 "We have already begun writing another album as we speak and we will be more active than we have ever been previously." You might not be forgiven if you happen to forget that beneath the leviathans of Slipknot, 5FDP, Trivium, Metallica and the other greats of the American metal scene, are underground hotbeds producing the newest and exciting bands to lead the country and bear the flag. One such band is Pathways, whose journey from the Sunshine State aka Florida to the Pacific coast of Washington State has culminated in not only new recruits, but newfound vigour. "Great Old Ones" is the quartet's newest single and is just one glimpse of what the lads have up their sleeves as they barrow towards their debut album seeing daylight. The lads managed to survive our interview interrogation and whilst they spilled their guts out about the challenges of playing live shows, why their sound is a cauldron of different sounds that make them extraordinarily hard to pigeonhole, how Washington state coped with the COVID-19 pandemic and what their plans are for the year ahead.  For those who have not heard of Pathways, could you please tell us how the band came about and what the band name means? "Our last major release was in 2016, with a 5 song EP titled “Dies Irae”, released through Tragic Hero Records. Since then, our world has utterly changed in a progressive and exciting way. At the time, both Wil & I (Jon) lived in south Florida. Eventually circumstances led us out here to the Pacific North-West (PNW), where we really decided to seek out our musical identity (as a band). We knew the exact sound that needed to be achieved, and in order to do this properly, we needed help from other / newer members. We spoke with the CEO of Tragic and we were able to release our contract from the label, parted ways with previous members, and as luck would have it - our search concluded with Caner and Kyle. With the new line-up solidified, we immediately wrote our first ever full-length album, and a separate single (Great Old Ones). The single serves as a catalyst to kick off the fresh sound and active condition of the band. The band has a specific sound in mind, and achieving it would take many different dynamics to come together - Pathways is a way of achieving an action, within multiple avenues (us as a collective)." You play progressive metalcore and utilise 8 strings and classical influences, please discuss the decisions behind the two influences? "We have always had a strong classical influence. Our identity has been shaped from having neo-classical metalcore / deathcore elements, to just being strictly metal now. The older tunes were designed with an aggressive and chaotic foundation, while the current work is focused on groove and purposeful melodies, while of course, maintaining that classical ominous vibe. We couldn’t be happier with how the sound has been defined. It took a long time to reach this exact point of musical maturity, but the wait will be worth every moment passed (especially for the fans)." Each musician has their own influences, where does your influences come from and how do they fit in with Pathways sound? "An extremely diverse musical pallet is on the table with the new Pathways line-up. Jon went to Musicians Institute in L.A. for 2 years and is classically trained. Wil has strong r&b and pop / hip-hop ties, which he incorporates into the pocket grooves of the music. Caner is all over the place with influences, but in a brilliant & diverse way. He has influences that stem from his Turkish heritage, all the way to rap and deathcore. His main strong suit is his vocal range. It is truly unique and unlike anyone we have ever heard. He is our secret weapon for sure - raw talent. That leaves us with Kyle. Pathways has never had a real bassist - our previous 3 bassists were fill-ins for the instrument, since we either could not find a right fit, or because we just liked the member on a personal level and wanted to try it out on bass. It is truly insane to see what Kyle brings to the table. He is a funk bassist who listens to metal. What more could you ask for? He has all the talent / technique / chops to both play and write to the music, very well." You have just released your new single 'Great Old Ones' (26/3), how long did it take to curate and will this be featured on your debut album? "This process has always been easy for us, and with the addition of fresh talent, it was even more seamless. You definitely know when you gel with other musicians, and that is the case with us as a quartet. The musicianship & personality blend makes the relationship seem like fate, in a way. The process actually started in 2017, with the symphony. It was a 42-piece overture written with a prime motive in mind - that every single melody from this orchestral piece would be referenced in each song on the album. Almost like a musical concept album that has melodic Easter eggs spread throughout. Not soon after the symphonic piece was released, the early writing stages of the album were underway. The intro riff to 'Great Old Ones' is actually a variation melody that was rooted in the symphony. This is the main melodic line of the song and set the basis for the rest of the single. The main line was given to all members, and we just worked off of that motif until it was melded into GOO (pun intended)." What can listeners expect from your debut album and will it be released independently or via a record label; as you're no longer with Tragic Hero Records? "As this release is meant to showcase the newer music identity, brand, and pave the way for album promotion, we aim to go about this in a very bold and calculated way. We have learned so much about the industry (still learning) over the years, and have seen how much the pandemic & social climate is still affecting the future of it. We think it is definitely smart to be strategic with self-releasing music and distribution. Our catalogue now includes 4 music videos, a full-length album, a single, and tons of photo shoots - all to be self-released for now, in order to make way for future branding. We have already begun writing another album as we speak and we will be more active than we have ever been previously."  Seattle Space Needle Observation Deck / Source: YouTube (User: Viator Travel) How tough is it for American metal bands to organise tours across the country? Do smaller bands tend to do state tours rather than national tours? "It's more common for smaller acts to tour state to state or regionally rather than a nationwide tour. Many Seattle artists will cover the west coast from Vancouver BC all the way down to LA. It can be difficult for smaller acts to book multiple venues in one city let alone an entire state. It can be difficult finding venues on the way to larger cities that will cater to your sound. Not every city has a venue that would welcome a metal act." Florida has a rich history of metal bands from Morbid Angel to Trivium to Deadstar Assembly, what is it in your opinion that makes the Floridian metal scene so successful at delivering a constant stream of talent? "South Florida, being isolated from most of the rest of the US has a very tight knit scene. I'd say that's because not as many tour packages make it that far south if they have an option to book in north or even central Florida. Because of this, the local scene is constantly growing and engaging with itself to make up for the smaller tour packages that might not be willing to drive the extra 5 hours south just to have to drive back up the panhandle to tour in the rest of the country after one or two shows. So in essence Florida's scene is built to fill a void of live entertainment from the rest of the country. Add the fact that Florida is a cultural melting pot from native Floridians, snow birds of the east coast turned full time residents and people looking for a tropical change, you get all walks of life and plenty of scenery to inspire a creative song writing mental state." How did Washington react to the COVID-19 outbreak? What restrictions and measures were put in place? What is the situation like now? "Washington state began shutting down in March 2020 once west coast states started seeing cases. Our favourite bars and venues have been shut down since, some shut down for good because of limits on gatherings. Some establishments have been able to keep afloat with reduced capacity, mostly restaurants. Washington just went into Phase 3 of reopening, parks are opening again and people are getting out more. It's refreshing to see people outside again after being pent up inside