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Corners Of Sanctuary have been rampaging throughout the East Coast and in their home city of Philadelphia for 15 years and the heavy metal / hard rock outfit show no signs of putting the brakes on anytime soon. Not only are the quartet gearing up for a tour spanning across 3 months on 9 set dates, but they are also a part of something monumental to the Philly metal scene, a documentary of it's rocking history. Founder and guitarist / keyboardist Mick Michaels gave Global Metal Apocalypse the low down on their historic milestone, what it feels like being a part of a unique regional documentary and the challenges American metal bands face nowadays.  Corners Of Sanctuary celebrate 15 years this year as a band, but over the years there have been many line-up changes amongst the 12 album releases, how has the band remained on course during the turbulent times? "At the end of the day the focus has always been the music and that’s what has driven this band from the very beginning. We have had several members come through over the years…some have only been here a short time and filled in when we were in a pinch… others stayed longer. But regardless the music has prevailed. Any time there is a line-up change those initial moments do seem like turbulent times. We are all too familiar with that situation. However, we always realized quickly in each circumstance that it was what was best for the band as a whole. Time does offer that perspective. We just need to be patient enough to weather out the storm and at times that can be difficult. In the end, Metal never dies and the music lives on forever." Considering your last album "Christmas Together: A Merry Metal Xmas IX" was released in 2022, surely a new album is in the pipeline, if so when is it slated for release? "We have been focusing on EP's the last few years with only selected singles releasing digitally. Since 2022, a number of EPs have released including: “This is Metal”; the “Metal Never Dies” compilation; “Metal Up”; the ”Monster Inside” compilation which was a collection of B-sides and deeper cuts and came with a comic; “Taking Cover” - our covers EP; and more recently the “Forever Metal” EP; with each release having six or more tracks per. Over the last few years we have also been reworking a couple of our early albums including the CD reissues of both our 2012 album “Breakout” and our 2015 album “Metal Machine.” Both include newly recorded tracks, as well as being completely remixed and re-mastered. We just released a new single July 7th called “Crimson Sky” via SODEH Records. “Crimson Sky” will be part of a forthcoming EP titled “Destined.” For the last 10 years we’ve worked on and off on an album titled “Vengeance Of The Fallen.” Will it ever see the light of day? We don’t know really. The hope is to complete it at some point and make it available. But for right now, we will keep going with the singles and the EP's. It’s working for us and seems that’s what audiences tend to gravitate more towards these days. You're part of the forthcoming documentary "When We Rocked" which centres on the Philadelphia Rock Scene - in your opinion what is it that makes the Philly Rock sound so iconic? Will this documentary be released in theatres or online only? "We are very excited to be part of the When We Rocked project as a band. We participated in the documentary’s title track and had the pleasure of working with Reggie Wu of Heavens Edge and Jaron Gulino also of Heavens Edge and Lynch Mob… both incredible players to say the least and the best of guys… real gentlemen. There’s a music video for the track out now as well. Plus a number of other Corners of Sanctuary songs will be included in the documentary’s soundtrack. We couldn’t be more honoured! For me as an individual, I am ecstatic that the book I co-authored last year is now being made into a feature length documentary about a city and music scene that was so impactful. The trailer has already been released. To me, music is magic and the opportunities it has offered me over the years are something that I count as blessings every single day. When I was a kid, Philadelphia was the big time for me. The bands that I followed came from Philly and made it and that was all I needed to know to keep pushing forward. What made it unique then and now is the attitude. That attitude is unlike any other city…it’s a take no prisoners, take no shit way of life and that’s what’s reflected in the music created by the city’s artists and bands…then and now. The When We Rocked documentary is slated to release later this year or early 2027 through March Baby Media. We’ve been entertaining several options for its premier including a select theatre release run, online streaming platforms and DVDs. There are a number of options to consider. But for now, we are focusing on delivering the best Philly Rock scene documentary to honour all these great artists who made it what it was… simply unforgettable! American metal as a whole is a non-stop conveyor belt of releases, so how hard is it nowadays for bands to gain a following outside of their own county or on a larger scale, state? "I think regardless of a band’s location, finding an audience is a task filled with endless challenges and obstacles. The music population is so vast these days that it is now considered over-saturated everywhere, not just the US. Unfortunately, most of us get lost in the noise. Even though the internet and social media and the like have somewhat bridged a gap, the divide to those bands at the top and everyone else has gotten much wider. I think since following COVID, many bands have focused on smaller, niche type audiences and some of those bands have definitely made headway with that model. Less is definitely more, which is another reason why we have chosen to focus on single and EP releases rather than full-length albums. There seems to be enough of the world to go around for everyone. The trick is to do it in a way that makes sense and stays true to the kind of artist you want to be."  