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Interview Interrogation: Karan Katiyar from Bloodywood (India)

18/9/2022

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     Remember the name, Bloodywood. The Indian quintet have stormed out of their home nation and are rocketing towards international stardom, here is a band who have somehow managed to harness the Bhangra sound with a fruity blend of Nu and Folk Metal. Led by dual vocalists Jayant Bhadula and master of ceremonies Raoul Kerr, the New Delhi boys are joined by guitarist Karan Katiyar and touring musicians Vishesh Singh (drums), Roshan Roy (bassist) and Sarthak Pahwa (dhol player). We spoke to Karan at Bloodstock about their humble beginnings, acceleration to international acclaim and what the future plans are.

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     "The only reason we're political right now is because there is a huge disbalance all over the world when it comes to politics"​


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​Your career started off from recording covers of well known Indian songs and uploading them to YouTube, from there it rocketed upwards, was it something you expected or wanted to happen?

     “We always wanted it to happen but we never foresaw it, we never foresaw the intensity of it but we always wanted it to happen (being honest about it haha).”


For those who know the Indian metal scene, they would know Demonic Resurrection and Kryptos as the defining pioneers of the scene, are Bloodywood considered the 'new wave of Indian metal'?

     “I wouldn't say that because those bands have been at it for a really long time, sometimes people say that the torch has been passed onto us, but I don't believe that because they're still doing their thing, we're doing our thing and I have a feeling that you're going to see a lot more from the Indian metal scene, there are some very promising metal bands coming up.”


Of course competitions like the Wacken Metal Battle have helped support the metal scenes across the sub-Indian continent, do you feel with this exposure that more metalheads in Europe will pay more attention to bands in that part of the world and wider Asia?

     “Um, no I don't think that's going to happen. I think there's going to be an equal amount of attention throughout the world because that's just how metal is. I don't think you can really pinpoint a particular place to say that metal belongs 'here or there', it belongs everywhere. It just takes a few good bands for people to start listening to bands from that area, I feel it's still yet to happen for India but things are looking up.”


What are the modern challenges that bands in the Indian metal scene face nowadays?

     “Id say there are just two challenges that we in particular face – One we don't get any gear in India, everything has to be imported which means we pay about 300% of the price, and two there are a lack of venues, because it's a very different way of how people work over there – venues decide if they want to let the bands in or not and no ones heard of metal, so they're very sceptical. Lack of venues and gear, that's the only thing that makes India different.”


Your music video 'Machi Bhasad', was that filmed with audio overlaying the video or with live music?

     “No, none of the music videos have live audio, it's impossible to do that because you're going to catch so much of the ambience – if we actually sung into the mics we and record that, you're going to hear people all over the place, cars and horns, it's India man it's never going to be quiet, so that's impossible to do.”


So when you had the locals in the video, what did they make of the music?

     “They don't understand any of it, but they really want to enjoy it, because it's a spectacle for them, you don't find metal bands rolling up to your village an start playing in the road everyday you know? They're just very supportive though, they'll never get in your way, if you want something you can always ask them, they'll just stand by and watch, that's all they ask for in return.”


Your debut album 'Rakshak' was released this year and was well-received worldwide, please tell us what the album is about.

     “I can't put one particular topic to the album because there are so many things we talk about, but I'd say all the songs are in favour of a better world. I'd say the songs are political in nature, but we also want not to be extreme about it, we want a very balanced approach, the only reason we're political right now is because there is a huge disbalance all over the world when it comes to politics, literally all over the place and that's when we have to speak up, if things were in balance then we would not be a political band.”


What are your tour plans for the rest of the year and into 2023?

     “We have a month-long USA tour in September / October, and then in 2023 we're coming back for a headline tour across the EU and UK... and there's talks about Japan too so we're all very excited.”


Do you have any greetings and thanks you that you wish to send out to friends, family, fans etc?

