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Interview Interrogation: Manuel Rojas from Doxa MX (Mexico)

5/5/2018

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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.

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"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."

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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
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Interview Interrogation: Vallon Thompson from Avante Guarden (The Bahamas)

18/2/2018

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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.

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"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."

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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/

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Interview Interrogation: Raze The Void (England)

2/11/2017

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Essex is known for many things, some of them and some bad. It's metal scene is one of the good things and then there's TOWIE (The Only Way Is Essex) which is the worst thing to happen since My Chemical Romance being classed as a metal band.

But focusing on the metal scene, it's had the likes of Tides of Virtue, Forged In Black, Sanctorum, Dismanibus, etc grace the fertile soil from Southend and Colchester respectively. However when one speaks of Basildon, one thinks of Depeche Mode, chavs, Basildon Bond paper, Denise Van Outen., etc, and now there is Raze The Void.

GMA caught up with the Essex mob to find out how they fared with Bloodstock, the Essex Metal scene, debut EP and plans ahead.

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Credits to Down The Barrel.

"the title itself 'Obsolescence' covers what the current state of the world really is; the system is obsolete"


Raze The Void has only been going a year, were you all in previous bands prior? How did Raze The Void come to be?


     "We have all been playing together for around with each other for 15 years nearly and just managed to get together and start a band from that after realising we all wanted to start playing and touring and seeing the world. RTV literally came from out of a dustbin a few years before we started playing the scene."


The Essex Metal scene seems to be a little quiet at the moment, could you tell us the current state of the scene?

     "From Essex, apart from it being quiet, to really. There are some amazing acts in and around Essex, but you just have to sift through the venues and have a look out there and see for yourself."


Having played Bloodstock, what was your experience like? How did you end up winning a slot? What advice could you give Metal 2 The Masses bands next year who are vying for a slot?


     "Bloodstock and everyone who we met from it and regarding it were amazing, very supportive and the feedback from everyone and all the reviews have been awesome and extremely positive.

     For anyone out there who is going to go into it; be serious but have fun. If you believe what you do it the best thing you do, you have fun doing it and you all have fun playing with each then do it, go for it, be the best band you can band! 

     If you doubt anything you say or do or if you're not professional enough or not having enough fun, the crowd will sniff you and not like what they are smelling. They are as much a part of you as you are of them, so be there with them, get them involved. That okay?"


As a band are you worried at the lack of local venues with only Chelmsford's The Asylum, Southend's Chinnerys, Harlow's The Square and the Colchester Arts Centre being the sole main ones?

     "It's not a worry when you can book outside of Essex and in fact, to just book in Essex, from experience, people then just seem to feel like that they will miss that one and go to another one as it's only up the road or whatever. Bra chin out into other places and leaving home has not only proved well for us, but is something that everyone should do and we in fact recommend. The live music scene is dieting but it's not dead."



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Outside of music, what other hobbies or interests do you have?

      "We all work full time and between that and the band; writing, playing, re-writing and down time there isn't a lot between, but some of use do things like cycling, rock climbing, wind surfing, extreme ironing; mainly physical activities. We are all very involved in quizzes and chess and some of us have other music projects going. We are generally very busy."


Tell us more about your debut EP, where was it recorded? What does the title mean?

     "We recorded the EP with one of the most talented and hard working men we have ever worked with who we honestly consider family now, a man named Dan Kerr or Avenue studios; absolute genius! 

     The EP and from that flowing into the upcoming album is all conceptional, revolving around human error, greed, the rising of the underground movement, corruption and the title itself 'Obsolescence' covers what the current state of the world really is; the system is obsolete."



What plans do you have for the year ahead? Are there any greetings you wish to send out?

     "The album is being written literally as this being typed out to you....now. We will continue gigging and getting the RTV name out there to people and then launching the new album along with more media stuff and hopefully some new merch. It's all going UP! 

     Shout out to Quimby, everyone who has helped us get this far, turned up and sung along with us, Nick Plews, Bob from Club 85, Ross, Phil and the boys for all their support and love and physical moves and to Neil- we hope you recover soon. "


https://www.facebook.com/RazeTheVoid/

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Interview Interrogation: Cassandra George of Aetherial (Australia)

2/11/2017

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Australia. The very mention of the country's name sparks off the thoughts of sandy beaches, BBQ's, stray kangeroo's and the Sydney Opera House. Underneath all the glitz and glamour of this glorious nation known colloquially as 'down under', Australia has a savage metal scene that has seen the likes of Ne Oblivicaris, The Berzerker, Buried In Verona, Thy Art Is Murder and Destroyer 666 among others break out into the wider international metal community over the last 2 decades.

But despite the success of the bands above, the scene as a whole seems rather isolated when it comes to touring. It's down to bands like Aetherial who look at the challenges ahead, take them head on and forge their own path to progress forward. For Aetherial this is through the concrete metropolis of Melbourne, famed for it's Grand Prix circuit. GMA spoke to Cassandra, the band's bassist to unearth what the band is all about, what the scenes down under are like, their new single, visiting local attractions and 2018 plans.

As Fosters put it. Good Call.

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"I don't see why metal [bands] can’t emerge from smaller nations like Fiji or the Solomon Islands - they would have to be creative [with music exposure]. If bands can emerge out of countries like Saudi Arabia where it is illegal to play metal, I'm sure we will see some coming out of places like Fiji - metal doesn't have boundaries!"


Hi guys, for those unfamiliar with Aetherial could you give us a brief history of the band? Were you / are you in previous / current bands?

     "Hey, thanks for having us Global Metal Apocalypse! I’m Cassandra, bassist in Aetherial.
Currently, we are based in Melbourne, Australia. Aetherial was formed by Shep and myself in 2013. Previously, we both played in a stoner / metal / grunge band called Cave Of The Swallows which also featured our friend and original Aetherial drummer Mr Paul Gatt. Shep was also the former vocalist in the South Australian-based Stoner / Southern Rock band Mammoth, with ex-Suffocation / Autopsy member Josh Barohn. 

     We recorded our album, 'The Still Waters of Oblivion' over a two year period at Everland Productions. In 2016 we signed with New York-based management company Extreme Management Group and most recently this year to Imminence Records in the US and Truth Inc Records over here in Australia, who will be jointly releasing the album worldwide November 10th."



What is the Melbourne and wider Australian Metal scene like? Do most bands do a tour of Australia and New Zealand than SE Asia?


     "From a Melbourne perspective, the scene is pretty small, there are a handful of good venues to play at in the city and some good regional venues that work hard to keep live music going outside of the city. Unfortunately over the past 5-10 years quite a few great live music venues have closed down in Melbourne due to residential developments and noise restrictions, which has made it difficult for smaller bands to get a gig. A smaller population in general will always impact audience size and peoples interest and engagement in metal, particularly as its not common in mainstream culture here.