their homes for a year!" For metalheads visiting Seattle under normal circumstances, what sights / attractions could you recommend? What about bars, venues and pubs? "A must for any metal inclined visitor would have to be down town at The Showbox Theater. The place has a great record of national/international touring metal bands stopping through. Some other great venues would be El Corazon and Chop Suey. Both have a great mix of local and national metal acts. While you're in the neighbourhood after a show you can waltz down Capitol Hill and hit up the many bars lining the streets. Then finish off your night at The 5 Point Cafe no matter how late/early in the day." All things considered, what plans does Pathways have for the year ahead and do you have any greetings / thanks you wish to send out? "Pathways is going to be releasing a ton of content this year in forms of video, photo,and interactive material to keep our audience engaged until live shows become commonplace again. We've got more singles with music videos lined up for release to introduce our full length album. We've adapted to the shift from live in person to at home interactive and are excited to merge both together for an experience for our audience like never before. Huge thanks to our pal Karl at Hot Karl Productions for helping us out with not only the music video, but for getting us back on track. Also huge thank you to Kirill Konyaev at Zerodbproductions for mixing and mastering the new single." Pathways' new single "Great Old Ones" is out now via all streaming platforms https://www.facebook.com/Pathwaysband/
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 "Maybe they will think metal music is so dope, just kidding. They'll think this kind of music is so noisy." [Bhone on their parents thoughts of metal music] When you think of metal music from Asia, Burma (Myanmar) is probably one of those countries that does not come to mind as having an active metal scene. In truth it does... just a very small and underground one, one that has not had a great deal of international coverage by the mass metal media. It just seems that this corner of Asia is often largely ignored, or not explored by the Western metal media thus leaving metal scenes, like Burma (Myanmar), often in the shadows and confined to only regional, if not continental press. Flying the flag for the Burmese Metal scene is A Letter From Caeser among other bands, whose unapologetic style of Metalcore may be seen as run-of-the-mill for the hardcore fans of the genre, but would that thought ever stop this quintet? No chance. In fact, back in March they released their latest music video in 'Pyan Lar Mae Nay' and having checked it, GMA thought it would be only appropriate to give the band an interrogation... guitarist Bhone Zay Yar elected himself as spokesman for the band.  For those who have not heard of A Letter From Caesar, could you give us a brief history of the band? What does the band name mean? "We started our band in September 2011, in the beginning it was Soe Pyae Han on vocals and myself on guitars. Later we found another guitarist and bassist, but lacked a drummer and keyboardist. In 2013, we found both a drummer (who played in the band Last Will) and a keyboardist. We had a few line-up changes and settled on our new bassist, Zin Mg Thant. Towards the end of 2014, our former drummer quit and we recruited a new drummer. Like other bands, we tried to come up with a band name - there were so many names that we discovered and were so confused at the whole issue, we didn't know which name to choose! Funny times. Finally our former guitarist (Tu Tu) chose one name and we all thought that it would be cool for us, so we chose the band name A Letter From Caesar. However, in 2016 Tu Tu quit and we brought in our new guitarist Kyaw Gyie, establishing our current line-up." Back in March you released your new music video 'Pyan Lar Mae Nay', what does the song mean? Are all of your songs in Burmese? "It's about a soldier who is missing his family & home, whilst he is away on a battlefield. All of the other soldiers are dead & he is the only one left, he is wounded and found a way to come back home. Yes, all of our songs are written in Burmese." Check out their music video "Pyan Lar Mae Nay" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3lhbiGzEak What do your parents think of your music? What is the public opinion on metal music? "They don't say a lot about our music. I think maybe they are used to it, we have been listening to this kind of music since we were young, they heard what we listen to & I think it's OK for them. Maybe they will think metal music is so dope, just kidding. They'll think this kind of music is so noisy." Have you had people outside of Burma (Myanmar) listen to your music? Have you played outside of Burma? "Some of our Burmese friends who travel and live abroad listen to our music. No we haven't played outside of Burma."  Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon / Source: Tripsavvy What was it like growing up as metalheads in Burma (Myanmar)? What are the challenges that Burmese Metal bands face? "I think that there is nothing different from other people. We do what we want and that's it." For metalheads visiting Yangon, what sights / attractions and bars / venues could you recommend? "Well, there's a lot of places that you can go and see / do in Yangon, I don't know which places to recommend for metalheads. Maybe you should do a Google search or use social media to search for things, I think that both options will work." What plans do you have towards late 2020 and into early 2021? "For 2021, we are preparing for our new album." Do you have any greetings or thanks you wish to send out to friends, family, fans, etc? "We would like to thank our fans, family and friends but also yourself for interviewing us." https://www.facebook.com/ALetterFromCaesar/  "Bands from the same regions try to stick together to organise gigs and we support each other as much as we can." Mention the genre Metalcore and usually people will bring up bands from the USA, the UK and to an extent Australia... mostly because they tend to dominate the touring circuit. However if you look under the coveted swathe of stadium bands i.e. of the Asking Alexandria, Killswitch Engage and Parkway Drive, then you'll find a plethora of Metalcore bands from most of the known metal scenes. Emerging out of the Polish metal scene is Winds Brought Siberia who arguably have been causing a bit of a national stir, there is no doubt when things calm down (post COVID-19) we will see this quintet develop plans to play across Europe. They went on to explain that they are not just a run-of-the-mill Metalcore band and certainly are not just another product off of the factory line. They told GMA about their origins, how their sound dabbles in global sounds, why it's hard for bands in Poland to gain a relative national following and that success tends to rely on being internationally known and of course, what there is to do in their home city of Poznań.  For those who have not heard of Winds Brought Siberia, could you please give us a brief history of the band? "Winds Brought Siberia is a Polish project that began in 2016. Since the very beginning we wanted to bring something that's full of emotions and allows us to share our feelings and thoughts with as many people as possible. In December 2019 we released our first EP “Consolation”, which features 5 songs that describe and respond to some of the problems and various situations we face nowadays all over the world. It is our voice, a word that we want to spread through people and raise awareness and touch their hearts and souls." You play Post-Hardcore / Metalcore; describe your sound without using the genres, how do you make yourself different from other bands in these genres? "We are a mix of people with various interests, and we take inspirations from every part of life. From the very beginning we wanted to not shut ourselves in the box of a single genre and deliver our music from our hearts. We also listen to music from all over the world, and every one of us have different favourite styles and genres, so you can hear sounds from all over the world in our songs. Sometimes we are more “post” and sometimes we are more “black”." What is the Metalcore / Post-Hardcore scene like in Poland? Are there many bands? "The Metalcore / Post-Hardcore scene in our country is fairly big. We have some recognizable bands e.g. Frontside (whose vocalist is a guest on one of our songs), who are one of the pioneers of these genres here, but it’s hard to achieve a local-iconic level like they did. There are also a lot of smaller bands and every month people form new ones, so the scene is developing right now." What has the band been doing at home during the pandemic? What other hobbies / interests do you all have? "Most of us have the privilege to work and learn from home, but in our free time we spoke, planned and worked on the future of the band, social media and new material that we want to release next. As of the hobbies we are mostly ordinary dudes, so our activities involve video-games, books, listening to music, learning new stuff like vlogging and photography, some sports and of course practising instruments."  