     “I'd like to say hello to everyone who is reading this interview and everyone can check out the band across YouTube, Facebook, etc., if you catch us on tour you can buy a very limited edition of our vinyl, its called the 'naan vinyl' – it looks exactly like a naan, because the tour is called the 'Nine Inch Naan Tour', spoiler alert... it's not edible but is selling like hot naans.”


https://www.facebook.com/bloodywood.delhi/

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Interview Interrogation: Blind Channel (Finland)

16/10/2021

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     Eurovision was a big moment for Blind Channel, the sextet from Oulu secured 6th place and cemented themselves in a line of successful rock and metal bands to have graced the Eurovision sphere. The rollercoaster did not stop there as they signed with Century Media, performed sold-out shows across Finland and are now planning on their first major European tour with many shows looking set to sell-out also.

     Aptly dubbed 'Finnkin Park' (even though their 'Violent Pop' sound brings together a variety of rock and metal genres), Blind Channel released a music video for their latest single 'Balboa' (released back in August), echoing the core story of the Rocky films i.e. getting up and taking the fight head-on.

     Blind Channel's Joel Hokka spoke to Global Metal Apocalypse about their journey since that evening in Rotterdam and how one of Finland's most successful musicians Lauri Ylönen (The Rasmus) came in touch with Joel about doing a special cover of 'Dark Side'.

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 Blind Channel gained overnight international success after the Eurovision 2021 finals, talk us through the emotions on that night. Additionally, what was it like signing with Century Media? 

     “Yep it happened pretty quickly with 'Dark Side' & the whole ESC thing. To be honest we didn’t expect that kind of success at all. We were thinking that if we hit the finals it’s already a win for us, and then we ended up in 6th place. But the real victory happened the day after when we saw that 'Dark Side' was #62 on the international Spotify global charts. I think we’ve been hyped up since that night until the last live shows of the summer ended last month. Century Media feels a great home for us. We want to be a massive alternative music outcome and CM / Sony has a great platform for us to be who we are without selling our souls!“



Your achievements have given bands not only in Oulu, but other Finnish cities too, hope that they can break out internationally. Thinking back to when you first started out, did you ever imagine you would be where you are at now?

     “We always wanted to make it big internationally. There was no other choice. We were always looking up to Finnish exports like HIM, Children Of Bodom etc, and we thought if those guys can make it so can we! So yeah, we were pretty sure since the start!“



You released your new single / video 'Balboa' last month, first impressions are that the song is to do with the 'Rocky' film franchise, is this true? Either way what was the inspiration for 'Balboa'?

     “Balboa is an anthem for the underdogs. It’s simply about getting up again and again. That’s how we’ve felt with our career for past 8 years. And yes, Rocky is the ultimate example of an underdog!“



Assuming 'Balboa' will be included on your forthcoming album (due out 2022), how far are you in the album creation process? When will the next single drop? Will this album be the darkest you've ever done?

     “The album is right now in the hands of Dan Lancaster who will be mixing the whole thing next month. After that it will mastered in the US. The next single… hmmm…. maybe soon. The album itself will be the purest Blind Channel ever. We’ve gone through a lot while writing & recording this so there’s a LOT of stories to tell. Of course there’s always the darkness in our music. We come from the North. It’s in our DNA.“


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Will the new album be released on vinyl? Will there be special, limited editions released? Maybe a mini-documentary of the band's rise from humble origins to international success?

     “There will be many different forms of physical album. Vinyl's for sure for example! We’ve already documented a lot of stuff during 2021 but of course there’s a lot of things still to show for people so let’s see. Hopefully!“

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Now you did a live duet with Lauri Ylönen (The Rasmus) on the song 'Dark Side', tell us how that came about? Could we see Blind Channel tour with The Rasmus in times to come?

     “Lauri called me (Joel) and told me about the idea. I was blown away ‘cause Lauri is one of my childhood idols from early 2000’s and I really love The Rasmus. I really hope we can tour together ASAP! Maybe next year?“



Speaking of tours, you recently finished a string of dates across Finland, talk us through the logistics and emotions. Your next tour in early-2022 will be with Eskimo Callboy and fellow Finns One Morning Left; assuming you will be playing songs from the new album?

     “The shows in Finland have been incredible. Thousands of people every night, pure insane adrenaline all the time. We played over 16 shows and had the best times of our life. The tour with Eskimo Callboy is something we really look forward to now. We will be playing brand new songs but also classics. Our set will be around 40 minutes per night so we need to be smart with the choices when it comes to songs!“



Regarding next year, are you looking to secure slots at festivals across Europe? Could we see Blind Channel at Download or Bloodstock in the UK?