     It is common for bands over here to tour the East Coast in the main cities, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane with a few stops in-between. But the sheer distance in-between and cost that is involved with getting to these places often prevents many bands embarking on a full national tour. You see a few bands heading over to New Zealand and Asia, generally larger more established bands though."



What are the challenges of being an Australian Metal band?


     "Getting your music seen and heard!! There is a lot of really good music over here, if people would take the time to listen to it! Getting people to shows is another massive hurdle over here. People will have no hesitation paying $150+ to see established bands, but will not pay $10 to see 4 local acts?


     Breaking through to reach people outside of the country, even reaching new fans interstate is also very challenging. It is important to utilise social media to try and get out there and engage people, it is a continual and ongoing aspect of being in a band now, particularly with reach being limited on Facebook and now Instagram for bands unless you pay for it. Many Australian bands head overseas to Europe or the US, simply because they can reach more people and play more shows!"


You just released your new single 'The Fallen Mark The Way' from your forthcoming album, what has reception been like?


     "Great thanks! We have had a lot of good feedback from our fans and made a bunch of new fans too! It’s always great to hear positive words from people who get inspired from hearing our music."

Check out the lyric video for 'The Fallen Will Mark The Way' (taken from Aetherial's forthcoming debut album 'The Still Waters Of Oblivion') below.


Seeing as Oceania is slightly isolated, could you see metal music ever emerging from countries like Fiji and the Solomon Islands? Is metal music in Australia widely accepted?

     "Yes, it is rather isolated over here! We don't get a lot of bands touring here. It is a long way to come and quite expensive to travel here. Due to our smaller population the audiences are a lot smaller compared to overseas as well. 

     Metal music generally is not part of the everyday culture over here, like it is over in Europe. It’s accepted by those involved in the scene and other musicians, but in the general population it’s not particularly well known, well received or publicised. For example metal or even hard rock is not played on commercial radio, it’s really only played on dedicated metal or hard rock community radio shows. People over here still have a lot of preconceptions about the music, artwork and general themes of metal; most people don’t / can't understand it, they seem to find the content too confronting and don't want to be involved. Hopefully though with some amazing bands coming out of Australia now more people are becoming interested in the genre.

     I don't see why metal can’t emerge from smaller nations like Fiji or the Solomon Islands - There’s probably already some killer bands over there! However, I think they would have to be creative with how they get their music out there. If bands can emerge out of countries like Saudi Arabia where it is illegal to play metal, I'm sure we will see some coming out of places like Fiji - metal doesn't have boundaries!"



For metalheads holidaying in Melbourne, aside from the Grand Prix, are there any attractions / sightseeing locations you would recommend?

     "Yes!! You could seriously spend months here and not see everything - the great thing about Melbourne is that there is always something going on and to discover! There are some amazing music stores where you can pick up some vintage and / or rare guitars / amps / pedals like Found Sound or The Swop Shop. For art lovers, there are so many tiny galleries all over the city showing local art and The National Gallery has killer diverse exhibitions from Van Gogh to Dior to Mid Century Modern Furniture.  

     For wine lovers, you can take a day trip down the coast to the Mornington Peninsula or The Yarra Valley, for amazing wine and scenery. You can visit boutique spirit distilleries like Starward Whisky in Port Melbourne or Four Pillars Gin in the Yarra Valley - which seriously gives some of the English Gin a run for it money!
Melbourne is paradise for lovers of good food and coffee!! With markets like South Melbourne and Prahran Markets and amazing restaurants on every corner. There are festivals for Beer, Cheese, Salami and now even a chicken nugget festival. The Great Ocean Road makes for a good drive- for beautiful rugged coastline, Healesville Sanctuary for meeting kangaroos, koalas and other native animals. And of course you can catch some local bands at The Brunswick Hotel, The Bendigo Hotel or Cherry Bar, folks over here are always up for a chat and a beer."



With your debut album 'The Still Waters Of Oblivion' out in a week's time, will there be a tour supporting the album? 

     "There definitely will! The Australian Tour will take place early next year with hopefully some International dates to be announced as well! But you’ll have to stay tuned to our social media pages to get the details."


What plans have you got leading into 2018? Do you have any greetings you wish to send out?

     "Lots of touring and promoting our record! We currently have some killer merch available now at Merchnow and there’s some brutal new merch coming out soon! Shep and I have been co-hosting a heavy metal radio show once a month on Melbourne’s 3CR called The Heavy Session, so along with our friend and host Chris we have some awesome plans for the show as well. 

We’d love to send a massive hello, to all our friends and fans over in UK - we’re working hard to come over and play for y’all in 2018!!! Thanks very much for the support!"

https://www.facebook.com/aetherialofficial


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Interview Interrogation: Mikkel Haastrup from Forever Still (Denmark)

18/9/2017

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Forever Still are a young Danish Alternative Metal band who have without a doubt came out of nowhere, having released their debut album 'Tied Down' and then end up signing with Nuclear Blast; 'Tied Down' was then re-released', to then secure a slot on the Ronnie James Dio stage at Bloodstock is a tremendous achievement given the band has been around 7 years... well actually it's Maja Shining and Mikkel Haastrup who lead the front-line and are supplemented by live musicians (who include Rune Frisch).

Despite their seemingly sudden explosion onto the metal circuit, they've been around since 2010 and have released 3 EP's prior to their big break. Denmark has had a decent record of metal exports from Artillery to King Diamond and from Mnemic to Raunchy and are still delivering more and more top notch metal bands like Akoma and of course Forever Still.

Mikkel was up for the task of informing us what makes the band tick, the state of the Danish Metal scene, Mikkel's music tastes among other things that make Forever Still as equally if not more important than Denmark's biggest exports besides metal... bacon and Lego.

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Mikkel realizing that lego is painful to stand on.

"In Denmark, we have this 'jante law ' which says that you can't think you're anything, it's just a weird concept [regarding the lack of Danish music exports'.


How long has Forever been around? What does the band name mean? What style of metal do you play?

     "We released our first EP ["Breaking Free"] in 2013, and have just been going on from there.

     It's a long explanation [meaning behind the band name], Maja came up with it, we talked about it and it's just the feeling of being stuck, you feel like you're forever standing still but also the feeling of when you feel at ease, you're 'forever still' - so it's a double meaning, Maja is apparently very poetic I guess :)"


     It's definitely melodic, so it's like we're one of the softer bands at this festival [Bloodstock], if not the softest. But we've always been into these pretty huge choruses, that's what we really focused on the first album [Tied Down]. Maja played a concert with another band, I was like wow she's just amazing and I wanted to focus really on the vocals, so that's what we did on that.

