 Whenever attention is directed towards the Americas, we usually as metalheads think of USA, Canada and to an extent Brazil. But it's the countries in between the northern and southern ends of the vast continent that we tend to forget about. Bordering the USA, Mexico has a vibrant metal history with a plethora of bands coming and going, with perhaps Brujeria being the most internationally-recognised bands to emerge. But like all scenes, the hive of activity resides on the streets i.e. the underground. One such band Doxa MX (originally called Doxa) knows all about this and as they prepare to release their latest album in 4 years, GMA spoke to Manuel Rojas (Vocals / Lead Guitars) to understand what makes this scene tick, what the bands plans are, challenges within the scene and a taster of what torta ahogadas is like.  "It (C3 stage) is in a street filled with bars and restaurants to which you can go before and after seeing some great international bands." For those who have not heard of Doxa MX, could you give us a brief history of the band? Were you in bands previously? "The band started in 2012 with my friend Erick (Doxa's bass player until this day) and I, one day in college we decided to form a metal band, I had been playing guitar and working on my harsh vocals for a few years up to that point and he was already a very talented multi-instrumentalist. After that we recruited the rest of the group and after a couple of line-up changes, we had a stable formation. We started playing regularly in the local circuit and managed to record and digitally self-release our debut album in 2014. In early 2015, we had to put the project on a forced hiatus due to various personal problems that needed attention at the time, until late 2017 when we reformed with a new line-up (with Erick and I as the original members), an updated name and logo (in order to avoid confusion with other bands with very similar names), as well as an updated cover for our first album. Currently we are getting ready for our second LP and playing a few warm-up shows before returning to the live setting with full force." You play a blend of Heavy and Melodic Death Metal, who or what gave you the inspirations to play such music? "Honestly, that tag doesn't apply 100% to us, but it is the closest I could think of regarding our sound, as well as "Experimental Death Metal". We chose it because, well, we had to have one tag associated with our music and we play Death Metal-based music, while our biggest influences are Heavy Metal giants like Iron Maiden or Judas Priest, although we like to seek and gather influences from everywhere inside and outside the metal realm. We basically do what we like, without worrying about sounding a certain way in order to fit a certain mold, to me that is just limiting your creativity, and I don't want to do that, besides, it would become boring for us after a short while to play straightforward death metal, thrash, or whatever style all the time." It has been 4 years since your debut album 'Aniquilación', will you be releasing a new one very soon? "Yes! We are almost done with the composition process (I would say around 90% done) and hope to record it and release it sometime in late 2018 or early 2019. It's about time!" You sing in Spanish, would you consider singing in English to expand out into the wider metal scene? "It is something we are not completely against, but I as the lyricist, decided to write the lyrics in Spanish because it seems like a more honest approach, as well as a more distinctive one. Basically I asked myself "Where is this band from?", "What language is spoken here?" however, we are all bilingual to different degrees and don't rule out making entire albums in English in the future, it depends on what feels right at the moment."  Torta Ahogadas (source: hispanickitchen.com) What is it like being a Mexican Metal band? What challenges do you guys face these days? "Basically there are two kinds of challenges: economic challenges and scene-related challenges. Regarding the economy, Mexico is one of the countries with less average vacation days a year and more average hours worked per week, so there are lots of times it becomes really hard to find the time to focus properly on a project like this, due to the fact that we all have jobs and bills to pay, and we are young and... well, everyone knows that it is really hard for our generation to come by these days all around the world and here is a bit more rough, I think. Also the costs are an issue, it takes a really high percentage of one's pay if you wish to book a studio, buy a new amplifier or get a new microphone here, basically because salaries are way lower that those in the U.S. or Europe, among other places; and the cost of them is even higher than in those countries, so it is a considerably bigger sacrifice. Scene wise, I have read comments stating that it is very similar in most places, in the sense that here there are very few venues for local metal bands and many of those require