     “We’d LOVE to play some big European festivals but right now we don’t know about them yet. Only thing we know for now is that there will be MASSIVE festival slots in Finland for sure but Download, Rock Am Ring, Bloodstock, Reading etc. is always good for us!“



What plans do you have for the year ahead and into 2022 other than your tour supporting Eskimo Callboy?

     “Album 4. Hell a lot of touring in EU / FIN (Hopefully US as well), new videos, cool TV things and tons of empty white wine bottles!“


Do you have any greetings and thanks that you wish to send out to friends, family, fans, etc?.

     “Greetings if you read this whole interview! We really respect that a lot, and also thank you for all the support. Without you (the people and the medias) we’d be nothing. See you at the shows!!“

https://www.facebook.com/BlindChannelBand
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Interview Interrogation: Through The Void (Belgium)

24/6/2020

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" [On venues] The problem is the same almost everywhere, I think, that the public has difficulty getting around to concerts by local groups"

Mention the genre Nu Metal and the response is either 'I love Slipknot, Korn, Disturbed, etc.' or 'that's not a metal genre, it's not metal'... such a simple diluted argument sparks a wildfire in the course of conversation. Nu Metal is a metal genre. No arguments. Now that's dealt with, time to focus the attention on French-Belgian stalwarts Through The Void who are predominantly based in Brussels, this quartet delivered their EP 'Aria' to well-received acclaim last year and ended up supporting Welsh Ragga Metallers Skindred. Through The Void have future in sights and are shifting from 4th gear into 5th, they tell GMA through their interrogation about their origins, what venues people should go to in Brussels, how they would describe their sound and how they are coping during the COVID-19 lockdown.

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For those who have not heard of Through The Void, can you give us a brief history of the band and were you all in previous bands?

     "Hey! The group was formed in Brussels in 2019. The group is composed of Chakib (lead vocalist and lyricist), Anthony (composer, guitars and backing vocals), David (drummer) and Roberto (bassist). Chakib and I (Anthony) had a previous project that was in some way the basis for Through The Void. David has a stoner project (Landing Planes) and Roberto before TTV was more into electronic music."


Now you play Nu Metal, do you feel at times the genre is under-appreciated or misunderstood by metal elitists?

     "We don’t really care about this kind of thing. We make music that we love and hope that people can love too. We still need to choose some kind of “label” in order to direct people to our music, but we don’t really give ourselves any limit in our creative process in order to adhere to a certain “code”. It’s in any case a large genre, in which many styles contribute. As long as you can headbang to it, it’s good!"


How did you come to play Nu Metal in the start? Who are your influences in and outside of metal?

     "Chakib listens mainly to metal, Chester Bennington is a real inspiration for him as a vocalist. He listens to a lot of Enter Shikari, Northlane and Of Mice and Men as well.

     David listens to many different styles of metal, from stoner to progressive, his Spotify playlist goes from Monkey3 to Devin Townsend.

     Roberto listens to a lot of progressive metal also, Jinjer for example, but also other styles like electro.

    As for me, I'm a big fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and I came to metal through listening to Linkin Park, Korn, and today where I love Gojira as much as Nasty for example. Recently I discovered Night Verses, unbelievable. Besides that, I listen to trip hop like Emancipator or Tor.
We tried to take 3 groups we liked and we selected Linkin Park, Slipknot and While She Sleeps as "influences".



You had a dream start in releasing an EP this year and supporting Skindred last year, you must be blown back by what's happened so far?

     "We are really happy to have had this opportunity, it was a great night! We received great feedback on the EP which warmed our hearts. Now, we still have a lot of work to do and we are working hard to prepare the follow up to ARIA.."


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Brussels Grand Place, Belgium / Source: Brussels Airlines

Tell us more about the Belgian Metal scene, what challenges do bands face, is the underground scene still as strong?

     "The number of places where it is possible to play is constantly decreasing, both in Belgium or in France. Most of the places hosting “amateur” groups are managed on a voluntary basis. The problem is the same almost everywhere, I think, that the public has difficulty getting around to concerts by local groups. It’s a very fragile balance. The Belgian scene has very good metal bands, you just have to take the trouble to support the scene by going to see local concerts."