     The new one we're writing now we're trying to focus still on the big choruses, but we want to do heavier riffs cause we're really into that, and our new drummer is really really f*cking cool... I love playing with him I play bass myself so you like love him with the drums so... it's going to be like heavy riffs and big huge choruses."



So Mikkel how did you get into metal music?

     "Ah, I had just started when I was really young, I started listening to... I can't even remember, I think I started off with softer bands like Placebo and then I just went into liking Nine Inch Nails, and then I got into heavier stuff like Marilyn Manson... it's just a gateway into heavier stuff and it's been an upward slope like heavier and heavier, but still I think this band [Forever Still] is into softer things as well... I enjoy listening to all kinds of music, I've been listening to a lot of electronic music lately and I really enjoy that. For me it's just melody and that's what I sometimes miss in metal right, for me at least I miss the... like if it's only screaming I get a bit bored so I like a combination."


So as a band you're Melodic Metal, but have different sounds going on at the same time?

     "Yeah yeah, on the new album we want to like focus on... like I said I'm really like into electronic music so I want to make that a bigger part of the next album, but like I said still focus on the riffs and I'm into really interesting rhythms at the moment so we do a lot of songs and try to play in different time signatures that are really weird but try to make them sound easy to listen to"


Is the Danish Metal scene still as strong as it has been? Would you say it's the smallest in Scandinavia?

     "Nah I think it's getting better, but like we're really focused on getting out of the country because there's not a lot of like... the audience there is too small so we really enjoy in playing outside Denmark especially in the UK, you've got such a strong community for metal.

     Yeah I think so, Denmark didn't used to be that much into metal, I think when we started there was like this feeling that you had to sound like an 80's metal band to be anything big in Denmark and it just doesn't work outside the borders. But in Denmark, we have this 'jante law (Janteloven)' which says that you can't think you're anything, it's just a weird concept and I think that's the reason why you don't see that much music coming out of Denmark"


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Forever Still, Denmark's answer to Evanescence?

So what do your parents think of metal music Mikkel, what support do you get from your family / friends?

     "My parents aren't into music, actually my mum really hates music so she's like if there's any kind of music... when I grew up she was like 'can you f*cking just turn that off!'. My dad is really into jazz and stuff, but really doesn't like heavier music so yeah I didn't get anything from them heh.

     The way we built this band it's just Maja and I doing everything ourselves without any support from anyone else and that's how we started, I think the first album has quite an isolated sound as well and that's just because we were like 'we can do this'. We just do everything ourselves, so we recorded it and mixed it, shot our own videos and everything. I think that it worked out really well"



Having just finished your set, opening the main stage at Bloodstock, what plans have you got for the rest of the year?

     "We're playing Sabaton Open Air next week [was 19th August], then we're going back to the studio to just record and write, so that's the plan for the rest of the year and then hopefully the album will be out early next year and we'll start touring a lot. We've been on some amazing tours at the end of last year and at the start of this year with Lacuna Coil and Children of Bodom, so hopefully we'll get some great support for us and then do a headline tour as well"


Aside from the core Scandinavian countries, would you play in the Faroe Islands? What do you know about the metal scene there?

     "Yeah I would love to, they've got the G! Festival up there, I would love to play that and I would love to see the nature up there. My best friend is from the Faroe Islands, so yeah, we'd love it.

     I don't know a lot about the music from up there actually, they've got all these strange names as well because they call themselves something from their own language [Faroese]"


Finally do you have any greetings, thank you's that you wish to send out?

     "Yeah I would just love to thank Bloodstock for letting us play this festival, it's been amazing!"

'Tied Down' is out now via Nuclear Blast.

http://foreverstill.dk/
https://www.facebook.com/Foreverstill/

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Interview Interrogation: Nothing Lies Beyond (Israel)

28/7/2016

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Truth be told, Israel is one of the more active metal scenes in the Middle East (let's not get political here) alongside the likes of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey, the Gulf States (Bahrain and Kuwait; Qatar less so) and to a certain extent The Lebanon.

Salem, Orphaned Land, Arallu, Melechesh, they've all graced and kissed the golden sands of this Mediterranean nation, the latest to walk in their footsteps are Nothing Lies Beyond. A Melodic Death Metal force with enough ferocity about them to challenge the already-overloaded Swedish (nay Gothenburg) Metal scene.

So what makes this Israeli outfit an exciting one to watch? Well let's find out.

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Guys in recent years the Israeli Metal scene has been flourishing and breaking international ground, what would you put this success to?


          "Hey! I think that the reason that the Israeli metal scene is flourishing in the past 3-4 years and actually getting some recognition on the global ground is because there are more interest from the local bands to break into the global scene.

          It's not something new of course, every band wants to get as much attention as possible, especially I think if you are living outside of the main music areas like the US and Europe, but the thing that helped us in the past years is mainly in my opinion, the whole digital era. There are more ways to bring your music to other people then there were before, when you needed in the past to send physical CD's or cassettes, now you can send a digital version of the album and of course the whole Facebook and YouTube platform.

          So to summarize it, I think that because of the digital platforms, many Israeli bands and also as I said, bands that are not from the US or EU, can now reach new exposure levels.



Would it be right to say that metal music offers Israeli's a means of expressing discontent during dangerous times? E.g. war, attacks, etc. But also can metal music bring the world together regardless of social, political and religious differences?


        "Well, you can say that the music that we make gives us a way to get our words out, about politics or any other difficulty that we face in our country.

          But I can say the same thing about any kind of music from any part of the world. Music gives us a way to express our feelings and thoughts, no matter what separates us – religious, social status, political differences.. We can hear the music that somebody else created and just enjoy.

          I don't know if metal music in specific, or any music for that matter can "bring the world together", but I'm sure that nobody would pay any attention to the artist's nation, religion, etc.. if the actual music is good for the listener.



Your debut album 'Fragile Reality' came out 22nd July, could you give us the background behind it and what your messages are?


        "The album's main topic is the struggles that we have to face in our life, I think that "Closed In Chains" and also "Lost" are the songs with the lyrics that pronounce the idea behind "Fragile Reality" in the best way. We tried to present our music in the best way, and I think that the outcome was perfect."


How supportive is Israeli society of metal music, does the Government know about it? How hard is it for metal music to exist in the Middle East?


          "I can say only our opinion about the whole Israeli's music preferences so maybe some people will think differently about the whole situation..

          In my opinion, metal music is not so "big" in Israel, there were times that the crowd in shows was bigger and there were more local bands, but I think that it depends on the whole environment and "musical era" of the specific time..

          Nowadays, people connect more to pop or electronic music because it's catchy, and in our country specific also for Middle Eastern style (not my cup of tea to be honest), so I do think that maybe in the 90's, the connection to metal music and the whole genres that it includes was bigger.