you to sell a lot of overpriced tickets and / or bring your own amps, microphones, P.A. and everything, and even those who don't do such things usually never pay, not even with a few beers. It is easy to say "well, just don't accept it" but without that we simply wouldn't play a lot. Also, one huge problem is that most big opportunities (I would say around 95% of them) of opening to big bands, playing big festivals and so on, are only either for a couple of bands who are family members and friends of people organizing the gigs, people who can give favours to the promoters or simply pay-to-play scenarios." For metalheads visiting Guadalajara, what sights / attractions would you recommend seeing? Are there any customs that tourists should be aware of (so not to cause offence)? "I would recommend to them to eat some Torta Ahogadas (a delicious meal only available in this state [Jalisco]), some good tacos and basically spend all day eating, because Mexican cuisine is one of our biggest prides and is recognised as one of the best in the world. You can also check ahead which gigs are going to be happening in the city those days, there's a venue, the C3 stage, that every month has really good metal shows and it is in a street filled with bars and restaurants to which you can go before and after seeing some great international bands. Tourists should take the precautions of planning their activities well, because it is very easy to get lost due to the fact that our traffic signals are very bad and, in many places, non-existent, so, if you bring your car, try to stay on the highways most of the time to avoid getting terribly lost. Also, avoid the yellow cabs, they are not reliable nor safe at all, just take Uber everywhere, it is cheaper anyway." What plans do you have for the year ahead? "We are currently working on our second album, which is our main focus for these year. We'll also play a few shows here and there." Are there any greetings or thank you's you wish to send out? "To all the people reading this, please keep on supporting Global Metal Apocalypse." https://www.facebook.com/DoxaMetal
0 Comments
 Norway has a long and rich history in the worldwide metal community, it's seen it's bright days with the likes of Dimmu Borgir breaking into the mainstream charts, and it's darker days with the church burnings that arose from the controversial True Norwegian Black Metal movement; of which was spearheaded by Varg Vikernes and Euronymous. Aside from the Black Metal love affair, Norway has a diverse metal range nowadays and it's bands like Veislakt who are carrying it forward towards newer heights. GMA spoke to the "Jærcore" / Punk Metallers about their forthcoming album, the Norwegian scene and their success. Guitarist / Vocalist René Undem filled us in with the details.  All the pictures is taken by ourselves. So-called "Veifies" :-) "Everyone depends on it (Facebook) too much; we have to go back to flyers, posters and care more about releasing physicals for the fans" What are the inspirations that you are using for your forthcoming new album due out in September? "Since we've made a concept album this time around, we've been checking out some Queen and Pink Floyd to see how we can build up a story with both lyrics and songs. What kind of mode the next song shall have etc., how it can build up the whole album towards a finale at the end. When the album was in the writing progress, we stopped around the last 5 songs writing lyrics, and just concentrated on what kind of songs was needed in between those that have already been written. The album is about an underground circus were everything isn't quite as a normal circus would be like. Alcoholism, violence and stuff like that occurs." Will the songs be exclusively in Norwegian, or will there be some English songs? "The songs will all be in Norwegian, and in our own dialect as well. At this point we haven´t thought about doing lyrics in English, because we are Norwegian, and love our mother tongue. :-)" Would you describe your style as Punk Metal or something else? "We call our style "Jærcore", that´s a hybrid name for us as we are from Jæren (the name of the province) and play hardcore. But we mainly do a hybrid between metal, punk and hard rock. With your new album will you be doing an album release show? Maybe a Scandi-tour? "We are currently booking all over Norway for this fall, haven't thought about doing any gigs outside of Norway yet. But if people want to come and see our shows, of course we´ll play. We love playing live, that´s why we release so much music, so we can go out and play new material to people."  