Poznań, Poland / Source: Poland Today What are the challenges that most Polish Metal bands face these days (ignoring COVID-19)? Is there established media in Poland? "Not really. We have Facebook fan pages and groups, auditions at small local radios but nothing widespread - this may be one of the challenges we have to face. There is no specific channel for spreading metal music. We also have a feeling that attendance at concerts is also dropping. As there’s a lot of new bands that are in our country it’s getting harder to get recognized and being original, but we think that our strongest side is spreading emotions through our music." Tell us more about the Polish Metal scene, when did metal arrive in Poland? What is the public opinion of metal? "It’s hard to tell how old Polish metal is - from the information we could gather it began in the late 70's with the bands KAT and TSA; who don’t have much in common with modern metal. We suppose that metal as a genre is not very popular in Poland. Although we have some big metal stars like Vader, Behemoth, Decapitated or recently Mgła and Batushka - they are more popular abroad - the percentage of active metalheads in Poland is still very low. Young Polish bands are also very promising but we lack support from the local environment, unfortunately local shows do not overflow with audience. Still, we cannot say that we don’t have support. Bands from the same regions try to stick together to organise gigs and we support each other as much as we can. For most of us it's a very expensive hobby we enjoy doing and people closest to us are always there." For metalheads visiting Poznań, what sights / attractions and bars / venues could you recommend? "There’s a lot of great places to see in Poznań. As a band we probably played in all of the venues that are in this town and all we can say is that they’re great. U Bazyla and Pod Minogą are probably the most known and were visited by a whole lot of foreign musicians. When it comes to places not strictly linked to metal music, Poznań is a town full of great pubs, bars and clubs, all of them have their own unique climate and atmosphere. Basically it’s a place that makes almost everybody feel good and acclimatized. It’s clearly visible that we as a band are very connected to our city as we use our “slogan” - Greater Poland Metalcore (Greater Poland is a Polish voivodeship and Poznań is its capital)." Do you have any thanks or greetings you wish to send to friends, family or fans? "For sure! We are grateful to people that helped us shape our music tastes and skills (as individuals and as a band). We would like to thank our friends as they are always at concerts in the first row. Also fans and people who discovered us and appreciate what we do. There are too many to count: but we thank you all! :)." https://www.facebook.com/WindsBroughtSiberia/  Latvia, one of Europe's forgotten metal scenes is alive and well in the underground, however it's on the surface that it lacks international recognition albeit for their torch-bearer's in the Pagan / Folk Metal band Skyforger. Focusing on the underground and you have bands like Stagnant Project, whose Modern Metal sound may be miles apart from the core Folk Metal sound that seems to engulf the national scene, but united they are with their fellow Latvian brothers and sisters. The quartet are not resting on their laurels having released their 2nd album "The Age Of Giant Monsters" back in 2018, they are in no doubt poised to release new material within the coming year, we will just have to sit and wait. We therefore had to interrogate them, they elected Paul Rutkovsky to be the spokesperson. We spoke about the band's origins, the challenges that Latvian Metal bands face and have to overcome, their scene and what cool phrases fans tend to shout out at their shows.  For those who have not heard of Stagnant Project, could you explain how the band came into being and where the name came from? "A long time ago in 2010, when we were teens we had a dream to play in a bad ass band without any metal sub-genre limits or something that can cut off our music ideas. We were rehearsing hard and took up a sudden Punk Rock festival participation offer. But we had no name for our band and so we decided to name ourselves Stagnant Project - almost like "just another music project without future". Right after the first show, the next day another gig offer came and we decided to leave it as it is." Could you tell us more about your latest single 'Khuemraz'? Will it also be re-released in Latvian given it's in Russian? "Actually, we had some thoughts about English version re-release in nearest future." How would you describe your sound without the use of genre tags? What seems to be the more prominent metal genres in Latvia? "The most prominent genre in Latvia is definitely Folk Metal, then Progressive Metal. But I would say we are influenced by bands from the Industrial, Death, Thrash, Nu and Metalcore genres, I think that it is one of the points why we are not really popular on the local stage. But our last release 'Khuemraz' made us really unique because of the Russian lyrics, that as far as we know, is one of the most popular languages in the world after English. And as we know, the Russian language has a huge poetry base that we can use to express ourselves from." What has the band been doing at home during the pandemic? What other hobbies / interests do you all have? "We are very careful under the restrictions and maintain all the distance suggestions, because we really want the live shows and touring to come back. So, the best way to reach the result is to be disciplined and begin with yourself. All of us are working from home and keep the distance. We are working on some ideas separately. Talking about myself, I found the isolation is a very nice time for my family and relationship, I dedicated a lot of time for my guitar tone, mixing / mastering skills and vocals. Also, I have found a lot of time for my comic book collection to be read. Talking about the guys - we have got a constant chat with memes and discussing our future plans and sharing thoughts on random thoughts. But nether the less we managed to print our new merch and continue to write music."  Riga, Latvia / Source: Nordic Jobs Worldwide Are there some Russian or Latvian phrases fans tend to shout out at gigs? If not what are some cool Latvian / Russian sayings? "Really cool question because we have got one like this. This phrase is "ebash", in the Russian language it is a swear word meaning 'working f**king hard', and actually our local fans scream the word during our live shows and to be honest it is more like a motivation word, no matter whether you are a pure Latvian or Russian, the spirit is the same. Also, Stagnant Project is to complicated to shout :)" Tell us more about the Latvian Metal scene, when did metal arrive in Latvia? What is the public opinion of metal? What challenges do bands face? "Actually we have got a lot of cool and unique sounding bands here and live shows are at a very professional level to be honest. But unfortunately the biggest part of them don't cross the borders of the country in meaning of international popularity. I bereave each of us, Latvian musicians, we try our best, but only a few names have got the popularity outside the country. But we, as Stagnant Project, really believe in ourselves and we will brake the wall saying "ebash" on our way." For metalheads visiting Riga, what sights / attractions and bars / venues could you recommend? "The first venue you should visit is Melna Piektdiena, there were a lot of shows by big metal stars like Meshuggah, Vader, Arch Enemy, Cannibal Corpse, Decapitated etc. and even Little Big were here. I don't mean the giant bands stadium calibre, but have to say, it is the legendary metalhead place here in Latvia. Also, Latvia is one of the most green countries