          I think that metal music could exist in any place, as long as people keep listen to it. Maybe in some countries in the Middle East it's "forbidden" or something like that, but in Israel we can play as much as we want and whatever we want to play."




Will you be embarking on a European or 'Eurasian' tour to promote the album? Surely the UAE would be an ideal location as well as Israel in the Middle East?



        "Actually, we are not planning to go on tour yet, there are some private issues that deny us from touring at this moment, but I do think that in the right time we will start planning our first tour.
We will try to play our music as much as we can and in any place that will be available, not only Europe (that is our main goal for now), but also maybe in Japan and other places in the East that in my opinion has great potential."



Talk to us more about the Israeli Metal scene, what festivals are there, clubs, markets, in fact what is a day like in Israel?


          "OK, so first of all, the metal scene in Israel is not so big. There are many people who love metal music over here, but if you compare it to the numbers in Europe... It's really not so many.

          Nevertheless, there are local producers that try to bring over here an international band every couple of months, so we do enjoy a variety of metal bands that come to Israel and perform. Regarding festivals and clubs... usually there aren't any festivals over here, not in metal anyway, we do enjoy the shows over here, but usually it consist of a local band as an opening act (as we were for Children of Bodom), and the headliner.

          The clubs for metal are also few, as I said before, I know that in the early days there were more clubs that gave metal bands an opportunity, but one after the other they closed the gates and now there isn't as much as used to be.

          In terms of the day here in Israel, it's pretty much the same as in any other place (only probably hotter haha)... we do live in a country that has its own problems, if it's local problems or international problems, but I think that every person here in Israel just try to live his life quietly as possible.



Is it true that Israeli's have to do service be it army, navy, air force? Have any of you done this?


          Yes it's true. In Israel, when you turn 18 years old (not at the very moment... it could take up to a year until you can get recruited, but usually its at the age of 18), you are joining the army. For men its about 3 years and for women it's 2 years of service, they are changing it a little bit now but it will remain in the area of those numbers.

          Usually everybody has to recruit to the army but you know..There are special cases sometimes. Alon and me already finished our service, and the rest of the guys are doing it now or about to start, we can't elaborate on what we did during our service  but I can honestly say that this experience toughen us and made us ready for the "real world".

          I do know some bands that the army torn apart because the band members couldn’t meet on a regular basis due to their jobs... so it really depends on what you are doing in your own service.


          What plans have you got for the rest of the year?


          "We are now focusing mainly on the album release and all the things that it includes, if it’s the CD release and after that we are planning a massive release show, so mainly this is what we are focusing on for the next 2-3 months. After the release show we will continue performing and maybe start planning our tour, and beside that we will start in early 2017 to work on the next album's music.
So it's going to be a busy year!"



          Finally have you got any greetings you wish to send out?


        "Well first of all, we want to thank you guys for the interview, it was a pleasure. We also want to thank all of our followers around the world for the support that they give to us. We hope to see everybody soon on stage and we hope that you will like our album."

https://www.facebook.com/NothingLiesBeyond/

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Interview Interrogation: Patricia Pons from SynlakrosS (Spain)

10/6/2016

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Spanish Modern Melodic Death Metal outfit SynlakrosS have been rampaging around the block since 2008 and since then have released one demo and two albums, the second "Death Bullets For A Forajido" dropped back in May. With their sharp rise in the Spanish Metal scene and the line-up only changing the one time, things are looking bright for this hot property.

Check out their music video "Curly Wolves" below.

We aimed to keep the band cornered but as they ran and hid, the band's front-woman Patricia Pons was more than happy to seek the members up and bind them together, whilst she directed her answers to our questions.


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Patricia Pons, not exactly your modern Calamity Jane


"(In Spain) if you want promotion, in general, you have to pay, no matter how amazing and well done is your music"




Could you give us the background by your new music video 'Curly Wolves'? What does it mean, who recorded it, etc.

          "‘Curly Wolf’ means a tough objectionable character, a real tough guy. So, we made 'Curly Wolves' as a hymn, a statement of intent: ‘Destroy what destroys you’. It's that simple, without concessions, regardless of whether the problem is society or you. Destroy everything, be a tough guy, a 'Curly Wolf', willing to face up, ruthless and rebellious. But you are not alone, together we can do it. That is the essence. The video was directed and produced by Henry Menacho (Kronic Productions) in Barcelona"


You've just released your second album 'Death Bullets for a Forajido', what is different on this album in contrast to your debut? Will there be a UK / EU tour supporting the album?

          "There are a lot of differences, our sound is better, it is more mature of course, and was produced by Facundo Novo (Novo Estudios). We worked hard on this album, we had a clear idea of what we wanted to do on this album, and we learned a lot about the process and mistakes of the debut album. Yes, we want to tour around the UK and EU with this album, but we haven’t got anything sorted yet. Are there any promoters reading this? (LOL)"


Relating to the previous question, there is a 'Wild West' theme going on through the album, how did you decide on this theme? Will we expect another album with a similar theme? Would you agree that SynlakrosS might be one of the first bands to sing about said theme?

          "Well, it was a joke at first, to do a Wild West album, but after a few weeks the joke turned into a great idea. I started to investigate about the Wild West, it was an amazing experience and a huge inspiration, and my mates were happy to do this kind of album. And yes, SynlakrosS might be one of the first bands to sing about this theme. Now, we are working on the next album and the thematic is very, very different."


What could you tell us about the Valencian Metal scene? Is it popular? Do people from Valencia prefer to be referred to as 'Valencian' rather than Spanish? (in relation to the ongoing Basque Country and Catalonia debate).

          "We have great bands here, but it isn’t a popular scene in my opinion. The bands and metalheads here aren’t united, so it’s a difficult situation for bands like us who want to be professional, and there is far too much ego and bad competitions between bands, that's what I see, and I don’t understand it… there are a couple of clubs for metal bands, and gigs and little festivals are made by the local bands in general. There are people who prefer ‘Valencian’, but in general I think people are OK with the term Spanish. I prefer Spanish if I have to choose."



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What makes your style of Melodic Death Metal unique and how would you describe your sound without genre-tagging? What styles of metal does each member bring into the band?

          "We have different influences inside and out of metal music and this is reflected in our Melodic Death Metal music. We describe our sound like as 'Passionate Metal', we say ‘Killer Metal Music’ (killer, very cool) because we love what we do."


Would you agree that Spanish Metal is slightly underrated and that there should be more attention paid to the scene? Are there any media(s) covering metal music in Spain?

          "Yes, it is, but the only thing that we can do now to change this is to work hard creating great music and touring around the world until the situation changes. And first of all, understand the importance of learning English. In Spain it is our pending subject.