Fjord in Jæren (source: feriehus.no) What are some challenges that unsigned Norwegian Metal bands experience these days? "We're so lucky that we've signed a license deal with Rob Mules Records for our next album, so we're kinda set with the distribution. But the biggest challenges now by my opinion is that there is too much information for the common man at this point, so bands kinda "drown" in between all of this. Facebook for instance has become the new internet as I see it, and everyone depends on it too much. I think we have to go back to flyers, posters and care more about releasing physicals for the fans. In the end metal fans are still the buyers of music. All the pop shit can have streaming for them selves." Veislakt has been going nearly 5 years, what are some of the highlights of your career? "We've played Rockefeller in Oslo, a big club scene, that was a blast. Done a gig and became friends with Audrey Horne, and that Metalinjection and Metalsucks picked up one of our music videos last year, that was kind of a highlight." For those visiting your home town / city, what sights or attractions could you recommend? "Prekestolen in Lysefjorden is something everyone should check out. Stavanger City in the summertime is magical. All the beaches in Hå Kommune I can highly recommend, not for bathing, but the wonderful nature out there." What plans do you have for the rest of the year? "Release the album, tour and have fun." https://www.facebook.com/Veislaktmusic/  The Caribbean, along with Africa and Oceania, is one area where metal music is arguably still in it's infancy in terms of presenting itself globally; it's presence is on the rise with Trinidad & Tobago's Lynchpin having performed at Wacken Open Air, a documentary about the Puerto Rican Metal scene being released and Wacken Open Air: Caribbean Metal Battle which determined what metal band from The Caribbean was going on to play Wacken. But our attention turns to a fledgling scene, one that is being spearheaded by Avante Guarden. Global Metal Apocalypse spoke to Vallon about the magical journey this band has had.  "I hope that more bands come forward to make the world aware that we exist here" How did Avante Guarden get started and what challenges (if any) have you had to overcome? "Lisa Bullard (Jayne Doh) and I (Vallon Thompson) were introduced through a mutual friend from the local music scene. She was writing songs without music and I was writing them without a singer... so we were the solution to both our problems! The biggest challenge we faced at the time was finding like minded (or at the very least interested) musicians from a scene that was mostly Bahamian Calypso, Reggae and Gospel performers." As you're from The Bahamas, could you tell us more about the music scene over there in general? Are there any rock / metal bands out there, what is the likelihood of a scene emerging? "As mentioned, the live scene is mainly Bahamian Calypso (known as Rake and Scrape), Reggae, Gospel and some Jazz. There is a rock scene over here that seems to be slowly growing but with limited venues. Lately I've seen new bands emerging like "Foreign Sounds" "The Core" and "We The Few," I'm loving the fact that these guys are keeping the music alive!" You participated in the Global Battle of the Bands competition, what was this like for you? Tell us your experience, was there any other Caribbean bands participating? "The year we participated in GBOB we were the only Caribbean band present so we felt the pressure! It was a great experience, we all had such an awesome time and were exposed to international bands (some of which I am still in contact with) and the wonderful culture of Thailand. We travelled halfway around the world... what can I say, it was AWESOME!!!" Geographically speaking, The Bahamas is in direct line of hurricanes - has Hurricane Irma had an impact? If so what can you tell us? if not, what were the preparations? "Irma effected the southern islands of The Bahamas, central and northern didn't really get that horrible weather. There was serious flooding and winds that destroyed a great deal of homes and property but Bahamians are no strangers to hurricanes and so we know how to prepare for storms. Also there were evacuations planned, and many relief efforts made after Irma had passed."  Hotel Atlantis, Nassau, The Bahamas As a band have you performed outside of The Bahamas? If so where. "Its just been Thailand actually, shortly after GBOB unfortunately the band started to drift apart" Last year Lynchpin (Trinidad & Tobago) played at Wacken Open Air. Regarding The Caribbean as a whole, could you see metal scenes emerging from the likes of St. Lucia, St. Vincent & The Grenadies, Antigua & Barbuda., etc? "Lynchpin? Really, wow that's great! Honestly I wasn't aware of that and didn't know that a metal scene even existed in those more "conservative" countries. As a scene metal has always kinda been underground, a silent scream waiting to happen and so I hope that more bands come forward to make the world aware that we exist here :) !" How did you as musicians become interested in music? Who influences you? "My influences were in my family actually: I had an aunt (who passed away when I was like 16) she was a soprano in the national choir and a theatre actress. Also my grandfather played guitar as a hobby so I grew up around lots of music from them. I headed in the rock