in the world, I suggest visiting our castles, ethnographic museums, parks and I have to say Latvia is a very small country, you can cross it in 4 hours by car, but most part of the roads will be across the woods; we are proud of this. " Do you have any thanks or greetings you wish to send to friends, family or fans? "We wish everyone to take care of yourself and your relatives, the most important thing in your life are your family and your friends, because in hard times those are the closest people who will help you and care for you. Don't be lazy or too introvert, call your mum, dad or your best friend no matter what, just keep in touch with people who care for you." https://www.facebook.com/stagnant.project/  " 00110000 01111000 01100101 00111010 00100000 01101000 01101001 00100000 00110000 01111000 01100101 00111010 " It goes without saying that metal music from time to time produces some strange bands, some weird bands and then some bands who are so different they stand in their own league, welcoming to that league is the American Djentcore band 001100110010. Yes you read that right, their name is in binary and if you specialise in this section of mathematics, you'll know it means 818 - still trying to ascertain what this means. Arguably if you crossed George Orwell with War of the Worlds and blended the two with V For Vendetta, in a music context this would equal 001100110010. Not much is known about this four-piece anomaly, let alone their anonymity behind the eloquent masks the 'phantoms' wear, one thing we do know is, they will certainly be destined for big things. Watch this space... 001100110010.exe The band discuss their time on earth, how they're adjusting to human life and showing curiosity in the humans wearing half-masks, something to do with COVID-19... although they themselves don't know what this is. This is one mystery for the ages.  For those who have not heard of 001100110010 could you give us a brief history of the band, what the band name means (it's 818 in binary) and why the masks? "We have not been here long, so our history here on earth is short. Since our arrival, most of us have spent time learning to communicate and interact with human forms. We are fascinated by all these auditory waves, and they do assist us in relaying and translating messages. Some of us are better at our communication skills due to our design. The communication channel we have among our form does inject interference and doesn’t always allow for effective translation when it comes to talking to humans. As a result, we tend to isolate and study ways to adapt. The binary numbers here on earth are fascinating and do have ties to our origin. Converting to decimal is one way to interpret these, but not the only way. The answer is an innate quality we received and, therefore, kept private. However, you are welcome to speculate. We also must mention that it is interesting to see humans wearing partial “masks” now. Do humans use these as shielding between their internal binary design and another world? We don’t quite understand…" What is the message that the band is bringing to the fore; getting V For Vendetta / 1984 vibes from the lyrics, what are your lyric topics? "We are interdimensional travellers who've come to share the stories from our world. You'll see the struggle and hardships endured, battles won, and lost over time because meaningful change is painful and can be difficult, and many fear it. We feel there is much to be gleaned from our reality, and we share these stories the best way we know how, through music." You released your music video "Digital Dictator" back in January this year, what was the reception like and how long did it take to make? "Yes, we did. In a way, the process felt strange. We aren’t used to being encoded in such a way. The reception... Hmmm, it was quite long actually, and I suppose in a way it was a marriage. I don’t think any of us were aware that this was ceremonial to humans." You play a finely balanced mix of Djent and Metalcore (Djentcore), who are your influences and do you feel that you've created a new genre? "Well, thank you! We honestly have no idea where that name came from. When it was encoded and transmitted in binary, the result that came back from the query specified that. We think that these labels and descriptions are odd, but humans seem to understand the meaning better than we do. Influences are a strange word for a phantom to understand. It was encoded into our identity."  Minneapolis, USA / Source: Study In The USA Given the masks are a cool idea, will this be a form of merch for fans to buy in the future? What merch plans do you have for the future? "Again, the word “mask” seems like a strange description for us as phantoms, they are a part of our identity and need it to survive outside of our world. Very odd that humans would want to buy such a thing, but perhaps we may. We do need money to travel the earth with this diesel hungry bus we have. The transport systems here are terrible, and the use of earth’s natural resources to do so shouldn’t be utilized forever. Thank goodness you have Elon Musk here." Given the COVID-19 pandemic, what plans did you have postponed or cancelled? What plans do you have for late 2020 / early 2021? "What’s COVID-19? Forgive us; we are not sure what this is. We will try to establish a connection to interpret. Our database has had interference lately, and a diagnosis is still underway." For metalheads visiting Minneapolis, what sights / attractions could you recommend and what bars / venues? "Metalheads. We did see these people in our databases and in person but are quite confused. They didn’t have any metallic minerals on their head at all. We did a scan for these, and from what we computed, it has the characteristics of a coconut. Overall, Minneapolis, MN, Earth is intriguing to us, but we haven’t had much time to go out; therefore, we cannot provide a recommendation." Do you have any hellos or thanks you wish to send out to friends, family, fans, etc? " 00110000 01111000 01100101 00111010 00100000 01101000 01101001 00100000 00110000 01111000 01100101 00111010 " https://www.facebook.com/001100110010.abn/  "Any kind of content we can do we are doing. I'd argue that the pandemic probably helped our work ethic."" Arguably Metalcore and Deathcore are genres that are overtly saturated and so it's either the case of either being very good or trying something new, something that Until The Dead Walk have achieved on both fronts. A new sound, a new line-up and a new set of work ethic, the Kentucky natives are raring to go. Not only have they done that, they have also gone and secured the services of guest vocalists Alex Koehler (ex-Chelsea Grin) and Tom Barber (Chelsea Grin & ex-Lorna Shore). Life cannot be sweeter. One half of the vocals section, Dakota Myers, took it upon himself to be interrogated on behalf of the American quintet. He didn't even break a sweat during the interrogation unlike the chickens that were to become 'Kentucky fried' (sorry!! Could not resist). He spoke to us about the COVID-19 situation in the state along with the mask merch they made, their favourite places to play and why they're itching to get back on a stage ASAP.  For those who have not heard of Until The Dead Walk, could you give us a brief history of the band? What inspired your band name choice? "Ren Young the other vocalist started the band in early 2014. One of the original members includes Sean Cook; now guitarist for Hollow Valley. They're sick you should check them out. I joined the band around late 2014 / early 2015. Ren and I were in a previous project together but had a falling out right before UTDW was officially named. Many line-up changes led to guitarist Austin Mellick and bassist Tracy Cook being band members, and a recent change of drummer which was a surprise. I don't suspect any line-up changes after this. We have our solid core. Our family. Ren picked the name. Since I am the left to his right, I always hated it. Thought it was mad corny. But after a while I finally get it. After putting so much work into this. So much time, dedication, hardships, sacrifice, betrayal. We're not stopping. It took us a long time to find out who was really with us and who wasn't. But this core we have right now will make music until the figurative dead walk. Or maybe literally. This 'rona stuff is getting outta hand." How would you describe your sound without genre tagging, given you play a mix of Metalcore, Deathcore and 'whatevercore' (love it!)