I like a good mystery, and that’s precisely what 66crusher, extreme metallers from Bergen, would appear to have been providing the metal scene lately. Whether folk have gone for ‘death’ or ‘thrash’ – or hedged their bets with the ever-useful term, ‘progressive’ – the unanimous verdict is that the musicianship and song-writing on sophomore album [...]
Archive for the ‘INTERVIEWS’ Category
Interview – 66crusher: “However we try to describe our music, we come across as a band that doesn’t sound like us at all”
On August - 10 - 2011 Comments Off
Interview – Amaroc: “I’m one of those guys who try to think outside the box”
On January - 31 - 2009 Comments Off
When Amaroc’s manager suggested that this would be a band who would definitely appeal to me, I was pleased to discover she’d pinned down my taste pretty well; formed and fronted by Elite guitarist Per Valla, Amaroc mix extremity, progression and technicality to excellent result. Currently working on their debut album and searching for a [...]
Interview – Archimage: “The ideal of a religious experience is built into all people, and at some black metal gigs it’s very much present”
On August - 24 - 2009 Comments Off
ARCHIMAGE Archimage is an underground Finnish black metal act which is just beginning to nose its way out into the (s)limelight. Possessed of an enviable creativity where frosty leads and hypnotic structures are concerned, they have an authentic and a pleasingly classic approach that will engage purists whilst still bringing fresh compositional flair to keep [...]
Interview – Artillery: “We have been playing together with bands who know all of our songs, and they are young enough to be our sons!”
On December - 31 - 2009 Comments Off
I love to get the inside story from all manner of bands, but it must be said that some opportunities stand out in the excitement stakes, and the chance to talk to legendary Danish thrash metallers Artillery was certainly one of them! Michael Stutzer was proud to tell us exactly why 2009’s “When Death Comes” [...]
Interview – Asomvel: “If you did it all sensible and nice, you’d have no interesting stories”
On January - 31 - 2009 Comments Off
Yorkshire’s Asomvel are a recent discovery of mine, which is my fault not theirs, seeing as they’ve been doing the rounds for fifteen years. I first encountered them in a small and dirty club, which seems to be something like their natural environment; they were shouting at a sound engineer because he couldn’t make them [...]
Interview – Bahn (Abalam/Slitvein): “Like punk, black metal really has no boundaries, and that’s what makes it exciting”
On January - 31 - 2009 Comments Off
BAHN (ABALAM/SLITVEIN) In the festering summer of 2008, I met a champion of British black metal, one Bahn. Just starting out with his own fascinating, challenging project Abalam, he was also involved in a slightly different, but equally subversive project by the name of Slitvein. Since then he has become involved in an internet radio [...]
Interview – Beltane: “Our recording process is much more like an artist painting a picture”
On March - 26 - 2009 Comments Off
Beltane are a New Zealand-based black metal act with a unique way of doing thing, often resulting in very original-sounding releases which ably channel the passion and creativity of the band into recorded art. Outdoor recordings, improvisational song-writing techniques and a deep and genuine interest in the seasons and personal spirituality all fuel a very [...]
Interview – Conquest Of Steel: “We just want sweat, beer and denim, thank you very much”
On October - 29 - 2009 Comments Off
While I never really tire of broaching the same old subjects with the same old bands, there’s something genuinely exciting about getting stuck in with an act like Conquest of Steel. For those who aren’t in the know (you should be ashamed), CoS are at the forefront of traditional heavy metal in the UK. Having [...]
Interview – Context: “A complex song already kicks ass for being complex. To do the simple, catchy song… that’s hard”
On March - 26 - 2009 Comments Off
Whenever I’ve been in the Netherlands previously I’ve been struck by how hospitable and kind the Dutch are; they’ll show you around, speak to you in your native tongue, share their beer, their drugs, their party… this time, it all began before I’d even got on the plane, when I received an email from Context’s [...]
Interview – Count Beetle: “I have found that I am an outsider even to outsiders”
On January - 15 - 2009 Comments Off
Having launched this webzine under the premise of bringing you ‘music from the edge’, I suppose I brought Count Beetle upon myself, as rarely has a musical project probed such strange and mystical places, and been so comfortable in its own skin whilst doing so. The progenitor of these raw and intimate recordings of untold [...]