direction after listening to a special about Queen on VH1, then Black Sabbath and it was all down hill from there lol!" Finally do you have any plans for the year ahead? Are there any greetings you wish to send out? "I'm always working on music but since AG split up I been trying to put a proper band back together (AG technically still exists but as a cover band with only myself and Treco Johnson - the bassist - still around) so I'd like to get back into doing hard rock and metal so I'm searching for another singer... or maybe I'll just screeeeam it out myself lol. Hopefully I'll have some good news for you about that soon :)! Cheers, Keep it Rocking!!!" https://www.facebook.com/AvanteGuarden/  Fiji is not one country you would associate with rock or metal music and yet it seems there is one band set out to change that, bring forth The Relativ. A six-piece band playing rock/metal music on the tiny island nation in the Pacific Ocean. With a population of just under 900,000 which is just above the populations of Newcastle and Liverpool, you would think they would be celebrated as legends in their own right, in which case you thought right as Benjamin (manager and drummer) Seniroqa goes on to tell GMA... with a surprise regarding the Fijian Metal scene.  "There’s a couple of Heavy Metal fans out here as well and we are one of those people who listen to Heavy Metal". Can you give us a brief history of The Relativ, how did you meet? What are you aiming to achieve? "The band was initially formed on November 2015. We all started out recording covers on YouTube then just continued from there. The funny part about this is that we are all cousins hence why we named the band TheRelatiV. There are mainly 6 of us that make the band work, 4 band members and 2 roadies / stage coordinators. When we started the band, we actually had a dream of making it big and be the first rock band from Fiji to make it overseas, we’re still working on that and there have been good responses from our fans and hopefully one day we’d make it." Names of Band Members: Josh Tukana - Lead Vocals Johnny Seniroqa - Lead & Rhythm Guitarist / Backing Vocals / Music Director Nahshon Fong - Bassist Benjamin Seniroqa - Drummer / Music Director / Band Leader & Manager Filipe Lalauvaki - Backing Vocals / Synth / Stage Coordinator Nelson Cokanasiga - Backing Vocals / Drum tech / Stage Coordinator What can you tell us about the Fiji Music scene, as you play rock music is the rock / metal scene well supported? "The music scene in Fiji is quite unique, we were shocked that we had people who loved rock when we started out. If you play it right, people will love it because Fiji is a very talented country in terms of music, the only problem is that there is no proper platform of exposure for many bands out here and hopefully one day there would be a good platform for younger bands to start off from. We play at a club called Traps Bar and they’ve been very supportive with the band, mostly tourists, volunteers and exchange students go there to dance and listen to us play when they get a chance which is so awesome." Are there any heavy metal bands in Fiji? Any metal music fans? What are your thoughts on Heavy Metal? "There used to be a Metal band a couple of years ago but most of their members have parted ways to continue living their normal lives. You could also say there’s a couple of Heavy Metal fans out here as well and we are one of those people who listen to Heavy Metal." Given Fiji's isolation, as a band have you performed outside the country? Do you tour the island or are most concerts held in Suva? "We’re hoping that one day we’d get to tour the world and play out side of the country but at the mean time, we’ve only played within the country. Mostly for Concerts and Festivals."  Suva Fiji Temple - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Are you aware of any rock or metal bands in other countries in Oceania other than Australia, New Zaland and Papua New Guinea? "Not that we know off but I’m pretty sure there should be a couple of them. Australia and New Zealand would probably have a lot of Metal Bands for sure." How did you become interested in recording and playing music? Are there any music schools? "Most of us were brought up through musical family backgrounds, our parents and uncles used to play for their bands and we used to watch them as we grew up. All of us were brought up and played at church so you could say the interest was always there ever since we were young. All of us love music and we’ve come to a stage where we appreciate all sorts of styles of music. The Seniroqa brothers who also run a media company called Only Idea Studios are the ones who usually record & produce our Music & Music Videos (both covers & originals. There are a couple of music schools here in Fiji where musicians go and learn how to read music. None of the band members has ever attended music school but are all self taught. which is nothing new to most musicians here in Fiji." What plans do you