? "Our sound is just whatever we feel at the time, y'know. If we feel like making a metalcore song we make a metalcore song. If we feel like making a beatdown song on the same album. It's going on there ha ha. We try not to put ourselves in a box. Playing music makes us happy. I couldn't imagine playing music I don't like to play. It would drain me. " At what point did you want to become musicians and were you in bands prior to Until The Dead Walk? "I personally didn't grow up wanting to be a musician. I've always done vocals, and I've played guitar for about 6-7 years now. But I actually grew up wanting to do art. I still do art. I do a lot of our merch designs and designs for other people. But once I found out what it feels like on stage. It turned from a hobby into an addiction. Something I wake up and crave. I don't think I would want any other job in the world. I was in a few other garage bands before UTDW but nothing serious. Tracy our bassist is the former bassist of Of Clarity." You created your own face mask due to COVID-19, do you think this will become a regular merch item (thinking of those in DIY, carpentry, etc)? "Uhm. I would be wishful thinking here but sure. I think a lot of our fans are really die hard dedicated. They post stories daily with our merch in them. Out and about. At work. Recently while quarantining at home. So I genuinely do think people are going to wear our masks outside of the pandemic. I think people are going to wear masks for a long time in general after this blows over."  Louisville, Kentucky, USA / Source: Forbes What is the COVID-19 lockdown situation like in Kentucky? How did people react to it? How has the band coped? "I might get in some trouble saying this but from my perspective a lot of Kentucky just doesn't care. If you've ever seen the meme of the guy racking a shotgun outside of his trailer going "I ain't scared no Nader" that's Kentucky with Corona right now. I don't think we were ever really under strict 'quarantine' I see people jogging, walking their dogs, life as usual. Yes there are more facemasks, and yes there less people out. But it looks pretty busy for a city that's in the middle of a pandemic. Yet somehow we are flattening the curve more than other states surrounding us. It's really odd. We, on the other hand are really pushing hard to not let this affect our work ethic. Wer'e getting new merch out, we're working on new music, we're doing skits, and working on a podcast. Any kind of content we can do we are doing. I'd argue that the pandemic probably helped our work ethic." What plans have you got for late 2020 / early 2021? Were any plans postponed or cancelled? "We are looking to go touring as soon as possible. I know that sounds scary and there definitely is an Inherent fear going into that. But that's just another sacrifice for us to live how we want to live. We have all sacrificed a lot for this. Relationships, time with our children, our friends, our families. It's just another sacrifice for us. We actually had a couple of tours and shows cancelled. Skatopia's Bowl Bash was one. It would've been our second year out and I absolutely love everything about that place. If there ever were a place that screams the do whatever you want unless you're hurting someone else attitude that UTDW strives for its Skatopia." For metalheads visiting Louisville, what sights / attractions and bars / venues could you recommend? "There's a saying my mum used to say all the time. "Come to Louisville we got potholes and horses" ha ha. But no seriously, we don't have that many venues that I enjoy any more. My favourite venue and second home Trixies was very sadly sold a few months ago. After that we have Diamonds Billiard Hall which has now become my favourite venue in Louisville. We have Nirvana bar and Spinellis for smaller more personal shows. For attractions? Uh. We got. Horses? We got a bridge that lights up. We have a Kaiju themed bar that's really cool. If you're a fan of drama you can go to Taproom. Really any bar in the highlands. If you like art, the Speed Art Museum has beautiful works that rotate pretty frequently." Do you have any thanks or greetings you wish to send to friends, family or fans? "To all of our friends and family I'd like to say thank you and I'm forever grateful for all the support that we get from you. To be able to do what we do is a dream of many. The fact that you all help us do it I can't even begin to explain how" https://www.facebook.com/UntilTheDeadWalk/  "The biggest challenge was / is venues, especially in terms of putting on a quality show with lights, staging and adequate space etc. We have to source everything." Africa is often considered as 'the last frontier' for metal and to be fair, it would seem that way. Even though there are a lot of countries on the continent who have had rock music stretching back into the 1970's, ultimately something pulled the plug on Zimbabwe's rock past... we'll leave you to ponder what that was. But now metal has arisen to revive the angst felt by the natives, too often is it that metal arises from negative events, be it war, poverty, corruption, hatred, you name it, it's on the back of the t-shirt as shamed tour dates. Stepping into the breach is Dividing The Element, arguably founders of the Zimbabwean Metal scene; following in their footsteps is the one-man project Nuclear Winter. We spoke to lead vocalist / guitarist Chris Van about the band's origins, their new single 'Pakaipa' (it's in the Shona language) and why being a DIY band in a scene that's being built by yourself is probably the most metal thing to ever happen to this country... hats off to them, they make the scene work.  For those who have not heard of Dividing The Element, could you give us a brief history of the band? "We are a metal band from Harare, Zimbabwe who sings and screams in Shona. The band was founded in 2012 by Sherlic White and myself. After a few line up changes the band settled on Archie Chikoti (Guitar), Nick Newbery (Drums), Mat Sanderson (Bass) and myself (Lead Vocals and Guitar)." You've just released your new single 'Pakaipa', could you explain what it means and will this be included in an upcoming EP or album? "'Pakaipa' is in Shona and literally means "It's bad". The theme of the song is about both being underestimated and misunderstood by society. No decision has been made yet as to whether it will be included in an upcoming EP or album. As the primary composer for the band, I don't want to have that kind of pressure on myself at this early stage of writing. Maybe there'll be an EP, maybe there'll be an album, maybe there'll be a bunch of singles. I'd like to see what comes out as it comes out this time." The band has come a long way, but what about the Zimbabwean Metal scene - what is it currently like, what challenges are there? "The metal community is still small but has definitely grown. Speaking as someone who has been in the front lines actively trying to grow the scene, it's been satisfying to watch the micro developments, witnessing the gradual increase in networking and turn outs to our shows and so on. Pandemics and lockdowns aside, I'd say the biggest challenge was / is venues, especially in terms of putting on a quality show with lights, staging and adequate space etc. We have to source everything." Have you had bands from nearby countries come to play in Harare? Where (if any) has the band played outside of Zimbabwe? "There have been bands coming from outside [of Zimbabwe], just not metal bands. We were scheduled to play in Ghanzi, Botswana at Overthust's 11th anniversary of Winter Metal Mania Festival on the 30th of May, which would've been our first show outside of Zimbabwe. Sadly, Covid-19 took care of that."  