For metalheads visiting Brussels, what sights / attractions and venues / bars could you recommend?

     "Well then there is an unmissable bar in the city centre, the "Rock Classic" which organizes several concerts per week in the Rock / Metal style. The Hellhole Project association also organizes concerts in Brussels regularly, check their Facebook page for more."



How are you coping during this global pandemic? What have you been doing during the Belgian lockdown?

     "We all respected the confinement measures, so no rehearsals face to face. But we have not stopped composing, and we will very soon release new music composed during confinement. Look out 😉"


Do you have any greetings or thanks you wish to send out to friends, family, fans, etc?

     "Thank you to all the people who listened to or bought ARIA, to all who come to see us in concert and follow us on the social networks. Continue to share our music if you like it and talk about it around you, your support helps us a lot! Thanks to André, our sound engineer / producer who brings us all his knowledge and who laughs at our poor quality jokes. Thank you to you for this interview, and to your work which allows to give a great visibility to many groups! We hope to see you soon for a concert as soon as possible."

https://www.facebook.com/ThroughTheVoidBand/
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Interview Interrogation: Morgan Weeds from Malicious Inc. (England)

26/5/2020

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Malicious Inc. are set to set the British Metal scene ablaze with their finely balanced sound of Groovy Nu Metal as shown on their debut EP 'Red Flag';  which was released through the Italian label Sliptrick Records. Morgan Weeds the band's lead guitarist filled in GMA with the details of their new release, what the Bristolian Metal scene is like and what metalheads can do down their, how they got in touch with Sliptrick Records and why in the space of 1 year 5 months they've managed to unleash a debut single and follow-up EP.

During the interrogation Morgan referred to Korn, Disturbed, Nu Metal, Bristol, Korn, and some more Nu Metal, Groove Metal and somehow... Bristol. Suffice to say he finished happy as Larry.

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For those who have not heard of Malicious Inc. could you give us a brief history of the band? What does the band name mean?

     "The band was formed in January 2019 by vocalist Kyle Mortiss and myself. I heard him release some solo stuff under the name ‘Of The Wolf’ and has got a very Randy Blythe (Lamb Of God) feel to it and was looking to start a band of that sort of style. We put auditions out, which brought drummer Luke Hill on board. Kyle brought in former band mate Christian Elvins on rhythm guitars and friend Chris Watkins on bass and we began writing. Since then, Chris and Christian have left the band and Luke brought friends Kyle Zehtabi and Matthew Hulin into the band and we’ve been working away ever since. The band name comes from the legacy of vocalist Kyle Mortiss’ previous band “Malicious Intent” combined with the fact that we are a new incarnation with new music, new members, new feel etc and we mean business."


You recently released your latest EP 'Red Flag' via Sliptrick Records, what was the reception like and did you have anyone outside of the UK buy it?

     "The reception seemed really positive to be fair. We weren’t sure what to expect from people as it was our first release but people are digging it, the industry seems to love it for the most part from the reviews and interaction we’ve had. We’ve had people all over the world listening via streaming services, downloading and / or buying physical copies which is an incredible feeling for us. To see our music hit everywhere from home turf in the UK, to America, Europe, South Africa and many more is an amazing feeling."


Talk us through the process of creating the EP - how long did it take to curate? Master? Mix? etc.

     "The EP didn’t actually take that long to create. We hit the ground running as soon as the band was fully formed. We went from forming in January 19, to writing a stand alone single and the 5 tracks for ‘Red Flag’ and then recording it and producing it by the end of April the same year."


What was it like signing with Italian label Sliptrick Records? How did you approach them or did they approach you? Talk us through the partnership?


     "We approached them. We were sent some contact details for Carlo who runs the label. After vocalist Kyle Mortiss made the initial contact, he handed proceedings over to me (Morgan Weeds - Lead Guitarist / Manager) to begin negotiations. They offered us a deal based off the final mixes as at the time we approached them it hadn’t been mastered by Martin Nichols yet. We finalised everything, signed in July, announced it in August and had the stand alone single and music video for ‘Bone & Mortar’ out by the end of September."


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Bristol, England / Source: Kayak

Given the UK is in lockdown, what plans did you have cancelled / postponed? What plans will you have late 2020 / early 2021?