have for the year ahead? What was 2017 like for you guys? "This year we’re planning on taking things slow and hopefully get everything right, being in a band is not as easy as it sounds, if you’re not organised well, things will be really hard for you. Last year was pretty crazy, we really enjoyed every moment of it, I’d say we’ve never played so much shows compared from last year than the year before that." Finally do you have any greetings you wish to send out? "We would like to thank everyone who has supported and believed in us and our dream through out all these years. Mostly we’d like to thank God for always being there for us, our parents and our families, to Traps Bar for always providing us with a venue to jam all the time and to all our fellow musicians who have become a part of our family."  We already know Australia and New Zealand are the most prominent metal scenes in the whole of Oceania, with the addition of smaller scenes in Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Guam... but one surprising scene has sprung up thanks to the Groove / Rock / Heavy Metal band Dropvkal from... Vanuatu. It seems that metal music is finally touching the hearts of the most isolated island nations on earth, having won a music competition with their song 'Dangerous' (which is about climate change) and seemingly causing a buzz in that part of the world, GMA caught up with band member Braxton Cooper to find out how the band started and what their role in the Vanuatu Music scene is.  "Our aim is to get attention around the world... we have like not more than a thousand fans of heavy metal / rock in Vanuatu." How long has Dropvkal been going? Who came up with the band name and what style of music do you play? "Dropvkal is like 3 words joined together:- 'Drop' is for tear drops that our ancestors shed during the blackbirding in the 18 and 19 centuries, 'V' is for vision, the band has a vision of creating something unique that will touch the heart of peoples when they listen to our music. 'Kal- kalja', that's in our local dialect, which means culture, we are trying to mix up today's music with our culture, we even have some local instruments in our music that our ancestors used, we used that too to add some flavour to our music... we the band members came up with that name, We play any type of music, reggae, rock, latino zouk, African zouk, pop music, easy listening, blues, etc., we even have some songs written in local dialect..." Is it relatively easy being a music in Vanuatu? What challenges are there as a band? "It's a little bit hard back here, with our style of music tourists enjoy it, cause we played a lot in hotels back here, most of us are unemployed youths and we earned just a little to support us. The two main challenges that we usually face is money and families, we tried our very best in our gigs but we get just a little. Families sometimes they don't support us, we even get cursing words from our wives saying we are wasting our time with music, but its what we love so none of that stops us, we are still together till today for almost eight years." What are your thoughts on rock and heavy metal music? Are there any rock / metal fans in Vanuatu? "We have mixtures of music, we even try to mix rock with another type of music, but yes we have a lot of fans back here. They love our music. In Vanuatu we have a lot of bands, mostly reggae bands, and we decided to play rock, heavy metal; we have few fans here but our aim is to get attention around the world with our acoustic rock. We love rock because it easily gets peoples attention and because it is a way you express yourself or how you do campaigns or fight for something, e.g. like our single 'Dangerous' which was released in early 2016 is about climate change; we won a music competition with that single. You can watch that on YouTube. We have like not more than a thousand fans of heavy metal / rock in Vanuatu." Have you had any fans outside of Vanuatu get in touch with the band? Surely it would be hard to perform outside of the country? "We have a lot of fans outside of Vanuatu, we played mainly in hotels so tourists enjoy our music, we have fans in the Solomon islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, China, USA, Mexico, Argentina, Caledonia, Germany, England, and many more."  