Harare, Zimbabwe / Source: Zimbabwe Tourism What are the major challenges Dividing The Element has had to face since the band's inception, is metal frowned upon in Zimbabwe? "Well, the experiences I've had with people's perceptions and attitudes on metal have mostly been positive, but then again the bias is that my interactions are mostly with people who support the genre. On the whole though, Zimbabwe is a conservative society so there are the typical judgements and misunderstandings that happen. I'd say the biggest challenge in the beginning was reaching out to the metalheads who were around and convincing them that they weren't the only ones. They were scattered few and far between and mostly stuck to themselves. Then I would say again... Venues!" For metalheads visiting Harare, what sights / attractions and bars / venues could you recommend? "Sadly there are no dedicated venues for metalheads in Zimbabwe. That said, I'd definitely recommend they come see us if we so happen to be putting on a show during their visit. It may not happen often, but when it does, we try to make it count." Looking towards the end of 2020 and into early 2021, what plans does the band have left intact? "Well, that's quite hard to say at this point. As much as it pains me to say it, my prediction is that this is just the beginning of the world's fight with the Coronavirus. There's little evidence to support that we are winning the battle and we're probably going to experience some growing pains trying to return back to the society we had before all of this. All things considered though, everything we've put out as Dividing The Element so far has been self produced, and in this digital age, quite a lot is possible, so I'd say new material would be on the cards." Do you have any hellos or thanks you wish to send out to friends, family, fans, etc? "Thank you Dewar PR for your invaluable service and of course thank you to all our family, friends and fans for your continued support." https://www.facebook.com/DividingTheElement  "A great social and musical influence had the fall of the Romanian communist party and the transition to democracy. " If Dracula had ever listened to metal, it would definitely have to be an extreme kind of metal, something like Underwaves. Mixing various types of metal together, the quartet muster up a sound that is far more piercing than the vampire lord's fangs. Lashing together the genres of Melodic metal, Metalcore, Nu Metal, Alternative Metal, Groove Metal and Deathcore, you basically end up with Modern Metal Romania-style. Having been going since late 2017, the band has won the Rock'n'Iasi Festival Bands Contest last year whilst in the same year releasing their debut album. They are sure to make a name for themselves throughout the European underground metal scene. GMA spoke to them about their origins, the challenges Romanian Metal bands face and what to do in their home city of Brasov... home of Dracula. No vampires were hurt in the making of this interview. Ana Ignis (vocals) and Carol Alexandru (guitarist) gave us the insight.  For those who have not heard of Underwaves, could you explain how the band came into being and where the name came from? Ana:- "I made the decision very spontaneously, while I was at work and listening to music. I played in a few bands before, but none of them resonated musically with me. Whenever I was at concerts and saw the bands playing, I imagined what it would be like to be in their place. It was quite difficult for me to see others living their dream on stage, so I decided to do something about it. That day I picked up the phone, called our bassist, Bogdan, and asked him if he was willing to play with me in a band. We knew each other before, because we had a few more projects together. The next one I called was Dan, the drummer, and the last one was Carol, the guitarist, who initially rejected the idea. Carol:- "The name Underwaves implies duality, mystery, the fact that what is seen always has a meaning inside. The visible part of things hides certain factors that define those things. What is on the surface hides what is underneath. So is our music, it hides our feelings, emotions and feelings." Seeing as the band had a good career start, what are your next batch of plans once the COVID-19 pandemic has calmed down? Carol:- "We had to cancel our entire spring tour due to this pandemic and we are planning to reschedule all the dates, maybe add some more tour dates in it." How would you describe your sound without the use of genre tags?; seeing as you use Metalcore, Deathcore, Groove and Alt Metal. Carol:- "Usually the genres are used in order to fit a band in a specific label, I wouldn’t say that we can fit in one single genre. Honestly, I don’t even know what we are playing if we take the word “metal” out of the description :) ) I would call it simply “metal”, nothing fancy." What has the band been doing at home during the pandemic? What other hobbies / interests do you all have? Carol:- "We were a little bit stressed due to our jobs and we had to focus more on the financial part unfortunately. We still wrote some pieces of music, riffs and we have 2 new songs in progress. Regarding the hobbies, our drummer plays video games, our bassist is a movie watcher, Ana is shopping online and I do sports."  Brasov, Romania / Source: Pentalog Would it be fair to say that there has been greater interest in metal bands from Romania and Eastern Europe over the past couple of years?
Carol:- "Maybe so, Eastern Europe has always seemed to us the edge of the world in terms of underground music. Indeed, there are a lot of good bands on this side, many of them already big, some underrated. And in Romania there are a lot of strong bands with great potential." Tell us more about the Romanian Metal scene, when did metal arrive in Romania? What is the public opinion of metal? What challenges do bands face? Carol:- "Rock music made its appearance in the Romanian music world in the early 1960s and continues to exist today. A great social and musical influence had the fall of the Romanian communist party and the transition to democracy. Lately, more and more festivals have started to appear (obviously, we are talking about the period before the pandemic) and this is gratifying. Although it is a style with a niche audience, we still have many followers and many prestigious metal music festivals in Romania. I don't know what the other bands are facing, let's hope they are luckier than us, but the biggest problem we have is the financial one. It is very difficult to support yourself in music, this is the reason why we all have day jobs." For metalheads visiting Brașov, what sights / attractions and bars / venues could you recommend? Carol:- "Definitely the emblem of Brasov when it comes to metal music is the Rockstadt bar. It is the bar in the heart of which Rockstadt Extreme Fest, the largest metal festival in Romania, also started. As for points of interest, we have several museums and cultural points, and 40 km away we have Dracula's castle which is not to be missed." Do you have any thanks or greetings you wish to send to friends, family or fans? Carol:- "I don't know how we could thank all those who have been with us all this time and who will be. It is clear that family and friends have supported us from the beginning, but the people who come to our concerts, buy our T-shirts and listen to our music are the real stars. All the people in this industry that we have known and who have helped us deserve our respect, from sound engineers, stage technicians and lighting technicians, to bartenders, bar managers, tour managers and bands and musicians that we met." https://www.facebook.com/underwavesofficial/about/  "[Melbourne is] definitely the best metal scene in Australia... lots of bands from Brisbane, Adelaide and other cities go to great pains to get to Melbourne to do shows" They may have only been going a couple of years, but arguably Australia's Ironstone have so far had a really good run - supporting Rhapsody at a small festival, lining up their debut EP at the end of May, gathering fans from Europe, joining up with arguably Australia's finest PR in Black Roos and all at the average age of 20; Dan being the oldest at 22... they are destined to go far with their work ethic and attitude. Watch this space. To fill in the details, lead vocalist Dan Charlton and lead guitarist / vocalist Edward Warren spoke with GMA about said achievements, the Melbourne Metal scene, how they got their unique name and how Lewis Capaldi has had an impact on Dan Charlton. Don't worry we know this is an interrogation, we didn't spit roast them on a BBQ on the beach... instead we inoculated them with Fosters... good call!  