Your going out on a 9-date tour late July, starting 07/23 in New York and finishing 09/26 in Pennsylvania, mostly focused on the East Coast - will this be a road trip or going by plane? At least one of those dates is a festival appearance - 'Coal Region Veterans Fest' - have you played there before? "We originally had discussed going back to Europe for a string of shows to celebrate our 15 year anniversary. But the climate just didn’t feel right. So then we decided to do a West Coast run of shows. We ran into a few snags along the way and that was cancelled. So, we decided to stay on the East Coast and do a few shows, making it a road trip in the process. We’ve been on a plane for tours in the past but nothing beats an old fashion road trip excursion with four guys and their equipment jammed packed into a vehicle for hours. It’s a true bonding experience like no other. And what better time to do it than in the summer months? We are excited about hitting the road. Most of the dates will be new venues for us. That is doubly exciting. This will be our first performance at the Coal Region Veterans Fest and we can’t wait. Anytime we have a chance to participate and support our veterans we jump on it. Our bass player, Matthew, is a veteran. We are also playing the Field of Screams event in September… twice actually. That’s a big event centred around Halloween with a haunted house and other related entertainment including a host of bands performing. Thousands of people attend it each year. This is our first time playing, so we are pretty excited. We look forward to seeing you there! Aside from the documentary which is slated for a 2027 release, touring plans, and (if happening) a new album coming out this year, what plans do you have for the year ahead going into 2027? "More music for one… including another new single scheduled for September and of course our annual holiday track in November. We have a few other projects currently in the works including an acoustic album, some more CD and maybe vinyl reissues of older albums, and an autobiography on the band that we have been working on over the past couple of years. We had plans to release it for the 15-year anniversary but people usually put these sorts of things together when they are coming close to the end and ready to take a bow. But I don’t think this band is there yet. So, with that in mind, we intend to take our time with it…chapters are still waiting to be written! Do you have any greetings or thanks that you wish to send out? First off, thank you for talking with me and allowing me to share a little about Corners of Sanctuary with your readers. And we definitely want to thank everyone who has supported us over the last 15 years. It means so much to us and we are truly grateful that we have been given the opportunity to share our music with so many people. That truly is a blessing. In this business, people come and go in a blink of an eye over the long haul. Life often has other plans of us. But we have never forgotten what those individuals have done for us… both big and small. They are the ones who made it all possible. We really do hope to be doing this for a long time to come. So thanks again and we will see you at the show… COSnROLL\m/\m/ www.cornersofsanctuary.com www.facebook.com/CornersofSanctuary www.instagram.com/cosnationmetal COS on Spotify
Get Rocked at www.WhenWeRockedPhilly.com
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India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, they all have a lot in common. Historical connotations, geographical locations, seasonal conditions, cricket, religious festivals among others... but nothing as striking as the sheer size of their metal music scenes. Sure not many people in the West know that these scenes exist with India being the exception, after all Kryptos and Demonic Resurrection have been gracing the UK and European shores many times. As for the rest of the subcontinental contingent, there is Orobas from Bangladesh causing a buzz, Pakistan's Black Warrant perhaps being one of the oldest bands from there and Sri Lanka's Dhishti leading the Sri Lankan Black Metal wave... overarching all of that is a passion for extreme music, a passion for metalheads expressing themselves and a passion for thriving in an 'Extreme Nation', this is what Indian director Roy Dipankar's latest documentary is called and is about. He gladly spoke to GMA about the documentary, the troubles funding and filming such a feat and what it means to be a metalhead in this part of the world.  "The subcontinent now has her own flag-bearers in extreme metal being recognised worldwide thanks to the internet, supportive distributions and record labels." Roy, what gave you the idea of doing a documentary about the Indian subcontinent's extreme underground metal scene? "My affinity for independent and alternative music has traversed a long way, a decade plus later, manifesting itself as a film via videos and documentaries capturing the panorama of non-mainstream music and emerging voices from the Indian subcontinent. The professional experience in the commercial and institutional sector of record labels eventually left me not so satisfied in terms of creativity, progress and space to showcase emerging sub-cultures and alternative voices of the youth. I began to feel (and see) the societal fissures and cultural bias (injustice) which ran from pillar to post, within mainstream culture, be it the case in India or Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The more I searched, the more I discovered concurrent narratives of musicians, fans and propagators from far corners of the underground subcontinent. The fledgling emergence of an unique subculture against the backdrop of religious radicalism, rising nationalism, traditional hegemony makes this documentary loaded in contrast, conversations and controversy. This led me to develop a first-of-its-kind attempt to document and showcase voices, the prevailing conditions and questions raised by metal musicians from the fringe communities based in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Almost five years in the making, 'Extreme Nation' is now debuting at various film-festivals, media outlets and panoramas in India and outside." What challenges did you have to overcome to deliver the documentary? How long did it take to create? "Several! Especially when one embarks upon an independent task towards creative art which is all about subversiveness and anti-creation. Be it the interpersonal relationship of the countries, or the highly elusive or inert nature of bands and characters involved in the underground. Finding the right people and convincing them to be a part of a bigger spectrum was a massive deal. Financial hurdles were / are the most difficult ones. Especially when the international documentary world is looking at India to produce more apparent hard-pressed issues related to environment, gender identity and equality, caste-based politics and such, a feature film on subculture takes a second or rather a second-last silver lining on the path to fruition. Security was another concern regarding the cast and 'politically sensitive' content due to long term internal disputes and border-territory issues across the subcontinent. Diplomatic problems like visas have always been a chimera for extreme musicians to travel across our borders for performances. Struggling against the pre-fixated mindsets towards music that is metal, noise, power electronics, hardcore, is tough. But I took this as an anti-morose challenge which is both exciting and satisfying as the awareness spreads... a film about dark music! A film about the seething yet fragile voices within nations of the Indian subcontinent." Do you feel that Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan (along with Nepal, Bhutan and The Maldives) are being noticed worldwide as forces within the extreme metal scene? "Very much. The subcontinent now has her own flag-bearers in extreme metal that is being recognised worldwide thanks to the internet as well as supportive distribution and syndication by record labels." What have you noticed about the scenes there, that at first came as a surprise to you? "More than as a surprise, the feeling was that of a kind of discovery. The bands, their message, performances and imagery came across as crisp and sharp. It was both unique and seminal that would lay the path of an organised scene is what became clear to me."  Source: Hindustan Times Do you feel it will come to a point where a lot more Western labels take note of bands in this region; with Demonic Resurrection and Kryptos leading the way? "Further to the aforementioned bands there are substantial releases of Indian subcontinental bands like Genocide Shrines, Konflict, Tetragrammacide to the now recent Kapala that has gained severe international recognition by release through 'Western labels' in the extreme underground." What was life like growing up as a metalhead in India? What does your family think of your choice of music and your film-making? "Growing up in the early 90's, the only two unique distinctions in sound for me was AR Rahman's music and Heavy Metal. Don't get me wrong, I mean, I grew up in the Bombay heartland (thus being) exposed to Bollywood, devotional cacophony of loudspeakers blaring during festivals, cassettes and LPs of international artists like ABBA, Boney M, Kraftwerk, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Rabindra Sangeet published by Polydor, Columbia, HMV (my grandfather's lifetime as an Exports Manager at HMV, Calcutta). But the teenage angst in me would be satiated by metal music alone and a bit of Bruce Lee films maybe. What attracts me in metal or extreme music (as currently what I listen to might not easily be identified as metal: 8MM, mz412, Bell, Black Cilice, Qrixkuor), it probably is that naked, unabashed and true openness of expressionist art that needn't adhere to a form, method or general formulae. My family is fine with me whether be it choice of profession or passion." Will people in Europe get to see this documentary? Will you look to release it on DVD in the future? "The film is completed and is making its way through film and music festivals. 'Extreme Nation' had her world premiere at the prolific Jecheon International Music Film Festival in South Korea this August. It was also screened at Wacken Open Air 2019, Germany and FICIME, Bogota, Colombia. The film is scheduled to screen at more avenues like Infierno Fest, Peru and a possible screening at Brutal Assault, Czech Republic next year. More announcements to follow. Currently I am in talks with a record label in Europe for a DVD release of the film later this year!" Any final thoughts? Greetings you wish to send out? "Final Thoughts! Sigh on to you my friend, Might be, is this the end, The pain hurts the fear inside, Kill be, the weak to ride." http://www.royvilleproductions.com https://www.facebook.com/ExtremeNationIndia https://www.instagram.com/extreme_nation_subculture |
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