          Of course we have media, magazines, radios, etc,. But big magazines and radios only talk about international big bands, or national big old bands, if you want promotion, in general, you have to pay, no matter how amazing and well done is your music. Sad, but true."



Individually what hobbies and interests do you have outside of your main job and music? Do any of these interests / hobbies have some inspiration towards your music?

          "Of course, they are a great inspiration. We love manga, anime, video-games, books… and we use this inspiration on lyrics and music."


What plans have you got for the rest of 2016? With the EU referendum in the UK drawing close, are you worried even by the slightest what challenges might arise after the referendum? 

          "No we aren't worried, music is like water, it finds the way to get in through small holes. So, our plans are to work hard and tour with the new album as much as possible."


Finally have you got any hello's or thank you's that you wish to send out?

          "Yes!! Thank you very much for all our fans and friends from UK. Thanks for your love, support, and bought our new album and merch. You are the best!! We can’t wait to play there and be with you. Big hug!!"


"Death Bullets For A Forajido" is out now via an Independent Release

https://www.facebook.com/Synlakross
http://www.synlakross.com/
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Interview Interrogation: Gone In April (International)

26/5/2016

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Gone In April started in 2011 through their debut album "We Are But Human", culminating in the band playing across North America and Asia; the latter seeing this group co-headline 'The Great Indian Octoberfest' held in Bangalore. They also headlined the WaveTransform Festival 2014 (North America), as well as other events in the USA.

Following Gone In April's second album "Threads Of Existence" which saw new members joining from the USA and Canada, and another appearance at the WaveTransform Festival, GMA decided it was time to collar this group and excavate the facts behind this multinational facade.
 
So we bound Julie to a chair in a leather catsuit and placed Yanic in confinement, at least that way they could not escape... mind we did not give Julie the catsuit in the first place... another story for another time. Read below to see how it went.


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"It is nice to see the diversity and unity continue to grow within the metal community" (on metal music)


Firstly, how did Gone In April come to prominence and how do you maintain communication? Seeing as it's key to an international band / project, what limitations have you overcome?


Yanic:

"Yes, some aspects of international projects are indeed managed a little differently than bands whose members all reside within the same region, however, many aspects are not any different at all. In terms of communication, my belief and experience over the last decade is “if there is a will, there is a way”. Communication between Gone In April team members is very efficient. Through emails, text messages, video chats, etc, we typically get replies from musicians within 24 hrs, which enables us to move forward with our planning efficiently."


Julie:

"Writing new material is an aspect which is managed a little differently. Since writing is not done during rehearsal with all musicians in one room, each musician writes his parts in his home-town, and sends recordings of his parts by email. One of us will start to work on new material, and send audio files to the other musicians. Then, another musician will work on the material in his home-town, and send his parts to the others, and the work continues in that fashion over a period of several months. All musicians work separately, listening to the other musicians’ audio files, focusing on, and analysing, the composition, and providing feedback to other team members. Once everybody has reviewed and approved all the parts, the official recording begins and all parts come together. Some musicians record in their studio, and some travel to the studio where the majority of the production is taking place, which in this case, is WaveTransform Recording Studio in Knoxville, TN, USA."


"When it comes to band rehearsals and live performances, we all rehearse in advance by ourselves, and the group meets in the same city for rehearsals a few days before the series of live performances. Working with musicians from different countries also requires travel (flights, lodging, etc), as well as working with immigration organizations to get work visas for the musicians which are not citizens of the country where performances are taking place. Therefore, there is a bit more administrative work to be done by the band, however, once a band has experience with international management, international touring becomes a much easier task and many opportunities open up for the band.

For example, Gone In April had the opportunity to travel to Bangalore, India, to perform as a metal co-headliner, alongside Children Of Bodom, at The Great Indian Octoberfest 2012, a 3-day festival with a typical 60 000 attendance. This opportunity might not have been possible without the international management experience of the band. The band also performed at the WaveTransform Festival, in Knoxville, TN, USA, in 2014 and 2016, as well as for other dates in the USA between 2012 and 2016. These international concerts have helped the band get more international visibility. In addition, getting amazing support from magazines, webzines, etc, from various continents, through album reviews and interviews helps a great deal as well. Global Metal Apocalypse is a great example of that! Thank you!"



Having played in India, would you say that metal music unites the world regardless of social, political or religious differences?


Yanic:

"Yes, from my experience, the metal community is a very diverse community. I believe the diversity promotes a sense of open-mindedness, unity, and adaptation. I have had the chance to perform in North America, in Europe, and in Asia, and fans have always been very supportive, regardless of social, political or religious background. In addition, metal musicians are constantly pushing the limits of music composition and performance, and the diversity of the metal community has contributed to creating the sub-genres of metal. I believe that musicians who have contributed to creating sub-genres of metal have come from several different backgrounds, have been exposed to and have had interest for various cultures, which has led them to be interested in several styles of music, and hence, help create a new blend. It is nice to see the diversity and unity continue to grow within the metal community."


You recently released your second album 'Threads of Existence', could you give us a break down of what each song means? What did you do different on this album in comparison to your debut 'We Are But Human'?


Yanic:

"The concept of the 1st album focused on the psychological evolution of a 13th century warrior. The concept of the 2nd album focuses on survival of an individual, or a group or a society within various environments and situations, through its existence, hence the title “Threads of Existence”."


The Curtain Will Rise:

An individual, whose goal is to climb Mount Everest, begins his climb after having trained for years for this challenge. On the way up, the climber faces mental and physical challenges, and wonders whether or not the top will be reached, or if death will be faced. If the top is reached, the curtain will rise to reveal the achievement.


Our Future Line:

A young boy’s family passes away in a tragedy. The boy is brought to a guardian. The guardian, who owns a sawmill, treats the boy as a slave, does not provide proper food and shelter. As the boy faces these challenges, he becomes stronger and eventually takes ownership of his future time line and makes changes to his life, by confronting the guardian, and freeing himself.


Remember The Days:

A group of sailors leave their home country to travel overseas, to a land which they believe will be filled with better opportunities. The sea is a challenging environment. The group struggles, and, in their fight for survival, many of them die of malnutrition. Sailors remember the old days in their former country and wonder if they took their life for granted. In their search for greener pastures, they might not survive the trip, and if they do, they hope it will be to find a land that contains opportunities which were worth risking their lives.


As Hope Welcomes Death:

Soldiers are injured at war and are taken to the infirmary. Although they are now on safer grounds, another battle begins: a battle for survival. Medical staff do their best to take care of soldiers, and keep their spirits up. Some soldiers hope to make it out alive and fight daily for survival, and others wish for death in order for their suffering to come to an end.