Hi guys could you tell us how Ironstone came about and what the band name means? Edward: "It started quite a long time ago. It was initially a cover band with a couple of mates and I. We were just young kids. We played gigs in pubs; played AC/DC and all the classics and it developed over time until we started writing original music and creating our own sound. It came to a point where we wanted to take it more seriously and really define ourselves as original artists and not just be a cover band. The singer at the time lived on ‘Ironstone Road’. We just liked the sound of that. We discussed the name and thought we’d leave out the ‘road’ part because it sounded a bit ‘country’. But we really liked ‘Ironstone’ because it's nice and ambiguous. It can mean anything in terms of genre and creative freedom and it sounds pretty cool too, so we just went with that." Nowadays it's even harder coming up with band names due to names already in use or having to be changed due to legal reasons. Edward: "Yeah one of the criteria of the name was that we could get the web address and social media handles, because some bands pick a really cool name then because a lot of people already have it they have to put 'official' or something after it, blurring the lines between who is actually this band or that band. So we were really fortunate with our name." Now you've got your EP 'Prophecy' coming out on 29th May, are you doing at-home promotion for it? Would you release it on vinyl and CD? Edward: "Yeah we're just plugging away with our social media, trying to keep as active as we can, which is important because of self-isolation. We're doing everything we can... including PR to help with international coverage which obviously leads to interviews and reviews. We think this is a weird time to be releasing, but might be slightly advantageous because more people are on the internet and the industry is pretty quiet at the moment. Oh yes we want to release it on vinyl so badly. I love vinyl. If I had a CD right now and you said I'll give you $100 to play it, I would be pressed to find something to play it on.” Dan: "The good thing about vinyl is that it's really coming back, CD's are not going out but a lot of the new cars don't have CD players any more. Everything is online now with Spotify where you can instantly play music, but I guess people some people still want to go analogue, old-school." With the EP, have you got a favourite track that stands out for you? Edward: "Well the thing is that we generally love all the songs so much. 2 weeks before the EP we will be dropping our new single and music video 'Downpour'. The video was shot just before all of the closures and was edited during lockdown. It's very thematic and has this kind of Middle Eastern, South-East Asian sort of flavour, it's really very exotic and spicy." How long did it take you to write, record and finalise the EP? Edward: "Half of the songs were written 12 or more months ago, the other half in the last six months since Dan joined the band and started writing with us. The drums, guitars and bass were tracked very quickly…in less than a week. Jack our drummer then sorted the stems out and got everything organised. Start to finish it was no more than a month I think. The whole process gave us confidence and experience that enabled us to push forward.” Dan: "Vocals took the longest, vocals took about 3 weeks or so and then once we had it done we sent it through and had it mixed and mastered by Chris Themelco at Monolith Studios; absolute legend, who managed to do it so quickly. The first revision was almost perfect, apart from tiny nit-picky stuff. It was good as well because Chris really liked the songs and is a big fan of ours. We were rapt about that because we have so much respect for the guy. He is very highly respected here." Would you therefore say that's the direction metal is heading, by tapping into other flavours to expand? Edward:- "I think it's heading in that direction, there will always be old-school, kind of more pure traditional metal, but I think for bands who are trying to be more progressive and cover ground in thinking, it's going to become more prevalent in exploring different cultural influences, scales, etc., I know there's a lot of Japanese scales, Middle Eastern scales that have already been explored. You could get into Bulgarian scales, Slavic scales, there is so much you can do musically because every single culture has a different slant on the scale of music. It's inevitable that the progression will lead to change, making it something different." Dan: "I think it's also the younger generation. Old-school metal in the 70's and 80's is a lot different to the metal in the 90's and early 2000's. Metal has has changed over the years in the same way other genres like pop have changed." Outside of metal music, do you take influences from elsewhere? Dan: "Oh for me even though I listen to metal, I'll also be listening to pop music - a lot of the chart stuff, I'm a massive fan of Lewis Capaldi's voice, specifically the tone of his voice which has brought a lot of inspiration to my vocal technique. Our sound is like what Eddie says. You can show it to your friends who are really into technical metal and they get into the riffs, but then you can also show it to your parents and they'll be like 'Oh that's a nice song, I like that, that's catchy'. That's definitely not something to be afraid of, being commercial. I think it's a great thing; not aiming for super-duper niche, I just want people to listen and enjoy the music." Edward: "You've got the case where a lot of Progressive Metal bands have really clean beautiful male vocals and then really brutal screams. Dan’s vocal style is kind of like a rock 'n' roll, grungy, really emotional voice over Prog which is something that gives us a particular sound that's really unique and kind of hard to place. I do love movie soundtracks and stuff like that, people like Hans Zimmer for example, orchestral music, ambient stuff... I really get chills when I listen to stuff from soundtracks and video games; such as Battlefield. Our drummer Jack used to make trap music, he used to make a lot of dubstep and stuff like that so that's crept its way into the band. I definitely appreciate dubstep for build up and suspense. I guess Prog Metal is kind of dubstep played with guitars, you kind of build it up percussively. I think our music has a particular musicality and palatability at the same time. I love screams and complicated, percussive feels and breakdowns... whereas Dan's got a real mind for pop and structured melodies. When you combine the two, you get this sort of strange blend. You potentially get people who are normally into Meshuggah and Periphery style of music clashing against pop-influence metal."  Bendigo, Australia / Source: Real Estate Is learning music and music instruments encouraged by schools / colleges in Australia?
Dan: "I'd say so as much as anywhere else really, there's always school bands, school programs. There's always this constant reminder that it's an option or a path for you to go down, which I think is a really good thing." Before now have you had any fans contact you from outside of Australia? Edward: "Yeah we get messages on Instagram all the time. Since we started promoting the release internationally we’re suddenly getting fans from places like Latvia, Romania, you know all these places that we haven't considered as potential fan bases. It just makes us realise how big the world is.“ Dan: "Yeah we've got quite a few messages either personally or through the band page just saying that they found us over Instagram or YouTube, saying that they really like us and they want want to support us in any way in they can." What is the Melbourne Metal scene like in general? Edward: "Generally it's really good, it's definitely the best metal scene in Australia and there are a lot of bands from Brisbane, Adelaide and the other cities who go to great pains to get to Melbourne to do shows and gigs. We've been fortunate enough to play some really fantastic shows in Melbourne, so I'd say the scene is great. Unfortunately with the coronavirus everything has shut down, but I'm sure it will all wake up once this is over. It's going to be a big deal as there's a lot of bands, not just in Australia but all over the world withholding releases and so when this is all over it's going to be insane." Dan: "It's gonna be huge when it bounces back." For metalheads visiting Melbourne, bars / venues and festivals could you recommend? Edward: "That's kind of tricky because we actually live in Bendigo which is a 2 hour drive away from Melbourne, so we don't actually live in Melbourne. Dan knows more about the venues than me. I've only just turned 18 and so I haven’t attended many things as a punter. Dan is 21 so he’s been to a lot of festivals and gigs." Dan: "Venue wise there’s Festival Hall which has had a lot of really big acts play there. That’s personally one of my biggest goals… to play there, it's so iconic. Another place I do like is Max Watts, it's like this kind of underground metal heaven really... it's just crazy and amazing, playing there was one of the best things ever. We supported Rhapsody there at the Southern Gathering festival which was awesome. Aside from Download, there's a new festival that's just come out called 'Good Things' which