Are Vanuatuans encouraged to learn music? What styles of music are most popular? "In Vanuatu we have a music festival, called Fest'Napuan music festival and it happens in October every year, and during this festival we try to make it gender-balanced in our music, we don't have too many females in music so we trying to encourage females to take part in music, we don't have any proper music schools in Vanuatu we just learn music anytime or anywhere we feel like we want to, but yes we are encouraging people to learn music in Vanuatu. Reggae music is the only popular music in the whole of Vanuatu with our local music, called string band." Do you feel music brings the world together? That it speaks a common language? "Yes I feel that music brings the world together, the way we see when we play in the hotels we meet people from all around the world, we even feel the love and joy we share together with our fans, and even just between us the band members. With music, it is a common language that we musicians speak even if we are from different places around the world with different cultures but with that we understand each other very well, and with that you can see that music always brings people and the world together.." What plans does the band have for the year ahead? "One of the main plans for this year is an album. We are already practising for going into the studio by next month and with that we will be looking forward to touring in Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia. We really want to expose our music to the world.." https://www.facebook.com/Dropvkal-Groove-Band-698490606835574/  Ever since Sepultura emerged on the scene, Brazil has been churning out metal bands left, right and centre and whilst a vast majority rarely break out of the wider South American Metal scene, they do in the own right build a name for themselves on their own continent. Mind, one could argue that with globalisation as it is, the novelty of discovering the first ever metal band from a country soon dies off when the scene reaches the echelons that the Brazilian Metal scene has done. However bands like Leatherjacks are ensuring that the vibe doesn't die and that rock / metal carries on thriving. GMA spoke to vocalist / guitarist Mauro Cordeiro about the band's history, their debut album, challenges of being a Brazilian metal musician and what sights / attractions should metalheads check out in São Paulo.  "I keep on persisting and fighting for what I believe, ´cause THIS is Rock ´N´ Roll!" What was the inspiration behind the band, what does the band name mean? Why Modern Hard Rock / Metal? "Hey Rhys, hello everyone at the Global Metal Apocalypse and all of our readers! Nice to meet you all! Well, the inspiration behind the band name, came from lots of names I was trying to experiment during my name elections, you know? At first it was something with Hawks. Then something with Leather... LeatherHawks, Hawkstones, LeatherBones, woof... lots of names ha-ha! Finally I reached LeatherJacks. It´s the abbreviation for Leather Jackets. It came from the most obvious and simple idea. It was right in front of me ahah! I always used a brown leather jacket. All of a sudden, the little cartoon light popped out in my mind, and it came on. Step by step, I got the idea for the Jacker Army, the Go Jackers scream, hashtag, slogan and stuff. Modern Hard Rock / Metal, is a term that I use when I define my project. I mean... It´s Hard Rock and Metal. But it sounds modern. So I always entitle LeatherJacks as a Modern Hard Rock / Metal band / project. Dunno if it´s right or not. But it´s cool, isn't it? haah!" You released your debut album "The Lost Arks Of Rock And Roll" last year, what was the reception like? Was there any attention from outside of Brazil? "Absolutely, Rhys! It´s been amazing! The album is having a bigger reception outside then inside Brazil, unfortunately. Here, people are not listening so much to Rock or Metal. And those who do, only search for little cover bands, and don't open themselves up to NEW bands you know? But everything is going very well outside Brazil, and people are receiving so much well. I feel very thankful and honoured for it, and it´s extremely gratifying to have this amazing repercussion." What are the challenges of being a metal musician in Sao Paolo let alone Brazil? Are the authorities supportive of metal music? "It´s tough... It´s really tough. Because as I said previously, the genre is kinda "dead" here in Brazil, ´cause people don't care about original bands, and the crowd don't search for new stuff. Of course there are people who do like new things and stuff, but... It´s really really rare and difficult. The authorities respect metal and rock music, but they always say it´s not a Brazilian thing and stuff, so... It´s not a priority genre here, you know? But... I keep on persisting and fighting for what I believe, ´cause THIS is Rock ´N´ Roll!" Are there any areas in São Paulo you would suggest for metalheads to visit; what sights and attractions are there? "Here In São Paulo, we have great places to visit to listen to a great Rock music. I love these pubs: Manifesto Bar and Stones Rock Bar. Both are really amazing places, great bands, great drinks, and amazing girls (the best part haha!). I also like to go sometimes to Augusta Street, ´cause sometimes there are some cool spins to do. But... Only to drink some stuff. If you guys love IPA or another hand-crafted beers... I totally recommend a place called Cervejatorium. Simply AMAZING!"  