the Nihilist. We're looking forward to seeing what you'll make out of this!" https://www.facebook.com/hangingthenihilist/  Chile on the western side of South America has always had a vibrant metal scene with some notable musicians and bands making their names known far and wide, with bands like Mar de Grises and Criminal ending up with record deals with European labels in Season of Mist and Metal Blade, it's no surprise that the Chilean Metal scene goes on with bolder and greater ambitions. Leading the next wave is Weight Of Emptiness, a Doom / Melodic Death Metal outfit who released their debut album "Anfractuous Moments For Redemption" last year physically by themselves and digitally through the British label Sepulchral Silence. It was then later reissued through the Mexican label Sun Empire Productions. Thus showing their never-ending attempts to explore markets outside Chile. Drummer Mauricio Basso (also plays in the Melodic Death Metal band Letargo) agreed to talk to GMA about the band's history, their complex sound, touring Mexico and life as a Chilean Metalhead.  "The main obstacle is that there is not much formality and guarantees for musicians in Latin America" For those who do not know of Weight Of Emptiness, could you please give us a brief history of the band? "Three individuals from Buin (a town near the capital of Chile) plus two friends and musicians from Santiago gave shape to Weight Of Emptiness, all of the members came with experience from being in other bands, we came together to give shape to this new experience." You've only been going two years and yet released an EP and an album, surely that's a dream start? "It has been a lot of work and focus, besides that it is not our only activity, but there is always strength for what we want to achieve and everything so far has gone well. It has been a lot of work these last couple of years." Your debut album "Anfractuous Moments For Redemption" was released last year, what was the reception like? "It has been quite good from the public and the media in general, we are very grateful for that too. We have played many shows to promote it and the reception has been incredible, even with many interesting proposals going around." You toured Mexico last year, how hard is it to tour Chile let alone organize a Mexican tour? What difficulties can you face? "Well, the main obstacle is that there is not much formality and guarantees for musicians in Latin America in terms of contracts and that kind of thing. Everything is based enough on trust and goodwill, especially if you're not very well known, but with great effort they put on a lot of shows and quite a few producers were interested in the band. In Mexico, there were also previous contacts with friends from a radio program there. It was an incredible experience, lucratively speaking it was not something important, but the experience was magnificent, the people were wonderful and there were very good vibes."  El Hoyo restaurant, Santiago / Source: Bitacora De Mi Chile Blogspot What would you say Weight Of Emptiness brings to the table that other bands have not? What makes you different? "In truth I think that influences that are not very common together in the same band can be something that distinguishes us, and the other thing is that we care enough about the sound and the effect it has on the perception of the listener." How did you get into metal music in the first place? Are any of your family members musicians? "Well since I was little there was a lot of music in the house where I lived, the radio was always on in the morning where there were also radio theatre programs. My uncle's had enough vinyl's and cassettes with plenty of bands from the 70's and 80's era's, and that was what I was trained with. My dad is a drummer too and that's where the drummer comes from as an instrument of worship." For those visiting Santiago, what sights / attractions would you recommend to metalheads? "There are quite a few shows of national Metal bands playing. Locals like the Oxido Bar are frequented almost every day of the week. I recommend Pablo Neruda's house, that has a very special vibe and is full of beautiful objects. There are also interesting museums and parks, the restaurant El Hoyo and especially outside Santiago there are interesting landscapes." With 2018 closing up what plans do you have for the rest of the year? "A lot of work. Another album is waiting, a new process is coming full of interesting things, new people on this trip, presentations outside of Chile, video's, we hope to surprise you with this new stage of Weight Of Emptiness" Are there any greetings you wish to send out? "A special greeting to all those people who take the risk of looking for new sounds and forms of expression and take them to extreme metal. Also to all the people who read your media I propose to know our band and join us on this trip. Cheers" https://www.facebook.com/Weight-of-Emptiness-1689263718029727/  The Heretic Order are a horror-inspired Heavy Metal band dwelling in the mass graveyards of London, this year they performed at the revered and internationally-attended Metal festival, Bloodstock Open Air. They also released their second album this year, 'Evil Rising', guitarist Count Marcel La Vey stopped all cremation proceedings for the day and spoke to GMA about the band's haunting history, ghoulish gear and paranormal performances... OK enough with the horror-style puns.  "In the UK there's plenty of bands that are amazing, they just don't get the chances that they should" What does the band name The Heretic Order mean? Tell us the band's history. "Well it's the order... (you've put me on the spot there aha), it's basically the order where the four of us connect, we're the heretics. We've been around for about four years, the kind of music we do has a kinda classic metal feel to it but it's modernised, it's got an old-school feel to it but we keep it modern. We like the occult, history and so all the lyrics are about that kind of stuff, it's all dark subject-orientated. Funny enough our influences include the headliners tonight (Judas Priest) as well as Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, etc, so it's dual guitars playing off each other, we get heavy and doomy but we also have our small songs as well, there's a lot of variation in the music." How was it to play at Bloodstock this year, what are the emotions in the camp like? "We're excited to play, it's not for a few hours yet and have only just got here, settling in and are looking forward to the show" (any nerves?) "Not yet, simply because of the rush we had to get here, just getting over that; it was a nightmare to get here... so hopefully the rain doesn't spoil the rest of the day for us." Who is the go-to band member if anyone has any issues or problems? "We're all pretty good with each other to be honest, we don't really have the one person to go to you know what I mean? We all have the same feelings towards each other and are comfortable with one another, so there's no one particular person." With the vast amount of international bands playing at Bloodstock, are you surprised at metal's global spread? "Nah, not surprised at all as music comes from all over the place and like any market it's usually dominated by one or two countries, one of them being America but you go anywhere in Europe; even in the UK there's plenty of bands that are amazing, they just don't get the chances that they should. Metal is all over the world, you just got to have the people to put it out there for everyone else or if you're very keen you can go find them yourself - there's plenty of bands I want to see that can't make it to the UK, so whenever we travel to their countries we try and see them, and they do the same (for us)." What (if any) challenges does the London Metal scene face right now? "London has a lot of bands who want to play and get noticed, so there's a lot of competition in London, the trends are the same for us as probably across the country - you see it often in every festival (rock or metal), that every year the styles of metal are different. A few years back Megadeth played and now this year we have Judas Priest, it changes... but yeah London is quite tough, it's always the way it has been down there." Do you feel Brexit will have an impact (good or bad) on British Metal bands? "It's going to make travelling across Europe a lot harder, we're just going to have to play it by ear and see how it all ends up, it's not going to be easy getting to Europe or to come in to the UK. We're not looking forward to it, but we'll find a way; it's the way it always goes, you want to go do something or get something done, you want to play or get your music heard, you have to find a way to do it and it's always been like that".  City of London Cemetery and Crematorium, London You supported Soulfly, what was it like playing alongside the legend that is Max Cavelera? "The guy's a legend, what can you say? He's got his family travelling with him, playing with him, the guy just has to open his mouth and the crowd reacts to anything he says. So it was great, we said a quick hello and all of that, great guys in a great band - it was a great night to play but also to watch the band." Do you feel Social Media is still as relevant for bands, or is it overused? "Unfortunately it still has to be there, I say unfortunately because I'm not great on it but it's got to be done, it's part of the business so you have to do what other bands are doing, and get noticed doing it in a different way. Social Media is here to stay for a while longer. There's bands who of course will use it differently, different people equals different tastes, but for myself I think there are bands who do too much of it - I might like certain bands but I find myself just swiping through their stuff because I know they're going to have something else up in the next couple of hours again, or whatever, you can always go back and look. But it can also turn people off, so you got to be careful and play it right and hope you're doing it right." After Bloodstock what plans do you have for the rest of the year leading into 2019? "We have a tour that we're trying to line-up, we got a few dates sorted out so we're trying to finish that for September / October. We're organizing a European tour for the beginning of next year and working on new songs. We've just released our second album "Evil Rising" back in June, but we're already working on our next album so whenever we get the chance, we're basically working on new music and tour dates." Summarise Bloodstock in two words, and explain why. Any greetings you wish to send out? "'Real festival' - why I say real is because I like going to metal festivals and this one is the only one I really do feel is a metal festival; other festivals I have been to, they have some metal bands... I don't know maybe it's just my taste is changing - the atmosphere here is a different thing and whoever I speak to who has been to Bloodstock has said the same thing; Bloodstock is unique and hopefully they keep it that way. Just to the usual people they know who they are, I won't mention any names but I just want to thank the people in advance who will come to see us - make some noise for us when we see you tonight." https://www.facebook.com/thehereticorder  Scarab are arguably the leaders of the Egyptian Metal scene, and whilst they're purveyors of 'True Egyptian Death Metal', the sextet are always exploring new avenues in which to take their music down. Humbled by the past oppression seen across most countries in the MENA (Middle East/North Africa) region in terms of authorities viewing metal music as the 'devil's music'; watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDXqP49ZNE8, Scarab's origins start back in 2001 under their previous guise 'Hate Suffocation' from which became Scarab in 2006; carried on by three members (Sammy Sayed - vocals, Tarek Amr - guitars and Al-Sharif Marzeban - guitars/backing vocals); the original bassist Bombest left in 2015 and a year after that the original drummer Hatem El Akkad left. Scarab are on the home run stretch in the completion of their third album "Martyrs of the Storm", Scarab spoke to GMA about the impending album, the current state of the Egyptian Metal scene, Rami Malek in the film 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and what to do when visiting Egypt. 
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