is more towards Punk music, but over the past couple of years it's gotten heavier and had Parkway Drive headline last year; I went to that and it was absolutely phenomenal; there are some really good musicians. [Edward chips in with Unified] Ahh! Unified is an awesome metal festival, alongside Download and Good Things, they are probably the 3 biggest metal festivals." What are some of the everyday challenges that metal bands in Australia have to face? Dan: "Certainly the biggest challenge musically would be trying to become well known, it's quite hard with music let alone being an Australian metal band." Edward: "The thing is also we've got a country that's very large, something like 13 times the size of Germany and has a very sparse population. So if 1% of the population likes the music then out of the world's population that's like 709 million people, but with only 24 million in Australia it's considerably less with people being spread out. Plus it's hot so no one wants to do anything. It's just difficult trying to get that foothold and finding good bands to do shows with, finding a band that's within the niche Prog Metal / Djent, that sort of genre which is what we're going for. The financial aspect also is there, if you're in Europe you'd play a gig and then could just pop through France. But we have to drive 10 hours and we've nearly reached Sydney! The distances here are vast. But we're really lucky, we live not far from Melbourne and it takes about 2 hours to get there for a gig" What plans do you have for the back end of 2020 and going into 2021? Were any postponed? Edward: "I think the ultimate goal from whatever means necessary is to do a UK / Europe tour (and to get our music out there). We just want this lockdown to end and for this thing to be over... we just want to do gigs." Dan: "Yeah just play as much as possible in Melbourne, might travel up to Sydney and maybe Adelaide, but for now just want to focus on Melbourne and build on our following." Have you got any greetings or thanks you wish to send out to fans, friends and family? Dan: "Thanks to all our fans for sticking by us at the start, and to all of the new fans that come after 29th May, and to the stadium full of people (laughs)." Edward: "Thank you to the families for supporting us, the band members for always being consistent. We've got a unique case where all of the band members (except Dan) go to school together so we're already absolutely best friends. Then we've got Dan who may as well be my older brother; comes to my house all the time, stuff like that. Great people we work with like Chris Themelco and Michael Lueders from Black Roos Entertainment who make our life just so much easier. Thanks to everyone who helps us out and supports us." "Prophecy" is out 29th May via an Independent Release https://www.facebook.com/ironstone.official  "isolation isn’t that bad when you’re a nerd and play video games a lot (you’re already kind of used to that lifestyle anyway)." It's never easy standing out from the crowd when you play a genre that's arguably oversaturated, but there is always a way to make your music slightly more noticeable than others. Just ask Spanish Progressive Metalcore horde Flat Earth Society who seem to have found their rhythm and beat in 'la vida loca' that is the music industry. Having unleashed their debut album "Friends Are Temporary, Ego Is Forever" via Art Gates Records, it comes as no surprise that the quartet are licking their lips at what late 2020 and early 2021 could be winging their way. Given this achivement it was only fair for GMA to interrogatel the Madrileños and find out how they formed as a band, what metalheads can do in Madrid, what makes up their sound and what emotions were like signing to legendary Spanish label Art Gates Records.  Could you give us a brief history of Flat Earth Society, who came up with the band name and were you in bands previously? "We came together from different bands actually. Alex and Carlos were part of a band that was kind of dying and we already had some decent songs built up back then (which are part of the album) and we wanted to see them fruition. Drummers in Madrid (or in general) are very lackluster, so Alex receives lots of offers (besides him being really good at the instrument). He eventually auditioned for A Blackened Sight, which Jesús and Daniel were part of. After signing in with them, he noticed Daniel’s vocal prowess and told him about our idea. Daniel liked the project and joined in. Jesús eventually teamed up as well with us, playing bass instead of guitar (his regular instrument). Later on we found Guillem and he proved to be the perfect fifth for our band and signed him up right away. The name came quite randomly. We were brainstorming ideas and the situation degenerated quickly, proposing dumber names each time. We chose the name Flat Earth Society because we thought it would be funny to parody that way of thinking while our lyrics treat scientific topics (Disarray, The Gravity Paradox, The Cataract). Later on we decided to just write whatever lyrics we wanted (Danko, Daniel’s dog, Ligma, a meme disease from Twitch etc…)." You recorded your debut album 'Friends Are Temporary, Ego Is Forever' last year, talk us through the creation process and the album title meaning? "Usually each one of us writes music on its own and then we put it in common. Then we decide which ideas we like and learn them to rehearse them. Then we start playing them over and over while introducing arrangements along the way until we like the final result. Then we took what we had to studio with Alex Cappa and Pablo Rousselon. We originally wanted to release a 5-song EP after recording these tracks, but after signing in with Art Gates Records we decided to take their advice and put out a full LP, so we went back to studio and recorded Legfist, CC Chain and Tortuga. We feel the meaning of the title speaks for itself, although there are open interpretations about it. We’d rather people try to figure it out on their own." How would you describe your sound without the use of genres? What / who are your influences in and outside metal? "Our sound is pretty experimental, we think that in a way some of our instrumentals are pretty ambiental, most of our songs are harmonious and pretty melody based, the rough part comes mostly with the vocals and the drums in certain parts. we classify our music as emotionally aggressive. The most notorious influences reflected in this album may come from August Burns Red, Erra, Veil of Maya, Born of Osiris, Tesseract and maybe Periphery and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Outside Metal we have various influences, such as Salsa music, Flamenco, mostly hispanic music." What was it like for you signing with such a prestigious label in Art Gates Records? Who initiated the contact first? "We already had contact with them due to a friend who collaborated in the past with Noctem and AGR, so he recommended us. We showed them part of our music and the general idea around the project and the album. They liked it and we moved forward with it. Everything was going smooth until the recent crisis. Working with them has been an enormous learning experience regarding how things are done the right way for a band who wants to reach far away places. Now we have to wait until things get better and see how we can resume our course." As Spain is amidst a lock down due to COVID-19, what have you been doing at home; both in and outside of music? "We’re doing relatively fine considering the lockdown we’re suffering in Spain right now. However isolation isn’t that bad when you’re a nerd and play video games a lot (you’re already kind of used to that lifestyle anyway). Stay home folks, don’t risk your health or other people’s" For metalheads visiting your home town / city (where?) what sights / attractions could you recommend (under normal circumstances)? "You gotta check Madrid’s down-town, lot of museums, lot of great architecture and if you are a fan, you gotta check Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid’s stadiums. If you ever come here under normal circumstances, be sure to also check the local food." What plans do you have for the foreseeable future (COVID-19) depending and what has already been cancelled? "Most of what we had already talked through has been cancelled as for anyone else in the industry. We will try to take the album to the stages in and out of Spain as soon as it is logistically possible." https://www.facebook.com/flatearthprog |
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