     "We were supposed to hit the studio this April just passed to begin the recording process for the songs we’d selected to be the singles out of the tracks we’ve created for our debut album, but due to the situation that has been put on hold until we know what’s happening regarding the pandemic and lockdown. The guys at Sliptrick Records are working on and have nearly completed a lyric video for our track ‘Wintered Trees’ so we’ll be putting that out as and when, dates to be confirmed, but basically we’re gonna be hitting the studio and planning on hitting the road around a release schedule for these singles. Sadly as everything is so up in the air we have no idea about when and how these things will come to pass yet though. Watch this space I guess."


How would you describe your sound without the use of genre tagging?

     "It’s just brutal, honest, hard hitting heavy music. Deep lyrical content and emotive emotive execution."


For metalheads visiting Bristol, what sights / attractions and bars / venues could you recommend?

     "A lot of venues are close to shutting down right now which is a sad and scary thought, but The Fleece, The Exchange and The Louisiana are great venues that have wicked bands on all the time. The Crown is a kind of Metal / Biker pub with a venue underneath called The Trap. There are club nights of varying genres over at the Fleece and The Lanes. Rough Trade is a record shop opposite The Lanes that also has a stage. We played there back in February and it was a wicked show. We’ve got an O2 Academy.

     There’s a fair bit to do if you’re fresh to the area, but with the current economical climate a lot of venues are struggling and a lot of the competing club nights all claiming to be “Bristols Best” can become much of a muchness, same as anything really. People dig it though which is the main thing. There’s always a crowd at these places which keeps the local scene alive which is important now more than ever, especially when things start to normalise. The independent venues will need that ongoing support."



Do you have any thanks or greetings you wish to send to friends, family or fans?

     "Thanks to everyone who is continually supporting us and everyone that has helped us get to where we are. We appreciate all the support from our friends, families and fans and we hope everyone is staying well and safe during this time.

     Thanks for taking the time to speak to us."


https://www.facebook.com/OfficialMaliciousInc/
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Interview Interrogation:- Benji Webbe & Mikey Demus of Skindred (Wales)

21/9/2017

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When Skindred was announced to perform at Bloodstock 2017 there were a number of people who took their angst onto social media, raging at a band not being 'metal' enough being booked to play, when they should be at Download. Reality check, they've done Download, they've had their song 'Nobody' on the NFS Underground 2 game soundtrack, they've been going nearly 20 years, they've played Wacken for heaven's sake. That's metal enough for us.

Despite the whinging and whining on the net, the amount of festival goers Skindred pulled was more than adequate to put the elitists in their place. The well known 'Newport Helicopter' was a fitting way to end their set, even the ShowSec crew in front of the Ronnie James Dio stage got involved:- watch their song 'Warning' with the Newport Helicopter included here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpnPeFtUGkU); credit goes to YouTuber Jamiet1994 for the video - skip to 3:51 for the legendary Newport Helicopter. 

Benji Webbe and Mikey Demus both were more than happy to spend time with GMA to talk about their origins, playing BOA for the first (and possibly not the last) time, plans ahead, the origin of the Newport Helicopter and much more... over to the Welsh Ragga Metallers.

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"...bringing black people together, white people together no matter what, gay people, straight people, etc., I believe that's what we do""


So guys the 'Newport Helicopter', did you come up with it yourself? It's become a staple part of your performance hasn't it.

Benji:-

     "Yeah man one day I was on tour and we just erm... I decided to do this thing called the 'Newport Helicopter' and make everyone take their t-shirts off and swing them, it just seemed to catch on and people really dig it and if they didn't dig it, we wouldn't do it. Yeah yeah yeah, but you know what like I said if it was something that people didn't like, they wouldn't do it and people do enjoy it (goes on to say that when said topic comes up in interviews he admits it's really cool)."


Brexit is hugely topical at the moment, so as a band are you worried about what could happen?

Benji:-

     "I don't wanna know anything about that..., absolutely we're worried; it's pushing people away. Do you know how much money it's going to cost just to change the signs? Millions. Millions and millions and that's pathetic, you know I mean? I want to be part of a union, like what Mikey said we're about unity and I was quite upset when we're (The UK) in favour of leaving the E.U., I love Europe and I want to be a part of Europe you know? May the people have the power you know."