Julie:


Embracing The Light:


At the end of his life, an older gentleman holds his grandson in his arms. While his own life bleeds away, the baby’s life is just starting. The old man passes down his knowledge to the boy, telling him all he knows about this world where beauty is weaved with horror, where time stretches forever, and then suddenly flies away. He hopes that he will continue to live in the memory of his descendant once he draws his last breath.


Yanic:

A Million Souls Gather:

Cancer begins to grow and invades the body. After much growth, the individual feels symptoms and finds out about the cancer. Treatment is necessary. The patient will fight for survival alongside powerful allies: technologies such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The treatment begins as the allies, the million souls, gather and begin the annihilation of cancer.


Relentless:

There are 16 personality types per the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. One type, the “ENTJ”, is organized, productive, motivated, with high willpower, determination, and leadership skills, has vision and a desire to achieve. The “ENTJ” will not sit back and see what life brings, but will proactively make things happen and relentlessly work to achieve its goals. It takes many types of personalities for a society to survive and be healthy. The lyrics present the world in the eyes on an ENTJ personality type, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the personality type.


The Great Contemplation:

An author’s inspiration is constantly challenged throughout his lifetime, hence his survival is threatened. At the start of the author’s career, all ideas for the first publication are fresh as the author has not yet written and released any works. As the author grows, he gets challenged to find new ideas for the new publications, as to not repeat or release the same content as the first books. The author evolves and develops new tools and ideas to generate inspiration.


The Will To End A Life:

A fighter pilot during war has 2 choices: kill to survive, or be killed. Although the soldier fights to rid the world of evil, the soldier realizes that “overtaking evil begins with the will to end a life”, and that “evil begins with the will to end a life.” Survival sometimes involves surrendering to evil. The soldier begins to questions his actions.


Regarding your new album, have you got any plans to take your album promoting shows to Europe? The UK?

Julie:

"We are currently working on dates for the North America, Asia, and South America for autumn 2016. We look forward to opportunities in Europe in late 2016 or 2017."


You played the WaveTransform Festival, what can you tell us about the festival? Are there any more festivals near to where you are situated?

Yanic:

"The WaveTransform Festival is a series of prominent music concerts presented at one of East Tennessee’s theatres, the US Cellular Stage at the Bijou Theatre. The line-up consists of artists from WaveTransform Recording Studio. The festival features events which cover several styles of music, and which include both local artists and international musicians. Gone In April was fortunate to perform at the last 2 festivals, and we look forward to the next festival. Another great festival in the area is Progpower USA in Atlanta, GA, featuring national and international acts."


What hobbies does the band have outside of playing music? Do you have any pastimes you indulge in?

Julie:

"I play with symphony orchestras, sing with opera companies, and teach voice and violin. When I have a little bit of time, I enjoy hiking, crossfit, D&D, as well as spending time with friends.

Marc teaches music in college, and outside normal hours, is hired as a session guitarist for live and studio. At the moment, he is doing a Masters degree in Music, therefore, most of his spare time goes to academic work for his studies, and rehearsing. He enjoys watching movies and playing video games.

Steve spends most of his time on tour and in studios, away from home, but to answer the question, he just texted and said his hobby involves “trying to play bass half as good as Yanic does air-bass”.

Now you know Yanic enjoys to air-bass…! Yanic works over 100 hours per week. He is a Physicist and Engineer, and designs nuclear medicine scanners, and also runs a recording studio (as an engineer and session drummer) and event management company. “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” This applies to Yanic’s crazy lifestyle. He loves what he does, so everything is like a hobby. He does enjoy watching movies and TV shows to relax a bit before his little amount of sleep.

Aaron likes to spend time with friends, watch movies. He also plays in another band, produced at Yanic’s studio, so he spends time writing and performing for his band."



What plans does the band have for the rest of the year?

Yanic:


"As mentioned earlier, we are currently planning live performance dates for autumn of 2016. We look forward to growing our fan base, and meeting a lot of fans on the road who support the band."


Finally are there any hello's / thank you's you wish to send out?

Julie:

We would like to thank all the fans who have supported us throughout the years. We look forward to meeting many of you on road! If you would like to see Gone In April perform in your home-town, contact us and let us now! We will be glad to pursue opportunities within your region! Many thanks to you, Rhys, from Global Metal Apocalypse for all the support!

https://www.facebook.com/GoneinApril
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GMA Interview Interrogation: Whispered (Finland)

12/4/2016

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It's not uncommon for a metal band to fall into a sub-genre that is totally unique, not only in terms of lyrical content or sound, but by the sub-genre name itself. So when Finland's Whispered announced details for their forthcoming album "Metsutan - Songs Of The Void", the slight-head turn became imminent after the first word. Why is a Finnish Metal band using a Japanese word in their album title? Turns out they're a 'Samurai Metal' band, well musically they're Melodic Death / Power Metal tinged with Eastern 'Oriental' Folk music influences, but we prefer the new genre tag as a way to describe them.

They might be fashioning blades, experts at martial arts, or masters at kanji calligraphy, but they're not resistant to our interrogation methods. Sadly no sake came between us or the band....

Vocalist / guitarist Jouni Valjakka and guitarist Mikko Mattila entered the interrogation chamber.


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"I can't really say what defines "Samurai Metal". Maybe just the lyrics? I dunno. Since our new stage wardrobe, we should maybe be called Kabuki Kombat Metal!"

Whispered has been going now for 12 years, what challenges have you had to overcome and how does it feel to be releasing album #3 'Metsutan - Songs of the Void'?


Jouni:
          "Well thinking of the history of us (the band), we've had the usual. Finding a committed line-up, making the best out of our thematics, getting enough cash to go on etc., Particularly with this album we run into some minor technical problems, some choir sessions were really hard to compile, and I had the pleasure and pain of programming most of the orchestrations and Japanese instruments for the first time. Among the usual, programming a huge orchestra and making the  ethnic instruments sound as organic as possible besides the band was quite a challenge for me."


Mikko:

          "Hey! It feels really awesome to be finally releasing our new album. It's been in the making for so long and finally we can get "rid of it". There's been a lot of challenges even with this album. You just don't make this kind of music by going to the studio, hit record and bang away a few tunes. Although we sometimes wish we could do that."


Could you please explain your choice of lyric topic, namely why and how did you come around to singing about Samurai's, Bushido and Japanese Legends? Do you hope your designed sub-genre 'Samurai Metal' will catch on?


Jouni:

          "Well I have been into Japanese culture and especially aesthetics for a really long time. When I was young I really felt the urge to create something unique and this kind of style felt really natural choice for me. Japanese culture has an endless inspiration for me and for a time now, the lyrics have had a bit more personal touch in them too. Meaning that thinking about struggles, opportunities and values of life, the way of the warrior can and should be represented in those too. 