What are some phrases metalheads should be shouting at a Brazilian Metal concert? Any phrases you could teach us? "Yeah! Lea ther jacks! Lea ther jacks! Go Jackeeeeers! Oleeee ole ole ole, Leather, Leather - Kiddin´ hahahah! But I always scream things like: AAAAEEEEEEEEEEEE PORRAAAAA / CARAAAAAALHOOOO (it´s like: OOOOOOOOHHH FUCK! but it´s dirty words haha)" What do your parents think of your music? Are any of your relatives musicians? "Yeah! My mom doesn´t play piano any-more, but when she was younger, she was an amazing classical piano student. My grandpa never played any instruments, but he loved jazz and drums. And me too! Then my mom´s cousin (I call him "uncle") - He is responsible for teaching me acoustic guitar, MPB, Bossa Nova and stuff. I was 10 years in 1996, and I never stopped! Here I am now haha!" What plans do you have for 2018? "I´m searching for musicians to make a definitive line-up and I think I will write more songs, and release a new album, but nothing 100% sure. Only some thoughts, ´cause I need to tour and to promote the first album. But any news, you will be the first ones to know, for sure!" Finally are there any greetings you wish to send out? "I´m really thankful to you Rhys and everyone for the interview! It´s an honour, ´cause I like Global Metal Apocalypse a lot! I thank all of your readers too, and I really hope you guys headbang with LeatherJacks! Let´s F***ING ROCK!" https://www.facebook.com/leatherjacksofficial/  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  Forged In Black are arguably the best thing to come out of Southend since the expansion of London Southend Airport, Phil Jupitus' career taking off and of course (dare we say it) Busted. Forged In Black were originally called Merciless Fail and it was under their former name that they secured a slot on the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock Festival 2012. Forward on a year and Merciless Fail changed their name to Forged In Black after their first EP 'Forged In Black'. Since 2013 Forged In Black have released 1 album - Forged In Black (2013) and 3 EP's, The Tide (2013), Fear Reflecting Fear (2016) and Sinner Sanctorum (2017). Chris 'Stoz' Storozynsk gave GMA the low down on their past success, the current state of the Essex Metal scene, touring plans and their new music video 'Pay The Price'.... be prepared to be Forged In Black.  "The song ['Pay The Price] has an anti-war theme... a concern that world leaders are not thinking of the consequences of their actions." Forged In Black has not stopped working since your Bloodstock appearance, will we see you back at Bloodstock next year? "Hi GMA, Stoz here, and good to speak to you again. We had a fantastic time at Bloodstock 2012 after winning the Metal to the Masses competition. We’d love to return at some point on a bigger stage with our music, and are looking to book up quite a few festivals throughout Europe in 2018 alongside the release of our new album, which we are currently writing. We have just released our newest EP “Sinner Sanctorum” which is available to download on iTunes or purchase via our social media channels." You just released your new music video 'Pay The Price', what has the reception been like? "The reception has been great, lots of people liking and sharing on social media, it was a very well produced video and really hammers the song home. We have released two music videos for songs on our new “Sinner Sanctorum” EP which can be viewed on YouTube and our social media pages." Are you worried about being perceived as politically motivated with this video? "Well, not really. The song has an anti-war theme yes, and a concern that world leaders are not thinking of the consequences of their actions. It’s my observation of the current state of affairs. We have written many songs now about many different themes." Andy Pilkington (Very Metal) created the video, what was it like approaching him? Does the video reflect the song's meaning? "Andy has done a fantastic job on the video and we are all very proud of the result. Our management team put us in contact with Andy and we are glad he had space in his very busy diary to fit us in and work with us on it."  It seems that things are going your way a lot lately, where do you see Forged In Black in 5 years time? "Well I'm sure we will still be forging away on new music and our live shows, but ultimately a record deal would be nice." The Essex metal scene doesn't appear to be as pro-active in recent times, what are your thoughts on this? "Yes unfortunately the Essex scene seems quieter then others, I think because of venues closing and the lack of new young promoters putting shows on, but that is understandable in this current financial climate. There are still some great musicians and bands coming out of Essex though and the talent is still well and truly there waiting for a light to shine on it." Will you be doing a UK tour in late 2017 / early 2018, are you looking to play abroad? "We are currently writing for the new album, which we will be recording in April 2018 and is being produced by Romesh Dodangoda, so all hands are on deck to write some great new stuff, which we’d love to show off in the UK and Europe." Since Tim Chandler left last year, will you look to recruit another guitarist or stick as a four-piece. "Well Tim actually left I think about 2 years ago, and since then we recruited the talents of one fine Mr Chris Bone, who is on our new release “Sinner Sanctorum” and has been playing live with us for some time." 