Mikey:-

     "No go on..., I mean everyone's got a different stance on it, I personally don't think it's a good idea, don't think it's a good thing, we're a band about unity and that whole thing is not about unity. I don't see the purpose or the point, not into it personally."


Skindred has been going for nearly 20 years. So over the course of your discography have you changed your music style slightly, or kept it the same?

Benji:-

     "Yeah solid. You know if something isn't broken, don't fix it. People don't know that we're a band who draw in a lot of different musical genres, a lot of different musical instrumentations and we just put it in together you know? The way I look it is like someone once said: 'by any means necessary, we'll make the people rock', and that means putting all the stuff together and that's what we'll do."


Focusing on the band name Skindred, what does it mean, was there any inspiration? What does your family think of your music?

Benji:-

     "Well it comes from... because the genres have come from different places, when we started the band we wanted something which represented the hardness and also the mellowness, so we took Skindred. 'Skin' coming from skinhead, which represents the sort of British urban kind of vibe and the 'dred' comes from the more danceable kind of thing... [so like a portmanteau? - Benji had not heard of this word so explained that it's a combination of 2 words], yeah man I like that, portmanteau, portmanteau"

     "My family has always been supportive of what I do, they love what I do, they're very happy and they know that. In all honesty in my mind what Skindred is, is me, it's outrageous, it's bold, you know it's me and my family love what I do, they don't f*cking buy the records but they're very proud of what I do and they're happy that I'm happy"

Mikey:-

     "In the same way that Skindred sort of drags in a very varied audience, it's the same with our families. Like my dad, my wife, they're not metallers you know what I mean? They'd be here clapping and waving a t-shirt around in the crowd just like the rest of those people. We did the same thing at Boomtown where it's all kinds of different people, today it's a field full of metalheads, they're going to get into it just the same. So we don't bring that 'we're this (splat), if you're not this then you're not going to like it'".


This is Skindred's first ever Bloodstock appearance, both of you how are you feeling about it?

Benji:- "Excited!"
Mikey:-

      "Can't wait, you know it's our first time here, I feel like we're at home, everyone I've spoken to is buzzing and pleased to play, we can't wait it's going to be great"


For those who have never checked you out, what song would you recommend and why?

Benji:-

     "'Nobody' is a good song. I think 'Rat Race' is another one I thought of. Stay away from the 'business card', stay away from that."

Mikey:-

     "Nobody is a good one, sums it up I think. 'Nobody' is kind of autobiographical you know? It's kind of a good business card but if you're not into that, fair enough."


What wares / equipment are you using right now? Benji what inspired you to become a vocalist?

Benji:-  "Microphone... (all laugh)"

     "Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck... I just watched cartoons as a kid and started impersonating the voices and then watching movies like 'West Side Story', 'Carousel' and then realizing I can actually... from mimicking the cartoon characters I can actually mimic the voices on 'West Side Story'. As a kid at school, our teacher would mostly sing us a song, tell us a story and I love it and I'd do all the voices. Like I said before music I was inspired by just voices, sounds, tones, etc.,"

Mikey:-

     "I'm using Orange amps, Manson guitars and a bunch of cool sh*t as well (Benji and Mikey laugh), loads of cool sh*t (Benji), been using the same stuff for quite a while"

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Bloodstock has a competition called Metal 2 The Masses that unsigned bands enter, and so what advice have you got for those bands? Any advice for children getting into music?

Benji:-


     "Keep doing what you do and love what you do, that's the best thing I can offer because this business is not about promises, or because you've been playing guitar for so long that don't you're going to get paid for it. Just enjoy it man, try to enjoy it and that's what it's for - life's too short for you not to be enjoying yourself"

     "You got to love it if you want to do it, that's my advice, love the people around you and I'll honestly say this 'when I'm on stage and I've got Mike, Arya and Dan with me, you know honestly mate I'm the luckiest guy in the world to have them, I'm in awe and I feel very blessed to be on the same stage as them'. If you can feel like that with the musicians around you, that's part of the battle, I think you've got to really love the people around you, you got to love each other.... that don't mean being in other's houses everyday... but you got to love each other to do this (being in a band). We're a family, that's how it should be."