         I don't care much for genres and at the beginning when we were called "Samurai Metal" I wasn't too excited, but nowadays when I'm not so angsty-teenager-elitist anymore I think it's a really cool sounding genre. I can't really say what defines "Samurai Metal". Maybe just the lyrics? I dunno. Since our new stage wardrobe, we should maybe be called Kabuki Kombat Metal!"



Because Metal music has endless ways it can transform, do you think that bands could create any style of metal they want, or are there limitations? Should it be a natural process rather than looking for new styles to do, just because they don't exist?


Jouni:

          "There are no limits and there never should be. When you're creating something you just gotta let everything go and not restrain yourself in any way. Of course someone might not like your modern-fusion-rap-progressive-extreme-swedish-folk-influenced-nomad-metal, but that's their problem. Not yours."


Mikko:

          "I think there's really no limitations whatsoever. If you come up with something unique that sounds really cool then just go for it. It's always good to search for a new angle on things musically, but it definitely shouldn't be forced. If it's forced it's bound to sound fake. For example Folk Metal is still a rather new style and when it got popular many new bands started to copy the originators. So now there's like a million Korpiklaani / Ensiferum etc. copies around. In a way we are doing it ourselves too, but you should always draw influences from many different sources and try to blend them to a unique mix of your own."


What instruments do you use to incorporate the Eastern Folk (Oriental) influences? Do you think this is a relatively new concept?


Jouni:

          "Well we use mostly the most common Japanese folk instruments like koto, shamisen and shakuhachi and some Chinese folk instruments too. Most of them are programmed, but we've used some real woodwinds earlier and now we have real shamisen played on the CD. Using these kind of instruments in rock music is not in anyway a new idea, but using them with rather fast, brutal and melodic metal is something quite fresh I think. At least I can proudly say that no-one in Finland has never done this before!"

Regarding your new album 'Metsutan - Songs of the Void', what song is your favourite and could you give us a short but concise explanation behind the song titles?


Jouni:

          "I can't say what's my favourite yet but I really like the song "Tsukiakari". It''s mostly a bit slower than the others and I think we really got a nice atmosphere in it. "Tsukiakari" means moonlight and it tells of a servant who kills himself in order to change his powerful master's evil ways. I read a story about the concept years ago and the idea really stuck with me."


Mikko:

          "I think my favourite song of all Whispered tracks is "Bloodred Shores of Enoshima". It is an epic journey, the most symphonic track we've ever done and the story can be realized as a kabuki play with 5 acts. It's also a very challenging track to play and in that regard just how I like it!"


Surely if and when you tour Japan (unless you have already?), they will admire you for this choice of metal? Do you have any fans out in Japan? Will you release your album out there?


Jouni:

          "Our gig in Japan had a really nice reception and we had extremely fun to interact with the fans there. I hope we have a chance to release Metsutan in Japan too!"


Mikko:

          "We played one showcase gig in Japan in 2013 and yes, it seems we have fans there. We were really not sure if they would think that we're too weird coming from Finland wearing hakamas and kumadori face-paint. But the audience response was unbelievable when we played in Tokyo, although a bit surprised at the beginning of the show. "Shogunate Macabre" was later released there and hopefully Metsutan too at some point. I'm actually very much looking forward to getting to record some bonus tracks for a possible future Japan release. It's always great fun to make some game music covers or something along the lines."


As 'Metsutan - Songs of the Void' is out in a months time, will there be a tour across the EU, possibly the UK, or just across Finland? Where have you toured before?



Mikko:

          "We get asked this a lot and unfortunately the answer is still the same: we are very open to opportunities to play anywhere outside Finland, but at the moment there's nothing concrete in the planning. Organizers, promoters, really anybody that can help us change the situation please contact us ASAP or be devoured by Gozuryu!"


Jouni:

"What he said".


Because Eurovision is taking place in May, have you ever considered entering the competition? What was your reaction when Lordi won Eurovision? Surely this has to be monumental not only for Finland, but for the Finnish Metal scene (as well as metal generally)?


Jouni:

          "Eurovision would be fun to attend, since I think I'd get some sick pleasure making as "pop" song as possible. Then we'd of course need clean vocals too, since the masses aren't ready for a full-blown samurai mayhem! Or are they? I was sooo happy when Lordi won! For a one night the whole Finland was celebrating the return of Hard Rock and Metal! Of course tomorrow we all went back to work and to listening to some more Kanye West."


Mikko:

          "I remember being in a bar, watching Lordi win Eurovision and thinking how can this be.. is this real life? Of course it was awesome and I'm so happy they won with a song that wasn't directly composed as a "Eurovision song". You know like the pop format "demands" or so it seems they think. Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät should have won too last year!"


Finally have you got any hello's or thank you's you wish to send out?

Jouni:

          "Thank you for the good questions! Keep your blades up high and be sure to get the new album to your hands 20.05.2016 ! Hail Gojira!"


Mikko:

          "Thank you for the interview! Kanpai and hail Gozuryu!"


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GMA Interview Interrogation: Chrigel Glanzmann (Eluveitie)

30/10/2014

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"Päde and myself (Chrigel) talk about writing and recording some new Brana Keterna songs now and then. That would be fun!"

Eluveitie, one of Switzerland's most successful metal exports have this year released their sixth album 'Origins' to sensational appraise, as well as reaching #1 in the Swiss album and the
U.S. Heatseekers Albums charts.

GMA therefore felt it was about time we sat down and spoke to
Chrigel Glanzmann,  frontman and founder of the Swiss Celtic / Melodic Death metal band. We spoke about the album, the Swiss Metal scene, how metal is become more and more appreciated, Chrigel's past bands
Branâ Keternâ and Môr Cylch, and how a little help from outside the metal world goes a very long way.

By Rhys Stevenson

Origins
Origins is out now via Nuclear Blast - click image to purchase

Hi Chrigel, as Eluveitie's sixth album 'Origins' was released 1st August 2014, could you give a brief background behind each one of the songs?


The conceptional topic of the album is Celtic mythology, aetiological tales to be more precise - the origin myths of the Gauls.

  • "The Nameless" deals with the mysterious deity the Gauls claimed to be descendants of.
  • "Celtos" narrates one of the curving stories about the Celts primal father.
  • "From Darkness" deals with a druidical theory, a Celtic tradition.
  • "Virunus" tells the foundation legend of an important Gaulish city.
  • "The Call Of The Mountains" tells about the story of how the central European Celts (especially the Helvetians) found their final homeland.

  • "Sucellos" deals with the Gaulish god Sucellos.
  • "Inception" deals with another druidical teaching.
  • "Vianna" tells another aetiological foundation legend (of an important Celtic city).
  • "The Silver Sister" deals with a Celtic tradition linked to the "nameless god" (the song "The Nameless" is also dealing with).