'Sinner Sanctorum' EP is out now https://www.facebook.com/forgedinblacks/  "We knew Bloodstock is the UK’s biggest Metal festival, how could that not be special?" How does it feel to be part of M2TM? Was this your first time in the competition? "When we found out that we were going to be a part of M2TM it gave us a new drive! We thought we wouldn’t even get into the competition let alone make it to the quarter (quinter) finals as we’ve done. We’re loving it, it feels wicked to be apart of it and gives us a chance to get more involved with metal scene and see what other bands are out there." How did imperium come about? And was it plain sailing? "It definitely wasn’t plain sailing to begin with, for a long time we went without a vocalist and bassist and we would just meet up and write songs without any goals in mind other then to enjoy playing fast heavy metal. We were constantly on the lookout for new members but there just seemed to be no one around that wanted to play our style of metal, eventually we had a few auditions but they just weren’t what we were looking for. Ben our vocalist used to watch us jam in the early days as we have known each other from school, we never thought to try him out on vocals at the time and it wasn’t until a while after when we had some auditions going on Ben said he’d try it out!, and he ended up being a perfect match considering never singing before! Last year in September we played our first gig and now we have a new bass player that has stepped the band up again! The momentum keeps building for us and we love it" What makes M2TM and bloodstock so special? Have you been to BOA before? "We knew Bloodstock is the UK’s biggest Metal festival, how could that not be special? M2TM gives bands like us, that no ones heard of, a massive chance at playing and mixing with some of metal’s finest. It’s the most mind blowing thing that could happen to us or any other band in this competition! A few of us have been before and love the vibe, we are mega keen to go together as a band a witness!!" What is your local scene like? (name venues, record stores, bands etc) "Our local scene is limited, sucks to be fair, the best venue is the Fighting Cocks in Kingston near us... great when it's busy but dead when it's dead! Banquet Records in Kingston is a cool record store and we have a few wicked bands knocking about but its dominated by this new screamo metal..... everyone is fantastic at the instruments but I feel like I'm watching football everyone's trying to be the star man! Just do your bit in the band a create something the world will want to hear forever! Not forget.... or to hope they forget." Are you surprised by metal’s global spread? What (If any) bands from outside of the america’s and Europe have you heard of? "Honestly there are some unreal bands out there. That's like not believing in aliens. Australian and Asian metal is seriously dark! I couldn't tell you many by name however as it just isn't our bag. But we know they exist!" What plans does imperium have for the year ahead? "At this point we are fully focused on M2TM and aiming to go as far as we can and we see no reason why we can’t go all the way. Other than that we will continue playing live shows in and around London and have plans in motion to get some of our songs recorded at Powerhouse Studios in Addlestone! Then spread this devastation like warm knife of chocolate butter on a golden brown piece of toast. only to be eaten up by the metal heads, digested and then shat out further onto the rest of the world that doesn't even want to know!" Metal. https://www.facebook.com/ImperiumSound/  South America is awash with many metal bands, some of which have become established in the international arena:- Brazil's Sepultura (of course), Venezuela's Culture Tres, Argentina's Skiltron, etc., but even in the lesser known metal scenes there are bands making a name for themselves across their respective continent. And of course those bands who do make it internationally aren't always the best sounding, some of the most underground bands are better than the successful, ironic no? Anyway the point is the underground has a breadth of talent that most of the time gets ignored by the masses in favour of established bands and that's why GMA prides itself in giving coverage to bands on all six continents. Anima from Peru are the latest band to be interrogated by GMA, fresh on the block this quintet sing in Spanish and English and play Hard Rock / Heavy Metal. But what makes this band tick exactly? Alvaro Bueno Triveño [AT} and Diego Adrián Bueno Triveño [DT] were more than happy to share their world with us... from Lima with love. 
|
© 2011-2020
|
RSS Feed