     "My son, he was at the concert last night and the beautiful thing about it when he was growing up, even though there was a lot of music around I made sure he knew who The Clash was, he knew who The Ruts were, he knew all these different punk rock bands, and I was with him the other day and we were driving along and he played me some new Kanye West stuff, but he also played me some new Metallica stuff, which is great."


Mikey:-

     "I think if you have no expectations about anything coming out of music, you can only be positively surprised and if everything goes well. I think if you have expectations around you, you're going to be potentially disappointed because it's a difficult world to survive in. We're still figuring out 15 years in, trying to improve on the last thing we did, you know staying busy and staying active."

     "I would say for me I think, it's important for kids to play instruments and be into rock n' roll, because that's something that's kind of comes and goes and kids are growing up with f*cking celebrity nonsense and reality TV, it's all bullsh*t... it wasn't really a thing when I was a kid... I bought records and read magazines. I don't know if kids still do that now, I mean I've got a young kid who I hope grows up to be into certain things that you know, you want to keep that alive. I wouldn't just want them to be into f*cking 'Frozen', 'Disney', you know what I mean? I want them to be into f*cking Metallica, Pantera., etc"


Could you enlighten us as to where the 'Nobody' music video was filmed?

Mikey:-

     "That was down near Toronto in a warehouse with a production company from New York and we pitched all kinds of ideas for the song, hit the nail on the head of everything we're about and wanted to do, and yeah they nailed and we had a great time doing it. It was in a room probably twice the size of this (the Gibson bus), there was probably about 110 people in there kicking the sh*t out of each other, with us in the middle ground"


With your 'Ragga Metal' style, was there any inspiration behind it or did it just come naturally?

Benji:-

     "Well, for me personally when I was a little boy there was a band called The Specials, and they played punk rock and reggae and, basically they were playing covers of my dad's record collection but in a punk rock way. There were black guys and white guys and they all looked like they could live on my housing estate, on my council estate in South Wales and I was like 'wow I want to be in a band like that' and I believe, I really believe that I'm going to achieve that; bringing black people together, white people together no matter what, gay people, straight people, etc., I believe that's what we do"


Of course that's one of the great things about metal, it unites people from all over the world.

Benji:- "Oh yeah it's beautiful"
Mikey:-

     "The metal community is a very loyal community as well, they embrace what we do and when they're into it it's like they're into it for life. You know what I mean, we go away for a couple years and then come back and people still turn up. It's not like a fickle kind of world where maybe pop is, indie you know, because it's not a massively fashionable... fashion-orientated world where people just love what they love"


Regarding metal elitists, what are your thoughts on them?

Benji:-

     "What's a metal elitist?" (someone who sticks to one metal genre, bashing the others), "well they're missing out aren't they."

Mikey:-

     "I like the challenge of it, because those people who are on the forums going 'Skindred are playing, ah I'm not going this year', mark my words they're going to be f*cking out there later losing their sh*t, guarantee it that they'll be saying 'ah that was brilliant', can guarantee it."


So what's next for Skindred after Bloodstock?

Benji:-

     "We're off to Australia for an Australian tour, we're all excited about it. We'll be playing a show in Japan with Alice Cooper, so yeah we've got some pretty big things coming up and then we're going to start writing a brand new record, this is like the end of a cycle of 'Volume' so 'Volume's out there with the other records and then when we get back we're going to start again. A whole new album, which we hope to get out this time next year (August 2018)"

   
[Is there any New Zealand dates?]

     "No mate, I don't understand. Seriously it's been too long man, New Zealand? What's wrong with you?"

Mikey:-

     "I don't think we could this time, we'd love to go down there - not happening this time.


Have you got any greetings, thank you's, etc you wish to send out?

Mikey:-

     "We'd like to thank everyone who is here today and everyone who's been supporting us playing this festival and just our fans in general, if it wasn't for the fans we wouldn't be here sat having this conversation ('That's right' - Benji)"

Benji:-

     "It's all about de fans man!"