  • "King" tells about a legendary Gaulish king.
  • "The Day Of Strife" tells another version of the story about the Celts primal father.
  • "Carry The Torch" picks up where "King" ended - and tells about the beginning of a glorious time of the Gauls (where many cities were founded and new lands settled).


Regarding the album cover which depicts the club-shaped halo of Sucellos, what made you decide in choosing this particular god and does it relate to the album title?


Yes it does. Well, as mentioned above, “Origins” deals in-depth with Celtic mythology and spirituality. From the moment the basic idea for the album was born, it was clear to us that we wanted a very simple, maybe a little abstract and mystical album artwork. We wanted something emblematic, something that represents and expresses the lyrical content of the album symbolically. Yet it wasn't very easy to find something like that. I mean, if “Origins” was a concept album about the Catholic religion, for instance, when we could have pictured a crucifix on the cover, haha. Would have been easy. But in Celtic culture? There no such symbol which kinda stands for “Celtic mythology” or so.

I searched intensely and worked together with the University of Zurich (where I'm friends with a professor who's specialised on Celtic culture and arts). In the end it all came back to the Celtic god Sucellos. The album's dealing with aetiological tales from ancient Gaul, and in those mythological subjects Sucellos appears over and over again (even though often only in scientific theses, since divine names were not written down by the Celts – it all remains pretty mysterious). 
Several Sucellos statues have been found in archaeological excavations. In one of them Sucellos is depicted with kind of a “halo” - some kind of a sun-shaped half-wheel, which consists of several mallets (such as the one he usually hold in his hand).


You had Alexander Morton guest as narrator for "Origins" and "Eternity", how did this come about and what was it like working with him?

It's always amazing to work with him. Love that dude! I got to know him during the production of our last album "Helvetios" (where he also did some narrations). I was looking for a suitable narrator who is able to transport and express the right atmosphere and emotion. One day I accidentally came across the movie "Valhalla Rising" where Alexander plays the role of a shaman. The moment I heard him talking in that movie, I knew that I've found the voice I've been looking for!

Picture

'Origins' reached #1 on the Swiss Album and US heatseekers album charts, as well as reaching the top ten on the German album and UK Independent Albums Breaker charts. What was your reaction to this and do you feel metal music is steadily gaining more mainstream appreciation?

Of course we're super happy and thankful for that! I think every style of music experiences has its ups and downs if it comes to popularity. Metal music is doing quite well at the moment, I think. At least there are less mutual reservations from the "mainstream audience" than 20 years ago. ;) 




Could you give us a brief history of your adjacent bands Branâ Keternâ and Môr Cylch (if both are still active)?

Both bands are not active anymore. I've been playing metal music for quite a while now. My first Death Metal band (called Sacer) was formed by myself in 1991. But I also played traditional Celtic Folk Music for many years. Môr Cylch was a traditional Irish music band I formed around 2000 or so.
Actually it was originally a kind of an attempt to form a band like Eluveitie, but it ended up becoming a purely acoustic, traditional folk band, haha.

Brana Keterna was also a folk band I formed about half a year before I formed Eluveitie. Three Eluveitie members also played in that band (Linda Suter, ex-Eluveitie; Meri Tadic, ex-Eluveitie and Päde Kistler). It was just some kind of a fun project. You know, to just play music without any (stylistic) limitations. It partly sounded pretty crazy, haha. The band never officially broke up, but it has not been for years now. But maybe we'll do something with Brana again one day. Päde and myself talk about writing and recording some new Brana songs now and then. Would be fun!


Because Eluveitie's lyrics are generally in English and sometimes Gaulish, how do you go about constructing the lyrics? From the planning to the recording stage.

Well, Eluveitie's lyrics are basically in English. Some of our songs I write are in Gaulish (probably 1 or 2 songs per album). But the use of the Gaulish language is rather a form of "artistic work" to me. It's more about giving the narration of history some more "flesh and blood". If it comes to the Gaulish language I always work together with diverse scientists - regarding the translations / reconstructions to the pronunciations.

Check out Eluveitie's new music video "King" which is taken from their latest album "Origins" below.


When not working or with Eluveitie, what do you do to pass the time? Sports? Traveling?

Honestly, there virtually is no time when I'm not working for Eluveitie. Eluveite is a 150% job! If I do have some spare time (which literally only happens every couple of months), I like to cook (haute cuisine) for instance. :) Most of us do sports / work out, but that's mostly an on-tour-activity and it's basically about staying fit and in shape. I mean, you're not getting younger, haha!


Focusing on the Swiss Metal scene as a whole, how well-appreciated is the music there? Are there any new bands fans should check out?

Eluveitie is well appreciated in the Swiss Metal scene! Of course there's this kind of "super true" underground part of the scene (usually kinda black metal-ish), which hates us for being internationally successful. But I think that's just a normal phenomenon you can observe in every country's metal scene. ;) And yes, there's a lot of really amazing metal bands in Switzerland! I'd name Blutmond, for instance (a very original avant garde black metal band including a Saxaphonist)! Anna sometimes does guest vocals for this band. They're definitely worth checking out!




As Eluveitie cover Celtic / Helvetian history and folklore, do you personally feel Eluveitie's music could be a good education tool for students studying Celtic Studies per se?

Haha, I don't know. Honestly, I think our albums can be an introduction to the subject and they partly also contain interesting stuff for people conversant and experienced with Celtic history. But if you really want to deal intensely with this matter, then go to university or at least an academic library! ;) But speaking of that, a year ago I was invited by the University of Zurich to lecture during a lecture series on the Gallic wars. It was pretty cool! :)


What plans does Eluveitie have for the rest of 2014 and into 2015?

Well, last month the "Origins World Tour" just kicked off with 30 shows in North America. October till Christmas we'll be touring Europe (including the UK). After that we'll have a break for a few weeks and then the touring will go on (South America, Eastern and Northern Europe and Russia, Asia, Australia and South Africa). The Origins World Tour will presumably keep us on the road for the next two years. 



Personally speaking do you feel that Folk Metal, in specific Celtic Metal, is not greatly represented as it could be?

To be really honest - I don't know. We just do our thing, we play the music we want to play and we never really cared about if it's called Folk Metal or whatever. We hardly ever look at what's going on around us. In that sense we don't have much of a clue about the whole Folk Metal genre, honestly.


Finally are there any hello's and thank you's you wish to send out to fans, friends, etc?

Well, for me it simply remains to say "thank you!" for this interview and thanks a lot to all the readers for their interest in Eluveitie! See you on the road! We'll play in:

  • London - 11th November
  • Manchester - 12th November
  • Glasgow - 13th November
  • Belfast - 14th November
  • Dublin - 15th November
  • Bristol - 16th November

https://www.facebook.com/eluveitie
http://eluveitie.ch/
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