Skindred are currently touring in Australia.

https://www.facebook.com/skindredofficial/about/
www.skindred.net

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Interview Interrogation: Cache & Nookie from Slot (Russia)

12/4/2017

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What many could argue as Russia's answer to Hollywood Undead and Disturbed, Slot (Слот) have been rampaging Moscow's streets for 15 years with the gritty style of Nu Metal / Rapcore. Having released their latest album last year (SEPTIMA), Slot are leading the new wave of Russian Metal with fellow compatriots Save and MagnetiC forming a new breed of metal band.

Arguably they're part of a wider 'Eastern European' Nu Metal movement with the likes of Jinjer and Infected Rain from Moldova being the latest to bring a new edge to the seemingly dead Nu Metal sound. Slot however were yet to break into the wider international metal arena... until now, as they sign a deal with Sliptrick Records to distribute their album outside of Russian territories; additionally they're releasing online a compilation of their best songs marking their 15th anniversary.

Vocalists Igor "Cache" Lobanov and Daria "Nookie" Stavrovich were more than happy to share an insight into Slot's world.


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"Years ago there was one alternative music TV channel called “A-One”, which supported rock music in Russia."


Hi guys, for those who don't know who Slot are could you give us a brief background history?

Cache: "OK, we formed in Moscow 15 years ago. Nookie joined us in 2006. Last year we released our seventh album and there’s a lot of things that actually happened throughout those years. If you want to know who we are, go to iTunes or whatever and check out some of our music. By the way, we are about to release our “best of” this April, it is called “15” and it’s the best way to get to know us; through listening to this release."



The Russian Metal scene is quite underground and yet there are so many decent bands, what problems is the scene facing?

Nookie: "The first and the main problem – there’s no metal bands featured in the traditional media and no support comes from them at all. It’s not only about really extreme bands, but about anything that is even slightly harder than a feather. And of course this is not good for the genre. Everything is working just because artists’ enthusiasm and talent are there; more emphasis on enthusiasm though."

Cache: "The underground is out of show business, actually. Each band is on its own and survives by itself. Loads of potentially good bands just disappear after a while, because they can’t combine the day job and music well together. The absence of 'music schools' is also a problem, it concerns musicians, sound engineers, everyone. Well, I guess it is common for everywhere – metal is not in such favour as pop music."


Have you got any plans to tour the UK and indeed Europe?

Nookie: "We’ll be in Topfest in Slovakia this summer. Check it out - http://www.topfest.sk. As for the rest of the world – we are open to your invitations! There are means of contact with our manager on our site, if you want to book us for any concert in your country, drop him a line."


Is it relatively hard touring Russia given its vastness and time zone differences?

Nookie: "It’s ok, time zones do not change so fast. But the country is really big, so by the time you finished the previous tour, it’s time to go on to the next one."

Cache: "Sometimes gigs happen in some kind of 'anabiosis'. The distance between cities in Eastern Russia is big, so sometimes to get from one city to another you should cross a couple of countries such as Poland for example. But what can we do – people want to see us from all over the country!"


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

Nookie: "We have our anniversary tour this spring and then during the autumn. We release “best of” soon and our label will probably release one of our concerts on DVD this fall."


You've been going for over a decade, what challenges and issues have you had along the way?

Cache: "The main challenge – is relations within the band. It’s hard to work without tensions among the band members during those 15 years, but we don’t allow these tensions to destroy mutual respect and good communication. And we are proud, that we managed to do it. And we still exist as a band."

Nookie: "While there were some turbulence in the band: some people left, some came in, it is now quite a stable band. We accepted all the changes as changes for the best. Years ago there was one alternative music TV channel called “A-One”, which supported rock music in Russia. It has helped many bands, many bands disappeared as soon as this channel was shut down. Slot survived and our next TV appearance was also a challenge – I mean my participation in “The Voice”. But we used this show to promote rock music a little bit."


What hobbies / interests do you have outside of music and your day job?

Nookie: "I don’t actually have one. Besides Slot I have my solo project “Nookie” and I make scores for animation and even musicals as a composer."

Cache: "I don’t usually have spare time, but when I do, I’m into photography and design. I even have my Instagram where I upload all the materials. @designofoto and I can count my solo project ModeM as a hobby, this is different from Slot musically speaking, so I can call this a hobby in some way"


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

Nookie: "We know how many people outside of Russia love Slot, and we really appreciate it! Thank you very much for your support!"


https://www.facebook.com/theSLoT/about

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